Carter's Capture

The mansion was quiet, save for the sound of its only resident playing video games in his room. Carter Sterling, the 25 year old heir to the Sterling fortune, was currently enjoying his time to himself. The servants were sleeping in their own quarters on the opposite end of the house, and his parents were away on business, leaving the young man to his own devices. At 4 am, it was dark in his room; the only light coming from his computer.

“Ugh, so bored.” Carter signed, putting down his controller. He leaned back in his computer chair, looking up at the ceiling. It was time for him to start getting more serious with his life, but he truly didn’t know what he wanted to do. Everything had been handed to him for most of his life, and as a result his father expected him to follow in his footsteps, but Carter knew he didn’t want to work in his family’s company. He wanted to find his own path, but finding that path was tougher than it seemed, especially since he didn’t really know how to do much on his own. Regardless, Carter needed to find his way in life, and prove he wasn’t just some other stuck up rich kid.

The next sound that came was so subtle he almost didn’t notice it. The sound of a chair shifting downstairs.

 Carter’s heart stopped. Did he just imagine it? Was it one of the servants?

He listened, straining his ears to listen in. Minutes passed, and he didn’t hear anything else, but his mind kept racing. What if someone was in the house? Should he just go ahead and call the police? Taking a deep breath, he eased off of his bed. His bare feet barely made a sound on the hardwood floor, and he used this to his advantage when sneaking out of his room. The hallway was silent and dark, with the only light coming from the moon out the windows. Carter kept his head low when making his way to the staircase. 

Halfway down the stairs, he still didn’t see or hear anything. Everything seemed fine, and he couldn’t recognize any danger. Starting to feel silly, he let out a slight chuckle.

“What the hell am I doing?” He whispered to himself, about to head back up the stairs, when he heard it - a slight shift of fabric. He froze immediately, heart stopping in his chest. Listening closely, he could hear the sound of someone talking, though he couldn’t exactly make it out. 

Oh, fuck… Carter thought. Someone was definitely in the house. He eased backwards, keeping his eyes trained on the dark living room across the staircase. Sweat was starting to build on his forehead now, and he felt like he couldn’t get enough air. Reaching the top of the stairs, he felt like his room was miles away. All he had to do was get there, and he would be fine. Everything would be fine…

Before Carter had the chance to turn and make it to his room, a pair of strong arms grabbed him. He barely had the chance to scream before a gloved hand threw itself over his mouth.

“Mmph!!” Carter cried, immediately going into fight-mode. He tried to wriggle his way free, but the man holding him was huge, and kept him still.

“Shh! Keep still, and I won’t have to hurt you.” The man said, twisting Carter’s arm behind his back. Carter winced, having no choice but to keep still. He breathed heavily through his nose, almost feeling like he was suffocating. Once he settled, the intruder spoke.

“Walk.” He commanded. 

Carter complied, being led by the man down the stairs. He walked into the living room, and his eyes widened once he saw three other masked men. They all turned to look, seemingly surprised at seeing the young man.

“Shit, I thought he was asleep!” One of them said.

“Well you thought fucking wrong.” Another answered, hurrying over to a duffle bag and grabbing a roll of duct tape. 

Carter’s heart sank. They were gonna kill him, he thought. Tie him up and take him somewhere to never be seen again. He shook his head in the hands of the man holding him, but the man’s hand wouldn’t budge. 

The second intruder came over, pointing to a chair in the dining room. “Sit him down.”

Carter was walked over to the chair, and shoved into it. The man removed his hand from Carter’s mouth in order to keep him pressed to the chair. He felt like he should scream, or beg, but he couldn’t talk, his mouth felt dry and his tongue felt heavy. 

The intruder took his legs and held them together, taping them up. He then did the same with his thighs. His pajama bottoms kept the tape from pulling at his skin, but it was still so tight. Next came his wrists, which were held behind his back by the first intruder, and taped up tightly. Once the tape was being wrapped around Carter’s chest, he began to panic, realizing how real this was.

