The Bouquet

Chapter 1

It was late at night, that was your first mistake. Your friends had warned you time and time again, stop studying at the library so late and stop walking around campus alone at night. But, you couldn't help it. The semester was ending and that meant that projects and papers were a stressful commonality. Due dates were constantly running through your mind, paired with the unwillingness to actually do any of the work. So, like any other college student, you wound up having many late nights in the library with breakdowns over having procrastinated for so long.

The area your campus was in was not necessarily a bad place, you were just rather close to the city which was always something to be wary of. Campus security was not the best it could be either, they claimed to be on constant patrol but in actuality, it was rather rare to see them out past ten-thirty. You had heard stories of people being mugged at dark street corners and held up in alleys, but like everyone else, you always thought, "That'll never happen to me."

You were very wrong.

Your second mistake was neglecting to bring a charger with you. Your phone's battery was dropping and fast. Staring down at your screen revealed the glowing number "26" looking back at you. In your defense, you didn't think that you would be on campus this late today, that was of course until you found out that the deadline for your Euro History paper was due that night by midnight. Any other professor may have been lenient with you and given you an extension, but not this one, no. Putting it lightly, he was a huge asshole.

And the biggest mistake of all, you had absolutely nothing to defend yourself with. But, at the end of the day, this happened because you were in the wrong place at the wrong time. All the conditions were perfect for what was about to happen to you. It was dark, it was quiet, and you were in the parking garage. For a campus that was operating in 2020, it severely lacked in the security department. There were no cameras, and there were not any campus security officers in the ramp. You were utterly alone and ripe for the taking.

You had been warned, don't walk alone in the dark late at night. But, nothing bad would ever happen to you, would it? All it took was ten seconds.

One, he began to approach you from behind.

Two, his footsteps were fast and light, practiced in their pace.

Three, you were within grabbing distance.

Four, he wrapped his arms around your chest and lifted.

Five, you struggle violently and open your mouth to scream.

Six, his gloved hand covers your mouth tightly, muffling your cries.

Seven, he slams your head into the side of your car.

Eight, he strikes again, harder.

Nine, he forces you into his waiting car.

Ten, you're his now.

You're fucking terrified and desperate to escape. Your head is pounding and ringing from his violent blows but still, you scream and try to crawl to the door in the backseat. Your vision is blurry, unfocused as you clumsily try and grasp the handle and pull. You hear him swear from the front seat and he sharply turns the wheel of the car sending you flying against the door. He stops the car harshly, forcing your delirious body forward into the back of the passenger seat. He angrily yanks the door to the back seat open, grasping your ankle and tugging you towards him, rolling you over onto your stomach. He enters the car and straddles your waist, yanking your wrists behind your back. With a sharp cry, you attempt to wriggle free but he's far stronger than you. With precise motions, he has you zip-tied, rendered completely useless.