Page 70 of The Chain
“I hope so too,” Rachel says. “I’m praying.”
“Me too.”
“How’s Amelia?”
“She’s sleeping in the princess tent.”
“I better get off the line.”
“Let me know what’s happening.”
An hour goes by.
An hour and fifteen minutes.
An hour and twenty.
One hour and twenty-five minutes.
“I wonder if something has—”
Rachel’s iPhone begins ringing.Unknown Caller.
“Hello?”
“Mommy!” Kylie says.
“Kylie, where are you?”
“I don’t know. They told me to wait one minute to take the blindfold off. They’re gone now and I’m just on a road in the middle of nowhere. It’s dark.”
“Can you see anything?”
“There seems to be a bigger road down the way.”
“Walk toward it. Oh, Kylie, are you really out?”
“Mommy, I’m out. Come and get me!”
“Where are you, darling? As soon as I know where you are, I will come for you.”
“I think I can see a Dunkin’ Donuts sign. Yeah, there’s a Dunkin’ Donuts. It’s a gas station rest stop. I can see it!”
“Is it open?”
“Yes, I think so.”
“Go there and ask them where you are. Don’t hang up, be careful crossing the road, and just stay on the line.”
“No, I gotta hang up, they didn’t charge this phone all the way, there’s only one rectangle left in the battery. I’ll call you from the garage.”
“No! Kylie! Don’t hang up! Please!”
The line goes dead.
“No!”
A tense five minutes of silence before it rings again.
