The sun had just begun to fall from its peak marking the start of the inevitable end of the day. Rays filtered through the trees, continuing to light the walking path open to all visitors of the public park. Aria found herself mindlessly walking the worn path, blissfully enjoying the faint aroma of the freshly manicured landscape that extended for miles around her. Distant laughter ruptured the silence of the forest, followed by childish voices calling out to each other, no doubt coming from the clearing several hundred yards behind her. The forest, however, accompanied her with squirrels and dragonflies during her walk, leaving her mind to wonder the lengths of the trees.
Time passed slowly as if the path she walked were a winding clock that she could never keep pace with. Deciding her journey with the flies lasted long enough, she turned to back-track the trail to the clearing where dogs and children wrestled in the fields, and where they would eventually bid their own goodbyes before the park rangers enforced the "Park Open from Dawn to Dusk" rule. Brittle leaves and twigs rustled as lizards and squirrels bounded from one tree to the other, seeming none too worried about the falling sun, even if the hour was still young. Light was plentiful, but Aria had no desire to be wondering the forest or even the park when light became scarce.
It wasn't until the forests clearing came into view that she heard something larger disturb the fallen leaves. She was under the impression that she was alone on the trail, but joggers moved much faster than her peaceful walk and would have easily outpaced her had they started an hour or so at the other end. Turning to find the source of the movement - and to avoid a collision - the young woman jumped to find a tall man several feet away from her. His skin was bronzed from many days out in the sun, and his form, while not over worked, was well built. This man was either health conscious or worked in labor for some time, perhaps a combination of the two, but his expression held no sympathy.
Fear laced her veins and she willed her heart to slow its pace, but her instincts told her to run. Aria was not an athletic woman, and while she did cardio daily, she was far from ready to hold a steady pace. Her legs propelled her towards the exit, towards the sounds of joyous voices that she hoped would provide a veil of safety. As the clearing grew closer, a terrible scream erupted from her, loud enough to climb the trees and echo across the land, but her plea was cut short by large hands that smelled of fresh dirt. Anyone close enough could have mistaken the noise for an injured bird. He was on top of her, bringing the two of them to the ground with calculated ease. A hand found its way to her throat, the other to her mouth and nose, and while she fought with trained technique, she felt the world around her grow cold, the sky grow dark, and just before the world fully disappeared from her depths, she felt the faint bite of a needle.
------------
Everything around her was cold. Cold and hard. She willed her eyes to open, but sleep kept them shut. There was a dull ache in her muscles, one typically felt after a workout, but yesterday was filled with relaxation. She moaned as something shook her, pulling her into another cold and hard surface followed by the blare of an angry driver. Moments passed and again, she willed her eyes to open, the fog from her mind to pass, but her head was far too heavy for her to hold, and again, the world disappeared.
Aria didn't rouse again until the sounds of metal moving triggered the flooding of a bright light that blinded her even though her closed lids. And suddenly, she was upright, supported by strong arms that wrapped around her. "Just a little further and you can sleep" the voice teased her mind, it was soft and kind, and spoke of a truth that encouraged her to carry herself just a little further. The terrain underfoot was unstable, either from sleep or from debris, but those arms around her supported her until she was laid down once more and allowed to drift off into sleep.
------------
This time, when Aria aroused, the air was warm and comforting and she was met with the singing of birds somewhere close by. Had she been so naïve, one might have thought they had fallen asleep at the park, perched up against a tree. Heavy with slumber, Aria forced her lids to open, and with it, the fog rolled clear. Her bright hues were first met with a dark wood that extended beneath her, supporting her. The wood was in poor condition, sun bleached in areas where the warm rays danced and weathered and broken in areas shaded from the sun.
Confusion and horror clenched her heart, begging her to flee from whatever place this was. Her breathing quickened and her heart now raced, but her wrists were bound in place beside her, binding her to a pillar that looked like the only supporting beam left of what might have been an abandoned warehouse or shed. Perhaps it was a house at some point in its life, but that time has long since passed. Aria tugged at her wrists, testing the binds that held her, they were metal, but the gap between either hand meant that her abductor was using something other than standard hand cuffs. The tension left her with little room to move, barely enough to twist her fingers around to feel the metal.
