Don't Take Rides from Strangers

"Are you going home?!"

Dani's tone clearly showed her incredulity that someone would stop partying at only three in the morning.

"Yeah... I'm beat."

Taylah and Dani were dancers who had just performed at a rave, dancing around the DJ's and on special stages scattered around the huge warehouse the rave had been illegally set up in.

"You're gonna waste these drugs?"

Half way through the night, once the people that hired them were clearly high, all the dancers had dropped acid and mdma and gone back on for their next set giggling naughtily. First the m kicked in and Taylah felt the rush that she loved; the heightened physical sensitivity, the emotional lightness and happiness that mdma always brought.

Later when she finished another set, her forth for as many DJ's she finally noticed the distorted vision that acid brought. Colours became brighter, sounds richer, and her thoughts began to be clearer and more focused on pleasure but also deeper philosophically.

Dancing for the rest of the night had become a ritualistic celebration and she performed with hedonistic abandon.

"I'm still fucking flying. This stuff is great!"

"Yeah, I love it. I'm going to go home and trip out on my stuff."

"Aren't you horny? This stuff has me so fucking horny!"

"Yeah... but I'm not going to take some rando home."

"What about that DJ you were talking to, Danger?

"D-D-DJ Daaaaaanger!!"the two ladies shouted the sample of his name he dropped into his songs.

"Naw, he's the guy I got these sweet drugs from. I'm not risking that by fucking him!"

"Oh! Yeah, don't do that!"

The rest of the dancers in their troupe came over, passing a joint and leaning on each other sloppily. Each of them were wearing the costumes they had finished their last set in, silver sneakers with sequins glued on, fishnets, a silver bikini with a fishnet shirt over. Tight toned dancers hugged each other happily, all of them high as fuck and loving it.

When Taylah said goodbye, they all began shouting motherly advice to her.

"Don't talk to strangers!"

"Wait for marriage!"

"Don't take rides from strangers!"

"Dress modestly!"

"Don't take candy from strangers!"

"Keep your legs together!"

Each piece of advice made them laugh as none of them followed any of those pearls of wisdom. To illustrate the likelihood of her obedience Taylah stood on one leg and lifted the other straight up, holding it in a standing split, her legs wide apart, her tiny bikini bottom barely containing her sex.

"Slut!" Dani called out.

Taylah skipped down the lane between warehouses and her friends staggered off in the other direction.

The warm summer night grew quieter, as quiet as any big city gets even in the wee hours of the morning. Her plan was to go to the waterfront, walk around the perimeter of the warehouse district and use the seawall to get to her apartment. Taylah squatted in a condemned building less than a mile from there, and she walked quickly, eager to put on a snuggly onesie and crawl into bed.

The warm night air on her drug heightened senses filled her brain to the point where she wasn't paying much attention to her surroundings. She wasn't the kind of high that impaired her physically, almost the contrary, she was blissfully aware of her body and periodically she would dance to the music still playing in her head.

Then she saw the taillights of a car. One she'd seen around before. Curious and uninhibited Taylah walked over. The restored classic was a bright red muscle car and the running engine purred like a big cat, making Taylah tingle inside in rhythm with the low rumble. The acid made it seem as if the big engine was inside her belly.

The passenger door was open so the dancer poked her head in to see who was there.

"Get out of the way." a man hissed. Taylah briefly saw a face she recognized before his hand pushed her to the side.

Then a loud bang made her flinch. The driver of the car gaped in shock and Taylah turned around to see what he was looking at.

With uncertain vision, the acid making everything wiggle and shimmer, Taylah saw a group of men standing twenty feet away. In a fraction of a second she saw that one man was on the ground and three men stood facing her, one with his arm extended in a familiar way.

Something shattered the passenger window of the open car door. Almost at the same time another bang happened and Taylah realized that it was a gun and that a bullet probably just broke that window.

The window right beside her.

The man with his arm extended was still pointing the gun at her.

Another gunshot followed. Then another.

"Get in!" The Driver shouted and pulled on Taylah's arm.

Jumping onto the bench seat of the big car Taylah was thrown back as the car leapt forward slamming closed the passenger door. The car roared as The Driver sped away from the gunshots. He turned left throwing Taylah into the passenger side door, then the car accelerated on a straight stretch.

