Reduced to Ruin

Corrine, a diligent social worker, finds her structured life shattered when a routine morning takes a terrifying turn. Abducted by enigmatic strangers, she's plunged into a desperate fight for survival, her only hope a quick wit and an iron will. But as the desert miles stretch on, chilling revelations surface, hinting at a connection to her past that blurs the lines between victim and destiny. Will Corrine escape, or is she merely a pawn in a game she never knew she was playing?

The frantic click of my heels against the asphalt was the only sound cutting through the still, early morning air, save for the occasional chirp of a bird. I fumbled for my car keys, my mind already on the double-shot mocha waiting for me at Starbucks. Court was calling, and a Child Protective Services case wasn't going to wait.

Then, I saw it. A white van, illegally parked, its engine turning over with an unsettling growl. My heart hammered as the side door slid open, and a hulking figure lunged towards me. A scream tore from my throat, swallowed by the cool November air. I stumbled, fumbled, and tried to climb a brick wall, but a magnetic force pulled me back.

Strong arms gripped me, lifting me as my skin scraped raw against the bricks. A cloth clamped over my mouth, and darkness consumed me. "Don't let the perpetrator take you to a second location," echoed in my fading consciousness, a talk show warning I now understood too late.

Reduced to Ruin

Psychological Conspiracy survival Abduction Mystery