Helpless Victim - Laura's Story #06

Two months after her failed reunion, Laura's latest beau was a patient at the hospital she worked at, suffering only a few scrapes after falling off his bike. He was an outdoors kind of guy who loved camping in the woods, embracing nature as he put it. Laura was automatically smitten by him due to his looks and sense of humor, but deep down she had no interest in getting close to him. Once he began pursuing Laura, letting her know how much he liked her, how could she resist his charm? Scott. His name was Scott.

Despite all her past disappointments could Scott finally be the one? He seemed honest when she asked him if he was married, divorced or were there any other women on the side. Scott looked her in the eye when he answered no to each question and she believed his every word which was good enough for her. By then the two of them were in love.

Laura pleased him in every way she could and Scott loved that about her. Then one day he invited her to go camping with him for the weekend. Laura bought her own sleeping bag and equipment, ready to embrace nature if that were even possible.

At their arrival the woods seemed quiet and eerie in their own way. There was no sign of any wildlife; not one bird singing a tune. It didn't bother Scott since he was used to these surroundings. Laura, on the other hand, felt completely out of place being so used to going to bars, restaurants or someplace even more romantic.

By evening the fire was lit and Scott kept Laura warm in his arms, while both ate roasted marshmallows

"You're sure we're safe?" Laura asked.

"If you're worried about bears," said Scott, "I know how to scare them off."

"Bears are the least of my worries, Scott. I don't want to get lost out here like the Blair Witch Project."

"The Blair what?"

"The Blair Witch Project. You never heard of it?"

"What is it, a documentary on witches?"

"No, silly it's a horror film."

"I'm not into horror films. One time I saw Frankenstein as a kid and I ended up getting nightmares."

"Oh, I bet you were so adorable as a scared little boy."

"Yeah, I was; adorable that is. So, what is so scary about your movie?"

"Just three people getting lost in the woods, doing research on a witch that died hundreds of years ago, and then all of a sudden poof. They vanished without a trace."

"That's it?"

"That's it."

"Sounds boring."

"Not unless you pay close attention."

"I get a better story about these woods."

"Due tell."

"About twenty years ago some psychopath escaped from a mental hospital and laid low in these very woods. It became his home for a long time and anybody who came uninvited ended up being victims. He didn't just kill them, he ate every last one of them."

Laura loved a good horror story, whether it was real or not.

"When they finally caught him," Scott continued, "he was in a tent made out of human flesh and bones. He said the voices told him to eat his victims so he can live forever."

"What happened to him?" Laura asked.

"He was brought back to the hospital, and then he killed himself."

"How?"

"He ate himself."

"What?"

"He literally ate himself. Opened up his veins, drinking his own blood. Cut pieces of his flesh and ate it. He bled out right in his own room."

"Some bad appetite."

"Legend has it his ghost, and the ghosts of the very people he killed, now haunt these very woods. Just now, if you keep very quiet you can hear the sounds of his victims screaming in the night. Screaming from all the pain and suffering he inflicted upon them."

"I don't hear anything."

"Ssh."

Laura kept quiet but all she heard was the crackling fire before her.

"Did you hear that?" Scott asked.

"What?"

Scott screamed in Laura's ear, forcing her to slip from his grasp while he laughed his heart out.

"You asshole," said Laura.

"That felt good," Scott laughed.

"You could have given me a coronary."

"I just couldn't help it. Come on back here."

"Forget it. I'm not going near you ever again."

"Don't be like that. I promise I won't do it again. I'll be a good little boy from now on."

Both of them had a laugh. It would take a little time before Laura got back into his arms.

"You're lucky I love you," said Laura, "and you're flat out beautiful."

"You're beautiful."

"Did that story really happen in the woods?"

"Maybe or maybe not."

"You're terrible."

"Where you going?"

"I'm going to sleep."

"But it's early."

"Then stay outside, lover boy. Good night."

"I'm sorry."

Scott joined her in the tent with the both of them making love under a full moon.

The following morning Laura was awakened by Scott's whistling, bringing more wood for the fire while boiling some coffee. After getting dressed Laura walked out of the tent, planting a wet one on Scott's lips.

"Good morning," she said.

"Good morning," said Scott. "Did I wake you?"

"What are you doing?"

"Getting ready to make breakfast."

"Good, I'm starving; I could eat a whole deer."

"Now that you're up, there's something I've been meaning to ask you, and it can't wait."

"What would that be?"

Laura received the shock of her life when Scott got down on one knee.

"Laura," said Scott, reaching behind his back pocket.

"Oh, my God," said Laura, with eyes filled with tears and heart pounding in her chest..

"Laura, I have just one question."

Could this be it? Has Laura's long awaited happiness finally come true? Perhaps he picked this location in particular for a reason.

"I'm all ears," said Laura.

