The Solstice Leading the Aurora -- First 2 Chapters

Tacos So Good You Got Arrested

CW: Attempted kidnapping, car accident, gunfight, minor blood, misgendering, Sun being a bit of a perv.

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Pain blooms through the back of your head as your eyes crack open into an ill-lit area, blood knocking on your skull as you roll your head to the side. Soft, indecipherable chatter rings in your ears. You groan, muffled by something that presses your lips flat to your teeth and constricts at the base of your head. You slowly bring a hand to the rough, distasteful bind, yet something cold constricts your wrists, clinks, and drags along your other wrist. A glance at your chest, and you see silver bracelets linked to each other.

You hear hushed and panicked voices, soft yet forced.

"– awake."

You grunt as the darkness recedes from your eyes, and a cocky grin infests your vision. Your eyes squint as you jerk slightly, your head bumping into something hard. A quick glance around, you see buildings and car-tops passing through glass panes. Your legs rest on a man's blue denim lap, his crooked smile and glazed eyes filling your vision completely. Dark curly hair sticks to his shiny forehead.

Your nose scrunches, a muffled growl vibrating your gag as you jerk a knee. The man's jaw pops, a yell prying from his lips as someone in the passenger seat whips around.

"Todd, what–"

Your eyes and this man's lock. By the hat and shirt he clads, you piece together he manages a Taco Bell. A nametag reads "Bill." You despise the bind pressing your lips shut. You had an amazing quip for him!

"Todd" grabs your legs, pressing them together. You twist with narrowed eyes and lurch your top half toward him. The rim of the cuff knicks his cheek, skin peeling and blood trickling. The man hisses with a grunt, your left leg free from his grasp. You bend your leg back, and then you give good ol' Bill a facefull of sneaker sole. He grunts and the driver's head flicks to him.

"Dammit, Todd, grab 'em!" Bill chides, grabbing your ankle.

You thrash and writhe, Todd hesitantly going for the grab. You thrust your knee again, pressing Todd's throat against the seat with your shin. You press up to his jaw with all your leg strength, faltering once Bill tugs at your ankle. Todd manages to grip the leg and an arm.

You snarl through the gag, your head bouncing off the car door as you thrash. More pain pounds through your cranium, and you wince. Todd's grasp replaces Bill's on your other ankle – their side of the car caves in with a crunch and shatter.

Todd bounces onto you with a yelp, Bill's head bouncing unnaturally onto the driver as the car spins and rumbles. You squeeze your eyes shut. Your shoulders and neck press into the door, your wrists covering your temple as a guttural cry reverberates into the cloth pressing your lips. Glass sprinkles onto your legs and Todd's form, managing to slice through your pants and even marking up the grunt on top of you. You wrinkle your nose as the car skids, soil blockading into the wheels as the car groans.

Carefully, your eyes flutter open, glass clinking into place as the engine temporarily knocks. Todd moves feebly on you, face sliced with little shards of glass. Once you notice it, your palms sting. Glancing at them, small cuts sweep across your skin.

Bill slumps oddly in the passenger, the concave side pushing him into the driver's space with a crooked neck. You notice no shadow on the driver side, the door wide open. Moist and cold autumn air pools into the demolished vehicle. Gravel crackles nearby, a car singing to a stop.

Thrusting your arms back, you feel for the handle. Giving it a yank, the door doesn't budge. You drop your palms, the meat of your hand hitting a plastic switch. A fwish pops above, and your fingers fondle the handle yet again. You sneer as Todd groans, finally pushing himself off you. The door falls open from your weight, and like a serpent, you slither outside. The cold, lightly frostbitten grass stings at your fresh hand wounds, and you hiss. Glancing at the red paint of the small car, the unmistakable slug-like model tells you it's a Prius.