Night Shift - The last Chapter |
Notice from the author: I took a while for me to write this chapter. I am not glamorizing the topic that I am about to touch. Rape is wrong. It is about power, not sex. I wasn’t sure if should end the story this way, but I wanted to finish her story. Cassie’s story. Final Chapter I danced mostly every night of the week, I was becoming more dependent on the money and my tastes had grown to the point that I was spending hundreds of dollars a day on my habit and my fun. I still managed to still save a lot and keep my bills paid but I didn’t know how long I would be able to keep up this lifestyle. Monica and I was pretty popular, it was easier to spend a couple of hours out doing our “thang” than to even set foot on the stage. It seemed as if every time I turned around Taz was there lurking, watching me. I was now considered a regular and I would help the new girls when they came along. Whenever I used coke it started to burn my nose and I was wondering what was up. It felt as if my nose was on fire and I began to freebase a little more here and there. One night as I was leaving work my nose started bleeding, I really didn’t think much about it until over the next five days I had another four nosebleeds. I began to get scared and decided to go to the hospital to get someone to look at it. When the doctor looked at my nose, he noticed that there was a succession of holes in my nose. “Cassandra do you use drugs?” “No. I just say NO to drugs” “We’ll it looks like you are doing something, because it just made a couple of holes in your nose and that is why you are having nose bleeds”. “Oh”. I shifted nervously from left to right. “Cassandra, I can do a blood test. I can find out what is in your system.. What are you taking”. “I am taking nothing, I just stopped”. “When?” “just now.” “There are places you can get help”. “Don’t need it, I can do it myself”. “No, You can’t.” “I can and I will”. “Young lady, I am not going to argue with you”. The doctor said while walking to his desk. “Here is a business card for narcotic anonymous, just be sure to use it. They can really help you”. He tossed it at me and I caught it. “I am going to put some medication in your nose to help it heal, but if you don’t stop snorting, you nose won’t heal properly and you will continue to suffer from nosebleeds. You are damaging your nose”. “Is that all?” I said and I jumped down off the table. “I guess it is, just remember what I said”. “I will”. I walked out the door, down the hallways and out the door. I went home and laid on the bed and dreamt of nothing. I wanted to take the night off and I decided to slip into a hot bath and release the tension of the day. I pulled off my clothes and stepped into my bath full of bubbles. It was so comforting to shed the day’s stress to release it in the water and then come out refreshed. A new woman. As I laid in the water, I stayed in it until the water began to turn cold. I got up and stepped out. My body was turning into a prune, all wrinkled and soft. I smiled. I walked naked into my bedroom and applied lotion to every inch of my skin, my breasts, my thighs, my round ample ass and slithered into a sexy mini skirt and tank top. I grabbed a pretty black purse and decided to call Kelvin to see what he was doing tonight. The last time that I spoke to him, I had to go to work and I didn’t speak to him long. I grabbed my cell phone so that I could call him while I was in my car. So I began to walk out my front door. The night was especially pretty with the light of the full moon and soft sounds of crickets. The light of the moon was breathtaking. I began to feel even more relaxed and I began to glide toward my car. Suddenly, I felt a tight grip around my body and my neck. “WHAAAAAAAAAT THEEEEEEE?” I said muffled. A hand covered my mouth and I could feel the hot breath on my neck. “Shut the fuck up”. He said, “Let’s go back in the house”. I slowly moved toward the door and I still had my key in my hand, I stretched it out toward the door to unlock it, as I did..I made a move to run but he was too fast and caught me. “Cassie, don’t do that again. I don’t want to hurt you”. “How do you know my name, Who..who..who are you?” “Don’t worry about that” “Who are you?” “Open the door…NOW!” I stuck out my hand and pushed open the door. He had his hand in my hair pulling it. I tried to push him away but he was stronger than I and tightened his grip. He was behind me and pushed me through the door. “Wow. Nice house”. That comment from him was totally out of place. He grabbed me around my waist and put his hand over my mouth. “Let’s look around”. He pulled me through my home stopping in the different rooms as if he was curious about how