The small, battered old car bounced its way down the narrow dirt path. On either side of the country road, an impenetrable wall of trees and shrubbery rose up, hemming the vehicle in on both sides. Loose twigs snapped against the sides of the car, pebbles bounced off its metal underbelly, kicked up by the spinning tires.

The yellow glow of the morning sun slipped through the forest cover here and there. It was getting towards midday. Smith glanced at his wrist watch. He grimaced. It wasn't a good idea to drive too fast on this road. It was a good way to go off the side and smash a tree.

On the other hand, he'd need to hurry, in order to make the drop in time. It wouldn't do to screw this one up. Even worse than the money he'd lose would be the blow to his reputation. In Smith's line of work a good reputation for reliability and discretion was a necessity. Without it, getting another job after this one would be difficult.

Smith stepped on the brakes, slowly easing the worn car to a stop as the dirt road came to an abrupt dead end. He parked the car, going over the instructions he'd been given in his head. Not far now, just a little walk…

The man got out of the car and walked around to the trunk. A low moan rose up to his ears as Smith popped open the trunk. Lying inside the trunk was a teenage girl. Her wrists and ankles had been tied with cord. A few strips of silver duct tape covered the lower half of her face, sealing in her frightened cries. Blue-grey eyes, wet with tears and wide with fear, stared up at Smith from the trunk.

The young woman was wearing a set of disheveled cotton pajamas. The captive girl was drenched in sweat after her struggles in the trunk. A few strands of blond hair had escaped her pony-tail and hung over her face, flushed bright red.

Amanda squealed in terror as Smith reached in and grabbed her. The young woman squirmed and kicked as best she could as he lifted her out of the trunk and set her on the ground. She wriggled around as Smith pulled a small backpack out of the trunk.

Smith could understand her fear. Less than five hours ago, she'd been asleep, at home in her bed. In the early hours of the morning, she'd been rudely awoken, trussed up and gagged, and tossed in the trunk of her own car.

Doubtless, she'd spent the uncomfortable car ride trying desperately to figure out why she, of all people, had been kidnapped. Amanda's family wasn't rich; she was nobody, just an average high school student, average grades, a spot on the cheerleading team. Nightmare scenarios of rape and murder were at the fore of the mind the whole time she was in the trunk.

Ignoring her gag-muffled squeaks, Smith knelt down and untied his captive's feet. He dodged and grabbed the girl's ankle as she tried to kick him. In a flash, Smith was on top of Amanda, his knee pressing painfully against her back.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" he growled. "Understand?" The young woman whimpered into her gag as she nodded hurriedly. Smith got off of Amanda and roughly hauled her to her feet. With the rope from her ankles, Smith quickly knotted a loose hangman's noose.

Amanda cringed as Smith draped the noose around her neck and cinched it snug against her throat. Smith grabbed the free end of the rope. "We're going for a little walk." Smith told her. "If you cooperate, you won't be hurt." He tugged the rope leash. "Just don't fall behind, understand?"

With that, Smith turned and started through the trees. Amanda was forced to hurry after her kidnapper, or else be chocked by her leash. Smith kept up a grueling pace, along what could barely be described as a trail, yanking hard on the rope whenever he felt Amanda was going too slowly.

The young woman sobbed. The tree branches tugged at her hair and clothes and scratched at any bare skin. She whimpered into her gag each time she stepped on a sharp stone or branch. Her captor ignored her, concentrating on finding his way through the trees. He mumbled the instructions he'd been given, finding his way to the rendezvous point.

After walking for a good ten minutes, the two, captor and captive, came to a small clearing in the woods. It had evidently been here for some time, the forest was beginning to creep back into the open space, bushes and shrubs growing over the slowly moldering trunks of long dead trees.

Smith slowly paced around the clearing, looking for something. He knelt to peer under moss covered logs and brush aside branches. He paid no attention at all to his young captive. Amanda, on the other hand, was watching her captor very carefully. The older man's grip on her leash slackened…

Now! She thought to herself. Amanda jumped back, yanking the rope out of Smith's hand. As the man turned in surprise, the teenage girl turned and sprinted as fast as her legs, driven by fear and desperation could carry her. Behind her, Smith lunged after his fleeing captive.

Amanda screamed into her gag as the leash was suddenly pulled taught, the noose tightening around her neck, choking the young woman. She was yanked back off her feet and fell to the ground, hard. With her hands bound behind her back she had no way of breaking her fall. Amanda gasped as the air was knocked out of her lungs. The girl struggled to refill her lungs with the rope digging into her windpipe…

"You stupid bitch!" Smith growled, getting up and walking over to the squirming girl. "Don't you ever do something like that again, or I swear I'll leave you hanging from a goddamn tree!" Amanda could only nod her head furiously and sob. Her lungs were burning, she couldn't breathe. Almost reluctantly, Smith knelt down and loosened the rope around her neck. The teenage girl gasped for air, sweat streaming down her bright red face.

