Author's Note: Idea kept popping into my head, so I decided to go with it. Wanted to play around with the concept of someone being completely cut off from their own world. No history, or identification. Just their wits, and will to survive.
Abbey stumbled from the car, and turned to see the mass of energy collapse onto itself; vanishing before her. Her mouth went dry, and her skin chilled. The road and wooded area surrounding her, were foreign. She had been up and down that particular stretch of highway a thousand times. Daily commute. Every tree, every patch of wildflowers she could easily recognize.
Then that damned thing appeared; a strange section of road could be seen within. She had tried to avoid it, but it had materialized far too close to avoid contact. Abbey had slammed on the brakes, skidding into a tree; one that should not have existed. She could see the portion of familiar road she had arrived from through the window of energy. Then it had closed, leaving no trace behind.
This new road...was empty. It had just rained, and a light wind was blowing. Her body was in overdrive, telling her to flee. She twisted around, searching for another car, a jogger, someone. But she was alone.
"Get yourself together dammit..." she muttered angrily, flinging open her passenger side door and grabbing her purse. The car was merely crunched a bit in front; the low speed limit a small mercy in the chaos. Still...she should call work...it had to have been a trick of the light. She just hadn't been paying enough attention and had somehow gone down a road not taken.
You know that's utter bullshit, but you can't handle the alternative...
Her phone had plenty of battery, but the service was dead, like the road. Abbey hopped into the driver's seat, and started the car. It came to life without a hitch, and she leaned back, laughing with happiness.
Swinging the car about, she drove the opposite way she had come. The trees were different...no redwoods. What the actual fuck...panic was rising again, and she turned on the radio, hoping to blast it away with Jimi Hendrix. But instead, a news station was broadcasting on her favorite classic rock wave.
"- tourism is on the rise in Metropolis. Local businesses are thriving, and Lexcorp has begun construction of more research facilities a few miles outside city limits; which will bring an additional 1,500 jobs onto the table-"
Abbey whacked the button, shutting down the news. Too late for April Fools, fuckers.
In here rear view mirror, Abbey had noticed a gleaming white Bentley coming up behind her. It had originally looked as if it was going to pass her, but the driver seemed to have had second thoughts. He had been tailing her for several miles now. Not getting too close, but multiple opportunities to go around her 4 cylinder sedan, had been ignored.
And Mr. Fancy Pants had a woman riding shotgun. They were talking about something, and the woman seemed to point at Abbey. What was their problem? Go around...plenty of room. They drove past a few homes dotting the now open fields, and the skyline of an impressive city was visible straight ahead.
"Metropolis- next 17 Exits"
Abbey blinked furiously, and gave the wheel a white knuckle grip.
The Bentley and it's occupants finally moved around her as more traffic appeared, but the pass was slow, and she could see the woman staring at her intently. There was no middle finger, no rude shouting, no honking. The Bentley then drove quickly, yet smoothly ahead of the pack.
Abbey would have felt more comfortable if they had been some impatient and angry. She needed to pull over and focus. She was seeing things. Nervous breakdown...she could at least try calling work soon-
The flashing lights of a cop car now shown in the mirror. It moved into place behind her, and the siren was immediately put on.
"Shit-shit-shit...what the hell do you want? My stickers are fine! I wasn't speeding-" but she signaled and began to pull over.
No sense in arguing and making things worse.
This whole fucking morning is making no sense-why the fuck must your fucking cop ass be pulling me aside-
Abbey rolled her window down.
"Hi..." her voice cracked.
Great...sound guilty-
The cop stared at her. She glanced at his badge. "Metro PD"...are you kidding me...everyone is on some joke...
He continued staring, eyes hidden behind his shades. Something was making Abbey want to close the window, and floor it. This man was...wrong...very wrong. He wasn't asking for ID, nor for registration. Just staring at her like she was an alien being.
"Get out of the car, now...put your hands behind your back."
