2Part 2: The Dreamer
"What a beautiful meadow! So lovely!", I walked across the small clearing before me, enjoying the way the tall grass tickled my bare thighs…wait. Bare thighs? I stopped walking and looked down.
"What happened to my clothes?", I wondered out loud. Sure enough I was outside in broad daylight- stark naked. I wasn't extremely worried, as I was alone, but I still tried unsuccessfully to cover myself with my hands. Just as I was wondering what to do with myself, another pair of hands placed themselves on my small hips. Oh, God. My brain refused to work as I turned around slowly. Prince Charming was grinning at me. His beautiful green eyes were dancing, despite the curly brown hair that kept falling into them. Before I could register more than that, he pulled me to him, his face was buried in my neck. I didn't resist him. Somehow it felt normal. Right. He pulled back to look at me and I felt the beginnings of a blush warm my cheeks. I knew what would happen next and he didn't disappoint. He leaned in closer. Closer. Closer. And then…
A sharp pain on my left ankle shocked me back to reality. I looked down. A golden retriever held my ankle between his teeth. Normally the fact that a large dog was biting my leg would be cause for panic, but this was Marley. My Marley. He would never hurt me unless there was a reason. I looked around me for that reason. My eyes quickly found it. Them. Three guys strolled toward me leisurely. I surveyed my surroundings quickly for somewhere to hide. There was none. I inwardly cursed. I knew it was a bad idea to take the shortcut today. I sometimes cut through a small alley off of Lebanon St. to get home faster at night. This night however, I regretted my decision. My mind was too frozen to think about running. The trio came closer, grinning drunkenly.
I'd all but forgotten Marley beside me, but now he growled a warning at the approaching men. They laughed and one of them called out to me, "Joy! Baby, we've been looking for you!" I cringed. This was my fourth run in with these guys in two weeks; the last time had been pretty close.
"Why don't we have a little fun?", continued the biggest one, Ronnie. Marley's low growl turned into a full blown snarl as I considered my options.
Option 1: I try to talk my way out of it. They were pretty drunk so I knew their brains were practically fried for the night. Then again, talking to them meant getting closer to them and I wasn't sure that was a good idea.
Option 2: Run. Sure I was an embarrassment to all things athletic, but they were still a good 15 feet from me; I had a head start. But then I remembered the last time, when I had tried to run from them. I remembered how easily Ronnie had caught me. How it seemed to excite him how scared I was. I remembered his hot breath on my face. I shuddered at the thought. Only a well aimed kick had saved me then.
Option 1 it is, I thought.
"Stay", I told Marley sternly. He whined, but didn't move when I started toward Ronnie and his friends. "Hey, boys", I said when I was a few feet from them. The stench of cheap beer was rolling off them in waves and I had to fight the urge to scrunch up my nose.
Ronnie's stupid grin widened. He thought he had me. "I knew you'd warm up to me.", he leered, his words slightly slurred. "Well I figured if I stop running, you'd stop stalking me." I said, trying not to let my voice shake. He chuckled and I took a step closer, still too far for him to touch me.
Marley growled a few yards behind me and I shot him a glare to make him stay put. While I was distracted, Ronnie reached across the five foot space that apparently wasn't too far for his long arms. He grabbed and pulled me against him. This felt way too familiar for comfort. I didn't know whether to laugh or throw up. The contrast between him and my "Prince Charming" was almost comical. I was surprised I could find anything funny in my situation.
Through my haze of randomness clouding my reason I noticed his T-shirt was extremely dirty. Now there was grit on my white blouse. Great.
"Well.", he said slowly, "Now that you're here, what do you suggest we do?" I knew he didn't expect an answer and I didn't give him one.
"Shot first" called one of the two guys in the shadows, leaning against the alley wall.
Suddenly I was on the ground and so was he. He was holding his broken nose while Ronnie stood over him, eyes blazing. Wow, he's fast. Even drunk. Good thing I didn't make a run for it, I thought.
"I caught her, so don't you think I should get first dibs? Wouldn't that be fairer?", Ronnie asked him.
His voice was soft, almost a whisper, without a trace of menace in it. Somehow it made his words more frightening.
It was clearly a rhetorical question. He knelt down beside the man and wiped the now bloodied knuckles of his right hand on the guy's black T-shirt. Calmly, as if he were drying his hands in a hotel bathroom. He walked toward a door in the brick wall ahead, picking me up in the process. Uh-oh, I thought a little dizzily, this was not how I'd planned.
He slug me over his shoulder like a little rag doll and towed me into the dark room. I guessed it was a storage room for a factory or something, but I barely noticed my surroundings. I focused my attention on Ronnie.
He set me down, surprising me by being gentle. He hesitated, headed for the door and for a moment I thought he'd open it and set me free. But no, he grabbed a hard plastic chair and stuck it under the door knob so no one could get in. I gulped audibly as he grinned. He leaned against the wall beside the door, watching me.
He didn't waste any time. "Strip.", he ordered me. I panicked in my head, Okay Joy. Plan. You need a plan! I tried to stall, my "talking my way out of it" completely out the door. Smiling shyly I said, "I 'm a little shy…could you close your eyes?"
He snorted but did as I asked. I fidgeted with the lace on my blouse before taking it off as loudly as I could. I knew he would get suspicious if he didn't heard some rustling or something.
Suddenly, there was a scratching at a window off to the side. One I hadn't noticed before.
"Damn dog.", growled Ronnie.
He still hadn't opened his eyes, but his hands were in fists at his sides, the tendons sticking out on his forearms.
"Are you done yet?"
"Hold on. Just relax", I said. I tried to make my voice low and husky, like the women in the movies. His face relaxed slightly and so did his hands. Marley was quiet outside. Somehow he knew this was the do or die moment. I backed away from Ronnie slowly, taking off my shoes between steps.
I watched where I walked, too. No way was I going to be the girl who trips over something and wakes up the bad guy. I get to the small window and look back. Ronnie is standing across the room, eyes still closed. All this happened in a matter of seconds, though it felt like the longest in my life. I sighed silently. The window, however, was not so silent as I tried to ease it open.
Ronnie's eyes flew open immediately at the creaking sound. By the time he had assessed the situation, I was halfway out the window. He on the other hand was across the room in what felt like a second.
He quickly had me by the ankle and was dragging me back to him and the dark room. Ronnie was cursing furiously when I felt a new pain, a sharper one than the dull ache forming around my ankle. I cried out in surprise and Ronnie cursed louder. Marley pulled hard at my shoulder, turning my cries into half conscious moans. I fought the blackness that threatened to cloud my mind and blind my eyes. No, I thought furiously, don't you dare black out! You're going to make it just don't black out!
I was way past speaking by this point, but I just kept telling myself that and somehow I made it. Marley tugged while I pulled and my arm felt like it was on fire. Finally free, I was up and running before I could think as to why Ronnie had let me go.
I ran about five steps before I collapsed. Trusty Marley caught me on his back and continued to walk, if a little slower.
Before my eyes closed I vaguely noted we were heading for the docks. With my head resting on the golden fur and my feet dragging along the cobble stones, I floated.