Chapter 16
The news van speeds away from the police station, as they move past the school, the news van slows down for a large truck that came out after the second soccer field.
The covered cargo area has its rear door ramp open all the way down, ready to take in any cargo about the size of a car.
Then from out of nowhere a black SUV that exited from the school is on their left side, and another on their right. Patricia attempts to slow down, but is bumped by another vehicle behind them.
Effectively shoving them inside the large truck. Then its drawbridge like door closes.
“Talk about, out of the fire and into the frying pan, I’d say this is a large pot.” Ronnie 1 comments.
“Are these your friends Ms. News Lady?” Ronnie 1 continues and looks at Samantha.
“Not that I am aware of, what made you ask?”
“She does not know anything? Well not yet?” Ronnie 3 interjects.
“So who made you say the ‘Little Bo Peep’, was it your friend?” Ronnie 1 asks.
Patricia tries to fight and wiggle out, of the trap.
“Might as well let them reel us in, Patricia, we might worsen this situation.” Ronnie 3 advises Patricia.
“It was a voice, a voice, a…” Samantha trying to make sense of what just happened.
“Does it sound like a man or a woman?” Ronnie 2 asks.
“I don’t know? It sounded like a woman, no, a man?”
“Ah… must be a voice changer.”
“Yes like on TV where you put it on beside you and it comes out, well your voice comes out differently.”
“Is that how you knew of all this? Like is this your first time to get info like this, like that or do you always?”
“First time.”
“Where do you get your tips from.”
The truck door behind them finally closes. The lights inside the cargo bay turn on and a voice from the speaker announces.
“It is probably best that you turn the vehicle off or die by asphyxiation”
Of which Patricia obliges.
Samantha attempts to get out, but is stopped by one of the Ronnies.
“Hey it is futile right now. We are in, really tight.” Ronnie 1 advises her.
Patricia tries to open her door only to notice that she could not even open it with an inch of an opening.
“Now, where were we?” Ronnie 2 asks again, “from whom do you usually get your tips from? Or in this case the most recent two or three, that involves us?”
“Uh… from my drunk mate, I mean we met at a bar once and we kind of hit it off from there and kept drinking every Friday at least once or twice a month.” Samantha snorts, and smiles, “oh, sorry it’s not funny. Say I think I am supposed to get an exclusive on this.”
“We’ll get to that part on a few conditions, the photos alone from the other newsies will be difficult to scrub.” Ronnie 3 puts his feet on the floor on this one. “Please answer the question, our lives depend on it, right now.”
“Her name is Carol…”
All three Ronnies reacted as if a thorn had been pulled from their side. “That seems comforting.” Ronnie 2 continues.
“It seems our enemies do not want us dead, well at least not yet.” Ronnie 3 announces.
“Would they attempt to kill the newsies?” Ronnie 2 asks Ronnie 3.
“Probably, we really have no idea. I suggest that we be truthful with them, we are at least always in the dark.”
“Okay, that seems fine with me.” Ronnie 1 agrees.
“We don’t have a choice, if the cops get us and they throw us in jail, it’d be the end of us.” Ronnie 2 reluctantly agrees.
“Now about that interview, if our voices are heard out in the public it will be the end of us, and our comrades will come for you and you will die. Do we have an agreement?”
“Yes… yes.” Samantha agrees.
“Now you three bear witness to what she just said, and that makes you an accomplice of her crimes against us, if this verbal agreement of ours is violated. How about that… let’s start with you driver lady.”
“Oh, me, okay I guess if Sam says so.”
“Hi my name is Leo, I am their producer, should you need anything that I can produce for you please let me know, here is my card…”
“For Christsake Leo!” Samantha yells at Leo.
“Oh right, yeah, I suppose so, right on.”
“I think the camera has been turned on all the time and the agreement is on record, and for the record I agree.” Az, agrees with the rest.
“What the fuck, you guys talk a lot than the ladies.” Ronnie 2 made an observation.
“I am pretty sure you have another disk or tape, what is it you’re using a flash card? I would like to have it for our sakes as well as yours. That will hold each one of you to this agreement and binds you all to us.”
Az takes the memory card and turns it over to Ronnie 1.
“I presume you have another, would it still work if you put someone in place of us and sit in the dark, but play our changed voices, of course you can keep the original voice recording.” Ronnie 3 to Azaria.
“Yeah, we can make that work.”
“Let’s do this before they separate us.” Ronnie 3 declares.
“Indeed news lady, for now we have become from predator to prey.”