Amanda was too weak to resist as Smith rolled her over onto her belly. Pulling some rope from his backpack, the older man went to work making Amanda's bondage more stringent. Amanda yelped in pain as he bound her elbows together. Her ankles and knees were tied to.

Lastly, Smith took the free end of the noose and tied it to his captive's ankles. Amanda would have to keep her feet up and arch her back at all times. If she relaxed at all, the rope around her neck would begin to choke the young woman again. Leaving her to her struggles, Smith stood up and resumed his search.

After a couple minutes of searching, Smith found it; a camouflage patterned duffel bag hidden in a ditch under some leaves. He zipped it open. The bag was filled with stacks of $100 bills. On top of the money was a small note. He picked it up. "Here's the first half of your payment. Return here tomorrow morning for the rest of the money."

Amanda, concentrating on not strangling herself, paid no attention to Smith as he zipped the bag shut again. Her kidnapper unslung the duffel bag and began removing more coils of rope. He returned to where she lay. Amanda grunted in relief as Smith untied the noose. She uncurled, lying flat on the ground, panting for breath, exhausted by her ordeal.

Smith, however, wasn't done with her. He picked up the poor girl and carried her to one edge of the clearing where a large oak tree rose up. Smith untied the young woman's arms and retied, stretched out on either side, to two large branches, binding her arms at the wrist and elbow.

Next, he untied her ankles, then bound them together again behind the trunk of the tree. Smith stepped back, admiring his handiwork as the girl squirmed pitifully in her bonds. She wasn't going anywhere.   

Amanda yelped as her abductor ripped the duct tape off her mouth. She opened her mouth to speak, but was silence by Smith clamping a hand over her lips. He held up a bottle of water to Amanda's mouth. The girl gulped the cool water down greedily. She was parched after being tied up in the trunk and marched through the woods.

The water reminded Amanda how hungry she was. She hadn't had anything to eat since dinner the evening before. To her disappointment, the captor had no food for her. After she had finished drinking, Smith pulled a pair of handkerchiefs from his jacket pocket, balled them up and stuffed them in the teenage girl's mouth.

Before she could spit the packing out, Smith pulled a rubber ballgag from his backpack and gagged her with it. Smith grinned, savoring the younger girl's pathetic gag-muffled pleas. A mischievous glint in his eye, the kidnapper grabbed the hem of Amanda's pajama top. He ignored her indignant groans, pulling the thin material up, exposing her small, round breasts. Her face flushed red with shame as Smith casually felt his captive up.

Next, he yanked down the pajama bottoms to reveal a pair of small, pink panties. Amanda flinched, knowing what was coming next, but to her relief, Smith made no move to remove her underwear. Instead, he pulled another coil of rope from his backpack.

He tied this around her waist, like a belt. Smith threaded the free end of the rope between his captive's legs, yanking it tight and tying it off. Amanda grunted in surprise. She could feel the smooth nylon rope through the thin fabric of her panties, sawing back and forth with even the slightest movement.

Smith checked his watch and smiled. He still had some time to play. His hands reached out and began tickling the younger woman. Bound as she was, Amanda was helpless to stop him. She squirmed around in the ropes, squealing into her gag like a school girl.

By the time it was over, she was again drenched in sweat. Her panties grew moist as the tight crotch rope brushed back and forth across such a sensitive part of her body. Amanda's face flushed crimson in embarrassment and shame to her body's response to her bondage. The fact that her body was urging her to keep going didn't help any.

Smith, meanwhile, turned away from his confused prisoner. He slung the duffel bag with his money over one shoulder, the backpack he'd brought over the other. He turned back to Amanda and nodded. "Well, time for me to head home. Don't go anywhere!" He chuckled.  

The young woman moaned fearfully into her gag as she realized her kidnapper planned to leave her here in the woods alone. As scared as she was of the man who had kidnapped her, scared as she was of what he might do to her, still, Amanda was more afraid of being left alone, tied up like this, completely at the mercy of anyone, or anything, that might pass by.

She struggled against the ropes, trying to get loose, but they remained as tight as ever. "One last thing…" Smith said He pulled a leather blindfold from his backpack and slipped it over Amanda's tear filled eyes, tightening the strap so it wouldn't fall off.

Amanda whimpered softly into her gag in misery and fear. She heard leaves rustle and twigs snap underfoot as Smith walked away. The last thing she heard from her abductor was him call back, "Oh, and give my regards to your new owner for me…" Then, with a rustle of branches, he was gone, leaving only the sounds of the forest and the young woman's frightened moans…