Abbey was incredulous. "What?-"
He grabbed her arm, and she yelped, trying to pull it from his grasp. But it was like trying to pull away from a machine. The strength was frightening.
"Shut up." He yanked her from the car, throwing her to the ground as easy as one threw a rag doll.
She scrambled away from him, but he drew his gun, smiling now.
"Get up, and get your ass in the backseat now."
Passing traffic continued on, indifferent to what was transpiring at the side of the road.
Abbey stood, trembling like a leaf about to fall. The cop snatched her purse, phone and jacket; tossing them into the passenger seat of his patrol car, all the while keeping the gun trained on her and grinning widely.
She entered the back seat, narrowly missing being hit with the slammed door. Locks activated right after.
The cop was whistling as he dialed in for a tow truck.
"Put the seatbelt on. Need ya in one piece."
Abbey obeyed, tears stinging her eyes. She sat in silence as the tow truck removed her vehicle from the road, and the cop drove off. No lights or siren. His driving was overly cautious. He kept glancing at her in the mirror. At a stoplight, he brought her jacket to his nose and inhaled deeply.
This guy is off the rails crazy...what a story I'll have to tell the boss. "Yeah, sorry I was several hours late...this freaky cop took me for no reason and smelled my jacket like it was some type of drug."
Abbey peered through the window at the massive, shining towers. "Daily Planet"... "Wayne Enterprises"... "Lexcorp"...
A chill was spreading throughout her body. The pain was real, the fear was real. She was in a place that should have existed only in fiction.
"License plate says Cali...what town?...Do you have any friends or family out there? Shame they didn't come with you..."
The cop wore a content face, the grin thankfully gone. He was calm and self assured. Everything was right in his world.
Abbey stared out the window, making her face impassive.
"I refuse to answer on the grounds it might incriminate me."
The cop was silent for a moment before he burst out laughing. He slapped the steering wheel and shook his head.
"Aw, sweetheart...you have no rights. Don't know where you've been the past 20 years, but you're not very smart...driving a car without even a decent disguise...in such a big city, so many cameras, so many dangerous predators. Couldn't even get the year right on the sticker."
Abbey snapped her head in his direction. His attitude was really starting to grate on her soul. She wanted to stick something sharp in between the bars, but that would only turn up the temp in the already scalding water she was in.
"What are you talking about? It's 2013. The year is correct. And why would I have a fucking disguise? I'm not hiding anything! Trying to get to work. Thanks to you, I'm really fucking late."
She didn't care if swearing should have been left out of the equation. This dude clearly didn't care to follow the rules. Why should she play nice?
"It's 2016, and don't you swear at me, bitch. Been living under a rock?"
Abbey gritted her teeth.
"Stop playing games. It's 2013."
He tilted his head, but said nothing.
She snorted and chuckled to herself. But on the inside she couldn't shake the feeling that she wouldn't be laughing much longer.
He grinned as they turned into a massive and gated parking lot.
"See those people walking to their cars? On their phones? Going to work? They don't care about you. At all. Maybe I'm exaggerating the lack of emotions...they actually do care...just not in any way that's remotely beneficial to your well being."
The brakes were applied, and he stopped abruptly. Locks were undone.
"Go ahead. I'll let you out of this car, right here. Go on. You can even have your stuff back."
Abbey made a grab for the handle but paused; the tone of his voice creeping over her ears.
"But I guarantee it you won't last long. There is nowhere you can go that will offer safety. No one will help you. You have nothing...you are nothing."
She remained frozen in place, shaking and twisted about; unable to break free of herself, and his words.
What are you waiting for? Get your stuff and run-go the police, the REAL police! Alert security, tell them this asshole is crazy...where the hell was Superman?
It could still all be a dream...still a chance she would wake up, merely having missed an alarm...
That would be so convenient, wouldn't it? No...that's too simple...and safe.
