Kayla Grace stepped out onto the street, exiting the tall office building. She’d just completed an interview with David Jones, CEO of Hazeldale Natural, the biggest gas company in the city. She was currently investigating a lead driven by rumors that Hazeldale Natural was working to block green initiatives in favor of tax breaks for the oil industry. They were also being accused of false advertising, marketing their services as eco-friendly despite scores of evidence suggesting otherwise.

“God, what a waste,” Kayla muttered, climbing down the steps and shaking her head.

She’d hoped that the meeting would have gone better, but the CEO had spent the whole time just gaslighting her…pun intended. It was pretty much a dead end, but given the week she’d already had that wasn’t surprising. Kayla Grace knew she was a gifted reporter, but even she had her bad weeks.

At least she’d made it to Friday, and it was time to relax. She made her way over to a nearby bench and sat down, just to catch her breath for a moment. Crossing her nylon clad legs, Kayla reached down and removed one of her loafers, massaging her sock-clad foot in the process. Her feet were tired after a long day, but thankfully the day was finally over.

Stepping back into her shoe, she then reached into her purse and pulled out her phone, quickly dialing up Madelyn.

“Hey, girl!” Madelyn’s voice echoed from the other line. “How’s it going?”

“Not great,” Kayla moaned, slumping into the bench.

Madelyn laughed, “what? Did you get tied up again? Jesus, that would put you at five for five for the week!”

“No, thank god. The meeting was kind of a bust though.”

“Damn, sorry to hear. Do you want me to…”

“Come over,” Kayla said, finishing Madelyn’s sentence. “obviously.”

“Great, I’ll grab dinner.”

“You’re the best.”

“Oh, I know. See you soon!”

Saying goodbye, Kayla hung up the phone and stood up, adjusting her plaid skirt and making sure her sweater was perfectly tucked in. At least her outfit had survived the day, she had that to celebrate. Still, it had been one hell of a week, but an evening at home with Madelyn was exactly what she needed to unwind.

Kayla was so excited to wrap up this shitty week, that she didn’t notice the two thugs sneaking up behind her. As she passed by the alleyway between the Hazeldale Natural offices and another tall city building, they made their move.

“Heymmph!”

Kayla was shoved into the alley as they pinned her arms behind her back, quickly tying her wrists together. Before she had the chance to turn her head and get a look at her attackers, they pulled a bag over her head, the rough fabric scratching against her face as she was plunged into darkness.

“For fucks sake, let me go!”

Kayla’s voice was muffled under the burlap sack, and her words did little to stop the pair of thugs from applying more rope around her upper body. She was eventually thrown over one of their shoulders and lugged off.

Fifteen minutes later and she found herself tied to a chair in a dimly lit storage room of sorts. A single bare bulb hung from the ceiling, its yellow light casting eerie shadows on the walls. Kayla sat in the middle of the room, tied to a chair with copious amounts of rope. Her nylon-clad feet occasionally brushed against the cold floors as she struggled. Her shoes lay just off to the side, the socks she’d been wearing were wedged firmly in her mouth, held in place thanks to the thick band of tape wound between her lips.

“Mrrmmph.” Kayla was so over this week, and to think that she’d almost made it through Friday without another run-in with peril was even more disheartening. It was official though, she’d gone five for five on the week. Madelyn was going to have a good laugh about this one.

That was actually the only thing giving Kayla comfort right now. Thanks to the fact that they’d left her purse and her phone with her, Madelyn was soon to come to her rescue. Once it was clear Kayla was running late, Madelyn would be sure to check her location, and after that.

Boom!

The door to the closet flew open as Madelyn barged in. She stood for a moment in the doorway, a smirk on her face as she tilted her body and planted a hand on her hip.

“Fancy meeting you here.”

“Mnnmn mnn hnnch nph nfffmph!”

Madelyn laughed. “Alright, alright, just hang on.”

Once Madelyn had freed Kayla, the two of them headed back to Kayla’s apartment. She quickly showered, changed into some comfortable clothes, and then joined Madelyn on the couch. She plopped down hard, groaning as she did so.

“Sounds about right,” Madelyn teased, handing Kayla her pint of ice cream.

“What a fucking week.” Kayla immediately dug into the ice cream, shoveling it into her mouth.

“Let’s see here,” Madelyn began, “Monday you were kidnapped..”

“By those graffiti artists, yep. They left me hogtied in that alley…god that was icky.”

