Fundamental Flaws

4. Duck Swing Punch

Content Warning: This chapter contains violence and non-consensual sexual content

My eyes darted side to side, taking in my surroundings. I was between two buildings.

In front of me, the window pane cried a suspicious fluid down the red brick, and dark moss clawed its way through the cracks in the wall. The tiny space left little room for much else except rotting dumpsters that expelled a pungent stench into the air.

I scrunched my nose involuntarily.

"Good girl," he praised when I kept quiet.

It hurt to swallow. His fingers twitched up my throat and he laughed too loud. His free hand mindlessly twirling a small switchblade with practiced skill.

I screamed within the prison of my thoughts.

My mouth stayed obediently shut.

His partner shifted uncomfortably in his blue tracksuit, watching the scene unfold. He hopped nervously from one foot to the other.

"Let's just get her stuff and go Jay" he piped in, his voice cracking with inexperience.

Jay shot a silencing glare at the sound of his name, his mouth forming into a deep scowl.

Thump, thump, thump went my heartbeat.

I took a shallow breath in and it hitched on my fear. I was suffocating on a terror that gripped ice cold, against my racing heart. The air was sharp and my thoughts raced faster than the pounding of my pulse.

"Let me have my fun first. Look at her doe eyes. Just keep a look-out." Jay ordered grabbing my chin, forcing me to look at him.

"Like Bambi." he mused with sick fascination.

Cold, cruel eyes pierced through the black mask and I jerked my head away. My stomach turned and I swallowed the acid burning up my throat.

"You can have it." I blurted out. My voice a hair above a whisper. "All my stuff, anything you want. I won't say anything."

The partner shot us another nervous glance. His lips contorted to form a sentence, his gaze piercing his accomplice, but he licked his lips wet and said nothing. Jay chuckled at my outburst.

"Kind of you ma. I thought we missed you for a while there too. You usually come through earlier."

What did that mean? How did he know me? I squirmed under his gaze; eyes throbbing from willing the tears away. The rock that had formed in my throat sat aching and uncomfortable, refusing to budge when I swallowed again.

Did he look familiar?

I tried to picture what they'd looked like before they'd slipped on the masks and came up blank.

I glanced at the knife again and suddenly my gaze burned red. Fight! A voice inside me pleads. Fight!

Using his other hand, he rips the front of my shirt open, lips falling smack onto mine in a sickening kiss. He bites my bottom lip too hard, bulging tongue creating a slobbery mess as he forced it into my mouth.

Instinctively, I bit down.

Hard.

I gagged at the coppery taste of blood and continued my assault as he yelled out - clumsily shoving my knee into his groin. He stumbled back a little, faltering on his feet as one of his hands flew to cradle his crotch. I made the move to leave, struggling to get my hand out his grip and glanced at his partner.

His eyes were wide as he shook his head and backed away in denial of the scene unfolding.

"Please." I begged.