Abduction!

Nobody expected excitement in the small town of Coran, Iowa. Everybody went about their normal lives everyday. But when a cat got stuck in a tree or a small shoplifting by the neighborhood boy occured, the gossip didn't stop for weeks.

Sheriff Thomas Ergle still couldn't get use to the way gossip and rumors traveled about the small town. He had lived in this town for a few years and knew everyone's name, or almost everyone. He still had trouble remembering the old hermit that lived in the woods. When you lived in a town with only two hundred people, everybody knew everything about each other.

Tom cursed silently as some of his coffee dripped onto his hand, buring the skin. Shutting the door to his police cruiser, he shook the coffee off, grumbling as he made his way to the small Sheriff's office. Five other police men worked with him but Tom liked to arrive early so he was always the first person at the small precinct.

Another series of curses errupted as he stuggled with the key. 'Today is not my day.' Tom thought as he finally managed to open the door and set the coffee mug on his desk.

He sighed as he sat down in the leather chair and hit the button to his answering machine. Nealy Coffmen, the secretary, had a day off so Tom had to check his own messages. The first was from James Bent, one of the officers that was young and inexperienced but learing fast. Tom sighed and rubbed his hand over his eyes as the young man told him that he was too sick to get out of bed and couldn't come to work. 'Like we need him today, anyway.' Tom thought as he hit the next button. There was hardly any need for the officers in the small town. They were lucky to catch a speeder.

The next message was from David Goth, trying to explain that his daughters and wife had the flu and he couldn't leave them. After hitting the erase button, Tom stood up, grabbing his coffee, and stood to look out the window, his favorite spot in the office. Amoung several trees, he could look out on the small town center and watch the people come to life. Two young men climbed out of a pickup truck and waved in Tom's direction. Tom smiled and waved back. He still couldn't get over how polite and so unlike other boys their age, they were. Mark and Chad had many friends and their mother, Sarah, was well liked. Chad laughed at something Mark said, his blue eyes twinkling and his blond hair falling into his eyes. Tom noticed Chad, even though he was two years younger than his brother, was already three inches taller. At seventeen, Chad had the young girls oooing and ahhing as he showed off his basketball skills and the lean, well muscled body he had developed from yard work. Mark was also handsome at nineteen but looked so different from Chad. His dark brown hair was shorter and his hazel eyes showed his intelligence. The two brothers were close, closer then Tom and his brother, whom he hadn't seen in five years, were.

Tom chuckled and went back to his desk. He still had some paperwork to make out on the shoplifter that had tried to steal some candy from a jiffy store. Of course the store owner had decided to dismiss the charges, Tom thought because the twelve year old boy was his nephew. But paperwork was paperwork and everything had to be wtitten down. He shook his head as he looked back out the small window. Things sure were different here then they were in Chicago.

It was a very long day. After complaints about a neighbor's dog chewing up the other neighbor's prized flowers and after another complaint about music being played to loudly, Tom was ready to go back home. The sun had already gone below the flat plains and night was making itself at home. It was time for Tom to make his way home too. Locking up he took in a deep breath of the cool night air and made his way to the car. Maybe a night of tv would ease his weary body.

"I'm telling you, Mark. Cindy was looking at you."

"Come on Chad, she was looking at Bud. You know she's always had the hots for him."

Chad snorted and brushed back a lock of stray blond hair. "Well, I know Heather was checking me out."

Mark laughed and turned to look back. "Oh come on."

"Seriously. I'm not kidding. I think I'm going to ask her to the Festival. Why don't you ask Cindy? I bet she'd love to go."

Mark shook his head. "No way. I'm not even sure I'm going to go anyway."

"Why not? It's going to be fun."

Mark sighed and stopped, turning to look at Chad. "You know why. Old man Franks asked me to help him rebuild that old barn of his. I need the money."

"Oh, I forgot! You want that yellow mustang that Bud's selling." Chad slapped his palm on his forehead and rolled his eyes upward. "How could I have forgotten?"

"Oh shut up dip weed." Mark muttered, but he smiled, his eyes twinkling as he thought of the sleek mustange with 8 cylinders of horsepower.

"I take it you'd rather take that car to the festival then Cindy." Chad snickered.

Mark smiled a big grin. "Exactly!"

They continued walking until they came to a huge field, the moon casting a eery light across the grass. "Let's take a short cut. You know mom will kill us. We're already late."

"What do you mean kill us? You mean kill you. I had nothing to do with it."

"Oh yeah?" Mark said, slipping under the barb wire.

"Yeah. It wasn't me that couldn't leave Bud's side as he was deep in conversation about that mustang of his." Chad said, following his brother.

