A flashlight brighter than the fucking sun is shined on us, and I freeze. I don’t move an inch, but Victor does. He shoves away from me like I’m on fire, hard enough to make me stumble. I barely manage to stay standing and covered up.
He throws his hands up, trying to see through the light.
From behind the light, a dark voice sounds, and there’s a metallic flash of something metal.
A gun?
Fuck.
“You’re a very bad man, Mr. Spiro.”
I can’t tell who’s speaking, because the voice is muffled somehow, and I can’t see a thing beyond the starbursts in my eyes whenever I blink.
It definitely sounds like a man though.
Oh god, is it the police?
The flashlight is lowered, so it’s no longer blinding me, but the shadowed figure lifts a phone. He taps the screen, and it lights up enough to show a large, male figure, dressed entirely in black, holding it. He’s even wearing gloves and a mask.That explains the muffled voice.He taps the screen again, and the video I made for Victor plays.
I gasp.
“H-how did you get that?” I stammer, stepping forward to try and snatch the phone away, but the masked man tuts and raises his other hand - which holds a gun - and it stops me in my tracks.
“Naughty, naughty, little Cora.” He slides the phone back into his pocket. “I found them on your history teacher’s phone. Easy enough to hack. You should really pay more attention to where you leave that thing.”
The masked man moves closer, and I step back, wobbling on my heels once more. I’m not his target though. He goes right for Victor.
“It’s not what you think! She’s eighteen! We— I…it was consensual!” Victor stammers, and the masked man laughs.
“She turned eighteentoday. She sent this video while still a minor.”
How does he know that?
The masked man releases the safety on the gun, the sound so loud in the quiet night even over my panicked breathing, and I yelp, taking several steps away, but too scared to try and make a full run for it.
“What’s more, you sent it to your home computer, and that’s distribution of child pornography. You’re in alotof trouble now.”
“Oh god,” I whisper, terrified.
This is all my fault. With trembling fingers, I reach to re-zip my dress. The material catches, but with a gentle tug it comes free, and I can close the zipper fully. I feel marginally safer, but I know it’s just an illusion.
“Listen carefully, Victor. You’re going to resign. You’re going to pack up your shit, and get the fuck out of this town, and if you ever so much as look at Cora again, I will use this gun to blow your fucking brains out.”
The stench of piss permeates the air, and I’m sure if I were to look down I’d see a wet patch on the front of Victor’s pants, but he, himself, agrees, as tears roll down his face.
“I promise, I promise, please don’t kill me.”
Victor takes off running, without sparing me a second glance. I don’t know whether to be relieved that he’s left me alone, or furious that he’s left me with a dangerous, armed stranger.
The masked man lowers the gun. He doesn’t even look in my direction. I’m alone with a man who just used a gun to threaten someone. If I scream, will anyone hear me?
“You look so frightened, Cora. Do I scare you?” the man asks as he turns to face me. He walks my way and I nod, pressing myself back against the wall. I don’t look up. I can’t. “Good.”
The masked man presses his body against mine, brushing my long blonde hair behind my ear with a gloved hand, and I yelp when I feel the outline of his hardness against my abdomen. I squeeze my eyes shut, wishing this moment would end. As if closing my eyes can somehow make him disappear.
“Please, don’t hurt me,” I beg softly. Pathetically. I sound weak even to my own ears.
“Hmmm, what I want to do to you won’t hurt. At least, not after a few thrusts.” The husky voice makes me shiver, but the words he says sends shards of ice straight to my heart. He wants to hurt me…