“Tuesday it was…”

“Those fucking new-age diet gurus. I had the nerve to ask critical questions about their methods and then the next thing, they left me all tied up in their studio and just dipped.”

“And on Wednesday…”

“Drug smugglers. Yep. I was going for a run down by the docks and just happened upon them. God, Hazeldale is something else. They probably shouldn’t have been doing that in the middle of the day!”

“Oh, and then there was yesterday. It was those protestors, right?”

Kayla slapped her forehead with her palm, shaking her head.

“Yes. So much for getting people to side with them. Not that they were out there protesting for a popular cause, but whatever.”

“And finally, tonight.”

Kayla shoveled another spoonful of ice cream into her mouth, not even bothering to swallow before starting her sentence.

“Yeah, I was so close and then…god, I need a break. This city is driving me nuts.”

Suddenly, Madelyn got really excited. She rotated her body on the couch, and placed both hands on Kayla’s thighs.

“I know just the thing.”

Kayla eyed her best friend suspiciously.

“What…”

“Let’s go on…a road trip!”

Kayla was inclined to roll her eyes, just at Madelyn’s theatrics, but the more she thought about Madelyn’s suggestion the more it actually sounded like a great idea. She had enough PTO saved up for a few days off, plus it was the weekend too. If she and Mads really wanted to go somewhere they totally had the time to do so.

“Wait, that’s actually a great idea.”

Madelyn’s face lit up.

“Oh my god, yes! Wait, I was worried you’d say no. I thought maybe you’d just want to stay in all weekend.”

“I’m tempted to, don’t get me wrong, but a road trip sounds great right now. I need a break from this city.”

“Well then, a break you shall have. Let me see if Andrea is free too.”

“Okay, while you do that, I’m going to go pack.”

“Wait, but I thought we were watching a movie. Can’t you just wait ‘till the last minute to pack like everyone else?”

Now Kayla was rolling her eyes at Madelyn.

“I’ll get my laptop. You can watch it in the bedroom while I pack.”

“Yes!”

Together, the two girls enjoyed a quiet night in. Once Kayla was finished packing, she and Madelyn curled up on the bed, laughing and watching an old rom-com they'd both seen a million times. It was just what the doctor ordered. They stayed up late, gossiping and planning their trip, finally drifting off to sleep around three in the morning.

The next morning, Andrea met them at Kayla's place before the three of them took off together. Kayla elected to drive, Madelyn sat in the passenger beside her, and Andrea was cozily nestled up in the back. She had her legs up on the middle console, her feet wiggling in the air underneath a pair of cozy crew socks she wore over a pair of tights. The rest of her outfit consisted of a form fitting white t-shirt, and a beige mini skirt. Her jean jacket sat on the seat next to her, and her converse lay on the floor.

The plan they’d devised was to drive East, toward a nearby National Park. It was a bit of a drive, but thankfully there was a hotel near the park they planned to stop at. From the hotel it was a short drive up to the park, and in total the girls were looking at around a 4 day trip. Kayla so needed this time off, and was infinitely grateful that her two best friends had suggested such a thing.

“Wait, Mads,” Andrea voiced from the back of the car, “I love this song, turn it up!”

“I didn’t know you were into indie-folk. Since when?”

“Who doesn’t like indie-folk?”

“True,” Madelyn replied, honoring Andrea’s request and turning up the stereo.

She had also relieved herself of her shoes with her own socked feet propped up on the dashboard. She had on one of her favorite looks: a pair of white jean shorts over sheer tights, and a maroon sweater. Her black jean jacket was in the backseat next to Andrea’s coat. She leaned back in her chair, scrolling away at her phone while Kayla drove past rolling hills and sprawling farm fields.

Every now and then Madelyn would check in with Kayla and make sure she was okay with driving. Each time Kayla would respond with a resounding “of course!” She loved driving. Maybe it was her “type-A” personality, or the fact that Madelyn and Andrea saw her as the leader of their little group, but either way she loved it.

As much as Kayla enjoyed listening to music with her friends, there was something on her mind that she eagerly wanted to discuss. After letting the album go through at least a few songs, she turned down the radio and in Kayla-like fashion just went for it.

“So how’s it going with you and Chloe?”

There was a brief moment of silence before Andrea’s voice boomed from the backseat.

“What?! Hold on, since when?!”

“Wait, Andrea, you didn’t know?”

