The Calling. Kim O'Neill

. . I’m gonna tie your feet.”

       No! Listen to me! Don’t believe him! He’s lying! You’ll be completely helpless!

      Although her dark eyes were filled with distrust, she surrendered her outstretched legs, tightly clenched together.

      He bound the girl’s ankles with the same intricate knot. When he finished, he began to caress her inner thigh. Whimpering, she protectively drew her knees close to her body.

      The man shrugged, and turned to the next girl. Crying, she shook her head, as if trying to rouse herself from a bad dream.

      “C’mon, c’mon,” he gestured impatiently.

       Don’t trust him! Run away! Why can’t anyone hear me?

      One by one, each of the six roommates reluctantly submitted, allowing him to bind their wrists and then their ankles. After they were all subdued, he stood and surveyed his captive prey. Unnerved and completely helpless, they anxiously stared up at him. The man smiled, clearly enjoying his position of power. Swiftly—without warning—the intruder reached for one of the terrified girls, lifted her into his arms, and carried her out of the room. Her shrieks echoed down the hallway.

      All of the other girls gasped and looked at one another in alarm.

      “Where is he taking Pamela?”

      “He said he wouldn’t hurt us!” cried another in a frantic whisper.

      “God is watching,” said the petite, dark haired girl who unknowingly admitted the intruder. She had an unusual accent. “Have faith.”

      The front door to the apartment suddenly opened again, and two more female voices could be heard chatting quietly as they made their way down the small hallway. The captive girls tried to call out and warn their friends, but it was too late—they had already stumbled upon the intruder. Two sets of footfalls flew down the hallway. The terrified girls escaped into the back bedroom but stopped in their tracks when they saw four of their roommates bound and held captive. The man was right behind them. He looked frenzied, eyes wild. He lurched at them, and they vigorously fought back. As they struck at him, he was able to grab a flailing arm of each girl in a vise-like grip. In desperation, they kicked, cried out, and fiercely resisted as he dragged them from the room. For the next few minutes, there was the sound of a tremendous struggle coming from an adjacent room. Suddenly, it became eerily silent. Then there was the sound of water running in the bathroom sink.

      The girls in the back bedroom became panic stricken. They tugged against their restraints, and several tried to squeeze under the small bunk beds that lined the room. They couldn’t fit.

       Open the window and shout for help! No! He’s coming! Look out!

      The man strode back into the room. He eagerly reached for another girl. She was too frozen with fear to struggle. He untied her feet and marched her out of the room as she pleaded for him to release her. In a few moments, we could hear her loudly moan. This was followed by an ominous, palpable hush. Then . . . the sound of running water.

       What is the man doing to the girls? He’s hurting them! He broke his promise! And what is he washing?

      Heavy footfalls strode down the hallway.

       He’s coming again!

      The intruder returned, now covered in sweat, face flushed. Four petrified girls stared up at him with wide-eyed dread. “You’re next,” he informed the smallest girl, who had dark hair and eyes. She wasn’t much bigger than I. With some kind of accent, she shrieked, “No! Please!” Like a ferocious, rabid animal, he snarled, barring yellow, uneven teeth. His helpless captives recoiled in alarm. He reached down, effortlessly picked up the tiny girl—who was still bound—and swept her out of the room. Endless moments passed.

      The girl’s voice echoed throughout the apartment.

      “What did she say?” asked one of the girls.

      “It ‘hurts,’ in our language. Filipino,” whispered the other slight, dark-haired girl. Her small body quivered as she began to sob. More time passed in silence. Water ran again. The heavy footfalls approached.

       Oh, no! When will he finally go away? Why is he doing this?

      The man reappeared, this time seeking out one girl in particular. He angrily confronted the pretty, big-boned girl. “Are you the one with the yellow dress?”

      Eyes huge, she shook her head, but it was clear that she was lying. The girl cringed as he cut the restraints on her ankles and pulled her to her feet. In spite of her arms still tied behind her, she resisted athletically, but in vain, as he forced her from the room. From down the hall, there was the sound of grappling, then a powerful punch. Thud! “Ohhhh—stop!” the girl begged. “Please! Why are you—” Thud! Thud! “No! Noooo! . . . ” A body heavily fell to the floor. Thud! Thud! Thud! Then an awful silence that seemed to go on forever. Water splashing in a sink. Footfalls.

      The intruder was back, his expression maniacal. Beads of sweat dripped from his face. Only two of the roommates remained, bound, on the floor where he had left them. It didn’t take more than a second for him to decide who his next victim would be.

      The man strode up to the girl who had fatefully returned from her date a short time earlier. He took out his knife, crouched down, and severed the binds on her ankles.

      “No! Not me!” she implored, as he yanked her to her feet and shoved her onto a nearby bed. She fell back upon her arms, which were still bound behind her. Over her strident protests, the man used his knife to shred her blouse, her bra, her skirt, and her panties. Her naked body trembling, her eyes wild with fear, she pleaded, “No . . . please don’t hurt me . . . ” She clamped her legs together and tried to draw her knees close to her body.

      In a deranged frenzy, he swiftly unbuckled his trousers, pulled them down, and brusquely spread her legs.

      “No! Please don’t! I’m begging you! No—”

      The man roughly settled on top of her. “Put your legs around my back,” he huskily demanded. Then he began to brutally push into her, grunting and moaning with each savage thrust. His movements were so forceful that the sturdy bed squeaked loudly.

       What are you doing? Stop it! You’re hurting her!

      The dark-haired girl with the child-like frame now cowered on the floor nearby, all alone, tightly bound hand and foot. In a foreign language, she began to pray loudly in an attempt to drown out the other girl’s tortured cries for mercy.

      A spasm finally gripped the man’s body. Then he became very still. After a few moments, he slowly stood and pulled off his pants and underwear. There was blood between the girl’s legs. He dragged her to her feet, took the knife out of his back pocket, and cut the restraints that held her wrists. “I’m not finished with you,” he said, poking one of her breasts with the sharp blade. “Not by a long shot.”

      “Oh, my god . . . no, please . . . ” she whimpered, wiping tears and a runny nose with the back of her hand. He took her by the arm and forced her to limp behind him. Their footsteps traveled down the hall, and then they could be heard descending a flight of stairs. A few moments passed before the girl’s loud cries rose from downstairs, followed by the intruder’s bestial grunting that continued interminably.

      In the back bedroom, there was only one girl left. Hours before, she had been the one who unknowingly opened the door to the intruder. As she heard the man terrorize the last of her friends, her face became a mask of determination. It took several long minutes, but she was able to successfully wiggle under one of the bunk beds.

      Abruptly, the first floor fell silent.

      The dark-haired girl inexplicably scooted back out of her hiding place! From her position on the floor, she craned her neck to rapidly survey the room, her expression full of urgency—and the will to survive.