Hello all,

I have decided to release chapters of Dr. Rayther’s Game every couple of weeks in order to see what kind of feedback I get about the story.  It is written in a way that includes anyone from the age of 12 and above.  The writing style is quick and to-the-point without embellishment of too much in an effort to keep the focus on the fast-moving story.

The book actually came out in 2015.  I wrote the sequel, “Providence,” immediately afterward, and am very proud of the story and the depth of the main characters.  I hope you enjoy it.

THE FIRST CHAPTER

“Jared!” a voice called out from upstairs.

“Yeah Mom!” Jared  shouted.

“Can you go to the store for me?  We need milk and bread,” she said.

“Can I take the car?”

“No sweetie.  I know you just got your license and you want to drive, but I’m going out soon and I need it.  You can borrow it tomorrow though, so you and your friends can drive around town,” she offered.

“You guys want to go for a walk?” he asked.

“Sure, let’s get out for a little while,” Nap said.

“Ok Mom, we’ll be back later!” Jared yelled as he and his friends got up off the couch.  His mother was coming down the stairs as they were gathering their belongings.

“Thanks guys.  I have to meet with a new client so I’ll be home in a few hours,” she said as she gave Jared a soft hug and a kiss on the cheek.

“Is that all you need at the store Mrs. Lagdon?” Amy asked.

“Yeah, I can pick up the big stuff when I do my real shopping.  See ya tonight,” she said as she handed Jared a folded up ten dollar bill and headed toward the kitchen.

“Love you Mom,” Jared said.

“Love you more,” she answered as she left the room.

Jared, Amy and Nap all checked their pockets, making sure they had their keys, phones and wallets before heading out the front door.  It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon in Tampa, Florida.  It was late October and the weather had just begun turning a little cooler than the typical ninety-three degree temperatures they had been used to since May.  

The store was only a short walk, not even a mile away.  They would walk four blocks down the street, turn right and walk about a half mile to get to the store.  They had been taking the same route since they were small and could do it blindfolded.  

“I love your mom.  She’s always been so nice to me,” Amy said.

“Yeah bro, you raised her well,” Nap said.

“She’s a good mom,” Jared said as they followed the walkway from the house to the sidewalk.

“She’s kinda hot too,” Nap said.

“Stop it Nap, that’s nasty,” Amy said with disgust.

“Why is that nasty?” he asked.

“Because we’ve known her since kindergarten and she’s been like a second mother to us.  You shouldn’t be talking about her like that!” Amy shot back.

“I’m just saying she’s an attractive lady, that’s all,” he answered.

“Dude, shut up.  That’s my mom,” Jared said, tired of the topic.  Jared was taller and more muscular than Nap, but between Jared and Amy, Nap was more intimidated by Amy.  Sometimes her temper could get the best of her, and Nap had been on the receiving end of it more than once.

“Ok bro, ok,” Nap said laughing.  “I’ll stop talking about your hot mommy.”

“Stop it!” both Amy and Jared yelled as they crossed the street.  

“So how do you think you did on the chem test yesterday?” Amy asked Jared.

“Probably failed again,” Jared answered with a smirk.

“You wouldn’t fail if you’d study,” Amy said.

“Why waste the time?  I’m a perpetual C student.  I’ll get by well enough to graduate.  That’s good enough.  I don’t need incredible grades to get into community college,” he said.

“You’re a perpetual C student because you never study.  Imagine how well you would do if you would just try,” she said.

“Oh don’t start this again.  We’ve had this talk before and it always ends the same way; you get mad at me because I don’t get all enthused about working harder in school and you don’t talk to me for three days.  Can’t we just agree to disagree on the subject?” he asked.

“No!” she said, looking down with her arms crossed.

“No?” Jared asked.

“No.  You’re better than this.  You can do anything you want in this world, but you don’t see that, so you won’t even try!  Look, I know it’s a taboo subject, but your dad died three years ago.  Since then you look like you’ve just stopped trying,” she said.

“Trying what?” he asked.

“Anything!  Baseball, football, studying; even videogames!  The moment you have to put any effort into something, you stop doing it.  Jared, you used to be a member of the National Honor Society.  After your dad died your grades dropped.  That was okay because you were going through a lot, but they never came back up.  You even stopped volunteering with Nap and me.  We all used to have fun volunteering.  It’s not the same without you,” she said.

“Amy, we’re just going to the store for some bread and milk.  Can we please do away with all this drama?  I really don’t appreciate you calling attention to all my failures in life,” Jared answered.

