Encounterlogs
Avis Odd Encounter Sr Aristotle 240527
Avi's ordinary weekend is abruptly interrupted by a sinister knock at the door, leading him from the comfort of his master bedroom into a chain of events that feels torn straight from a nightmare. As he ventures to answer, expecting perhaps a mundane inconvenience, the house's eerie ambiance fails to prepare him for the chilling absence on the other side of the door. This unsettling beginning is only the precursor to a more horrifying revelation; Avi encounters an intruder in his home, a masked figure who swiftly incapacitates him. Awakening in the confines of a sinister, dark van, chained and surrounded by other victims, Avi realizes the gravity of his situation: he has been abducted by a syndicate intent on selling him offworld. Despite the grim circumstances and the fear permeating the air, Avi's sharp wit and defiance remain undimmed. He attempts a daring bluff to save a fellow captive under the guise of a medical emergency, though his daring play results in the unexpected liberation of the girl.
Chaos ensues as the abductors’ plan unravels spectacularly, with Avi playing a pivotal role in their downfall. His provocations and quick thinking lead to a series of events that not only thwart the kidnappers' objectives but also attract the attention of passing vehicles and eventually the police. As the van is abandoned by its driver in a haste to escape, it crashes, allowing the captured to finally see hope of rescue. Even in the face of his captor’s desolation, Avi's resolve never wavers, showcasing his resilience and cunning. The narrative concludes with the arrival of the police and the captives' liberation, a bitter victory marred by the trauma of their experience but sweetened by the kidnappers' defeat. Avi, ever the pragmatist, insists on handling matters through his lawyer, leaving the scene with a chilling promise of retribution to his incapacitated captor, marking an end to an ordeal that tested the limits of his fortitude and cunning.
(Avi's odd encounter(SRAristotle):SRAristotle)
[Sun May 26 2024]
In the Master Bedroom of an eerie colonial building
The lavish master bedroom offers a large, queen sized bed on a frame of thick wood. Each side of the bed features an antique night stand, making it quite comfortable and classy all-in-all. A corner couch with a coffee table - paired with a modern coffee machine offering a touch display and a wide selection of teas - make for a comfortable place to sit, right in-front of the windows that show the vistas of the north side of Haven and the harbor. Across the windows an antique desk offers a laptop computer, completed with a massive, plush leather desk chair.
It is noon, about 68F(20C) degrees,
(Your target has been abducted by the syndicate for potential sale offworld, they must escape or stall their abductors long enough for their allies to be able to come rescue them before the transaction can take place.
)
OOC: Hello! Go ahead and emote what you were up to, and we'll get started!
Lounging on the bed in lazy weekend mode, Avi finishes writing a lengthy text to Mikhael about how weird his girlfriend is and finishes it up with a reminder that they need to discuss tuxedos by Elanora's request. Firing that off, Avi drops his phone onto the bed, running a hand through his hair and blinking, bleary-eyed, as if not quite certain what, if anything, needs doing at the moment.
The laziest of weekends give way to a comfortable lounge on a bed, even if it's minutely interrupted by dutiful and lengthy text obligation. It's quiet in the home - save for the creaks the house makes when it talks to itself, or the doors that seem to open on their own. A gust of wind, perhaps, but nothing Avi wouldn't have experienced before by just being present there. The only thing that ultimately breaks up the silence in the home, is a slow knocking from deeper in the home, likely a guest at the front door.
"Babe...!" Avi shouts lazily, not moving, but when no response comes from Ari, Avi makes some small sounds of angsty laziness interrupted then swings his legs off the side of the bed, heading out of the bedroom and toward the sound of the knocking, be it at the front door or otherwise. The creaking of the old colonial is certified creepy, that much is true, but it's the middle of the afternoon and even someone terrified by horror movies - like Avi - doesn't pay the unsettling ambiance much attention when the sun is shining. "Who is it?" he calls out irritably. "And have you considered that Jesus Christ doesn't actually want to be found?"
There is no response from Ari as Avi petitions him to wake. And instead, the journey through the home to the front door is made. The creaks and moans of the home continue to resound periodically, though none seem to be prompted by Avi's footsteps. The home continues to speak on its own. When he does arrive to the door to speak through it, there is no verbal response. Instead, another knock - slow as the first as it petitions Avi to answer.
"Oh fuck's sake," Avi grumbles, reaching for the door handle to finally ascertain who is interrupting his lazy Sunday afternoon with their incessant knocking. He glances back over his shoulder briefly, perhaps hoping his boyfriend might magically appear to deal with this in his stead, but the only greeting from within the house is more of that ominous creaking. On his own, Avi turns the knob and looks outside.
That glance behind him reveals that Avi is alone - no magically appearing boyfriend to save him from a social interaction. The door is opened, probably reluctantly given Avi's irritability, and it's revealed that there is no one on the other side. Depending on how studiously Avi checks, anyway. The door opens to reveal the sunny afternoon on the other side, the cars in the driveway, the road beyond and... nothing else. Perhaps it was a neighboring child playing 'ding-dong-ditch' with the resident creepy house on the corner.
"I'm so glad I don't have kids," Avi congratulates himself for his life choices as he looks around, past the parked cars, and, upon seeing nothing out of the ordinary, slowly half-closes the door - only to suddenly fling it back open, as if expecting to find someone trying to sneak away.