“P-please…” He found his voice, though it was super soft. The intruder paid him no mind, continuing to tape his chest tightly to the back of the chair.

“Please…! If you want money, you can have it. My parents will give you anything, just– mmph!” Tape was quickly placed over his mouth, followed by another two strips.

“I hate it when they beg.” The second intruder said, smoothing the last strip of tape over Carter’s mouth. Once he was properly secured, the intruders stepped back.

“Keep an eye on him. I’ll finish looking around.” The second intruder said to the first. 

The first intruder nodded, taking a seat across from Carter. The young man watched as the robbers went back to investigating the house. Carter shifted uncomfortably in the chair as much as he could. His mind was racing thinking about everything that could happen. Did the servants know this was happening? Maybe one of them heard something and called the police, hopefully they would be here soon…All these thoughts swirled through his mind, when the intruder spoke. 

“Relax, kid. Once we’re done here we’ll leave you alone.” He said.

Carter glanced in his direction, worry etched across his face. How could he believe him? He broke into his home after all.

“As long as you follow directions you’ll get out of this alive.” The intruder continued. 

Carter sighed through his nose. He hoped he could believe him. Maybe, if he was lucky, he could try to reason with him…

“Mmmph, mhh mphh…” Carter tried. Not really trying to say anything in particular, but showing that he wanted to speak. The intruder shook his head.

“You know I’ve gotta keep you gagged. It’s nothing personal, kid. Just gotta make sure you don’t scream.”

“Mh mmph, pmmm.” I won’t, please. Still, the intruder shook his head. 

“Just keep quiet for now. We’ll be gone soon enough.”

Minutes passed, though it felt like hours. Carter fumbled with his restraints every now and then, but they weren’t budging. His shoulders were starting to get sore from being bound to the chair so tightly. He felt the heaviness in his eyes begin to take over when the sound of footsteps finally came, shocking him back awake.

“We got into the safe.” One of the intruders said. 

“Good.” The intruder sitting next to Carter said, standing. “Let’s go, then.”

“Hold on, we’re taking him.” Another said, pointing at Carter.”He said his parents would pay, and I’m willing to bet on that.”

Carter’s blood turned to ice. He quickly shook his head. “Nhhm! Mmph!”

The intruder that had been watching him stood in front of him. “We don’t need to take him. It’ll be more trouble than it’s worth.”

The other intruders laughed. The tallest one stepped forward “Are you stupid? The kid is obviously loaded. We can get a lot for a ransom. Blindfold him and get him in the truck. That’s an order.” He held out a bandana.

The intruder guarding Carter paused, before relenting, taking the bandana and walking over to Carter, who was pleading as best he could.

“Sorry, kid.” He whispered, as he tied the blindfold tightly around his head. 

“Mmph…! Mmmh!” The young man cried, feeling himself being unwrapped from the chair. Unfortunately, his legs and wrists were still bound, so he couldn’t go anywhere. In an instant, he was lifted over the intruder’s shoulder, and felt himself being carried out of the house, not knowing what would come next for him. 

The car ride was anxiety inducing. Every bump and turn reminded Carter that he was being driven further and further away from home. He shifted on his side, trying and failing to get into a slightly more comfortable position. He could stretch out a bit, thankful he wasn’t stuffed into the trunk, but he was definitely in the back part of an SUV. He tried seeing if there was anything he could find to free himself, rolling around in the back, but he only ended up bumping into the sides of the interior.

“Mmph…” Carter sighed, feeling more hopeless at this point. For what felt like an hour, the drive continued until it finally stopped. The sudden realization that they were at their destination had Carter panicked. He heard the door to the back open, and immediately tried his best to fight off his captors. He took his bound legs and lifted them, kicking blindly into the air. His legs were caught quickly, with little effort.

Carter moaned into his gag as he was pulled towards the door and lifted over someone’s shoulder again. He tried struggling, but there wasn’t much he could do in this state.