Kayla was genuinely surprised. She thought for sure that Madelyn would have told her by now. The three of them told each other everything. She looked over at Madelyn who had a sheepish look on her face. Clearly she felt bad for not confiding in Andrea yet, and now Kayla was feeling bad for spilling her secret.

“Sorry, Mads I just…”

“No it’s fine,” Madelyn dropped her feet to the floor as she spun around and faced Andrea, flashing the biggest puppy dog eyes that she could. “Please don’t be mad at me, my love.”

Madelyn reached her hands out, wiggling her fingers and inviting Andrea to take hold of them. Andrea’s arms were crossed though, and as Kayla glanced at her from the rearview mirror she could clearly tell that she was in full on “pout mode.”

“Pleeeease don’t be mad,” Madelyn begged Andrea, batting her eyelashes as she did so.

Rolling her eyes, Andrea reached out and squeezed Madelyn’s hands, a faint smile creeping up at the corner of her mouth.

“Damnit, I can never stay mad at you,” she admitted as the cheerful vibes were quickly restored.

“But, you do owe me.”

“Punishment fits the crime,” responded Madelyn, “I’m assuming you want…”

“The full story. Every detail, don’t you dare skip a single thing.”

Madelyn let go of Andrea’s hands as she faced forward again. Taking a deep breath she started from the top, recounting to Kayla and Andrea everything that had unfolded between her and Chloe. Kayla had heard most of this already, but she didn’t mind hearing it all again. The way Madelyn’s eyes sparkled when she talked about Chloe warmed Kayla’s heart.

They’d hooked up when Kayla’s family last visited Hazeldale for the Lunar New Year. Madelyn didn’t quite have the words to describe it, but there was a feeling she had about Chloe, one that she hadn’t had with someone in a long time. She was delighted of course when Chloe reciprocated those feelings, leading to an intimate evening together on the eve before Chloe had to fly back home. Chloe was just as kinky as Madleyn as it turned out too. 

Madelyn spared no expense in regaling to her friends about the many ways she and Chloe tied each other up. Kayla herself, recognizing many of them thanks to her time serving as Hazeldale’s most fearless reporter. Well, a reporter in peril as she was so affectionately called by some around the city.

“We’ve been in touch since then,” Madelyn continued, “just texting and calling and stuff.”

“So it’s long distance then?” Andrea asked.

“I mean kind of, yeah. We’re not really like putting any labels on it yet. Just talking and taking it slow.”

“Wow, Madelyn Paige, taking it slow, what a concept!”

Madelyn turned around and playfully stuck out her tongue at Andrea over her snarky little comment. It was true though, Madelyn had a tendency of rushing into things when it came to relationships. Kayla was surprised to hear how slow she was taking things with Chloe, but maybe this meant that Madalyn really really liked her.

Ding ding! Ding ding!

“Well, shit,” Kayla muttered, her eyes drawn to the low gas light that had just come on.

“Did you not get gas before we left?” Madelyn asked, a bit dumbfounded.

“No I did, I just…I guess I was so lost in our conversation that I hadn’t realized how long we’d been driving. Hang on, there’s got to be an exit coming up soon. We’re not that far away from Hazeldale…right?”

“Look, up there! I see a sign”

Madelyn pointed ahead, and sure enough as they got closer the green exit sign became unmistakable. There was just one problem.

“Damsel Valley?” Andrea remarked from the back seat.

There was a moment of pause within the car as the three girls exchanged curious glances.

“Surely it doesn’t…I mean the name is just a coincidence, right?”

Even in her admission, Kayla was unable to hide her uncertainty on the matter. She knew better than anyone about Murphy’s law and how if there was even a chance of peril, she would find herself in it one way or another.

“Well we need gas so, not it’s not like we have much of a choice.”

Madelyn was right, they didn’t have enough fuel in the tank to make it to the next stop. Coming to this realization forced a deep sigh from Kayla.

“Alright, Damsel Valley it is,” she said, pulling into the exit lane and heading into town. At least from its appearance the town seemed totally normal. As the girls drove through they were each on the lookout for any potential signs of trouble but there didn’t seem to be any.

“Maybe the name is just a coincidence,” said Kayla, pulling up to a stop sign before making a right turn.

“Yeah,” Madelyn immediately shot back, “since when were we ever the victims of random coincidences? Where there’s smoke there’s fire, and where there’s a town named Damsel Valley…”

“There’s a gas station called Gaggum Gas ‘n Go.”