"What's going on?" Her voice was hardly audible, even to her. Her mouth was parched from hours without fluids, and no doubt the drug that finally passed pulled with it any water she previously consumed. She took several moments to stand, working the bands around her wrists till they shimmied up the pillar now supporting her until her feet were securely beneath her. To her relief, her cloths were still intact, though her shoes sat several feet away on a distant table. The wood beneath her feet was surprisingly smooth, even for a worn away structure; she didn't feel the need to fear for splinters. Perhaps that was something her abductor had considered? But if so, what was the point of going through all this trouble?
Her breath caught in her throat as her mind worked through the events. The park. The man. The needle. How many are there? Where are they? Did they just leave her here? How did they, or he, or even she, drag her out of the park? Aria wasn't the lightest of women, holding far more weight than she was proud of, let alone willing to admit. Carrying her, even as strong as that man from the forest was, would be an extremely taxing task, and would raise questions from other people in the park. Did he have a car nearby? If so, where could he have kept it, there were no motorized vehicles allowed on the trails? What day was it? Her mind began to swim with questions and the more she questioned, the deeper the fear dug into her. Whoever kidnapped her had planned it for a while to execute it so quickly.
"Hello?" She called out, not sure whether having her kidnapper join her or being left here alone would be the better choice. Several moments ticked by and there was no response. She looked around the room, searching for any clue as to where she was and who might be with her. Everything looked so old and worn that only her shoes stood out as anything new. The place was clear of any webs and dust meaning that someone either lived here, or someone prepped it for their visit. But somehow, this made it worse. Stepping to the side, she moved to circle the pillar in search of something else to study, but a block in the chain prevented her from circling the pillar. She was not meant to see what was behind her. She craned her head to either side, inching herself as far as possible to see what her attacker didn't want her to see. Sadly, either side of her was just as helpful as what was in front of her - bare walls and clean floors.
A noise behind her drew both her breath and her attention. Metal on metal clicked, creaked and clicked once more, and then there was silence. Aria held her breath straining to listen for more signs of life behind her. "Ahh you're finally awake" a voice sang out, deep and lovingly. She sucked in a breath and clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms to keep quiet. A well-built man circled around the room holding a smile typically reserved for close friends and family. He held a glass of water in one hand, the other swung freely at his side. "You were out for quite a while, I began to consider calling in a doctor" His gaze held hers, waiting for her to respond, to tell him that she slept fine, that she was just tired, that she was ok, but anger swelled in the pit of her stomach and kept her mouth firmly shut. When Aria didn't respond, the brute shrugged and took a step towards her "I brought you some water, and you can rest assured that its safe, see?" He took a sip from the glass to prove his point. Aria only nodded her approval and allowed him to lift the water to her lips which she gratefully drank from till only a quarter of water was left. "That's my girl" he cooed, running a finger beneath her chin.
Aria studied him with cold eyes as he pulled the glass away from her and began to disappear behind her. "Wait!" She called out, not wanting to be left alone.
Just beyond her view point, he flashed her a smile, "Yes?" It was as if she were just a guest in his living room, not a hint of worry to his voice.
"...Why am I here? Who are you?" She asked, head craning to watch his expression. A light chuckle filled the air behind her
"You'll find out in due time. I suggest resting a little more though." And with that, the metal clicks sounded, and the door shut, leaving her to speak to the empty room and muddle through her thoughts alone.
Anger burned hot beneath her skin and she began to thrash against her bindings, etching red bands into her wrists "Let me go!" she growled.
------------
What seemed like hours passed before the man reappeared, emerging from the unknown spaces behind her. Something caught her eye as he walked past her, poking out from the jeans of his pocket with the slightest shimmer. He didn't bother acknowledging her as he approached one of the tables on the far wall where her shoes were. Something about his close proximity to her shoes made her uncomfortable, as if it were another reminder that he was in control. "So, Aria, why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?" His tone was different this time. Not so soft or so friendly, more professional, almost as if she were conversing with her doctor. But he knew her name. This man she had never seen before, this man, who so easily calculated her abduction, knew her name.
