Chapter 7

 

Brook screamed and held her hands in front of her, palms out, pleading, “No, no, no, please don’t do this. All I want is to leave. Please let me go. I'll keep my mouth shut, I swear! Please!” Jase grabbed her jacket and tore it from her shoulders. Her blouse quickly followed, ripped open and torn away like tissue paper from a gift. She dropped to the floor, arms crossed over her bra-covered breasts. Filled with dread, she pulled her knees to her chest and curled into a ball.

“You need help?” Pete asked Jase, excitement lacing his voice.

“Hell, no,” Jase said as Brook huddled on the floor, staring up at him through her hair. He slid his shirt up over his head, revealing a chest nearly devoid of hair. An intricate tattoo of a bizarre creature with a snake’s body attached to a woman’s head ran up from his right nipple around the back of his neck, ending on his left shoulder. “I got this licked.”

He reached down and yanked Brook roughly up by one arm, bruising the soft skin. Seizing a handful of her hair, he pulled her face forward and mashed his lips against hers, forcing his tongue deep into her mouth. Brook gagged and pounded on his chest. Reaching upwards, she tried to pry his hand from her hair.

 From somewhere in the house came sounds of fury; things being thrown around, breaking glass, and thuds. Gina muttered expletives just loud enough to be heard.

Jase grinned at Pete, holding Brook easily with one hand. “It sounds like your old lady is having some fun, too. Hand me a blade.”

Brook’s eyes grew wide with terror, and she quickly lowered her hands to her side. “You don’t need to do that. Please.”

With a cold smile, Jase reached back and Pete laid a knife in his hand. Brook struggled to break free, but Jase tightened his grip on her hair and flipped the blade open. “Better hold still,” he sneered, “or I might slip.” Brook froze as he slid the cold metal beneath the front of her bra and sliced though the silky material. The knife did slip, leaving a thin red line below her breast. She cried out.

“Oops,” Jase said in a mocking tone. Then his mood darkened. “You ain’t hurt bad, bitch. I’ve had worse cuts shaving.” He closed the knife and tossed it back to Pete, who opened the blade and wiped it clean on his pants leg before returning it to his pocket. Brook followed the movement with her eyes, wishing she could get her hands on the knife. But she was defenseless.

Covering her breasts with her hands, she begged, “Stop! Please! Don’t do this.”

Jase released his grip on her hair and moved her hands out of the way. He grabbed her breasts and squeezed hard. “Ohh, yeah!” he said. “Ain’t these nice?”

“Damn right they are!” Pete boomed. He and Benny watched Jase’s moves, their eyes burning with a strange light. Jase lowered his head, and buried his face between her breasts while Benny whooped his appreciation in the background.

Nothing in Brook’s life had prepared her for what was happening. She felt the intrusion of his skin against hers, smelled the patchouli he wore, and felt revulsion crawling inside her like worms. She reacted without thinking of the consequences; she hit, slapped and pushed on his head. Shoving her hands roughly aside, Jase pressed her down onto the mattress, falling on top of her. “Give me back those tits,” he leered and lowered his mouth to her chest.

Lapping at the knife wound, Jase smacked and slurped. “Yummy! Nothing like fresh blood.” With a grin, he stuck out his tongue, revealing the slick red coating. He bugged his eyes at her and laughed satanically.

“Don’t scare her too bad, man. We don’t want her pissing herself,” Pete said with  a smile, his yellow teeth catching the weak light from the window. His voice trembled with excitement.

Brook rained blows on Jase’s head and shoulders  with her small fists. Jase ignored her and sucked roughly on her breasts, chewing at her nipples.

“You’re hurting me,” she moaned. “Please stop!” She tried to push him off, but it was like trying to move a concrete post. Desperate, she pinched the skin on his neck, pulled his hair, and squirmed in an attempt to slide from beneath him.

“Holy shit, she’s a fighter!” Benny exclaimed, obviously pleased. “My kinda woman. That’s right, sugar! Don’t make it too easy on him. Make him work for it, baby!”

Brook’s heaving body and flailing fists finally angered Jase. “Hold the fuck still.” He pulled back and threw a punch to her stomach. “How the hell am I supposed to fuck you when you’re flopping all over the place?”

Brook sucked for air, finally drew a breath, and groaned. Pulling up onto his knees, Jase reached for the waistband of her pants. Brook got a foot up and kicked, leaving a bloody gouge across his abdomen.

“Fuck! You stupid cunt.” Jase struck her in the face with his fist, and her senses reeled.

“Ah fuck, dude!” Pete protested. “Did you have to hit her so hard?”

