Kidnapped

I was on my way to work when they took me. I never saw their faces as they kept their masks on all throughout the ordeal. They came from nowhere, the only warning a screeching of brakes. Men came. They grabbed me, punched me in the stomach, put a bag over my head and bundled me into their van. Seconds later we're moving and they're injecting me with something.

I wake up an unknown amount of time later. I'm cold and wet and my arms are tied behind my back. They hurl another bucket of water over me to fully bring me to my senses and I'm suddenly staring at three clown faces and one Richard Nixon.
"Yer worth a lot of money to my boss." Nixon says, then he laughs. He slides the blade of a knife along my cheek. "If yer don't cause trouble yer might live long enough ter find out just how much."

I should have taken time to pee. I was sat on that cold floor for hours with no bathroom breaks allowed. Now I'm out and on the run and wishing I'd taken the thirty seconds to empty my bladder. As their helicopter appears over the horizon and the sound of gunfire fills the air, one thought enters my mind – this was so worth the money.

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Sounds bizarre, doesn't it? I mean, people paying to be kidnapped, treated like crap and then stage a daring escape. Hmmm, considering people pay to be tortured maybe it isn't so bizarre after all. Anyway, what started as a piece of video installation art is the latest party experience in New York city. Brock Enwright, a twenty-five year old artist, has set up a business where people will pay him thousands of dollars a time to be abducted. So far Brock has just under forty regulars on his client list, all of which pay up to ten thousand dollars to have personalised kidnaps performed on them. Customers can be taken on the streets, day or night, or even from their own home (where the kidnappers make noise so the "victim" wakes up with them looming over him or her). They are bound and gagged, bundled into a van, sedated if their medical history checks out, and taken to a secure location where they're left for up to three days. During this time they can be beaten (for an extra charge of course) and left to stew in their own bodily functions. One guy even paid to be buried alive, and the company is devising a safe plan for that as we speak. Depending on the price paid for the kidnapping package the "victim" can be released when the ransom is paid (basic package), enjoy failed escape attempts where the kidnappers make a "mistake", or even make a daring escape with helicopters chasing them.

Now here's an interesting thought… All these repeat customers are obviously wealthy individuals to be able to afford such a bizarre experience, and all of them have obviously mentioned this to family and friends so they aren't missed when dragged screaming from outside the local shopping centre or whatever. Surely if some nefarious person were to get their hands on the client list they'd be on their way to a fortune. One mass kidnapping, no mistakes, arrange ransom drops instead of bills and invoices and you could pretty easily kidnap forty people and collect a decent ransom for each of them without a chance of the authorities being alerted or even letting the people themselves know what was happening. Some may just think they've had a bonus adventure for as long as they live. So, anyone got a van and a balaclava and want to make some easy money?