Another frantic effort, twisting and squirming as best I can, only serves to emphasize how thoroughly I am bound. Shifting from side to side, rocking as much as I can, lets an elbow briefly touch wood floor and one of the unseen ropes prove its strength as I find myself unable to turn beyond that point. Somehow exhausted already, I slump back down to the position I had been in originally, the rope wrapping so completely around my body keeping my skin from finding contact with the smooth coldness of the floor beneath me. I struggle to catch my breath, unused to the feel of the gag filling my mouth and having surprising difficulty breathing as deeply as I'd like.

Slowly I calm myself, each breath drawn in through my uncovered nose easing my body's need for air and each pulse of the bass that vibrated its way into my awareness drawing my heartbeat into its rhythm. Slow, slow, and finally I am left in the darkness of my thoughts. Bound, not only restrained with ropes around myself but obviously connected in some way to... what? Floor, ceiling, walls, I had no idea, only the physical proof that in some way I was held in place. Gagged, but not completely silenced. Blindfolded. I'd been drugged, or so I assumed, the dryness of my mouth, the bitter taste in my throat, and the faint headache adding confirmation to my theory. The woman who had drugged me, the same one who had spoken briefly... was she the only one, or were there others? Somewhere nearby there was a dance, a rave, some sort of club - very little else would explain the sounds that found their way to my ears so faintly.

Clearly, 'where' and 'who' were questions that could be answered to some extent. This left only what was for me the most important one: why? Why had I been taken off the sidewalk in a rather quiet neighborhood, why was I brought to this place, why? I couldn't think of a single club in the town that would account for the sheer size that the volume of both music and crowd noise accounted for. I certainly couldn't think of anyone who would want to steal me particularly; no enemies, not even any casual rivalries among friends that could be taken this far.

Baffled, I simply shook my head to what small degree I could, then settled myself, waiting.

And waiting.

And waiting.

I counted beats of music, I counted my own breaths, I tried to stretch and tried to move. I screamed, once more finding the sound muted into little more than a pathetic yowl, something a soaking-wet, starving cat might have come up with. I found myself clenching muscles... tried to relax, and realized that if I relaxed completely, my body's own processes would leave me even more uncomfortable and more than a little embarassed. Biting down on the leather gag since gritting my teeth was something of an impossibility, I continued to wait. After all, there was little else that I could realistically do.

By the time a faint click and another rush of music and cheering signaled the opening of the door I was becoming desperate, hips twitching slightly with the effort of what little control I still had. Once more footsteps that seemed purposely paced to match the distant thud and pulse approached me, circled, and came to a stop near my head. At a loss for anything else to do, I simply froze, hoping that the lack of movement my captor had last seemed to want would be enough to get myself unbound and in the vicinity of a bathroom.

"Are you going to keep struggling?"

The closeness of her voice, barely an inch from my ear, surprised me enough that although I kept control of my movement I couldn't stop the gasp that slipped past the gag. Again she laughed, letting her fingers move once more across my throat. I tried again for an appropriate response, my headshake a single slight motion and my only vocal response the best version of a 'no' I could force out.

"Good. Keep quiet."

Her hand shifted, tugging at what I realized must be the strap for the gag. Further movement made it clear that it was in fact two straps, one circling my head and the other crossing from one side to the other over the top. No wonder the invasive thing had proven impossible to dislodge in my first attempt. One more tug and it was pulled free, my mouth for a moment spasming with unfamiliar movement.