Story: Captured and Enraptured - Pt. 1

Lanna strode through the scattered tables towards the far section of the cafe's outdoor seating. She tried to exude an air of confidence by way of a sure step and a proud posture with her chin held high. However, Lanna tightly clutched the strap of her crossbody purse to her breast with both hands. Her body language betrayed the hint of anxiety that was beginning to well within her chest. It made her stomach feel like she was on an amusement park ride. A warm breeze picked up and played through her hair, drifting the wavy locks gently off from over her shoulder.

Lanna had been on multiple dates lately, none of which had resulted in a second meeting. There was always something about the men that would push her away. One had been creepy, another admitted to cheating on his girlfriend, and another yet had been just outright rude to her. Beyond the spectacular failures, there were men who were nice enough, but who she just didn't feel a connection with. She wasnt even quite sure how many dates she had been on this month. She was trying not to give up hope, but time after time the day would end and she was still on her own.

There was an empty table at the back of the fenced in dining area, which Lanna spotted and made her way towards. She settled at one of the circular table's bench seats under the shade of its umbrella. She made sure that she was facing towards the entrance of the patio so as to watch for her date. Lanna checked her phone. The time was 12:50 and she was ten minutes early. Lanna waited. The minutes ticked away. She had tried not to check the time again; to not be impatient, but decided to hit the button to turn on her screen. It showed 1:15 pm. She opened the dating app and found no new messages from the man she was supposed to meet. She sent a message asking if he was running late and decided that she would wait until 1:30, and if he hadn't responded by then, she would leave. Lanna people watched to pass the time. She loved to catch little moments in people's lives. Seeing people passing these small moments together made her feel grounded. A mom was pulling her daughter's hair back into a quick, messy ponytail so the little girls dripping cone wouldn't get in her ebony locks. There was a boy and a girl, sitting together having pastries and drinks. They looked like good friends, but when the girl looked away, the boy looked at her with a secret glance, betraying an affection greater than simply friendship. An elderly man sat alone, eyes closed, enjoying the warmth of the sun, and the warmth of the mug between his fingers. And then there was Lanna.

She looked at her phone once more. 1:45. No messages, and no sign of the date. Lanna pushed herself up from the seat, her bag still slung over her shoulder and opened the side gate of the patio. The neatly arranged brick pavers gave way to a worn path through the grass once she passed the threshold. Lanna turned between the buildings and continued onto the pavement, high heels clicking softly. There was a large van in the alleyway. Lanna took note of it. It looked brand new, windowless and shiny white, with the words "Market Fresh" across the side in a pleasing font. A delivery truck for the Cafe, Lanna thought.

This, however, was not the case. The alleyway was narrow, forcing Lanna to pass closely by the side of the vehicle. As soon as she neared the door, it slid back on its track smoothly and suddenly. Three men leaned from the platform of the van. With a speed that Lanna couldn't have accounted for, the first of the men wrapped his arm around her head, pressing a towel roughly into her face, and holding it there as the other two men grabbed at her. Lanna looked around overhead frantically but saw not a single camera. She tried to pry at the towel but one of the men latched on to her wrist, fully engulfing it with his meaty paw. The other man grabbed her by the waist with both hands, digging his fingers into her ribs. Lanna opened her mouth to let out a yelp as his nails stung her flesh, but the towel that the first man held was shoved into her mouth with a sudden jab of two of his fingers. Between the thrust of the man's fingers into her mouth, the ball of cloth forcing her jaws apart, and the foul taste, Lanna gagged. She realized that there must have been chloroform on the cloth as she started to feel dizzy. Her eyes began to tear up, partly from the fear and partly from the awful gag filling her mouth. The three men worked expertly as if performing a ballet, and Lanna was pulled inside the van. She felt herself hit the interior floor and her vision faded away as she heard the door of the van slam shut and the engine turn over.