She worked hard, spent a great deal of time managing the inventory, balancing the books, and moving freight. It wasn't a dream job, but it paid very well, and she controlled everything. It hadn't started that way. She lived out of her car and applied wherever anyone was hiring. She kept under the radar as much as possible and finally found someone looking for anyone. She was fit and strong and could lift a couple hundred pounds if necessary. She got the job.
After a month she found the owner in a rage throwing papers everywhere. She talked to him, very familiar with people in a certain mood. Eventually found out his book keeper screwed him big time. Instead of flaking, knowing she wouldn't get paid for a few weeks she offered to fix it. After that she became plant manager/book keeper. She did the job of three so her boss saw fit to pay her as three. $30 an hour for a sixty hour week, hell yes she'd take it.
She stayed living out of her car though, she was careful not to spend too much and saved almost everything. She may not have had a life but she would retire at 38 with a great deal of cash. She went out with friends from work on Fridays and sometimes Saturday, but always only had one drink. Todd, a salesman who pushed their product, always tried to get her to stay, or go out to dinner, but she always took her leave to sleep in her car after her drink. He kept trying, but she could just sense his desire to control everything and knew that would include her.
Wednesday afternoon she finished moving freight with the fork lift and headed to the stock room to get a start on Friday's inventory. The stock room was a small concrete room with a barely working bulb hanging in the middle. After 9 years it had become a beacon of the weekend. She danced to the radio blaring through her smart phone as she took inventory of supplies. Since she began she had halted all stealing without firing a single person and helped her staff improve their lives and every week it repaid her with legit perfect reports. She was feeling quite proud of herself when the leather gloved hand wrapped around her face. She instinctively threw back an elbow that caused her attacker to groan, but didn't slow him much. He grabbed the arm and twisted it high behind her back.
"Your going to do what I say, or this is going to hurt." The knife pressed against her soft throat.
"Fuck you." If he thought death scared her he had another thing coming.
The knife pressed deeper, "Oh, I like a girl that fights, but I already knew you would."
With that she threw her head back connecting with his nose. He pulled back and slammed her against the wall. She didn't buckle at all, pain was a friend she hadn't seen in a long time. She wrenched her hand out of his through his thumb and threw he elbow further and harder. He evaded it easily, but still couldn't catch her. She finally got a look at him, but it told her nothing. He was wearing all black, with a ski mask. His eyes looked like Todd, but she couldn't be sure. She raised her fists for the fight and he actually smiled. This couldn't be Todd, he was built like this man, but not the type to fight.
She struck first, second, and third, connecting with every blow, but he was still stronger and faster as she dashed over him for the door. His hand wrapped around her air born ankle and she hit the concrete floor hard. It knocked the wind out of her and he was on her in a second. He wrapped a scarf around her arms and the steel shelving, knotting it securely before she could regain her composure. She kicked at him, but couldn't land a blow. Within 30 seconds he had her legs pinned beneath his.
