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Sam groaned as he got out of his truck. Oh Lord, his muscles were stiff. It had been years since he had been on a horse, but the site that he was investigating was inaccessible even to Jeeps and SUVs, which may have been why it hadn’t been plundered. The only way to get up there had been on horseback, but it had been worth it. He now had incontrovertible proof that this was a major archaeological site. This was one piece of park land that wasn’t going to be torn apart by oil and gas drilling. He grinned to himself as he thought of the dismay that would be felt by a certain very highly placed government official when he found out that his cronies in the energy industry would be denied the opportunity to swell their coffers even more.
Sam looked at his watch. He had just enough time to have a nice hot bath to soothe his aching muscles and to get into clean clothes before the meeting at the university. He had found the needed proof just in time. The decision as to whether or not the drilling would be allowed to go ahead would be made in just a couple of days. They had to make a game plan. Apart from the historical significance of his find, Sam took great satisfaction in the thought that this would be a poke in the eye for that bastard, Larsen. Sam knew that Larsen had been the only one in the department who had opposed his appointment. They couldn’t agree on anything, and Sam had some serious doubts about Larsen’s professional integrity. However, that could all wait. First, he was going to get his precious pictures and sketches into a safe place, then a nice hot bath and then….."MMMMPHHHHH"
Sam’s musings were cut short as a masked figure lunged out of the shadows and grabbed him, slamming up against the side of the truck. Before he could cry out, a gloved hand was pressed over his mouth. "Don’t you make a noise, and you’ll be just fine. Hank, you have the rope ready? " Sam grunted in pain as his right arm was twisted behind him. OUCH. That hurt! Who were these guys, and what did they want? Sam tried to break from the man who was holding him, and was rewarded by having his arm pulled up until he thought that his shoulder would pop out its socket. Sick with pain, he was helpless to resist as his arms were pulled behind him, and his wrists were tied together.
The hand was removed from his mouth. "What the fuck do you think you’re…MMMMPHHH!" Sam’s outburst was cut short as a red bandanna was shoved between his teeth. He gasped as it was pulled cruelly tight, cutting into the corners of his mouth, before it was knotted at the back of his head.
"MMMGGGMMWANT?"
  "You just keep quiet, and start walking. Don’t try anything funny, or…SHIT! Catch him!" Sam took off as fast as he could. He didn’t know what these guys were up to, or what they wanted, but it really seemed like a good idea to get out of here. If he could only reach the road, there might be someone driving by, or one of his neighbours might be out front. Even with the element of surprise, Sam didn’t get far. His muscles were tired and sore from the unaccustomed horse riding. He hadn’t taken more than a few steps before he was tackled, and brought to the ground.
  "So you think that you’re a smart guy, do you? We’ll see about that. You won’t be rushing off anywhere soon. Hank, give me some more of that rope. I’m gonna make sure that this guy doesn’t take any more running starts."
There was nothing that Sam could do, with this big guy sitting on top of him. He could only squirm helplessly as rope was wound around his waist, pinning his hands his hands to his back, and then it was passed between his thighs. Oh my, that hurt. He grunted as the man tying him up pulled tight on the rope, squeezing his balls. He was dragged to his feet, and with something hard shoved into his back, he was prodded forward, into the house.
  Sam moaned through his gag with every step that he took. The rope between his thighs was uncomfortably tight, rubbing against his groin in a most unpleasant manner. The two men who had captured him marched him into the house, and into his bedroom. He was shoved down on the side of his bed. "Let’s make sure that you don’t go wandering while we search this place. No more stupid moves like the one in the garage, or you’ll regret it, smart guy." Sam was hurting too much to put up any resistance as his ankles were bound together. He winced as he felt the ropes cutting through his boots, pressing into his ankles. He grunted as his feet were swung up on the bed. Oww, these ropes really hurt! "Now you just lie there like a good boy, and have a nice rest. We know that you’ve had a long day, professor, and we don’t want you getting all tuckered out. It might hurt all those brains of yours. Ha ha ha."
