I stood outside the theatre in the dark. It was darker than usual – the nearest streetlamp had fizzled out and hadn't been fixed yet. The theatre had alleyways on either side leading back to the car park.

I wasn't scared of the dark, I liked the way it closed in around me as I stepped outdoors and the artificial light subsided. Then it was just me and my thoughts, and the odd car rumbling past. I would've walked home alone if my brother hadn't insisted on meeting me. He thought it wasn't safe for me to walk home alone in the dark, looking back I know that he was right, but the fact that he was late meeting me kind of defeated the point of meeting me at all.

I decided to give him fifteen minutes before I started to walk home alone. When the show had finished everyone had surged out of the theatre and said hurried goodbyes. After five minutes I was left standing alone.

It was quite cold and I didn't feel like freezing my butt off on the cold stone steps, so I paced up and down.

Maybe that was my first big mistake – or maybe it was how far I paced, right up to the buildings on either side of the theatre. I stopped at one end – it had been quarter of an hour. I thought I'd phone Jack to see where he was, so I rummaged about in my bag for my mobile. That was when it happened.

I didn't even find my mobile – someone grabbed me and pulled me backwards into the pitch black of the alleyway.

I hadn't heard any footsteps approaching, no rustling, no soft trainer thuds, nothing. I only knew he was there when I felt his hands on me. Well, not really his hands – gloves, black leather.

I couldn't see his face, just feel the warmth of his body against mine, his arms, his hands, his strength pulling me towards him, holding me still, rendering the efforts of my struggles completely pointless. One gloved hand was firmly clamped over my mouth, stopping the screams that were queuing to escape. His other arm was around my waist, pinning my arms to my sides.

I struggled with all my might, but to no avail. He was too strong for me; he was bigger and taller than me. It was pointless struggling and he'd even told me so.

"Hold still, I'm not going to hurt you."

I felt his breath against my ear as he whispered and it sent an unwelcome shiver down my spine. I knew I'd heard his voice somewhere, but where? – I couldn't place it. Maybe I'd heard it long ago, when I was younger. I stopped struggling when he said that. I'd figured that I couldn't get away. I stood perfectly still, my heart thundering in my chest. I could feel his hot breath of the back of my head as he spoke in a patronising and rather cocky manner.

"Good girl Ari."

It was then that I'd realised who he was; my heart seemed to halt.

After my temporary state of frozenness I started to struggle again. He tutted in my ear and said, "No, that's not good. I don't think you get this."

That was when I saw the gun. He'd taken his hand away from my mouth and pulled out a gun, causing me to freeze once more. I'd placed the voice, but I didn't know him well enough to know whether he'd actually shoot me or not. He chuckled lightly into my ear and repeated himself. "Good girl Ari."

He took his arm away from my waist and pulled gun away from my head. He pushed the gun into my back and I started to walk. At the end of the alleyway, blocking any chance of my escape, was a black limo. When we reached it he told me to open the door. My hands shook as I opened it – I knew what was coming next, but I couldn't do anything.

He'd told me to get in, expecting me to move straight away, I didn't. I decided to be fearless – it wasn't hard to chose between getting shot or getting into a car that could take me anywhere. I turned to face him.