Molly groaned as she gradually opened her eyes. After blinking several times, everything began to come into view. She peered down at herself and noticed that she was propped up on a chair with her hands and feet tied together in a tight knot. After several desperate attempts to free herself, she realized that her efforts were futile.
A muffled cough that came out unexpectedly behind her made her jump. It was a familiar cough... she spun her head around and what she saw almost compelled her to cry out in delight. She could never fail to recognize those stunning green eyes and that messy heap of light brown hair--it was her friend Jack. All of a sudden, the dusty atmosphere seemed much more inviting. It was wonderful to see the face of someone that she thought she would never see again.

His charming smile was visible through his duct-taped mouth. Molly couldn’t help it-- she smiled back. They both exchanged a look of reassurance to one another. She was certain that they would find a way to escape… hopefully.

Both were aware that their kidnap had been the outcome of their curiosity and knack of attracting trouble. It had happened almost hours before, which felt like an eternity ago. Molly and Jack had been walking home from their bus stop as they normally did everyday. Unexpectedly, an ear splitting scream tore the silence of the lazy afternoon. Startled, they immediately darted to the source of the noise.

As they approached the scene, they glimpsed a man pointing the blade of a knife at a woman’s throat. Molly and Jack turned their heads towards each other as if unsure what to do. The man, the woman, and the two teenagers all stared at each other for an awkward moment. Of course, they knew they were in major trouble and decided to make a run for it. Too late. The man had already altered his attention to them instead, and decided to chase after them.

Meanwhile, Molly and Jack literally leaped to Molly’s doorstep. She pressed hard on the doorbell, but no one answered. The horrible truth suddenly hit her-- her parents were probably still at work. Immediately, she ran to the fence, motioned for Jack to follow, and leaped over it swiftly. He did the same.
Fortunately, the tiny door that led to the interior of the house was open. They climbed in and darted Molly shivered as she pondered on the bloodcurdling moment.
Evidently, that was the story of how they led themselves into this mess. Each felt highly foolish for causing so much mayhem. Molly thought about her parents who were probably frantic with worry.
She was slightly afraid, but wasn’t having a panic attack because she had been through a similar situation before. She had survived that, so she was almost positive that they would live through this. The scene of that day was still vivid in her mind.

She had sat huddled with her classmates on the wall beside the door. They were currently in the middle of a lockdown. Her peers sat around her, perfectly still. A highly foolish boy that was sitting by a flashlight in the classroom turned it on and pointed it at the opposite wall. Molly was sure the men would see the light penetrate the dark classroom. Of course, she was right. They immediately we silenced when a banging on the door interrupted their hushed whispering. Everyone looked at the teacher for further directions, but to their utmost disappointment, she had fainted. Screams were to be heard everywhere as a man easily broke open the door and invaded the classroom.
The students sat huddled in the corner in a petrified state. The man slowly approached them grinning in an evil manner. Slowly, he inched forward to the corner and pointed a knife directly at the boy with the flashlight’s throat. The knife glinted as he turned in menacingly.
Molly wasn’t really the type to be afraid, so she did something that no smart person would have ever dared to do. She stood up so the man’s attention snapped to her instead. Slightly amused, altered his attention to her.
Her chin was jutted up, expression was stern, and eyes eyes narrowed. Everyone in the room seemed shocked, but no one was more shocked than she. Molly knew that she was probably making a huge mistake, but she had always been a daring girl. Besides, she couldn’t let the man murder the boy even though he was annoying.

“A brave one, I see,” the man sneered.
“Yes I am,” she replied confidently.
He roared and charged towards Molly. Quickly, she climbed on the top of a desk and kicked the man causing to knock the breath out of him.
Before he managed to get up, she motioned for the other kids to beat up the man. They all charged towards him, kicking and punching with all their might. Eventually, the cops came into the classroom and took the beaten up man away.

After that event, Molly was one of the most popular people in school. All anyone could talk about was her courage. Molly was always remembered for how she stood up to save her her classmates, the foolish boy in particular. Speaking of the boy, he came up to her after the fight, thanked her for saving his life, and apologized for his moronic behavior. Molly thought about it for a moment and forgave him. Though how ironic it may seem, they eventually became the best of friends in the future. The boy was none other than Jack.

Her thoughts were shattered when a wonderful thought suddenly hit her. She always kept a pocketknife in her pocket if she landed in a situation like this. This was the perfect time to use it. She kicked Jack with her feet that were tied together to get his attention. She scooted the chair over and gestured to her pocket with her eyes wide. He understood and stuck out his hands. After much effort, he managed to grab the knife out of her pocket.


Struggling to get the rope loose, he dug the knife hard into the thick rope that bound Molly. The rope split open, which freed her hands. She took the knife and did the same. Eventually, they cut loose all of the ropes and jumped out of their chairs.

As they sprinted to the exit, men came out of nowhere and blocked the doorway. Molly and Jack froze in their spots. They looked around at the men that surrounded them from all sides.
Molly looked at Jack and he nodded. She faced the men with her eyes narrowed. “Bring it on.”
Jack grabbed a stick and charged at three men at once. He hit them hard, causing them to knock out for several minutes. He did a few cartwheels and kicked two other men that were advancing towards him. As he was a black belt in karate, he was highly experienced at fighting. Flipping in the air, for a dramatic effect, he knocked out a few other men at once with some fascinating moves. Despite the serious situation, he was actually having fun showing off his skills.
On the other hand, Molly somersaulted in the air and kicked the kidnapper right in the face. He yelled out in pain and fell to the ground. For a good measure, she decided to grab a fistful of dirt off of the floor and threw it on his face. At this point, he was at the verge of begging for mercy. She started to feel bad for him, so she decided to stop. She shot him a dirty look, stuck her tongue out, and leaped to the exit. She almost made it too.

