Free Disappearance by Niv Kaplan

let out a desperate howl then she began to cry.  They hit a ditch and she was flung in the air, the heavy body landing on her, hurting her more.  She reached up with her hand and pulled at his hair.  The man groaned in surprise then clasped her throat, depriving her of air.  The choking feeling returned and she began kicking and clawing once again using up the remains of her strength.   Finally her limbs slumped in the seat and she lay still.  After a while she began to shiver underneath the enormous bulk as  her  thoughts shifted randomly between past and present fusing the cruel image of her abductors with painful childhood memories. She shut her eyes hoping to erase the nightmare and whispered Mikki's name begging him to come get her.
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    Raul shut off the headlights as he turned onto the dirt road. He stopped and waited a few minutes so his eyes could adjust to the darkness.  He also needed to make sure they were not followed.
    Mustafa was in the back, pinning the girl to the seat.   They were thirty kilometers southeast of where they had snatched the girl.   They had retreated east toward the Golan Heights then turned and headed south along the Jordan at the bottom of the ridge. At the Daughters of Jacob bridge they turned east again and began climbing the Golan ridge toward the Arab village of Jalabia, turning off the main road a kilometer or so past the lower Customs Station, a battered old Syrian building left uninhabited since the Six Day War.
    Suliman was waiting in the orange grove.
    Raul maneuvered the Volvo carefully.  The vehicle was not designed for such treacherous dirt roads.  It took them forty-five minutes to reach him. He appeared out of nowhere. Raul swallowed hard as the tall dark figure swiftly approached.  He stopped the car, shut off the engine and stepped out.
    "Where is the truck?" he whispered urgently in Arabic.
    "Hidden in the trees Raul, take it easy," Suliman said, trying to calm his anxious accomplice.
    But Raul was in no mood to be calm.  He opened the back door and pulled out the girl.   She stumbled but was kept standing by Mustafa who followed close behind.
    They each knew what had to be done.
    Mustafa led the girl, supporting her with his arm and got in the front seat of the pickup truck.  Raul took the keys from Suliman, got in the truck and fired the engine.  It caught and was immediately reduced to a quiet hum.  Suliman took Karen's backpack and rummaged through it, taking out a few items, then gave it back to Mustafa.  He then went around the truck and leaned against the driver's open window.
    "No fuckups Suliman!" Raul grumbled in a hushed voice. "Make sure you get all of it in cash.  You should have the account number memorized."
    "Alla be with you my brothers," Suliman saluted cheerfully, stepping away from the truck.
    "Do you have the tickets?"  Raul asked, irritated.
    "Right here," Suliman smiled patting the left part of his chest. 
    "Salamtak Ya Suliman," Raul greeted him as he put the truck in gear and released the clutch.  With the girl sandwiched between them, they carefully made their way in total darkness, using only dirt roads, to the village of Jalabia.
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    Suliman drove the white Volvo south staying away from the main roads.   It would take him longer but it was safer that way. He assumed word has spread by now and road blocks were a threat.
    He  drove  along  the  Eastern  shore  of  the  Sea  of  Galilee beneath the Golan ridge.   To avoid Tiberius he proceeded along the Jordan  valley  past  Beit-She'an  and  climbed  the Gilboa mountains past the Arab triangle villages, to the city of Jenin.  Under cover of darkness he entered a deserted garage on the outskirts of the city and for the next hour washed the Volvo clean, leaving no dirt marks and no fingerprints.   He sprayed a heavy air refresher to get rid of the coffee and cigarette odors and changed the license plates.  From then on, he drove with gloves