That studious search from Avi reveals nothing, and the slow-door fake-out reveals... also nothing. No one is there - either they never were and the house were playing tricks, or whomever it was is swift on their feet. There's another creek that can be heard from in the home - like footsteps, but given the home's tendency for noises, it's not something that would be considered noteworthy. Though, there is a slight gust of air that can be felt from behind Avi. It could have come from the sudden opening of the door after the slow-fakeout, or maybe there's a window open somewhere in a room behind him. At any rate, whomever was knocking on the front door isn't there anymore.
With nothing to see out front, Avi finally closes the door, locking the bottom lock while frowning slightly in thought. He turns then, as if to head back in the direction he came from, but instead he moves deeper into the house, perhaps searching to see if there actually is a window open, or perhaps just creeped out enough to do a quick walk through to assure himself that he is, in fact, the only one wandering the house at the moment. Whatever the reason, Avi makes his way down the hall and toward the kitchen, his eyes narrowed slightly in vague suspicion as he skims the room. "You're being ridiculous," he tells himself aloud, breaking the silence.
Assuredly, nothing was out front. There's still a bit of a wind that moves through the home, and with how the bay can be heard more clearly, it's safe to infer that there is a window open somewhere. The home seems a bit more vocal. Creeks and doors that close - though quieter than they do on their own. And, then, there's the sensation of being watched that begins to instill in Avi. Paranoia, certainly - that would be the easiest explanation. But, it's Haven. Avi's words break the silence as he moves towards the kitchen, but when he turns to leave he's bumped into a large figure. There is a man in the home - larger than his boyfriend and given the mask he wears it's safe to assume he wasn't actually invited. He doesn't speak, and there's only a beat of time that would pass for Avi to think or respond or otherwise react, before this man is lashing out with a blow to Avi's temple with an object he had obscured behind his back.
Freezing when the larger man appears in front of him, Avi only has time for a single thought that distinctly conveys his disdain for the intruder before he's suddenly bashed in the side of the head. With no time to defend or deflect, the arrogant young goth crumples to the floor, unconcious.
However long it has been since Avi was rendered unconscious is unknown. When he wakes again, it's to the rumbling sensation of being in motion over the quiet roar of an engine. When his eyes open, it's darkness he first sees - but it takes him a moment to adjust to the darkness. There's no windows - the walls are ridged - the sensation bumpy - and soon awareness reveals to him that he's in the back of a van. At first glance it would feel like a uhaul van that leaves the back wide open, but the front blocked so as to not bother the drivers. Should he aim to move his hand, he'd find the motion restricted via a rusty chain, and then the most obvious of things to note: He is not alone. There are a few other individuals chained attached to the wall of the van, secured like he, as they are transported. The ride is silent to wherever their destination is, but it's broken by a few quiet sobs of the other victims and the quiet murmuring from the drivers that can be heard as they speak to themselves.
"Motherfuck," Avi swears under his breath, yanking the chain fruitlessly while glaring in the darknesss, trying to figure out what the chain is attached to. He reaches up to gingerly prod his temple where he'd been struck, then looks down at his fingers, expecting to see blood. At the same time, he takes in his surroundings, subconsciously drawing away from the nearby victims, assured even in these dire circumstances that he is not like Them, whatever they might have in common in the moment. "Shut up, you're too loud," he hisses at the nearest sobbing person, shifting in place to get as close to the front as possible, his head turned to try and catch whatever snippets of the drivers' conversation he can glean before they reach their destination.
His temple is sore. Not bleeding, but it stings to touch it. Certainly, a little bruise might be threatening to form. As he admonishes the sobbing person, it seems only to worsen their mood. They try to silence themselves, but the sensation of hopelessness has them buckling and starting to break down. To make matters worse, it's difficult for Avi to get close to the front from where he's chained. The chain itself is attached to the side of the van - built in on a little hook, though visually more similar to a belt loop than an actual hook. It seems Avi might be one of the last ones who were picked up, considering how close he is to the back of the van than the front where the drivers are. But, he's a bit more perceptive than most - setting his attention to the drivers and their quiet murmurings, there's a few words he's able to pick up: Auction. Offworld. Fae. And, as one of the drivers lift their hand to scratch at their head, through the grate the separates the front and the back he's able to ascertain a symbol etched into his clothing. Looks terribly similar to that of the Syndicate.
"If your snot has chain-dissolving capabilities, then by all means, keep leaking all over yourself," Avi tells the sobbing victim caustically. "Otherwise, shut up." His eyes gleam dark and green in the low light as he stares, before abruptly turning his attention back toward the drivers. Exhaling sharply through his teeth, Avi takes a deep breath, then bangs on the side of the van with his chained fist, trying to draw their captors' attention. "One of these girls isn't breathing," he calls out loudly. "We need help back here, and it's not like you're going to get your money's worth if you turn up with good past their use-by date," he adds, likely with some experience with Syndicate snatchers and their profit-ccentric business model.
