Sapphire Angel - Superheroine

Chapter 21 - Kidnapped

After slipping into her Chuck Taylor sneakers and a sweatshirt, Beth left her key in the hotel room and pulled her wheeled suitcase behind her to the elevator. She was thankful Stanley had taken care of paying for her room, not because of the cost, but because it was one less thing she had to take care of before exiting the hotel. She wanted to get leave the hotel and be with John's parents. The ache in her heart felt as if it was spreading outward, like a disease invading her body. Even her arms and legs were weak and heavy.

The walk through the hotel lobby and the walkway to the garage seemed like a march to a prison sentence. A sentence of a life without John. Two nights ago, all had been right with the world. Or at least her little corner of the world. She was in love and finishing her last year of college. She had interviews lined up, with hopes of a career as an online writer and blogger.

And then she had insisted on entering the Fizzure building. She had started all of his. Her shoulders heaved as she fought back sobs.

She reached the garage elevator, barely aware of her surroundings or the passage of time. She pressed the button and slipped inside when the doors opened. Moments later she took a few steps off the elevator and into the garage. Even in her nearly catatonic state she noticed how quiet and empty the garage was at this hour. The squeaky steps from her sneakers seemed to be the lone sounds.

She took a few more steps and stopped. Her head whipped around, certain she heard another sound. Perhaps a footfall on the concrete of the garage floor? She looked, but there was nothing behind her. At least nothing visible, except for rows of parked cars. She continued walking.

After a few steps, she heard the sound again. This time she saw him. A man. Behind her. Stocky, with a black skullcap and a broken face. The same man she had seen trying to kill John in the hospital, and the same man Sapphire Angel had given a beating a few hours earlier.

He stared directly at her and smiled. Panic filled her, and she hurried in the other direction. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw him following. He was too close. She broke into a run. He ran, too.

The man's footsteps thumped, just a few feet behind her, as Beth dashed around the bend in the garage and saw her car ahead of her. Her bag held her necklace and costume, but there was no time to retrieve them, and certainly no time to change. She needed to get to her car and somehow get in before he caught her.

The man sounded like he had lost ground slightly, but she didn't dare glance back at him. She felt as if she was running in quicksand as she strained to move faster. The car seemed to inch closer as her feet thundered across the cement surface. She stumbled once, but stayed on her feet.

She pushed herself forward as if her life depended on it. It probably did. Her limited self-defense training seemed foolish now faced with a real assailant and without fantastic strength and agility to aid her. She cursed herself for not taking her classes seriously.

Finally the car was in reach, and she extended a hand toward the handle. It would open as long as the key was near. But she stumbled again, putting up both hands to stop herself from slamming into the vehicle. And then he was on her.

As his hands grabbed at her upper arms, she wished she could do like she saw in the movies, and say a word or twirl, and magically transform into her costume. Instead, she did the only other thing she could think of. She screamed.

"Help!" she yelled as loudly as she could. She only got a single word out, before the man smacked her face, dazing her. He heaved on her arms, tossing her to the garage floor. She hit with a thud, spinning, and her bag fell from her shoulder. As she tried to sit up so she could spring to her feet, the man dove at her. He crashed into her, slamming her into the floor again, before pinning her down with a strong grasp around her swanlike throat.