Sam got out of his car, parked blocks away from the city park, trying as much as he could to act normally. Then he walked his way to the park over to the little girl, Emily sitting alone in the park.
As someone who had never been lucky in his field of work, he planned this to be his biggest breakthrough. He had heard of Mr Marty in the news; he was a wealthy man who had only an adopted daughter named Emily. Rumours have it that Emily is possessed but Sam didn't want to believe it.
For months, he watched their every move. He didn't want to ruin this job for himself. He knew a big profile job like this meant a huge ransom. And a huge ransom meant a nice house and car.
"Hey, kid," Sam called with a friendly voice as he walked up to Emily. "You lost?" He asked the six-year-old girl seated alone in the park.
Emily quickly turned her head, her body barely moving. She stared Sam deep into his eyes. There was something about her stare that sent shivers down his spine. But he shook it off. 'Kids can be weird', he muttered.
"Where's daddy?" he asked, trying to make sure that Mr Marty was out of sight.
Emily gave a weird smile, her lips stretching too wide, reminding Sam of the 'Joker' grin from his favourite movie, at the same time, pointing to the ice-cream truck parked far away from where she was seated without losing her gaze on Sam.
"Daddy's buying ice cream," she replied.
"Yes, he is", Sam pretended to know. "I'm a friend of Daddy, and he asked me to take you home because he has an urgent meeting he'll be attending from here", Sam said, stretching out his arms, at the same time looking around and trying so hard not to get caught.
Immediately, Emily nodded, stood up and took his arms, which felt weird to Sam. He knew other kids would have resisted, asked to speak to their dad or even get their ice cream first before making any move.
But again he shrugged it off as the universe being on his side for the first time ever. He smiled, he was going to be rich. With that, he quickly walked out of the park to his van with Emily holding him tight.
A few minutes later, he was driving out of the park happy, with his destination being his hideout, which was on the outskirts of the town.
And every time he glanced at his rearview mirror, Emily sat there quietly with her hands folded in her lap and dead stares that steadily sent shivers down his spine. At some point, he stopped staring at the mirror.
"Are you hungry?" Sam asked Emily when he couldn't handle the stare anymore.
"I don't eat" she replied in a flat voice, still not losing her glare at Sam.
"You don't eat, or you don't want to eat, kid?" Sam asked, confused.
"I don't eat," Emily replied again. Then she took her eyes off Sam and looked out the window still with the stillness in her eyes.
"Wealthy kids and their weird attitude", Sam muttered to himself, wondering what she meant by that.
A few minutes later, Sam pulled over at his old cabin deep in the woods, which served as his hideout and home, too.
It was a small structure made out of wood with a tiny bed built in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by thick trees. The inside smells of damp wood and cigarettes. The floors creaked due to lack of repairs.
Gently getting Emily out of the Van, he expected her to throw tantrums and ask questions of where she was. But instead, Emily made her way into the cabin without fear.
"This is gonna be my easiest job!" He yelled happily and danced around like a hunter who had just shot his biggest game. Then he ran after her into his cabin
"Hey, kid!" Sam called running inside and shutting the door, to meet Emily already inside and staring at the wall "Here's the deal. You're going to call your dad and you're going to ask him to pay a certain amount of money. And then I'll take you home once he paid" he added
But Emily didn't reply. She stood there completely still, staring at the wall with her back to him.
"Are you listening to me?" Sam asked, turning her around.
But as she turned, her pupil was gone, leaving only her white eyes. Suddenly, her head began to spin like a puppet on strings. Then she stopped and smiled, but it wasn't a normal smile. Her lips stretched too wide that they revealed so many sharp teeth that sparkled with the light.
"We're going to have so much fun, Sam," she said, her voice echoing.
Sam tripped over a table as he shivered in fear. "What in heaven's name are you, and I never told you my name?" He yelled in fear.
Emily's smile changed to a frown, her eyes twitching as she moved closer to Sam, who pulled away. "Why does it matter when I already know everything about you?"
"Okay, I'm not interested in the ransom anymore. I can take you home" Sam cried from the floor. He was sweating profusely now. He poked his hands in his pants pocket, searching for his car keys. "Here, I can take you home," he added and got up to run out of the door, but the door slammed shut on its own. He turned to face Emily, but she wasn't there anymore.
"What have I gotten myself into?" he muttered under his breath. Tears running down his eyes like a terrified baby.
He tried to pull the door open but it wouldn't bulge.
Suddenly, the lights in his room flickered and went off. Leaving him in total darkness.
"Please, I don't want the money again" he cried.
"Please, just let me go," he begged.
Then he heard Emily's voice echo throughout the darkness. A loud laughter that mocked his pain.
"But the fun is just getting started, Sam. I still haven't called my daddy for your money," Emily's voice roared in the darkness.
"I don't want the money anymore. I can take you home" Sam replied, his voice already weak from crying.
Immediately, the lights turned on again and Emily reappeared in the room, her eyes still twitching. She flicked her fingers and the doors opened up. Then gently, she walked closer to Sam, who lay on the floor trying to catch his breath with tear stains on his face. He shivered as Emily walked closer.
"I read your mind at the park, Sam Smith", she called his name in full "You got into the snatch and pay business after the loss of your parents, but you've never been lucky. You wish to leave this place for a better life, but your idea of getting out of here isn't nice, Sam. Snatching kids for ransom? No nice." Emily paused
"This is a lesson to you never to snatch kids again for ransom. There are better options for a better life. Stop hurting kids!", she warned, her face red with rage.
Sam nodded.
"Try it again, and I'll find you, Sam. Believe me, I will find you" she threatened, stressing his name.
Sam nodded in fear, sniffing hard. "I swear".
Then Emily smiled and her face returned to normal. In a soft baby voice, she asked, "Could you drive me home please?"
"With pleasure", Sam replied, standing up immediately. His legs were shaky and barely holding him up. He ran out the door while Emily followed, her innocence back like before.
Only the engine sound and Sam's heavy breathing could be heard all through the ride back. Emily sat at the back with her hands folded in her lap. She had her face staring out the window, making sure to point Sam in the right direction home.
He pulled up just a few blocks away from her house. A gigantic mansion, which by now had a lot of police cars parked outside, probably because of Emily's disappearance.
Just before Emily got out of Sam's car, he turned and looked at him, "Remember what I said, Sam", she said with a soft voice.
"I swear, I will," Sam answered, his voice cracking from the shouts earlier. His hands gripped the steering wheel. He avoided looking at Emily's face.
"Good bye Sam," Emily replied. Then she got out.