Jase, breathing hard, stared down at Brook. “I barely tapped her.” He turned and yelled at Benny and Pete. “Make yourselves useful. Get those damn shoes off this bitch and one of you hold her arms, or I am gonna beat the shit outta her.”

Glad to participate, both men dropped eagerly to the mattress. Benny grabbed the shoes from her feet, running his hands over her legs. He rubbed the bottom of Brook’s foot against the hardness of his crotch, but quit when she regained some of her senses and kicked.

Pete wrestled Brook’s arms over her head and captured both of her hands in one of his. Leaning forward, he tweaked her bruised nipples with his free hand, pinching and pulling on them. Gasping, Brook tried to pull her arms free, but Pete merely tightened his hold.

Jase ripped off her pants, with Benny helping free her legs from the torn fabric. He flung them across the room and then made short work of her panties. Reaching for his fly, his dark eyes glinted with anticipation.

In the next room, the banging ceased. Apparently, Gina had reached the point her anger overcame her fear of Jase. She flung the bedroom door open and took in the scene in a glance. Her face flushed bright red. “Pete!” she cried. “What the hell are you doing? Get your hands off that bitch, you two-timing sack of shit!”

“Help me! Oh god, please help me!” Brook begged Gina.

 “Get the hell outta here, bitch!” Jase growled at Gina. “Now!”

Pete looked more confused than guilty. “What’s the matter, Gina? You don’t need to worry, baby. I love you and only you; this is just a little bit of fun. Go wait in the other room for me, sweetie. This won’t take long.”

Gina stood with her fists clenched at her sides and glared at the group. Pete’s face turned hard. “Go on, I mean it, now. This ain’t your concern.”

“No, don’t go,” Brook screamed. “You have to help me; you have to get me out of here!” Gina refused to look at her, fixing her gaze instead on Pete.

“Fuck you, Pete! I hate you! I hate you all!” Gina slammed the door and stomped away. Pete turned his attention back to the fun at hand. He watched as Jase positioned himself to enter the woman.

“No,” Brook whimpered as Jase slammed into her, holding nothing back, almost as if he hated her. He tore her tender flesh, ripping her as he entered without lubrication. Brook screamed in agony, arching her back, attempting to throw this unwanted burden from her. But, Jase’s weight held her in place.

Benny ran his hands up and down, caressing Brook’s leg. “How’s it feel, dude? How’s it feel? Is it good?” Jase ignored him and looked down at Brook.

“You like my rod, don’t you, you rich bitch? It’s a hard rod, a big rod. A hot rod." Panting, he finally finished and collapsed on top of her. His face shone with perspiration and the patchouli scent grew stronger, overwhelming. Brook choked on the smell.

Jase didn’t lie there long before he was prodded by Benny. “Come on, man, it's my turn. Move your ass.”

 “Have at it!” Jase smirked as he stood. Using a corner of the sheet, he wiped blood from his genitals and zipped up his pants. He then began to encourage Benny. “Crawl on up in there, dude. Drive it home! Stick it to her, man.”

Benny acted on Jase’s coaching with enthusiasm as Brook lay inert under the assault. “Clark,” she whispered. “Where are you, Clark? Help me. I need you.” But Benny didn't hear her; he gripped her shoulders and used them for leverage as he heaved on top of her. Turning her eyes to the corner of the room, she imagined she saw Clark standing there, with his hands in his pockets and a sad look on his face. Her heart lifted; she was convinced he truly was in the room. “Clark,” she moaned. “Thank god! Help me.” She blinked and the image evaporated, but not before all three men looked in the direction she had been staring, as if they also expected to see someone there.

“Bitch is losing it,” Jase laughed and then, “Do it, Benny. Do her!”

Evening was approaching and Jase flipped the light on so he could see Benny’s handiwork. Brook closed her eyes against the harsh glare. Tears leaked down the sides of her face into her hair.

“Yeah, that’s it, slam it in, ram it in,” Jase urged. “Fuck that rich bitch. Do it harder! Yeah! Ram it home, man. Oh, yeah, ram that rod home!” He rubbed his crotch as he watched.

“I am!” Benny groaned. “And she likes it. Don’t you, baby? She’s getting off. I swear she’s fucking getting off!”

“No! Oh, no, no,” Brook wailed.

Brook cried and pleaded until she was hoarse. She twisted and squirmed until Jase kicked her in the side. A sharp pain bloomed within her ribcage. Pete kept her hands corralled, and Jase moved to the end of the mattress to hold her feet apart. Finally, Benny, too, was done. She looked up at Benny’s face hanging over her. His eyes were rolled back, and his lips were tightened in a grimace of fulfillment. Sweat dripped from his brow and fell onto her cheek. She felt sick to her core. She couldn’t fight off these men; they were much too strong for her.