“But that’s just it!  They’re not failures!  They’re just you not trying to succeed.  There’s a big difference,” she said.

“What am I supposed to do?  Nothing interests me.  I can’t help it, I’m just bored,” Jared said, visibly angry.

“Aren’t you passionate about anything in this world?  If you had to pick one thing, what would it be?” she asked.

“I don’t know,” he said, fed up with her conversation topic.

“But if you were required to pick something, what would it be?” she pressed.  

Amy had touched a nerve.  Jared’s eyes started welling up with tears and he began swinging his arms more powerfully as he walked, in an effort to let out pent up energy.  “My mom!” he finally burst out and said, wiping the tears from his eyes.  “I need to stay home to make sure my mom stays safe.  She’s all alone now and she’s all I’ve got.  I’ve gotta take care of her and make sure she’s okay,” he said, sobbing at the end and angry at Amy for causing all this emotion to come out.

“Okay, I’m sorry.  I should have known that part.  Jared, all I’m saying is, no one loved your dad more than you, but he’s gone.  Your life has to continue and move on.  You can’t live in the past, wishing he was around because that won’t change,” she said in a softer tone.  Jared finished wiping the tears away, and it was clear by his demeanor that he was done talking.  Amy gave him a minute to calm down and then got closer, rubbed his back for a moment and said, “Hey, friends ‘til the end.  Right?”  Jared attempted a smile and nodded as they walked.

Things stayed awkwardly quiet for the next few blocks as they cooled off.  Cars drove by occasionally, at least creating some noise to combat  the silence.

“Can we go back to talking about your mom being hot now?” Nap asked in a vain attempt to lighten things up.  As they walked a little further they took notice as a lime green sedan turned the corner a block ahead of them and stopped on the side of the road, facing their way.  It wasn’t unusual to see a car park on the side of the road, but it just sat there.  No one got out and the engine stayed on.  The windows were all tinted very dark, which again, wasn’t strange in Florida, but the windshield was just as dark and as reflective as the sides.

The kids remained silent as the car began moving slowly in their direction.  Since their attention was focused in front of them, they didn’t notice another sedan, this one black, two blocks back stalking them from behind.  As the car in front of them came closer, they noticed the rear driver’s side window come down half way.

“This doesn’t look right,” Nap said softly as they  approached a grey

compact car parked on their side of the street.  They slowed their pace to keep the car between them and the sedan.  As they watched the window, they saw the long barrel of a gun come out.  It fired almost immediately, blasting five bullets into the  grey car and shattering two of its windows.

The three kids fell to the ground with the first shot, leaning up against the grey car in desperate hopes it could protect them.  The gun continued to fire, shooting out two tires and riddling the car’s body with holes.  Every shot sounded like an explosion over their heads. The car vibrated every time it was hit.

They heard a car door open from across the street.  The three looked at each other, knowing they would need to run, only they didn’t know which direction to head.  The sedan had pulled up a little further than the parked car.  They could tell by locating the sound of the engine.  They were on the verge of getting up to run when the other car that had been following them pulled up in between the compact and the green sedan.  

The kids heard a few gunshots being exchanged, but there was no talking or yelling by anyone.  The black car pulled up around to the front of the compact and angled itself so the kids could see its nose.  Nap watched as the passenger side door opened.  At the same time, Amy felt something wet on her hand.  She looked down to see gas leaking from the underside of the car.  It had formed a stream on the ground and led right to her hand.

A very large man in a black suit leaned out of the car in a crouched position.  The car pulled a little further forward and the man got out on bent knees to open the back door.  Bullets were still flying over their heads.

“Get in!” he said in a deep, gruff voice.  Nap was the closest to him and didn’t give this man’s order a second thought before jumping in the back seat.  

    Amy followed closely behind Nap.  Jared had noticed the gas too, and paused.  “Come on kid!” the large man called.  Jared looked up at him, then looked back down and grabbed a fallen leaf on the ground and pulled a lighter out of his pocket.  He lit the leaf on fire, moved away from the gas, then dropped the leaf on it.  The gas ignited as Jared jumped in the car.  Flames quickly engulfed the vehicle, spewing black smoke everywhere.

    As they sped away, the first car, in an attempt to give chase, tried to swing around behind the car on fire when it violently exploded!  The car that had been on fire was ripped apart by the blast.  The only thing visible through the flames were the melted tires.  The explosion rocked the car that was trying to chase them.  The blast shattered all of its side windows and lifted the car briefly off its two side wheels.  All of the occupants were knocked out as the car’s bumper rolled to a stop against a fire hydrant, knocking it hard enough to send water streaming into the air!

