She could see light passing through it, reminding her of white-hot polka dots.

Then both men touched her.

They grabbed her by the ankles, yanking her across the floor toward the trunk. She tried to scream, shriek. She tried to tell them that something was wrong with her neck, her spine. That to move her like this might mean her never being able to walk again. She explained everything. She pleaded, cried out, unable to get through to them or anyone else, her voice mute. Mere imagination mixed with lost hope.

The two men picked her up and dropped her into the trunk like a rag doll. She watched as the lid closed over her head, hoping that they would look at her eyes as she tried to blink. She was alive, trying to blink.

She heard the latches snap shut, then felt the sensation of lift as they carried her away, through a garage and out to a sports utility vehicle that waited with its engine running. When the trunk came to a rest in the back she saw a face through the holes. Briefly. His skin was smooth and young looking. His eyes a hollow gray that matched the lifeless color of his hair spiked out in a long crew.

The face vanished and she heard the doors slam. She sensed the SUV’s movement, peering out at the light dancing on the window as they drove through the city. Minutes passed as if a short time. Buildings. Monuments. The traffic noise of the capital district fading as they reached quieter streets and finally pulled to a stop. The sound of the engine died off, followed by silence. A long stretch of silence as if she were alone with her heart pounding.

She listened for the doors, but they hadn’t opened. There was something in the background though. A lapping sound, as if they were near water. From the dank scent in the air, she thought it might be the Potomac River.

She focused on the sound of her heartbeat, hoping the two men might hear it as they sat up front without speaking. Then the doors suddenly flew open and the back gate swung down. The two men grabbed the trunk and started running. She saw the man’s face again, teeth clenched as he carried his end of the load. The sound of their shoes smacking against asphalt, then gravel, then the dead silence of grass padding their feet could only mean one thing. She tried to scream, her body bouncing up and down. They were running faster and still faster until the bounce finally stopped and she felt herself being hurled through the air.

There was a great splash.