Andrea chimed in from the backseat, finishing Madelyn’s sentence. It was more than just a cheeky one-liner, there really was such a gas station with such a bizarre name. Kayla almost couldn’t believe her eyes, but there it was on her left across the street. She pulled up to the curb, stopping for a moment and reveling in the strangeness of the situation.

“This can’t be the only gas station in town,” she scoffed, yet as the words left her lips she could just tell from the look of things around town so far that it really might be.

“Sure, we can bet on that,” said Madelyn, “but what if we drive around town and run out of gas. Then we’ll really be stranded. At least in this case, we can run in and get gas like really really quick. Then, we get the hell out of here.”

“I’d rather have gas than no gas.”

Andrea took Madelyn’s side, and as Kayla ran through the options in her head she knew her best friend was right. She couldn’t shake the feeling that they were walking into the most obvious trap there could possibly be, but it was a risk she and her friends were going to have to take.

“Fuck it,” she said, putting the car back into drive and pulling into the gas station lot.

After putting the vehicle in park, all three girls stepped out as they cautiously surveyed their surroundings. Andrea turned on the heels of her high top sneakers, the afternoon sunlight glistening off her sheer tights.

“Coast is clear for now. You want to head inside with Mads? Probably best one of us stays with the car, yeah?”

Kayla nodded. “Good thinking.”

She and Madelyn took off toward the store, leaving Andrea behind as she leaned against the car and pulled out her phone.

ding ding ding!

The bells of the convenience store rang out as Kayla pushed the door open and stepped inside, Madelyn at her heels. The store seemed to be empty, no one was even at the counter. A chill ran down the back of Kayla’s neck. She turned to Madelyn who nodded seemingly in acknowledgement, her eyebrows furled in a serious manner. Neither of them were a stranger to tense encounters, and they could both smell a suspicious circumstance from a mile away.

Andrea on the other hand had let herself become far too comfortable. She was scrolling away at her phone, thankful she was getting a bit of service now and able to check her social media messages. She loved responding to fans, and before she knew it she was totally wrapped up in her phone. So wrapped up she didn’t even notice the car pull in behind her…

Back inside the store, Madelyn and Kayla were still on high alert. The place was eerily quiet, with no customers in sight. They approached the counter, and Madelyn called out, 

"Hello?" she said, her voice unsure.

All of the sudden, a burly man with a greasy smile jumped up from underneath the counter, brandishing a bunch of rope in his hands. "Welcome to Gaggum Gas 'n Go, ladies," he said, his voice dripping with a sinister twang. “Boys, it’s showtime!”

Before Kayla and Madelyn even had a chance to react, a horde of goons jumped out from their hiding places and descended on the two girls. Two thugs grabbed Kayla by the arms and shoved her against the counter with a soft thud. A third pair of hands forced her upper body down as her face was smooshed against the cold dusty surface.

Madelyn wasn’t faring much better with a pair of goons twisting her ams behind her back as they shoved her into the glass door. She could feel her wrists being tied together with rope as she struggled against her attacker's grip. Their response was to really smash her body against the glass, pinning her against it as the continued to restrain her upper body with lots of rope.

From a distance, Madelyn spotted Andrea, just mindlessly scrolling away and totally oblivious to what was happening to her two friends. She was still leaning against the car with her back to the store front.

“Andrea! Andremmmph!”

A hand was slapped over Madelyn’s mouth before the men yanked her back and forced her to the floor. Two men held her down, although it was much easier now given the network of rope around her wrists, elbows, and upper arms. Another thug circled around in front of her, hoisting her legs up and pinning her ankles together as another man wrapped rope around her nylon-clad legs.

“Mrmmmph wwrrmph fffrrmmph!”

She hollered behind the meaty palm pressed firmly over her mouth. Her angry cries and constant struggles did little to stop the men from thoroughly tying her up, her legs now also encased in rope. She could feel it pinching her skin, even through her tights. They were sure to be ripe with ladders by the time she was out of this mess.

Meanwhile, Kayla’s protests were sharply curtailed as a meaty palm slapped itself across her mouth.

“Get off me you frmmmmph mmrmmph!”



Her predicament was just as inescapable as Madelyn’s, her arms now securely lashed together behind her back. She kicked up at the men with her feet, losing one of her loafers as she did so in a vain attempt to try and break free.

“Lrmmph mmmph ggrnnmph!”

