by Ron McIngle
"She's late!"
The man was kneeling in the back of a van, peering over the shoulder of his partner through the windshield. The view a block ahead of them included the corner where the neighborhood changed from strip mall into residential. The cross street had a fairly steady flow of traffic, but only rarely did anyone turn down this smaller street. The sky was heavily overcast, threatening to start snowing again soon, which would add even more snow to the piles scraped up at the edges of the road. Between the gray sky and dirty snow everything was just dingy.
"Relax, you know her schedule is flexible," the driver replied as he continued to peer through high powered binoculars. "She'll be along presently."
"We should pass on today. It's not worth the risk."
"You worry too much! How many times have we done this? Nothing has ever happened. No one pays any attention at all."
"The longer we sit here, the more likely someone will take notice. We look odd just sitting here, especially with you using those damn binocs. Maybe we should get out, walk around."
"It's freezing outside," the driver argued. "Inside is where you would expect someone to wait. It will look a whole lot more odd to be stomping around in the cold!"
"Wait, there she is now. Get down."
Jade walked briskly along the quiet street, bundled up against the cold, biting wind. The hood of her coat covered her head, a gloved hand holding the excess fabric closed across her chin. Her other hand held her textbooks tight against her chest as she hurried home toward the comparative warmth of her small apartment. Apartment? No, 'flat' was more like it. Even 'dump' would be a better description. Apartment was only wishful thinking.
It had truly been a miserable day. Not just because of the weather, but for her life in general. Canadian winters are always cold, but this one was wearing her down more than usual. Just getting out of bed in the morning had been a chore, and things had only gotten worse as the day progressed.
Life at Lakehead University just wasn't what she had expected it to be. Her first year in college had been spent in the dorms, which would best be described as 'an experience'. Like many freshmen, transitioning from life with parents to being essentially unconstrained had been a bit of a culture shock. The 'food plan' had kept her fed, frequent visits home kept her in touch with her family, and a relatively easy class load and quite a bit of luck got her through relatively unscathed. Throughout the semester she had felt odd and out of place, never making any real friends.
Dormitory space was very limited on the university and reserved for freshmen, so in her second year she shared a house with three other students. That arrangement she had considered to be a living hell: silly arguments and petty squabbles over everything from refrigerator space to the TV channel. Jade had stayed out of the house as much as possible, which hadn't helped her study habits at all.
Just before the start of the fall semester, she had turned 19, the legal drinking age for her area of Canada. The new found freedom had led to more than its fair share of problems. There had been numerous one night stands where she had gone home with a guy she had just met in a bar, primarily so that she wouldn't have to go back to the chaos at her house. She had done the 'walk of shame' so often that she no longer cared.
For her junior year she had managed to rent a tiny studio apartment attached to a garage owned by an elderly couple. She had her own space with her own entrance so she could come and go as she pleased. It was reasonably close to campus so she was able to survive without a car. When she found the place she thought it would be perfect. Unfortunately, the dream of living on her own had not lived up to the expectations and the cost had depleted all her resources.
Her grades in high school had earned her a scholarship, which along with some minor assistance from her parents plus a part time job had been keeping her afloat, but just barely. Her freshman year had been easy, then her grades during her sophomore year just barely met the requirements of the grant. Now she was in danger of losing it all. If she lost her scholarship she was doomed.
In danger? Jade thought to herself. Hell, it's past that. There's no way that I passed that test! The semester was over. Her grades had dipped too low, and the scholarship would soon be history.
Jade stomped along the icy walk, bitterly reflecting back on how she messed up. How could a straight 'A' student in high school flunk out of college? By not studying, she answered herself. Her grades in high school were all because of mom and dad, always being there, always pushing her to do her best. Out on her own, she was unable to motivate herself, and it was a long slide down the grade curve.
The school counselors were a joke. The school psychologist wasn't much help either, but at least he had a sympathetic ear. Her weekly visits were a chance to dig into her past and explore her personal thoughts. Technically, she was only allowed four visits in a year, but the psychologist insisted that she come on a regular basis, pro bono. Each week they would talk about her past, her family, and even such things as sexuality. Funny thing, though, was that they never seemed to talk about school. He just assured her that things were going to change.
She paid no attention as she passed the nondescript panel van parked awkwardly on the opposite side of the street. With her peripheral vision blocked by the hood of her coat she had no opportunity to see the two shadowy figures rise up as she passed. The howling wind in her face carried away the sound of the van's engine starting and the quick U-turn it executed.
