Homeless Again

HOMELESS AGAIN

           Standing at the bus stop, Gretchen hid from the torrential rains falling around her. The heavy rains had ruined the colorful landscape of multicolored leaves littered the streets. Thankful for the brief respite, she contemplated her next move. “Why does this keep happening to me,” she asked already knowing the answer. It was the same reason as the last time she left three years ago. Gretchen had a terrible habit of choosing the wrong men, probably because she never had a father. Instead, she constantly searched for a father figure to care for her, never wanting to stand on her own two feet. The men she chose seemed to be kind and nurturing, but once the narcissistic men got rid of her family and friends, she’d be left alone and completely dependent on them. This dependency was the first step in being able to control her and then regular beatings would follow.

           Farther in the distance, Gretchen could see a black truck with tinted windows quickly approaching. At first, she thought it was an undercover police officer coming to run her off, but she was pleasantly surprised when the truck slowed to a stop, rolled down the passenger-side window, and a young man with a bright smile grinned at her. “Honey, why are you standing out here in the rain,” he asked. She smiled and replied, “Sir, I don’t have anywhere else to go. It’s a long story, and I’m sure you don’t want to hear it.” With a nod, he responded, “Well, I’d love to hear your story, but I’m on my way to get breakfast. Would you like to join me?” As he said the word “breakfast,” she could hear her stomach rumble underneath her wet clothes and thin rain jacket. “I don’t have any money, so I can’t,” she said sheepishly. He leaned over, opened the door, and replied, “It will be my treat. I hate eating alone, so you’ll do me a favor.” Gretchen stood contemplating whether she was making another mistake, but her hunger got the best of her, and she climbed inside. Rolling up the window and driving off, the doors automatically locked with a click. Before she could think about the locked vehicle, he diverted her attention with conversation. “I’m Nick, and what’s your name, beautiful lady?” Not feeling beautiful, she smiled. “Gretchen, nice to meet you. Where are we going for breakfast?” He chuckled, “My house, of course. I’ve already picked up groceries and was on my way home.” Stuttering, Gretchen replied, “But, I thought you said we were going to get breakfast and you were going to pay for me?” Being in such close proximity to him, she realized that the truck smelled of something unfamiliar and his clothes were bloodied. No longer smiling when he replied, “Oh, you’re gonna pay, that’s for sure. Nothing in life is free.” Terrified and shivering, Gretchen thought about jumping out of the truck while it was still moving, but Nick must have read her mind when he said, “Child locks are on, so you can’t get out. Don’t try anything, honey, because I’ll knock you out before you can do anything. Just sit back and enjoy the ride. I know I’m gonna enjoy my ride when I get you home.”

           Gretchen saw lightning dancing across the black sky as the rain slapped the windshield. Nick asked, “Do you like anything special for breakfast? I always keep my word, so I’m gonna feed you first.” Thinking quickly, she responded, “I’m on my period.” Cackling like a chicken, Nick replied, “Honey, do I look like someone who gives a damn about blood? I’m a butcher and I slaughter pigs. Surely, your cute, little nose can smell the blood on my clothes from a mile away!” Relaxing a little, she giggled, “Thank goodness! I thought you were wearing human blood.” “It’s a mix of both, but I was trying to calm your nerves and didn’t want to mention that fact,” he said laughing hysterically. This man was unstable and demented, but Gretchen didn’t know how to escape from him or the perilous situation. Nick was driving into a thick, wooded area and had just turned onto a dirt road. The rain had stopped a few minutes early, so the road was somewhat solid, but now she understood why Nick had such a large truck. Gretchen had tried to create a mental picture of all the twists and turns, but they’d been driving for about an hour, and there were no road signs or names. “Before you get any ideas, I own 30 acres and my closest neighbor is 20 miles away. And, plenty of bears and cougars in the area can finish you off.”

           Looming on the top of the mountain was a two-story cabin with a wraparound porch. Gretchen realized the windows were painted black with iron bars attached outside. Seemingly reading her mind, Nick said, “Bars help to keep people in and the bears out. The black windows keep anyone from seeing inside my torture palace. I even placed soundproofing foam on the walls to keep anyone from hearing screams.” Too terrified to utter a word, Gretchen remained silent as they parked inside the garage. This man had no idea that Gretchen was relieved that her messy life would soon come to an end. Nothing had ever turned out how it was supposed to and she was determined to leave this miserable world. Snapping his fingers in front of her face, Nick said, “Hey, earth to human, you still with me? This is where people usually start screaming and trying to fight me. Why are you being so calm, little girl?” Turning stone-faced, she replied, “I’m not your little girl, asshole.” Chuckling loudly, he said, “Damn! You’ve got some spunk in you! I’m going to enjoy playing with you. You might be my favorite one yet! Now, I’m gonna open your door and let you out. Be nice because I have a Taser in my pocket.”

