Montego Bay Ocean City
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As the train rolled into the station, a tall thin man dressed in white sat down beside her. She glanced at him with curiosity and he smiled back. “Welcome aboard!” he called to everyone.
“You must be new to the city,” she replied. She felt drawn to his friendly smile and was sure that she had seen him before, although she didn’t know where or when. His name badge read, ‘Mr. Tait,’ and for some reason, it seemed familiar.
He stood up as soon as the conductor announced his stop. As he left, she realized with dismay that she hadn’t asked what time he planned on leaving the next day’s trip.
The woman got off the train to stretch her legs and walk around Montego Bay’s waterfront boardwalk area. After wandering aimlessly about, she noticed a small restaurant near the marina’s edge. With the sun setting in front of her and its golden light glistening on the calm water below, she could see no better place to sit.
So, after ordering herself a drink and an appetizer, she took a seat at one of the outdoor tables. The food tasted delicious and made her feel relaxed as she watched the people stroll along the boardwalk. There were plenty of tourists out tonight, but they seemed so normal by comparison to most of her friends back home who had never seen more than one side of town during their stay.
As the night progressed, the temperature dropped and finally she was forced to return to the warmth of the café’s interior. A few minutes later Mr. Tait entered the restaurant and sat down across from her table. “I’m glad I found you again.” As she looked over at him she recognized the same face that she had glimpsed at the train station earlier that evening.
“I hope we meet again, too,” she said, smiling broadly. They talked for a while about the sights they’d seen that day, as well as other places in Jamaica. When she mentioned how much fun she’d had dancing in the local bars the night before, Mr. Tait smiled approvingly, “Yes! That’s exactly what you’re supposed to do here, isn’t it?”
She nodded excitedly and they continued talking until she felt tired and ready to go home. But there was one final detail that needed attention: the ticket fare to get back to New York City. While searching through her purse to find her wallet, her eyes caught sight of something peculiar in one of the pockets; it wasn’t hers.
Concerned that this might be theft, she reached inside and pulled out a piece of paper that contained detailed directions to a place called, ‘Morgenstern’s.’ At last, she realized why Mr. Tait had been so familiar to her. “Where did you get your ticket?” she asked him.
He laughed. “It was my brother’s ticket, but he won’t mind if you use it,” he said reassuringly. Then he added, “Just make sure that you don’t miss the morning train.”
As she walked away from Montego Bay, she was filled with an overwhelming sense of excitement. She knew that she would remember her time here fondly, but also feared that the events of tomorrow may cause them to fade just as quickly.
***
She arrived early at Morgenstern’s, as she planned to take care of business right away and then return home. Inside, the place was empty save for a single employee behind the desk. “Is this where I turn in my brother’s ticket?” she asked. The young man nodded and handed her a small envelope containing all sorts of information including a note addressed to her.
Opening it, she saw that it had only three simple words printed on it. ‘Don’t worry, everything will work out fine!’ Then there were instructions to call the toll-free number listed beneath the note should she have any questions. It seemed odd to her that anyone would need to call about anything since her trip hadn’t even begun yet. She tucked the note into her purse and went upstairs.
When she entered her bedroom and lay down on her bed, her head began to spin. As her eyes closed, she thought to herself that perhaps there really is a reason to worry—but not about anything that happened yesterday or today.
Instead, she imagined what it might be like if this whole thing turned out to be nothing more than a bizarre dream and she woke up back in Manhattan with all of its worries waiting patiently for her to return. Her eyelids fluttered open, and she was still in Jamaica.
She rose and put on her coat and hat, then returned downstairs to retrieve the envelope that Mr. Tait had given her. She was surprised by how heavy it felt in her hand. Once outside, the crisp early morning air made her realize that this strange feeling in her chest was a mixture of fear and excitement. This is silly, she told herself, just go!
Her first stop was the bank where she exchanged money, withdrew cash, and paid off the remainder of Mr. Tait’s brother’s fare. As soon as she finished paying everything off, the banker asked her if she’d ever visited Jamaica before. “Well, actually yes,” she answered.