The patrol car was already moving forward, turning into a separate area and going through a check point. The woman standing guard approached the window, looking in at Abbey with a mixture of surprise and cold calculation. She motioned them forward, and they pulled into a warehouse. Metal boxes pertaining to Lexcorp were stacked; impeccably waiting departure.
And where was the man himself? Surely if there was Lexcorp and Metropolis, the super villain would be around the corner...
Workers moved about with precision, and Abbey turned to and fro, desperately trying to see a route of escape.
She had steeled her mind these past few minutes. Forget the purse, jump out and run. Just run. Don't look back. Find someone to help.
"Hang tight. Try to run, and they'll shoot."
The cop got out, strolling around to meet a man with short cut, greasy black hair and a face like a weather beaten stone carving. He glanced in her direction, and he did indeed have a weapon; a machine gun. He came up to the car, the shadow of a smile on his lips.
The door was pulled open, and her arm was grabbed.
"Step out, or I drag you out." he barked in a Russian accent.
She stepped out, narrowly missing hitting her head. The cop cleared his throat.
"See? I wasn't lying. She's 100% human. Strange one at that. Now, can I have my money?"
The scarred man slowly turned his head and gave a vicious stare before throwing him an envelope; which was eagerly torn open and examined. Satisfied, the cop slipped it into his jacket pocket.
"Pleasure doing business! I'd like to thank Mr. Luthor personally-
"Mr Luthor is a busy man." interjected the scarred fellow. "I will inform him of your gratitude."
He proceeded to ignore the cop, who sighed before grabbing Abbey's purse and jacket; handing them to another guard and climbing into the patrol vehicle. Flashing Abbey a final smile, he drove off.
The Russian muttered a few curses before he shoved her to start walking.
She moved in a haze, unsure of her own steps. The entire building was spotless and bright, the gleaming walls forcing her to squint as mid morning light struck them from the array of oversized windows.
A delicately built woman emerged from a corridor, going over various papers. She looked up at them, a slight twitch of tension at the sight of the Russian man.
"I wasn't expecting you so early."
The dislike was mutual, but he made an effort to be polite.
"Slight alteration, Ms. Graves."
He stepped aside, revealing Abbey.
"Roberts found it."
The woman smiled, inclining her head.
"We've already been acquainted, sir." she frowned at the bruises lining Abbey's arm.
"I'll take things from here, thank you gentlemen."
They departed without a single word, leaving the two women alone. Ms Graves turned to Abbey, sympathy in her eyes.
"My apologies. They have no sense of decency, or morals."
Abbey couldn't hold back anymore.
"W-what the hell is going on? That Roberts guy...he pulled me over, towed my car, threw me to the ground...what do I do?" tears began flowing.
She wanted to rant and rave about the portal, but decided to keep that particular detail buried. Whatever was happening...leave that aspect alone. For now. One step at a time.
Graves shook her head, placing a hand on her unbruised shoulder with care.
"Unfortunately, some among us do not believe in respect towards humans. But I do, and so does my employer."
They walked quietly along, Graves giving her a napkin to wipe her eyes.
"We are rather shocked..."
They entered a spacious and comfortable room, and the woman quickly shut the door.
"...that you managed to drive all this way. California is thousands of miles away, and there are quite a few checkpoints and other hazards for a human."
Abbey stepped back, fidgeting with the edge of her shirt.
"I have nothing to hide. And I'm a little tired of this inside joke everyone keeps harping on. I just want my car back, so I can go home."
Graves sighed, placing her hands on her hips.
"Your car is being dismantled, and the parts sold. As for going home, that most likely won't be a possibility."
"Mercy, Mercy, are you frightening our guest? We mustn't be rude!"
An energetic young man swept in.
He extended his hand, vigorously shaking Abbey's. His palm was hot and a tad sweaty.
"Alexander Luthor! Ah, so sorry, sports in the main lobby! Just installed a basketball court. And what may I call you?"