"Fuck you," Is the quiet reply from the sobbing victim that Avi callously replies to. The suffering that builds in the van, collectively, is close to euphoric for those that are sensitive to that. His words reach the driver pretty easily. One looks back to him through the rearview mirror. Dark, uncaring eyes connect with Avi and regard to him with little concern for whomever isn't breathing. But, the hit to his wallet seems like motivation enough. He speaks a command to his passenger before his eyes turn back to the road. He does not pull over. The passenger steps into the back of the van, moving through the gate with a bit of effort - walking through the obstruction like it weren't there to begin with. Pathing - and an acute expertise of it if this person was able to do so with little effort... that would certainly explain how he was able to access the home. The open window was likely just an oversight, it seems. "...Who?" He asks, voice deep and demanding as he peers to Avi.
"That one, there," Avi points to a a girl nearby, but it's the pathing Syndicate goon he keeps his eyes on, their dark color tinged with gold as he continues speaking, his words acerbic, impatient, and yet oddly compelling as he says, "Unchain me so I can help, I'm a medical student, and she'll die if you don't listen - so free me unless you want to explain to your handlers why the funds are short." It's hardly a compelling argument, but the girl he's pointing at is either unconscious or has cried herself to sleep, so it's not entirely outside the realm of possiblity that she's in some sort of distress. It's not merely the words that Avi is counting on to sway the kidnapper, but rather the intense eye-contact he is maintaining.
The girl that Avi pointed out - luckily for him, has simply cried herself to sleep. She is breathing. But, it's hard to tell given how rumbly the van moves down the road - the motion masks out her breathing with remarkable ease. The man looks to Avi, contemplatively - suspiciously, but he does nothing to respond to him. He looks over the 'non-breathing' girl, and the turns back to the driver. Through the grate, he speaks quietly, motioning back to her. There's a length exchange, before ultimately the van starts to slow to a halt at the side of the road. "No." The pathing man states, looking to Avi now. "She will be dumped out on the road for the vultures." He says. The driver then exits the car, and as he walks around he then opens the back of the van. From the light that floods in, it takes a moment for the eyes to adjust - but, they're still in Haven, on Mariner's Highway off of the road on a dirt one that takes them closer to the forest. It seems the van will likely continue the trek offworld to The Other, if their earlier conversation is any indication of where they're going. As the light floods in, some of the others begin to begin for release, but they're ignored. Instead, the driver steps into the back, smacks one of the begging victims with his gun, and then begins to work on unchaining the sleeping girl, whom they haven't yet noticed is breathing, to begin dumping her out of the van.
"Well that's stupid," Avi opines, unasked, as the sleeping girl is dumped out of the van so close to town and potential rescue, but he doesn't offer any clarification, allowing the Syndicate goon to go about their business. "While we're stopped, how about we skip the auction part of the process, and I just pay you for your time?" he offers. "I can pay you right now, and you can just say I escaped, pocket the entire amount for yourselves. Who's going to know?"
As they drag the slumbering girl off the road, they're unceremonious about it. She stirs, but not vocally so. The men who have proven their captors snort at Avi's request. "I doubt you can afford even half the penny we're going to get from you, boy." the driver says to Avi. "You're gonna be sold in the Other. And then sold from there. Probably straight to the Fae who will make you into pretty little playthings for their... whatever thef fuck they do." He says. "And no one will ever find you. No one will miss you. No one will look for you." He says. It's clear he doesn't know the significance of Avi's family ties, and he doesn't care. The girl gets dumped out, and she hits the ground with a thud as the men throw her. That startles her awake with a yelp and a groan of pain. Her noise causes both of the men to turn to her, and they begin shouting commands to eachother as they gesture towards her. Her awareness doesn't return to her as quickly as one would hope, but when she registers she's not far from a town, on a highway that is bound to have a passing car soon, she starts to scream - very loudly, and she scrambles up to take off down the road. The driver shoves the passenger, and he takes off after her.
Pinching the bridge of his nose as the situation becomes that much more farcicle all of a sudden, he turns his attention toward the one who takes off running behind the girl, focusing intently. While Avi can't rely on his family name to save him this time, he still seems to have a few tricks up his sleeve, and he does what he can to give the girl running the best chance possible to make it to safety, before turning his attention back to the driver who remains. "How long until you think he gives up? Long enough that the police notice all the screaming and your suspicious pedo van and come to investigate?"
Abruptly, Avi says, "I need to pee."
"Shut up!" The driver spits out at Avi as he turns his attention to the situation that seems, for him anyway, to have taken a nose dive. He watches his passenger take after the girl. She screams, and approaching cars on the highway begin to slowdown at the commotion. Now, there are eyes on the scene all because they believed, based on Avi's words, that this girl was not breathing. The passenger's attempts begin to slow as he starts to move with less coordination on his feet. He's lightheaded - despite the high intensity of the situation, he stumbles and falls for a moment. He's forced to take a breath. More cars on either side of the highway now have begun to slow, and it's likely that from certain vantage points that bystanders would now see chained individuals in the back of the open van. The sheer fuckery of the situation going so far into hell that it would touch a level that even Dante has yet to peruse. The driver, in a lapse of judgment, pulls out his gun and begins to fire at literally everyone. Not the captives, but at the cars that slow to watch. The fear of getting shot has causes a commotion as several of them now speed off. He fires at the girl, but misses and instead strikes his comrade. He unloads his clip, missing every shot which is likely a byproduct of sanctuary, save for the accidental ones that ricochet and strike his comrade. The most unprofessional kidnapping is on the border of turning comical. "Fuck it. We're moving on without them!" He says, tossing his empty gun into the back before closing the door and making his way to the driver's side again.
