Chapter Text
You yawned as you typed the last sentence of your 5 page-long essay. With one final period, you stretched out your body languidly with a not-quite-human sound resonating from your lips before slumping in your seat. Tearing your tired eyes from the screen, you took a long swig of your tea, finishing it off with a sigh before craning your neck to stare at the ceiling.
You had been enrolled at San Francisco State for a little over a year. You moved out here just a year prior hoping to excel at that psychology degree you’d been salivating over since you were a child. Despite the rumors of a brain-eating ‘Demon of San Francisco’ prowling the streets at night, even if it was real (which you doubted) it couldn’t be any scarier than the ones currently residing in your head. You scoffed, shaking your head at the admittedly dark-humored thought before slapping your laptop closed and sliding it into your bookbag, along with your pencils, water bottle, and notebook.
The sun was beginning to settle on the horizon, a warm orange glow flooding the library you studied in. ‘Demon or no demon, I should get back before Dani has a heart attack,’ you think, huffing in amusement at the thought of your roommate’s endearing- if sometimes frustrating- overprotectiveness. You fished around in your pocket for your headphones, popping them in your ears as you hoisted the bag on your shoulders. With Elton John blaring into your eardrums you exit the library and dance your way towards your baby- a tiny black Nissan decorated to the T’s with everything remarkably ‘you’.
You had barely sat in the driver’s seat before your phone buzzed, a message from your roommate showing on your screen.
‘Hey youuuuu…couldja possibly stop by the store on the way back? We sorta kinda ran out of milk. Totally didnt spill the rest of it while making some cereal earlier ;)’ You rolled your eyes, though a little smile still pulled at your lips as you typed a reply.
‘You clumsy ass…fine. Chinese tonight?’
The response came quickly. ‘Oooooo yer speaking my language- the usual if you would….and two orders of shrimp toast’
‘You got it, your majesty’
With that you start your car and set off towards the supermarket, calling the Chinese place to order your food before heading into the store. Humming, you grabbed a gallon of whole milk and made your way to the checkouts. While ringing yourself up, an unwelcome shiver wracked through you, and you had to take a second to do a quick scan of the people around you. Admittedly, the city had its fair share of crime just like any other. Since you moved here everything seemed fine- you had heard of a few banks being robbed and bad things happening to good people, but of course, that happened everywhere.
Even so, you could not shake off this feeling-like you were being watched.
‘Hey- none of that,’ you hissed at the anxiety threatening to take hold as you swiped your card a little too hard. ‘You are overthinking- we’re just here to get some milk. Relax,’ for your own sake (or sanity) you took another glance around, noting people walking to and fro with shopping carts and baskets full of food. No one seemed to pay any mind to you save for the cashier overlooking self-checkouts, who said their farewells with a polite smile. ‘See? Nothing to worry about,’ you told yourself as you made your way to the exit, only to catch a glimpse of two men sitting on the bench right next to the doors.
One was bald with dull green eyes leaning against the back, looking at his phone with an almost bored expression. The other, however, with long red hair and eyes like sapphires, seemed extremely interested in you.
It was like those eyes were trying to burn a hole through your soul.
‘Okay THAT may be something to worry about,’ you ignored him, keeping your eyes trained in front as you made your way back to your car. You can’t help but be reminded of when you were a child. TV shows like NCIS and Law and Order had your anxiety skyrocketing from a very young age, instilling in you the notion that absolutely no one is to be trusted, not even your own family. It had a 16-year-old you pleading with your mother for karate lessons, self-defense, fencing, anything. As an adult, sometimes you think back on it and think it to be a little silly how far you went with it.
But now, with your heart rabbiting in your chest as you double-checked to see if you had remembered the pepper spray on your lanyard, you understand fully how that was probably the best thing you could have done for yourself.
‘You’re being ridiculous,’ you chided yourself as you slid into the driver’s seat. ‘Maybe he thought you were pretty and wanted to ask you out. Not everyone is being investigated by Mariska Hargitay,’ you chuckle, shaking your head to clear your overthinking thoughts as you drove to the restaurant.
As your luck would have it, the feeling only intensified. You swore you felt eyes on you as you took the bag of takeout from the kind man at the register, paying with a polite smile before stiffly walking back outside. The sun had fully set now, the city lights glistening around you as darkness seemed to consume the land. With keys in hand, you shivered and tried to ignore the frantic beating of your heart. You were just about to open the door before-
“Excuse me?” You froze at the voice, your fingers gripping the handle as you turned. Your heart sunk to your stomach as the two men from before approached you, now both of them avidly staring at you. Your spine turned into a column of ice as they inched closer, but you fought to keep your face neutral despite the growing fear, even braving a friendly smile.
“Yes, gentlemen? Is everything okay?” Your voice was quiet but thankfully solid as they stopped a few feet in front of you.
“We’re uh..kinda lost,” the man with long long hair said, laughing nervously as he scratched his head. “You wouldn’t happen to know where the train station is, would ya?”
