Once again a big THANK YOU to MLG52 for his editing skills.
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The snow fell as Tracy left work; it was Friday at 5 pm. She had two days off, with plans to spoil herself. The ground was hard and slippery under foot, and the wild wind brings big flurries of snow blew into her face. The road was deserted except for the occasional car creeping by. She hugged the wall to evade the snow which slapped her face, but to no avail.
As a car drew up and tooted its horn, Tracy looked to see if she knew the person. She moved closer and saw it was the new person who just started that day at the factory.
"Can I give you a lift?" he called out as he wound down the window a bit. Normally she would have refused, but with the weather she thought anything would be better if it got her out of the snow.
She reached for the door and opened it. As she shut the door behind her she was hit by a wall of heat; she sat back and enjoyed the warmth.
"My name is Ted. I saw you in the factory today. It was my first day, and my last. I hated the job so resigned. Where can I drop you off?" he asked.
"It's not far, about 2 miles down the road," Tracy replied. The car weaved its way through the snow. Tracy noticed he kept looking over at her, so she drew her coat over her legs. Something did not seem right.
As Ted drove over the bridge, Tracy said, "My turn is the next on the left." The street light illuminated the road sign but he ignored it. "You can drop me off here," Tracy said a bit louder, thinking he had missed it in the snow flurry. Ted ignored her and kept driving, picking up a bit of speed. "Excuse me, here is just fine," she said forcefully, but a note of worry crept into her voice.
"Sit there and be quiet," Ted ordered. When he glared at her, she panicked and tried to open the door even though the car was moving. S-L-A-P! Tracy felt her head snap back from the hit. "Do as I say or else," he snarled. Tracy knew she had to get away from this maniac. When she tried the door again, she felt a blow hit her ribs. She gasped and doubled up as the pain raced thought her body.
Ted stopped the car, reached into the glove compartment and took out a length of rope. He tied her hands together, then tied them to the door handle. He covered her mouth with some tape. Satisfied she was secure, he drove off again, winding his way out of town. Tracy knew she was in big trouble; her side and face hurt from the blows she'd received. She tried to untie her hands, but another blow to her head stopped her. Tracy sat there racked in pain, and cried.
The road turned into a lane with houses few and far between. Suddenly, he turned into a bungalow with a "For Sale" sign outside. He drove to the rear and stopped the car, got out and fumbled in his pocket for something. He found a key and opened the back door, then went around and opened Tracy's door. The icy wind filled the car as he untied her hands from the handle and led her in the house. Ted shut the door behind him and pushed her onto the floor in a corner. Tracy sat and watched as he covered the windows with the curtain, blocking out all light. He locked the door, and pocketed the key. Moving slowly, he grabbed Tracy by her hair and dragged her to her feet.
Tracy felt the numbness in her hands caused by the ropes. Ted dragged her into another room and threw her on the settee. He repeated the job of drawing the curtains before switching on the light.
"Well, I know we won't be disturbed here. I came and looked at this place three months ago. That's how I managed to get another key, and the price they're asking is way over the top and they only had one prospect look at it... me."