Into Thin Air

"Almost ready?" Rayden asked, picking up his coat from the back of the kitchen chair. He slid his arms in, adjusting the collar once it was on.

"Yeah, let me just grab something . . ." I murmured, shoving some clothes into my bag, which I slung over my shoulder. "Okay, let's go." I smiled, holding the door open for Rayden.

"Let's go." He said, holding out the word go in a sing-songy fashion. He put his arm around my shoulder as we walked down the hallway, towards the stairs.

"Remember, I'm staying late tonight with Marty." I reminded him. Rayden nodded.

"Just text me when you need a ride home." We got into the car.

"Kristina's introducing me to her boyfriend tonight, so they might be able to drive me home. You've been waiting up late for me all week." Rayden smiled, reaching behind him to get something from the back seat.

"I got you something." He said, opening a CD case and taking out a silver disk, which was labeled with a black sharpie in Rayden's handwriting, Darcy. He slipped it into the CD player, turning up the volume.

But tell me, did the wind sweep you off your feet? Did you finally get the chance to dance along the light of day, and head back to the Milky Way. . .

I grinned, whipping my head towards Rayden, who was backing up the car. I leaned back in my chair, singing along.

"And tell me, did Venus blow your mind? Was it everything you wanted to find, and did you miss me while you were looking for yourself out there!"

Over the music I could hear my phone beep, and I dug through my bag to get it. On the screen, Low Battery popped up in large letters.

"Crap, I forgot to change my phone. . ." I complained, pressing the end button until the power turned off.

"Do you wanna turn around?" Rayden offered, but I shook my head.

"No, one of the girls will have a charger I can borrow." We kept driving towards the club, singing along to the CD as we went. When we pulled into the parking lot, I leaned over and gave Rayden a kiss.

"So how will I know if I need to pick you up. . .?" Rayden asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'll call you, but don't wait up. Most of the girls have a car, and someone will be able to give me a ride." I leaned over a kissed his nose before turning to go, but Rayden pulled me back one more time, giving me a longer kiss.

"And tomorrow, we can get a head start on that packing!" He called after me as I entered the club.

~~~~

"That was good Darcy, just try getting this movement a little more." Marty leaned back and threw her arms into the air, swirling her midsection in a perfect circle without moving her hips, a movement I hadn't mastered. I nodded, mimicking her steps off the the side. "There you go, you're starting to get it."

"Hey Darcy!" Another girl, Rachel, stepped out from the dressing rooms in her coat and boots with a bag slung over her shoulder. "If you still need a ride, I can drive you home. We just got to go now." I looked at the clock on the wall behind her. It was eleven thirty.

"You know what, you can go. I promised Kristina I'd meet this new mystery man she's dating." Rachel nodded and waved, heading out the back. I turned back to Marty.

"She's right, it's getting late. But practice what we worked on today, and you can learn more next time I see you." She grabbed her things, and I headed to the dressing room, gathering my things.

"Hey Sam, have you seen Kristina?" Sam, another dancer, turned to me.

"Umm, I thought she was waiting in her car but I'm not really sure." I nodded, throwing my things from the dressing table into my purse. I grabbed my sweatshirt from the back of my chair, throwing it on and zipping it up all the way. I threw my bag over my shoulder and unplugged my phone from the wall, heading towards the door that opened to the back parking lot.

It was raining outside, and considerable cooler then I thought it would be. I pulled the hood of my sweatshirt up, squinting through the darkness in an attempt to identify Kristina's car. There were only about ten cars in front of me, but they were too far away for me to recognize them. I climbed down the stairs, holding the end button on my phone.

"Come on . . ." I muttered. When the screen lit up, I dialed Kristina's number. "Hey Kris, I'm in the parking lot. Sam said you we're out here, but I don't see you. So, ummm, call me if you get this, because I was looking to meet you're new boyfriend. . . " I walked a little deeper into the parking lot, past a few of the cars. A dark SUV drove towards me. "Oh hey, this might be you pulling up. . ."

I craned my head, when something caught my eye. Behind the SUV I recognized Kristina's car, parked and empty in the back of the parking lot. My eyes flashed back towards the car approaching me, and I focused on the driver.

The face was too far away to see, but I could make out figures. One man was driving, another in the passenger's seat.

I suddenly had a bad feeling about this.

My muscle's tensed as I took notice of my surroundings. The car was about twenty feet away from me, slowly advancing. Behind me, the back of the club was just a solid brick wall. To my left, the corner of the building and to my right, the staircase that led to the door I had just exited.

"Alright, ummm. . ." I spoke to myself. "Okay Darcy. . ." I took a few steps back, backing into the wall. My sweatshirt felt heavy from the rainwater it soaked up, but I didn't notice. I ran up the steps, kicking up rain as my feet touched the ground. I glancing over my shoulder, where the car was closer now, but had stopped moving. My hand traced the door, but I had to turn around to find the door knob. The other hand, still holding my phone to my hear, shook nervously.

"Come on. . ." I muttered, jiggling the door knob. Locked. I banged on the door with my fist, shouting this time. "Come on!" I turned now, looking for another option. The steps were wet, but I ran down them, loosing my footing and sliding down. At the bottom I got up again, running parallel to the back wall. If I could just reach the corner . . .

"Hey!" Behind me, I heard the slam of a car door and a man's deep voice, shouting. I didn't turn.

"Umm okay, okay Kristina!" I spoke into the phone in my hand. "Kristina, Kristina, I'm in the parking lot!" Another car door slammed, and I could here the voice of another man. Without looking, I could feel someone behind me. "There's two men, in a black van." I kept running, knocking into the wet wall as I went. The corner was approaching faster. I just had to reach the corner . . .

Behind me, the voices of the men stopped. I held the phone to my ear, turning to glance behind me. A figure behind me, but too far to stop me from turning to corner. I exhaled a little, positive I would make it.

I faced forward again, my eyes searching for the corner. But my vision was blocked by the second figure, who was standing less then a foot in front of me, against the wall.

I skidded to a stop, sliding on the rain and landing on my back. A sharp pain shot up my spine, and I squinted my eyes shut with a cringe. My clothing soaked up the water, giving me chills, and at my side, the contents of my purse spilled out across the pavement. The men walked quickly towards me and I sat up, ignoring the sharp pain in my side. The palm of my hand scraped across the ground, drawing blood. I turned, desperately looking for my phone.

"Kristina!" I screamed. Two arms wrapped around my torso, hauling me off the ground. I flailed my feet, kicking in every direction, but the second man grabbed my feet, smashing them into the wall. A hand wrapped around my mouth and I felt myself being carried towards the car. I thrashed my head, biting deeply until I could taste blood in my mouth. My mouth was free for a second, and I shouted again.

"Help! Rayden!" My mother was covered again, this time with a thick piece of fabric. The door to the van was opened, and my legs were released long enough for me to be thrown in the back. I kicked again, but the door slammed shut and I could feel the pressure of a person sitting on my back.

A man got into the front seat quickly, slamming the door and began shouting something to his accomplice. I felt the car swerve and begin moving, and I knew we had left the parking lot.

I tried to make out what the voices were saying, but as the carpet in front of me disappeared, I could feel my consciousness slipping away.