No amount of muffled shouting would stop the men from their work. Grabbing Kayla’s ankles next they were pushed together as rope was tied around her ankles, knees, and thighs, pinning her nylon clad legs together firmly.

“Mrrmmmmph!”

She yelped behind her handgag as the men hoisted her bound body up onto the counter. Her stomach muscles tightened as she felt ropes being drawn from her ankles, up to her wrists. The sensation of being hogtied was all too familiar for Kayla by now. She couldn’t help but sigh as she felt the ropes being cinched tightly behind her as her chest was pulled up thanks to how tightly the ropes were pulled. Her feet dangled helplessly in the air behind her, the other loafer tumbling from her foot leaving her now in just the frilly socks she had on over her tights.

She caught a glimpse of Madelyn struggling on the floor below her. Two of the men were busy unlacing her boots with one boot already off and laying on the ground beside her, revealing one of the maroon crew socks she had been wearing underneath. She looked up at Kayla, their eyes meeting for a moment as they exchanged a silent look of ‘can you believe this?’.

Madelyn's remaining boot was a stubborn one, the laces seemingly fighting against the men's intrusion. With a final tug, it gave way as the second maroon sock she wore over her tights was revealed. The two men in front of her worked in unison, peeling off her socks so that she was left in just her nylons now.

“Mrmmmph!”

Madelyn tried to shake her head, knowing full well what her attackers had planned for her but the man behind her kept his grip tight.

With Madelyn's socks in their grasp, the men in front of her leaned back, a smug look on their faces. The one behind her removed his hand, and before she had even a moment to react one of the men had already reached forward and plunged the first sock into her mouth.

“WRRMMMPH!”

Madelyn yelped as her sock was jammed into her mouth, the man taking care to push it into her left cheek so as to make room for the next one.

“Mrmmmph nnrmph!”

With astonishing quickness, the second thug mirrored his comrade's actions, forcing Madelyn’s second sock into her other mouth beside the other. They ballooned her cheeks out, her lips unable to close over the mass.

“Mmmmrmmph wrffmph!”

She shook her head and yelled, her words now unintelligible through the thick barrier of fabric. Her gag was completed with layers of clear tape wrapped between her lips and around the lower half of her face, pinning her blonde tresses underneath it.

Kayla’s attention was so fixated on Madelyn's imperilment that she hadn’t even noticed her own shoes being slipped off her feet followed by her frilly cream colored socks. By the time she did realize what was happening it was already too late. As soon as her attention was brought back to her own perilous plight, the hand over her mouth had been removed and into her mouth had gone both of her socks.

“Mmmmmrmmph…”



She sighed around the sizable cotton wad which was followed by a tape cleave gag just like Madelyn. Together the two girls wriggled in their restraints, both now equally silenced with their own socks and wondering just what the hell was even going on. Who were these thugs and what did they have planned?

Their assailants had moved with a practiced sense of efficiency, binding the two girls in record time. They didn’t even stick around much longer after that. As soon as they’d finished tying Kayla and Madelyn up they made their escape, filing out of the gas station store without so much as a word between them.

With the crew of goons gone, Madelyn and Kayla began to struggle in earnest. On the floor, Madelyn flopped around managing to get onto her side, and with a heave, she rolled onto her stomach.

“Mmmph!”

She grunted as her body gently thudded into the cold floor. From here, she kicked her feet up toward her wrists and started searching for the knots around her ankles with her fingers. From the countertop, Kayla watched Madelyn’s desperate attempts to pick her way free. She admired the effort, but she had a much better plan for escape.

“Mnnmmmnnph!”

Madelyn was far too busy to notice Kayla’s muffled calls, but Kayla was anything if not persistent.

“MMMRMMPH!”

Madelyn finally took notice of Kayla, pausing her escape efforts and turning her head toward the counter. With eyes wide and full of determination, Kayla nodded vigorously at Madelyn as she attempted to communicate to her friend through her sock stuffed mouth.

“Gmph npp nnn hnph nfmr hmrmmph!”

Despite Kayla’s totally garbled and incoherent speech, Madelyn seemed to pick up on the message immediately. After all, this wasn’t her first rodeo. With a gritted determination, she began to rock her body back and forth, the sheer fabric of her nylons sliding across the floor. Her arms, tied tightly behind her back, flexed as she used the muscles in her thighs to propel herself into a sitting position.

“Nrrrmph!” Kayla offered an excited squeak as she cheered on her friend.

