'Thump… thump.... Thumpety thump thump…'
'Crack! Thump!'
I jostled around, forcibly thrown into the top of whatever I was inside of. The welt from before opened up producing more blood. This of course was my assumption because all my eyes could bear was a pitch-black arena. Such an arena that tore out light suffusing warmth with a clammy cold that smelled of mildew.
Adjusting to the darkness, I realized that what I initially thought of as an odd tightness was the result of both my hands and feet tied together. It wasn't necessarily so in my feet, but the hands were cinched so tight I feared that the circulation may never return.
'Thump! Thump! Thump!'
Each thump threw my body back against the roof and slid items over myself with the audible crunch of snack bars and dirt. Whatever I was inside had been sent traversing along a bumpy path for a while since my awakening. The rank scent of oil to be complimented by the fresh leaking droplets of water foretold of the trunk that I had been stuffed inside.
'Are those bumps actually speed bumps?'
That was an impossibility due to the constant occurrence of the jostles which rocked the metal encasement. It was such a fast tempo of dizzying movement that meant there would have to be one such speed bump for every second the car traveled.
'Then the vehicle must be on an uneven path of some sort? Gravel? Possibly some a dirt road?'
That would be the most likely scenario, but it had just begun. The city of Clivets was not a rural one mainly composed of backstreets and alleyways that would once in a while peak into the sunny top layer of the tomb. Not a single road could be traversed with the speed the car maintained. Furthermore, the roads were well-paved and smoothed in a way that could lull a driver to a grand slumber. The slums were solely a name with little difference between each layer. I had to already be outside of the city. This deduction of knowledge narrowed the scope by a bit. But what if we aren't even in the city anymore?
'What would happen if they had brought me somewhere farther away? Afterall, I can't think of a road that abruptly changes so fast in Clivets.'
'Oh god! How long have I been asleep? If the needle's effects have worn off…'
I proceeded to tighten my fists and put stress into any of my muscles. The sensation was slow but after some time I could feel my strength returning albeit with a dizzy mind. The injection was about to run its course.
'Was this an oversight on the kidnapper's part? No wait, why the fuck would they capture me in the first place? If they were looking for money the two of them would have just stabbed me and taken my wallet. I'm not rich and only Pa would worry about my disappearance.'
I suddenly remembered what the news woman had said while I cooked breakfast that morning. Although I was busy, I was keenly aware of her words. Her smirking smile cooed out descriptions of several more disappearances. Done of course with no semblance of empathy to the statement. The belt cities had seen the most of these disappearances occurring: Seattle, Kenshir, and Clivets. A further perplexing element was how different those taken were from each other. A scientist to a GMO plant, some brat with rich parents, and a whole mess of sex workers seemingly vanished without a trace.
"Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit." Had I just turned into one of those names? I'm gonna die like the others… disappear and never be found whatever you want to call it.
"Oh, fuck."
This pitch-black trunk had become rife with the stench of piss. The drug affected my bladder as well and with the panic running through my mind there was no other outcome to this situation. However, the new fluid that slid around the bottom of the trunk made me realize that I could sense touch again which consequently aroused my nostrils to a scent of bone and decay. Something dead had ridden back here; not too long before either.
An image whisked on by showing my skull cracked open and bullet holes in my stomach. The head drooped just over the trunk's entrance leaving the rest thrown together in the back. The way the two had gone about this, it was clear they were well rehearsed having committed the likes of these escapades a multitude of times. So many in fact it was likely a chore to this point.
'Thump! Thump! Thump!'
'Calm down, moron.'
There's no way I'm going to die to these freaks. I'm going to pay back those swine what they owe, I just need a little more cash, then everything will be settled. This will just be an experience. Yeah, the usual experience of being stuffed into the trunk of a car by some unknown people taking me to some unknown place where they will do whatever they want…
I'm dead.
'THUMP! THUMP!'
Suddenly, the vehicle eased in its procession. A chug of gasoline resounded out its exhaustion shooting like a gun which roused my hearing once again. The sound forced me to flinch in response to its abruptness.
Is the car slowing down?
I think it is… why? Are we there already?!
How long have I been unconscious for us to already be out of the city and wherever? That has to be impossible unless we truly are inside the city. But if we aren't then why else would they stop?
A cop? No, why the hell would there be a cop all the way out in who knows where at this time of night, or morning. Shit, I hope it's only been a few hours.
A rumble shook the car as the exhaust shot out some gunk in a fit to get moving. Then, the idea came to mind.
Gas… what if they were stopping for some gas. If someone did the same thing over and over again, they are bound to become relaxed and not even recognize problems that may occur afterward. The two of them have done these kidnappings before but what if they always had a drop off point and never had to go this far out? Then they wouldn't know how much gas to leave in the car and without knowing the one with the car probably wouldn't recognize it as a problem since they have done this so many times before. That would explain why the drug wore off before I got to where they were taking me. They simply overestimated their capability. Perhaps I'm underestimating them as well.
One begins to think they are invincible, a master at their craft. Someone so skilled that no matter what occurred, the tables will turn in their favor. When you find yourself to be invincible and an expert with nothing but luck, you then set yourself for an unimaginable loss. When they lose me they will most likely be dead per their boss' orders and I'm not going to stick around to find out who that would be.
Even more so, when you subconsciously are lulled into this familiar environment of driving, to most people their senses narrow, dulling to small sounds instead focusing on sight and the lines of the road. In this case, with all the thumping and rocking of the car they wouldn't even notice a noise coming from the trunk.
I tested my strength on the ropes again. The chord around my hands was made of a much stronger material tightly bound, but the one to my feet was rather loose. Cocky and sure of themselves my kidnappers wouldn't pay any attention to a thump from the trunk and would undoubtedly believe it to be nothing more than a piece of equipment. Looking around inside this pitch-black rectangle I find no other tools…
Hopefully they don't hear me.
If they do, they will realize their mistake and come charging to restrain me properly. Then, I would be done for. No second chances and whatever fate that awaits me would be carried out here. A sweat plagued my body dripping from the hairs to my legs supplementing with enough lubricant to rip them free of the ropes.
"Urghh!" Not without tearing at the flesh. Coated in blood the rope to my legs was free and kicked aside further away. I tested the restraints on my hands once again finding that no matter how hard I tugged mustering all my might to slip free of them, they would not come off.
Whatever…
I can still kick open the trunk and get out that way. But what if they're standing right there when I jump out? If it were the monster, it would crush my skull with its mallet sized fists. If the other I could possibly take him on if only for enough time to run to a store. People would be there and these two would be unable to take me back. Afterall, they took me without causing a scene and so confidently at that. Once their confidence is gone, they won't be able to do anything with the eyes of all those spectators.
'Skrrrt! Ka-chug.'
It stopped…
'Bang! Bang!'
Were those two car doors or one? I heard two bangs but what if the guy closed it, then reopened and closed again… is that my heart? I could hear it through my ears as the blood rushed to them forcing my brain to pump hard enough to focus on sound alone with no other sense fostering control. I pushed my ear to the top of the trunk craning my neck further to where it hurt.
'Bang!'
That was definitely another on the right. Oh god, are there actually three of them? Shit… shit… SHIT!
Next came nothing but silence as the seconds ticked by. Perhaps it had been a dozen, possibly hundreds until I noticed that not a sound had come from however many that had left the vehicle. It was like a ghost town.
During this wait of both contemplation and stressful disorder I felt the cold sweat pour like rain from brewing clouds.