"Wait, I need to pee," Avi calls out a reminder, banging on the van's side again. "Is this a rental? Do you know how much they charge if people pee in here?" he asks, but at this point, even chained to the van and having to share space with teary-eyed victims, Avi is somewhat amused at how terribly this has gone. "If we wind up at his destination before the cops arrive - be as noncooperative as you can without getting yourself hurt," Avi coaches those nearby. "Pretend to be asleep, or that you're injured. The point is to drag the time on long enough for help to arrive. Don't give up hope, there are witnesses now."
As the van starts up again, the driver jerkily peels off and begins to barrel down the road. It seems Avi's claim that someone was injured as wasted enough of this kidnappers time that now his comrade is bullet-ridden, one of the merchandise has escaped, and there's witnesses abound. And, Haven is such a small town, that it doesn't take long for sirens to be heard in the distance. The driver is a series of, "Shit, shit shit!'s" and as Avi calls out he turns back to swear at him. "Shut the fuck up before I put a fucking bullet in your skull!" He spits out, threatening. Unfortunately, it's a threat hard to follow up on since he threw his gun, which he presumed to be empty, in the back with the victims. He turns back to the road, speeding off and leaving such a cloud of dust behind him that's it's essentially a breadcrumb for the police to follow if they get here in time. For the first time since this started, the suffering in the air starts to lessen as hope begins to fill. Some of the others begin to complain about being injured, and it's a cacophony in the air that pulls at the driver's attention as he tries to drown it out.
"Sorry, sorry," Avi apologizes when the driver threatens to shoot him. "I didn't realize you had a gun, since I have your gun," Avi explains calmly, reaching for the gun the driver tossed in the back before pulling off, and rapping it loudly against the side of the speeding van. "You know, we could both be at home watching Spongebob in our pajamas, but you just had to wake up and choose bullshit," Avi comments. "My advice? Pull over to the side of the road and make a run for it - you can path, right? It's better than getting shot by a wannabe-hero cop, and let's face it, this whole...situation... is going nowhere, fast."
The revelation that Avi has the gun now, which the driver presumed to have been empty, pulls his attention. He sets his eyes to the rear view mirror, locking eyes with Avi before looking back to the road that he drives at high speed down a dirt road that isn't straight enough for him to be going this fast. The sirens get louder. This man is sweating, now - panicked at his much of this has gone to shit. He hears Avi's advice though, and he doesn't silence him like he did before. He seems to seriously consider cutting his losses. He's silent, eyes bug-eyed on the road he drives down, deeper and deeper into the forest on the way to the gate. He unclips his seatbelt, foot still pressed down on the petal, and then... he opens the drivers side and jumps out. Not the smartest escape plan, but nothing about this kidnapping outside of the initial acquisition has been very smart. He didn't let go of the steering wheel when he jumped out, though, causing the van to turn sharply in his direction, and as he hits the ground in his attempt to flee, the van goes over an auspicious bump that causes some thudding under the van, before another bump as whatever... or whoever, was hit is is now meeting the rear tires. Another auspicious moment? The 'surprise speed bump' slowed the van down enough that when it hit a nearby tree, which it certainly did, it was no longer at high speed. The crash is loud and the lurch sudden and painful, but it doesn't look like there will be injuries. At least, not for Avi.
The sirens in the distance get louder and louder, and it's evident that the police are just up the road.
While Avi is still processing just how badly the kidnapper's day has gone - and how much worse it has just ended - the van hits the tree and he's jerked forward and back, no seatbelt or even seat to support him as he and the rest of the unwilling passengers are tossed forward and back. Broken bones no, but whiplash? Likely. "The police are coming, gather yourselves," he advises with the last reserves of his patience, tossing the gun aside to wait. "What a gods bedamned day," he bitches under his breath, waiting for a rescue that cannot possibly come fast enough.
It can't come fast enough, but it does ultimately come. As the door to the now smoking van is opened, light from outside floods in and as the eyes adjust, an officer with the HSD can be seen. "...Holy shit..." He says under his breath as he looks at the scene. "...Alright, you guys are safe now." He says. There's a moaning from outside that can be heard, before it turns to a grief-striken yell of, "...I can't feel my legs!" It seems the driver, when he bailed, inadvertantly put himself in a position to be ran over, and he likely was left with permanent scars that would render him non-functioning from the waist down. He wails, and his suffering is sweet - perhaps one aspect of an otherwise shit day. Avi is able to leave with some certainty, though - if it weren't for him being targeted and apprehended, none of these victims would have ever seen the light of day again. It isn't long before the officers start undo the binds that restrain them in the van.
"Took you long enough," Avi notes, sounding unimpressed and never one to let relief stop him from voicing his displeasure. "Can you radio Officer Wilson and let him know I need a ride home? I'll give a statement via my lawyer on Monday," he advises, firmly preempting any requests to 'come down to the station'. Once freed from the chains, Avi exits the back of the van, looking down at the driver who is suffering on the ground and in dire need of medical attention, giving the kidnapper a grim smile. "Enjoy prison, and know once you're out, I'll have nursed this grudge into immortality."
