Stranger in the Park

He leant toward her ear and offered to buy her another drink. The music in the club was so loud that even this close she could barely hear him. It was getting close to closing and she’d already had too many but she figured one more couldn’t hurt. Her boyfriend probably wouldn’t be thrilled but the guy smelled great and he was fun to be around. They talked as well as they could while they drank and then he took two of the cups of water lined along the bar and handed her one. She looked at him over her drink, taking in his tanned skin and dark hair. He looked strong and she thought he was really sexy in an unassuming way.

The music stopped and the last of the drinkers and dancers were shepherded toward the exit. She had hoped to avoid this and make a discreet escape before he realised she was missing but there was no chance of that now. Stepping outside the club the cool air hit her heightening her intoxication and she stumbled a little. He offered to share a cab and she knew now was the time to try and let him down easy. She smiled and told him she needed the walk home to clear her head, that she had to be up really early and thanked him for a great night but had to get home.

He looked pretty pissed off but didn’t make a big deal of it, just turned and walked away from her. She breathed a sigh of relief and began her walk home, pulling the elastic tying back her long red hair and letting it fall around her shoulders. She ran her fingers through her hair shaking it loose as she walked, then looped the elastic in a knot with the spare she had with her, putting them both in the pocket of her jeans.

The streets were quiet and deserted and she looked up at the stars as she walked, humming to herself and glad to be out on such a beautiful night. Walking along the long road beside the industrial estate she paused, thinking she had heard a sound. She looked around but there was nothing there, no sounds and no movement. She laughed at herself shaking her head and decided to take a left and cut through the park to get home; it would be beautiful bathed in the moonlight and always smells of flowers in the summer.

She stepped out onto the tree lined path that stretched from one end of the park to the other and began to walk along it, taking a deep breath of the fragrant air. She froze when she heard a scrape behind her, heart racing and the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. A cat shot past her out of the darkness and she heaved a sigh of relief, watching the animal disappear into the darkness once more and feeling her body relax. Suddenly her arms were pulled behind her back and held firmly in place while a strong hand grabbed her by the throat. She struggled to get her way, her shoulders screaming in protest and she took a deep breath to scream when the hand at her throat squeezed, cutting off her air supply.

She was pushed face first against a tree, scraping the skin of her cheek and the flesh of her large breasts exposed by the low cut top she wore. A knee was jammed between her thighs knocking her feet apart and forcing her harder against the tree. It all happened in a matter of seconds but it seemed longer as her head swam and she struggled to breathe. The grip on her throat loosened and she choked, gasping in the cool sweet air. Her attacker was pressed against her pinning her to the tree with her arms locked in a tight grip behind her back. The arm holding them in place shifted and she felt a hand dip into the pocket of her jeans where she had the elastics. She suddenly realised she must have been followed all the way from the club and in her moment of anger she struggled and jerked her head back, connecting hard with her attackers face.

He cursed and pushed into her hard, squeezing her throat again and pulling the elastics from her pocket. All the air was knocked out of her and black dots exploded in her field of vision as she silently begged to be allowed to breathe. Her attacker pressed his lips to her ear and in a husky whisper he told her “listen close you little whore, I’ll only say this once. If you try anything like that again you won’t get another chance. I’ll let you breathe now but if you piss me off I won’t be so nice. Understand?” She nodded and he loosened his grip on her throat once more.