Molly was yanked by her hair to the side, and the next thing she knew she had a knife being pointed at her throat. “Freeze!” the kidnapper commanded. Seeing the blade of the knife millimeters away from Molly’s throat, Jack settled down. The kidnapper had a satisfied look on his face as he said,” Come here boy, and I’ll let the girl go. If you don’t...” Jack saw the tip of the knife dig into her throat. Instantly, a bright red drop of blood appeared. Molly gasped in pain, but didn’t cry out. The sight tore at Jack’s heart.

“NO!” Jack yelled. “Leave her alone!” He tried running towards him, but one of the men easily pinned his hands behind his back. He tried to make him let go, but the man’s grip was too strong. He laughed cruelly as Jack struggled to escape.
Meanwhile, Molly stood perfectly still. She could smell the kidnapper’s putrid breath as he continued. “Hand yourself over, and the girl will be released. If not...” There was no need for him to continue. Jack was perfectly aware that neither would escape alive.

“Fine,” Jack said severely. “But promise you’ll let her go.”

“No, Jack don’t!” Molly pleaded, but the kidnapper immediately clamped his filthy hand upon her mouth. Her eyes were wide with terror as he stepped forward.

Jack looked at her straight in her eyes. I’m sorry Molly, he thought. I have no other choice.
Looking down at his feet, he approached the kidnapper. Without warning, the kidnapper lunged at him and dug the knife deep into his left thigh. Jack gave a yell of agony and fell to the ground.
Molly stuck her hand out and gave a silent scream. She tore away from the kidnapper and went up to Jack’s side. She looked down at his thigh which was bleeding severely.

At the moment, Molly frantically tore off an old piece of cloth from the curtains and tied it tightly around the wound. Jack’s face was gradually losing color. In the corner, the kidnapper watched Molly try to revive Jack. As she desperately looked around for help, she realized they had no other choice but to escape.

Jack laid on the floor bruised, and with a single line of blood flowing through the side of his lip. He groaned as he clutching his injured leg.
His eyes half open, he firmly grasped Molly’s hand. Tears streaming down her cheeks, she glanced down at him.


“This is it,” he told Molly as he attempted to smile. It turned out more like a grimace. “Promise that you’ll go home. Never think about me again... Never.”
He saw Molly hastily wipe a tear from her eyes. He felt a lump in his throat, but shut his eyes tight and held it back.

“Don’t worry, Jack. I won’t leave without you. Either we both leave, or die together.”

Jack gave her a weak smile as he wiped a tear from her cheek.” I’m not worrying, Molly. I’m with you.”

The kidnapper laughed again behind Molly’s back. Fury licked her insides like fire. She spun around, and punched the kidnapper in the face. He yelled in pain and fell to the ground. As he fell on the floor, she grabbed the knife from his pocket.



As many of his other men were knocked out, or they fled out of fear, the kidnapper was the only one that was left. With all her might, Molly lifted Jack and attempted to exit through the door. The kidnapper managed to get up and block their way.
Molly shoved him aside forcefully with her leg, causing him to smash into a nearby wall. Without giving it a second thought, she jumped out of the door into the main entrance. At the moment, she was afraid for Jack, not for herself. As she set one foot outside of the exit, the kidnapper clutched her leg from behind.

She yelled, kicked him in the face once again, and ran away with Jack in her hands.
Without looking back, she ran like she never did before.

Breathless, Molly came to a sudden halt. She observed her surroundings, and noticed that they were probably half an hour walking distance away from home. She carefully put Jack back on his feet. He was regaining the color in his cheeks which gave her immense satisfaction. After resting for several minutes, they slowly continued on their way back. Jack continuously leaned against her for support as they walked down the deserted road.
There was no sign of the kidnapper, which caused a great sigh of relief to emit her mouth. Without warning, Molly burst into tears. Jack gazed at her for a few seconds and patted her sheepishly on the back.
“S-sorry Jack. It’s just... I was so scared. I thought I-I-I would lose you forever.”
To her surprise, he laughed. Oh, Molly, don’t be such a girl. Besides, you don’t look good when you cry. Anyways, I’m here, somewhat alive.”
Repetitively sniffing, she gave him a hesitant smile.
”Anyways, this is the second time that you saved my life. I guess it was my lucky day when I met you.”
Molly blushed but tried to hide it. “Shut up,” she said punching him on the back.
Unexpectedly, Jack quietly said,”I can’t live without you.”
Molly turned away and angrily wiped her tears away. Neither can I she thought.

Neither would say it, but they were experiencing happiness beyond measure. Only they knew how it felt to be alive again.
Despite their bloody, torn, and ragged selves, both felt on top of the world. After nearly losing each other, they had managed to escape alive. Alive... it felt so reassuring savor the word. A bird chirped in the distance as the sun loomed over the horizon. They smiled at each other--- it truly was wonderful to experience the beginning of a new day...together. Silhouetted against the sunrise, the tall forms of Molly and Jack disappeared behind the horizon. Evil would always be around--waiting. But no matter where it was, love would always exist.