Ben yawned as he lay down in the corner of his prison. It was a hot afternoon and he could feel the heat through the walls and through the tiny high windows. Normally, he was left unguarded during the day with a supply of food, but recently, one of them had begun to stay behind with him throughout the daytime. In fact, he could hear him whispering in the adjacent room with one of the numerous girls they sometimes brought to the place. Ben had once tried to draw a girl's attention to his plight, but instead, he had earned himself a hard clubbing over the head that left him considerably dazed for a while. He was then starved of food for the rest of the day, which put him as close as possible to the thought of ending his suffering by committing suicide.
He had been locked up for several days, maltreated and kept totally concealed from the world, all for nothing or rather, something that he had no idea of. He had since stopped trying to come up with reasonable theories or reasons as to why they had abducted him or kept him locked up for so long. Instead, he had chosen to engage himself, whenever he had the necessary strength and opportunity, in physical exercises in preparation for the inevitable rescue team that would come for him. He had to be fit, not only to avoid being taken hostage if his captors were forced into a desperate situation, but also to escape, whenever the chance would present itself.
At the moment, he had just finished consuming a sparse lunch of half a sandwich and a banana. While he lay down on his back, he was exercising his calves - pulling his knees up and down, as much as the chains would allow him. Suddenly, he heard a loud bang... and a woman's scream of terror! He quickly jumped to a sitting position, unsure of exactly what to do. He could now hear a brief scuffle in the adjacent room and then several shots were fired in quick succession, making him shudder involuntarily. What if his situation had just gotten worse? What if it was infighting, or had a rival gang decided to steal him from his current captors? But he wasn't allowed to think long. With an explosive sound, the door was flung open and someone rushed into the room!
*****
Tara was in a high state of anxiety and restlessness. So here she was, pacing back and forth in Ben's sitting room. Lisha had already tried to persuade her to sit and be patient, but she had only ignored her. Perhaps being restless was the best form of calmness that she could muster. Lisha herself was restless too, but for a slightly different reason. At the moment, she considered her mission very much far from completion. Even Ben's rescue would not be enough to make it complete. There was still one more act to be played before there could be a real winner and a real loser, and of course Lisha wanted to be the winner, the only winner, who would take all and leave nothing.
Suddenly, a horn sounded outside and Tara was at the window in a flash. She quickly pulled aside the curtains and peered through the window with a wildly beating heart. The PI's car had just come to a stop in front of the building, but Clarke had certainly not exited his vehicle since the driver's door was still closed. She saw the passenger door fly open and a tall bearded man stepped out of the car. He looked quite familiar and.. oh! It was her Ben!
Abandoning the window, she rushed to the door and threw it open, running out of the house like someone being chased by the Devil's minions. Lisha and Joey jumped up and rushed outside too, just in time to see Tara knock Ben to the ground as she flew into his open arms.
"Sorry. I'm so sorry," she apologized as she helped him to his feet, with happy tears in her eyes.
"No no, it's alright. I'm fine. Just taken a little unawares. You can go again."
But she didn't. She simply held him in a tight hug, pressing him to herself as if he would disappear if she didn't hold him tight enough. Joey was relieved to see his friend back and was patiently waiting his turn for a brotherly hug. He smiled as Ben gave him a wink and a thumbs up from Tara's shoulder, who by the way, still hadn't let go of him. Lisha didn't bother watching the scene which had also attracted a smiling Clarke. She had no wish to further increase the tiny pangs of jealousy she was currently feeling.
"Did you get Thansa?", she asked of Clarke.
"Nah. Only one of the abductors was present. Didn't fit your description of the Thansa guy though. But we'll keep an eye on the place, just in case, you know," he shrugged.
"Wait," Ben called as Tara finally broke the hug. "Who's this Thansa character? I think I've heard that name before."
Lisha was about to say something, but a a threatening look from her sister made her close her mouth instead.
"I'm sure you've gone through a lot and you really should rest and see a doctor. (turning to Clarke) Did you take him to see a doctor before bringing him home?"
"I'm fine, hon," Ben cut in. "Really, I am."
"But you look so tired and underweight. I think you really should see a doctor, so it..."
"I promise you, I'm perfectly fine. I just need a little rest. So about this Thans..."
"Then let's go in, so you can have your well-deserved rest, right?"
"Okay," Ben shrugged and allowed her to grab his arm and lead him into the house.
"So who really is this Thansa guy?", Joey demanded in a low whisper as he and the rest brought up the rear.
"He's just some guy," Lisha shrugged.
"Yeah. I think I was smart enough to figure that out. But I'd like to know how he came to end up abducting a friend of mine."
"Believe me, you don't want to know."
"And why is that?", Joey retorted as they stepped into the house.
"Because one day, your curiosity will lead you to your death," she shot back before marching out of sight.