Parent Taker

By Jenae Taylor Lambrecht

The year is 5023. The setting is a residential neighborhood. The world, as the residents know it, seems to stop when all the parents have been kidnapped by The Master, a man of pure evil. His domination over every living thing is merciless. His search for a bride is all consuming, and he will stop at nothing to get the woman he is obsessed with. His focus is on Jane, a nineteen-year-old woman whose mission is to take care of stray children that have no one to take care of them after their parents are taken. The Master does everything in his power to capture Jane. Jane takes on the challenge of The Master and his posse known as the henchmen. These men are truly under the rule of The Master and, like The Master, are also pure evil. The henchmen ruthlessly pursue Jane for The Master's purpose. Jane has a group of her own to fight The Master and his henchmen: Soda Pop, a Freedom Fighter; Penny, a ten-year-old child who is on her own after the parents are all taken; and Jack, whose mission is to overthrow The Master and win Jane's love for himself. Kidnappings, betrayals, deceit, torture, and explosions-these all keep Jane and her gang fighting for survival. Are Jane and her group able to outsmart The Master and his henchmen? Does good triumph over evil?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Fulton Books, Inc.
• Release date: Apr 16, 2021
• ISBN: 9781649528278

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Parent Taker

Jenae Taylor Lambrecht

Copyright © 2020 Jenae Taylor Lambrecht

All rights reserved

First Edition

Fulton Books, Inc.

Meadville, PA

Published by Fulton Books 2020

ISBN 978-1-64654-107-2 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64654-113-3 (hardcover)

ISBN 978-1-64952-827-8 (digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Table of Contents

Freedom Squad

The Master

Shopping Trip

The Runaway

The Search

Tunnels

Surprise

Failure

The Meeting

Lost and Found

Return to Mega Mart

Base

Knock Out

Bride-to-Be

The Wedding

Honeymoon

The Take Over

Mass Attack

Revenge

Secret Attack

Silent Attack

Kicked Out

Freedom

The year is 5023. The day and the month are unknown. I walk at least six miles every day, looking for someone like me who is traveling to find other people and children. My name is Jane. I don’t know my last name because I never knew my parents. My parents, like everyone else’s parents, were taken from their families, taken to a place where they were put to work as slaves for James in his mines and fields. James is a thirty-two-year-old man who has taken control of the world. He controls the food and water supply. The huge warehouses that he has contain all the food available. Rumor has it that no one has ever been able to take back control from him, nor have they ever come back from trying. Little is known about where all the adults are kept. Another known fact about James is that he’d rather be called The Master.

I wander around, looking for kids to save. I look after them the best that I can, and they look up to me. I have to find food soon or else the twelve kids I have now are going to starve. Their ages range from four to thirteen. I am nineteen, but when I turn twenty-one, I will be taken away to work for The Master. We constantly see The Master’s cars that his henchmen drive while they are out looking for adults to take.

Three years earlier…

I was raised by the Elders who were too old to work for The Master. They raised me from a baby, and I lived with them till I was sixteen. It was a nice life. The Elders fed us very well and took great care of all of us. At that time, there were about thirty kids that they took care of, sometimes more. It was usually crowded in the house, but we all seemed to get along and mind our own business. When I was younger, I met a sweet boy named Jack. We started dating when we were both sixteen. When I last saw him, we were at the table at the Elder’s house. We were sitting at the table eating when The Master sent his men to take the Elders away. As soon as The Master’s henchmen raided the house, all of the kids fled. The older girls took the littler kids with them. The older boys stayed to fight. Jack was one of them. He told me to make sure that everyone got out. I was one of the oldest girls. I ran up to Jack and kissed him.

I love you, I told him.

I love you too, he responded.

I left him there, fighting the henchmen. I took all the young kids that I could find, about ten of them, and we ran. We ran as fast as we could, looking for the girls that had the other children with them, but we couldn’t find any of them. We didn’t stop running until darkness fell. We set up camp in a house that was abandoned, about two miles from our home. I searched the house, looking for food and clothes. The house was small and dingy; there was no color to the house. The kitchen was huge but very rundown. I opened the cabinets carefully so I wouldn’t set off a booby trap.