"Put your seat-belt on!" The Driver shouted over the roaring engine.

Taylah scrambled to a seated position and reached for the seat-belt. The belt came away from side in her hand. She looked at the dangling end uncomprehending. Turning to look at the side of the car she saw a pair of holes in the metal where the seat-belt was supposed to attach to the car. The bullets had broken her seat belt.

Then The Driver turned right throwing the loose girl into his lap.

Sliding helplessly onto his lap, Taylor found her face pressed to his rock hard abs, and she smelled his sweat and masculinity. Trying to disentangle herself as he negotiated the fast corner Taylah accidentally groped his hard body, bumping into his strong arms as he handled the car expertly.

When the car was on a straight stretch again The Driver pushed her off of him, his hand on her face forcing her back.

"Seat-belts broken." she explained.

"Hold on."

One more screeching turn and they were out of the warehouses and on the city streets.

The Driver aimed for downtown.

"I live over there." Taylah pointed to the right as her apartment faded from view.

"Did you see who that was?"

"Yes." she mumbled.

Taylah's eyes were too messed up by the drugs to have seen faces clearly, but everyone wore bright distinctive clothes to raves, the better to be found by your friends in the flashing uncertain light of a rave.

The man on the ground had been the second DJ to play tonight, DJ Danger. He was a thin, black man who The Driver was always with. They had sold her the drugs she was on right now. She's taken candy from that stranger and now she was taking a ride from another stranger.

The man pointing the gun wore a red leather jacket and black jeans, but his shirt had a graphic that lit up and pulsed when loud noises went off. It had flashed brightly when he fired the gun.

That was Stir.

Stir was also a drug dealer. A bigger drug dealer. A more dangerous drug dealer.

He came to all the raves but Taylah never bought from him, he was too scary, and he always had two other dudes with him who also looked scary.

They had all been there in the same lame outfits they always wore.

"You realize you are pretty easy to spot in a crowd?" The Driver gritted as he drove.

Not only was Taylah dressed pretty eye-catchingly, but her hair was dyed bright purple on one side and brighter pink on the other. She always coloured her hair like that and most people in the scene knew her for it.

That and the dancing.

Stir would know who she was. It wouldn't take him long to find out where she lived.

The Driver slowed down for a red light and he looked at Taylah, she felt his eyes on her and looked back at him the terror she felt only beginning to fully register. The mdma released its pleasant grip on her, but the acid was more reluctant. Her eyes were still swimming and her body loose and tingly.

"How fucked up are you?" The Driver asked.

"I'm alright. I'm high but I'm clear."

They both heard the squealing of tires behind them and as the light turned green The Driver pulled ahead and quickly turned right. Taylah tried to see if a car was speeding toward them but there were too many lights everywhere and her eyes were leaking a lot of water.

Taylah realized she was crying.

"Danny's dead isn't he?"

DJ Danger's real name was Danny Anger, and The Driver was probably his best friend.

Quickly he turned left and pulled into an alley turning the lights off.

They both sat in silence for a moment and then the unmistakable sound of a car speeding down the road passed behind them and faded.

The Driver pulled back out onto the street and pulled the car up to the intersection they had just been in. Looking right they both saw a car's taillights moving quickly away.

The Driver went through the intersection and drove perpendicularly to the direction they saw the other car going, putting as much distance between them as they could.

"Where are you going/"

"Away from here."

"Can I get out?"

"You really want that?"

Taylah thought about it.

Did she?

There were no pockets in her outfit, she didn't bring anything to work with her so no-one could steal it. In her bikini top, over her left breast she had a little money and her ID. Nothing else. Where could she go that Stir wouldn't think to look?

As Taylah thought about it The Driver waited at a light. Then they both heard a car speeding nearby again.

A black SUV crossed their path ahead at the next intersection.

Then its brakes squealed.

The Driver didn't wait, he turned right, the opposite way the SUV had been going. As the black car revered back into the intersection a block away The Driver sped down the road they were now on.

At first he tried to outrace them as they reversed down the road running parallel to them, but each alley and street they crossed the SUV was staying on their left.