           Once inside the cabin, Gretchen could see that the walls were covered with foam insulation just as he’d said. Nick wasn’t stupid and knew how to kidnap victims. Maybe she could piss him off so he’d kill her quickly. Not fearing death was one thing, but she couldn’t deal with anything sexual with this disgusting man. Seeing his entire stature, she realized he was fat and dumpy. Amazingly, he was blessed with good teeth and a welcoming smile. Nick threw his keys on the table by the door and yanked his teeth straight out. “I tell you what, I hate those damn dentures, but nobody trusts a man with no teeth. Honey, as promised, I’m making breakfast before our festivities. In the meantime, I’m placing you in the cooler to take some of that sassiness out of you.” Guiding her roughly down the hallway, Gretchen admired a painting hanging on the wall. She stopped abruptly with her feet planted and asked, “Who painted that?” Grunting, Nick said, “Me. What’s it to you?” Gretchen turned and said, “It’s beautiful.” Then remembering that she wanted to die, she continued, “I didn’t know that an ugly person could paint anything so beautiful. Too bad you didn’t follow your talent. Instead, you’re a worthless coward!” Nick hauled off and slapped her across the face and pushed her into a large, walk-in cooler, locking it behind her. “You need to cool off, bitch, before I change my mind about breakfast!”

           Gretchen was amazed at how quickly she’d made Nick angry and was happy to ruin his day like he’d ruined hers. The idiot hadn’t even checked her pockets where she carried a lighter and a pack of cigarettes. If she wanted to accept her fate and end it all, she just needed to sit on the floor and wait for the inevitable. However, she could hear her mom’s voice telling her to fight like hell. Knowing that her mom had been abused by men, especially the horrible men who got her addicted to drugs, Gretchen decided to give Nick a good fight because she didn’t have anything to lose either way. Reaching into her soggy pocket, she found her lighter and used it to walk around the space. She could see a couple of pig carcasses, or at least that’s what she hoped they were. The first hanging carcass had a massive snout and pig ears. However, the second one was further in the back where it was much darker, so she had to raise her lighter high above her head to shine it on the hanging carcass. When she got close enough to see, she let out a terrifying scream and dropped her lighter. Outside the door, she could hear Nick’s boots stomping on the floor and his evil cackles. “I guess you found my surprise, little lady. He was a hobo I picked up last week. That idiot thought he could bribe me with sex, but I ain’t no homo. I prefer girls.” Once Nick was gone again, Gretchen bent down and crawled in search of the lighter. Finally finding it, her cold fingers had difficulty grasping it. Gretchen stood up, turned on the lighter again, and looked at the man. All this man wanted was a good meal and a place to rest, but Nick decided he wasn’t worth anything, killed him, and then hung him in his freezer like an animal. Filled with anger, Gretchen decided to keep searching for a weapon.

           Being only five feet tall, Gretchen placed the lighter in her pocket and climbed up the metal shelving to check the top of the freezer. Feeling something wooden, she pulled the object towards her. Once on the ground, she grabbed her lighter and was thrilled to discover the serrated knife. Needing the element of surprise, she knew she needed the perfect moment to plunge it into him. However, Nick was about six feet tall, so her best chance was to wait until he was at her level. Unfortunately, that could only happen when he was doing the unthinkable to her. Hearing Nick’s boots clomp on the floor in the hallway, she stashed the knife carefully on her hip, with the tip pointing down into her underwear and snuggly behind the waistband of her pants, praying not to stab herself in the process. “Well, little lady, it’s time for breakfast. I decided that I’m such a gentleman that I’m going to allow you to eat with me.” When the door swung open, Gretchen had tears on her face because she’d decided to play the weakling he wanted. Sniffing, she said, “I’m so cold. I’m so sorry. Can I please have some food, Nick?” A smile lit up his face as he grabbed her arm and led her down the hallway and to the kitchen. Unbelievably, he had put candles and a vase of flowers on the table. “I wanted to make it a special last meal for you. I hoped you’d become more agreeable, so let’s eat.” Pulling the chair out for Gretchen, she sat down very carefully, trying not to stab herself. “You must be frozen solid because you’re moving awfully slow. I hope you like pancakes, sausage, and scrambled eggs.” Perking up with a fake smile, Gretchen replied, “Oh, yes, pancakes are my absolute favorite. Thank you, Nick.” Scratching his head in confusion, he replied, “I am amazed you’re so calm right now. In the past, I’ve had to kill before getting to enjoy my meal. I’m impressed with your level-headedness and can’t wait for our fun to begin.”