Food! I screamed.

I flipped open every cabinet, forgetting for a minute about the booby traps that could have been set up to protect the food. I grabbed armfuls of food while passing it to the children to carry to the front room where we were staying. I left them eating while I explored more of the house and looked for clothes and bags to put supplies in. I walked down a narrow hallway to a single bedroom.

There was nothing in the room, no bed or anything. Turning to the closet, I walked over slowly to make sure that there weren’t any traps. I swung open the door. I found children’s clothing and four big backpacks. Grabbing the bags and clothes, I headed back to the kitchen. I checked on the kids before loading the bags with food. They were all passed out on the floor in the front room. I filled the bags and went to the front room to lay down.

Just as I had lain down on the floor, a loud knock came from the door. I stood up so fast, that if the kids were awake, they would have thought that I had superpowers. Quietly I started waking up the little ones and told them to go to the bedroom. Another knock came. Frantically I looked for a weapon or something that I could use. I had made that promise to Jack that I would protect the children, but there was nothing to use, so I hid in the kitchen just in time. The front door swung open as I peeked out to see who was coming in. I didn’t see anyone in the doorway. Five minutes passed before a head appeared in the doorway. It was a young boy’s head, looking in and around. I came out slowly, so I wouldn’t scare him away.

Hi, are you lost? I asked softly.

He just stared at me with big eyes.

Come in. It’s okay. I won’t hurt you, I told him.

He ran from the doorway as I ran to the door looking for him. I couldn’t find him anywhere. It was pitch-black. I dared not leave the doorway in case it was a trap. Seeing movement out of the right corner of my eye, I turned to see the boy. He had come back with four more kids. Two were girls and two were boys. I gestured for them to come in out of the darkness. They hurried in without a word. I could see that they were frightened and hungry. Before closing the door, I looked one more time to make sure that there was no one else around. The door clicked shut as I hurried to the kitchen to get food for the new arrivals. They grabbed the food from me and started shoveling it into their mouths. I sat down next to them and waited until they were finished eating.

My name’s Jane. What’s yours? I asked.

Name’s John, he said. This is Nicole, and this is Matt, Brainy, and Susan.

How old are you guys?

John and I are fourteen, and Matt and Susan are four, and Brainy is eleven, Nicole said shyly.

Looking at them as they talked among themselves, I noticed that Brainy had been the one at the door. I also noticed that they had a backpack with them. Matt and Susan had fallen asleep on the floor next to Nicole’s legs.

You are welcome to come with us, I offered.

We might tag along, but how many kids are with you? John asked.

I have ten kids with me right now.

I told them what happened to us.

That’s what happened to us too. We lost our Elders, but we were their only five, so we couldn’t fight them off, John said, trying to hold back tears.

When he finished their story, Nicole started crying. I grabbed her in a hug as she wailed into my shoulder. I rubbed her back for a while till she calmed down. John was also trying to comfort her. Brainy just stared at us, trying not to fall over and pass out from exhaustion.

You never told us how old you are, John said.

I am sixteen, I said to him.

I think we need a good night’s sleep, John said.

They nodded and started to shift around so that they could lay down. I lay on the floor in the front room next to Brainy who had already fallen asleep. I woke up before the sun rose and started to get up so that I could go wake up my kids. When I got to the bedroom, I almost tripped over a few of the kids who were in the doorway. I bent down and gently tapped them on the shoulder. They looked up at me and knew what the tap meant, so they started to quietly wake up the others. We had learned a code when we lived at home. If you got tapped on the shoulder, you were to wake up the others quickly and quietly. Turning around too quickly, I stumbled backward into a wall. I looked around to see my kids looking at me, trying not to laugh. I told them to pick out two outfits from the closet, one to wear and one to pack before I headed back to the kitchen. I made breakfast for everyone, then made sure that all the bags were loaded with food and clothes.

