Hot Girls Fight Back, Vol. 2

Prologue

JUSTICE

A resounding crack echoes in my ears, reverberating against the hillside.

While the pain is like no other, the sound is almost music to my ears.

Tears threaten to spill over the brim of my swollen eyes, and I puncture my teeth through my top lip as I bury the ear-shattering scream deep within my lungs, refusing to allow it to escape.

My cries aren’t worth the breath I waste expelling them; they always fall on deaf ears.

His heavy fist lands across my face once more; my jaw immediately feels numb.

He straightens his form as he catches his breath, and I find the strength to roll to my side.

The sudden shift causes a wave of nausea, and blood-laced vomit spews slowly from my lips.

I silently pray I strangle on my own fluid.

It would be a far more respectful death than that I’m sustaining.

Death…

It’s funny how the mere thought of life escaping my lungs and my body permanently void of all existence used to terrify me.

Now, I welcome it with arms wide open. The irony is not lost on me.

I stare at the crimson mucous that coats the ground and curse it for not straining my airways.

As I lay here pleading for reprieve of this life, his assault continues. Only more violently.

His heavy boot crushes into my ribs over and over, stomping my lifeless soul into the cold dirt beneath me.

My breathing shallows, and I gasp for air that I’m not afforded.

His brutality is endless, his anger undeniable, and the last moments of my life are something nightmares are made of.

My eyes shutter closed, finding solace in the Lord’s prayer.

Our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…

As if my futile attempt of seeking refuge has been heard, suddenly his assault just … stops.

I hear his heaving breaths as he braces his weight against his knees, beads of sweat dripping from his brow.

His eyes connect with mine, and he smirks, a devious arrogance behind his sinister gaze.

Standing to his full height, he turns and walks away.

He’s leaving me here to endure a slow and miserable death.

I want to plead with him to just end the suffering, but it’s the suffering I deserve the greatest.

The ground beneath me is solid and dank, and the brisk air is enough to suffocate my already weak lungs. The pain that radiates through my body is excruciating, and I feel as if my bones are splintered … shattered.

Each.

And.

Every.

Last.

One of them.

I curl into a fetal position in an attempt to comfort the aching I feel deep within my soul.

I struggle to wrap my arms around myself, and as my fingers graze the delicate lace, I remember the spark of lust I saw in his eyes tonight.

I remember the way his calloused fingers felt dipping between my thighs.

Before I get lost in the safety of my thoughts, the silence of the night is interrupted by the familiar sound of metal hinges kissing.

With a weary strength, I lift my head and search behind unfocused eyes for the source of the sound.

The surroundings are unfamiliar, thick mud and dense brush coat the deep embankment.

A shadow appears in the glow of the moonlight, and thunderclaps boom across the night sky with a clash of lightning as he ascends the embankment.

A shudder of fear courses through me, and my heart pounds wildly in my ears.

His strides are hard and angry, a contradiction to his confident demeanor.

A cloud of dust settles across my face, and my lungs tighten as I inhale the dirty air—suffocating.

I gasp in a strangled breath, applying pressure to my ribs as I cough.

The action is purely instinctual and offers no relief at all.

My chest quivers as I lay here living, dying.

Kneeling beside me, he trails his nose along my jaw, inhaling deeply and sighing in gratification.

I pinch my eyes closed at his closeness and will my staggering heart to stop.

Just.

Stop.

Beating.

He chuckles softly and whispers, “Bad little girls are lost to the world. Absolve your transgressions.”

The sharp, abrasive sound of metal slicing into the damp ground pierces my ears. I force my swollen eyes open and watch as the old, rusted shovel slowly penetrates the earth. He whistles with the howling wind, as the heavens release their sorrow upon us.

An unfamiliar comfort blankets over me as my pulse slows to a dull pace.

My fate is sealed, and soon the suffering will cease.