Stranded (15 page)

Juan came back inside. “Are you going to be okay? They said they’ll need you in five minutes.”

Kendall swallowed. “Okay.” Up to this point, they’d filmed a variety of scenes, including him being carried around by the would-be kidnapper, and even a number of the scenes in the car. Those hadn’t bothered him. After all, it had been the front half, the open side, or the back half the car. But now they needed to film him in the car, the full car, with the doors closed.

“You should get back out there,” Juan said gently, and Kendall nodded and stood up, then left the trailer and went where they were shooting between the hills. The sun was brutal and beat relentlessly on his skin. Kendall had taken to using an umbrella and sunscreen whenever he could, because he couldn’t get tan or it would ruin the shots. His skin tone had to stay the same. He hurried to where they were shooting and stood off camera in the shade of an awning as he waited until they were ready for him.

“Kendall,” Lyman said once they were done and motioned toward the car. “We’ve talked about this scene and what you need to do.”

“Yeah, I got it,” Kendall said and walked toward the car. He sat down behind the driver’s seat, and Arlene, one of the production assistants, fastened his hands to the steering wheel with handcuffs.

“They’re props, so don’t pull too hard or they’ll come off,” Arlene said, and Kendall did his best to smile at her. “It’ll be fine, honey,” she told him. “Everyone is out here and nothing is going to happen.” Kendall looked up at her, a bit confused. “My grandson doesn’t like confined spaces either,” she whispered, and once he was secured, she closed the door and Kendall sat inside the only slightly cooled car, trying to breathe as evenly as he could while at the same time preventing himself from passing out from the heat. “Okay, action!” Kendall heard from outside the car, and he peered out the window, darting his eyes from side to side, and then tilted his head to look up at the sky. His fear built by the second, and he opened his mouth, breathing through it. “Cut,” he heard and the car door was opened. “That was pretty good, but I need more,” Lyman said, and Kendall nodded. His stomach roiled, and he hoped to God he wouldn’t be sick.

“Okay,” Kendall said softly, and the car door closed again. This time he watched the people move away from the car, sweeping out their footprints in the sand. Kendall listened for Lyman and then went through the same motions, this time much more frantically, and he pulled on the steering wheel. His own fear barely contained below the surface, Kendall looked out at the landscape beyond the dunes behind the film crew, opened his mouth, and let out a cry that seemed to come from the very center of his being. There was no way he could take much more of this, and he let it all out. He was still crying and gasping for breath when someone opened the door. He yanked his hands away from the steering wheel and the cuffs came apart and fell away. Kendall leaped from the car and bent over, gasping for air. “Are… you… done?” he managed to wheeze between breaths.

“That was amazing,” Lyman said.

“Good,” Kendall sputtered as he forced himself to stand upright. “Now leave me the fuck alone.” Kendall took the first stumbling steps back toward his trailer. “And don’t you dare ask me to do that again.” He took a few more steps and heard someone hurrying up behind him.

It was Lyman. “It’s all right,” he said and guided Kendall toward a chair. “He needs some water.” Someone brought over a bottle and Kendall drank it, trying to catch his breath and slow his racing heart. “You know we’re not done,” Lyman whispered, and Kendall nodded.

“Fine,” Kendall said. “But I want this part of this thing over with. I can’t take days of this, Lyman. I can’t.”

“We’ll do what we can,” Lyman told him. “It’s just a car, and everyone is out here. No one is leaving you alone.” Kendall nodded and drank his water, doing his best to get himself together again.

Kendall finished his water. “Just tell me when you’re ready,” he told Lyman as steadily as he could. This wasn’t the first time he’d had to overcome fear in relation to his work.

K
ENDALL
sat backstage in his dressing room, shaking like a leaf. He had no idea where all this fear had come from, but he was scared to death. All night long, he’d dreamed he kept falling down on stage and forgot every line of his new part. He’d just been cast in his first lead role, and the entire show rested on his shoulders. If he messed up, the show would be a disaster. He reached for his copy of the score and opened it. He knew his lines
—
he always knew his lines
—
but now they were gone and he couldn’t think of a single word other than, “Shit…. Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit.” He was about to toss the score across the tiny room when a knock sounded on the door.

“Forty-five minutes.”

“Thanks,” Kendall answered and picked up his phone, pressing his number 1 contact. “Help me. I can’t remember a single line, and I don’t know what to do.”

“I’ll be right there,” Johnny said. “I’m already on my way. Tell someone to let me backstage.”

“Thanks,” Kendall said. He got up and pulled open his door, stopping one of the runners, a young guy whose name escaped him, along with every line from the show. “Please tell someone out front that I have someone coming and they’re to let him back. His name is Johnny Harker. He should be here in a few minutes.” Randy… the runner’s name was Randy, Kendall remembered.

“Don’t worry, Kendall,” Randy said. “I’m heading out front. I know what he looks like. I saw him a couple months ago when he came to see you.”

“Thanks,” Kendall said and went back in the dressing room to finish getting ready. If this was going to be a complete disaster, he might as well look stunning while he crashed and burned.

A few minutes later he heard a knock and Johnny stepped inside, then closed the door right away. “You’re going to be just fine,” Johnny told him before Kendall could say a word.

“I don’t know if I can do this,” Kendall said, his leg shaking slightly.

“Of course you can. You’ve rehearsed this a million times, and you know every line and every move by heart. It’s as automatic as breathing and as vital as air.” Johnny pulled him into his arms. “You’re amazing, and there isn’t another person anywhere who can do this part better than you.” Johnny lightly touched his chin, and Kendall lifted his gaze. “I love you, Kendall, and that will never change, no matter what. And I’m going to be out there in the front row, cheering you on. So when you hear that first clap, know it’s from me.”