With one final push, Madelyn propelled herself to a standing position, the slickness of her tights against the floor a constant reminder of the precariousness of her situation. She hopped cautiously toward Kayla, taking things one step at a time.

Once she was close enough, she turned around and used her hands, bound as they were, to start undoing the ropes around Kayla’s ankles. It took quite a bit of effort, but after a bit of hard work, and a slew of grunts and squeaks, Kayla’s hands and feet were free.

It wasn’t long after that before the two damsels were no longer in distress, the ropes loosely puddled around their bodies.

“What a way to start out our road trip,” Madelyn chuckled as she pocketed her socks and opted to step into her shoes in just her pantyhose.

“Tell me about it,” sighed Kayla, “let’s just hope that’s the last of it…”



“Mmmmmrph!”

Their heads turned toward the muffled cries for help, a door behind the counter leading to a back room. Together they hurried over, entering the room to see the bound form of the gas station attendant. She was tied up with rope, more than would ever be necessary, held in place to the chair they had sat her in. Her bare feet peeked out from the bottom of her jeans, it didn’t take a genius to figure what they’d done with her socks. She was wearing a name badge that read "Louisa."

“Pllrmmmph hlmmph mmmph!”



The tape wrapped around her head kept her from spitting out the cotton wad packed into her mouth, but this and the rest of her binds were soon removed as Kayla and Madelyn untied the poor girl.

“Thank you,” she said, her mouth finally free, “god, what a load of creeps. I mean it was bad enough that they robbed the place, but even after I complied with their demands and handed over the money they still tied me up. Talk about overkill."



Once she was free, she grabbed her shoes and tucked her bare feet back into them. Standing up, she then pulled out her phone and dialed for the police. As she spoke with the authorities over the phone, Kayla turned to Madelyn as she tried to figure out what they should do next.

“We should probably stick around here and give our stories to the cops, yeah?”

Madelyn nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I mean we still never even got gas.”

Kayla rolled her eyes, “shit, yeah you’re right. Oh my god wait, speaking of the car what about…”



“Andrea!”



She and Madelyn blurted out their friend’s name at the same time, Madelyn having the same realization at the same time that Kayla was. Tearing out of the gas station they sprinted back to Kayla’s car. Andrea was nowhere to be seen. That didn’t mean she was nowhere to be heard though…

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The faint sound of something kicking against the trunk was unmistakable. Kayla fumbled around for her keys, finally hitting the unlock trunk button. The lid flew up and sure enough, there inside was Andrea all folded and trussed up with rope.

“Hrmmmph mmmrmph!”

She was tied in a little ball, her nylon-clad legs folded into her chest. Her wrists were tied in front of her body, clasped behind her knees and secured in place thanks to a vast array of ropes. She flailed her bound feet in the air, her toes stretching against the sheer fabric of her pantyhose, her socks no longer on her feet and instead stuffed inside her mouth.

“Wrrmmphh mmph!”

Fifteen minutes later, Kayla and company were now finally free. Andrea leaned against the car, massaging the rope marks out of her wrists.

“I guess now we know why they call it Damsel Valley,” she said, “It’s not just a coincidence.”



“Guess not,” laughed Kayla, “I’ll have to tell Jennifer about this place. Probably just make up some kind of story about a potential big lead. Think she’d fall for it?”



Madelyn smiled, “if you can really sell her on the big lead, I think she’d bite. Anything that plays into that ego of hers.”

“So true.”



“Hey guys look,” Andrea pointed up the road, “cops are here.”



Sure enough, a police vehicle pulled into the lot, no sirens just the lights flashing. Out of the car stepped a beautiful woman, her long blonde hair spilling out from under her police hat. She was wearing a white short sleeve button up, tucked into a navy skirt. Her long bare legs glistened in the afternoon sunlight, her feet tucked into a pair of black flats.

Once she was close enough, Kayla read the name badge perched upon her chest. The woman’s name was “Officer Colt” which seemed awfully familiar to Kayla but she couldn’t quite put together why.

“Afternoon, ladies. I received a call about a robbery?” she said, pulling out a notepad and pen. Her voice was gentle yet firm all at the same time, fitting given her job title.

“Hi, officer,” Kayla responded, “yeah, there was a group of men that just robbed the place. The attendant is inside if you want to talk with her.”



“Great. Are you ladies okay? I haven’t seen you around town before. Are you just passing through?”



