Beneath and Beyond

Chapter 10

"Hey baby, you lost?" a voice from behind her said. She chanced a glance and saw four men lounging on the outside of an open bar with rum bottles in their hands. She started walking away quickly when another of the men said:

"We just wanna invite you to a little party we're having, then we'll help you get home."

She started walking even faster.

"Hey slow down white chocolate," another voice said. Instead of the drunken voices sounding further away they seemed to be following her and upon glancing behind her Kiedi saw that the men were indeed staggering after her. She broke into a dead run then as fear of what these drunken men would do to her if they ever caught her.

She heard their clumsy footsteps behind her over the pounding of the blood in her ears and even though her father always said to never panic when you're in a dangerous situation, she started panicking. Even with the adrenaline rush in her system Kiedi couldn't seem to make her body move fast enough and she was getting tired and the men just wouldn't quit and give up the chase.

She turned around a corner in the hope of losing them in the darkness and came up on a dead end. It was too late to turn back as she could already hear their shouts and footsteps on the pavement; and if she went out she would surely get caught so she stooped low to the ground behind a dumpster, burying as deep into the darkness as she could.

"Come out, come out white chocolate," she heard one of the men say from the entrance to the corner where she was hidden and the thought crossed her mind if her breathing was as audible to them as it was to her?

"Mhm, we can smell you sweet one," another voice said as they came deeper into the corner. Kiedi prayed they wouldn't find her and tried to quiet down her breathing.

They kept saying how they could smell her and how sweet she smelt, and Kiedi wondered if her perfume was really that strong, their voices came closer and closer until one stood directly in front of her. "There you are," he smiled a toothy smile down at her. He smelt awful, like rotting fish. As a matter of fact as they all came closer the rotting smell nearly choked her. These men were in dire need of a shower.

She hit the man infront of her with the heel of her palm in a self defence move her dad had taught her but he just reared back and snarled at her. He grabbed a handful of her hair and dragged her from behind the dumpster, throwing her down on the floor like she was a piece of ragdoll that didn't weigh a thing. She bruised her palms trying to break her fall and when Kiedi looked they were bleeding. All four of the men sniffed the air and turned eyes that could only be described as hungry on her.

She tried crawling backwards away from them but the guy she assumed to be the leader of their little gang, since he was the one doing the most talking and abuse, came and stooped over her.

"I won't beat you up too bad" he said as he came to stand over her "I'm in need of a new meat suit."

"And she's a pretty one too Davie," one of the men who stood back said to leader boy.

"Just leave me alone," Kiedi said with as much bravado as she could muster, trying not to let her fear come out in her voice.

"Ooh feisty," the leader said with a smirk on his face, "I like my women that way," he breathed on her and Kiedi could smell the liquor on his breath. "Will you scream for me kitten?" he asked rubbing his index finger along her chin. A deep chill ran though her body and she couldn't help the resulting shiver.

She turned away her head in disgust shoving back even further from him. He simply chuckled, "no worries, you'll be screaming before the night is over," he grunted as he kicked her hard in her leg