Disclaimer: I don't own anything but my plot and original characters
AN: I hadn't intended for it to take this long for an update, but unfortunately I've had a rough time. Thank you to all of your favorites, alerts, and reviews. They mean the world to me
"And all these little things in life they all create this haze
There's too many things to get done, and I'm running out of days"
-Running out of Days - 3 Doors Down
"It didn't come with racing stripes," Bruce asked with a flicker of amusement in his eyes.
"No, but I assure you, it has all the standard features," Lucius commented, as if he were selling Bruce a brand new Lamborghini. "I suppose you'll want to take a look at it?"
"Of course, isn't that always customary when acquiring a new vehicle?"
"Indeed it is," Lucius replied as the elevator doors opened, revealing the darkened labyrinth of applied sciences. "After you, Mr. Wayne. I hope you remember the rules."
Bruce held up his hands in defense as he smirked. "Of course. I'm not to touch anything unless you approve first." Apparently Lucius hadn't forgotten the prior incident when he'd almost blown a hole through the basement wall of Wayne Tower. Bruce had to admit that Lucius was probably right at the time; he probably shouldn't have tested the switch to see what it did without asking first. Fortunately the new canon for the Batpod had misfired, which wasn't surprising since it was still being developed. But if it hadn't, there would have been a lot of explaining to do.
Lucius flicked a nearby switch and suddenly the entire basement was filled with artificial illumination. Rows of shelves and drawers stood throughout applied sciences, most of them locked with special access codes to keep prying eyes away. They silently walked through the long concrete room before taking a left turn, only to be met by a heavy steel door with a biometric scanner that only Bruce and Lucius had clearance for. After the machine performed the required retinal scan, the door slid open, revealing the sterile space beyond—and the new, improved Tumbler.
"It has all the standard features, Mr. Wayne," Lucius stated as Bruce slowly walked around the car, as if he were a lion circling his prey. "GPS, satellite radio, hands free communication, and black leather interior."
"And any, uh, special packaging?"
"Well it is your car."
Bruce grinned.
"It has the same stuff the old one had in addition to the standard features, but with a few upgrades."
"Such as?"
"There's more armor in the front to protect you while you're in the prone position. The cameras are in better positions, eliminating those pesky blind spots. The stealth technology has been upgraded and the engine runs quieter in stealth mode."
Bruce smiled. "I think I'll take it then."
"Oh, I almost forgot," Lucius stated. Reaching into his pocket, he removed a small remote control. "With this remote you can control the entire car. It's a lot less bulkier than the one we previously developed and should fit very nicely into your improved tool belt, which has been reinforced with electric current. That should take care of anyone trying to take what's yours. And I also took the liberty of doing one more thing. Call it a perk for shopping with us today."
"And what would that be, Mr. Fox," Bruce asked in anticipation. He always loved getting new gadgets.
Lucius walked over to a small drawer and withdrew a key from his pocket. He unlocked the drawer and slid it open before he took out a grappling gun.
"You shouldn't have. I already own one of those you know."
Lucius looked at Bruce over his glasses. "Well if you don't want it, Mr. Wayne…"
Bruce eyed the contraption with intrigue. "I never said I didn't want it."
Lucius gave him a toothy smile. "This gun, Mr. Wayne, is very much like the one you already own with one exception."
"And that is?"
"Your current grapple gun supports 300 pounds. You're current body weight with the armor is well over 200 pounds. It seems that you've run into a few situations in which you've had to help others using your gun, which puts the filament in danger of breaking. We're lucky it hasn't done so already. I've upgraded the gun and played around with the design a bit. This one," Lucius stated, holding up the gun, "will support up to 600 pounds easily."
"And over 600 pounds?"
"Well, Mr. Wayne, if I were you, I wouldn't use it in excess of 600 pounds very often."
Bruce nodded and understood. With this new gun, he could easily support other weights as well as his own without the constant worry of the monofilament fiber breaking at an inopportune moment.
"Is that all you have for me?"
Lucius nodded. "Yes, I suppose that's it."
Bruce removed the brown file from the briefcase he'd brought down with him. "Could you find a list of abandoned properties in this section of town, for me? I would have Alfred do it but he's helping cross check the backgrounds of the victims to see if they have anything in common."
Lucius Fox took the envelope and looked through the contents. "Sure thing, Mr. Wayne. I'll let you know when I have the results. I hate to cut our time short today, but I have an appointment in a few minutes."