He was carried inside the hideout without another word, and placed on the hard ground. 

“Hand me the phone so I can get the ransom photo.” Someone said. The sound of a camera shutter reached Carter’s ears, and everything was becoming too real.

“Nhmm, pmmm!” He tried to reason with them, but this only made the kidnappers relish in his situation.

“Yeah, that’s good, kid. It’ll definitely get your dad moving on the ransom.”

“What are we gonna do if his dad doesn’t pay?” Another asked.

“He will. Trust me.”

The blindfold was removed, and the dim light was still too much for Carter’s eyes. He blinked a couple of times, getting used to being able to see again. The big intruder that had been watching over him stood, while the others went through what they had taken from Carter’s house. 

“Just behave and this will all be over soon.” He said. Carter looked up at him, green eyes pleading to be let go. The intruder quickly looked away, obviously feeling more guilty than the others. He turned to go talk to the others, leaving Carter to take in his surroundings. He was obviously in a basement of some kind, but he had no idea where he was. There were no windows, and nothing but a couple boxes lining the walls. He could try screaming, but doubted anyone would hear him, plus he didn’t need to give the kidnappers reason to give him a stronger gag…

Eventually, the others left, leaving the big intruder to watch over him again.

“Get some sleep. You’re gonna need it.”

The young man tried pleading again, thinking this was as good a time as any. “Phmm, mmh mh gmmm. Phmmm.”

“Enough.” The intruder said, holding the blindfold back up. “Do you need to be blindfolded again?”

Carter quickly shook his head. He was going to ask to at least be able to sleep without a gag, but it looks like that wasn’t going to happen. 

“Then sleep,” The intruder instructed, sitting by the wall and leaning against it. 

Sleeping seemed impossible with his arms tied tightly behind his back, but eventually the stress and exhaustion became too much, and he found himself dozing off.

—-----

Carter awoke a few hours later, not sure of the time. 

“Mmmph…” He groaned, immediately remembering that he was still bound and gagged. 

He glanced over and saw that the intruder was still sleeping. Thinking this might be his chance to escape, Carter rolled over, and began slowly inching his way to the door of the basement. He moved like an inchworm, slowly pulling himself across the cold floor. His muscles were sore and tired from being bound all night, but he had to try. He had barely made it halfway across the floor when he heard the door opening. He looked up, seeing the other kidnapper’s masked face looking down at him.

“Ohh, what have we here? A little escape artist. Nice try, kid.” The intruder said, quickly stepping over him and pulling Carter back towards the wall. 

“Nhmmm!” Carter screamed. 

The other intruder had woken up at this point. “What the fuck happened?”

“He tried escaping. And here, I was trying to be nice and offer you some water, but I see you need some tighter restraints.” The kidnapper said, walking over to a box and pulling out more duct tape. He then grabbed a large suitcase that was leaning on the wall and rolled it over.

“Nhmm, phmm, nhmmm!” Carter cried, trying to back up further towards the wall in a meaningless effort to escape. 

“Flip him over and fold his legs.” Came the instruction. The bigger kidnapper did as he was told. Tape was ripped from the roll and looped around Carter’s thighs and ankles, pulling him into a tight taped frogtie.

“Mmphh!” 

“And just to make sure you don’t try anything else…” A strip of tape was ripped off and placed over Carter’s eyes. The young man cried into his gag, trying to apologize and beg but it was too late. 

“Mphmm…hmm! Hmmph!” He felt so vulnerable in this position, barefoot and frogtied, blindfolded and gagged. There was no way for him to escape now.

“His ransom seems to have been paid.” The first kidnapper said. “His mommy and daddy are sending someone over to get him. We’ll have to change locations and meet up soon. Make sure he doesn’t get into any more trouble.” 

The other kidnapper nodded. “I don’t think he can do much of anything now, you tied him up so tight.”

The first kidnapper smirked beneath his mask. “You’re not feeling sorry for the kid, are you?”