One by one, the captives are freed, and the melodic backdrop that supports the entire occurrence is the moans and wails of the now crippled kidnapper. The officer nods to Avi at his requests, dutifully raidioing everything in, while also calling for additional backup for hospital transport for the once captives. The driver, and he's spoken to, responds only with tears at how awfully this entire experience has gone for him. Additional police arrive to the scene, as well as an ambulance and the requested-by-name Officer, and soon the scene is dealt with as everyone is ushered away.
OOC: And that's that! Thanks for spending the time with me. If you have a preference of where to be dropped off, let me know!
Chaos ensues as the abductors’ plan unravels spectacularly, with Avi playing a pivotal role in their downfall. His provocations and quick thinking lead to a series of events that not only thwart the kidnappers' objectives but also attract the attention of passing vehicles and eventually the police. As the van is abandoned by its driver in a haste to escape, it crashes, allowing the captured to finally see hope of rescue. Even in the face of his captor’s desolation, Avi's resolve never wavers, showcasing his resilience and cunning. The narrative concludes with the arrival of the police and the captives' liberation, a bitter victory marred by the trauma of their experience but sweetened by the kidnappers' defeat. Avi, ever the pragmatist, insists on handling matters through his lawyer, leaving the scene with a chilling promise of retribution to his incapacitated captor, marking an end to an ordeal that tested the limits of his fortitude and cunning.
(Avi's odd encounter(SRAristotle):SRAristotle)
[Sun May 26 2024]
In the Master Bedroom of an eerie colonial building
The lavish master bedroom offers a large, queen sized bed on a frame of thick wood. Each side of the bed features an antique night stand, making it quite comfortable and classy all-in-all. A corner couch with a coffee table - paired with a modern coffee machine offering a touch display and a wide selection of teas - make for a comfortable place to sit, right in-front of the windows that show the vistas of the north side of Haven and the harbor. Across the windows an antique desk offers a laptop computer, completed with a massive, plush leather desk chair.
It is noon, about 68F(20C) degrees,
(Your target has been abducted by the syndicate for potential sale offworld, they must escape or stall their abductors long enough for their allies to be able to come rescue them before the transaction can take place.
)
OOC: Hello! Go ahead and emote what you were up to, and we'll get started!
Lounging on the bed in lazy weekend mode, Avi finishes writing a lengthy text to Mikhael about how weird his girlfriend is and finishes it up with a reminder that they need to discuss tuxedos by Elanora's request. Firing that off, Avi drops his phone onto the bed, running a hand through his hair and blinking, bleary-eyed, as if not quite certain what, if anything, needs doing at the moment.
The laziest of weekends give way to a comfortable lounge on a bed, even if it's minutely interrupted by dutiful and lengthy text obligation. It's quiet in the home - save for the creaks the house makes when it talks to itself, or the doors that seem to open on their own. A gust of wind, perhaps, but nothing Avi wouldn't have experienced before by just being present there. The only thing that ultimately breaks up the silence in the home, is a slow knocking from deeper in the home, likely a guest at the front door.
"Babe...!" Avi shouts lazily, not moving, but when no response comes from Ari, Avi makes some small sounds of angsty laziness interrupted then swings his legs off the side of the bed, heading out of the bedroom and toward the sound of the knocking, be it at the front door or otherwise. The creaking of the old colonial is certified creepy, that much is true, but it's the middle of the afternoon and even someone terrified by horror movies - like Avi - doesn't pay the unsettling ambiance much attention when the sun is shining. "Who is it?" he calls out irritably. "And have you considered that Jesus Christ doesn't actually want to be found?"
There is no response from Ari as Avi petitions him to wake. And instead, the journey through the home to the front door is made. The creaks and moans of the home continue to resound periodically, though none seem to be prompted by Avi's footsteps. The home continues to speak on its own. When he does arrive to the door to speak through it, there is no verbal response. Instead, another knock - slow as the first as it petitions Avi to answer.
"Oh fuck's sake," Avi grumbles, reaching for the door handle to finally ascertain who is interrupting his lazy Sunday afternoon with their incessant knocking. He glances back over his shoulder briefly, perhaps hoping his boyfriend might magically appear to deal with this in his stead, but the only greeting from within the house is more of that ominous creaking. On his own, Avi turns the knob and looks outside.
That glance behind him reveals that Avi is alone - no magically appearing boyfriend to save him from a social interaction. The door is opened, probably reluctantly given Avi's irritability, and it's revealed that there is no one on the other side. Depending on how studiously Avi checks, anyway. The door opens to reveal the sunny afternoon on the other side, the cars in the driveway, the road beyond and... nothing else. Perhaps it was a neighboring child playing 'ding-dong-ditch' with the resident creepy house on the corner.
"I'm so glad I don't have kids," Avi congratulates himself for his life choices as he looks around, past the parked cars, and, upon seeing nothing out of the ordinary, slowly half-closes the door - only to suddenly fling it back open, as if expecting to find someone trying to sneak away.
That studious search from Avi reveals nothing, and the slow-door fake-out reveals... also nothing. No one is there - either they never were and the house were playing tricks, or whomever it was is swift on their feet. There's another creek that can be heard from in the home - like footsteps, but given the home's tendency for noises, it's not something that would be considered noteworthy. Though, there is a slight gust of air that can be felt from behind Avi. It could have come from the sudden opening of the door after the slow-fakeout, or maybe there's a window open somewhere in a room behind him. At any rate, whomever was knocking on the front door isn't there anymore.