He explained that he’d spent time at a resort not far from Montego Bay when he was younger. His mother had taken him to Jamaica for his high school graduation. “How was it?” he asked her. “It was wonderful!” she replied. “Did you enjoy yourself?” “Absolutely,” she said emphatically.
He then gave her some pointers regarding where she should stay and how best to spend her time on the island. Then, without giving it another moment’s thought, she boarded the train that would bring her to Montego Bay. She had no idea who Mr. Tait’s brother was or how long she’d be gone.
All she knew for certain was that he had helped her out with a difficult situation; now it was time for her to return the favor.
When she arrived at the bus terminal, she looked around in amazement at the number of people there already. It reminded her of Grand Central Station; she remembered going there to see a play with her father when she was a child. After a few minutes, she found someone else from her group that was departing. As the woman was getting ready to leave, she introduced herself.
“I’m Susan,” she said brightly. “Pleased to meet you.” The woman turned around, but instead of responding, she stared blankly for a moment before saying, “What are you doing here?”
Susan smiled and replied, “Oh, I just came to join my friends.” She took off her hat and coat and placed them in a locker next to one of many rows of them. “I guess we’re going to be traveling together then?” the woman remarked after looking over the names printed on the front of each locker door.
Susan nodded and said, “Yes, we’ll be heading to the same place as your group.” When she removed her jacket and hat again, the woman continued to look at her curiously for several seconds. Finally, she asked, “You know each other? From somewhere?”
“From here,” Susan answered, pointing to where they sat. They chatted for a while longer until the bus arrived and everyone moved inside to get on board.
When she entered the vehicle, she was greeted by a chorus of voices calling out her name. She waved at most of them, but none stopped to talk with her. As she settled into her seat and prepared herself for an uncomfortable ride, she noticed that all the seats were filled and that a couple of men were standing near the front of the bus.
They were staring straight ahead, their backs to her. One of them suddenly turned toward her and said, “Hi!”
Susan stood up and said, “Hello.”
He continued, “Sorry for bothering you like this—it’s just that I’ve never seen anyone as good-looking as you before.”
His comment brought a smile to her face. She reached up and touched the top of his head lightly, then returned her attention to sitting down once again.
As the bus departed the station, the man said, “My name is Tom,” and held out both of his hands.
With a broad smile, she said, “My name’s Susan. How do you do?” Then she leaned forward and asked, “Are these your friends?”
They nodded politely in response. A minute later, as they were passing through Kingston, Jamaica, the three young men began asking her questions about New York City and Manhattan, and she did her best to answer them. After a bit more chatting, she asked, “Where will you be staying in Jamaica?”
They told her they’d be staying at a place called Negril. “That’s beautiful,” Susan commented. “Have you been there before?” “No, this is our first trip,” they replied. “But we’ve heard great things about it. We’ll be there two weeks.”
They also mentioned something about playing golf and being with women from England; she assumed that they probably meant the United Kingdom. She didn’t ask any further questions because it wasn’t important. They were nice boys and it felt good to have someone to talk to for a change.
They’d been in Jamaica for only thirty minutes, but it seemed as though they’d known each other for years. By the end of the hour-long journey, they were laughing and joking and having fun. As soon as they landed at Negril, it became obvious that the three men wanted to take her back to wherever she was staying so they could spend the evening with her.
She tried to explain how she wouldn’t be able to stay with them since she was traveling alone, but the older of the three, who seemed to be the leader of the pack, insisted that he’d take care of everything. He made his intentions clear when he put his arm around her shoulders and said, “We can find room somewhere if necessary.”
“Thanks anyway, boys,” she said as they disembarked from the bus and went to find their luggage. While the others waited outside for Tom, Susan walked quickly away from him and toward the beach. As she did, the younger boy called out, “Hey, wait up!”
She turned around and replied, “No.” She watched them walk across the sand toward where their friends were standing and waiting. When she saw them go in that direction, she decided to make sure she had enough money to pay for whatever she needed.
As she headed toward the small bank that was located next to the bus station, she ran into two of her friends who were leaving the terminal. Her friend Nancy waved at her excitedly and exclaimed, “There you are! I thought we’d lost you.”