"Well you just remember the last time mom nearly had your hide and I saved it."

"Whatever." Chad muttered. Looking down he noticed his shoelace untied. "Hey, hold up."

Mark sighed and stopped to see his brother hunkered down retying his shoelace. "Man, hurry up slow poke."

Chad rolled his eyes and muttered under his breath. Sometimes being the younger brother had it's disavantages. Just as he was finishing up, he suddenly heard a strange sound. The moonlight got brighter and he looked up to see Mark, his face looking up into the night sky. "You hear that?" Chad yelled, standing up.

"Yeah. Oh my god, Look!" Mark pointed toward a grouping of lights that were coming closer.

Chad looked up, shielding his eyes from the bright lights. The wind began to pick up, whipping the tall grass back and forth. "Let's get out of here!" Chad yelled, but Mark didn't seem to hear.

Suddenly the light seemed to be ontop of them. Chad couldn't hear himself yelling Mark's name as the wind howled and the strange noise surrounded them. Just then a jagged light, looking like lightning from the sky, came from the bright lights and hit Mark in the chest. Chad couldn't hear Mark's scream above his own. He saw his brother fall to the ground and then the light hit him like a truck. He felt his body being propelled through the air as a blast of energy hit him yet he never felt his body hit the ground. All he could see or remember was white light.

The loud ringing in his ear woke Tom. Groaning he rolled over and slammed his hand down on the alarm clock. But the noise didn't quit. Opening his eyes he saw the clock read five a.m. He didn't get up until six. Groaning louder, he reached up and fliped on the lamp and picked up the reciever of his phone. "Hello?"

"Oh god, Tom. I..I don't know what to do.."

Tom was wide awake as he recognized the hysterical voice belonging to Sarah Winters. "Whoa, hold on Sarah. Slow down and tell me what's happened."

"Mark and Chad...they aren't home. They were suppose to be home last night! I'm afraid..."

Sarah was on the verge of losing it. "Calm down Sarah." Tom said, sitting up and running a hand though his tousled brown hair. "Maybe they decided to stay over at a friends or something and forgot to call..."

"No. Not my boys. They always call. Please, help me find them."

Tom could hear the soft plea for help. "Okay. I'll be there in ten minutes." Setting down the phone, he sighed and stood up, almost stepping on his old hound dog, Rufus. What a way to start the day.

He quickly threw on some clothes and drove to Sarah's house. Tom was scared himself. He knew how responsible the Winters brothers were. They wouldn't do anything to upset their mom like she was. He sighed again, trying to calm his unsettled nerves. The sun was barely peaking over the land, awaking the world to a new day.

Tom still remembered his first day in Coren. Sarah had been the first to greet him and even had brought him some fresh baked cookies. She was his first friend and one of the best. She had lost her husband that year yet she didn't mope around. She had told him that her husband wouldn't want her lying around mourning for him. She had a duty to take care of her boys and their place. Tom admired her for that.

Sarah was already outside by the time he parked his cruiser. She was still in her nighty with a coat covering most of it. Her blond hair was a mess and her eyes were red rimmed from crying. "Oh thank god you came."

"Take it easy Sarah." Tom said, hugging her. "We'll find the boys. I'll call in some of the deputies and we'll start a search. They're probably at a friend's house, so we'll start there."

Sarah nodded and clung to him like he was her only life line. He knew how scared she was. He was feeling the same. Mark and Chad had felt like sons to him. He had helped Mark fix up a neighbor's old tractor and he had played some basketball with Chad, helping him prepare for the Championship game. He was close to the whole family and was just as scared as Sarah.

Two hours later three patrol cars had split up looking for the two young men. But after asking at pratically everybody's door they were still no farther then before. The only news of the boys was from their friends who said they last saw them at a party last night. Since it was close to their house, the Winters boys had walked there and back home.

It was noon and Tom had nothing to report. He knew he didn't have enough men to search the woods. Now he had to take the next step.

"You wanted to see me sir?" Detective Rob Johnson asked walking up to Tom. The huge detective was built and stood at 6’5”, overshadowing Tom’s 6’1” figure. Rob looked like he could go out for wrestling and he could easily put down an attacker. His black hair was close cropped and his face, when he wasn’t smiling, made him look scary yet very handsome. Tom had heard that Rob had been seeing a young lady in the neighboring county but Rob kept it silent.

"Yes. I need you to contact the two counties that border us and ask them if they could send some of their patrol units our way. We don't have enough men and we need help." Tom hated to do this but he didn't have much choice. Something had happened to those boys and he wasn't about to sit around and do nothing.

"Yes sir." Rob said and sprinted off toward his car to call it in. A few minutes later he came back. "Leavey said they'd send five and Bonder is sending us three."