She stood, rooted to the spot.
She stammered. "A-bbey. Sir."
He chuckled. "Pleasure to meet you! No need to be so formal. Feel free to call me Lex. Now, as I recall, you were driving from a rather lonely road. No one lives out there. Well, not anymore..."
He was circling her, and she felt the hairs prickling on the back of her neck.
"It eventually goes to a dead end after half a quarter mile or so. It was partially destroyed, and no one bothered to rebuild there."
Lex leaned back on a desk, folding his arms.
"Nothing but a stretch of empty pavement and trees. So what were you doing out there? We saw you pull out ahead of us. Originally we didn't think anything of it, but then we saw the date of your car's registration, and we became intrigued."
Abbey took a step back, wishing she could put a thousand yards between her and this man.
"I needed to pull over and check my phone."
Stop with the third degree and just let me leave...
Lex smiled, and for a moment she caught the friendly demeanor fading.
"Oh, you mean this?" he held her phone up, swaying it back and forth.
"That's quite interesting, as yours does not connect to any of our networks, and was manufactured by a company that went out of business a little over a decade ago."
Slow, measured steps drew close, and Abbey found her back pressing into the corner of a shelf.
"So that begs the question, doesn't it?...Where are you from?"
She thought she felt something trying to scrape at her mind; skittering claws attempting to wear away the outer layers to reach the core.
"I'm not sure anymore. I'm not sure about a lot of things. Guess I don't really know. Thought I did, but I was wrong."
Blue green eyes narrowed at her, and he sighed.
"I didn't want the situation to come to this, but you've decided to continue with your lies..."
He was suddenly right in her face, both hands pulling her in. Her scream was muffled, and her struggles useless. She might as well have been a cat in the jaws of a grizzly bear.
Teeth broke through the flesh of her neck, and the creep was...drinking her goddamned blood. But only for a few moments. He withdrew, reluctance written in every line.
Another scream was muffled, and Mercy was deftly patching up the wound. Abbey thrashed, but Lex caught her arm, twisting it slightly; warning her with a single look what would happen if she didn't comply.
He moved the blood around his mouth, eyes shut.
"You arrived this morning through...ah! A doorway...I've seen them before. Quite rare to reoccur in the same location...unique developments we've got here."
Opening his eyes, he cast a smile at Abbey
"Next time save yourself some pain, and simply tell me the truth! All of those unpleasantries...Now! I have a meeting, but I do believe we can take an additional trip today after wards. Mercy, I trust you don't mind seeing our guest is comfortable until then?"
Graves nodded, finishing up her patchwork on Abbey's neck.
"Au revior!" Lex bowed and marched from the room.
"Try anything stupid, and you'll never walk again."
Abbey immediately dropped the pen, and Mercy neatly placed it back on the hanging clipboard. She brought one of the bloodied pieces of gauze to her mouth as she put away the aid kit, and the human looked away, stomach churning.
A chair scraped behind her, and she jumped. Mercy pointed to it, face a blank mask.
"Sit."
The woman moved away and was attending to an electronic notepad of sorts.
Abbey settled, hand lingering over the bandage. The door was only a few yards away, but Mercy's words were most likely not a bluff; despite her petite frame. Lex's strength could have snapped her arm like a twig, and he was far from a hulking beast.
Vampires. Honest to God vampire. Not the dwelling in perpetual darkness kind, but there was no arguing with the evidence. Perhaps some type of blood borne virus. She stared at Mercy, who continued to ignore her. Abbey's mind was a hurricane.
Lex had stated the doorways were beginning to reopen. Perhaps she could make an escape attempt if the portal appeared once again, or at least go off into the woods, far from the city.
And then she could search for another way out. Her friends, family, her job. No one was aware of what she was going through. There would be no calling them for a while. And no one was flying in to ave the day, least of all Superman. She would have to be her own hero.
I'll be home. I'll make damn sure of it.