As James turned the corner on the busy street somewhere in Illinois, he knew something was wrong. His heart was pumping with anxiety; was someone following him? Was James about to be kidnapped? All James knew was that he didn’t want to find out. With that, James ran as fast as a tiger. James didn’t understand what was happening. It appeared that no one had been following him. James walked past the police department, but he didn’t know that his phone had been hacked and someone was following him.

For the past hour, James had been fine. But recently he had felt the presence that he was being watched again. Slowly at first, James heart started to race, then all at once he had a burst of anxiety as someone grabbed his shoulder! James turned his head around apprehensively.

“Excuse me sir, but you seem to know your way around the place, could you point me to the bathroom,” a little elderly lady asked James.

James gave the woman a look of you-scared-me-so-bad-I-almost-had-a-heart-attack-and-it-would’ve-been-your-fault look.

“Sure ma'am, right to your left in about 20 feet,” James replied.

In a few moments the lady was gone. James felt his anxiety dwindle. After James crossed the street he saw a shady looking fellow. James had an inkling that this man was up to no good. Not thinking, James walked up to the man and told him to stop whatever he was doing right away. As soon as James had told him this, he knew it was a mistake. The man looked somewhere far off and nodded. James decided he’d had enough. It was time to run. As he was about to run, someone behind him held his arms in place and put a hood over his head! James fainted.

When James woke up he was in a dark room. He couldn’t see a thing. Laying on the mud-caked stone floor, James tried to stand up, but his arms and legs were tied to the floor. He wouldn’t be able to break free. Now James knew he was in deep trouble. And he was going to pay for it by losing his life. If only the police could come and rescue him. James could hear his legs and arms screaming from the pain that was coming to them for being tied down. James grimaced. Crying, James went back to sleep, knowing when he would wake up something worse would happen.

The man had been watching him for as long as James could remember with an I-know-you-did-something-and-it-would-be-better-for-your-health-if-you-told-me kind of look. James knew that if he said anything or not, the man would not leave. James cried. He didn’t understand why this had to happen to him. Why had he confronted the man with such aplomb. Who did he think he was? He had never been in law enforcement. James was just an ordinary guy who had never done anything crazy in his life. When James got out of there, if he could get out of there, he knew that he would join the law enforcement so he could take down nasty criminals like these guys.

The next time James woke up the room he was in was completely white. And a bed! He was laying in a bed. At first he was wondering what kind of mean trick the people had set up for him now, but then he saw the IV tube next to him. James was in a hospital. He had survived is horrible ordeal. James smiled. It. Was. Over. He knew that he was lucky that he didn’t die. With that, James drifted back to sleep.
The fourth morning, there was a police officer sitting next to him.

“ Young man you nearly got us busted,” the officer said. “ We had been on a stakeout watching that gang for weeks. Then you showed up, and it was the perfect opportunity for us to find that gang’s hangout. I’m sorry for anything that you were put through.”

“ It’s completely alright. There was going to be a man who was about to interrogate me, but I guess he never ended up doing it. Thank you for saving my life,” replied James.

“ Now that is no problem. I’m a police officer, it’s my job. We protect people for a living. You could’ve been dead when we finally decided to storm the place. That is why the police chief has decided to give you a medal of honor to this city, “ the police officer informed James.

“ Thank you so much sir,” James stated. “ I can’t believe that I actually helped you guys take down a gang.”

“ We’re just happy you're alive. I better let you get some much needed rest. You look very tired, “ the police officer replied.

A few days later James was allowed to leave the hospital. He had learned that the people who had kidnapped him had been smuggling illegal food into the country. James was now ready to try and join law enforcement so he could help stop crime in the city that he so much very loved. James was ready to help.

3 months later

James had just graduated police academy. He had been an attentive student and was very good at bluffing to criminals. James would be posing as someone who wanted to join local gangs and then arresting them for the crimes that they had done. James’s smile was brighter than the sun. Nobody could stop him from having a bad day. This was his police graduation. It was the biggest day of his life. None of it would have happened if James hadn’t thought he was going to be kidnapped. It never would’ve happened if he hadn’t confronted a shady looking man standing on a street corner. James was lucky that his mistake hadn’t cost him his life.