Chapter 15~
Alittle shiver of anticipation runs down my spine as I make my way through the woods. The further I get from my little cabin, the darker it gets. Dusk has come and gone, and I’m surrounded by the symphony of the nightlife around me. I’m not running. Not yet. Just taking a brisk walk until I find the perfect spot to stop and wait.
I like this game. A little hiding, a little seeking, a little rough action from a man that’s been vetted thoroughly by the only app I will ever use to find a nighttime playdate. It’s all in good fun, and it may or may not help me forget some of the bad memories. The ones where I didn’t have a choice. The ones that grip me by my throat while I’m sleeping and squeeze until I pray for the sweet release of death; only to wake up and realize that I’m still very much alive.
I step behind a massive oak tree and lean against it. For a brief moment, I look up at the stars. Tonight is so clear and utterly perfect. I’m far enough away from major shopping centers and highways that I can see everything.
A serene smile pulls my mouth up as I spot the Big and Little Dippers, and then move on to find Polaris, the North Star. Something about looking up into the night sky always gives me a deep feeling of tranquility.
Breathing in deeply, I close my eyes and focus for a moment on the nocturnal sounds around me. Grasshoppers and crickets play a rhythmic tune while an owl nearby hoots out his own melody. A gentle breeze blows through the trees and I feel my hair move around my shoulders under the strap of my mask.
Snap-Crunch-Crinch!
The sounds coming from behind me startle me enough that I bite my tongue when I jump.
My heart rate picks up, and my smile widens as I realize that my friend is here to play. Adrenaline courses through my veins and I duck low for a moment, straining my ears to pick up his general speed and direction. But, what I don’t expect is multiple sounds coming from the same direction.
Closing my eyes, I focus everything I have on listening to the footsteps coming from the direction of the cabin.
Thunk
“Shit.”
“Shut up, Dumbass.”
Durnit! We did not agree to more than one player. As I consider my next move, anger and fear fight for dominance and my blood boils.
I can hear them shuffling closer to me and I stop second-guessing. This is my house, my property, my rules.
With a shift on my heel, I sprint through the trees where I know I have a pile of debris I’ve been working on. We had a bad storm a couple of weeks ago so I made huge piles of downed limbs and never got around to finishing this section. I was supposed to finish the cleanup and burn it last weekend, but I was apparently delirious from lack of touch and went way off the rails. Broken limbs may not be the best defense, but I’d rather have something if I need to fight back.
I’m already panting from a mix of running and pure adrenaline but I send up a “thanks” to anyone listening that I can breathe perfectly through the mask. My arms pump as my legs carry me through the trees until I finally reach the clearing. I’m immediately filled with relief when I spot the huge pile of broken limbs standing tall and proud; like a beacon of hope. Hopefully, I won’t need to defend myself. But then again, he brought someone without my permission, so I’m not getting the sense that he’s very respectful.
“Here, kitty, kitty,” A nasally male voice calls out. It sounds creepy and I instantly visualize a 40-year-old, slimy man with a 70s porn ‘stache and beady little eyes. Ok, I may be projecting because I loathe the pet name “Kitty.” It grosses me out almost as much as a man asking me to call him “Daddy.” I have issues, but… ew, I just can’t.
However, I don’t yuck anyone’s yum. If that’s their thing, so be it. Just don’t involve me.
I round the backside of the large pile of debris and slip down into the sloped pit I dug out a few years ago for controlled burns. Right as I get to the bottom, my shoe gets caught between two large limbs. I yank and pull as quietly as I can, but also keeping in mind that one wrong move and this whole, big fricking pile will come down on my head. Not what I had in mind for tonight… or ever, really.
Finally, I unstick my foot and quickly search for a branch that may be useful if needed.
“Come out, little kitty. We won’t bite.” That voice sounds more gravelly than the last. But, something else in his tone causes my whole body to erupt in goosebumps. Whatever it is, I don’t want it.
After a few cuts and scrapes to my arms, I finally find a worthy piece. It’s a Post Oak branch that is just heavy enough to cause damage but not so heavy that I can’t wield it with one hand. Part of the tip is jagged from where the branch was broken free from the tree. It’s not as good as my knives, but it’ll do.
Turning, I quickly make my way out of the pit, ducking down just on the outer edge. The tree line is too far and I can tell from their steps they have already entered the clearing.
“Pink Unicorn!” I scream.
That’s it. Safeword is out there. Scene is done.
“Awww, Kitten,” the gravelly voice chides. His voice drips in condescension masked by playfulness. “It’s too soon. We haven’t even played yet.”
