Them

Officer Gilbert—turned detective—had been jogging religiously every morning before work. The only times she would skip her run were when her workload was a little higher than usual or her work hours were different from what they normally were. This particular day, she didn't have to report for duty until half an hour later than usual. Her wife and their son had left for work and school. She jumped into her athletic gear, laced up her sneakers, and headed out into the chilly morning. She started off feeling cold, but by the time she returned 20 minutes later, she would be sweaty and ready for her shower. So rather than take a hoodie or a light jacket that she would have to remove before she was done running, she figured it was better to start off chilly and let her running warm her up. The 43-year-old detective was in remission from ovarian cancer and determined to do everything she could to keep herself healthy. That much wasn't hard. She'd always been athletic. Naturally thin, she was able to eat what she wanted and all she wanted, but she did try to eat clean most of the time. She jogged through the neighborhood, taking the same path every morning. She had only been running for a few minutes by the time she approached a solid white van with no windows or writing on its sides. It was parked by the curb. She thought nothing of it and was about to pass by it when suddenly the doors in back as well as on the side sprang open. A man jumped out of the back. She was about to scream when she felt herself being roughly grabbed from behind and something soft being pushed against her nose and mouth. She knew damn well what it was. It was chloroform. She hadn't had time to put her training to use and try to fight her attackers. She had been ambushed and knocked out way too quickly. In less than 15 seconds, she was restrained, knocked out, and thrown into the van, which took off the instant the doors shut. Happening just minutes later in the next state over, Boris Brownly heard a knock at his door. Although he was surprised someone would be knocking at such an early hour, he wasn't afraid. Although short and stocky, the guy didn't usually let life—or the people in it—intimidate him. Dropping his frosted doughnut onto the table that he was about to bite into, he rose and opened the door without even looking out to see who it was first. There before him stood two guys with detective badges hanging from ball chains around their necks. He didn't recognize either of them. His hackles went up immediately because they just didn't seem like detectives. Boris couldn't put his finger on it, but something was off. He studied a young, wiry guy on his left who looked almost uncomfortable and nervous. Then he eyed an older guy to his right who looked a little more confident than his partner. "Yeah?" Boris asked. "Boris Brownly?" "Yes. What's going on?" The older detective spoke up first. "The captain sent us because we need you to come and check something out that we have in the back of our van." Boris's suspicions only heightened. "Captain who?" When the two couldn't come up with a name, he knew they were full of shit. He glanced past them at the unmarked van sitting at the curb. He could see someone in the driver's seat, but couldn't make out their face. "Why don't you tell me who you guys really are and why you're here?" "OK," said the older guy, stepping forward and ripping a handkerchief out of his back pocket. Wishing he'd thought to take his gun to the door with him, he turned and ran back into the house as soon as he saw the handkerchief, knowing full well what it was. However, Boris was aging, overweight, and not in good shape at all. He couldn't move nearly as much as his younger attackers. Before he knew it, he was overpowered and knocked to the ground with the handkerchief shoved over his mouth. As everything went black, he began to realize that Janelle Stone had been right to say that he wasn't invincible. Around the time that Detective Gilbert and APO Brownly were taken hostage, Janelle Stone went through her inventory in the house she was renting, barely minutes from Brownly's residence. She double-checked everything and decided she had everything that was needed to carry out her plan. The two cots had been purchased along with a large supply of adult diapers, handcuffs, packaged foods, and shock collars. Of course, the zapping collars were important. She checked and made sure the remotes to control them worked, and was satisfied when she saw them buzzing with electricity. These were the types that were used to train dogs not to bark. They would definitely be mighty uncomfortable vibrating around the sensitive necks of human beings. Every time they raised their voices and thus put her at risk of discovery, they would get it. Janelle grinned with amusement and excitement. Yeah, she was gonna teach these fuckers a lesson for sure. She couldn't wait! Despite her excitement, she was nervous. Until those she had hired delivered the goods and made good on their end of the deal, she wouldn’t relax. After all, it was the police who had taught her that not everybody intended to stick to the deals they made. But just a few minutes later, a couple of vans pulled into the driveway. Janelle ran to them and confirmed that they contained exactly what she wanted. "OK. If you carry them into the garage and through the back door of the garage, you can get to the basement through the hatchway. Just try to move quickly so no one sees you." The men nodded and carried her unconscious "toys" through the garage and into the basement. Only three of the six guys remained. These three would be taking turns guarding Lauren and Boris when she wasn't having fun with them.