“I’m not quite ready yet,” she told her as she walked past her toward the bank. The bank clerk told her that it would be another few minutes until he received her deposit. “Don’t worry, we’ll wait for you,” Nancy offered.
“Well, actually—” she started to say but was interrupted when a voice called out, “Nancy! Hey, there you are!” It was Tom. She looked up at him and smiled.
He said, “You know me, right? I don’t want you to forget us.”
The two women laughed as he approached them. He said, “Come on. We’re all going to be at the same hotel.”
Nancy took hold of his hand. “Of course, we’ll come with you. You haven’t seen us for ages.”
After paying a fee to the bank, Susan followed her friends to their hotel room. There, they showered together, shaved each other’s legs, and spent a delightful evening eating dinner. Then they sat around talking until after midnight when they realized that they should get some rest.
In the morning, they ate breakfast and got ready for the day ahead. Once they were packed and ready to leave, they checked out and caught a cab to the airport. Susan told the taxi driver where they were going and asked him what time it would be safe to return from the beach without being worried about getting back before dark.
The driver said that she could expect to be home by seven o’clock at the latest. “Then it’ll be fine,” she answered.
“Yes, no problem. Just be careful,” he said as they drove away from the hotel.
When they arrived at the airport, they found the flight to London boarding almost immediately. The woman checked them all in and then wished them bon voyage as they boarded the plane. A few hours later, they landed safely in London.
Upon arrival at Heathrow Airport, Tom and his companions hailed a taxi and asked the driver to take them straight to their hotel in Central London. They agreed on an early dinner since the three of them were hungry and tired after their long flight. After checking into the hotel, they walked downstairs to find a restaurant that would deliver food to the hotel.
As they walked to the street, it began to rain; they had forgotten the weather at home while they were sweating in Jamaica. As they stood at a corner trying to hail a taxi, one pulled over just as a car carrying four men passed them heading in the opposite direction.
One of the men shouted to his friends, “Look! That’s our kind of people.” Susan and Nancy were startled but Tom pretended not to hear. As the group continued down the street, Tom said loudly, “Hey, you guys. Let’s see if those girls are interested in some fun tonight. They look like they might be lonely.”
A couple of the men turned around to face him and said, “Let’s go find out.”
One of the men grabbed Susan by her upper arm and spun her around and shoved her roughly toward the entrance to the hotel lobby. She tried to protest but he said nothing. The man said, “Now you’ve made it really easy. Come along, ladies. Let’s go have some fun.”
Susan felt herself being dragged inside as the man holding onto her let go of her arm. “Wait!” she yelled as she attempted to pull away from him. “What do you think you’re doing?”
Instead of answering, the men went in after her. Tom shouted, “That guy!” The men ignored him and walked into the hotel.
As soon as he saw what was happening, Tom ran after them yelling, “Hey! Stop that!” By the time he reached the doors, the men had already gone through them and were headed up the stairs.
Tom ran up the steps and shouted, “Stop!” The men turned around and came toward him with threatening gestures. The door opened at the top of the steps. “You guys are making a terrible mistake here,” Tom told them. He stopped at the bottom of the stairway and faced them defiantly.
They were angry with Tom because of what he did. One of the men punched him hard in his gut with his open hand.
“Ow!” Tom yelled as he doubled over. When he stood up again, he glared at the man who’d hit him. “You’re a punk.” The man lunged forward with a punch and Tom knocked his fist aside using only the palm of his hand. Then he punched him in the face. The man stumbled backward, stunned.
His eyes widened with shock at what had happened. Tom said, “I hope you feel like shit now.” Then he pushed past him and ran after his friends. The man who had been punched watched him run off but didn’t pursue him.
By the time Tom caught up to his friends in the hallway, Susan had gone into the elevator and was pushing the button for their floor. She looked surprised when she saw him arrive at the elevator and press the button.
The men waiting by the elevators shouted at her, “Where do you think you’re going?”
