Tanner opened his eyes sleepily. His alarm clock rang, and he fumbled to turn it off. Once the ringing had stopped, Tanner stood up and yawned. He stretched his arms wide as a bit of sun shone through his window. Tanner lived in Faddum, which was a small town. An average town. Tanner thought of himself that way. Average. He wasn't a nerd, but he wasn't dumb. He wasn't super strong, but he wasn't a wimp. He wasn't poor or rich. He was just average. And he was content with being average.

He got changed out of his pajamas and into some jeans and a plain T-shirt. He strolled into the kitchen and made himself some breakfast. He had just begun eating when he heard a noise. A banging noise, as if someone had struck something. But the sound didn't repeat, so Tanner continued eating.

Probably just another raccoon in the garage, he thought. After he had finished his breakfast, he glanced up at the calendar. It was Saturday! He'd almost forgotten. His parents were still asleep, he knew, as they usually slept in until around 9:00am. Tanner was itching to go do something, just to pass the time. So he scribbled a note about how he was going on a bike ride and yes, he would remember to be safe, and yes, he'd be home by 10:30. So Tanner headed into the garage. He wondered where his bike ride would take him.

Maybe by Jenna's house... Tanner blushed at the thought of Jenna. They went to the same high school, and they'd been friends in middle school. Of course, being friends with a girl caused a lot of teasing, so Tanner and Jenna didn't spend much time together at school. But her house was nearby, and Tanner sometimes went over there to work on homework or screw around with her. She liked sports and wasn't afraid to get dirty. She was the kind of girl that it didn't matter whether she was a girl or not. She was fun to hang around. Tanner didn't think he liked her liked her, but he thought she was nice and funny and cool and all that. Just in a friend way. But he thought that maybe something was happening between them. One time, not too long ago, Jenna had said something about having a overnighter with him at her house. It would be just the two of them. Jenna made it sound casual. After all, it was normal to have a friend over to celebrate the end of the school year, right? Tanner was thinking about this as he hopped on his bike. There was a man on the sidewalk, but Tanner didn't pay him much attention.

"Hey, you there!" the stranger called to him. Tanner looked at him.

"Me?"

"Yeah. Your name is Tanner, right? Tanner Conell?"

"Yeah," Tanner replied, a bit suspicious.

"Oh, good. Well, I have a special delivery for you." Tanner examined the man closely. This guy was definitely not the mailman, although he did have a package under his arm. He was tall and skinny, and wearing shades that his his eyes. But, Tanner couldn't see any harm in accepting the package. He dismounted his bike and walked over to the man.

"I'll take it, thanks." Tanner held out his arms, and the man handed him the package with a smile. And suddenly, there was a hissing noise, and the box began to shoot streams of small white gasses. Tanner dropped the package, startled, but the white steam kept coming.

"Hey! I-I'm calling the cops!" Tanner yelled weakly. But he began to feel dizzy, and a headache started to form. The stranger shook his head, not smiling anymore.

"I don't think so, Tanner. You'll be unconscious in seconds. Terribly sorry, by the way. But I have strict orders..." Tanner lost his balance and crumpled to his knees. The world spun, and colors seemed to fade. In less than a minute, Tanner was out cold. It looked like he wouldn't be taking a bike ride anywhere.

***

Tanner opened his eyes. The world was a bit blurry, but getting clearer by the second. He was in a room with white walls. There were a few drawers and a window. It was a plain room. Not his room.

Not my room, Tanner realized. I've been kidnapped! Tanner's hand shot to his pocket, feeling for his phone. But it was gone. There wasn't a phone anywhere in the room, either. Tanner was about to search the room for anything he could use as a tool when the door opened. His kidnapper stepped into the room, and Tanner's mind was rushed with thoughts. His first instinct was to run, but by the time he'd started running, the door would be closed. Bam. There it was. The door wasn't an option now.

Fight or flight. Well, flight wasn't an option, so that left fighting.