Bruce nodded and held out his hand. "Thank you, Mr. Fox, as always you've done an excellent job."
Lucius smiled at the younger man, accepting the gesture and shaking hands. "Thank you, Mr. Wayne," he said before relinquishing his grip. "Remember to turn the lights out before you leave," he said as he walked toward the elevators.
Bruce chuckled and stared once more at the Tumbler, appreciative to have it again. He left soon after, locking everything up behind him and bathing the room once more in darkness.
She was sitting at her desk, one leg tucked beneath her, punching numbers into a calculator as she blew a loose strand of hair out of her eyes that always seemed to slip out of her ponytail. Nicole was taking an online math course calculus course to get a jump on the fall semester and she was determined to finish her set of homework problems ahead of the Friday deadline, if only to occupy her mind. She copied the answer from the calculator screen carefully into her black spiral bound notebook, making sure she had written the right answer. Math had never been one of her favorite subjects but it was one that was necessary for the degree she was seeking. It wasn't as if she was horrible of the subject; in fact she made decent enough grades. It just didn't interest her as much as other things.
She laid her pencil down on the notebook and uncurled her leg as she stretched her entire body to keep from falling asleep. Her muscles were aching from the past few days of swimming and other various exercises that she had completed while at the gym. She'd really pushed herself since Monday and she went at it harder than she ever had before. It gave her the solitude and stress relief that she desired, but now she was paying the price of the extra exertion with a soreness that never seemed to leave.
She sat still for a minute, starting at the sparsely decorated walls that were the color of malted milk. At least, that's the color that the paint card had called them. To Nicole, they just seemed off-white. She was contemplating going down stairs for a snack when the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and her body became rigid. She had the feeling that she was being watched. To make matters worse, she was alone in the apartment. Rebecca was required to stay late as a lab assistant as she had every other Wednesday evening of the year.
She rose from her chair and opened her bedroom door. Light from her room spilled onto the landing, giving her enough illumination to see that Rebecca's door was still shut and landing area was empty, just as she'd left it. Peering down the stairs into the darkness of the first floor, she listened but heard only her own breathing in the silence. But still, the feeling lingered.
"Becky," she called; her voice cutting through the quiet and echoing down the stairwell.
There was neither answer from anything nor any sound of movement.
She closed her bedroom door and locked the handle as a precaution. Slowly she approached the balcony door, as if something would pop out at her. It didn't. She stared out into the dimly lit parking lot, seeing nothing but the few rows of cars, most of which she recognized. The unmarked car was still in its spot outside with two patrolmen inside, though she couldn't see them. She knew they were there and it gave her some measure of relief. She looked into the darkness that lay beyond the safety of the parking lot for a few minutes, halfway daring some threat to emerge. Her spell was broken when she shivered despite the heat of the room. What was that that her mother always said about random chills? Oh yeah, that they were caused by someone walking over your future grave site.
Suddenly she felt incredibly isolated and wished Rebecca was there to keep her company. The quiet was eating away at her with its oppressive heaviness, and she felt that if she didn't do something to break it, the stillness alone would choke her lifeless.
She grabbed the remote control to her stereo system and pressed the power button. Rock music blared from the speakers, overruling the silence, and she turned the volume down a few levels so that she wouldn't disturb her neighbors. She returned to her desk chair and sat for a moment, staring at her calculus textbook without really seeing it. She moved to pick up her pencil when she knocked it to the ground by accident. She hung her head down in irritated defeat before sighing. Get a grip, Nikki, nothing's going to happen to you, she admonished.
Taking a deep breath, she decided that a hot shower might ease her stress. She bent and picked up her pencil before placing it on the desk and standing. She tiredly walked to her chest of drawers and opened a wooden drawer, removing a brown tank top and pink and brown plaid pajama bottoms, gathering the garments with her right arm. She closed the heavy drawer with more effort than was needed before she walked across the room to the bathroom door. Inside, she flicked on the switch, and yellow light flooded the room. She pulled back the shower curtain and turned the water on, setting it for as hot as she could stand. She closed the door and locked it before turning to the mirror. The past few nights she'd gotten little sleep and she was starting to see the results appear in her face. She looked tired and more pallid than normal, which was saying something since she was a naturally pale person. She turned her attention to her shower, removing her gym clothes and throwing them in the nearby hamper. She would have to remember that she needed to wash clothes soon since the hamper was almost full.
