The Path to Escape

Adrenaline coursed through my body and panic churned in my stomach. I tried so hard to kick, but nothing was working. I tried to scream but it was drowned out by the fabric shoved into my mouth. I could feel the movement of the car as it turned. I heard the bass and drums of a familiar rock and roll song. Sweat poured over me in the hot trunk and I felt the wheels drift off-road onto a dirt path. We were headed for the woods. If I didn't escape this guy, I knew I would die a torturous death. I continued to kick blindly upwards and to the sides, trying to squint through the dim light that was streaming through the cracks of the trunk. I felt the latch beginning to loosen a bit. I turned my body and tried to leverage myself as best as I could. I kicked the trunk roof as hard as possible, and it flew up. The man slammed on his breaks. Now or never.

I heard the driver door open and I tossed my body over the edge of the trunk and tried to stand up. I struggled to stand with my wrists tied and after half a second I was able to jump up. I stumbled about six feet away from the car before feeling a blunt object strike me hard in the head from behind.

I woke up dizzy and drugged. It was night time. I blinked to try to clear the spots from my vision. I could vaguely distinguish the shadows of the trees. I tried to move, but couldn't. My arms and legs were spread out and strapped tightly to a tree, the bark rough on my back. I felt a slight breeze blow over my now naked body. As I remembered what happened, Adrenaline coursed through me again and I tried to struggle against the tight ropes. "Hahaha" I heard who must be my kidnapper laugh demonically and I froze. I couldn't see anything. The ropes burned my skin as I struggled against them. A lantern was suddenly lit a few feet away, illuminating the man's face. He grinned psychotically and I watched as he lowered the lantern next to him. He was naked too.

I watched in disgust as he started to stroke himself. I tried with all of my might to wiggle myself out of the ropes. My arms and legs began dripping blood from my struggles. I tried again to scream, but the fabric was still drowning out my cries. I watched in horror as he stood up with the lantern and walked towards me, grinning. He stood directly in front of me and I saw that he was actually quite handsome for a man in his forties, but his eyes were cold and dead as I'd ever seen. Chills ran through me and tears streamed from my face as he reached out and grabbed my breasts. I froze in terror, waiting for him to get violent. Instead, he leaned towards my ear.

"You are mine now, baby. We will live here together forever. I will take good care of you. My Rebecca. My baby." He whispered. I was never going to be allowed to leave the woods. He thinks I'm this Rebecca girl. I continued to struggle with the ropes and I watched in shock at him as he knelt in front of me, and began licking my privates as if I was his long lost lover. I absolutely despised that what he was doing felt so good. I continued to wriggle around to loosen the ropes. "Oh what a good girl Rebecca. You are so sexy baby, I've missed you so much baby" I tried so hard not to orgasm as he forced his tongue on me, but eventually I did and let out an unfortunately sexy and animalistic moan. "That's it baby, right there Becca, right there, good girl. I knew you were my good girl."

I heard a faint whooooo, whoooo from above. I looked up and saw a beautiful white barn owl observing us from a tall branch. It cocked it's head to the side, and took off in the east direction. I leaned my head back against the tree, and unexpectedly felt the ropes being cut from my body. I fell to the ground in a heap, my body incredibly sore. I was losing blood. Too dizzy...

I stirred awake and sat up. It was morning, and I was in a nice looking room on a comfortable bed. Juice and pancakes sat on the nightstand beside me, and I felt overly happy, as if I was on ecstasy, a familiar drug to me. "You like?" I looked over, startled. The man was sitting in a blue chair in the corner. He passed me another pill. Had he known I was an addict? Is that why he kidnapped me? Why is this all happening to me? "I have a deal for you" he said as I swallowed the pill.

"I know you are not Rebecca, but when I saw you yesterday, you looked so much like her. I had to please her one last time, even if it meant hurting you. I'm sorry. She was my wife. She died a year ago...." He trailed off and I felt the strangest sense of empathy for him even after what he did, although it was probably the ecstasy. "I live here at this mansion in the woods that you are in now. I want to pay you a hundred thousand dollars a year to be my Rebecca. I just want to love again."

