LiB: Cowboy Casanova

  I had no idea where I was going, I could only hope it was better than wherever I was coming from. I'd escaped by a stroke of pure luck and the fact that my kidnappers underestimated how many times I'd been tied up. I had freed myself and was running away as quickly as I could, but that wasn't very fast, since I was still afraid I'd fall off a cliff or something. Thus began a frantic rhythm of feeling the ground in front of me with my bare feet while fighting the urge to run for my life.
  I stopped to catch my breath, shivering. Whoever my kidnappers were, they'd caught me while I was preparing to go to bed, somehow sneaking into my bathroom right as I stepped out of the shower and in the middle of changing. This meant I'd woken up in only my boxers and a t-shirt, which wasn't any protection of the morning chill. Or night chill. Not like I could tell.
  I suddenly bent over in a coughing fit, having inhaled a familiar and very unwelcome scent. The cigarettes weren't exactly the same, but they reminded me enough of the imp to bring up flashbacks. I had to calm down; I didn't remember that distinct smoker smell having been present in my former prison, but it still might be them. Smelled smoke. Felt dew poking between my toes. Tasted the morning. Heard birds singing.
  Suddenly there were footsteps, quick ones, and I couldn't help but whimper as the cigarette smell approached as well. I'd lost my sense of direction, and suddenly I didn't know which way I'd come from. There was nothing else for me to do, so I held my hands out and only stopped when I'd grasped a tree, which I hugged upon kneeling down. They'd drugged and kept me asleep for the most part, but I'd gotten the impression that my kidnappers were cold. When they found me, I'd let them drag me back and hope they'd reward my good behavior by not being too terribly cruel.
  The smoke was upon me now, and I whimpered and buried my head in my knees.
  "And just who are you?" My head shot up and turned in the direction of the voice. I heard a sizzle, which I assumed was the cigarette being extinguished in the dew. This voice didn't belong to any of my former captors; it didn't sound very nice, either, but there was a reason it was so welcoming.
  "Are you from Georgia?" I whispered, still huddled against the tree. I think she was surprised, because she didn't answer for a minute.
  "I am," she replied. "How'd you know that?"
  "My girlfriend's from Georgia," I chuckled quietly. "She has that accent. Well, not all the time, just when she's emotional." There was another pause, and the silence wiped the smile off my face and made me bury my head again, clutching my knees harder.
  "Who are you, honey?" she repeated, but didn't sound so mean this time. I poked my useless eyes out over my arms.
  "I'm... My name's Cassidy. Can you help me?" The smell of smoke was gone;  she obviously didn't do it often, which was confirmed as she approached and leaned down in front of me. There were only little traces of the cigarette in her breath now; it was still smoky, but she smelled more like cooking meat.
  "What happened?"
  "I was kidnapped," I told her, still cautious. "Someone grabbed me out of my bathroom. They didn't tie me up tight enough and I managed to escape, but..." I involuntarily turned in the direction I thought my former prison was in.
  "Still runnin', huh?"
  "... Yeah." I faced her again. "Who are you?"
  "I'm Tahni," she replied, sounding much nicer. I wondered if she'd actually help. "I... live nearby. Was just takin' a smoke break. Don't do it often, but uh... Work's been stressful."
  "Oh." There was another moment of silence, and I could feel her warm breath on my face. "... Do you have a phone?"
  "Don't work all the way out here, unfortunately," she replied. I must've looked pretty forlorn, because Tahni quickly added: "B-But I've got a landline. You're welcome to come back to my place." Something about her tone indicated this might not be the best idea, but what other choice did I have? I nodded and shakily got to my feet, as did she.
  "I'm, uh..." I still didn't like saying it. "I'm blind. Could you...?"
  "I gotcha." She gently took my shoulder and led me forward. Tahni obviously wasn't the most experienced guide dog, but she was trying, and I appreciated it. "This ain't your first time, is it?"
  "First time what?"
  "Gettin' kidnapped."
  "Oh... No. How'd you know?"
  "I..." She sounded like she regretted pointing it out. "I dunno, I guess I'd just be more scared."
  "I'm pretty scared," I admitted with a chuckle, shivering again. Her hand left my shoulder and in a few moments what felt like a denim jacket was draped over my shoulders. "Oh... Thank you."
