Bright lights danced before her; reflected in her rearview mirror. The car behind her was aggressive, slamming into her, her senses heightened and she felt afraid... She turned to glimpse the reflection of the headlights as the car sped up again. She felt her head slam hard against the steering column. The airbag deployed and she felt the burn of the hot powder as it hit her face. She fell into the welcoming relief of unconsciousness; it was like slipping into a warm bath. Her head tilted back in the seat, her eyes closed, and she knew no more.
Dana Scully's eyes fluttered open, her head hurt terribly, and her body ached from the force of the impact. it was dark, and she quickly came to the realization that she was in trouble. She groaned as she attempted to move; she realized that she was gagged, a strip of cloth pulled between her teeth, and that her wrists and ankles were tightly bound. Wherever she was, it was dark, pitch black, and she felt her heart beating in her throat; her mind raced to process where, what, how...and more concerning...who.. A thin stream of light was visible under a door, she knew that she had to be in a closet or a small room. Dried blood was crusting on her chin, the corner of her mouth, and in her hairline. She raised her head and leaned back against the corner wall where she was propped, nauseated, numb, frightened, and dizzy; "Concussion..." she thought weakly. She closed her eyes as the door opened, light blinding her suddenly. It closed again as quickly as it opened and she was plunged once more into darkness, "Mulder's looking, I know he is…" were her last thoughts as a wave of pain assaulted her head and she lost consciousness again.
"Shit." Fox Mulder cursed under his breath as he saw her rental in the ditch by the side-of-the-road. Her overnight bag was still in the backseat, her purse rested on the floorboard from the impact. He carefully collected her things and put them into his own car. Special Agent Bocks approached him, "It's hers alright, here's the receipt for the rental, and I called the rental company to confirm. She left the airport, but after she wheeled out of the parking lot, no one saw a thing." Mulder struck out at his car door in frustration. "Get a run on that white paint; get it on a plane to Washington and we can have a make and model by morning, we're gonna find her." He felt fear roiling in his gut and swallowed hard. After seeing Pfaster's apartment, and gaining a firsthand knowledge of what he was truly capable of, Mulder felt something for his partner that he fortunately rarely felt...true fear. He silently thanked the universe that Scully had managed to call with a print before she left the Bureau. At least they knew who their man was; but unfortunately, also what he was capable of. Mulder could see the painted nail of the severed finger in Donnie's freezer, and smell the dead flowers all around. He glanced at Bocks who climbed into the front seat next to him, he barely got the door closed as Mulder punched the gas and rushed back towards Minneapolis headquarters. He drove in virtual silence, racing back like a man possessed. His mind ran as fast as he did along the road, she'd only just been returned to him, to her life. He knew that she was still readjusting, still getting reacquainted, and still left with no memory of what happened to her when she was gone. He would relish feeling Donnie Pfaster's nose break beneath his fists when he did manage to get his hands on him. His mind darted in numerous directions and he recalled his own observations from the previous day, "He'll get a feel for a warm body," he cursed inwardly and gripped the steering wheel so tightly that his knuckles turned pale. Mulder realized that while Donnie Pfaster hadn't raped any of his previous victims, an escalation meant that that was a possibility. He knew it, Bocks knew it, and he knew that whatever hellish place she was in, Scully knew it too. "They're running the paint on the car through our limited database, Agent Mulder." Bocks told him as he shifted in his seat to allow for the speed. Agent Bocks was witnessing the man possessed that Fox Mulder shifted to when it came to his partner. Mulder detached himself as best as he could; he became less concerned with finding Pfaster and more concerned with finding Scully alive and intact.