"Take a seat, Tanner," the man instructed. It was now or never. But the man was bigger than Tanner, and Tanner didn't have much experience fighting. In school, he generally stayed away from fights. So his chances were slim.

Not now, he thought. He could do something later. But right now wasn't the time. So Tanner sat obediently.

"Thanks," the man said, leaning on the wall. "I promise, I can explain everything." The door opened again, and an old woman walked in. She was dressed in an odd robe, with her grey hair in a wild mess. Her hair covered her face from view.

"The end is near!" she shrieked. Tanner's kidnapper sighed.

"Yes, yes, Annabelle. We know. Can you give us a minute?" Annabelle shook her head and sat. "Okay," the man grumbled. Then, turning back to Tanner, he continued.

"Again, I'm sorry about the whole method of getting you here."

"You mean kidnapping me?" Tanner asked angrily.

"Yeah, that," the kidnapper replied casually. "But I doubt you would have come any other way. That's good, I think. You got smarts." The kidnapper's praise didn't change Tanner's hostility.

"So what do you want from me? If it's money, then you really should have-"

"No no no," the kidnapper interrupted. "We really mean no harm, Tanner, I swear. Perhaps Annabelle can explain?" The old woman nodded and stood up.

"I was in my quarters of rest-"

"Her room," the kidnapped interrupted. Annabelle glared at him and continued.

"Yes, when lo! My fitful slumber did change into a vision. I saw many a thing, going quickly. I did stand, awestruck, as a invisible mouth whispered it all. And then, I awoke in my quarters and informed my allies of what I had been shown."

"What she means is," the kidnapper explained. "What she means is that she had a vision."

"What did you see?" Tanner asked, speaking to the old woman for the first time. Annabelle looked at him, and her hair parted just enough for Tanner to see an ancient, wrinkled face with intelligent blue eyes.

"You," she whispered. "I saw you." Tanner wasn't sure how to feel. Some old lady had a dream about him, and so this man kidnapped him? It made no sense.

"Okay, she had a dream," Tanner said to his kidnapper. "What does that have to do with anything?" The man sighed.

"That question has a long and strange answer, and quite frankly, I don't think I should be the one to tell you. Not yet, anyway." Tanner frowned, disappointed at the man's secrecy. The man then turned back to Annabelle.

"Hey, how about you get back to your room, Annabelle? We don't want you scaring the kid with your 'the end is near' rubbish." Annabelle crossed her arms stubbornly.

"I will choose when I exit, Samuel. And I choose to leave now." The old lady walked out the door, and Samuel shook his head.

"That one's a piece of work." Then, to Tanner, "Look, kid, I'm truly sorry about all this. Quite honestly, I don't think you're, um, exactly what we were looking for."

"What are you looking for?" Tanner asked, desperate for answers. But Samuel just shook his head and smiled.

"Later, kid." Samuel then exited, and Tanner heard the door click locked. Tanner sat on his small bed-like slab and sat with a sigh. Samuel seemed truly sorry for him, and he couldn't imagine Annabelle doing anything crueler than whacking someone with a cane. But, kind or not, they had still left him prisoner in this room. He wondered briefly how his family was doing back home. Surely they'd noticed he was gone by now. They probably called the police. Any moment now, in fact, Tanner expected to hear sirens blaring. The police would charge in and arrest Samuel, and they'd free Tanner. Any moment now. But deep down, Tanner somehow knew that the lonely silence wouldn't leave. No one knew where he was. His parents would get worried in the evening, and then they'd panic. And search, of course. But no one would find him. Maybe they'd never find him.

Child gone missing, the headlines would say. Family devastated. No suspects or evidence found. And in that room, with no one else there, with the shock wearing off, Tanner felt afraid. For the first time since the kidnapping, he was scared. He was lost, and alone, and he was scared. And in his fear, he had to comfort himself, had to break the silence, had to move. So he thought of his mom. He thought of a song she used to sing to him. And so he sang.

Don't be afraid, don't be afraid
I'll still be with you at the end of the day
Just close your eyes, don't feel the pain
Please don't be afraid, don't be afraid