(FADE IN:)

EXT. - EMPTY LOT - NIGHT

It was impossible to scream with the filthy rag stuck in his mouth. He tried anyway, choking on the dustiness of the dirty cloth, jaw working in an attempt to spit it from lips as dry as the desert.

The car came to a sudden halt, throwing him forward to the front of the trunk. His shoulder ground against the tire iron on the floor hard enough to make lights dance before his eyes, driving him to the brink of unconsciousness from the ...