She was thankful she'd already set out a black towel when she'd come home, intending to get a shower after she quickly did her math assignment. Only her math assignment had given her a rather difficult time, delaying her process. But nevertheless, she was here now. She drew back the curtain and stepped inside, flinching as the steaming water attacked her body. She threw herself into the stream, slowly acclimating herself to the hot water and stood with her eyes closed, relishing the moment. She went through the motions of bathing, only able to hear the running of the shower and bass of the stereo from the next room.
She wasn't sure how long she'd spent in the shower but the water was still hot as she shut it off. She opened the curtain, letting steam billow into the room as she deeply inhaled the cooler air before grabbing the nearby towel and drying herself off. She dressed and moved to the bathroom counter to brush out her wet hair. She was moving the pink brush through her dark locks when she caught her reflection again and wave of guilt swept over her.
The guilt flowed in waves and had ever since she'd woken that morning in the alley. She didn't know if Cassidy was still alive or not. The thought of her being held captive somewhere, or worse, on her deathbed was a hard pill for her to swallow. The rational side of her knew that there was nothing more that she could have done. She was at a disadvantage to Cassidy's captor and had done everything she could have. But part of her focused on the if-onlys. If only I'd screamed for help…If only I had tackled him harder…If only I hadn't let myself be cornered…
She shook the thoughts from her head before reminding herself that she wasn't at fault for what happened to Cassidy. Bad things happen in this city all the time. There was nothing else I could have done. All I can do now is to help the police so that they can catch him. But what if they don't catch him? Is he really coming after me? What if…
She slammed the brush down in frustration. It seemed as if her mind was running in circles and this thought process would never end. Picking up the blue hair tie she had removed from her hair prior to her shower, she hastily put her wet hair into a messy bun. She couldn't wait to escape the humid room.
She opened the door and quickly exited the bathroom. She sat on the edge of her bed, trying to distract herself. She began half-heartedly singing along to a rock ballad; one where the lead singer was expressing how much he loved his soul mate. She wanted that kind of love one day and she frowned slightly thinking of how things were going in her life. She wasn't even sure if she would live past Independence Day, much less ever go on another date or make it through school in the fall.
Turning down a different avenue of thought, she thought of Stuart. He was a sweet guy and was obviously interested in her. He'd been a godsend the past few days. Anytime she began thinking of her guilt or what might happen, she was pulled out of it by one of his corny jokes. He took his job of protecting her seriously and seemed to safeguard her sanity as well. He often complimented her and subtly flirted with her during her downtime at work. When she was busy, he didn't distract her. And he rarely left her side. She found his geeky personality charming and she often found herself in some intellectual debate with him. Moreover, she felt as if she'd known him forever and not just a few days. It was almost like he fit in her life somehow. And that was the problem. She wasn't sure where exactly he fit.
He's so unlike Bruce. That thought startled Nicole. Lately, it seemed she was defending the billionaire from Stuart's blatant attacks but she wasn't exactly sure what it was that compelled her to do so. She wasn't even sure how she felt about the man herself.
Her first meeting with Bruce Wayne was memorable. Though not a native Gothamite, Nicole had seen his face plastered on magazines and newspapers, especially after he'd returned to Gotham after being declared legally dead. And of the articles she'd browsed, she'd taken his antics with a grain of salt. After all, the media needed a way to sell their stories. So when she was told that Bruce Wayne would be present at her interview, she hadn't thought much of it; after all it was a position as his assistant she would be accepting.
She'd anxiously waited in the lobby prior to the meeting, wanting to make a good impression by being early. And she had waited. Thirty minutes after the interview was supposed to begin, she sat alone in the lobby, wondering what was going on. Finally, Mr. Fox had collected her, apologizing profusely for the playboy's absence, and showed her to the conference room where he would conduct her interview.
Fox was going over her educational background when Bruce Wayne sauntered into room, dressed in some designer suit and looking impeccably groomed. After he'd introduced himself, he'd given the explanation that he'd been out too late the night before, assumingly having a good time.
For the rest of the interview, he'd flirted his way through and hadn't seemed the least bit interested in what was going on, leaving the bulk of the questioning to Mr. Fox. It irritated Nicole that he didn't seem to take her time seriously but she let it pass—she really needed the job and the course credit.