The question that was asked was not the one she had expected.

"What did you do to my brother?" Scott asked.

From out of his back pocket Scott pulled out a switchblade, plunging it into Laura's thigh. Suddenly, Laura's tears of joy became those of searing pain. She went down hard to the ground, holding on to her wounded thigh, completely confused at what just happened.

"He loved you," said Scott, "and then you turned on him. Why?"

He stepped on the knife, driving it deeper into her flesh. The pain was too great for Laura to contain her screams.

"Brother?" Laura asked. "You never told me you had a brother."

"That's because he's dead," said Scott. "He died a long time ago and it was all because of you."

"Who? Who are you talking about?"

"Brad. His name was Brad."

Laura remembered a guy named Brad who cheated on her years ago. It couldn't have been the same man until Scott gave her some intimate details only she knew.

"I was in prison when the word got out," said Scott. "Two shots to the chest by a cop. A cop of all people."

Scott was locked up for assault and drug trafficking. Before getting released all he thought about was Laura and what really went down that day.

"Killed over a domestic dispute?" He continued. "I didn't buy it. I knew my brother had a short fuse but he would never take it that far, not on women or anybody else. One day Brad came for a visit, told me all about you, studying to be a nurse and how you'd always take care of him whenever he's sick or hurt. The man was in love."

Laura attempted to crawl away until Scott again stepped on her wounded thigh, raising the pain up to her spine.

"Don't move," said Scott. "It took me years just to find you, until you were on the news. How you survived an accident and the guy you were with wasn't so lucky. I want to know why? Why was my brother killed that day? What did you do to piss him off? Did he really beat you up or did you beat yourself up just for show?"

"You, you never loved me?" She asked. "All this time you used me?"

"Don't get me wrong; the sex was great. I especially enjoyed fucking you in the ass; me pulling your hair and you grunting and begging me to go deep. My brother was right about you; you are a wild animal."

Laura would find that complimentary but not in this particular situation. She now needed to focus on how to survive her current predicament.

"Oh, by the way," said Scott, "the look on your face when you thought I was proposing; priceless."

All of her happiness had been a lie from the start. What would it take for her to receive the one thing she could never have?

"You did this," said Laura, "you did all this just to get even for your limp dick brother?"

"Shut up!" Scott shouted. "Don't you ever talk about him like that. Brad was the only family I had left and you took that away. Get your ass up."

Scott grabbed hold of Laura's arm, standing her up straight against a tree.

"I chose this forest for a reason," he said. "It's quiet, no signs of life for miles, and just straight ahead I dug up a nice little hole for you to rot in. But before I end you, you're going to tell me what really happened to Brad that day."

"Fuck you," said Laura, spitting in his face. All Scott did was wipe the spit and licked it off his palm.

"Hmm, nice and fresh."

"Go fuck yourself."

"I'm gonna give you a chance to tell me what I need to know. You do that and maybe you get to keep your pretty little face when I bury you."

Laura all of a sudden giggled; an unexpected reaction Scott was unprepared for. He wanted her begging for her life or cry out for help, but she had no intention of ever giving him that satisfaction.

"What's so funny?" He asked. "What the fuck is so funny? You trying to laugh your way out of this?"

"No," Laura laughed, "I think you're pathetic."

"What?"

"I said you're pathetic, just like your fucking brother. By the way, I faked it, you small dick pussy."

Scott shouted and threw a punch. Laura ducked her head making him hit the tree instead, hurting his own knuckles. She stunned Scott for a bit after driving a knee into his abdomen, not enough to get as far away from him. Scott shoved her back down to the ground, wrapping his hands nice and tight around her throat.

"You always did like to play rough, Laura," he said. "One thing I learned in prison is when you kill someone...you do it when you look at them dead straight in the eye."

During the struggle, Laura tried reaching out for the boiling coffee pot Scott forgot about.

"But first," said Scott, "I have to know what happened to Brad. Why did he die that day? Tell me now!"

Laura was within reach of the handle while struggling to hold on for dear life. She wasn't about to let herself die in these woods.

"Tell me!" Scott shouted. "Tell me! Tell me!"

"H-he," said Laura.

"What? What did you say?"

"H-he."

"Tell me what I want to know! Tell me now!"

"He...was-."

"He was what?"

"A bitch like his mama."

"You're fucking dead!"

Laura grabbed the coffee pot, smacking Scott across the head with it, releasing his hold on her. On one bad leg Laura was able to get on her feet with the pot still clutched in her hand. Scott rose up and charged at her, only to be stopped by a face full of hot water.

"You fucking bitch!" He screamed.

Once again Laura smacked Scott with the coffee pot, knocking him unconscious. Laura fell to her knees, massaging her throat, coughing and gasping for some fresh air.

