33 - Harper
M y hand tightens around the knife in my hand. Alessia is right, I hold all the power. These men are strapped to chairs and I am still here.
I’m the one standing before them.
I have Alessia and Elio at my sides, protecting me and encouraging me.
I lift the knife and place the tip on the cushion of my index finger. I walk up to the man before me and let the tip of the knife travel up his bound arm, over his collarbone until I can press the tip under his chin.
I feel in charge of every movement my body makes right now.
“Elio, can you get me a chair?” I ask him.
Elio walks over to the wall to get one and puts it just behind me so that I can sit down. I take a seat right in front of him and keep the tip of the knife to his chin.
“You know what? I’m going to call you Jake. You look like a Jake, and we all know men’s names that start with a J are assholes, so it seems fitting.”
Alessia and Elio snicker behind me.
“Before you die, because you will die today, I want you to stop and truly think about what you did. Non-consensual sex, or rape, is not just a crime; it’s a profound violation of another person’s body, trust, and humanity. It’s an act of control and harm, not intimacy or connection.
You’re not entitled to someone’s body, no matter what you feel or desire. You where not entitled to MY body.” I emphasize.
“Consent is the foundation of any healthy interaction, it’s about mutual agreement, respect, and dignity. Ignoring someone’s right to choose is not only devastating for them, but it also deeply reflects on who you are as a person.” I continue.
I feel Alessia’s hand on my shoulders, urging me to go on. I remove the tip from under his chin and hold it before him. Jake tries to speak but is quickly cut off by Elio’s hand across his face.
“What you did, probably countless times before you did it to me, causes life-long trauma. You’re leaving scars that may never fully heal.”
I press the tip against his cheek, piercing the skin. Jake starts screaming but I don’t stop, I can’t stop. He needs to feel my pain even if it’s just an ounce of what I feel everyday.
“That pain and fear will live with your victims. You cannot take this back. You’ll carry the consequences forever. In your case, sadly, it’s not for much longer.”
The knif e is now completely embedded in his cheek. I take it out and adjust my grip. Now that I smelled the coppery tang of his blood, the need for more is like a drug to me.
Beside us Gianni grunts, waking up after the blow. Good, right-on-time. He can watch his little buddy die. I walk over to him and tap him a few times on his cheek.
“Wakey, wakey, asshole. You missed my big speech but Jake over there can fill you in when you’re both in hell.”
“Fuck babe, you’re so hot right now.” Alessia admires.
My confidence grows a few sizes with her statement. I walk over and kiss her deeply before I turn back to Jake.
“Where was I? Oh yeah, I was going to make you feel those cuts you gave me.” I take the knife and guide it through the fabric of his shirt until it hangs open off his torso. “Anything left to say, Jake?”
“I loved the taste of their cum on your face, you’ll always be a cum-whore that needs to be fucked hard until you die from it.”
“Wow, I was not expecting that.” I say in mock-horror as I slap my hand to my chest.
“I was expecting an apology of some sort.” Condemnation dripping off my tone.
“Too bad you chose those final words…” I lift the knife and stab him in his thigh. He screams and spit flies from his mouth. His eyes are wide.
“You crazy bitch!” He bellows.
“Yeah, well… I’m a product of your own design motherfucker!” I pull the knife from his thigh and plunge it into his shoulder.
“This is for Anna! She was thirteen years old. She was a little girl who you had no right to take from her parents.”
I pull the knife out and slash it across his chest and blood pours from the wound.
“You had no right to look at her!” Another slash across his chest forms a big red cross. I see Elio walk over to Gianni who is thrashing in his chair, shouting all kinds of insults at me but I tune him out. Elio holds him down, locking his head in a grip so that he can do nothing else but watch me.
“You had absolutely no right to her or any of the women you took for your own pleasure.” I stab one of his hands that is strapped to the armrest.
The man in front me is a mess, blood is oozing from his skin and a dark stain on his crotch makes the whole picture grotesque. Jake hangs his head, sobbing.
“I’m sorry…” he cries in pain.
“You’re a little late with that buddy. But it’s good to see you still have some remorse left in that pathetic body of yours.” I place the knife on his chest where the two slashes meet. “X marks the spot so they say.”
His eyes go wide and he shakes his head violently.
“NO! NO! NO! PLEASE GOD NO!” He pleads and begs for mercy. But he won’t find it with me. Not after what he did to me.
I grip t he knife with both hands, my entire body is shaking. Alessia’s hands cover mine as she leans in behind me, her face next to mine.
“Let me help you” She whispers. I slightly turn my head to see her face and I see tears in her eyes. Not tears of sadness, the smile on her lips tells me they’re tears of pride.
I nod and apply pressure to the knife, the blade slowly inches forward into the man’s chest until it’s buried all the way to the hilt.
Blood pours from his mouth as he coughs and slowly thrashes in his chair. Then his eyes turn glassy and he’s gone.
I stand, my hands are covered in his blood and turn to Gianni, his head still clamped between Elio’s hands.
“And you…” I begin. “You had no right to them as well. You had no right to me, any other girl or Alessia.” I look over to her, her eyes full of love.
“Do you want to do the honors?” I ask her.
“No baby, this is all you.”
I take the gun from my waistband and aim it at Gianni. Elio takes a step to the side.
“You will never underestimate women again. We will take everything from you and we’ll let it thrive under our command.”
I take the safety off.
“You’ve caused enough pain and I have no more words left for you.”
I put the nuzzle against his forehead.
“Say hi to Jake in hell for me!”
BANG!
“I hop e you burn…” I whisper.
I hand Elio the gun and walk out of the room, run up the stairs, through the garage and out the door.
It’s raining. I come to a stop in the middle of the grass surrounding the house. I look up at the dark clouds and let the rain wash over me. Streams of pink water wash off of me and into the soil at my feet, taking my trauma with it.
It’s over, they’re dead!
Soft hands take mine and I open my eyes. Alessia is standing in front of me. She doesn’t say anything but there is no need for words.
Our eyes meet, the space between us seems to hum with a quiet intensity.
Without thinking, I lean into her, like a magnet drawn by an invisible force.
Her hand slides to the small of my back, pulling me closer, while mine rests on her chest, feeling the steady, quickened rhythm of her heartbeat beneath my fingertips.
When our lips meet, it’s like a spark igniting a fire.
The kiss is slow at first, deliberate, like we’re savoring the moment, tasting the anticipation and relief after all that happened.
Alessia deepens the kiss, her movements growing more urgent, more consuming.
This isn’t just a kiss; it’s a conversation, a release, an unspoken declaration of everything we can’t put into words.
My fingers curl into her blouse as if I’m anchoring myself, while her hand slides up to cradle my jaw, tilting my face to meet her.
Every brush of her lips, every breath we share, is electric.
It isn’t just passion, it’s vulnerability and connection, like we’re pouring pieces of ourselves into each other with every second.
When we finally break apart, we linger close, our lips barely brushing as we catch our breath. My face is flushed, my eyes half-lidded as I looked up at her, and I can’t help but smile softly, her thumb brushing over my cheek. This wasn’t just a kiss, it was a moment we’d never forget.
I break the silence, “Fiancée huh?”
Alessia rests her forehead against mine and giggles.
“Yeah,” she murmurs, her breath warm against my skin. “Sounds right, doesn’t it?”
I smile, pulling her even closer. “It sounds perfect.”