Page 5 of Gerard
Chapter Two
When Lucy slid into the back seat black car waiting in the corner of the university parking lot, she didn't know what to think.
Hungover, dehydrated and scared, she couldn't form a rational thought for the life of her.
The car smelled brand new, fresh leather and a straight out of the packet lemon air freshener. The driver didn't even wait until Lucy had closed the door before he sped off out of the parking lot.
All Lucy could see was a hand on the steering wheel, adorned with a very expensive looking gold watch.
'Hi -’
Lucy was cut off immediately by the same hand, as the driver motioned her with a swift movement to be silent.
'Excuse me -' she tried again, but was met with the same motion, only slightly more aggressive.
Lucy shrugged and looked out of the window. Although of course she had her doubts, the fact that the official invigilator of the exam told her to leave made her think that yes, it is actually real. She did need to run, and this man driving the car is taking her to safety.
She sank down slightly, relaxing in the soft leather seats. There was no use stressing about where she was going, she reasoned with herself, and clearly this man didn't want to tell her.
She glanced up at the rear view mirror, and took a sharp breath when she saw the ice blue eyes of the driver staring back at her.
They were piercing and deep, easily the most unusual eyes Lucy had ever seen. She couldn't tear her gaze away from his, even though she didn't have the slightest of clues about who these beautiful eyes belonged to.
When the blue eyed driver turned his attention back to the road to pull out of the university's driveway, Lucy looked out of the window.
Swansea University was in a beautiful part of Wales, resting right on the beach. Although miles from Lucy's home in Kent, England, over the past three years she had begun to see it as her second home.
I’ll miss it when I leave, she realised with a sinking heart as she gazed out to the choppy autumn sea. Not just because of its beauty, but because leaving symbolises the beginning of her troubles of the real word - having to find a good paying job without a goddamn degree.
After what felt like an hour, the stretching beach views began to be replaced with leafy, tree lined streets, residential houses for the middle class. Lucy watched in silence as these streets turned into country lanes, and eventually, dusty, off road tracks that wound deep into the hills overlooking the city of Swansea.
Panic began to creep up on Lucy.
They were getting further away from civilisation, and she hadn't seen another car in the last ten minutes. She could hear the gears of the car changing to accommodate the steep gradient of the hills, and when she realised they were heading into thick forest, it dawned on her that perhaps she had made a massive mistake.
Her breathing got quicker, and she could feel her heart beating in her throat.
Why the fuck did she just get into a random strangers car?! Of course the invigilator can't be fully trusted - she isn't employed by the university, she's hired by an external company. She could literally be anyone.
Besides, as far as Lucy knew, there was nothing substantial ontop of these hills, just a lot of thick bushes and trees to dump a body.
Another glance in the rear view confirmed that the man was staring at her with those eyes again. With a shaking hand, she subtly tried the door handle.
Locked.
She tried to keep her face as neutral as possible as she realised that if this guy was trying to help her, he wouldn't have locked her into the bloody car.
Deep breaths.
She twiddled with her matted hair nervously as they climbed higher and higher, taking sharp turns down lanes that no longer had proper roads.
It was when she rubbed her sweaty palms on her thighs that she remembered she had a lifeline.
Her phone.
Staying as calm as she possibly could, Lucy began to edge the phone up to the mouth of the pocket in her jeans. Trying not to look suspicious, she crossed her legs and coughed, and continued to edge the phone up. Damn skinny jeans.
Suddenly, in a whirl of screeching breaks and the seat belt cutting deeply into her neck, Lucy's face crashed into the headrest of the seat in front.