As soon as he saw an alley that was blocked by construction barricades between them and the SUV The Driver braked and reversed. Hauling on the wheel he drove down the alley to the right forcing the SUV to either risk making it down their blocked alley or going around to one of the streets.

Once again The muscle car raced along a straight stretch, but now down an alley. Each street they crossed was dangerous because they couldn't tell if any other cars were going to be there. After a few of these risky moves The Driver lost his nerve and turned right yet again.

It was a hard turn and Taylah wasn't ready, once again she tumbled across the bench seat, her face landing right in his lap. Grabbing hold of him with both arms around his waist she held on as they slid around the corner, and then onto a straight away.

Then The Driver turned right again to back track the opposite way the SUV should be coming from.

Immediately The Driver slowed and stopped the car.

They sat and listened for a moment,

The sound of the SUV hitting its brakes nearby echoed off the tall forest of buildings around them.

Ahead on the next block the Taylah saw a parking garage.

"Maybe we should go hide in there."

Pointing to the rows of cars rising into the sky Taylah watched him look and then agree with her.

Starting the car again, he slowly eased it up to the intersection. Nosing out he tried to peer down the streets to see if they were clear to cross over to the parking garage.

No other cars in sight.

Moving the car carefully through the intersection, aiming for the garage, they both watched for the black SUV.

They got through the intersection, but as they were pulling into the garage Taylah saw headlights behind them pull onto the street they had just left.

At first she hoped that it wasn't the SUV, but when squealing tires and a roaring engine thrust the bright headlight toward her she knew it was.

"They saw us."

"Fuck." He said.

Taking the car up the spiral ramp The Driver drove up a couple stories, the spinning making Taylah's head swim. Falling over from the centrifugal force of their climb, Taylah once more tumbled into The Driver, her face on his thigh. Her arm caught on the stick-shift and she tried to move without shifting it.

The Driver picked a floor and left the ramp. Taylah scrambled out of the way as he reached for the stick, his hand caught in her mesh shirt and it torn in his struggle to extract himself

Once free of her The Driver drove around the far side of the stairwell in the middle of the building, blocking their view of the ramp, but also the ramps view of them.

Parking near a dusty car, one of very few vehicles parked here this time of night, The Driver turned off the engine and sat listening to the squealing tires of the SUV. Taylah sat up, her hand pressed to his leg as leverage.

Trying to sober up by sheer will, Taylah focused on the sound of tires but the world was whirling and the acid distorted her view, everything shimmering and vibrating. Heightened sensitivity fired multiple alerts at once; the SUV was climbing above them now, her shirt was ruined, his leg was quite muscular, and she was terrified but thrilled at the same time. Thoughts cascaded around in her head, clear and precise but utterly unconnected to one another.

Yet the drug also made her feel as if everything were significant, destined to be.

This always happened to her on acid, but this time it was different. Usually the feeling would be about how important a particular song was that came on while she and a friend were talking about a particular subject, but this time is was a heightened sense of the significance of being in this car with this man having the most terrifying, thrilling experience of her life.

The Driver listened intently, oblivious to Taylah's cosmic connection to him. As a particularly loud squeal echoed down to them from above, he started the car. Easing toward the down-ramp The Driver slowly drove down, careful not to squeal his own tires.

The sound of the SUV grew quiet.

The muscle car slowed to a crawl.

In the distance the sound of sirens echoed.

Aware that somewhere above them a man with a gun listened for a hint of where they were, The Driver eased the car down the ramp by coasting and using the brake to keep it nice and slow.

The sirens grew closer.

Taylah tripped balls in the passenger seat, acutely aware that all she was wearing was a bikini, fishnet stockings and a half torn mesh t-shirt. Needing the soothing feel of touch, Taylah began to stoke her hands up and down her bare thighs, instinctively seeking a way to calm herself.

The Driver eased the muscle car onto the first floor and drove deeply into the parking spots furthest from the ramp.

The sirens sounded like they were almost here.

The Driver used the noise to quickly put the car into the parking spot next to a big, bulky four door sedan which would block the view from the ramp.

"Quick, get out, as quietly as possible. Don't lock the door."

