Chapter 10
Cindy walked over to the cot and lay down. She turned her face to the wall and waited. She could still hear Katie sobbing, but more quietly now; and she could hear the two men talking softly.
She closed her eyes. She wanted desperately to think about something else...anything...anything to drive the hard knot of fear out of her body. She wanted to be calm and cool and not let them get to her. She tried thinking about Paul and about all the happy times they had had together...the afternoons in the sun...and the nights in bed; she tried very hard to picture his face, but the image kept slipping out of her mind. She was afraid...and her skin felt icy cold...she was cold, cold, cold and shivering.
She felt a pair of rough hands pull her around so that her bottom was resting almost on the edge of the cot. The same hands pulled her skirt up around her waist and spread her legs. She took a deep breath and put her arm over her eyes. She did not move as the man, either Pete or Tony, it didn't matter which, rubbed her open sex. She was dry down there -she wanted to be, even though it would hurt -but let them do what they wanted, even if it hurt.
"Open your eyes, baby, I got a surprise for you," Tony said in a low voice.
She heard him but didn't answer. She just lay as before, determined not to give them any more pleasure than she had to. But...there was something in Tony's voice that sent a little stab of fear through her body. What could he do? Kill her? No, she was pretty sure he wouldn't do that; he knew that Al would probably kill him if he did that...and besides, he wanted to have his fun. But there was something about his voice, something that she knew was going to make her open her eyes and look...some extra craziness that he was directing just at her. She realized something then that she had been trying to hide from herself ever since she had walked into the apartment to find the three men waiting for her: it was Tony who she was really afraid of...yes, that one and his crazy eyes.
"Why not open your eyes, sugar? I think you'll want to see."
Cindy opened her eyes, although she didn't want to, although she was afraid of what she would see. The two men were there, Pete standing back, Tony very close. So it had been his hands she had felt! Then she saw the knife gleaming in his hand and that smile, that awful crooked smile on his face! Her heart stopped as she looked at him. Maybe she had been wrong, maybe he was going to kill them; but this thought left her numb...if it was going to happen, then it was going to happen.
But no, that wasn't it; she was sure of it somehow. Suddenly she looked away from Tony; she looked down at the floor. The dog! The huge black dog that Tony had talked to as if it had been his child. He was going to let the dog have her! She felt a wave of nausea sweep through her body. She looked back up, into his eyes.
"That's right, honey," Tony murmured, twirling the knife in his hands, "you don't like me, so...." His voice trailed off; he grinned at her.
"No!" she answered in a strong voice; but it didn't reflect how she was feeling inside.
She was panic-stricken. She didn't know what she was going to do, but she wasn't going to let him do that to her. No, he would have to kill her first.
"There's nothing you can do about it, honey. It'll be easier if you just lie back and enjoy it. Besides, I bet it'll feel good. It gets bigger you know, once he gets it inside."
Cindy looked at Tony and then at the dog...its huge black head was only inches away from her opened sex. She wanted desperately to close her legs, to protect herself; but her thighs felt as though they were made of lead; they felt numb, as if they did not belong to her and she could not close them. Summoning all her strength, she managed to wriggle back onto the cot until her back was pushed up against the rough wooden boards of the wall. She looked at Tony defiantly, hatefully. She wanted to kill him.
"O.K., baby, if you want to be difficult about it...Hey, Petey, bring the other one over here."
Pete grinned and walked over to where Katie was lying on the floor. She had not moved, although her eyes were open and she had been watching what was happening on the bed. Pete lifted her up until she stood on shaking legs. He guided her roughly over to the bed.
Cindy looked at her face; her eyes were large with fear. Then she saw the young girl's delicate sex, bruised now and oozing with Pete's still warm sperm; it was trickling down her slender thighs to mix with her own blood.
"Now look, sugar," Tony said to Cindy, "either you cooperate or else I go to work on her."
He grabbed the trembling Katie and twisted her arm behind her back.
"Want me to cut off one of these pretty boobies?"
Tony touched one of Katie's pert girlish breasts; he fondled it, causing her tender nipple to harden. With his eyes still on Cindy, he grabbed the tender mound of flesh hard, twisting her nipple between his fingers. Katie cried out in pain and the tears welled up in her large innocent eyes. She looked imploringly at Tony. He laughed.
"That's nothing," he chuckled.
His fingers still around her nipple, he pulled it hard and placed his razor-sharp knife against it as if about to cut it off. Katie jumped with fear and the movement of her body caused the knife to cut in a little ways. A thin trickle of blood ran down her breast. He glanced at Cindy but she had not moved, and only her hate-filled eyes told him how she felt. He turned his attention back to Katie.
"Or how about down here?" he said in a low soft voice.
The blade of his knife traveled slowly down Katie's quivering stomach, down to her middle; he held the blade there, across the fluffy down that still covered her young sex.