Brook caught her breath. She was torn, both mentally and physically, but she was still alive, whether she wanted to be or not. In a flash, Brook remembered how she had formed judgments when she would hear a report of rape on the evening news. She’d always wondered why women didn’t fight off their attackers. Now she realized how naïve and pretentious her assumptions had been.

As Benny lay panting on top of her, Brook feared she might die. Her eye throbbed. There was a burning ache in her privates and blood ran from between her legs. Her stomach hurt with every movement and she worried she might have internal injuries. Brook almost wished her injuries would kill her; at least she’d be away from these men, these monsters. But another part of her wanted to live to see another day. Unreasonable as it was, she still hoped her captors would have a change of heart and release her. Or that she might find a way to escape. More tears filled her eyes.

“Way to go, Benny!” Jase congratulated him. “You rocked the bitch’s world.”

“I did, didn’t I?” Benny agreed, still breathing hard from his exertions. He propped himself on his elbows and looked down at Brook. “That was fucking awesome, babe.” Brook was revolted when he kissed her cheek before rolling off her, then stood and stretched his muscles in a leisurely fashion, as if showing off his physique. Finally, he pulled up his pants.

Pete inched his way between her feet and reached for the snap on his jeans. But before Pete could unzip his fly, Gina burst into the room once again. Her eyes were red from crying but she had pasted a shaky smile on her face.

“Petey,” she said in a throaty voice. “You don’t want to fuck her. Look at her, she’s all bloody. She's gross!” Gina pulled her top off and caressed her breasts playfully. “You want me, not her. Come on, baby.”

Pete looked down at Brook with distaste. Blood and fluids smeared the insides of her legs, her hair was tangled, and her eyes nearly swollen shut. Then he looked at Gina, his woman, and moved to her. She jumped up, wrapping her legs around his waist as he carried her toward the door.

“Where the fuck you going? You pussy-whipped, dickhead?” Jase jeered.

“Why the hell do I want sloppy thirds when I can have this?” Pete flipped his hair out of his eyes and flashed a yellow smile over his shoulder. He left with Gina, and Brook prayed that Benny and Jase would follow them from the room.

“Well, fuck him,” Jase grumbled, rolling Brook from the fetal position she had assumed and nudging her feet apart. “I’ll have another go.” He dropped his pants.

Brook back-pedaled across the mattress. Jase dropped to his knees, grabbed her by the ankles, and forced her legs apart. “She is pretty messy,” he conceded. “Well, there’s more than one way to fuck a bitch.” He flipped Brook onto her belly and crawled up between her legs.

Brook’s horror expanded into a living monster inside her chest. “Nooooo! Oh, God! Please don’t. Not that!” Brook was terrified of being taken this way.

 “You’re gonna love this, bitch. I'm gonna get ya where the good lord split ya." She heard Jase spitting and felt something wet land on her skin. Then there was pain and she screamed long and shrill, shoving into the mattress, trying to get away from the unspeakable intrusion.

“Push back!” Jase shouted. “Work with me. It’ll go easier on both of us.” He wrapped an arm around her throat and held her firmly in place. Three of her nails broke off as she dug her fingers into the mattress. Hate filled her heart.

Jase grunted in satisfaction. “Tight,” he moaned. “God, she’s tight.” He began a slow pumping motion. It seemed to go on forever, much longer than the first time he’d used her. Brook cried weakly. Jase pushed her face into the mattress, cutting off her air. Eventually, he found his release again and rolled off her body.

Brook gasped, filling her lungs with ragged breaths. As her head cleared, a bitter loathing rose in her, and she yearned for a chance to kill the son-of-a-bitch. To rip his heart out.

Benny flipped her over onto her back again, grabbed her ruined shirt, and wiped at the mess between her legs before taking her one more time. Both men left the room together, laughing and slapping each other on the back for a job well done.

Brook’s intestines seized and she felt like she was going to explode. She crawled to the door and pounded on it.

“I need the bathroom!" she called, squeezing her buttocks together to keep from soiling herself. "Please! Oh, please hurry!" After several agonizing minutes, the door was flung open.

“Come on. Get your ass up!” Gina was in a black mood. She grabbed Brook’s arm in a rough grip and yanked her to her feet. “I’m not your fucking slave, you know.”

