Cumming for the Cause
Day 1
Emily woke up someplace dark and unfamiliar. It was immediately clear something was wrong; she couldn't move. She stretched, wiggled, and flexed as much of her body as she could. With each movement she began to discern the entirety of the situation she was in. Her arms were constricted at her sides. By the caustic feel of material, it was rope. Her hands were further bound behind her back. Her legs were also tied together. She could bend slightly at the knees and hips, but her predicament did not allow for anything beyond that. The darkness around her was so complete it could only be accomplished with a blindfold.
A completely muffled scream and a fullness in her mouth indicated that she was gagged as well.
Think, she told herself. What was happening right before this. She knew she'd been out with friends, listening to music, having drinks. What happened after? Had she left with someone? She couldn't summon any memories beyond what was otherwise an ordinary night out. Everything else was a cloud of haze.
Where was she, and how long had she been here? Now having a better understanding of her body, she tuned into the world around her. There was a vibration to the floor, a humming sound around, and occasional bumps. A van. She was in the back of a van or truck or something driving fast down the highway.
Fuck, this was bad. Really, really fucking bad. There was no getting around it; she'd been kidnapped.
The thought didn't surprise her actually. In the back of her mind, she'd always wondered if something like this was possible. Her father was a powerful, rich, and controversial United States senator. Surely someone was looking for ransom, a nice payout. She consoled herself with the thought that a fat checkbook and the flick of a wrist were all that was standing between her and freedom again. It might take a day or two, and she might piss herself waiting in the back of this van, but it wouldn't be long until she was back in her apartment pretending this was all a bad trip. She smiled a little; it would make for a great story next weekend. Maybe she'll even get interviewed on prime-time Fox News. They could dress it up and make it all sound appropriately heroic - even if all she did was lie in the back of a van and wait for someone to get paid.
Hours passed, and then more hours. To keep herself occupied she practiced her interview sound bites. "No, I never lost faith. I knew my father would come through for me the way he comes through for our nation every day." She liked that one in particular.
Eventually the monotonous hum quieted down, as the vehicle slowed and stopped, and then went through a series of turns in the subsequent minutes. They'd transitioned from the highway to surface streets somewhere. They slowed to a complete stop, and the engine shut off. The floor no longer vibrated. Emily was at her destination, whatever and wherever that was. Also, whenever - God only knows how long she'd been in there. A door opened beyond her feet. A strong pair of hands wordlessly grabbed her by the ankles and slid her body towards the back. The next thing she felt was being lifted into the air and thrown facedown over someone's shoulder. Clearly they were somewhere remote or private because her perpetrator was being seriously conspicuous about the manner in which he casually tossed around the body of rope-bound young woman. It was like being back on the ranch where she grew up, farmhands throwing bags of feed over their shoulder and carrying them places. Only this time she was the bag of feed.
She was surprised how calm she felt, considering the circumstances. She didn't even consider trying to scream or shake herself loose, but that's the confidence that comes with proximity to power.
A door opened and closed, and the sound of wind faded; she'd been taken indoors. There was murmuring coming from somewhere - another room, maybe down a hall. She was trying to map her surroundings based on sound alone, but it wasn't possible.
She heard the creaking wood and felt the downward trajectory from descending a flight of stairs. A couple of turns later and she was released, laid down on some sort of surface. It wasn't a bed or a couch, but it definitely wasn't the floor. Her fingers wriggled around. It seemed to be some sort of flat vinyl or leather platform off the ground, not uncomfortable but also not exactly comfortable. She gave up trying to learn by touch and began listening intently. The footsteps of her pack mule receded out the room.
"She's in there." She heard a voice somewhere out there, presumably the mule.
New footsteps entered the room, distinguished by a slower, more methodical cadence.
"I'm sure you're wondering why you're here and who we are and a bunch of other things. Give me a minute to set up, and I'll explain everything." Set up? That sounded ominous.
"That looks really uncomfortable. My guy must have been paranoid you'd shake free and tied things a bit too tight. Let me get you into something more suitable. You'll understand, I'm sure, that I can't exactly let you roam free, but these restraints will be more comfortable." A hand reach behind her back and loosened whatever was holding her wrists together. Then the cords circling her arms, stomach, and chest were unraveled, like yarn pulled from a spool, until her entire upper body was freed, save for her gag and blindfold. But before she could stretch and enjoy the newfound freedom of movement, each wrist was again roughly grasped, pulled up above her head, and clasped in some sort of handcuff mechanism. However, as promised, it was much more comfortable than having everything bound tightly to her sides.
She wanted to be ungagged. She wanted to carry on some casual conversation with this man to show that she wasn't afraid, that she "got it." "Look we all know why we're here. I'm sure any number in the six-figure range could be sent across by the end of the day today. While we're waiting, do you have any Netflix recommendations? I've run out of shows to watch. Is the wifi any good in this place? If you're looking for seven figures, we might have some more time to kill."