The bigger kidnapper shrugged. “I just want this job to be over, that’s all. Let’s move out then.”

—-------

Across the city, one of the Sterling family’s personal assistants was waiting anxiously. Rain was pouring down, and he could hardly see, but he didn’t care. All that mattered now was getting Carter safely home. He looked around the line of warehouses at the pier, seeing no one in sight. The suitcase of cash he held in his hands felt too heavy, and he was worried about what horrible things could’ve been happening to Carter.

“He’d better be alright…” The man, Daniel, said, biting his thumbnail. The sound of tires screeching brought him out of his thoughts. He turned, seeing a black SUV coming around the corner. He straightened, holding the suitcase tightly and watching as two men got out of the car first, and then another two, holding a suitcase of their own. Daniel was confused. 

“Where is he?” He hissed.

One of the kidnappers laughed. “Calm down. He’s here.” He said, moving the rolling suitcase forward. Daniel’s eyes widened. 

“You put him in there?! How cruel!” He said.

The kidnapper rolled his eyes. “Your little rich boy put up a fight so we had to make sure he stayed secure. Now do you have what we asked for or not?”

Daniel nodded. “It’s here.” He said, holding up the suitcase. 

“We’ll trade then.” The kidnapper said, rolling the suitcase forward. Daniel slowly approached as well, holding one hand out to retrieve Carter and the other to pass off the money. Each man held a hand on the other’s respective suitcase, and Daniel felt his heart thrumming in his chest. “We let go on the count of three; one, two, three…!”

Daniel grabbed the rolling suitcase and the kidnapper grabbed the cash, each taking a step backwards once they got what they wanted. 

The kidnapper smirked under his mask. “Pleasure doin’ business with ya!” He said, before quickly turning and hopping back into the truck with the others. They sped down the rain-slick streets, rounding the corner and disappearing. Daniel quickly put the suitcase on its side, unzipping it and revealing the bound Carter inside.

“Mphmm…” Carter groaned. He was still blindfolded and frogtied and had been stuffed inside the suitcase. Daniel quickly held Carter in his arms, taking the blindfold off gently.

“Carter, oh my god, are you okay? What did they do to you, Jesus Christ…” He swore, gently taking the tape around his mouth and pulling it off. 

“Daniel…Thank you…” Carter said. His voice was weak, and Daniel knew he had to act fast. He pulled at the tape around Carter’s legs, freeing them, and then did the same with his wrists. 

“Can you stand?” Daniel asked, wiping Carter’s wet bangs from his face. 

Carter nodded, shakily moving to stand up, but quickly fell back down. His legs had been bound for so long that it was taking a while for any feeling to come back to them. Daniel quickly took Carter, scooping him up in strong arms. 

“I’ve got you.” He said gently, carrying Carter over to the car. He opened the passenger door, putting the young man inside, and then jumping into the driver’s side. 

We’ve gotta…call the police…” Carter said, his eyes shutting.

“I’m going to get you home first. We found some of the other servants tied up in the closet back at the mansion. I came as quickly as I could when I heard you had been kidnapped. I was so worried…” Daniel said, putting a hand gently on Carter’s thigh.

Carter’s eyes opened quickly, looking over at Daniel. “Dan?” He asked.

“I…I’ve liked you, for a long time now, Carter.” Daniel confessed, looking away. “When I heard you were kidnapped, I felt sick.”

Carter paused, before putting his hand over top of Daniel’s. He had always found the man attractive; being 28 made him a bit older than Carter, but he never minded. Daniel was always kind, caring, and responsible, and treated Carter like he was worth something more than his family’s money. Carter blushed.

“Dan, I….I like you too. A lot…Thank you, for saving me.” Carter said, a soft smile on his features.

Daniel smiled back, squeezing Carter’s hand. “Let’s get you home.” He said.

He started up the car and drove through the rain, and for the first time in hours, Carter felt truly safe.