And, just as I feared, this isn”t a scene; it’s a trap.
Forking donkey balls! I know better than to not do my own vetting. But noooo. Little Miss Hussy Pants got her tubes in a twist thinking about the guys from last weekend that I just had to jump the gun.
I mentally blow a raspberry as I finish yelling at myself. I really do know better. I mean, geez, how many times does a girl need to be attacked or taken advantage of before she learns her lesson… or the universe says it’s enough?
Using every ounce of willpower I have, I force my voice to stay firm as I answer. “Sorry, not sorry. We didn’t agree to add anyone to the scene. I’m no longer comfortable so we are done.” I try to inject as much confidence and strength in my voice as possible. I mean, I know the app will check on him but, dang, I really screwed up this time.
“We’ll make it worth your while.” The nasally one comments through the clearing. I can hear their footsteps, one set on each side of the pit, but the gravelly voice is closest.
The other guy’s voice gets darker and more sinister the closer he gets. “Besides, you’re the one who likes this. Chasing, capturing…” I position my body towards the direction of his voice. It’s so dark and my ears are ringing so loudly that I can no longer hear their footsteps.
With my branch out in front of me, like the sword I wish it was, I begin backing away from the pit, towards the tree line. I may very well have to run for it. But, crap noodles, I am not built for that.
“...Taking.” The last word is whispered into my ear just as two long arms clamp around my chest, pulling me into a warm body.
A shrill scream leaves my throat and I immediately thrash my head back, praying to catch this jackhole in the nose. Unfortunately, he’s a little smarter than I hoped, as he pushes his head down until the top of his head basically rests on the top of my back; right where it meets my neck. He pulls me closer to him, and the pressure from his hard head digging into the top of my spine causes me to cry out in pain.
A low tutting of disapproval filters through my ears as I wrestle the bastard behind me. Smashing my heel down, I connect with something hard and unmoving.
“Steel toe boots. Very effective.” The man in front of me says casually with a grin.
I can barely see his eyes, but I can sure feel them. The darkness within them flows out like an inky aura of death and carnage.
Shivers cause my body to tremble and my breaths start coming in harsh pants. My body hurts from exertion laced with fear and my brain isn’t able to make a clear path of action. It’s like my brain is shutting itself down; preparing for what’s to come.
The man in front of me steps closer and I wave the branch in a futile attempt to make contact. The man behind me has a solid grip around my upper body, so the limb is now completely useless.
It”s then I realize he must have readjusted his head, as it now leans up against the right side of mine; like he”s a lover holding me tightly. Gag.
Something hard pokes me in my back and I quickly realize it’s the creeper’s little pocket pal. Ew.
“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a fat little kitty, huh, Drew?” the obvious leader says, raking his eyes over my body. Without a cloud in the sky, there’s enough moonlight to get general figures and shapes. But I definitely can’t tell you what this jackhole looks like—other than maybe 5’9” with a medium build. The guy behind me is a touch taller but slimmer. Other than that, I can’t see a dang thing.
Something wet and slimy hits the bottom of my neck on the right side. It takes only a moment to realize that it’s his tongue. I try to pull away as it travels up my neck before flicking my ear back and forth; slobbering on it like a Bulldog.
“I like fat kitties.” He wheezes. It briefly makes me wonder if he has asthma or if he just naturally sounds like a sick perv.
“Get the hell off me,” I gag. It may or may not be fake. “Your breath smells like you licked a skunk’s butthole.” I look over at the leader, nodding my chin at him, “Or maybe he licked yours. Either way, one of you needs to see a doctor because GROSS!”
I know I’m pissing them off and I don’t care. This may be my last night on Earth but they sure as hell aren’t going to have me just roll over and play dead. Nope. Not this girl. Never again.
A growl vibrates through the man’s chest behind me and he bites down on the top of my right shoulder. It feels like his teeth are scraping across the bone, and I scream out in pain; vaguely feeling the blood trickle down my arm and chest. I clearly hit a nerve and definitely didn’t peg him for a vampire. Cheese-its!
As soon as the thought leaves my head, warmth, and pain explode across my right cheek. Stars spark through my vision and my neck pops from the force.
It takes a few seconds for my brain to come back online. But, by that point, I’m being twisted around and shoved to my back. The back of my head hits the ground with a dull thud and my breath is painfully forced from my lungs from the impact. I”m still trying to blink away the spots in my vision. My eyes water as sand and dirt swirl around my face, and I pant and heave for breath.
Suddenly, it”s like a telescope zooms way into my situation; like in a movie. I see everything that”s going on and everything that will probably happen. And that”s all I needed.
