Christine stepped out of the rotating door and set foot on the sidewalk. Another long day at her internship that seemed to never end. Once the clock struck 5 pm she would pack up her things and rush outside. As a college freshman, Christine was grateful for this summer job experience, but knew she would never want to work at this company.
The fresh air enveloped her face and she could feel the warmth of the sun. It was a lovely afternoon, and after a moment of contemplation, Christine decided she would walk home rather than take a cab.
People flooded out of the doors behind her. In their suits and ties and leather shoes. Carrying briefcases full of useless papers. Christine smiled amusingly at them and walked passed the parking garage. She followed the sidewalk past various buildings, the same ones she always saw on her way home. There were street vendors selling food and 9-5 workers walking home. The walk was long, but she was tired of sitting in a hot cramped cab. As the sun began to set and the hustle bustle of the streets settled down, Christine became lost in thought. She didn't notice the white van slow down as it passed her.
There was a sudden revving engine in the distance and it broke her concentration. She was approaching the edge of the city, relatively close to her home. There were shorter buildings and wide alleyways surrounding her now, the last traces of city-life. Christine looked around for the engine she heard earlier, stopping momentarily in front of an alley to look down the street. There was no one.
Suddenly she felt her body roughly jerk to the right. Her breath left her lungs in a sudden shock. Darkness flashed in front of her eyes. The sight of blackened bricks. A rotten smell immediately invaded her nostrils. Someone was pulling her into the alley by the sleeve of her jacket. Christine recovered instantly from her shock and realized what was happening. She was scared, and assumed her assailant was either trying to mug or rape her. Christine writhed and kicked wildly, attempting to wiggle free of her jacket that the assailant had a hold on. She began to scream "Hel..." but a hand immediately cupped her mouth. The rough flesh over her lips scared her even more and she screamed with fright into the assailant's hand. He had a good grip on her arm by now, and writhing out her jacket wouldn't free her. Christine felt another hand painfully grab her other arm, squeezing tightly.
She could feel the fingers digging deep, bruising the skin. She kicked her feet frantically out in front of her. But it was no use. Her body was being dragged further into the blackness. The entrance to the ally was sinking farther and farther away. Out of exhaustion Christine momentarily collapsed, tears filling her eyes. What was going on? This had never happened to her before. If only there was someone who saw her being dragged into the ally. They could come and help, but she did not remember seeing a soul. Someone grab her legs roughly and picked them up. A dark shape towered over her as he lifted her legs off the ground. She desperately tried to free herself of his grasp. No use, this man was strong as well and held her legs firmly. The men carried her further into the ally. At last she could feel herself being set down on the dirty ground. The man let go of her legs. She kicked her feet in an attempt to hit the dark shape that stood in front of her. No luck. Before Christine had a second to gather her thoughts she felt a sharp stabbing pain in her arm. She let out a screech into the hand that still cupped her mouth and bent her head down to examine the potential wound.
There was a long needle shoved in there, the fluid being pumped into her arm by another hand. Her eyes widened and she tried to thrash her legs and body. However, her effort was futile as she immediately began to feel her muscles weaken. Their energy draining, slowly, leaking out. Christine looked up to see her assailant's faces. All three were standing over her, heads leaning in. It was too dark to make out their features. She could barely move her limbs now. A feeling of helplessness and fear rushed over her. There was a loud banging sound to her left and Christine groggily tilted her head in that direction. In her now blurry vision, she could make out a large white van, it's side door open with a short man standing next to it. He walked towards her and reached down. Christine closed her eyes as she wasn't able to keep them open any longer, but she could feel her body being picked up and after a few short moments set back down again on a slightly softer surface. There were distant voices. Christine tried her best to stay awake as long as she could. Long enough to try and hear what they were saying.
"Well, that was a battle, eh Rick?" One of the men said.
"Ha, barely. You should of seen the other girl. Now, THAT was a battle." Another man retorted.
"Ya, well, at least it's over. Hopefully Anthony will be pleased."
"He better damn well be. If only he knew how much of a goddamn risk we take to get him whatever he fucking asks for."
"Whatever man, as long as it pays." Said a different deeper and rougher voice. He paused for a moment before continuing. "Now gentlemen, what could we do with her in the meantime?"
"Damn cute, this one." Said another man. Christine could feel a hand on her upper thigh, squeezing tightly.
"You know what Anthony said. We can't touch her."