While Scott remained unconscious, Laura removed the switchblade from her leg and used his belt for a tourniquet. She then proceeded to drag him through the woods with the use of her own sleeping bag. An exhausting job that led to her tearing up the bag one too many times.

Shit," said Laura, "look what you made me do...again. I was starting to love...my sleeping bag and I...paid good money for it, but...at least we're almost...there."

Laura dragged Scott all the way to the very hole he made for her, along with the shovel he used left embedded in the ground. As they neared the edge Scott came to, unaware of his location until Laura pushed him over and into the hole. After coming to his senses, Scott discovered both wrists and ankles were bound in zip ties, leaving him unable to climb his way out.

"Oh, good," said Laura, "you're awake. I'm curious, were you planning to tie me up before dropping my corpse in the hole?"

"Lau ah!" Scott shouted.

"What did you say?"

Scott shouted some more, realizing his voice sounded much different than it did before. Only Laura could explain it in her own macabre way.

"Laura got your tongue?" She asked. "I have, actually. Your little knife came in handy but don't worry, I stopped the bleeding with your lighter."

"Uck ou!" Scott shouted.

"Speak English; I can't understand you."

"Ou ucking itch!"

Laura grabbed the shovel, scooping up the first pile of dirt, and dropping it on Scott's face. Even without a tongue Scott couldn't contain his anger towards Laura.

"Didn't your mama ever tell you," she asked, "not to talk with your mouth full? So, you want to know what happened to brother Brad? Well, since we have all morning, I'll tell you. Brad was a cheating whore; that's why he died that day. I wanted to call it off but he wouldn't have it because he still loved me. So, I resorted to inflicting some damage to my own body."

Laura still remembered that day when she did the unexpected before Brad's eyes. The blood she spilled just to make herself the abusive and helpless victim to whoever was listening to her cries. She remembered the police officer busting in and saving her life.

"Put the knife down!" The officer yelled that day.

"No, wait," said Brad.

"Two to the chest," said Laura. "The cop who saved me got promoted and became an overnight celebrity; did you know that? With Brad gone, I finally moved on. Unfortunately, it didn't get any better along the way."

Laura scooped up the next pile of dirt, dropping it on Scott's chest.

"The next guy," said Laura, "was an artist and a fucking liar. Let's just say I took his breath away."

"P-please. L-Laura," said Matt, the artist with asthma.

Another pile of dirt scooped up and dropped on Scott's legs.

"The next guy after that," said Laura, "became fish food."

Laura could still hear those high pitched screams from David, the doctor who had three women on the side.

"Help! Somebody help me! Some-."

"And the next guy after that," said Laura, dropping the next pile of dirt, "just couldn't cut it."

"Noooo!" Yelled Carl the butcher, before Laura drove a meat cleaver onto his skull.

After another pile of dirt dropped on Scott's face, he said words Laura couldn't make out but only imagine.

"And the next guy after that," she continued, "I was too fast for him."

"Get off of me! Watch out!" Yelled Troy, the linebacker from high school.

"My relationships never seem to last. I've been nothing more than a shit magnet. All the men I encountered had plenty in common, and that is breaking my heart. But you, you're different from them. You didn't cheat on me, but you did lie about loving me. I'm curious, when you were fucking me in the ass, you said, 'come on, little man. Grunt for daddy.' Were you really fucking me or were you picturing your lover in prison? Better yet were you the one grunting for daddy?"

"Uck ou!" Scott yelled.

"Well, it's time we said our goodbyes, Scott."

More piles of dirt were scooped up and dropped, with Scott completely helpless to save himself.

"Say hi to Brad for me," she said, "wherever he is."

One pile of dirt after another was dropped until Scott saw darkness and his screams were no longer heard. Laura patted the dirt down with the shovel, finishing up her tiresome work.

"That was exhausting," she said, "I should have been a gardener."

Laura gathered up her torn sleeping bag and Scott's shovel, whistling the tune she learned from him all the way back to her car.

A year later after Scott vanished, Laura stored the torn up sleeping bag in the attic and used the fireplace to burn up what was left of her old high school yearbook. Laura had had enough of the lying and cheating she endured over the years and decided no more relationships or any kind of involvement with men. She felt good making the transition in her life for the better.

One night Laura caught wind of the news mentioning a masked man with a knife, sexually assaulting women for the past two months. The press would soon label him as the Night Predator.

"Fucking animal," said Laura. "He better not think about coming here."

Laura kept the TV and lights on just to scare off any would be burglars. She began her nightly jog as scheduled, unaware of the dark figure approaching her home. His original plan was to knock on the door and force his way in, but it was soon altered once Laura jogged into the night. His new plan now was to wait by the bushes for her return. Wait patiently for his next would be victim.

"See you soon," he whispered.

Little did he know, like Scott and all those before him, he would fall victim to a woman scorned.