Brook stumbled into the bathroom. She had barely seated herself when the diarrhea started. Helpless to stop it, Brook endured the humiliation. Gina made retching noises and glared at her with disgust, finally backing up to wait in the hallway.

When Brook was finished, she cleaned up as well as she could with tissue. As she stood to flush the toilet, her legs shook and her backside burned. Through the tiny bathroom window, Brook could see nothing but darkness. In just a few hours, her world had disappeared and she had been plunged into a nightmare. She moved to the sink while Gina glared at her from the doorway. Turning on the tap, she lathered her hands with a sliver of grimy soap. Then, she splashed her face with cool water, and drank from her cupped and trembling hands.

She hardly recognized her own face in the mirror. Clark had always told her how pretty she was. He'd be shocked if he could see her now. She hungered to feel his comforting arms around her. To be cradled, protected. The longing turned into a soft sadness inside her as she realized he’d probably never hold her again.

 Gina hit the door with the palm of her hand, startling Brook. “Turn off the fucking water and move your ass. I ain’t got all day.”

 “Can I have a cloth to clean up with?” Brook was shamed by the groveling note in her voice as she begged for the privilege of doing something she’d always taken for granted.

“Oh, for Christ's sake! No, you can't wash up. Damn, you're a pain in the ass. Get on back across the hall and leave me the hell alone.” Gina shoved Brook into the hall, but instead of obediently entering the bedroom, Brook turned and dashed toward the rear of the house, bouncing off the walls of the narrow passage until she came to an open door on the right. Behind her Gina bellowed in anger, but Brook didn’t slow. She raced for the window and thanked God when it opened on the first try. No screen hindered her way, and she slipped like an eel through the opening, dropped to the ground, and raced for nearby trees.

The backdoor of the house banged open and coarse laughter rang out, not the response Brook was expecting. There were a few mumbled commands, but she couldn't make out the words.

Dashing from tree to tree, Brook drew in ragged breaths, trying to look in all directions at once. From her left came Pete’s voice. “Little bunny, where you hopping off to?” His tone was mocking, completely unconcerned.

Then, to Brook's horror, a second voice came from the right. “BrooklynBridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. BrooklynBridge is falling down, and Benny’s gonna land on top of her.” His musical abilities left a lot to be desired, but his message was clear. They were toying with her. Brook stopped, holding her breath, and listened. Where are they? She couldn’t hear a thing except the pounding of her heart in her ears.

Then, Benny stepped from behind the tree she was using for shelter and wrapped his arms around her. “Gotcha!”

Brook freaked. She fought like a wild woman and if Pete hadn’t shown up to help, she would have caused severe damage to Benny. As it was, she left several claw marks on his arms and red marks on his face and neck. Pete simply enfolded her against his chest, trapping her arms at her sides. He lugged her back to the house where Jase sat on the rear steps smirking.

“Give the bitch back to Gina and tell her to do the job right this time or I’ll have to teach her how.” Jase instructed.

Red marks stood out against Gina’s ashen face. Livid, she hurried Brook back to the bedroom and shoved her inside. "I wish you were dead," she growled. "Just where the fuck did you think you were goin' anyway? We’re in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere! It’s your fucking fault Jase slapped me around. Pete’s such a pussy sometimes. I can’t believe he didn’t stand up for me. I fuckin' hate you!” Gina slammed Brook with her forearms, knocking her onto the mattress. Shivering, Brook grabbed the stained sheet and wrapped it around her nakedness, keeping her gaze glued to Gina all the while.

Gina's eyes roved the room and fell on the torn garments scattered about the floor. Swooping down, she grabbed them and stormed out, bellowing, “Are you guys out of your mind? Do you know how expensive these clothes are? I would have loved….” Her voice trailed off as she moved away from the room.

Minutes later Brook heard the small ding of a microwave. The smell of food reached her, but did not stimulate her appetite. She listened to her captors through the thin walls as they talked around mouthfuls of what smelled to her like popcorn and pizza. No one offered her anything to drink or eat, which was fine with her. She didn’t think she would be able to keep anything down, even if someone shoved food in her mouth. But, the point was well taken that she would not be fed. Her life was to be forfeited. Once the initial rush of adrenaline drained away, Brook became aware of pain flaring in her feet. Her barefoot rush into the wilderness had left cuts and bruises on her soles. She rubbed them gently against the mattress. They were just more injuries to add to the list.

Darkness descended. Lightning flashed outside the window and thunder boomed, startling her. The lights in the room blinked off and then came back on. Brook pulled the blankets closer. Wiggling down between the mattress and the wall, she tried to become as small as possible. Following another loud crack of thunder, the lights went off and stayed off. Crazy patterns crawled around the room; dazzling brightness alternated with menacing shadows. Rain cascaded between the bus and the window. The storm sounded as if it were in the room with her, surrounding her, cursing her.

