Prologue
Dusk had set in and and it had begun raining only moments after class let out. Mark was going to pay for this. Ammy had gotten out of class hours ago and he had promised to pick her up. Maybe "hours" was an exaggeration. She really had no way of telling since her cell phone died during the lecture. Without it, she was effectively stranded until Mark made good on his promise to come get her. Why her wallet wasn't in her bag, she didn't understand; it was the first time in months that she was without her bus pass. It seemed like everything was going wrong today. When he dropped her off that morning, Mark had said he was planning a surprise for her but that hardly mattered to her now. Her mood had become as soggy and gloomy as the campus bus stop at which she waited.
She sighed deeply, shivering as the rain-water dripped from her sopping hair to her shoulders and down her spine. She leaned out into the road glancing down it in either direction in the feeble hope that Mark's car would come around a corner somewhere. There was nothing but the one lonely bicyclist in spandex and neon with a muddy stripe up his back. At least she was only wet and not muddy.
Maybe I should just try to hitch a ride. She only ever did so in the worst of circumstance but the thought still made her twitchy. She had been taught at a young age not to trust strangers and that training still lingered so many years later.
Finally she gave in and sat down on the bench. Her jeans were already so weather-drenched that the dewy seat couldn't make it any worse. She relaxed and gave in to the cold and weariness and closing her eyes, dropping her head back to stretch the muscles, tightened from the day's classes.
From somewhere a car engine's low rumbling was approaching and Ammy resentfully opened her eyes. Glancing down the road, she quickly saw that it wasn't Mark's car at all but a white van, probably campus facilities. She settled into her soggy seat, closing her eyes again, as the van drew near and pulled into the stop. She heard the sliding door open and someone got out of the van. A low curse escaped the man's lips as she heard a splash. His foot must have slipped into a puddle as he got out of the van, she thought. Sucks for him.
Then all in a moment, something had been slipped over her head and panic set in. She heard nothing, saw nothing. Ammy clawed at the fabric covering her head and at the person holding it there. Rope came across her wrists and tightened down. Kicking and struggling, she was lifted oversomeone's shoulder and thrown into the van.
She braced herself for a rough impact, but was surprised. The floor of the van had been covered in something soft and a second person inside the van lowered her head gently. Through her jacket and jeans she couldn't tell what lay below her. It was a small comfort that meant nothing to her at that moment. Her heart raced. Adrenaline electrifying every sensation.
Through the darkness came something familiar-- a smell.
