Normally, all the parking lots surrounding the Irvine Spectrum Center are packed year round, let alone during the holiday season. So if you find a spot, consider yourself lucky. This time, however, luck is the last thing on my mind, even as the ambulance creeps into the parking area, even as its tires grind to a halt.
Parking is not what I want. Escape is.
My captor, Vlad, pops the back doors open, revealing a lot that at first glance, looks utterly deserted. Barely lit by a sliver of moonshine, a couple of burnt vehicles are glistening close-by, propped askew against each other. A smell of smoke wafts over their mangled bodies.
I suppose some people have it even worse than me, so I tell myself: consider yourself lucky.
I wrack my brain to figure out what must have happened. Here is my best guess: when the blackout hit, people ran away in search of a safe area, one that is properly lit. Trampling over each other, they fled as fast as their legs could carry them from the shopping area back to their cars. They fumbled about in the dark, revved up their engines, somehow, and drove off with no regard to any traffic rules, which caused confusion, mayhem, and deadly crashes.
Vlad smiles. “Animals,” he says, with a tone of superiority, over the sounds of looting in the distance. “That’s what they are. Animals.”
Meanwhile, a voice emanates from his cellphone, announcing, “Vee are being followed, boss.”
I nearly jump out of my skin. We are, really?
“Don’t bother to tell me what I already know,” says Vlad. The tone of his voice sounds utterly bored. “Listen, wait here for me.”
The Russian accent at the other end makes obedience sound like a heavy lift. “I Vill, boss.”
“I’m taking the girl with me.”
“Vy? I can take care of her just fine.”
“Really?” says Vlad, without bothering to raise the pitch of his voice to a question. “You can’t be trusted to follow orders, can you.”
“Vy, following orders is vat I do best!”
“Well, well, well, your best is not good enough,” Vlad says, his tone of disgust deepening. “What you did to this girl went too far.”
He buttons up his fur coat and turns up his collar, which makes me raise an eyebrow. This is Southern California, not Siberia, for crying out loud!
But there’s no point in pointing this out to him, because I can’t open my mouth to save my life. Besides, the tilt of his chin tells me how stubborn he is, to the point of not accepting anything I might say, especially when it comes down to matters of fashion.
I raise my other eyebrow, just to make sure I can. Yes. It’s a good feeling.
Meanwhile, his thug must be done mulling over what was said. “The girl is dispensable. Is it not vatt you said, boss?”
Vlad shouts, “Hell no, she isn’t! Not yet!”
Ash finds herself in the ER diagnosed with coma. She has no memory of what has happened to her, but what she can do--despite what everyone around her might think--is listen to the conversations of her visitors. Will she survive the power outage in the hospital and then, being kidnapped out of it?
★★★★★ "This suspenseful story spins into a wild race for survival for Ash, filled with terror, courage, and a journey that will have you cheering her on."
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