Gene lunged for Leah’s throat, but his arms had already gone heavy and useless. His thoughts were dissolving into fog. One step toward her, and his knees buckled beneath him.
Alex crawled toward the door and tried to pull back the bolt, but his fingers could no longer grip the metal. A minute later he collapsed where he was.
Leah stood in the middle of the garage and looked down at the four men spread helplessly at her feet. They were still breathing, but they had sunk into a sleep so deep it was nearly a coma.
The sedative had worked quickly and with crushing force. Everything had gone just as she hoped. Now came the part she had been planning for.
She had only a few hours before they might begin to wake. That would be enough. Leah stepped outside, scanning the dark lot for witnesses.
The garage yard was empty. The night had gone fully dark, and the cold was sharp.
She hurried home and picked up a large gym bag she had packed in advance. Inside were rope, electrical tape, a large sharpened kitchen knife, heavy rubber gloves, and a sheet of plastic.
Then she went back.
The men had not moved. Their breathing was deep and unnatural. Working quickly, Leah tied each one of them with methodical care.
She bound their hands behind their backs, tied their ankles, and then lashed them to metal support posts and pipes inside the garage so they would not be able to move when they came to.
Last, she wrapped their mouths shut with several tight layers of tape.
She worked fast, without wasted motion, without panic.
When she was done, all four were completely immobilized. Each one was fixed in place, unable to shift, unable to call for help.
Then Leah sat down on an old stool in the corner and waited. She watched the men who had brutalized her and waited for them to wake. Meanwhile the stove slowly cooled, and the garage grew colder by the minute…
