CHAPTER 4
Highway To Hell
Anica's heart begins to race and the butterflies grow more intense in her stomach as she hits the 'End' key on her phone. Anica is frantically triple checking that she has everything she needs to bring with her...
'Purse? Makeup? Phone? Keys? Money? Breath mint? Favorite book? Check!'
Anica lifts her underarm and takes a sniff. 'Check!'
She takes a deep breath of relief and lets it out with a big beaming smile. She is ready for her date! She keeps looking down the dusty roads from the window of her second story hotel room, hoping to see the taxicab.
As she waits, she appreciates the beauty of the scenery outside her window. She can clearly see the countryside, dotted with small pockets of forests for miles around. Old houses and farms scattered in between tree lines mix with green and gold fields of grass. The smell of fresh hay drifting through the open window is a welcome change for Anica, who breathes in deeply the lovely country air. In the distance she can hear a horse's hooves clopping as it walks, growing fainter and fainter.
All this is just icing on the cake for Anica, as she grew up a city girl, used to the noise and fast pace of urban society. Here, it was all relaxation and a much slower pace. A small European four-door car comes over the horizon and drives up to the hotel rather quickly. It stops suddenly, causing the dust cloud behind it to blur the car momentarily. Anica looks carefully and spots a makeshift sign in the dash with her name on it.
'That's him! He's here!'
Anica jumps up and runs to the mirror for one last check: everything looks good! She then grabs her purse and races downstairs to the front of the hotel. Luigi gets out of the car, towering over it like Andre the Giant. How he can fit in such a small car is a good question. Luigi walks around to the passenger side and opens the back door for Anica, smiling. It isn't the prettiest smile, but he is trying to be professional. Anica looks up at this European giant and feels positively small.
He looks like someone you wouldn't want to cross in an alley at night, standing about 7 feet tall and about 400 lbs. His eyes and hair are dark brown and his jaw is the size of a bear! She didn't notice that nowhere on the car did it say Taxi on it. Anica feels a moment's pause about getting into the makeshift cab, but she remembered what her dad always said about not judging a book by its cover! Daddies are always right and his wisdom has never let her down, so Anica gives Luigi the benefit of the doubt.
'After all, I am in Europe and maybe they do things differently here.'
She smiles politely up at the driver as she sits down and lets him close the door like a gentleman. He then walked around and gets in the driver’s seat. When he sits down, the whole car drops down by a few inches!
“Sorry,” he says in his thick European accent.
Anica is unable to take her eyes off of his huge hands that make the steering wheel look so tiny. As they take off Anica checks her watch and it says 5:00pm. She is glad that she still has an hour to be there, plenty of time.
'I wonder what Michele is doing? Maybe I should check in with her.'
Anica calls Michele's number. A prerecorded message plays
'The subscriber you are trying to reach is unavailable. Please check your number and try again. She hangs up and tries again, same message.
'I guess not. Oh well I'll try again later.'
She puts on her headphones and listens to her favorite music while enjoying the beautiful scenery passing by. After 20 minutes of driving Anica becomes curious about why they aren't there yet. She takes off her headphones and asks the driver “How much further?”
The driver keeps staring ahead and in his thick accent says only, “Soon.”
Anica wants to believe him but something in her gut tells her otherwise. She reaches into her purse and pulls out her cell phone, bringing up her GPS. Since she already typed in the address of the restaurant earlier, she is able to pull up the location where Mark is meeting her. Anica presses the 'current location' button to see where she's at and, to her horror, shows her moving in the opposite direction!
“Hey, you’re going the wrong way!” says Anica frantically to the driver, tapping him on the shoulder to get his attention.
“I know where to go!” He replies in an angry and annoyed tone.
“I want to go to the La Louisianne restaurant; it's in the other direction!” Anica exclaims, reaching in her purse and pulling out a brochure she got from the airport that has the address clearly on it.
“Just sit there and be quiet!” Luigi commands in his thick accent. He guns the accelerator to make a point, causing the engine to rev louder as they reach dangerous speeds. Anica falls backwards in her seat as he starts driving erratically on the winding roads, sending a message that he doesn't give a damn about her.