“Yeah,” said Madelyn, “we’re kind of on a little road trip. Had to stop for gas.”



“Ah, well welcome to Damsel Valley. My name is Officer Laura Colt. I’m going to grab a statement from Louisa real quick and then I’ll be back to speak with you three. Poor gal. This place of hers is a real hot spot for these kinds of affairs. I can't tell you how many times a month I get a call about thugs raiding the place and leaving Louisa all bound and gagged. Hang tight, I'll be back soon."

While she was away, Kayla finally took the opportunity to fill up the car with gas. Once done, she headed inside to pay so that she and her friends could get the hell out of town. Officer Colt stood by the counter, nodding her head and writing in her notepad as Louisa continued on with everything that had happened.

“Sorry,” Kayla said, “didn’t mean to interrupt, but I was just hoping to pay real quick.”



“Sure thing,” replied Louisa, “come on over I’ll ring you up.”



Kayla handed Louisa her card and then let her finish the rest. As she worked, Officer Colt slid over toward Kayla, notepad ready to go.

“Before you head out, can I just get your side of things real quick?”



“Sure, so uh my friend and I came in to the store and then...yeah I mean we were ambushed by a group of dudes who tied us up. It kind of all just happened after that. The guys that jumped us left shortly after and yeah that’s kinda it.”

“Thank you. God what a week, first my daughter Jenny and now this!”



Suddenly a light bulb went off in Kayla’s head. That name had really run a bell: Jenny. She thought about it for a moment and then just like that she had it!

“Jenny…as in Jenny Colt?”



“Yeah, sure is! Why? Do you know her?”

Kayla smirked, “I mean we’ve only met once, but yeah I know her. She came up to Hazeldale not that long ago. She wanted to pick my brain on some snooping tips. Gotta say, it was funny to have to try them out not long after.”



“Ah, so you’re familiar with these sorts of things then.”



Kayla nodded, “yep, this is some unfortunately familiar territory. I seem to be a baddie magnet. This trip me and my friends are on was to try and get away from peril. Guess it just literally follows me everywhere.”



“You and me both,” sighed Laura, “it’s like there’s something about this town.”

“Yeah I mean at least the town lives up to the name, you’ve got that going for ya!" Kayla laughed. "So what’s Jenny up to? I had no idea she lived here and you know, since I’m passing through I might as well drop by and say hey.”

Laura’s eyes lit up. “She would love that. I think she’s just at home right now. Speaking of which, would you and your friends want to join us for dinner?”

“Wait, are you sure?” Kayla was never one to impose, but at the same time she was excited at the opportunity to reconnect with Jenny.

“Of course! My shift is almost over. I just need to head back to the station and file this report. Here, let me give you my address and you can just head there and hang with Jenny for a bit. I’ll pick up some food on my way.”



Kayla felt overwhelmed by Laura’s generosity, but she was grateful for it. After spending the afternoon bound and gagged, some relaxation was definitely in order.

“Thank you,” she said, ‘that’s so nice.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ll see you girls soon!”



Laura waved goodbye to Kayla as she headed back out to the car where Madelyn and Andrea were waiting for her.

“Change of plans,” Kayla announced, “we’re putting the trip on pause just for a minute. Officer Colt invited us over for dinner. I actually met up with her daughter Jenny a while back and I thought it might be nice to stop by and say hello.”

Madelyn’s eyes widened. “Wait…so we’re going to be spending more time in Damsel Valley?”

“It’s just for dinner, Mads. Besides, we’ll be with a police officer the entire time. We literally couldn’t be with anyone safer,” said Kayla as she climbed into the driver’s seat.

Andrea and Madelyn shot each other the same look. Knowing Kayla and her rotten luck it didn’t matter how stacked the odds were in her favor, trouble had a way of finding her in all kinds of ways.

“As long as I can get some food, I’m in,” Madelyn declared, climbing into the passenger seat.

Andrea sighed, "Alright, but if we end up in another bind, I'm holding you two responsible."

Kayla laughed, playfully eying Andrea in the rear view mirror, “is that so?”

“Yep, especially if it involves…creative use of my socks again. You may be used to it by now, Kayla Grace, but I prefer that my socks stay on my feet.” Andrea said this as she pulled a fresh pair from her duffel bag, slipping them over her nylons. “I did not pack enough of those for a whole trip’s worth of trouble!”

Madelyn and Kayla laughed as Kayla put the car into drive and the three girls headed off.