Left alone, Sam began struggling. This wasn’t some random robbery. These guys knew who he was, and what he had been doing today. He listened to the sound of furniture being overturned, of objects being smashed. NO!!!! That had to have been his cabinet full of ancient Ananavihopi pottery.
  Those bastards! He had to get out of here. These scum must be looking for the notes and pictures that he had been taking over the past couple of weeks. The pictures, maps and sketches from today where still in the truck, shoved under the front seat, but his other notes….they mustn’t get those! Sam twisted and strained, fighting the ropes that bound him. Damn, this was like some kind of torture. Every time he moved, the ropes in between his legs dug into his groin. He tried to ignore the discomfort; he had to get free before they found all of his notes. He had them hidden in a secure place – he had walked in one day to find Lars Larsen poking through his study, claiming that the door to the house had been wide open. If he could only get free…or call for help. The phone was on the table across the room. Sam began to maneuver his body towards the edge of the bed. He rubbed his head against the bedspread, trying to loosen the gag. If he could manage to get his mouth free, and get to the phone, he could call 911. Darn, this gag was tight. He tried using his tongue to push out the bandanna, but it was pulled so tight that he could feel his cheeks bulging over it. He was getting closer to the edge though, so he was making some progress. Just a few more minutes and….
"You going somewhere, professor? I don’t think so. You really are determined to get away, aren’t you? Or should I say, bound and determined? Ha ha ha, I made a joke, prof. Why aren’t you laughing? I guess you university types don’t have any sense of humour. But let’s make sure that you stay put."
  "MMMNOOOMMOUCH!!!!! "
"Gee, isn’t that tight enough for you? I’ll have to see what I can do about that."
Sam whimpered as he was flipped onto his stomach. His aching muscles screamed as rope was attached to his ankles, and then his legs were pulled up. The additional length of rope was attached to his already bound wrists.
"Now, why don’t we make the city dude look like a real cowboy? Your nice hat has fallen off, let me put it back on for you. There, that’s much better. You can pretend that you’re playing cowboys and Indians now. Or do you want to be a cowboy AND an Indian? Don’t worry, when we’re finished here, those ruins will be history so I guess the both the cowboys and the Indians will lose out. . Ha ha ha. History, do you get it, prof? It will be history! Jeez, you are a real sourpuss, aren’t you? I thought that was pretty funny. But..back to work. And don’t worry, we’ll be back for you. We have to keep you on ice for a couple of days."

 Sam’s blood was boiling. These two yahoos weren’t going to get away with this. They must be in the pay of IRYX Corporation. He knew that the company wasn’t known for its ethical behaviour, but this was too much. Sam redoubled his efforts to get free, ignoring the pain that tore through his body. He was drenched in sweat; he could feel it running down his wrists. Hmm, the rope didn’t seem to be quite so tight now. Sam flexed his wrists, conscious of the fact that the two hoods must be running out of places to look. Unless they took a sledgehammer to his big antique desk, they wouldn’t find his preliminary notes, but he had to protect the notes in the truck. IRYX Corp must be desperate if they had hired these idiots. They knew what he had been up today, but they hadn’t searched his truck. At least not yet. YES!!! The ropes around his wrists were looser…..they were starting to slide off. Once his hands were free, it took Sam only a couple of minutes to undo the rest of the ropes. His numb and swollen fingers had trouble undoing the knots, but fear gave him speed. There, the last knot was undone. As Sam tottered to his feet, he heard the sounds of the search stop. He heard heavy footsteps approaching. He had to get out of here now! As the door to the bedroom opened, Sam heaved open the window and tumbled out. He took off across the yard, staggering towards the road. He heard a yell of outrage behind him, but it was too late. He was free, and a priceless piece of history would be saved.

Sam played by Anthony
Photography by Caitiff