The wheels squeal around the curves until they go off into the dirt, kicking up dust and debris, as he leaves the main road and heads down a dusty, country road. Anica turns and see's that this can't be good, causing her heart to race a mile a minute in fear. Anica knows that physically, she's no match to take on this big guy and as she looks at him, her imagination starts to visualize all the things he might do to her. This doesn't help her situation.
She remembers her cell phone, so she takes it back out, and fumbles to unlock the key guard. Her hands are trembling uncontrollably as she tries to remember the European equivalent of 911 but she can't remember. So she dials 911 on her phone in hopes that someone who's with the police will pick up. To her relief she hears a female voice come on the line.
“911, what’s Your Emergency?”
“I’m being kidnapped, please help me!!!”
“Where are you located?”
“I’m in the backseat of a cab and I don’t know where he’s taking me”
“Do you know the name of the person kidnapping you?”
“No I don’t, he’s just some random cab driver I called.”
“Do you know the name of the cab service?”
“No, I don't know - Just please help me!!!”
“Ma’am, help is on the way, I just need you to try and stay calm, okay?”
“Okay.”
“What is your name?”
“My name is Anica... Anica Storm.”
“Anica, please listen to me. Whatever you do, stay on the line and don’t hang up. Do you understand?”
“Yes Ma’am”
“We're triangulating your signal, so hang in there.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means we're searching the cell phone towers near you to find your phone. If we can find your phone signal, we can locate you on our computers so the police will know where you are.”
Anica looks out the back window and see's nothing but a thick cloud of tan dust that's being stirred up by the car. There's so much noise from the car that she struggles to hear the operator's voice. She presses the phone hard against her ear and hears the 911 dispatcher cover up her microphone with her hand.
“Get me a supervisor, NOW!” Despite this effort, she can still hear the dispatcher's muffled voice so she continues to listen intently. Seconds later an authoritative male voice asks, “Is it the Serial Killer Cab Driver?”
“I believe it is. It sounds like he has another victim in his car, a young woman named Anica Storm.”
“How much longer before you lock onto her signal?” He asks in a concerned tone. Sounds of fast typing on a keyboard are heard before she answers.
“About three minutes.”
“Okay, keep her on the line. Let me know when you have it, I don't want this bastard to get away!”
Anica hears the hand come off the mic. Before the dispatcher can speak, she interrupts. “He's going to kill me, isn't he?!?”
“Anica, listen to me. We are going to find you! I promise, just try to be strong! Can you do that for me?”
Anica lets out a terrified whimper “I'm trying…”
Tears stream down her cheeks. She doesn’t want to admit it but she has a feel
ing that the outcome isn’t going to be good as thoughts of her impending doom only makes it worse. 'What’s he going to do to me? Is he going to kill me? Torture? Rape me and then kill me? Oh God… I'm too young to die!'
Her hands tremble uncontrollably as she presses the phone harder against her ear, trying to hear over the sounds of gravel being kicked up against the metal undercarriage of the car. Her lips and chin tremble as she sniffles and wipes her nose on her sleeve. Her heart is beating so loud and quick that it feels like it’s going to jump out of her chest any minute. Her only comfort, if any, is that as long as the car keeps moving, she's fine. It's when the car stops that her imagination takes over, making things a lot worse then they are. Right now it's her worst enemy, along with every second ticking away to her inevitable doom.
“Hello?” Anica whimpers.
“I'm here Anica, hang in there. We're coming.” The compassionate voice said.
The driver almost loses control of the car, causing Anica to be thrown around in the backseat like a rag doll, dropping the phone. She finds herself on the floorboard in an awkward position so she gets on her knees to better balance herself in the swerving car. Anica picks up the phone and is relieved to see the call is still connected. She puts it up to her ear and hears the dispatcher talk to her.
“You alright?”
“Yeah, I fell over but I'm okay.”