          “Nick, I gotta pee and wash my hands before eating.” Grunting loudly, he said, “Yeah, I should’ve asked about that before sitting you down. You can shut the bathroom door, but don’t lock it,” he said as he led her to the back of the cabin. As her body started to thaw from the cold, she felt the prickly feeling of fear run down her spine. Staring at the knife, she was more terrified of taking Nick’s life than of the physical harm he could impose on her. But she knew she’d have to take his life before he took hers. After flushing the toilet and washing her hands, she proceeded to open the door to Nick standing with his arms crossed in impatience. “It took you long enough, girly. It’s my turn, but you gotta stay with me. I don’t trust you to be alone. Just lean on the sink while I take a piss.” This was the perfect opportunity because she knew he’d be busy relieving himself and not paying much attention to her. Trying not to be obvious, she watched intently as he unzipped and pulled out his member. “I see you eyeing my junk. I know you can’t wait to have some of this action. Maybe we’ll just skip eating and get right to it, little girl.” The knife was already in her right hand and when he started shaking the pee off, she ran full-speed at him, jamming the knife into his upper back and holding onto it. Nick hollered in pain and tried with all his might to reach the knife, but she’d put it up so high and in the middle of his back that he couldn’t reach it. Holding on for dear life, Gretchen kept pushing it deeper and deeper into his back. Finally, she got it past his ribs and into his heart as blood spurted from his mouth. Taking a deep breath, she yanked the knife out of his back, causing blood to squirt through the hole in his back and all over her body. At this point, Nick staggered back and tried to lunge at her, but his heart stopped beating as he dropped to the floor like a sack of bricks.

           Staggering out of the bathroom, Gretchen ran to the front of the cabin and found the truck keys. Before escaping, she decided to grab snacks from the kitchen because she was starving. She didn’t dare eat the food Nick had prepared fearing it had been drugged. Before turning to leave, she heard banging from upstairs. Realizing her feet were already preparing to run through the door, she considered that the sound could be coming from another captive. Dropping her snacks by the door, Gretchen slowly walked up the stairs carrying the bloody knife close to her side. Feeling braver, she quickened her gait up the stairs and placed her ear on the closed door to her right. “Hello, is anybody in there?” Although there was no verbal response, she heard knocking again. When she tried to open the door, she found it locked, but then remembered the keys in her pocket and tried a small silver key which did the trick.

           Once inside the darkened room, her eyes found an emaciated, young girl tied to the floor with a thick rope and lying spread-eagle on the floor. She was completely naked with dried blood between her legs and on her thighs. Her eyes were wide with fear and her mouth was stuffed with what was probably her pink panties. Swiftly yanking the cloth from her mouth, Gretchen used the knife to cut the rope from her feet and ankles. There was wet blood on the back of her head where she’d been hitting it on the floor. Meekly, the girl asked, “Where is he?” Working to release her ankles from the ropes, Gretchen replied, “I killed him and we need to leave.”

“What is your name, honey?” Slowly raising her eyes to meet Gretchen’s, she said, “Sam. So, you killed my dad?” Gretchen asked, “He was your dad?” As she nodded, Gretchen supported her weight and helped her stand. While searching for shoes and clothing, Sam asked who she was. “Sam, I’m Gretchen, and I’m taking us to the nearest hospital. Do you know how to get to a hospital or police station?” Sam nodded, “Yes.” Once Sam was dressed, they carefully descended the stairs because Sam’s legs were still unstable from being tied to the floor. Before leaving, Sam asked, “Can I see my dad one last time?” Gretchen didn’t want to deny her closure, so she led her to the bathroom to the scene of his own making. By now, the blood was turning black from exposure to the air and had congealed into dark globs. Sam hobbled into the room, avoiding the puddles of blood, and squatted next to her dad’s lifeless body. Sam said, “Daddy, I’m sorry you couldn’t handle losing Mommy. And, I’m sorry I couldn’t take her place, but you hurt me, Daddy. You were supposed to take care of me and help me grieve after the loss of my mom, but instead, you perverted everything and only took care of your own selfish needs. I’ll never forgive you, and I’ll never forget what you did to me. You disposed of my baby and buried him in the backyard. I hope you rot in hell you motherfucker!” With that, she stood and then kicked him square in the head, sending a splatter of dried blood onto the wall.

Amazed at Sam’s strength, Gretchen grabbed her hand, went to the front door, and grabbed the snacks before slamming the door behind them. Leaving the nightmare behind, Gretchen and Sam began driving to the hospital. “Gretchen, we need to keep driving and get out of town,” Sam said. Glancing at Sam, Gretchen replied, “But you need to get checked out by the hospital.” Shaking her head, Gretchen replied, “No, if we go to the hospital, you will be arrested for murder. My grandpa is the Sheriff.” Disagreeing, Gretchen said, “Your grandpa will feel differently once he knows what your dad has been doing to you.” Sam, placed a small hand on Gretchen’s arm and said, “No, he already knows. He visited us and…” As tears ran down Sam’s face, Gretchen continued driving past the hospital entrance.