Within a week she was employed as his assistant. On the first day of employment he hadn't even shown up to work. The second day he was exceedingly late. And when he was present, he flirted and seemed to have the intelligence of a slab of granite. He couldn't even pick out simple birthday presents for his so-called friends. It made her wonder how a man like that could even run his own company.
After the first two weeks, she'd come to expect his ego and flirting and took it for granted. Often times she bantered back when she wasn't exceedingly busy running errands for the man. And when he wasn't flirting at anything in a skirt, he was boasting about some achievement of his. And that's why when she met him at the airport; she was shocked at his behavior. He didn't seem like airhead he always was nor did he flirt. In fact, he seemed almost normal.
And with each meeting after that, he seemed more candid. She still didn't trust him as far as she could throw him but she was slowly warming up to him if the tightness in her stomach was any indication.
She laughed suddenly at the absurdity of wondering about her feelings for two very different men while a madman was after her.
There was a knock at her bedroom door that startled her so much that she almost fell off the bed.
"Nikki?"
Nicole was relieved to hear Rebecca's voice as she pressed a hand to her chest to steady her heartbeat. She stood from the bed and walked to the door to unlock the brass handle. When she opened the door, Rebecca stood there staring at her with concern written all over her face.
"Nikki, are you all right?"
"Yeah, why?"
"Well, I couldn't tell if you were laughing or crying over the music."
"Oh, I was laughing at the absurdity of the situation."
Rebecca stared at her puzzled. "Absurdity?"
"Absurdity," Nicole confirmed with a smirk.
"Care to elaborate?"
Nicole pondered for a moment, wondering if she should tell her friend about her thoughts. If anything, talking to Rebecca might do some good. "You know what, why don't you come in and I'll tell you all about it."
"Sure. Hold on! I have something for you," Rebecca exclaimed as she disappeared into her room, leaving Nicole standing in her doorway, puzzled.
When Rebecca emerged, she was carrying two drinks in plain white Styrofoam cups. She handed Nicole the heavier container along with a straw.
"What's this?"
"Taste it and see!"
Nicole stared at the cup warily.
"Nikki, it's not poisonous, I promise."
Nicole took a sip of the drink after inserting the clear plastic straw into the opaque lid.
"Mmm. You brought me a chocolate fudge milkshake from the diner!"
"Surprise! I thought a tasty treat would cheer you up," Rebecca said proudly as she sank onto Nicole's bed, drinking her own milkshake.
"How was lab?"
"Ugh, they don't pay me enough. I hate supervising chemistry lab. Can you believe I had to use the fire extinguisher tonight?"
"Uh oh. What happened?"
"One of the students knocked his notebook too close to the Bunsen burner without paying attention because he was trying to get laid. And the whole thing goes up in flames! He started smacking the fire with the first thing he got his hands on, which of course, was his lab partner's notebook. I had to spray it before it set the sprinklers off. I was so pissed," Rebecca recalled tartly.
Nicole laughed.
"It wasn't funny Nikki! He could've caught the chemicals on fire and blown up the building!"
Nicole sobered slightly. "Oh come on Becky, you have to admit if it would've happened to me, you'd be laughing your ass off."
"Of course I would."
"See?"
Rebecca rolled her eyes. "Okay, okay. So, what's up?"
Nicole paused and told Rebecca about Stuart's earlier admission.
Rebecca was quiet for a minute. "So the ginger bodyguard has the hots for you?"
"Basically, yeah."
"He imitated Chewbacca the other afternoon," Rebecca recalled as she cringed. She was not a science fiction fan in the slightest.
"Yes. He did."
"And you're considering dating him?"
"I'm not sure."
"Do you like him?"
"He's…nice. I feel a connection."
"Hm."
"What's the 'hm' about?"
Rebecca's eyes glinted in merriment. "Well…I'm just wondering what happened to Bruce."
"I was wondering how long it would take for you to bring him up."
"What? It's obvious to everyone in a hundred foot radius you like the guy. Even the headlines picked that up!"
"Ugh the headlines," Nicole cried and she fell backwards with a pillow over her face.
"Uh oh, that doesn't sound good. What happened?"
"I think every woman in Wayne Tower hates me right now. At least all the executive secretaries do. They're all so catty."
"That's because they're all so insanely jealous. And you've never been one to care what others think. Why start now?"
"I don't care what they think. It's just an inconvenience trying to interact with them."
"What did Bruce say about it?"
Nicole uncovered her face and looked at her darkly.
"Wait, he hasn't said anything about it?"