  "Outta the bathroom?" she confirmed. "Sons of guns. I'll getcha a blanket when we get inside."
  "How close is it?"
  "Just up ahead. You must've gotten pretty far, Cassie. Don't recall much bein' 'round here."
  "Really? That makes me feel a little better, I guess."
  "Ya did good, honey. Come on, there's a step here." I followed her instructions and let her guide me up a step and through a door. It didn't sound much like a front door, though. Too heavy. More like a big building. Still, the warmth inside was irresistible, and I hurried in. I listened carefully, but didn't hear her lock it, which made me feel a little better. "Here, mind if we go to my room?" I hesitated, eyes wide. "... Did they do somethin' to ya, honey?"
  "N-No," I replied, hugging myself. "Well, they didn't."
  "Then what's wrong?"
  "It's just..." I looked downwards. "The first this happened... He did. Sorry if I'm a little..."
  "Cautious?" Tahni finished. "That's fine. There's a livin' area, it's just a little further away." I nodded and let her hurry me through the halls. I tripped a few times, that was how fast we were going, but each time she caught me and muttered a hasty apology. A door was finally opened and I was gently pushed inside. "Here, lemme get you a blanket." She took my arm and I found a couch, which I settled into. It didn't feel like it'd been sat on that much. In a moment I felt her remove the jacket, switching it with what felt like a quilt. I gratefully wrapped up in it, closing my eyes.
  "Thank you."
  "Don't worry 'bout it," she replied, sounding a little worried. "I'm gonna go get the phone, okay? You just get warm, honey, I'll call the police." I nodded, already feeling drowsy. The drug hadn't fully worn off yet, it seemed. I heard the click of a phone- it was near me, but I was too tired to question it- and Tahni walk out the door. At first, I didn't try listening to the call, but after a moment it simply became clear in my ears.
  "A bit o' a baby face... I dunno how old he is. Seventeen, maybe? Eighteen? Like I said, baby face... Yeah, he is... Light brown hair, wavy, pretty grey eyes... Wait, I'm not... He's blind, Oksana... Why would that be good?... I only meant that to say he don't know where he is or what I look like... Oks... He's been hurt, Oksana... Yes, like that... Not today, but he has been before. I could see it on his face... Why don't you come back and do that to the poor blind kid, then!... I'm sorry, I... I'm sorry... C'mon, he's snuggled up in that quilt I made for us, I can't do that... Well... Well what if I find someone else?... I think so. He didn't wander here by himself... Just lemme find someone else, you remember that feelin'... I promise... If I can't do it, we... Thank you... Thanks... Bye."
  Of course I realized this wasn't the police, but even if I did believe she meant me harm, what could I have done about it?
  "Alright Cassidy," Tahni chirped, skipping back into the room. "There's some complications at the station or somethin', so you gotta sit tight for a little bit, okay?"
  "Sure," I replied, snuggling more into the blanket and the couch. After a moment, I heard her boots- they must've been boots, it was a distinct sound- move around to the front of me. I cautiously glanced in her general direction.
  "Cass, did you hear any o' that?" Tahni didn't seem to be the type of woman to lie to, so I responded with a little nod. "... Do me a favor, hon." I nodded again. "Don't think too hard on it. I'm gonna protect you, I promise." I nodded fervently at this, and I heard her chuckle before the couch bowed a little under her weight. "So your girl's from Georgia?"
  "Oh, yeah. She lived in Savannah, but they moved here when she was eight."
  "I like Savannah. Nice city."
  "She likes to tell me about it. She's really good at describing things. She's an artist, so apparently giving me details about the world around me has helped her eye for detail, too."
  "Sounds nice," Tahni replied. I could hear her smiling.
  "Yeah. She's kind of the best." I was smiling, too, thinking about her. After a moment, she went on.
  "So you said they took ya from your bathroom?" My expression dropped.
  "Oh. Yeah."
  "I don't see a cane. Did they drug you?"
  "Yeah. My head's still groggy."
  "When'd ya wake up?"
