Scent Meme: the smell of the atmosphere before a good rain
The clouds are pregnant with the promise of a storm. There’s something oppressive in the air, pressing in at him from all sides, so that every breath he takes in is the damp, fetid taste of inundation.
It’s going to rain, and when it does, the cargo he’s carrying is going to complain.
She’s been complaining for days now. That she’s hungry, that she wants to go home, that her bonds are too tight, that she doesn’t deserve any of this. He’ll wait maybe half a day more before he gives up and declares her a loss. He’d figured her for ransom material. Apparently, no one quite cares enough.
"Was that thunder? I think that was thunder. You’re not gonna chain me to a giant metal spike and wait for the lightning to hit, are you? C’mon, just — just let me go, I won’t tell anyone what you’ve done —"
He rolls his eyes, rubs a hand across his face (no mask, not yet, no idea what’s in store for him), and idly draws a gun. She falls silent.
"I wasn’t planning on it. But hey, now that you mention it —"
She squeaks. He smirks. Half a day more.
It’s a cruel business to be in, but it’s a dog eat dog world. If no one fills the ransom, he’ll turn her over to the preserve. They don’t pay well, but they pay better than nothing, and she’ll even get to go home at the end of it. He’s not sure what they do in there, but he figures it’s better than death for his hostages.
(If only he knew, he’d change his mind. Too bad he’ll have to find that out the hard way, soon enough.)