Hat spawn #1

The wooded area around the college town of Berstow has been home to strange happenings, namely a disappearing rate much higher than national average, especially of male students. Of course it could be nothing, the reckless nature of dorm life, students taking a break without telling anyone and reappearing soon after, but still caution and the safety of students are always the institution's foremost priority. There's been PSAs, a stiple of safety guidance rules, the draft of a dossier on the desk of the local police office. But mostly there's been curiosity, speculation and jokes about the strange disappearances from the student body.

Photography student Willers thought the case clean-cut : it was aliens. Unfortunately none of his friends accepted to come along with him to investigate. But no matter, he would come back with photos of the weird clearings in the woods, the spacecraft, maybe footage of some unlucky soul getting sucked in if he was lucky. Well... he got himself arrested. A huge guy in what looked like a police uniform ordered him out of his watchout spot. Demanded to know what he was doing around here in camo clothes looking over the forest. He explained, flustered, not tunnel-visioned enough to understand that the normies could easily assume it wasn't aliens, and instead it was the weirdo out in the woods. Unfortunately the officer didn't seem convinced, walked him to his vehicle. That... wasn't a police car as far as he could tell. But not a spacecraft either, so he still obeyed when the officer told him to get in. He even agreed to the strip-search, wanting to be done with the matter as soon as possible... his raising doubts reached a critical mass when the guy took out a bundle of rope but by that point, it was too late.

Lusio just got picked up. He positioned himself next to the road in a spot where cars have to slow down, and raised his thumb. Usually it would take at least some thirty minutes, not that many cars around these parts and fewer stopping for hitchhikers, but today he's in luck : van pulls over, the guy gestures for him to get in. He gleefully answered that the radio didn't disturb him when the guy asked, but couldn't help but notice some weird thumps and muffled noise coming from the back of the van. A dozen minutes passed driving through the woods, before he mounted the courage to ask and figured an appropriate way to phrase it.
« Um sir, is there a raccoon trapped in your car or something ? » he chuckled, as it was a pretty funny situation to envision.
« Uhh, the guy answered, I don't know son. Could be. Let's figure it out... »
They pulled over, both walked to the back and the guy opened the doors. Lusio glanced around, embarrassed, while the guy examined the male laying there, wearing only underpants and trussed up with a ballgag in his mouth.
« Nah son, looks more like a badger to me, hehehe. Close enough I suppose. »
Lusio walked off awkwardly, his first instinct would've been to leave these two at whatever game they were playing despite the fact the nearly naked guy was obviously not happy, probably ever less so seeing – he's into social sciences, only has taken common sense as an undergraduate. The guy however doesn't let him, grabs him by his collar, drags him into the van, shuts the doors. Fear finally replaced embarrassment at least partially.
« How's about we get a little hamster trapped in there too ? »
« W... what does that mean sir ? »
« It means strip down... »

Stutler was putting himself in danger for precisely opposite reasons : he wouldn't be nearly as easy to subdue by anyone. He knew it, going all in for a sport scholarship. Why shut yourself in from the risk when you can easily outrun it ? And if he couldn't, couldn't he instead fight ? Of course none of that is airtight, but he would be offended by the simple idea of letting whatever creep's responsible have any space in his mind, affecting when and where he damn chooses to do his jogging. He did that dozens of times. And then to much vain outrage he's ambushed. How dare that shmuck do this ?
Said shmuck probably sees it as he doesn't appear he was disposed to give him any respect. As soon as he was confident enough that Stutler wouldn't escape, he let loose embarrassing him. Or, I guess the way he proceeded to tie him up might show that he understood the physical potential of his newest capture : he hogtied him all the way.

The three were then driven someplace they obviously had never seen. They never saw the outside either, as a bag was pulled over each of their heads before their captor picked them up one by one and took them down in the basement of a house, in such a relaxed attitude, and lack of outside noise, that it was clear this place was in the middle of nowhere.

Once they were all there, the bags were pulled off their heads. All that gained them, was the sight of a very smug captor looking down at them. He grinned, and got out.

Now was the chance. With tremendous difficulties, and using the backside of the hamster laying behind him as a crutch, a very determined Willers got on his feet, and hopped towards the stairs. Inspired, Lusio followed suit, smiling awkwardly at the otter he used to try and get up. Although hogtied, Stutler helped him best he could, all despite the fact he wouldn't be able to get up himself. Lusio understood that he was relying on him and his badger companion for salvation. And that was the least he could do. With this in mind, he may become a little bit too enthusiastic, and landed against Willers' back. He felt him losing balance, panicking, and trying to make him understand that he needed to back down as there was too little space on the stair they were both trying to stand on. Lusio panicked, unsure about whether or not that would succeed, or if he would fall down the stairs. As he was pondering, Willers kicked him with his butt, out of patience.

Stutler rolled his eyes at the scene. As if the ordeal wasn't embarrassing enough as it was.