I talked to my kidnapper, John, all day about Rebecca and what she was like. I was terribly unsettled that I had been kidnapped and violated, but on the other hand a hundred thousand dollars a year was more than enough to help my family and my five siblings get out of the projects. Plus, if I had said no, would he accept that answer? Or kill me? At least he has drugs, I thought. So I began living with John, pretending to be his wife, Rebecca. He paid me weekly, and I sent the money to my family in an envelope while he watched. He went over each of my letters carefully as to make sure I had not given away my location. I was glad I could provide them something and communicate through mail, although my parents begged me to tell them where I was or what I was doing, I couldn't.

Two years after the arrangement, I fell in love with my perpetrator. He treated me like no man had before. We went on romantic walks, had deep conversations, and great sex. He confided in me about his problems, and made me feel special. So what if I was Rebecca now? I was genuinely happier than I had been in my entire life, and I loved living in an unmarked mansion in the woods. Plus, I had great news for John today. I strolled past the rose bushes and walked up next to John, who was drilling a shelf together on the deck. "Good morning Darling" He said to me, after leaning in for a kiss.

I smiled and came right out with it. "I'm pregnant" I said. John dropped his drill and froze for a moment. For a split second I saw the deadness in his eyes like the first night I met him. I could sense his unhappiness, but I said nothing. He shook his head and turned towards me, obviously feigning excitement. "That's great Becca!" He smiled and I gave him a little smile back and walked into the house. Not what I was expecting. I felt uneasy, but I ignored it.

Many months had passed and I was due to deliver our baby any day. John seemed to come around and be genuinely excited. I was tending to my garden when I heard a faint whooooo, whooooo in the distance, where I looked over and saw the same white barn owl that I had seen years before. I stood up and brushed the dirt off of my hands. I headed in the direction of the owl to observe it closer. It flew to the next tree as I approached. It seemed like the owl wanted me to follow it.

I leisurely walked after the owl, straight through the woods as not to get lost. We came to a winding path where about a mile down, I could make out a run-down, boarded up barn. The owl hooted at me and flew towards the barn. John warned me to stay out of the woods alone because of the animals I could come across. He never mentioned an old barn, I thought we were alone for many miles. I started wobbling with my pregnant belly towards the barn.

I finally arrived after what felt like forever, and was greeted by a whooo, whoooo again on top of the barn. I shaded my eyes from the sun and looked up at the owl. It dipped into an open hole in the roof, and I pulled the heavy barn door open to follow it. When I finally opened the door and peeked in, I stood frozen in terror at what I saw before me.

There was at least two dozen decayed or rotting corpses just thrown about the barn. The smell was so putrid that I knelt and vomited for several minutes until there was nothing left in my stomach, which was now tied in knots. I held my breath and walked inside. What I noticed made my stomach churn. The corpses were pregnant. All of them. I trembled and began to dry heave more. Where did these women come from? I sat down in tears, mourning the horrid sight in front of me. I was rubbing my belly in comfort when the idea hit me. John. Rebecca. I froze. It made too much sense.

"Sorry darling, no kids for me." I looked up, startled, as John closed the heavy barn door with an angry thud. I panicked and waddled over to the door. It was locked. Fuck. This is how I was going to die, I thought. My pulse raced and I screamed out. Was this how his wife died originally? How long have these poor women been here? My heart beat fast, and I felt strong contractions coming on, wrapping around my back and stomach. I cried out in pain. Whoooo, whooooo, I heard. The white barn owl perched in the corner flew onto the wagon handle beside me and watched me intently. I tried to hold back a scream as my belly contracted. I looked frantically around me for something to deliver my baby with. A basket and some towels would do alright. I set them in front of me and tried to prepare myself for the lonely hours of pain that I knew were to come.

Three hours later, I screamed loud as I pushed my last push. I sat in a pool of my own blood and tears. I pulled my baby out of me and wept, holding her against me as she cried. I felt my consciousness slipping away. I gently swaddled her and laid her in the basket, kissing her forehead. I was losing so much blood. I very carefully lifted the basket towards the owl's beak, and in a swift, understanding movement, the owl grabbed the basket, and flew up and out of the barn with a final whoooo, whoooo. I laid down, thinking of her and what had become of my life, and I closed my eyes for the last time.