'Thh hsss shiqrrrr eerrk' the signal comes in garbled and unrecognizable. She pulls the phone from her ear and sees the antenna bar on her phone is flashing the poor signal indicator. Instinctively Anica lifts it higher and hopes that she doesn't lose the signal. She peeks over the back seat, looking out the rear window hoping to see a police car or anyone, but all she sees is the same cloud of dust. The dispatcher comes back clear again.
“Anica, Can you give us a description of the cab driver? Tell us what he looks like.” She pulls herself together for a moment and tries to muster the courage to look. She doesn’t want to look but she knows she has to.
“He looks like someone from the show The Sopranos.”
“Okay, can you be more specific? Is there something about him that makes him stand out, like any visible scars or tattoos? Does he have any body piercings?”
Anica peeks again from behind the seat and gets a good description of him as he’s focusing on staying on the road.
“Um... He’s got a huge jaw line. The kind that looks like it can take several hits and not even faze him. He's got a big, kinda crooked nose. Looks like maybe it was once broken. Also squinty eyes, like someone staring in the sun.”
“You mean like Clint Eastwood squinty?” the dispatcher asks.
“Yeah, like that! Oh, his arms and hands are huge, very muscular!”
“You're doing great Anica, keep it up! What else do you see?”
“He’s got a tattoo of a heart with the words MOM inside it on his right arm. He’s wearing a dark flat cap. The kind gangsters wear from the 1930s. Also, a vest and dark pants. I can't really see anymore than that without climbing into the front seat with him.”
“Do you see a name posted on the visor or anywhere in the cab? Any kind of identification?”
Anica looks around but doesn’t see anything.
“No, just a bunch of trash and empty cigarette boxes on the dash.”
“Look out the window. Do you see any landmarks around you?”
“No, it's just a bunch of trees and back countryside.”
“Do you remember seeing any road signs that you passed? Do you see any now? Anica peeks up from behind the seat and looks out the back window.
Suddenly the phone is snatched from her hands and is thrown out the driver’s side window!
Anica watches in horror as her phone spins and bounces several times, shattering into hundreds of little pieces before disappearing into the dust cloud left by the car. Anica reactively screams in desperation and fear as she slaps the back of the window over and over, cursing her bad luck. That phone was her only hope of survival and now it’s gone!
Luigi rolls up his driver side window so no one can hear her cries for help as he floors the gas pedal. The loud rev of the engine roaring down the dirt road drowns Anica’s screaming. Reality sets in more firmly, and her imagination becomes her worst enemy. All the things he might do to her are becoming very real possibilities. She’s breathing so fast that she’s hyperventilating. She pinches herself hard to awaken from this nightmare but it’s all too real. She has no doubt he's going to kill her.
Anica sinks into her seat, panicking and trying to figure out what to do. The car is going too fast for her to jump out but if she doesn’t get out, he’s probably going to rape and kill her. Anica struggles for a few moments to build up the courage to open the door.
'Okay you can do this. Just tuck and roll. Open the door and jump out, tucking and rolling… You can do it!'
Anica lets out a yell as she reaches for the door handle. She pulls the latch but the latch doesn't open the door! She tries again and again frantically but the child safety switch is on. She tries the other door - same thing.
“Arrrrrggghhhhhhh!!!”
Hopelessness and desperation kick in as she beats on the window but it does no good. She gets on her back and kicks with her feet but it doesn't break the window. Her heart is thumping loud.
'Don't Give Up Anica… We're going to get out of this, we're gonna win!'
'No we're not, he's going to rape me and kill me and some farmer is going to find me naked and dead in his field.'
'SHUT UP SHUT UP SHUT UP! THINK! We're in a car… How do we stop a car? KEYS! GRAB THE KEYS!!!' Anica thinks to herself.
Her despair and fear turn quickly into anger as she builds up the courage to reach for the keys in the ignition. She waits for the right moment and reaches over the backseat and grabs the keys but just as quickly, he elbows her face hard, causing her to let go. Anica falls down in the back seat, holding her face in excruciating pain. She is momentarily stunned and in a world of hurt! Luigi had struck her hard, possibly breaking her nose.
