Tomorrow

Just cool down, Mars. What could possibly be the big deal? The fact that another person has randomly chose to stalk you? Well, they picked the wrong gal. Though, the dead cat added a great detail to the front patio...

Keith Mars was, of course, away on business in Las Vegas. Veronica had hoped it wasn't becoming his place of choice, but it seemed it was his clients. Though, she was sure if he was here now, she probably wouldn't be stuck in this situation--in a random building locked in a dark, musty place.

She didn't get to experience to ride over, only the rope being tied around her arms and legs, and that sickening, husky breath that seeemed to accompany the aforementioned tying. Her present state didn't seem all that bad, seriously she was just tied to a wooden beam, nothing new, right? She had wondered how this had began in the first place. She had noticed nothing out of the ordinary, nothing that would grab her attention. Though, her thoughts had been preoccupied on that investor scandal.

Veronica had been buried deep in papers and files, enough to leave everything at ther dad's office for the night. She had been working at a small agency in San Diego. But whenever Keith came calling, she was never one object. A place to sleep free of rent with unlimited food? It was like heaven. Granted, her job paid moderately. She wasn't above cooking Ramen noodles for days, however. She could only imagine the amount of which her arteries were blocked. Back to the point, nothing had seemed out of place. Just the same old same old in little Neptune.

Wondering how tall this beauty of a place might be, Veronica decided to test the height, finding it was somewhat shorter than her.

Huh. That was odd.

Nothing this small ever came to mind. Even the garden sheds around were in some larger order. Plopping back down into the dirt, Veronica noticed something that brought a smile under her duct-taped mouth. A cell phone, still intact in her back pocket. She wondered if you ever kidnapped people, why not just strip them of all personal belongings that were useful? Thankfully, she was glad this one person didn't have a brain. The only problem was, however, was that her hands were tied firmly around her back, not in capable length of reaching the electronic.

The constant rubbing against the wooden beam didn't seemed to have any effect, either. Why didn't the rope split like it did in the movies? Sometimes the real world didn't seem fair. Veronica realized this once more, as a throbbing came back to her head. He had knocked her pretty hard with that lawn gnome--yes, the gnome. Despite all her previous ailments, she kept hard at it, rubbing the rope against the wood. Moving up and down, hoping something would happen.

There was a sense of relief, when the phone fell out of her pocket. It did nothing to help her situation, and Veronica fell back in frustration back on the now dirt covered phone. Silent tears seemingly gathered as she felt useless--something that didn't happen as often. There was nothing she could do. Nothing could help her. Only to wait, and maybe her Prince Charming of a stalker would be oh so happy to let her go.

Wait a minute, what was that?

Letting her former tears subside, she paused, sniffing the air. Crisp, clear. And salty. The beach? This man seemed to be hitting doubles on this, trapping her in a public place. Kidnappers. Okay, so this narrowed it down. Only a large portion of California seemed to lay on coast. That was alright, it helped. Taking a breath, the deep need of an Advil and a nap seemed to take on. Oh, when she finally got her un-tied hands on him.

Her vibrating cell phone caused a slight yelp to come through the tape, and she wiggled to the side, trying to glance at the screen.

Logan. Logan!?

He picked fine times to call, she had to admit. Edging her hip closer to the phone, she tried to push the lid back. Why the hell did she have to get a flip phone? The phone call was missed, and she tried her best to open the phone again, her muffled grunting not really helping the process. The tape was peeling at the edges of her mouth, however. So, she turned around, hooking the random snag of tape to the beam. Hoping her plan worked, she tore her lips way, hoping to be untaped. Nope, still clearly stuck together. Needless to say a bit looser, so she attempted again, no matter how deep the throbbing in her temples seemed to get.

Her body gave notion that she was moving too much, and the small amount of light she could see was starting to circle. Leaning back into the corner, she waited for the dizziness to stop, along with the now desireable buzzing in her ears. It seemed the few seconds passed as hours, and she pushed the vomit back down her throat. How did she get herself into these messes? Her palms were sweating and shaking, and she felt the sudden urge to run. But how could she? Veronica really hoped this daze would end quickly. Turning her head again, she edged the tape to the corner, ripping it quickly from her skin. Gasping in relief, and in a small amount of pain, she breathed a smile in victory.

"Now, for the phone."

Looking down at the small amount of silver on the ground, she soon saw another hurdle.

"Sneaky little bastard," Veronica muttered.

Now was the test of how far she could lean over. The taste of dirt wasn't that pleasant, and Veronica could be one to test for that many times over. Buzzing in her mouth again caused her to jump, and she almost screamed as the phone fell back into the sand. A curse was uttered, and she pried to see what letters were on the screen. Logan. Oh, if she could only find some way to back in touch with him, with anybody. And in mid ring, she caught the edge with her teeth, she held the phone open.

"Logan," she breathed, gasping.

"Veronica, what's wrong?"

"I don't know where I'm at," Veronica started, breathing, "Some hut. Jesus, I don't know. I can smell the beach."

