Chapter Text
12 SYDENSTAR
SAPIRO HAVEN, DOWNTOWN
After a week of rain, the sun was finally shining on Sapiro Haven. The streets buzzed; it seemed like everyone in the whole city was out and about, taking advantage of the brief respite from the gloom.
Heather Woodland was no exception. She'd stepped out from her downtown office to get coffee and lunch with her coworkers. It was only when the grey clouds started to regather, almost two hours later, that she finally retreated to the office.
It had been such a pretty day. On a day like this, a cubicle felt like a cage. She wished she was outside still. She wished she was on the road tearing down the highway, wind in her hair. That was total freedom.
But in order to get it... Hard work. That's what her mum always said. That was the trade off.
She resettled at her desk with a sigh. It was fairly barren. The fuzzy grey-green walls of her cubicle were empty of photos or personal items, as were her desk drawers. One week in her new role hadn't given much time for decorating—but it was more than enough time to collect a small tower of paperwork. Manila folders stacked on more manila folders.
Logging into the computer, Heather shuffled a few folders off the stack to work on this afternoon. She had just begun to read through the first when a message blipped up in the corner of her screen.
Heather glanced around. Most of the office was gathered around the coffee pot, talking about the rain and weekend plans gone awry. No one would mind if she took a minute to check her messages.
She moused across to the mail icon and clicked.
zdrive520: still interested in that test drive?
The whole world was grey and washed out with the rain pelting down against the glass walls of the lobby. Heather heard the growl of the engine before she saw it - a splash of red, seeping into view. Gorgeous, vibrant.
The driver hurried out, head bent low.
'Hi!' He had to yell over the sound of the rain hammering down. 'Heather? Are you Heather? Hi, good to meet you!' She shook the hand he held out, driving gloves slick from just a few moments in the rain. He had a nice smile. 'Ready to take her for a spin?'
'Yes! Yes, absolutely!'
Droplets stung her cheeks as Heather ran around to the drivers seat and slid in. The interior was beautifully warm and beautifully maintained. She moved her hands over the leather of the steering wheel and shot him a dumbfounded look as he joined her in the passenger seat.
'You really want to sell? Why? She's beautiful.' Her hands fluttered over the dash; she laughed a little at how much she already wanted it, loved it.
'Not really, but I'm moving overseas in a few weeks. Too hard to take it with me. You sounded like you'd care about her so here we are.'
The car handled like a dream. She was perfect—punchy off the starting line, smooth around the corners. Gorgeous. When the rain eased, he invited her to check under the hood. There were some newer parts in with the originals but nothing that compromised such a classic. Heather felt like a teenager, giddy, when they traded back. She climbed into the passenger side so he could drive her back to the office.
'This has made my day - no, my whole year! You wouldn't believe how long I've been holding out for a model like this.' Heather beamed at the driver. 'If you make a right here, you can let me out anywhere along - oh,' she laughed a little as they passed the turn. 'That was - that was my turn.'
She glanced at the driver. He had his hat pulled low but his lips were set in a firm line.
'Um, that's okay. We can make a U-turn up here.'
The lock clicked next to her.
Heather's heart lurched. Fear tightened around her throat. She felt like she was in a bad dream, suddenly. Like if she spoke no words would come out. She had to try.
'Please let me out,' she whispered.
The engine roared. His foot sat heavier on the pedal.
Heather turned slowly away from him. Her hand trembled as she slid it up along the leather to the lock. Buildings were vanishing alongside them one after the other as he drove straight and fast out of the city centre. Heather grabbed for the lock and pulled it up but it shot back down before she could yank the door open.
'Don't do that,' he told her.
A sob rose up in her chest like bile, hot and sick. Heather put shaky hands on the door.
'Let me out?'
Maybe if she knocked on the window, got someone's attention...
'Please. Please, let me out. Please.'
He didn't bother looking at her.
Heather raised a hand, balled it into a fist to knock - beat - against the window. 'Hey!' Outside in the gloom (she wished she was there, she was so sorry, she shouldn't have taken it for granted) she saw a pale face, bored. Looking down at their phone. She sobbed again, flattened her hand on the window, slapped at it. 'Hey! Help me! Help—'
He slammed her head into the window. The first hit dazed her. Heather's eyes moved to the grey sky, the rain, the tall buildings whizzing past. She wished the sun was shining. She wished...
The second knocked her out.
The third wasn't necessary. He did it because he wanted to.