The pain in my stomach grew sharper, and I curled up instinctively, fear spreading through my whole body.
I was truly afraid now.
My hands began shaking. I was terrified the baby would slip away like this!
“I’ll give you one million!”
I almost yelled, my voice breaking as I cried, “I’ll send it right now!”
The man stopped moving.
One million, far more than he expected.
He stayed quiet for a few seconds, as if thinking hard, then acted like he was calm while saying, “Two million.”
“Give me two million, and I’ll let you go.”
I no longer had the strength to argue.
“Okay.”
“I’ll give it.”
My fingers shook, typing the code wrong again and again, the screen blurring through my tears.
When the sound of a successful transfer came through, I nearly fell apart.
The man loosened the rope on me, pulled the door open, and shoved me out.
“Count yourself lucky.”
The van disappeared into the night right away.
I dropped beside the road, my legs too weak to hold me up.
Then I felt warmth slowly spreading under me.
Blood. A lot of blood.
My shaking fingers called 911.
The ambulance sirens grew from far to close.
When the medical team lifted me onto the stretcher, their looks suddenly changed.