We all started heading for the door, but I was the first one to look out to make sure the coast was clear. You never knew when something or someone was going to try to get you when you were not looking. I went out the door first into the early morning rays of the sun. The rest of the gang followed. We went to a house that was a mile or so away that I knew had some eighteen-year-olds. They had been acting as guardians to kids for several years. I left my fifteen kids with them. I said my goodbyes and answered all the questions about why I was leaving and why I was going alone. I headed out on my own, trying to make sense of what I was really thinking and what my plan truly was. I looked for a car that I could use. I was taught how to drive by the Elders, but it was very rare to find a car that didn’t belong to The Master. It was even harder to find one with gas.

Three years later…

I continue my journey, searching for Jack and the adults who I’m trying to free. I have my two backpacks that have a spare set of clothes but are mostly used to carry my food. Along the way I have picked up many kids and dropped them off with other people. I have twelve children with me now that I have picked up in different cities. They had all been living on the street and had no one to look after them. So far, I am the only one I know who is trying to rescue the adults and Elders, but I can’t take these kids with me because it is too dangerous. No one understands why The Master has taken the Elders. I just hope that I can find more people who want to help fight the good fight. I also can’t help but wonder what happened to Jack. For all I know, he could be dead. I heard rumors that people have seen him. Others say that he is dead, but I will never quit looking for him. However, my first responsibility is getting these children to safety. Rumor also has it that The Master is looking for a wife.

Freedom Squad

The walk seemed like a never-ending process. My group was getting tired and bored. I had to give them props for continuing this long journey with me. They were doing better than I thought they would. The walk was long, especially since no one was talking. The afternoon heat beating down on us didn’t help either. Turning around to walk backward, I stumbled over a rock. I caught my balance before I took a tumble. Giggles and laughter rang out in our group. All I could do was smile. I turned back to take the lead again.

I’m hungry, said Ella, one of the four-year-olds.

Okay, we will have a lunch break but then we have to keep moving, I spoke softly.

We can only eat a little now so that we save some room for dinner. I will need to get more food from the Mega Mart, but it is still three miles away. The Mega Mart is like a Super Center but bigger.

We all stopped, and many of the kids started to sit on the ground. Most sat in the shade. I started digging through the backpacks, looking to see what kind of snacks that I could give to the kids. Finding some fruit bars, I started to pass them out to everyone. They ate them quickly, so it took no time at all to get moving again.

All right, we need to get moving, I said.

Groans and moans started throughout the group. Angry looks were directed my way.

I can’t walk anymore, a boy whined.

I know, but we can’t stay here, I stated. We need to keep walking till it gets dark. Let’s pack up now and get moving.

Aw, the group said.

I know. I’m sorry, I said as we all started another push to cover some ground.

We didn’t get a hundred feet before Quiz started asking many questions.

Are we there yet?

No.

Are we there yet?

No.

Are we…

Quiz, we just started walking. Please give it some time, I said, annoyed.

Quiz got quiet and had a sad look on her face. Looking away from her, I checked on the rest of the group to make sure no one was falling behind. The group was spread out, and some kids were talking to each other while others just walked in silence. I love all my kids, but right now they are driving me nuts. Since we’re always on the road, no one ever gets a chance to be a kid. I thought really hard about what kind of game we could all play to pass the time. We weren’t another hundred feet before Quiz started up again.

Are we there yet? she asked.

Do we look like we’re there yet? I questioned.

She looked down again as she continued walking. I felt bad about having to tell her the way I did when I knew there were better ways to have handled the situation. With the kids driving me bonkers, it was hard to make good decisions.

Why don’t we play a game? I suggested.

Everyone’s eyes were sparkling and focused on me.

What kind of game? a boy and girl asked at the same time.

How about tag? I suggested.

The group nodded in agreement as they looked around at each other.

Rules, I said. Rule one: you can only go forward, not backward. Rule two: no hurting each other. And last rule: watch out for The Master’s henchmen. Now go have fun, I shouted.