"How about down here?"
He held the blade there and watched Cindy; his breath was coming heavier now and the gleam in his eyes was only barely discernible through half-closed lids.
"Yes, yes, let her go," Cindy replied, her voice filled with resignation and hatred. "I'll do what you want...anything...."
She stared at the huge black dog.
"I'll do it, only leave her alone...let her go!" She wondered whether he had been bluffing. Would he really have done it? She didn't know, but it didn't matter, she couldn't take the chance; he was crazy enough...just crazy enough.
"That's better, that's better," Tony answered, his face again twisted into a crooked grin.
"Watch her, Petey," he said as he released Katie. "Now come on sugar." He beckoned to Cindy.
She moved slowly, heavy-limbed. It seemed like a long, long way to the edge of the bed. She felt like she was moving in slow motion, in a dream, and that any second she would wake up to find Paul's warm body next to her in the bed. Yes, she would wake up now and she would not have to do this horrible thing. But Tony's voice, although it too seemed far away, brought her back to reality. She was on the edge of the bed, her feet dangling on the floor. Tony was standing over her, and the dog...the dog seemed to be watching her intently, as if it knew, as if it really wanted her. Her legs began to tremble and nothing she could do seemed to stop them from shaking. She heard her own voice-"no, no, no"-but even that seemed far away; she did not resist as Tony pulled her skirt up over her full hips "oh, no, no" but it wasn't real, her voice; only the pressure of his hands on her legs was real. He lifted her legs up onto the bed and spread them. Oh God, no, no . . .
"Hey! The other one's gone!"
It was Pete's voice yelling as he noticed Katie's absence; she had slipped out only moments before as the two men had been occupied with Cindy.
"You mother-fucker, I told you to watch her!"
Without another word, Tony pulled the dog away from Cindy, then quickly turned his attention back to Pete.
"You stupid clown! You know what Al will do if he comes back and she's gone? He'll kill us." There was real fear in Tony's voice.
"Jesus, Tony, I couldn't help it. She was here a minute ago."
"O.K., relax, we'll find her," Tony said calmly. "Blackie here will find her, won't you boy?"
He patted the dog on the head. "O.K., let's go, we take her too," he said, indicating Cindy.
"What? Are you out of your mind? We don't have time. Anyhow, she's not going to go anywhere like that."
"Yeah?" said Tony sarcastically. "Well, we're going to make sure of this one. So cool down...I told you, we won't have no trouble, with Blackie along."
He bent down and began to untie Cindy; with Pete's help she was free in a minute. She rubbed her wrists and ankles; but now Tony was in a hurry to begin the search. He pulled her roughly to her feet and pushed her out the door. Pete and the dog followed close behind.
"I hope you never find her. I hope she makes it to the highway and back to the city," Cindy said, looking at Tony with hate in her eyes.
Tony slapped her hard; she fell backwards onto the soft pine needles.
"And I hope she brings the cops back."
"She won't, baby; she'll never make it to the road," he answered coldly. "So get on your feet and get moving. Any funny business and I put this knife into you so fast that you won't know what happened. And Al won't do nothing...remember, he said if you made any trouble you'd get hurt. So get up!"
Cindy got to her feet without another word. She stared into the forest and waited. The two men knelt in front of the dog, holding under its nose the pair of panties that Katie had been wearing. Blackie sniffed the panties, then raced around trying to get her scent.
"Come on boy, come on!" Tony encouraged the dog. "Yeah, yeah, now he's got it," he said excitedly as Blackie suddenly tore off into the forest barking.
The two men raced after the dog. Tony had an iron grip on Cindy's arm and was dragging her along. The three of them crashed through the heavy underbrush; Cindy winced as the thorns and sharp branches tore at her skin.
"Hey, wait," Pete panted, "we'll never keep up with that fool dog. Listen to him, he must be half a mile away by now. You gotta put him on a leash or something Tony."
All three of them were breathing hard after their short but furious run. They stood still and listened to the barking; it was getting fainter and fainter. Tony's face was filled with dark frustration as he realized that Pete was right; they would have to get Blackie and put a leash on him. He kicked the dirt in front of him and then, after a moment's hesitation, whistled for Blackie.
The barking stopped suddenly and they all listened. But the only sounds were those of the forest. Cindy shivered as the cool wind slipped around her scantily clad body, and she hugged herself in an effort to keep warm. But still there was no sign of the dog, until suddenly he broke through the brush in front of them.
"Here Blackie, here boy," Tony called as the dog's huge black form emerged from the darkness.
"Go back and get some rope, Pete; I'll watch the broad." Tony lit a cigarette and looked into the forest. "She won't get far," he said under his breath.
Cindy shivered, from the cold and from being left alone with Tony.