With nothing to see out front, Avi finally closes the door, locking the bottom lock while frowning slightly in thought. He turns then, as if to head back in the direction he came from, but instead he moves deeper into the house, perhaps searching to see if there actually is a window open, or perhaps just creeped out enough to do a quick walk through to assure himself that he is, in fact, the only one wandering the house at the moment. Whatever the reason, Avi makes his way down the hall and toward the kitchen, his eyes narrowed slightly in vague suspicion as he skims the room. "You're being ridiculous," he tells himself aloud, breaking the silence.
Assuredly, nothing was out front. There's still a bit of a wind that moves through the home, and with how the bay can be heard more clearly, it's safe to infer that there is a window open somewhere. The home seems a bit more vocal. Creeks and doors that close - though quieter than they do on their own. And, then, there's the sensation of being watched that begins to instill in Avi. Paranoia, certainly - that would be the easiest explanation. But, it's Haven. Avi's words break the silence as he moves towards the kitchen, but when he turns to leave he's bumped into a large figure. There is a man in the home - larger than his boyfriend and given the mask he wears it's safe to assume he wasn't actually invited. He doesn't speak, and there's only a beat of time that would pass for Avi to think or respond or otherwise react, before this man is lashing out with a blow to Avi's temple with an object he had obscured behind his back.
Freezing when the larger man appears in front of him, Avi only has time for a single thought that distinctly conveys his disdain for the intruder before he's suddenly bashed in the side of the head. With no time to defend or deflect, the arrogant young goth crumples to the floor, unconcious.
However long it has been since Avi was rendered unconscious is unknown. When he wakes again, it's to the rumbling sensation of being in motion over the quiet roar of an engine. When his eyes open, it's darkness he first sees - but it takes him a moment to adjust to the darkness. There's no windows - the walls are ridged - the sensation bumpy - and soon awareness reveals to him that he's in the back of a van. At first glance it would feel like a uhaul van that leaves the back wide open, but the front blocked so as to not bother the drivers. Should he aim to move his hand, he'd find the motion restricted via a rusty chain, and then the most obvious of things to note: He is not alone. There are a few other individuals chained attached to the wall of the van, secured like he, as they are transported. The ride is silent to wherever their destination is, but it's broken by a few quiet sobs of the other victims and the quiet murmuring from the drivers that can be heard as they speak to themselves.
"Motherfuck," Avi swears under his breath, yanking the chain fruitlessly while glaring in the darknesss, trying to figure out what the chain is attached to. He reaches up to gingerly prod his temple where he'd been struck, then looks down at his fingers, expecting to see blood. At the same time, he takes in his surroundings, subconsciously drawing away from the nearby victims, assured even in these dire circumstances that he is not like Them, whatever they might have in common in the moment. "Shut up, you're too loud," he hisses at the nearest sobbing person, shifting in place to get as close to the front as possible, his head turned to try and catch whatever snippets of the drivers' conversation he can glean before they reach their destination.
His temple is sore. Not bleeding, but it stings to touch it. Certainly, a little bruise might be threatening to form. As he admonishes the sobbing person, it seems only to worsen their mood. They try to silence themselves, but the sensation of hopelessness has them buckling and starting to break down. To make matters worse, it's difficult for Avi to get close to the front from where he's chained. The chain itself is attached to the side of the van - built in on a little hook, though visually more similar to a belt loop than an actual hook. It seems Avi might be one of the last ones who were picked up, considering how close he is to the back of the van than the front where the drivers are. But, he's a bit more perceptive than most - setting his attention to the drivers and their quiet murmurings, there's a few words he's able to pick up: Auction. Offworld. Fae. And, as one of the drivers lift their hand to scratch at their head, through the grate the separates the front and the back he's able to ascertain a symbol etched into his clothing. Looks terribly similar to that of the Syndicate.
"If your snot has chain-dissolving capabilities, then by all means, keep leaking all over yourself," Avi tells the sobbing victim caustically. "Otherwise, shut up." His eyes gleam dark and green in the low light as he stares, before abruptly turning his attention back toward the drivers. Exhaling sharply through his teeth, Avi takes a deep breath, then bangs on the side of the van with his chained fist, trying to draw their captors' attention. "One of these girls isn't breathing," he calls out loudly. "We need help back here, and it's not like you're going to get your money's worth if you turn up with good past their use-by date," he adds, likely with some experience with Syndicate snatchers and their profit-ccentric business model.
"Fuck you," Is the quiet reply from the sobbing victim that Avi callously replies to. The suffering that builds in the van, collectively, is close to euphoric for those that are sensitive to that. His words reach the driver pretty easily. One looks back to him through the rearview mirror. Dark, uncaring eyes connect with Avi and regard to him with little concern for whomever isn't breathing. But, the hit to his wallet seems like motivation enough. He speaks a command to his passenger before his eyes turn back to the road. He does not pull over. The passenger steps into the back of the van, moving through the gate with a bit of effort - walking through the obstruction like it weren't there to begin with. Pathing - and an acute expertise of it if this person was able to do so with little effort... that would certainly explain how he was able to access the home. The open window was likely just an oversight, it seems. "...Who?" He asks, voice deep and demanding as he peers to Avi.