‘I don’t like this,’ every cell was screaming at you to split like a banana dessert, but you were glued to the spot, takeout in one hand, the other’s knuckles turning white against the black paint of your car. You swallowed, urging your heart to stop hammering so damned loudly before you responded. “Oh yeah, I believe it’s a few more blocks that way,” you gestured westward with your head, hoping to whatever God is out there that it was the end.
Baldy punched his arm lightly. “Told ya it wasn’t that much farther.”
The other rolled his eyes. “What’s the harm in making sure?” The two laughed, and you could only smile awkwardly as red hair peered at you again. “Thanks for the help- can’t say I’ve seen you ‘round these parts though. You must be new.”
‘Wow aren’t you observant’ the sardonic reply was ready on your tongue but you bit it back, settling for a small nod. “Oh yeah- guess you could say I’m a new kid on the block,” you laughed, inwardly slapping yourself at what was possibly the dorkiest answer you could have given them.
Red hair hummed, taking another step closer and causing your heart to jump. “Pretty thing like you shouldn’t be walking around alone, dontcha think? Never know what could happen.”
“Maybe you need an escort, or two?” Before you could blink, Baldy had your arms behind you in a painful lock, the takeout and your keys falling to the ground in a heap. Your body reacted by itself, your foot shooting up to kick Baldy’s shin as hard as you could, darkly satisfied when you heard him curse in surprise, loosening his grip on you. You wriggle away before you are shoved against the car by red hair, his taller, stronger body pressing yours against the door as you struggle under his weight. That is until you felt cold metal press up under your chin, and you froze all over again as the gun was cocked. You could feel his disgustingly hot breath against you as he leaned in, unpleasant goosebumps prickling your skin.
“Now now, college girl, I know you’re smarter than that,” he purred, digging the tip of the gun more into your skin. His voice turns cold as the wintry air. “You make a sound, you die. And I’d really hate to use the rag on you- we like ‘em nice and awake. Now move,” with that he grabbed you by the hair and yanked.
Upright, you barely fought back a yelp as painful and frightened tears prick your eyes. You dare not make a sound nor speak a word, the cocked gun still pressed against your jaw as you’re led to God knows where so they can do who knows what.
‘Okay okay…just stay calm’ you tell yourself as they take you down a solitary mess of streets, though it was futile if your million-beat-per-second heart had anything to say about it.
Hours seemed to tick by. Your calves start to burn, your face flushed from exhaustion and the fear still roiling in your belly. The two men have stayed radio silent the whole time, and finally you are led to what appears to be some run-down bar with equally run-down people. A single window could be seen situated low to the ground next to the stairs leading to the entrance, obscured by pebbles and little mounds of dirt. Some patrons litter the outside, their faces lit up with one solitary neon light which glowed a not-so-bright pink. Some of them hooted and hollered as the three of you passed them by.
You could barely see through the only noticeable crack of the window, but you sorely wished you hadn’t. In the small room on the other side, there were women and children, some looking barely older than 5 all huddled together, dirty and terrified. Your heart sank as the two led you around the back of the building- everything seemed to click then.
Human traffickers.
Fresh panic tore through you, and it seemed your mind was cleared of proverbial fog. Now was a wonderful time to remember your self-defense classes. Quicker than you could blink, you heaved your body down, the weight from gravity freeing your hands before you snapped them right back up with balled fists, hitting both men square in the nose before taking off into a full-on sprint. Blood thrummed loudly in your ears as you ran wherever your burning legs would take you, the screams from your kidnappers muffled before a loud bang erupted in the cold night air.
Not slowing down you ducked and covered your head, the bullet missing you by a hair as it ricocheted off the wall harmlessly. More and more shots were fired, before a burst of searing, white-hot pain exploded through your leg. You cried out as you fall flat on your face, feeling warmth trickle down your leg and onto the pavement. You had no time to check the wound as you heave yourself onto your working foot, adrenaline pushing you forward and ignoring the pain as you limped as fast as your injured body would let you.
Only to run right smack dab into Baldy, knocking you on your ass before he straddles you, a knife to your throat as his hands trap your wrists above your head. His eyes were like chunks of coal as they bore into you, snarling and panting as the metal dragged dangerously close to your jugular. “Scrappy, eh? Wasn’t expectin’ that- fighters like you are hard to find.”
Red hair laughs darkly as he looms over your struggling form, kneeling down as faux pity shows on his face. “It’s an awful shame we have to kill ya- though we’re still gonna have our fun with you.” Baldy rasps out a laugh, only before his knife slices through your shirt in one fell swoop, exposing your chest and belly to the cold air. Tears fall down your cheeks in rivulets as you sob and fight against his grip, the tip of the knife digging into your skin. You bite back a whimper as blood drips from the wound, laughter coming from both men. You feel his disgusting tongue drag up your belly up to the underside of your thankfully clothed breasts. You squeeze your eyes tightly, turning your head to the side in an attempt to leave this nightmare as you felt the sharp tip of the knife start to dig under your bra.
“Oh yeah we’re gonna have some fun with you-”
Then, he was gone.