The day it all happened, I was walking along the road on my way home from work when a car suddenly screeched to a stop right in front of me.
My heart leapt.
I broke into a run, adrenaline flooding every muscle as I sprinted down the cracked pavement, desperate to put as much distance as possible between me and the black SUV. Glancing back over my shoulder, I saw the car doors fling open.
Three men climbed out, all dressed head to toe in black hoodies and masks. Panic slammed into me like a freight train, but I pushed harder, dodging trash bins and weaving between parked cars. One of them lunged, his hands snapping out like a claw, nearly catching my arm. I jerked away, my breath ragged as my feet pounded the pavement.
But they were gaining fast.
Another man suddenly blocked my path ahead, forcing me to skid to a stop. I spun around, desperate to find another way but the street had become a trap. Before I could scream, a strong grip yanked me backward with brutal force. A rough cloth was pressed hard against my mouth and nose.
The chemical smell burnt my nostrils and I chocked back a terrified gasp. I shut my eyes tight and held my breath, afraid of what the fumes might do to me.
I twisted and pulled to break free but their grip was iron-tight. Two of them moved in fast, their hands wrapping around my waist and legs like they were lifting a sack of garbage. I struggled, fighting every inch, but their strength was overwhelming.
They hoisted me off the ground, my feet kicking uselessly in the air. I tried to scream through the cloth pressed over my mouth, but it muffled my cries. My heart pounded wildly, each beat echoing the terror clawing up my throat.
They carried me like I weight nothing, dragging me toward the open door of the SUV. The cold metal frame of the car pressed against my back as they forced me inside. I scrambled to find footing, but there was none to be found. My body went limp from fear and the chemicals seeping in through the cloth. Before I could even blink, one of the men slammed the door shut, locking me inside the dark vehicle.
The sound was final, a brutal punctuation to the nightmare that had just begun.
Their curious eyes bore into me as one kept the cloth steady. I wanted to bite, to kick, to do anything, but fear rooted med in place.
Then, out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a syringe lying on the car floor. Before I could react, a sharp prick hit my arm and everything around me went black. My body slumped, limp and powerless. I tried to make sense of what was happening but I couldn't more or see.
Worse than the kidnapping itself was the unknown: Why me? Why did they find me worth taking?
Defeated, I stopped fighting. I gave up. No one would ever notice I was gone. No one would come looking for me and if they did, it would already be too late.