"No."
"Well, maybe he just doesn't read papers."
"Maybe."
"Do you want him to say anything about to you?"
Nicole thought for a moment. "I don't know. I just figured he'd say something about it in general. But he hasn't said a peep. I thought he'd at least joke or flirt like normal but…"
"But?"
"It's like he's been distant. He's barely said anything to me this week. None of the usual jokes or flirtation. He hasn't even given me much to do. It's like he's avoiding me."
Rebecca remained quiet for a moment. "Maybe he's trying to make things easier on you."
"What do you mean?"
"Well…he does know about what's going on. Or maybe he's trying to be a gentleman. Or maybe he's just really busy. He runs a business. But one thing is for certain," Rebecca stated, a gleam in her eye.
"What's that?"
"You wouldn't be irritated about it if you didn't like him at least a little bit," she said as she smirked.
Nicole knew she was right. Guessing about her own feelings to herself in her mind was one thing. But hearing someone else confirm her inner feelings seemed to finalize them in some way.
"Am I right?"
Nicole sighed begrudgingly.
Rebecca smirked. "So, what are you going to do about your posse of men?"
Nicole laughed at the phrasing. She wasn't sure what she was going to do about her feelings or if anything would even come of them. Right now, she wasn't even sure if she was going to live to see next week. Pushing those thoughts out of her mind and thinking positively, she promised herself that she would reexamine her feelings later, after the Calendar killer was caught.
He watched her hug herself as she stood unsurely in the balcony doorway, her posture full of fear, staring straight through the leaves into his hiding place. She bit her lip in thought and he briefly wondered if she could see him in the darkness. He knew that she was on edge; he'd seen her checking the landing and locking the door behind her. And while his instinct was to go to her, to comfort her, Batman also knew that there was no intruder in her home. If there had been, he would of heard the noise through his hearing devices.
She moved away, and he released a tense breath he never realized he'd been holding. She must have turned on a radio since he suddenly heard music, he thought maybe it was the Eagles, but he wasn't sure. He watched as she grabbed clothes from the bottom of her chest of drawers and briskly walked into another room, shutting the white door behind her. A few seconds later he heard singing in an off key voice and smirked to himself. Apparently she was a fan of singing in the shower.
Every night this week, Batman had made his way to his tree top perch to watch over Nicole after searching the warehouses in the Narrows. Typically he found her fitfully slumbering and sprawled out in her small full sized bed with the covers drawn to her chin. But tonight had been different since he'd arrived earlier than normal to find her awake and frustrated enough over her work to make her grumble audibly, causing him to grin at her reactions.
Near sunset, Batman had crept through the Narrows to the old Lanford warehouse, one of the many abandoned storage facilities on the list Lucius had so graciously provided. Once inside the barren facility, he'd covered every inch of the place before finding a new lock on an old office door. Once inside, he'd used his mini alt light source to discover past evidence of blood—lots of it from the look of the spatter patterns. He'd photographed the evidence and gathered what trace he could for Gordon. With a little luck, they might find additional evidence to the identity of their murderer. But at least now they had a location where the prior murders had taken place.
A few minutes after Nicole had plopped onto her bed, he heard footsteps on the staircase. He was about to move closer when he recognized the voice as Rebecca's. Watching as Nicole opened the door, he wasn't surprised to see the perky brunette hand Nicole a drink and fall to the bed herself. He was about to leave, knowing Nicole was in good hands, when he caught a wisp of their conversation.
He didn't mean to eavesdrop—well maybe he did—but he didn't plan to. Alfred said he'd always been much too curious for his own good, as evidenced by his fall down the well as a child. Batman knew it shouldn't bother him but his jaw automatically tightened when she mentioned Stuart and their prior conversation. Something about the young officer naturally pissed him off, but it he normally kept his feelings into check. He was surprised, however, by the conversation about him. Was Nicole admitting she felt something for him? He felt a childish elation that he knew he should suppress but for some reason, he couldn't quite squash the feeling. He didn't realize she'd taken his actions as ones of cold indifference. In truth, he just figured she didn't need to deal with any added pressure at the moment.
As the two women continued chatting, their conversation turned to Rebecca's day and he knew that it was time to abandon his post. He had to get this evidence to Gordon if there was any chance of finding the killer anytime soon. But as he jumped in the new and improved Tumbler a few blocks away, he was in a slightly better mood than when we donned his mask tonight.
