I sat down at the bar and ordered a beer. The bowl of salty nuts usually offered to patrons in such establisments was nowhere to be found. I was hungry, and this crappy little bar--the only one open anywhere within miles--didn't have any snacks. I caught the eye of the bartender and pointed at an empty wooden bowl near me. "Refill?" I asked. The bartended shook his head. "Sorry, were out"
I casually scanned the room, looking for anything that might take my mind off my hunger. A striking couple sat at a table in the corner of the bar. The man was speaking quietly while the woman smiled. Occasionally, she would lower her face and then gaze at him penetratingly.
I focussed my attention on his voice. He had an accent, but I couldn't make out the origin. I would have sworn that at one point he said the words "captured" and "kept as a sex slave." But that couldn't be right, I thought, There's no way in hell he just said that. Still, I slid down the bar another two seats in the hope of hearing him more clearly.
Then he said, unmistakably: "I'm guessing you would manage quite well, if such a fate befell you. Your skills would serve you well and help you survive, if not thrive."
Hmm, I thought. For a whole-in-the-wall bar, this was pretty interesting entertainment.
Then the man leaned toward the woman, a buxom blonde with fine skin. "A string of bizarre events in this country and abroad have turned the world upside down," the man said. "You've been separated from your family and cannot communicate with them. However, the last word you received--indirectly and quite by chance--suggests they are safe. You cling to the belief they are."
If this guy is making a move on her, his technique is rather odd, I thought. I shifted on the barstool, and took another sip of beer. Something, the alcohol or the crazy story teller-- I couldn't tell which--was doing something to my head.
The man continued: "Life in the city has has become chaotic in the truest sense of the word. Gangs control the streets; many 'normal' people have headed for the countryside, although no one knows for sure if it is better there. For lack of options, you decide to follow the flow of people into the hinterlands. You pack your valuables into a knapsack one night and head out into the dark; you hope that the rumors it is safer to travel in the dark than in the light are true."
And then: "You don't make it very far before you learn the rumors are wrong."
My heart stopped. I'd been watching the blonde's eyes while the man spoke. Her face had blanched the moment he used those words .
Holy, fucking crap, I thought. Was she going to be ok? Was it a turn on or turn off this guy was after? I couldn't begin to tell.
The man continued. "While carefully making your way alongside a suburban street bordered by trees, you think you hear the snap of a branch to your left. You stop. but an instant later you find yourself lying on the grass, your feet being handled roughly. Someone is using a rope to tie you up, you realize. You begin to scream and resist. But the rope is knotted in no time at all, and the person who had grabbed you has shifted to place his knees on your shoulders. Soon, a damp rag has been placed in your mouth. You gag and reduce your noisemaking to a loud whimper."
Okay, I thought, that's pretty intense foreplay, if I'm hearing this right. I gulped the rest of my beer as the man continued speaking. "Moments later, the person who attacked you places something near your face. It smells like a strong chemical, and it starts to make you dizzy. Seconds later, you black out."
I looked back at the woman again. The color in her face had returned, and her eyes seemed to be begging the man to continue.
***
You awake what must be hours later in a what appears to be a warehouse of some sort. Your feet are no longer tied, but you are handcuffed to a steel pole that is as thick as your wrist and extends from floor to ceiling.
A tall and muscular man is sitting in a chair at a table perhaps 20 feet away from you. You feel anger and fear. "Who are you and why have locked me you locked me up?" Only then do you realize that you are naked. He turns toward you but says nothing. "Why am I here?" you say, your voice raising in anger. He stands and walks to a point directly in front of you.