He fought hard to keep her awake for several minutes. He tried moving her arms a bit to stimulate circulation, tapped her cheeks, spoke her name, but nothing worked. She drifted off to sleep as peacefully as if she were at home in bed. For a moment, after she finally went completely limp, he just gazed at her. Such beauty. Such graze. Her hair fell across her face as her head lolled, mouth slightly open. The moonlight reflected off  her skin, casting her in a radiant glow. He thought to himself that he'd never seen a more beautiful sight. She was breathtaking. Radiant. Stunning.<br/><br/>And he was in danger of losing control of the situation. Fearfully,  he looked up at the convenience store, then noted that the clerk seemed to be focused on the tiny television on the counter. It was late enough, he likely didn't expect much business. Making a last desperate move to maintain control, Carl stooped and swept his new love into his arms, cradling her tenderly against him. She was soft and warm, and seemed to fit in his arms as if she were meant to be there. It was fate. He carried her to his truck and gently arranged her in the bed of the truck, making sure she would be protected by the tarp and blanket he kept back there for work. She was out of sight, and relatively comfortable for now.<br/><br/>All that remained was to dispose of her car, pulling on gloves as he did. He returned to her car and dug around till he found her purse. Inside was her driver's license. The address wasn't far from the convenience store. If he hurried, he could drive her car to her home, leave it there, and return before she woke. But he didn't know how long the drug would hold her. Unable to find another option, he quickly stowed his gear in the back of the truck, then slid into the driver's seat of the Sebring, turned her key in the ignition, and drove quickly. Once he arrived, he left her purse on the kitchen table, hung the keys on a hook he found by the door, and mussed her bed to make it look slept in. hopefully, no one would realize she never came home.<br/><br/>By the time he made it back to the convenience store, nearly an hour had passed since he'd left her sleeping peacefully. With a sense of cold dread in his heart, he hopped into the back of the truck, desperately hopeful that he would find her still sleeping there.