“But….”

“You’re going to be great, and I’m going to be so proud sitting out there watching you.” Johnny hugged him close again. “I love you more than anything in the world.”

K
ENDALL
snapped out of his daydream and glanced around. No one seemed to have been paying him any attention. Preparations were being made for the next shoot, and everyone was busy as hell.

“They’re going to be ready for you in about twenty minutes,” Juan told him, and Kendall nodded his response. He didn’t feel like talking right now. “I’ll let you get into character,” Juan added and then stepped away. He stood nearby, and Kendall knew his friend was standing guard so he’d be left alone.

“I
LOVE
you more than anything in the world,” Johnny whispered into Kendall’s ear. “And I think you’re so amazing. I want to shout to everyone in the theater that the amazingly talented and gorgeous leading man up there on the stage is mine.”

Kendall chuckled softly, some of his anxiety and the tightness in his chest slipping away. “Do you mean that?”

Johnny paused and stiffened slightly. “Of course I do. You’re everything to me.”

“Even more than your books and your stories about dead people?” Kendall quipped.

“Yes,” Johnny said, hugging him tightly. “I love you more than dead people.” Kendall smacked him lightly on the arm, but he laughed. “All this is just nerves, and you’ve had them before. So use them in your performance
—
let them add energy and excitement.”

“Ten minutes,” someone called after a quick knock. Johnny stepped back, and Kendall looked in the mirror to make sure he was perfect. His makeup was slightly smeared, so he did a quick fix before brushing a smudge off Johnny’s clothes.

“It’s okay,” Johnny told him. “Just finish getting ready.” He kissed him with the promise of heat. “That’s a preview of what’s waiting for you at home.” Johnny stepped away, and Kendall sighed. “I’ll be waiting for you out front. Break a leg,” Johnny added with a smile and then left the dressing room. Kendall checked himself yet again in the mirror and then stepped out of his dressing room, and walked to the stage.

Multiple “break a legs” were whispered as he passed, and Kendall acknowledged each one with a smile and whispered the greeting in return.

The overture started, and Kendall got into position, then the curtain lifted, he heard his cue, and leaped into his first dramatic move, landing perfectly before opening his mouth and singing to the back of the house. Beyond the lights he saw Johnny smile, eyes shining with reflected light. After that, his mind and body took over, lines came easily, every movement crisp and spot on, every leap and stunt just a bit higher than in rehearsal. He gave the performance of his life… for his Johnny.

“K
ENDALL
,
they’re ready for you,” Juan said, and Kendall shook his head, bringing his attention back to the present with a bit of regret. “Are you okay? You seemed….”

“Far away,” Kendall supplied. “Seems more like a lifetime ago,” he added. But he felt better. He shoved his hand into his pocket to pull out his cell phone before he remembered it wasn’t there. There wasn’t any service out here, and Juan was holding all his personal things because he refused to leave them in the trailer.

“Whatever it was must have been happy, because you were smiling,” Juan told him. Before Kendall could answer, he was called on the set, and he walked to where they indicated and got back in the car. This time he was much calmer, and this time when they shut the door, it seemed like Johnny was there with him, just like it had felt like Johnny had been with him that night all those years ago. He didn’t question or second-guess the feeling; he just went with it and got the job done.

B
Y
THE
time shooting ended well after dark, Kendall had spent much of the day in the car. His legs and back ached, and all he wanted was to get back to the hotel, have a decent meal, and crawl into bed. He got his things from Juan and walked to his car. He opened the trunk and placed his bag inside it before opening the car door and getting inside. He shifted to get out his keys and heard movement from the backseat.

A cloth was jammed over his mouth and nose…. His skin tingled, and he tried not to breathe in whatever chemical was on the rag, but he couldn’t help it.

“I said you were mine,” a raspy voice hissed in his ear. It might have been familiar, but he couldn’t be sure. Kendall’s mind was already beginning to shut down. “But you didn’t cooperate, so no one will have you.” Within seconds, his vision went blurry and then the entire world went black.

K
ENDALL
’
S
head ached, and even with his eyes closed, the world seemed to be spinning. He shifted and encountered resistance. What the hell was going on? He waited a bit, and slowly his mind cleared. He’d been about to drive back to the hotel. He remembered someone else being in the car and…. Kendall cracked his eyes open. He was still in the car. He moved his hands, and metal jangled. Everything was wrong. But his mind didn’t seem to be able to process what was happening. Kendall closed his eyes and willed his thoughts to clear. He opened them again. This time he was less dizzy. Whatever had done this to him seemed to be wearing off, and he needed to figure out what had happened. He was inside his car, that much was obvious. He was still belted into the seat. Okay, that was normal. He was also handcuffed to the steering wheel.

It took a few seconds for his foggy mind to process that he wasn’t on the movie set. This was his car, not the movie car. He was in his own car. Kendall peered out the driver’s window, still half expecting to see the crew and cameras staring back at him. But all he saw was a sandy hill directly beside him, covered with brown plant remnants and a few cacti. When he tilted his head, he could look around the hill to empty land as far as the eye could see. “This can’t be happening,” he whispered. Panic welled up inside him, and he remembered that the stage handcuffs had come off when he pulled on them. Kendall yanked, hard, but all he got was an ache in his wrists. He tried again, his yells filling the car as he did. Nothing. These were the real thing. Almost instantly panic set in, and he squirmed and fought against the handcuffs and seat belt, trying to get the hell out of them. In the end all he got were sore wrists and an aching throat from the screams that resounded in his ears, but of course brought no one or anything of help.