   The black sedan sped as fast as it could down the picturesque residential street and away from the mayhem.  Jared, Amy, and Nap stayed hunched down in the back seat as the car made several quick turns.  They did their best to look up and see what was going on, but could only manage to see the tops of trees from their vantage point.  The windows were  tinted very dark, making it look much later in the day than it was.  The upholstery was black leather. The car was very clean and looked as though it had been vacuumed recently.  It crossed Jared’s mind that he had never thought kidnappers, or whoever they were, would care about having a clean car.

The car’s speed was increasing and the turns were becoming more intense.  They found themselves sliding against each other with every turn.  They finally hit a straightaway, where they began hearing a lot of car horns, apparently beeping at them.

“You can get up now if you’d like,” the driver said.  The three of them slowly raised their heads and looked into the front seat.  They climbed off each other and settled down, finally able to look around and see where they were.  The driver was a middle-aged man with a medium build.  He was wearing a dark blue suit.  His hair was brown on the sides and silver on top.  It was short, thick hair.  His eyes kept darting back and forth between the rearview mirror and the road.  He didn’t appear nervous at all.  He looked like a guy driving to work – albeit at breakneck speed.  There was a cup of coffee from a local coffee house between the driver and passenger seat.  It was odd to think these two  stopped off somewhere for coffee before arriving to abduct them.

Jared studied the man in the passenger seat through the side view mirror.  The man just sat there looking straight ahead, not seeming to be focusing on anything, or even necessarily paying attention to the situation.  His mouth was slightly open, and the natural posture of his face appeared to be a scowl.   His suit looked much older and beaten up than the driver’s.  He was a very large, wide man.  His body completely filled his seat from side to side. The kids sat for a moment, catching their breath and getting their bearings, not sure if they should engage in conversation.

“Who are you?” Jared asked with the ferocity of a field mouse and trying to sound tough.

“We just saved your lives; that’s who we are,” the driver said.  He spoke very quickly and very efficiently.   “Welcome to our little game.  I’m going to go through a rundown of what you are to do from this point on, so listen closely because it will not be repeated.  Shortly, we will be coming to a tunnel.  When we get to the tunnel, I will slow down and you will all exit the vehicle to the right,” he said.

The larger man then handed Nap a green fanny pack.  “My associate just gave you something we consider critical to your survival.  The contents of this are vitally important.  Keep it with you at all times.  Inside you will find five thousand dollars in cash.  Use the money wisely.  You will also find hair dye, scissors, a small flashlight, a compass,  matches, and a piece of paper with directions to your next stop.  Memorize the address during your time in the woods, and then use the matches to burn the paper,” he said.

“What are we supposed to use the money for?” Amy muttered.

“Survival.  That’s all you get, so don’t be wasteful.  Do not bother trying to use your cell phones as they have been disabled.  If you get anyone else involved, you will jeopardize their safety.  Remember that,” he said.

Now, when you exit the vehicle, continue through the tunnel and turn right off the road, go up the hill and into the woods.  Stay hidden there until nightfall.  When it’s dark, you can make your way to the address on the paper.  The directions will start at the end of the tunnel.  Go carefully and trust no one until you get there.  None of our operatives will be in contact with you until you arrive at your destination,” he said.

The three looked at the man with wide eyes as Nap struggled through his panic to say, “ We’re not doing  that.  Thanks for the help back there guys, but we gotta go to the store for eggs and milk!”

“Bread and milk, not eggs,” Jared nervously corrected Nap.

“Yeah, bread and milk.  Now let us out please,“ Nap said politely.

“If you three will kindly look out the rear window, you will notice a helicopter high up about a quarter mile back.  The men in that helicopter would very much like to speak with you.  If you’d like, I can pull over and let you out so you can take your chances with them.  I’m sure those men are also directing a car or two to our location.  Perhaps you’d like one of those cars to give you a ride to the store,” the driver said.

They looked back, saw the helicopter following them, then turned around and sat quietly.  “Now that we understand each other, the address in your pack will be for a strip mall a few miles away.  When you get there you will look for a brand new, black and shiny Ford Mustang.  Walk towards it.  Don’t look around, don’t delay, just walk towards it as if it is yours.  You will be intercepted by one of our operatives.  Do not hesitate when he approaches. He will walk past you and hand one of you the keys.  Do not speak to, or even look at this man.  He will not respond if you do.  Get in the car and drive away.  Use the money to stay hidden.  I’ll catch up to you when it’s safe to do so,” he said.