She wept. Her mind raced frantically away from thinking about what she had just endured. She pushed away even thoughts of Clark because the yearning for him hurt so much she could not bear it. Riding waves of pain, she let the tears flow until there were no more to tears to cry.

After a while the house grew quiet. Brook crept painfully to the door and pulled it open a crack, listening. Hearing nothing but the rain outside, she eased into the hallway and tiptoed towards the living room. Lightning illuminated the room for a long moment, and she could see Pete and Gina sleeping on the fold-out couch. Their bed filled the small room; she would have to go across it to reach the door.

Carefully, moving mere inches at a time, Brook stepped onto the mattress, swaying slightly to retain her balance. She had only taken two small steps when fingers wrapped around her ankle.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Pete’s voice came from the dark.

Brook yelped, jerked her leg free, and fell across the bed and onto the floor. Jumping to her feet she yanked the front door open and darted outside, only to be grabbed around the waist by Pete. “Noooo!” she screamed into the pouring rain.

Pete dragged her back inside although she fought him with all her strength. Jase, awakened by the ruckus, appeared in the living room. Pete threw Brook into his arms. “Bitch almost got away.” Grabbing a flashlight from the table, he filled the room with wobbly light. He headed for the bathroom and returned, drying himself with a towel.

“I’ll be damned.” Jase held her tightly by the upper arms. “No way did I think she’d try again, especially not so soon." He hollered down the hallway. “Benny!”

A minute later, Benny appeared, hair sticking on end and eyes droopy with sleep. “What? What the fuck is going on?”

“The bitch tried to get away.”

“What’s that got to do with me?”

“You brought her here; she’s your responsibility. You’re gonna crash on the floor outside her room.”

“Fuck that. Fucking tie her up or something.” Benny turned away.

In a single move, Jase shoved Brook aside and grabbed Benny by the throat. “Don’t give me no shit. You do what I say or you’ll never do nothing. You understand?”

Benny choked. “Sure, Jase. I’ll do it. But how about I just sleep with her?”

“Damn straight you’ll do it, and no, you won’t sleep with her. You fucked up by bringing her here; you’ll sleep on the fucking floor. You’re on fucking guard duty, you stupid dick.”

Before Jase returned Brook to her prison, he stared intently at the cowering woman. “Let me give you a little advice. You don’t want to try running off again. You see, I got me a brand new chainsaw and I’ve been faunching at the bit to try it out. I bet it would slice through your legs like a fucking hot knife through butter. How far do you think you could run without any feet? You just keep that there in mind.” He looked at Benny and then at Brook. “Now don’t be causing Benny no trouble or I might have to cut something off of him too.”

He glared at Benny as he shoved Brook through the doorway. “Tomorrow, you put a fucking lock on this door. I don’t want to be woke up again.”

Jase moved down the hallway toward his own room.

Cursing, Benny tossed the couch cushions onto the floor outside the bedroom. He slammed the door closed, mumbling, “Should have dumped the bitch before. Should have shot her in the fucking head.” Before long, he began to snore.

Brook crept back onto the filthy mattress and burrowed under the edge. She pulled it up over her body, finding comfort in the weight, a sort of security she did not feel on top of the mattress. As the storm raged outside the window, she cried silent tears.

Her mind in a frenzy, she envisioned breaking the window with the chair, squeezing between the bus and the side of the house, and dropping to the ground. Running. But logic told her the plan wouldn’t work. There couldn’t be more than six inches of space. Even if she was able to make it out the window, she would more than likely become wedged, trapped. She wouldn't put it past these monsters to leave her there until she perished.

In another fantasy she imagined breaking the window, wrapping the broken shards of glass in a torn up piece of sheet for a handle, and stabbing her way to freedom, jabbing, slicing. Jase would be the first she would cut. She would watch his blood flow over her wrist and hand, relish the look of surprise on his face. But she soon recognized the lunacy of that plan as well. They would kill her for sure. Probably with the same piece of glass. Weighing heaviest on her mind was Jase's threat to use a chainsaw on her. Brook pulled her knees to her chest, held her feet in her hands, and imagined him cutting them off. There was no doubt in her mind he was cruel enough to do it.

Panic sent her into a quiet hysteria. After an indeterminate time, her crying eased and finally subsided. Her breathing slowed, and she fell into exhausted sleep. The storm raged on outside and then spent itself. Silence reigned.