"What the hell happened?" Logan's concern kicked in, after the playfulness ended.

"Somebody tackled me out of my car, and it wasn't Backup."

A quick breath came through.

"Can you turn the GPS on in your phone?"

A chuckle came from the little blonde, as she composed an answer. "I would love to, darling. But you see, Prince Charming kinda left me heavy and....tied."

"Son of a bitch."

"I'm sure he answers to both," Veronica finished, "But I'll try to start it with my teeth. Call me back in five."

"Yeah."

Start the GPS with her teeth? Really? Did he seriously believe she could operate a cell phone with her bare teeth? Well, she had got this far. And this could be a task she could add onto that list of unaccomplishable tasks she had accomplished. Dragging the small phone to her knees, she cradled it gently, trying her best to get around the menu. And to think she could've got a touch screen. She heard the ding as the GPS started, and she sighed in a state of relief. There would be NO way anyone would believe this, her surprising success would be shared with herself. In bitterness, she might add.

"I hope you bear witness that I can manuever quite well tied up," Veronica breathed into speaker.

Logan's response, however, was cut by the sharp jerking of wood--the scraping of the lock outside.

"He's here," She whispered, dropping the phone below her legs.

"Veronica, be careful. Don't tempt-"

This time, she was caught off, as the light came brightly through the crack of the door, and she was set on a burly man. He looked ragged. He hadn't shaved in weeks, months it seemed like. A reeking stench filled the stale air, and Veronica gagged, despite herself. Who the hell was this guy?

"Hello, lovely." His voice was gruff, but not old. His facial hair seemed to decieve himself, and Veronica caught herself in a stupor of rememberance.

"What do you want?" Her voice edged with the dizziness occuring once more, and she leaned back against the beam.

"The beautiful and snarky Veronica Mars, that's what."

"Good to see my reputation hasn't changed."

The man laughed, edging in the doorway for a moment. "I bet you don't remember me."

Her blue eyes pierced his, and nothing came. She had never seen that face before. He was just some nutcase who picked up the first girl he saw.

"That's usually what I say," he chuckled, something deep and hearty.

His aura wasn't in the best of nature--she could tell. Of course, that would be the natural thing to think about a guy that knocked you unconcious and tied you in a hellish shack, but there was something else behind that.

"What beautiful skin," He reached towards the vacant patch of skin between her shirt and jeans, something that caused her whole body to jump. There was that sick feeling in her stomach again. She tried her best to resist the urge, as he pulled himself closer.

"This will make you feel better."

His hand lingered on her stomach, inching its way past the fabric, as he magically produced a needle, finding the vein popped out from her arm. A gasp of anguish came out, as she felt the metal find its way deep into her flexed muscle. Under her thighs, she could barely make out the sound of breathing, perhaps a car. Of course, that could be her heart throbbing in the back of her throat. Her brace suddenly became the uncomfortable wooden beam, and she leaned back again.

She should've known. Veronica Mars was the poster child for raping the unconscious. Why would you think she'd say unconscious? Oh, because the drugs he had apparently thrown into that needle, were causing her body to numb, along with her clarity. What little she had left, anyways. She tried to fight back, however. Shuffling in the sand, and turning away from her new suitor didn't seem to do much.

Her gaze was focusing in and out, along with the sound of a beating drum. He was fidgeting with the ropes, that much she knew. Even these mystery drugs couldn't dull the rubbing pain of a rope. And soon, even that power was gone. Not even remotely aware of where she was going, or what he was doing, she saw the color spin blindly around her. It was a strangled mess, and she paused every few seconds to close her eyes and calm down from the struggle around her. Her body had given up, with no directions from her mind, she had shut down.

"I've missed you," The voice mouthed into her ear, one of the few things she could still understand.

Though the sound seemed dragged out and in a monotone, she was quite sure that was what he said. Again, the Earth was spinning, as her body hit the ground. The force of impact shook her, somewhat waking her from this sort of stupor. Not that much to gain a full sense of being, but something to give a sign of life. Faintly, it seemed as if a horrible movie was droning in the distance. One of those action movies, that played in useless hours of the morning that nobody seemed to enjoy. The kind of movies that most people that were hungover seemed to watch daily.

It kept playing in a distinct manner, annoying Veronica. Of course she could just take the option and pass out. But her body didn't seem as willing to come to that. Seeing as the situation she was in and all. The grainy texture below her body wasn't felt, but she attempted to grip in fruitless trys. Nothing was making sense anymore, and she half wondered why she was seemingly floating in mid-air. Oh, how appealing. There was the vomit rising in her throat again.

"Veronica." That voice. Still monotone and long, seeped into her eardrums.

"Veronica, it's me. It's okay, I'm here."

The solid attempt to move her head seemed like a joke, and she could only lay and listen to the constant mumbles he seemed to be making.

"Hey, Veronica. Come on, the ambulance will be here. You have to stay awake." The spinning colors, betrayed the voice. The only thing she could think of was how to get off this sickening ride.