Chapter 7: Broken Dawn

“I think it worked; they put my list on the fridge and Peggy has eased up on me. At least some. She still wants me to wear skirts, but it hasn’t turned into huge arguments like before.

“I can’t hang out with you, though; she complains when I spend afternoons here at your place. I’ll see you tomorrow in the first period.”

That was the last time Bailey saw her friend for quite some time.

At 5 a.m., the overhead light in Molly’s bedroom snapped on.

“Wha?”

Before she could react, two burly guys wearing black tracksuits had torn off her covers and pulled her across the bed, flipped her over, and handcuffed her behind her back. Roughly, one of them pulled a pair of cotton sweatpants up her legs under the hem of her old-fashioned flannel nightgown.

They stood her up, gagged her, pulled her pants up the rest of the way, chained her ankles, placed slippers on her feet, and finished the procedure with a hood. Molly was completely incapacitated.

Her parents watched, sadly, as their daughter was hauled out of the house and put in the back of a windowless van.

“This is the only way?” asked Peggy.

“You know Molly would never accept the life God has ordained for her. You want grandchildren, raised to fear God, with the man He has selected for her. She must be taught discipline. It is God’s will.”

Molly felt a sting in her butt, followed by a drowsy fog that she could not resist. She was mostly asleep as the van rumbled up I-15 from southern California across the Mojave Desert. Her captors hit a drive-thru window in Las Vegas and returned to the freeway without stopping, except for fuel. The interstate crossed a corner of Arizona and led them deep into Utah. Exiting at the town of Beaver, the van drove west into the arid and treeless Great Basin.

It was more than 8 hours into the journey, and the sedation (from a second shot) was dissipating. Not only was Molly terribly uncomfortable, but she had to pee! Finally, her captors heard her moans and kicks and pulled off the shoulder of the desolate highway.

Her other captor, who was in the passenger seat, walked back and spoke to her.

“You need to calm down. We’re only, uh, we’ll be there in 15 minutes. You’ll be released then, so you can pee, whatever. Nod your head if you understand.”

Molly shook her head vigorously, indicating NO.

“That’s what’s going to happen, just relax, this trip is almost over.”

Grinding her teeth in frustration, all she could do was wait. After a few minutes, she noticed that the tires were now producing a different sound, as the asphalt gave way to a gravel surface. Then, finally, the noise ended; she heard only the engine ticking, then the front doors opened, followed by the sliding side door.

They grabbed her ankles roughly and unchained her. They then slid her over to the opening and forced her to sit up. They removed her handcuffs, pulled off the hood, and untied her gag. The blazing sun beat down on her, and her eyes were overwhelmed by the brightness, making her gasp and squint.

As her surroundings came into view, she could see a barren, empty, and endless desert. The only visible plants were a few spindly shrubs (which she learned later were creosote bushes).

“There’s nowhere to run, Jordan, as you can see. The nearest town is sixty miles away, and the nearest paved road is ten miles away. What?”

“I need to pee,” Molly said sullenly.

“So, take a few steps and squat down; those plants will thank you. We won’t look.”

That’s what she did, having no alternative. She turned her back to the desert and squatted. At least, the two kidnappers were truthful and looked away. Now she could see that on the other side of the van were some low buildings.

Now that the immediate problem was relieved, Molly’s body was talking to her, and she had to listen. Her red hair and modest clothing were her only protection from the sun’s rays, intensified in the thin dry air.