Day Nine

Day 9: 10 Aug 2010

I woke up briefly in the trunk of a car, but just as I was getting my bearings, the car hit a pretty big bump. My head slammed into the trunk door, and I was out again.

* * *

When I next woke up, I was in a nearly empty room.

It looked like an apartment or a house before anyone had moved in -- carpeted, clean, and empty, with even the closet door open. I was duct-taped around my chest, shoulders and legs to a not-uncomfortable chair -- at least it was padded. I couldn't move much. I wiggled around, but whoever had taped me to the chair must have used a couple of rolls. I wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.

It was daytime -- I could see sunlight through the closed blinds in the room. That meant I'd been knocked out (or asleep) all night. It also meant I hadn't showed up for work, so hopefully I was missed.

"Hey!" I yelled, but I couldn't think of anything after that. Turns out I didn't have to -- that "hey" was all I needed. The door opened a few seconds later.

"Hi, there. How's your head?"

The man who came into the room talking was in his mid-30s, I guessed from his face, but most of his hair had gone silver. He was dressed in black cargo pants and a black T-shirt, and his hands were clasped, Spock-like, behind his back as he walked in.

"How do you think my head feels? Like I got smacked in it a couple of times," I growled at the man.

"Yeah. . . sorry about that. I really didn't want to hit you, but I kinda panicked. You were going to go to the docks, and then, well. . ."

It hit me then. I blamed my not seeing it as soon as he walked into the room (obvious as it was) on the beating my head had taken the night before.

"You're maninblack422," I said.

"Yeah, but only because someone snatched up maninblack years ago," he said, grinning. "Call me Kevin."

"Fine, then, Kevin. I hope you know you're in a shitload of trouble, here. Kidnapping's a federal crime."

"Yeah, I'm aware. Couldn't be helped, though. Look, I wasn't planning on meeting you for a couple of days yet," he said, sighing. "I need to put some things in motion, so I'm going to need you to go ahead and take another nap."

I shook my head violently.

"Uh-uh. No way, Chief," I spat, jerking in my chair, trying to free myself.

"Yeah. . . that. . . wasn't a request," he said.

One of Kevin's hands came out from behind his back, lightning-fast. I had just enough time to see a rag before it was on my face. I tried not to breathe, but a few seconds later, my eyes slid closed.