The kids sat nervously for a few moments until Jared spoke up.  “I just got my driver’s license yesterday.”

“Yeah, happy birthday,” the large man said with a thick New York accent and a huge amount of sarcasm.

“We know.  Looks like you will be the one driving, Jared,” the driver said.  Jared’s eyebrows dropped as he shyly asked, “How’d you know my name?”

“I know all your names.  Jared Lagdon, born and raised in Tampa, Florida.  Mother – Nancy; father – Edward.  Edward was a scientist who went missing three years ago. We’ll discuss that later.   Amy Botte.  Born in Atlanta, Georgia.  Moved to Tampa when you were four years old due to your father Bill’s job promotion.  Also a blue belt in karate.   Napoleon Bonaparte Jones.  Born in Miami and moved to Tampa at only six months of age when your parents, Robert and Alexandra divorced, citing irreconcilable differences.”

They looked at each other in shock, completely confused over this man’s knowledge of their lives.  Amy took a big gulp of air and asked, “Why can’t you just tell us what’s going on?  Can’t you drop us at the car so we don’t have to hide in the woods?”  

“Again – helicopter.  We’ll be coming up to the tunnel shortly.  I’ll slow down as much as possible to allow for your exit,”  he said.  As they rode along, the kids only saw woods on both sides of the road.  They had a fair idea of where they were, but they had never driven this road before so they weren’t sure of their exact location.

The car sped into the tunnel as the helicopter trailed closely behind.  The car entered the fifty-yard long tunnel at a speed of about sixty miles per hour.  As soon it was fully inside, the silver haired driver slammed on the brakes and got them down to ten miles per hour in a hurry.  They stayed on the right hand side of the road and saw two more vehicles identical to the one they were in, in the left lane.  They were sitting still, back to back with their engines revving.

“Go! Go! Go!  Right side!” the driver yelled.  Jared fumbled with the door, pushed it open and jumped out, followed closely by Amy and then Nap, clutching the fanny pack as he leapt.  They landed hard on the asphalt but were ok.  The big man in the passenger’s seat pulled the door shut from inside and all three cars took off at the same time, burning rubber and creating smoke to fill the tunnel as the kids struggled to get up from the hard asphalt.  

One car went back the way it came in; the car they had been in went straight out of the tunnel, and the other followed right behind it and took a left. The kids were suddenly all alone, stranded in a dark tunnel with exhaust fumes, dirt, and the smell of burnt rubber settling around them.  The sound of the helicopter was quickly fading, and they knew they couldn’t stay there long.

“So now what?” Amy yelled in a panic.

“We do what the man said for now,” Jared said.

“We don’t have a choice.  Let’s go,” Nap added.  As they started walking they heard a low rumbling noise coming from the other end of the tunnel.  It was a car’s engine.  

“Run!  Come on!” Jared said in a forced whisper, motioning them toward the end of the tunnel.  They had to make it about twenty yards before the car came into the tunnel.  It wasn’t far, but it seemed like a marathon!  They all hit full stride quickly.  When they got to the edge of the tunnel they took the corner as tightly as possible and kept running all the way up the hill as the silver haired man had instructed.  

The rumble was getting louder as they ascended the hill through tall grass and weeds.  The hill went up at a steep angle and they found themselves on all fours trying to get to the top as fast as possible.  When they finally got up and over the top, they hit the deck, landing on dirt and rocks.  They turned around while staying on their bellies, and saw a black car come slowly out of the tunnel.  It paused for a few moments at the edge and revved its engine.  The three put their heads down below the grass line and stayed that way as they heard the engine slowly get farther away.

“Was that a bad guy too?” Nap asked.

“Ya think?” Amy answered, sarcastically upset.

“Coulda been a good guy.  You don’t know,” Nap said.

“Right now we need to assume everyone’s a bad guy,” Jared added as he turned over on his back and tried to catch his breath.  “My mom’s gonna kill me when I get home!  I can’t believe this.  Any idea where we are?” he asked

“I think we’re somewhere between Fowler and Fletcher.  Not sure though.  We took some streets I didn’t know existed,” Amy said.

“We better get in the woods like the guy said.  I’m not comfortable out here with helicopters flying around trying to find us.  Let’s go,” Jared said.  They all got up looking dirty, confused and scared out of their minds, and double-timed it into the adjacent woods trying to disappear.