Jade stopped in surprise as the vehicle came to an abrupt stop against a pile of snow separating the street from the sidewalk, sliding the last few inches on the icy roadway. Crazy driver, she thought to herself. Suddenly, the side door opened and a man jumped out. Before she realized that anything was amiss, a gloved hand was pressed over her mouth and she was dragged into the van. The driver exited from his door, picked up the books she had dropped, tossed them into the van and closed the door.
After looking around to be sure they hadn't been seen, he climbed back into the driver's seat and calmly drove away.
Once Jade realized that she was being abducted, she attempted to fight off her attacker. Her kicks and screams were to no avail as she was easily overcome by the much larger man. Before long she found herself on the floor of the van, bound, gagged and hog tied. The man who had grabbed her moved forward, hidden from view by a curtain that hung behind the two front seats, which also kept her from seeing out of the only windows in the vehicle.
During the next two hours, the driver and his partner sat quietly, occasionally parting the curtain to glance back at their helpless captive. Finally, the driver spoke.
"You had better check on her. We get paid a lot less if the goods are damaged. Make sure she's breathing okay."
"All right. I guess we don't need to worry about her making any noise while we are on the interstate."
Interstate? Jade wondered if they'd crossed the border from Canada into the United States. Where were they headed? What direction were they going? She couldn't tell.
"All right missy, if you are willing to cooperate, I can make you a little more comfortable. But you give me any trouble and you'll find yourself right back in a hog tie with the gag on. Got it?"
"Uh-huh," Jade mumbled through the gag. Her current position was terribly uncomfortable and her fingers were going numb, which left her no opportunity to escape. Her shoulders ached and her neck was getting stiff. Anything would be a welcomed improvement.
The man assumed that the response was in the affirmative, and untied the ropes that bound her feet, removed her gag, and helped her into a sitting position.
"What do you want with me?" Jade demanded as soon as she was able to speak.
"Us? Nothing. We are just filling an order. Just sit quietly, don't do anything stupid and we won't hurt you."
The man took a leather cuff, wrapped it snug around her left ankle and locked it to a length of chain that was securely bolted to the frame of the van. Content that she was not going anywhere, the man untied her hands.
"Might as well make yourself comfortable."
Jade rubbed her arms, stiff from the hours of confinement. "Can we please stop so that I can use the restroom?"
"Right there," the man answered, pointing to a portable toilet in the corner.
"What? I can't use that!" Jade cried in disgust.
"Suit yourself," the man answered, and returned to his seat in the front. "But it's going to be a long drive."
Jade looked around, sizing up the situation. There were no windows in the back of the van, and the chain was too short for her to reach the curtain that blocked her view through the windshield. The handles had been removed from the side and rear doors so they could only be opened from the outside. The floor was covered with a thick carpet, the sides with a heavy padding. Other than the toilet and a couple of canvas bags towards the front, the van was empty.
Jade removed her coat and tried to make herself as comfortable as possible. As much as she hated the idea of using a portable toilet, especially with such little privacy, her need eventually forced the issue. Covering herself with her coat, she slipped her pants down and sat on the toilet. Relief came in two forms; relieving the pressure on her bladder, and accomplishing the task without exposing herself to the men in front.
Hour after hour the van went on. As day turned into night, Jade realized that the van must have been fitted with extra gas tanks, as they had been making no stops except to allow the two men to switch positions. When she had first been grabbed she had assumed that they were headed to some remote spot where she would be raped. There were plenty of remote spots just a short distance from the university, they wouldn't have needed to go far. They certainly wouldn't find more remote spots south of the boarder in the U.S. It was becoming evident that there was more going on than rape.
Occasionally, one of the men would rummage through one of the canvas bags, pulling out various food items. Only once was a sandwich and a bottle of water tossed her way. The sandwich she ignored, the water she sipped at. Most of the time she sat with her back propped into the rear corner opposite the toilet.
Eventually, exhaustion overcame her and she slept, laying sprawled on the floor. When she awoke it was daylight again, and still the van continued. Jade concluded that they must be heading south, as it was getting warmer. As the day warmed, Jade was compelled to adjust her clothing, although removing the inner layers while maintaining her dignity was a challenge.
Not to be reposted, reproduced or distributed, in part or whole.