Journey.

Meryl woke up to the darkness. Her eyelids were heavy and her body ached all over as if she had been through a tough battle. But most of all she felt cold, as if a bucket of ice had been poured down her whole body. What was this feeling? How long has she been feeling this way?

She has been falling in and out of consciousness for hours; her brain a scattering mess, it was like her mind and body was trying to fight whatever it was that they sedated her with. It was like she was in an endless dream where everything was chaotic but blissful.

Was she loosing her mind?

They were in a car, which they've been for hours; She wanted to know what was going on, but every time she tried speaking, she found the words getting stuck in her throat.

Pushing herself up from where she lay at the back seat, she tried to keep her eyes opened and take a peek around her surroundings but she found it ultimately dark. How was that possible, her eyes was completely wide now.

Then she felt it, a sack, she had sack on her head that prevented her from seeing anything. She relaxed upon this realization.

She tried to no end to fight the stupid lump behind her throat. She had questions that needed answers.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked in a low voice.

She waited for a while for a reply, but non came, she wondered if they even heard her.

She wanted to scream and shout and fight but all those options seemed unwise at that moment. She had to play it smart, she had a bachelor's degree in art and completed top her class, she had to think up something. But first she needed that sack off her head.

"Can someone get this off, I can't breath," she lied. She could breath perfectly fine. But if she wanted to find a way out, she needed her sight back first.

They surely needed her for something, otherwise they would have killed her as soon as they got her. What use would she be off if she got choked to death? She reasoned. Memories of the last couple of whatever hours played in her head like a movie. She was still in disbelief how quickly her life was going to shits.

A few hours ago, her life was a peaceful cushion, free of all this lurking fear and darkness of the unknown. But now she sat at the backseat of dangerous looking men, completely defenseless and left vulnerable. If anyone told her her life would take a spin for it in a snap of a finger, she would have rolled her eyes at them. There was no way in hell her dull life could turn into a shit show this intense. But if someone had told her something would prevent her from making it to her presentation, she would have sworn Heaven and earth that nothing could keep her away from her dream.

Yet here she was, being held hostage.

If only she had not seen that message, she would be sleeping peacefully in her bed by now, praying everything plays out in her favor.

She was not giving a chance to prepare herself for whatever this was. And she hated who ever it was that had snatched her life away from her without her consent-

The car stopped, cutting through her bitter thoughts. The door opened and was shut close again.

Did someone get down?

In no time the car started to move again and she felt someone untying her hands. When they were done, they moved to the sack, and that too was off within a couple of seconds.

Her eyelids opened and closed to adjust. It was dawned already.

How long had she been out? And have they been driving through out the night? She looked around for the mysterious man with the crazy expensive shoes, but he was not in the car.

Which was weird because she thought she heard his voice somewhere along her falling in and out of consciousness.

"Where are you taking me?," Meryl asked her first question again. The driver was the one to answer.

"We're almost there miss," he said. Meryl took notice of his friendly demeanor. He didn't look as uptight as the others. That was not the answer she was expecting but something told her he was not going going to tell her anything else, so she let it rest for now. So she asked another question.

"It's almost day break, did we make any stops?"

"No miss," his answer was short. So they really drove through out the night?

Meryl took notice of his friendly demeanor. He didn't look as uptight as the others.

And definitely nothing like the mysterious man who killed someone with so much ease as if he was cutting tomato. She shuddered at the memory as it played in her mind.

She prayed to not come into contact with him ever again.

~~

Sometime after the abduction.

"Sire, there's a gale coming, so we will not be able to fly the chopper tonight," one of them announced a second later after he got of from the phone with the flight crew.

The man growled and closed his eyes, leaning the back of his head against the back rest. He seemed to be having a really shitty evening.

"What are the chances of a successful flight?" he asked, his eyes still closed.

"I don't think it's safe to fly sire, maybe we should wait-"

"That was not my question Rangard," he fumed, his eyes still closed, his jaws working.

"Apologies sire. There is approximately ten percent chance, which makes it unsafe to fly," he said.

"We're driving then," he said casually, traces of his annoyance a while ago gone. It was a six to seven hour drive from town, give or take an hour.

"I'm not sure it will be suitable for the lady sire, you know the road is dangerous and-" the man's rant was cut short by a sharp growl from his master. The growl was so loud the occupants in the other cars behind them could hear.

"I don't pay you to refute my orders, Gard. We are driving straight to Cerian Isle, no stops, no nothing," he informed them, his voice loud enough for everyone to hear.

The other man nodded smoothly and concentrated on the road. His name was Rangard; He looked older than the others, he looked like someone who had been around for long, since he expressed his views without cowering like the others.

"Get me a sack," he demanded. Rangard looked at him as if to ask what he needed a sack for but decided against. He had gotten on the man's nerve more times than necessary in a small space of time. And he needed his head to continue driving so he kept his question to himself.

For some reason, he seemed properly pissed and looked like he could destroy the whole world without any more provocation.

One of his men handed over to him what he asked for. And ever so carefully he put it around Meryl's head. The sack was dark and prevented outside vision but it was way too easy to breath in it. If they were going to encounter any attacks whatsoever on their way, it wouldn't be wise for her to wake up to it.

She was already afraid as it was, no need to add more fuel to the fire.

She had not shown any signs of waking up. The sedative was strong, just as he predicted. But if she was what he thought she was, her body would have started fighting it and she would be gaining consciousness any moment from now.

His vision darkened when he saw the dark lines that has started to form on the other part of her face. That jerk, he deserved his death. He thought as he dragged the sack over her head. But the horror on her face when she saw the man's head roll of his neck was one thing he could not erase from his mind.

Her horror was non of his business, he leaned back and closed his eyes again, seemingly looking for calmness.