He disappeared today. Gone. Right out of our house. If only I didn’t yell at him. He would have never locked himself in his room. I love him too much to lose him, so I must now find him.
“I’m going to the store, need anything?” I said to his bedroom door. There was no answer but I could hear the T.V. going. “Eric, I’m sorry, for the hundredth time. I should have never yelled at you.” There was still no answer.
As I walked out of the front door a passing walker stopped and asked, “Are you Thomas Jones, the man who saved the world from that Russian man?”
I slowly responded, “Yes I am. What’s it to you?”
She gave me an irritated look and mumbled, “I just wanted to say thank you. Are you still enlisted?”
“No ma’am, I quit that show about two years ago.”
“Well thanks,” she said as she walked away.

As I walked into the grocery store I couldn’t help but look at the T.V. The store clerk was flipping through the channels and stopped on one channel that had blinking red letters that read “ALERT.” A man came on the T.V. and talked about a man escaping from a high security prison the I saw the name. Rictofen Glazkov.

As I sat there staring at the television and my phone rang. I reached for my pocket, still gazing at the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever set my eyes on. It was Eric. Was he finally forgiving me for my mistake? “Hello?” I answered. All I heard was a deep, heavy breathing.
“We have him,” said a deep Russian accent.
It then hit me. “Rictofen!” I yelled. “Leave him alone. He has nothing to do with this.” Then I heard Eric, he was screaming like a mad man, and then the phone clicked. Dial tone was the only thing I heard. I sped home and into the house. There was no sign of forced entry. Eric must have opened the door. There was a note on the wall. It read, “No authorities or he dies. Fifty million dollars by midnight. 1557 North County Blvd.” I didn’t have that kind of money, and there was no way I could get it in seven hours. I ran to my closet and pulled out the case. 7-0-5-1, that was the combination. When it clicked open all of my past slapped me in the face. An unregistered cell phone, 9-millimeter pistol, x-ray glasses, and all of the other little bits and gadgets. This was all that was in the case, but I only needed one thing; the gun. It was time to think and plan.

Three hours. That was all I had left to save my son’s life. I sat at the kitchen table with my gun by my side, thinking of all of the ways this could happen. Just one minor mistake and it could be death for both me and Eric. I could go in guns blazing but that would be a bad idea. I had to be precise and diligent. I finally had come up with the perfect plan.
12:05 would be the time that the CIA, SWAT, and all authorities in the Chicago area would be deployed to 1557 North County Blvd. They got information that a deal was going down at that exact time by yours truly. This would give Eric and me enough time to escape without a trace. I already had it set in my mind that I wouldn’t end any lives. They would all have to pay for what they have done. I pulled into a fast food parking lot and put my gun inside of my jacket pocket. This was four blocks away from where my trapped son was. I got out of the car and started my walk.

As I walked up to the warehouse I checked my watch. It was 11:50, which meant I had 15 minutes to get in, get Eric, and get out. I walked around to the back of the building to find a ladder that lead to the top. When I got to the top I looked into the main skylight to see a group of men crowded around a table. I only noticed one face. It was the man that I had stopped from ending the world and wanted revenge. All of the sudden, I heard a muffled whimper. I followed the noise to the other side of the building to find my son in another skylight. His face was bloody and he was very tired and un-alert. I found a rope on the roof. I took off the window piece that was above my battered son. I then tied the rope to a pipe and dropped it in the window I could hear Eric start to get excited and I called from the roof telling him to be quiet. As I started to climb down the rope I could hear the tension of the rope breaking the pipe like a twig. We were going to have to escape another way. As I was untying Eric’s hands I could hear his voice in the main room. It was the same voice that told me he would one day get revenge. After I cut him loose he gave me a hug and said, “I’m sorry. I forgive you.” I hugged him back as tight as I could.

I checked my watch; we had five minutes to escape before everyone arrived. I opened the door to hear a loud squeak. As we made our way to the exit, I could hear boots getting closer to us. I pushed Eric into a room and came in right behind him. It was Rictofen and a few of his men. He chuckled, “You don’t bring us money, and you don’t get your son. Oh how I will enjoy this.” Little did he know he was going to get the surprise of a lifetime.

As we exited the warehouse, I could hear a convoy of vehicles arriving outside. I checked my watch; 12:05. Right on time. I helped Eric stumble into a nearby alley before anyone could see us. Eric and I were going to be able to sleep safely from then on.