"That one, there," Avi points to a a girl nearby, but it's the pathing Syndicate goon he keeps his eyes on, their dark color tinged with gold as he continues speaking, his words acerbic, impatient, and yet oddly compelling as he says, "Unchain me so I can help, I'm a medical student, and she'll die if you don't listen - so free me unless you want to explain to your handlers why the funds are short." It's hardly a compelling argument, but the girl he's pointing at is either unconscious or has cried herself to sleep, so it's not entirely outside the realm of possiblity that she's in some sort of distress. It's not merely the words that Avi is counting on to sway the kidnapper, but rather the intense eye-contact he is maintaining.
The girl that Avi pointed out - luckily for him, has simply cried herself to sleep. She is breathing. But, it's hard to tell given how rumbly the van moves down the road - the motion masks out her breathing with remarkable ease. The man looks to Avi, contemplatively - suspiciously, but he does nothing to respond to him. He looks over the 'non-breathing' girl, and the turns back to the driver. Through the grate, he speaks quietly, motioning back to her. There's a length exchange, before ultimately the van starts to slow to a halt at the side of the road. "No." The pathing man states, looking to Avi now. "She will be dumped out on the road for the vultures." He says. The driver then exits the car, and as he walks around he then opens the back of the van. From the light that floods in, it takes a moment for the eyes to adjust - but, they're still in Haven, on Mariner's Highway off of the road on a dirt one that takes them closer to the forest. It seems the van will likely continue the trek offworld to The Other, if their earlier conversation is any indication of where they're going. As the light floods in, some of the others begin to begin for release, but they're ignored. Instead, the driver steps into the back, smacks one of the begging victims with his gun, and then begins to work on unchaining the sleeping girl, whom they haven't yet noticed is breathing, to begin dumping her out of the van.
"Well that's stupid," Avi opines, unasked, as the sleeping girl is dumped out of the van so close to town and potential rescue, but he doesn't offer any clarification, allowing the Syndicate goon to go about their business. "While we're stopped, how about we skip the auction part of the process, and I just pay you for your time?" he offers. "I can pay you right now, and you can just say I escaped, pocket the entire amount for yourselves. Who's going to know?"
As they drag the slumbering girl off the road, they're unceremonious about it. She stirs, but not vocally so. The men who have proven their captors snort at Avi's request. "I doubt you can afford even half the penny we're going to get from you, boy." the driver says to Avi. "You're gonna be sold in the Other. And then sold from there. Probably straight to the Fae who will make you into pretty little playthings for their... whatever thef fuck they do." He says. "And no one will ever find you. No one will miss you. No one will look for you." He says. It's clear he doesn't know the significance of Avi's family ties, and he doesn't care. The girl gets dumped out, and she hits the ground with a thud as the men throw her. That startles her awake with a yelp and a groan of pain. Her noise causes both of the men to turn to her, and they begin shouting commands to eachother as they gesture towards her. Her awareness doesn't return to her as quickly as one would hope, but when she registers she's not far from a town, on a highway that is bound to have a passing car soon, she starts to scream - very loudly, and she scrambles up to take off down the road. The driver shoves the passenger, and he takes off after her.
Pinching the bridge of his nose as the situation becomes that much more farcicle all of a sudden, he turns his attention toward the one who takes off running behind the girl, focusing intently. While Avi can't rely on his family name to save him this time, he still seems to have a few tricks up his sleeve, and he does what he can to give the girl running the best chance possible to make it to safety, before turning his attention back to the driver who remains. "How long until you think he gives up? Long enough that the police notice all the screaming and your suspicious pedo van and come to investigate?"
Abruptly, Avi says, "I need to pee."
"Shut up!" The driver spits out at Avi as he turns his attention to the situation that seems, for him anyway, to have taken a nose dive. He watches his passenger take after the girl. She screams, and approaching cars on the highway begin to slowdown at the commotion. Now, there are eyes on the scene all because they believed, based on Avi's words, that this girl was not breathing. The passenger's attempts begin to slow as he starts to move with less coordination on his feet. He's lightheaded - despite the high intensity of the situation, he stumbles and falls for a moment. He's forced to take a breath. More cars on either side of the highway now have begun to slow, and it's likely that from certain vantage points that bystanders would now see chained individuals in the back of the open van. The sheer fuckery of the situation going so far into hell that it would touch a level that even Dante has yet to peruse. The driver, in a lapse of judgment, pulls out his gun and begins to fire at literally everyone. Not the captives, but at the cars that slow to watch. The fear of getting shot has causes a commotion as several of them now speed off. He fires at the girl, but misses and instead strikes his comrade. He unloads his clip, missing every shot which is likely a byproduct of sanctuary, save for the accidental ones that ricochet and strike his comrade. The most unprofessional kidnapping is on the border of turning comical. "Fuck it. We're moving on without them!" He says, tossing his empty gun into the back before closing the door and making his way to the driver's side again.
"Wait, I need to pee," Avi calls out a reminder, banging on the van's side again. "Is this a rental? Do you know how much they charge if people pee in here?" he asks, but at this point, even chained to the van and having to share space with teary-eyed victims, Avi is somewhat amused at how terribly this has gone. "If we wind up at his destination before the cops arrive - be as noncooperative as you can without getting yourself hurt," Avi coaches those nearby. "Pretend to be asleep, or that you're injured. The point is to drag the time on long enough for help to arrive. Don't give up hope, there are witnesses now."