"Nikki, I think everyone's going to the summer game tonight, sure you don't want to go? You are technically a student of Gotham University and it is tradition to go the practice football game against Metropolis."
"No thanks, Stu," Nicole responded as she zipped up her black flight bag. It had been a long week and it was finally Friday afternoon. Everyone had acted like she was made of glass the entire week, and even though it seemed Bruce was back to his normality yesterday, she was ready for her flight—the one thing that assuredly relieved her tension.
Stuart stood staring out the window to the parking lot below, rubbing his temples.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Stuart turned and gave a half smile. "Yeah. I've just got a killer headache."
"Would you like some Advil?"
"Ah…you know what, that'd be great. The parking lot is pretty bare today."
"Mhm," Nicole affirmed as she fished the small bottle out of a nearby cabinet. "Most of the kids that live here go to Gotham U, so I assume they're all at the game. Here you go," she said as she handed him the brown tablets.
Stuart swallowed them in one gulp. "Are you ready?"
"Yeah," Nicole replied as she picked up her heavy flight bag.
"Then let's go. It's best to leave a few minutes early with the traffic. We'll take my car."
Nicole nodded and opened the door for Stuart.
"Here, let me get that," he said, motioning to the heavy bag.
She let him take it and thanked him before she locked the door. Turning to follow him down the stairs to the parking lot, she realized that the complex really was deserted. In fact, she couldn't remember a time when the parking lot was mostly empty.
"The car's over there near the back. I had to park far out since so many people were tailgating."
Nicole nodded and followed him to the navy Crown Victoria that screamed unmarked police car. Stuart unlocked her door and opened it for her. She took her bag as she slid into the cream leather seat, feeling as if she were entering a sauna. She dug out her notebook to review last week's lesson as Stuart climbed in next to her. Before he could start the car, a knock on the driver's side window startled Nicole and she looked at Stuart uncertainly. He gave her a reassuring smile and rolled his window down.
"I'm sorry to bother you guys, but my car won't start and I'm trying to get to the game. I could use some help if you could spare a few minutes," the man outside responded. Nicole didn't know why but he seemed familiar. He wore a tight white t-shirt and was fairly tall with short dark blonde hair concealed under a Gotham Knights ball cap. And though he smiled pleasantly at the two, Nicole couldn't place his face.
Stuart seemed to hesitate for a minute before looking back at Nicole. "Sure, where are you parked?"
"Over there near the back of the lot. I had to fight for a space back there when I got home from class."
Stuart nodded at the man. "Alright." He turned his attention to Nicole. "Stay here."
Nicole watched silently as he exited the car, closing it behind him. She quickly reached over and pressed the automatic lock button. For some reason she was uneasy.
Stuart followed the man to a maroon Lexus, making small talk along the way. As he neared the car, he noticed a student placard in the window as well as an apartment pass. Still, he remained on his guard.
"Hey, if you'll grab tool kit from the trunk, I'll pop the hood," the man said.
"Sure," Stuart said as he rounded the car. Pulling open the trunk, he rummaged around for the tool kit. "So, I didn't catch your name," he mentioned.
Stuart was startled by the blur coming from around the car. Before he could react he felt a sudden burst of pain in his head and fell to the ground.
Standing over the body of the young cop the man wiped off the edge of a monkey wrench. "And I never gave you one," he said to himself. Placing the wrench in the back of his pocket, he jogged to the Crown Victoria and began shouting frantically.
Nicole put her notebook to the side as her forehead wrinkled in confusion at the new intrusion.
"Hey! Miss! You gotta help me! He just collapsed!"
Remembering Stuart's migraine, Nicole bolted out of the car, following the imposing man. Halfway through the parking lot, she could see Stuart's body sprawled on the pavement behind the Lexus.
"Oh no," she cried as she knelt down beside him. "Do you have a cell? Can you call 911?"
"Yeah, it's in my car, let me get it."
Nicole ran her hands through Stuart's hair feeling a sticky liquid. Lifting her hand, she recoiled slightly at the sight of blood that coated her palm. Staring in horror at her friend, she noticed the pool of rust that was beginning form. Before she realized what was happening, she felt the jab of the needle in her neck.
"No! You bastard! What did you do? Let go of me," she screamed as she flailed around, but it was no use, the stranger had her pinned to his body and she was losing strength quickly. The last thing Nicole uttered before darkness consumed her was, "No."