The kids took off running and tagging each other. I couldn’t believe just how much fun the kids were having. It warmed my heart to see them so happy. The trip went a lot faster with them playing, and I wasn’t asked any more questions. A little girl came running over to me only to tag me and run off. I chased after the closest boy and missed him as he dodged my hand. I laughed and started after another one. Finally tagging him, I took off, dodging kids that were around me. Some time passed, and it was starting to get dark. I started scanning for a house that we could stay in. I found one with pretty colored flowers. They were the colors of the rainbow. The house itself was a bright white color. I motioned for my kids to get down as I went up to the door to knock. I didn’t see or hear movement inside the house, so I knocked again. Nothing happened so I went to go grab the group. I turned quickly to see a girl standing in the doorway.

Hi, my name is Jane.

Hi, the girl answered.

What’s your name? I asked.

Um, I don’t have a name, she said.

Oh, I understand. I have some children in my group that don’t have names too.

She just stared at me as I spoke.

Really? Where are the kids? she asked.

I grinned and whistled, and they came running to me. They gathered around me in a circle around the doorway. I could tell that the girl had not seen this many kids in a while, if ever. She looked like she was going to start crying, maybe tears of joy. I wasn’t sure. She wanted to say something, but she seemed speechless. Her hand moved to gesture us into the house. We entered, looking around curiously. The house was well maintained inside. Children’s drawings covered the walls, which brought a certain homey feeling to the house. Once everyone was in the house, I turned to the girl.

I am the guardian of these hooligans since their Elders were taken away. Do you have any children staying with you? I asked.

Yes, just two. I was hoping that someone would find some more, she said happy to see more children.

Would I be able to leave these children with you? I asked, already knowing the answer.

Yes, she said excitedly.

Okay, troops, this is your new home, I told them as they started to hug me.

Some started crying. I hugged and comforted them, but they wouldn’t let go of me. I was finally able to break free when they got distracted by the other two children who had come into the room to see what all the commotion was about. I quickly went to find the girl to ask her one more question. I caught her as she was headed into the kitchen. She turned to me with a big grin on her face.

Have you seen anyone else or heard of a man named Jack?

No, but you might ask the guys. They will be here tomorrow to bring me food, she said as she started cutting up some bread.

Do you mind if I stay the night then? I asked.

Not at all. You are more than welcome to stay as long as you like, she said.

Thank you, I said with gratitude.

I went back to the living room and plopped on the floor only to doze off. I dreamed that Jack is alive and looking for me. He got hold of a car and is searching everywhere. He found me on the side of the road and that’s when I woke up. It’s morning and the sun is shining in my eyes. I went to check on the kids to see that they were all still asleep. I went to the bathroom to change into my second set of clothes before I headed back to the front room. When I arrived, three men were sitting on the couch while the hostess was sitting on the floor. I walked in, looking at the guys who quickly noticed me. Their jaws dropped as they stared. I crossed my arms and gave them an irritated look. They shook their heads as if trying to change their focus.

Hi, my name is Sam. This is George, and the skinny guy is Jason, Sam said.

I noticed that Sam had blond hair, George had black, and Jason was a red head. Jason kept looking around, mostly at the hostess who seemed to be flirting with him.

We hear that you are looking for Jack, Sam said.

Yes, do you know him? I asked hopefully.

Yes, we saw him about two weeks ago. Why do you ask?

He is my boyfriend! I said.

Darn, I thought that I had a chance with you, Sam smiled as he winked.

Well, you don’t! I said.

I noticed that Jason, George, and the hostess were all staring at me. I noticed that Sam’s attention was somewhere behind me. I turned around to look at what he was looking at and saw that a few of the kids had gotten up and came into the living room. Rubbing their eyes, they were looking at us, wanting to know what all the noise was about. I gestured for them to go back to their room. They stood, looking at us for a minute more before they headed back to their room. Turning back, I jumped a few feet backward because George was right in my face.