She stepped back and pointed at Tom’s bleeding lip, which still bled a little where he had slapped himself in the mouth earlier. The men laughed and jeered at them both. One of them said, “Come on! Let’s beat them up before they do something we don’t want.”
All five men ran into the elevator and pressed the buttons to the floors of their choosing. The first three went to the third floor, while the other two went to the top floor. The elevator was full of shouting voices as all four of them crowded into it. They waited until the doors closed behind them to continue their tirades about how badly they wanted to teach these people a lesson.
The elevator began to move upward and suddenly the lights shut off. It was pitch black and silent inside the car; there were no signs of life except for the frightened faces of the women as they huddled together in a corner. The men shouted at them to say something.
Nancy whispered, “Why isn’t anyone coming to get us?”
Susan said nothing but she shook her head from side to side in a disagreement. Her voice quivered as she spoke. “You guys are scaring me.”
“Shut up!” the men shouted at her. “We’re not scared of you.” Then, one by one, the doors to each of the cars began opening in succession. They could hear the sound of feet walking on the wooden floor above them. As the last door opened, there was an explosion. Something heavy and loud crashed through the ceiling and landed in a pile in the center of the car.
It exploded upon impact but continued to explode as the metal fragments fell down around them. A few of the large pieces of debris struck Nancy and knocked her down into the woman next to her. All of them screamed and struggled to escape the falling debris as best they could.
When they got themselves under control, they realized that they were in a small, dark space filled with dust and debris. The walls were caving in, creating a maze of tunnels through which they had to squeeze and crawl their way out.
Susan and Nancy managed to stand up again after they had escaped the worst of it. When they stood up, they found that they were surrounded by men with guns pointed at them.
The man standing directly before them said, “Don’t move!” They all stood perfectly still. In the dim light from what remained of the elevator lights, Susan could see that many of the men wore bandannas across their mouths, covering their noses and mouths as well. Their eyes were covered with surgical masks.
One of the men said, “Let’s take care of these two ladies. We’ll have fun taking turns with them later.”
The men who’d spoken moved closer to Nancy and Susan. The man with the gun pointed it at them and said, “I’m going to kill your friends if you don’t tell us where the rest of the party is.”
A second man spoke up. “No. Tell us where they are right now.”
Nancy looked at him. There was fear in her eyes but also defiance. “Listen! You assholes don’t know anything about us. You don’t have any idea who we are or why we’re here.”
One of the men sneered, “That’s bullshit.” He turned to another man and said, “Do it then.” The other man raised his rifle and shot Nancy in the chest. The bullet went through her and exited just below her ribcage.
She collapsed into a heap against Susan and slid slowly to the floor. Nancy cried out as the wound began to bleed. Her eyes rolled back in her head as blood poured from her chest onto the floor.
The men were too surprised at what had happened to do much else besides watch in horror as Nancy died on the floor beside Susan.
The first man said, “Get the fuck out of my car! I didn’t ask you to come up here, anyway.” His voice sounded strained and nervous. But the men who hadn’t fired their weapons immediately left the elevator and walked away from it and the women on the floor.
The last man with the rifle stayed behind with Tom, Dan, and Jim and watched as Susan began to cry uncontrollably.
He asked, “What should we do with them? They’ve got nothing on you guys.”
Tom said, “We need to get them out of here but we can’t have them blabbing about what happened here. Let’s just leave them in here with a sign saying, ‘Don’t look up!'”
Jim agreed. “Yeah. Leave them in the elevator. That way they won’t be able to tell anybody what happened to them. It’s the safest thing we can do.”
Dan said, “How are you guys going to get out of this elevator without being seen?”
They looked at each other and laughed nervously. The men couldn’t hear them over the sound of the elevator moving downward again.
Jim said, “We’ll climb down through the shaft. We’re pretty good at climbing. And, when we get outside, we’ll cut across the country until we reach some highway or road. Then, we’ll hitchhike southward and hope someone picks us up.”
“Where will we go?” Dan asked.
They looked at each other again and grinned like idiots as they thought about where they would go. Finally, Tom said, “South Carolina sounds like a great place to hide for a while.”
The End