As the van starts up again, the driver jerkily peels off and begins to barrel down the road. It seems Avi's claim that someone was injured as wasted enough of this kidnappers time that now his comrade is bullet-ridden, one of the merchandise has escaped, and there's witnesses abound. And, Haven is such a small town, that it doesn't take long for sirens to be heard in the distance. The driver is a series of, "Shit, shit shit!'s" and as Avi calls out he turns back to swear at him. "Shut the fuck up before I put a fucking bullet in your skull!" He spits out, threatening. Unfortunately, it's a threat hard to follow up on since he threw his gun, which he presumed to be empty, in the back with the victims. He turns back to the road, speeding off and leaving such a cloud of dust behind him that's it's essentially a breadcrumb for the police to follow if they get here in time. For the first time since this started, the suffering in the air starts to lessen as hope begins to fill. Some of the others begin to complain about being injured, and it's a cacophony in the air that pulls at the driver's attention as he tries to drown it out.
"Sorry, sorry," Avi apologizes when the driver threatens to shoot him. "I didn't realize you had a gun, since I have your gun," Avi explains calmly, reaching for the gun the driver tossed in the back before pulling off, and rapping it loudly against the side of the speeding van. "You know, we could both be at home watching Spongebob in our pajamas, but you just had to wake up and choose bullshit," Avi comments. "My advice? Pull over to the side of the road and make a run for it - you can path, right? It's better than getting shot by a wannabe-hero cop, and let's face it, this whole...situation... is going nowhere, fast."
The revelation that Avi has the gun now, which the driver presumed to have been empty, pulls his attention. He sets his eyes to the rear view mirror, locking eyes with Avi before looking back to the road that he drives at high speed down a dirt road that isn't straight enough for him to be going this fast. The sirens get louder. This man is sweating, now - panicked at his much of this has gone to shit. He hears Avi's advice though, and he doesn't silence him like he did before. He seems to seriously consider cutting his losses. He's silent, eyes bug-eyed on the road he drives down, deeper and deeper into the forest on the way to the gate. He unclips his seatbelt, foot still pressed down on the petal, and then... he opens the drivers side and jumps out. Not the smartest escape plan, but nothing about this kidnapping outside of the initial acquisition has been very smart. He didn't let go of the steering wheel when he jumped out, though, causing the van to turn sharply in his direction, and as he hits the ground in his attempt to flee, the van goes over an auspicious bump that causes some thudding under the van, before another bump as whatever... or whoever, was hit is is now meeting the rear tires. Another auspicious moment? The 'surprise speed bump' slowed the van down enough that when it hit a nearby tree, which it certainly did, it was no longer at high speed. The crash is loud and the lurch sudden and painful, but it doesn't look like there will be injuries. At least, not for Avi.
The sirens in the distance get louder and louder, and it's evident that the police are just up the road.
While Avi is still processing just how badly the kidnapper's day has gone - and how much worse it has just ended - the van hits the tree and he's jerked forward and back, no seatbelt or even seat to support him as he and the rest of the unwilling passengers are tossed forward and back. Broken bones no, but whiplash? Likely. "The police are coming, gather yourselves," he advises with the last reserves of his patience, tossing the gun aside to wait. "What a gods bedamned day," he bitches under his breath, waiting for a rescue that cannot possibly come fast enough.
It can't come fast enough, but it does ultimately come. As the door to the now smoking van is opened, light from outside floods in and as the eyes adjust, an officer with the HSD can be seen. "...Holy shit..." He says under his breath as he looks at the scene. "...Alright, you guys are safe now." He says. There's a moaning from outside that can be heard, before it turns to a grief-striken yell of, "...I can't feel my legs!" It seems the driver, when he bailed, inadvertantly put himself in a position to be ran over, and he likely was left with permanent scars that would render him non-functioning from the waist down. He wails, and his suffering is sweet - perhaps one aspect of an otherwise shit day. Avi is able to leave with some certainty, though - if it weren't for him being targeted and apprehended, none of these victims would have ever seen the light of day again. It isn't long before the officers start undo the binds that restrain them in the van.
"Took you long enough," Avi notes, sounding unimpressed and never one to let relief stop him from voicing his displeasure. "Can you radio Officer Wilson and let him know I need a ride home? I'll give a statement via my lawyer on Monday," he advises, firmly preempting any requests to 'come down to the station'. Once freed from the chains, Avi exits the back of the van, looking down at the driver who is suffering on the ground and in dire need of medical attention, giving the kidnapper a grim smile. "Enjoy prison, and know once you're out, I'll have nursed this grudge into immortality."
One by one, the captives are freed, and the melodic backdrop that supports the entire occurrence is the moans and wails of the now crippled kidnapper. The officer nods to Avi at his requests, dutifully raidioing everything in, while also calling for additional backup for hospital transport for the once captives. The driver, and he's spoken to, responds only with tears at how awfully this entire experience has gone for him. Additional police arrive to the scene, as well as an ambulance and the requested-by-name Officer, and soon the scene is dealt with as everyone is ushered away.
OOC: And that's that! Thanks for spending the time with me. If you have a preference of where to be dropped off, let me know!