  "I don't know. I'm a terrible judge of time. Two hours ago, maybe? Probably more like three. It took me awhile to get out." There was silence, and since I was never very good at keeping these traumatizing experiences to myself, I kept going. "They woke me up in the middle of a ransom video. I started panicking because I was tied up, and one of them pretended like he was going to pull down my boxers, which just made me panic even more..." I pulled the quilt tighter around me.
  "It's alright," Tahni assured. "You'll be fine. I-" I jumped as a phone started ringing, and she hopped up to pick it up. She muttered something about sons and rattlesnakes. "I gotta take this. Be right back."
  "Wait!" I called after her, throwing off the blanket. "I..." I was probably blushing with my whole body at this point. "I never got to go to the bathroom. Where's your's?"
  "Down the hall to the right," she explained quickly. "It's behind a single door. Check to see if it's a double door, and if it is, don't open it, understand?"
  "Yes, ma'am." I hopped up myself and quickly found a wall. She turned me in the right direction right as she answered the phone, but I didn't listen this time. I just kept inching along the wall, not bothering with the doors yet, simply checking for a turn. I was hurrying- like I said, I'd been unable to go- and, when I finally did get to a crossroads, forgot if I was supposed to turn left or right. I considered rushing back and asking Tahni, but I could hear her shouting angrily into the phone and decided against it. First I checked both sides to see if one was a double door. When neither was, I eenie-meenie-minie-mo'd it and went through the left.
   It became pretty clear I was outside, but by the time I had gotten over my shiver, the door had closed and locked itself. Oh well. I figured I could just do my business out here and bang on the door until Tahni found me. I felt around until I found what seemed to be a bush, and hurriedly did my business before finding my way back. I politely knocked on the door first, not wanting to disrupt her call if I didn't have to, and waited.
  I was humming some 20s song my dad liked and thinking about apple pie- don't know why- which is why I didn't hear the twigs snapping until it was too late. I spun around and scanned the area as if I could actually see it, waiting a moment before banging on the door.
  "TAHNI!" I yelled, suddenly afraid. I was in the middle of listening for an answer when a hand clamped over my mouth and pulled me backwards. I recognized this smell. Mulch. This was the one who threatened to pull down my pants.
  "Nice try," he hissed in my ear. My other kidnapper, the one who'd drugged me initially, must've approached, because his calloused hands grabbed my flailing arms and held them in place. "I didn't even know this place was here."
  "Do you want us to keep you another day?" the other growled, and I shook my head the best I could beneath the tight handgag. "I think you do, considering the fact you thought you could pull a stunt like that." They pushed me to the ground, and the mulchy one removed his hand just long enough to stuff a rag in my mouth, quickly wrapping another between my teeth. They easily forced me onto my stomach and began retying my wrists and ankles, this time much tighter than before.
  "TNNNPH!" I screamed through the gag, praying she'd heard me the first time. One of them grabbed me by the hair and yanked me to my knees, allowing the other the wind more rope around my heaving chest. As the one played with the strap of my boxers again, I started to cry, REALLY praying she'd heard me.
  She had.
  The mulchy one was taken out first, as was evidenced by a yelp and the hand being ripped away. The knot had just been tied at that point, so I still couldn't do much, even as the other called Tahni an ugly name. She shut him up soon enough. Shaking, I turned towards her, pleading with my eyes. To my surprise and dismay, all I heard was something being dragged and the door opening and closing again.
  She'd left me out here, tied up, gagged, and crying. I tried to rationalize why she'd do such a thing, all the while struggling against the tighter ropes and trying to calm down. She'd come back out and free me, surely. But what was taking so long?
  By the time the door finally opened again, I was afraid my kidnappers had overpowered her and now they were back for me. Therefore, this just prompted more struggling and whimpering, but the hurried sound of her boots crunching grass made me pause.
  "Hey, hey," she cooed, taking out my gag.
  "What were you doing?" I asked, sniffling. I heard a knife sawing away and felt the suffocatingly tight rope on my chest loosen and fall.
  "Sorry, honey," she replied, moving onto my hands. "I had to take care of those unwelcome guests."
  "Where are they?" I asked as those fell away, too. I quickly reached around to the front of me, trying to undo my own ankle restraints. She must've seen how wide and worried my eyes were, because she laughed, easily freeing me with a swipe of the knife.
  "Don't worry, honey," she assured me, "you don't gotta worry 'bout them anymore."