Excerpt from 15 Degrees of Heat by Lucynda Storey
The bouncing of her head, the smell of sweat, and the sensation of something tight against her legs brought Cali back to reality. A man had taken her from the clinic!She could feel panic rise within her as she saw the flames of the clinic recede. How could she find George if she was a captive, or if Rob Masters died in the flames set by her captor? What had she told her second graders to do when confronted with an abduction situation? Do everything in your power to get away. Make a scene. Draw attention to yourself. Now was the time to put her advice to the test. She needed to quickly formulate an idea and surprise the man holding her. Perched precariously on his shoulder, she felt as if she might fall at any moment. With a great deal of effort, she willed herself to stay relaxed. Any sign of tenseness in her body would surely alert him of her renewed consciousness. Mentally, she began relaxing her muscles the way she had been taught in her yoga class, becoming aware of each point of contact with the man holding her. Down her neck, through her dangling arms and into her torso, continuing on into her legs, she learned her exact position on the shoulder of this smelly male. She stifled a smile. Boy, was he going to be in for a surprise!
One, two... three! Leaning forward she grabbed the back of his shorts with her hands and yanked as hard as she could. The wedgie forced her captor to release his hold on her, and she slid down his shoulder, screaming at the top of her lungs. With her feet on solid ground, she jammed her knee into his crotch, then made a grab for his family jewels and twisted as hard as she could.
“Arrgghhh!” He made a weak grab for her, but doubled over in pain, he missed.
Cali ran into the tall grass and then scurried deeper into the dark until she could no longer hear his grunted curses. She crouched as low as she could while winding her way back to the clinic, thankful for her good sense of direction and the last rays of guidance from the setting sun. Her dress was a mess, her shoes worthless. As she ran, her ankle turned out and caused her to stumble. Behind her she could hear the voice of her kidnapper calling out. “Señorita! I will find you.” She mentally high-fived herself. That man was most definitely hurting. His voice was receding as if she really was getting away from him. She took a deep breath, thankful for any distance she could put between herself and her assailant. How much time would she have before he recovered and began tracking her?
In front of her, she could hear voices shouting, gradually getting louder. Who would find her first?