Night With A Stranger

'Got to run faster, have to run faster', that was the only thing running through Jennifer's mind at the time. Her face was covered in blood, her shirt and jeans were stained in it. Her legs and feet were in searing pain from running so long and being used so much. Spotting some apartments and an alley, she dashed into them. Darkness masked most of her vision. She stepped into a spot of moonlight to get a better look. There was a metal fire escape no more than ten meters away. Footsteps echoed behind her, they were getting closer. She grunted and began her run towards it. If she was going to make the high jump to get onto it, she was going to need all the momentum she could get. The closer she got, the clearer the trash can under it became.

“Perfect.” she muttered. She ran and jumped onto the trash can; jumping again before the momentum disappeared. She grabbed a hold of the next to last rung, but the blood on her hands made them to slippery to keep a hold on. She fell back down onto the trash can. Her weight shifted causing her to fall backwards. Right onto the cold wet ground. Thunder rang out through the sky where the thunderstorm from earlier was trying to pass though. “Oh God, I'm going to die trying not to get killed.” she muttered to herself. Her head pounded from the impact. She moaned and grabbed the top of her skull. The echoing footsteps grew louder, more identifiable. She cursed to herself and set up the trash can again.

She ran to the front of the alley and tried to jump again. This time she hit about the fifth run. Enough space for her to get her feet up. She got one up, but the other one refused to come up. She tried to pull it up, but since she couldn't feel her feet any more at this point, it made it quite difficult. She pulled again, nothing. Then the sudden force pulled her down.

“Oh God.” she whispered to herself. Another fierce tug again. Jessica grunted and threw herself up, wrapped her arms around the rung. Pain seared through her arm pits to her entire body. Causing her toes to cringe in her shoes. Tears welled up in her eyes, sliding down her face. The force pulled her down harder, making her chin bump onto the rung. Pain seared though her chin, combining with the already suicidal pain coursing though her body.

“Just give up. You can't win now, your to far behind. You couldn't catch up if you wanted to.” the force said. The man trying to kidnap her. The man causing this pain in her soul and body. The same one that claims he won't hurt her. The liar, the bastard.

“No way.” she chocked though her sobs of pain. 'I'm not going to risk it.' she thought while trying to climb higher. A single gunshot rang out. Sparks formed above her where the bullet skimmed it. She panicked, letting go, falling. The man saw the opportunity and pulled. The front of skull slammed into the metal rung. A gut wrenching sound echoed throughout the ally, throughout the entire city it seemed like. Blood flew from the front of her skull, or maybe it was from the gash in her arm where a stray piece of metal caught it, causing blood to spew out.

Her breaths were coming in short uneven gasps from the pain and the sobs. The man caught her in his arms. He black hair stuck to his face from the rain that was now falling, washing away the blood, the evidence. There would be nothing left at this point to tell what happened to her if she wound up dead in a ditch or lake somewhere. Sharp pain pierced her thoughts. She let out a little squeak. A wave of numb filled her head, making her tired. The pain was the only thing keeping her awake at this point. She moaned and relaxed. Her vision fuzzed, her muscles gave out, her mind, drifted.

A sharp stick went into her left arm. She grunted at the pierce of a sore muscle. The stick went away and what felt like a cotton ball and band-aid went over it.

“Got it?” a voice above her asked.

“No, one more. This one will knock her out cold. Then that's it until she wakes up.” a voice to her left said. Her body went numb before he even got to the third shot.

“What was the last shot you gave her again? I'm not to sure we should be drugging her up this much.” the man above her said.

“Morphine. I gave one to her head too. Trust me, she will be thanking us when she wakes up. She bashed her head pretty good. No fractures though. I can tell already. Just a damn good gash.” he said while pulling the needle out of her right arm on the inside.

“Um, my head, my arm, what's wrong?” Jennifer slurred out in a mumble. You couldn't tell what she was saying, it was to crunched up. She tried to raise her arm, but it wouldn't respond because it was so numb.

“Told you.” the man to her right said. “Morphine is the wonder drug.” She managed to clear her vision a little. The man above her was drenched from the rain that was now pouring. It chilled her to the bone, the sight and the rain. She body started shaking automatically. She dug her face into his wet Hollister shirt. 'Crap' she thought. That was the last thing she remembered before she drifted suddenly into a deep unconscious sleep.