'Mother of Jesus, Mercy, Fudge Packers – THAT HURTS!!!' Anica thinks to herself.
'See… I told you. Kiss your ass Goodbye ‘cause you’re a goner!’
'I’m not going to give up! God My Nose Hurts!!!'
Tears stream down her face and mix with the blood coming out of her nose. She tries to breathe through the pain and crying but it hurts BAD. She tries to focus her eyes, but they are tearing up from the pain. Anica has never been so terrified like this in her life. She lies helplessly in the back seat. 'It's over. Just give up and pray it ends quickly.'
'Don’t you give up Anica! You’re not a quitter! Michele wouldn’t give up on you, don’t you give up on her! Now suck it up, buttercup! ‘Anica thinks to herself. With new resolve, Anica sits up and regains her composure.
“I WON'T!” She says aloud and determined.
Barely able to breathe because her nose is clogged, she covers one nostril with her index finger and blows hard, expelling the yellow/green mucus and then does it again with the other side. She sniffs several times, now able to breathe clearly again with her nose opened up.
‘I can’t believe I did that. No wonder boys do it. Huh. Focus Anica!’
Her eyes wander around the car as she looks for anything that will give her an advantage. Without tipping off the driver to what’s going on in her head, Anica sees something that may be her last-ditch effort.
She watches the driver glance between the road and the rearview mirror as she waits for the road to curve ahead. As soon as he looks away, Anica reaches over the seat and grabs the emergency break, pulling up with all her might!!!
All four wheels lock up, sending the car into an uncontrollable skid as the road bends around a sharp corner. Luigi tries to regain control but it's too late: The car flips end over end into the air! The momentum is so violent that Anica is ejected through the back window, knocking her unconscious as her body lands in the grassy field of a nearby farm, s
everal yards away from where the car finally skids to a stop, upside down.
One of the wheels is still spinning, more like wobbling and Squeeing from being bent violently as debris and trash lay everywhere. The area looks like a small plane crash site, but without a plane. What's left of the car is crumpled into an unrecognizable ball of metal. Hissing sounds can be heard from fluid leaking on the scalding hot parts of the car. Anica barely regains conscious, struggling to lift her head out of the grassy mud to see if she's out of danger. All she can see is the car wheel spinning and a bunch of twisted metal. She lies back down, in a world of hurt.
Unexpectedly Anica is yanked up by the back of her shirt by the huge hand of Luigi, who was standing behind her. She starts screaming and thrashing as the driver tries to hold onto her. This angers him, and he slams her down on her back in a patch of grassy mud, knocking the wind out of her.
“I'm going to have fun killing you!” He says, as he glances up and down Anica's injured body. He starts to unzip his pants, at which point Anica musters up enough reserves to kick him in the balls, trying to catch him unaware. But it doesn't even faze him. Instead, it just angers him more. He puts one hand on her chest and pushes her deeper into the grassy mud, causing the mud to cover most of her head.
Anica gasps, trying to breathe, as he laughs at her futile struggle. She tries using both hands to move his enormous arm, but it does no good. She gasps one last breath as her head becomes submerged in the thick black mud.
'This is it… This is how I am going to die. Suffocating on mud. Great. Please be a quick death…'
Her hands struggled to reach for anything that might help her get free. For a brief moment, Anica feels something sharp and pointy in the mud but thoughts of dying drown out everything else. She can feel her air run out of her lungs and starts to pass out when suddenly she's pulled out from the mud by the front of her shirt, but Anica is unresponsive.
“You need CPR?” He asks Anica as her limp body dangles from the clothes he's holding onto. He lets her fall on the ground before he raises his leg and stomps on her stomach, causing Anica to spit up mud and blood violently. She gasps for air instinctively and takes several quick breaths. Anica cough uncontrollably, clutching her stomach.
“See, I'm HERO.”
Anica crawls on her hands and knees, trying to get up. Luigi kicks her like a football, causing her body to spin several times in the air before landing hard and rolling on its side.