"Great. Once they get here, we'll split up and search woods, fields, everywhere."

Another hour passed and the eight other patrols were arriving. Tom quickly explained what was going on and after handing maps out, the search was on the way. Tom caught a glimpse of Sarah, her arms wrapped around her. Several of the town people were standing beside her, comforting her. Tom forced a smile in her direction and waved. He would find the boys. He would find them if it was the last thing he did.

The town of Coran was small but it took them the whole day to search the backwoods and fields. Tom took Rob with him in his car and they drove over to where the party had taken place.

"They usually walk that way to get home." Bud Dover said, pointing off in the direction of a field. "Sometimes, to cut time, they cross that field for sale."

"Who owns that field?"

"My uncle does, but he lives in Kentucky and we are trying to sell it for him."

"Thanks." Tom frowned as he walked toward the field. The boys probably had crossed through there. It wouldn't hurt to look. The sun was already going down in the sky but Tom didn't care. He would search the field at night if he had to. Stepping through the fence, he surveyed his surroundings. He noticed some trampled grass and followed it out. The tall grass came up to his knees and it was hard to follow the path but Tom could make out the bent stalks and prayed the boys were okay. He quickened his steps when he saw a black circle up ahead. "What the..." he muttered as he noticed a circle fifty feet in diameter charred, as if someone had started a fire only in that area. He looked to the left and saw another one, but this one had a form in the middle of it.

"Oh god.." he choked as he got closer. The form was defiantly human, the clothes burned and the skin black. He couldn't breath as he looked at the corpse, it's hazel eyes open in horror. "Oh god, no. NO!" he cried, backing away. Rob was beside him in a instant and then he saw it too.

"Oh my god. It's Mark." the young man muttered in shock.

Tom tore his eyes from the dead boy and he staggered away. Sinking to his knees he tried to take in air fulls of breath. He couldn't breath. He couldn't think. The body was Mark's and Chad was nowhere to be seen.

"Tom, are you okay?" Rob said, his voice also strained. Tom didn’t look at his friend but he knew the big man was just as sick at the site as he was.

"Rob, call it in. Tell them...tell them we found one of the boys but the other is still missing. Oh, and don't let Sarah know how we found him. Not yet."

"Yes sir."

Tom could hear Rob walking away. He bit his lip. He had to be strong. He was going to have to tell Sarah that her first born boy was dead and the other...

"Oh god, how am I going to tell her." he muttered, shutting his eyes and letting his head sink into his hands.

~~~~~~~~~~~

The beer felt good down his throat. Tom shut his eyes, wishing the image of Mark's charred body to disappear. Sarah was mortified to find out that her son was dead and Chad still missing. He had taken her home and she hadn't said a word on the way, silent tears running down her cheeks. The state of Iowa had been notified and would be sending some detectives to canvas the area tomorrow. This whole thing was becoming bigger and more messy and Tom didn't know what to do. Coren won't be just another spot on the map anymore. Not after today. Tom gulped the last drop of beer and let his head fall into his hands. He felt horrible for Sarah. He, himself, was feeling like he had lost his son. He knew Sarah was feeling just as bad. Probably worse. Then there was Chad. What had happened to him?

Tom spent the rest of the night tossing and turning in his bed, unable to sleep. Mark's lifeless body along with the last visions he had seen of either brother floated through his memory.

~~~~

"My name's Craig Hoff." a young detective from another county greeted him, extending his hand. The county of Leavey had been called in on the case since they were the closest and bigger then Coran. Tom shook it and introduced himself.

Craig drew out a notepad and pen. "Now Tom, I'm going to need some info on where and how you found the body. And I have a coroner ready to go so we can see what may have happened."

Tom just nodded and told the officer what he had found. Craig also talked to Rob and the nieghbors that had last seen either brother. "What about the boy's mother. Would she talk to me?" Craig asked.

"I don't know. She's taking this pretty hard. Why don't you come with me and we'll visit her."

Craig smiled his thanks and got into Tom's car. Tom remained silent, almost afraid to see Sarah. He hated disturbing her by bringing a stranger that will ask the questions that she probably won't want to answer.

But to his surprise, Sarah stood tall and composed through Craig's questions. Some stray tears fell but she brushed them away and Tom admired her courage and her will to not fall apart. When Craig was through, Tom gently squeezed her hand and smiled.

That night Tom lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling. He couldn't fall asleep. Where was Chad? Was he hurt somewhere and dying or was he dead already? Tom shut his eyes tight, trying to squeeze out the pictures or Mark and Chad. This town would never be the same, he thought, rolling onto his side to stare at the clock. Never.

Part 2