Only the Strongest Survive Read Free Page B

get
dressed. I don’t have much time.”
    “ I just
wanted to say —”
    John slapped her hard with his right hand. It was so
unexpected that she bit her tongue. Her tears poured instantly and
she moaned out loud while picking up the rest of her clothes from
the floor. He looked at her humiliating position with a smile on
his face.
    When she was
dressed, he fastened her down again and blindfolded her. Then he
left.
     
    *
     
    As John was
making himself a coffee in the kitchen, he gazed out the window, at one point, frowning.
    “ She’s
right, ” he said aloud to himself, “I
really am special.”
     
    *
     
    Emely cried
for a long time , until there was no
strength left in her. She felt she might have gone to sleep for a
few minutes, when someone grabbed her arm.
     
    “What’s happened?” she asked, confused.
    As if he had
not heard her, he unfastened her and made
her stand up. He fastened her hands behind her back instead, then
he took her by the elbow and dragged her downstairs. She had to run
in order to be able to keep up with his long strides.
    She heard the
front door open and felt the fresh
morning air. I was right, it
must be three or four in the morning. Where are they taking
me? she wondered.
    John opened
the back door of a vehicle and pushed her
in violently. He sat next to her.
    “ Good
morning, Ms. Donnovan.” The voice was
Ronald’s. “We’re taking you on a short early morning outing.” He
turned the key. “I’m sure you’re going to like it.”
    “ Listen, you
can’t do this . Where are you taking me?
Please, tell me the price, everything has a price.”
    “ No, my dear
Ms. Donnovan. We no longer care about money. We lost it all and
learned to do without.”
    “ But …”
    “ No buts. All
that’s left is hatred and a desire for reven ge. And soon this desire will be fulfilled.”
    She began
s creaming and completely lost control.
Never before had she found herself in a situation which she could
not influence.
    John placed one hand around her mouth and they drove
like that for over half an hour. The vehicle swayed from side to
side to avoid roots in the road. Feeling sick from fear or the
bumpy ride or both, Emely didn’t know how much longer she’d
last.
    “ Where are
you taking me?” she cried when John took
his hand off her mouth.
    But she
didn’t get a reply.
    After a while
she asked again . “Please, tell me where
we’re going.”
    “ Don’t
worry,” Ronald said, “we’ve
arrived.”
    The SUV
slow ed down. She felt John’s hand telling
her she had to get out. She wanted to stay in the vehicle, but
relented. With the blindfold still on, her only orientation were
the noises outside. Somewhere in the distance she could hear the
hooting of an owl, and then a mosquito buzzed past her ear. There
was a strong smell of pine trees. We must be in deep woods, she
guessed.
    John pushed
her over to a slender tree not far away
and tied her to it. He took off the blindfold and she was able to
look around. Because of the trees that stood close together and
reached high into the starry sky, little light reached the ground
in spite of the full moon. Scared, she turned toward Ronald, who
was watching her from the side. He was small, only about five foot
seven, and considerably overweight.
    Her heart was
beating hard and she kept gulping down
the saliva that gathered in her mouth as she looked at his round
face. “What are you going to do with me?” she asked. Tears streamed
from her eyes.
    Ronald looked
down, stood on a dry branch that snapped under his weight, and
smiled. “You’re gonna li ke it here, Ms.
Donnovan.”
    John
appeare d with some wide tape and put it
over her mouth. She was able to respond only with muffled screams
through her nose. The men set off for the car, laughing.
    In horror she
noticed a coffin made from raw wooden
planks on the roof of the SUV. Emely wanted to scream and run, but
felt she was going to faint at any moment. The scene in front of
her was real,