Even though the sirens were still loud, they were clearly passing the parking garage, so Taylah used real care getting out of the car and closing the door behind her.

The Driver pulled a lock out from the rear seat and put the big bar around the steering wheel and clicked it shut. Then he pulled another long thin metal tool and proceeded to use it on the sedan. In a moment he had the door open and was ushering Taylah inside. "Climb in the back seat."

Wondering why, she did as she was asked and noticed how comfy the seats were, and how little debris there was. Who kept their car his clean?

The Driver climbed in behind her and they heard the squeak of tires moving in the garage somewhere. Closing and locking the door behind himself, The Driver then pulled on the seat and revealed a crawl space to get in the trunk.

"Go in."

Taylah felt like he was a magician, conjuring a portal in the back of a wardrobe. Stunned by it she didn't move until he hissed "Move!" at her.

Crawling into the trunk, Taylah groped with her hands to move the few items that were in her way. Something large and metal, which took effort to push and a jug of fluid. Then Taylah crawled as far inside as she could, embarrassed that her bikini was crawling up her butt giving him a real show.

Hot on her heels, hardly waiting for her to finish, The Driver crawled in and pulled the seat back up behind him.

For a moment they wriggled and shifted until Taylah realized she had to spoon him if they were going to have any hope of being comfortable. The large metal thing was digging into her back unless she pressed her whole length all along his, one hand over him around his chest as she squirmed into a position that was relatively comfortable.

When Taylah was done adjusting The Driver moved a few limbs and settled himself.

And they heard a vehicle drive by. Then stop.

Doors opened and a voice whispered. In the shelter of the trunk it was hard to make out what was being said, but voices whispered, the sounds shifting location as multiple people moved around the muscle car, and then over to the sedan.

Someone tried the door they had just used. Then all the doors were tested and even the trunk.

When the back of the car bounced as someone tried the trunk Taylah buried her face in the Drivers back to stifle the urge to cry out.

The colours behind her eyes whirled in a technicolor kaleidoscope of visuals made vibrant by the drugs, The beating of her heart sounded deafening and Taylah felt the Drivers heart pounding just as quickly.

There were no more sirens, but one voice said loud enough to make out "Cops!" Followed by curses and the sound of shoes on pavement.

Car doors shut and the rev of an engine. The the slight squeak of tires and the engine shut off.

Taylah was confused.

Then another vehicle approached. The sound of tires and engine echoing off the exposed cement of the parking structure. The new vehicle drove past them in the trunk and Taylah wondered if The Driver would tell her to get out, but he didn't. She wondered if the police would see anything suspicious, but they didn't. She wondered if The Driver could tell she was subtly fondling his chest with her hands, not moving much but perceiving the muscles of his chest with her whole palm. He might have.

The sound of the car drove on past then away.

In moments they heard the tell-tale sound of tires on the spiral ramp. It sounded like they were going up. Hardly breathing, her heart beat slowing, but still fast, Taylah listened to the police car drive up the building, searching each floor by driving around. The sounds were obvious when they began to repeat.

The lack of immediate danger calmed her a bit, and Taylah settled even more against The Driver, the metal thing digging in painfully.

Lifting her head and aiming her mouth to where she thought his ear was Taylah whispered very quietly.

"Do you have any room, there is something digging into my back."

The Driver didn't answer, but he shifted slightly more away. Taylah squirmed away from the metal thing and once more pressed herself all along his length. Worming her top leg between his legs she made sure to put muscle against bony bits so they were more comfortably.

Then Taylah thrust her bottom arm under his neck and nuzzled her face into his back, both arms wrapped around him like a lover.

"That's better." she stated and settled into stillness.

For long moments the police car circled each floor quickly scanning all the vehicles looking for something. Then when they reached the top they quickly descended the tires loud on the ramp.

Long before they reached the bottom Taylah was getting horny. Her hands caressed The Driver of their own accord. Her hips wiggled as her sex grew warm and tingly. The acid and mdma were inflaming her.

The Driver was exactly her type physically, handsome, and fit, his hair long and thick, his face smooth and finely featured. Every time she'd seen him around she felt a little zing, but he was the best friend of a drug dealer so she'd stayed away.