I finally snap back away from the pain. I’ve done this before. Separate the pain, block it out, deal with it later. If there is a later. Until then, fight like hell.
I start to thrash, squirm, scream, flail… at one point, a hand tries to cover my mouth, and I chomp on it like I’m a friggin” piranha. When that hand rips away from my mouth, a solid body thumps down on top of my thighs. My hands form fists, and I fight with everything I have; praying to connect. A grunt of pain and a shout of “Fuck!” greets me, and I smile wide, allowing that little bit of progress to fuel my continued rage.
“Get her under control!” A voice barks from somewhere behind my head. A thin, clammy hand wraps around my left wrist and mashes it backward to the ground above my head. My eyes widen as the movement causes Mr. Wheezer to come ridiculously close to my face. It also has the terrible effect of causing my back to arch and my breasts to mash into his chest.
The moonlight is just enough to see the anger coursing through his eyes. His stomach-curdling breath fans across my face repeatedly and causes hot bile to surge up into my throat. His free hand reaches behind him as he sneers, “I’ve got something to shut her up.”
And that’s the opening I need.
My right hand comes up the second his hand disappears behind his back. In a move I’ve had to use before, unfortunately, I hook my thumb into his nostril, press my pointer finger into the corner of his left eye and squeeze. I feel my thumbnail embed itself into his nostril, giving me a good anchor to use the rest of my fingers to dig in behind his eye.
His answering roar is a glorious hymnal as he immediately drops my other wrist and rears back. Stupid boy.
I use his lack of balance and, obvious surprise, to buck my hips upwards. I still have a pretty good hold of his eye and nose as his body lurches forward over me. Unfortunately for him, the sudden movement forward causes my fingers to dig even deeper into his socket; effectively popping out the gooey little organ.
Taking advantage of his position, I wrap my legs around his scrawny butt. When our hips are pinned together, I use my left hand to push his shoulder diagonally backward and flip our positions.
With a thud and a scream of agony, he hits the ground. He flails about; clasping his face and wailing loudly. I quickly clamber off of him and shakily stand before realizing that his eye is firmly-or should I say squishy- in my hand. Holy crackerballs. I pulled his eye all the way out!
For a brief moment, I watch in fascination as he flops around and screams like a maniac. But, that proves to be one moment too long.
“You fucking bitch!” The other guy was noticeably absent during my tussle and I forgot he was even here. Idiot.
I don”t have time to react before a hard body slams right into my back, sending me flying down into the debris pit. Pain courses through my body as I belly-flop to the ground. The sound of limbs and branches collapsing around us and down the other side of the pile echoes out through the night. The air is knocked out of me and I start gasping and coughing for breath.
I”m still wheezing and groaning for air when something yanks me up by my hair; forcing me to crawl over branches on all fours to prevent being scalped. My knees barely hit solid ground before the hold on my hair loosens just in time for two large hands to engulf my wrists and wrench them behind me. Holy shit. He moved fast.
My breathing is gurgled and painful as cold metal cinches around each wrist behind my back. With a rough shove, I faceplant into the sloping side of the debris pit, spluttering and choking against the dirt.
“Fucking ugly ass, fat bitch! You think you’re better than me?!” I don’t have time to even attempt a witty comeback before he’s kicking me in the ribs hard enough that I roll onto my side.
My mask is completely sideways on my face; cutting off my ability to see with my left eye and greatly impeding the right. Sparklers filter through my vision as my body tries to combat the pain with adrenaline. The man behind me roars as he flips me from my side to my back, squishing my cuffed hands underneath me, and causing my shoulder to dislocate with a loud pop.
“...easy. But, no… had to be…” The man is mumbling out an angry monologue of curses as my knees bear his weight and he rips my tank down the middle. The pain in my knees is excruciating and I fear they may snap backward from the pressure. My overactive imagination also wonders if my lower spine could break from being smashed against my bound hands.
I vaguely feel a cool breeze on my thighs as my skirt is moved around and my panties are unceremoniously ripped away. But, pain trumps everything for a moment. It’s too painful to breathe, or fight, or scream. Everything throbs and aches and my body has no idea what to focus on.
Until two fingers are jammed deep inside me. The burning sensation rips a loud, screeching sound from my throat. “That’s it,” he growls. “Figures a fat chick like you would have a tight kitty,” He grits between his teeth.
My brain finally decides to be helpful as it begins to flood my body with numbness. As I begin zoning out, I’m momentarily grateful that his fingers leave my body and hope he’s done with me. Maybe he’ll just kill me now and get it over with.
Then, I hear him spit.