Late

Life was good, or so it appeared from Lewis Shaw's standpoint. He may have lived in a ramshackle apartment in desperate need of repair and he was just scraping by on his bills but that didn't matter. He had a steady job, his parents had finally stopped fighting, and he was going to start college in the fall. Not to mention his boyfriend of one year.

*Beep Beep Beep Beep*

Lewis rolled over and turned his alarm off and in the same motion rolled right of the edge of his bed. It was the only sure-fire way to make sure he actually woke up in the mornings. The apartment phone rang and went straight to the voicemail system. "Hey, Lew, this is Monty, just making sure you're awake. Remember, you're meeting me after work today! Love you, baby. Later."

Lewis smiled at the sound of his boyfriend's voice. There wasn't a better way to start the day. Lewis climbed to his feet and ran a hand through his slightly longer, dark brown hair in an attempt to neaten it. It didn't work. Sighing, he shook his head in a last futile attempt to tame it before leaving it alone. Ten minutes, a shower, and an epic battle with his socks while hopping down the stairs later, Lewis was grabbing his bag with his uniform and running out the door to catch the bus.

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Lewis closed and locked the doors of the little corner store he worked at and checked his watch. 7:24. He would be a couple minutes late for his date with Monty, but he didn't think his happy-go-lucky beau would really mind though. He set off down the street, twirling the keys on his fingers and whistling to some obscure Disney song. He thought it was "Love Will Find a Way."

He made it about two blocks over before a tan Civic pulled up next to him. "Hey, you need a ride?" Lewis peered at the weathered face through the rolled down window. The eyes were a little beady, but the smile was kind enough. Besides, he recognized him as a usual at the store.

"Sure," Lewis said, stepping off the sidewalk.

"Sit in the back, please, I've got my work gear up here in the passenger seat," he said.

Lewis nodded and climbed in the back. After he had buckled himself in, his blue-grey eyes met those beady near-black eyes through the rearview mirror. "I'm heading to the Italian restaurant on the corner of First and Fourth." The man didn't say anything, just shifted the car into gear and drove off.
Lewis wasn't really actively paying attention and the man was making no attempts at conversation. But his brow did furrow when they passed the restaurant. "Excuse me, sir, you just passed it…"

"I know."

Lewis met those eyes again in the rearview mirror. This time Lewis's eyes were filled with fear, and his were filled with malice. Lewis turned and started grappling with the door handle, but it was locked. And the lock was stuck. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no…." Lewis vainly slammed his fists against the window. "Somebody! Help me!" he shouted. No one seemed to hear him or even noticed. Then he remembered. The windows were tinted. What was the probability that the car was soundproofed?

His heart thudding rapidly in his chest, Lewis turned to the man again. "What do want?"

Lewis could see the maniacal smirk in the mirror. "You."

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Lewis was tied firmly to a hard wooden chair in the middle of the floor in the basement of a house several back-roads out of town. His hands were bound tightly to the arm rests at the wrists and the crease of his elbows. The coarse twine was wrapped around his chest from his shoulders almost down to his elbows.  His thighs were bound to the seat of the chair. His legs were bound at the knees and ankles. When the man had taken off his belt, Lewis had freaked out, screaming and struggling, but the man had only looped the belt through the ties at his ankles and buckled it to one of the back legs of the chair.

Now the man was trying to get him to open his mouth, but Lewis wasn't having any of that.  "Boy, you better open your mouth," the man growled. Lewis glared and shook his head defiantly. The man growled again and swung his arm as if he were going to strike Lewis. Lewis gasped in expectation and the man shoved the wadded up bandana into the boy's mouth. The bandana was swiftly followed by several layers of duct tape wrapped around his head. "Mmmph," Lewis groaned, pushing with his tongue against the gag. With a muffled growl, he tried rubbing his face against his shoulder but the duct tape was already fused to his skin.

The man took a step back and admired his handy work. "My, my, don't you look absolutely adorable!" he cooed. Lewis glared at him.

"Mmph," Lewis grunted in disagreement.

The man stepped forward again and ran his fingertips down the side of the boy's face, making him tremble and jerk away. "Sleep well, cutie, I'll see you in the morning." The man flipped the lights off as he left. The only sound in the darkness was the click of the lock on the door.

And then Lewis realized that Monty was still waiting for him.