I lived and he wanted to get a glimpse of my life. He kept pushing me from the back and guiding me through the rooms. He stopped and paused; he looked up and saw the long staircase. “Go up there.” He exclaimed. “Cassie, I didn’t know that you had this much money.” Between sniffles, I said” No, I don’t. My parents did. I just maintain. How do you know me!” I suddenly screamed. “Shut the hell up”. He gruffed and started to push me up the stairs. Step by step, I tried to walk slow but he kept poking me in the back and pushing me up the stairs. “Where is your room?” He said. I slowly pointed to the right. “Lets go”. We trudged down the hallway to the room and we opened the door. “Stop pushing me”. I snorted angrily. The sweet smell of jasmine whispered seductively through the air. I turned around to see his face and he was dressed in all black with a black hood on his face. He smelled musty and acted nervous. When he spoke to me, his voice sounded scratchy but deep and low. We walked in the door. My bed was neatly made and our feet sank into the plush carpet on the floor. He pushed me in the room, slammed the door and locked it. “CLICK”. Now I really got scared. My heart was beating so fast it almost jumped out of my chest. I thoughts were racing and were jumping from idea to idea about how to get away. I started to shake and my knees began to buckle. He started to drag me toward the bed. “Take off your clothes!” “No.” Then he smacked me… HARD. I fell back. “Take off your clothes”. Before I had time to respond he pushed me down on the bed and tore off my blouse. I screamed. “I won’t hurt you, if you stay quiet, I promise”. I began to cry. He pushed me on the bed and straddled me. He yanked off my bra, broke my straps and my nipples stood straight up. My chest was heaving up and down. Nervously, I started to sweat anticipating or scared, not knowing what was going to happen next. He licked his lips and smiled at me. He strength was too great and he kept me pinned down on the bed. I couldn’t move. I wouldn’t move. “If you stay quiet (he whispered again) I won’t hurt you”. He grabbed me by the throat and pulled up my miniskirt. His very soft hand touched my outer thigh and traveled to the inner thigh. He found my panties and tore them into pieces. He sniffed them and threw them across the room as if they were a crumpled piece of used tissue. I lay there naked as the day that I was born, every hair follicle stood at attention, the fight or flight response had intensified. He began to kiss me softly and tenderly even though I kept my mouth taut and hard. His kisses quickly began to go down my neck to my breasts and he began to lick and suckle them. I was utterly grossed out and upset. His hands opened my legs and began to lightly touch the tight warm hot spot between my legs. He sat up on my body and began to take down his pants. He kept his hood on so that I couldn’t make out his face. He put his head between my thighs after he threatened me again. I was petrified. His tongue flickered the button that normally gives me pleasure but this time I felt pain. But I still became very very wet. He stayed there for a couple of more minutes, he mounted me and began grinding. I could smell the mustiness of his body and I began to smell a hint of liquor or gin on his breath. “Cassie, cassie, cassie”. He exclaimed. “This feels so good, you are so tight”. His voice started to sound familiar to me, but I still couldn’t place it. Was it one of the bouncers, did a customer follow me home? One of the johns? I couldn’t think straight. My didn’t want to receive him so it hurt and hurt.. but the more I cried, I believe the more he liked it. My head started to spin and spin. He threw me on my hands and knees and entered me from the back. He moved his hips as if he was riding me and he began to moan. I tried to buck him off of me but he was so strong. I felt the hot tear of my flesh as he dove down deeper and deeper into the restrictive tight space that didn’t want him to enter. I began to scream, not in pain but in anger. He started to push hard and harder and harder, deeper and deeper.. he began to moan in pleasure and loosened his grip. I was able to get one of my arms free and I spun around and hit him square in the face with my elbow. “AAAAAAGGGGGGGGG!” He screamed and fell off the bed. I jumped off the bed, kicked him in the face and started to run for my life. I started to run from the drugs, run from the pain of the death of my parents, run from life that has brought me down to this very moment. I ran and ran down the stairs into the kitchen. I grabbed a knife from the butcher block and crouched down in my food pantry and waited. It was dark. I began to hear his steps coming down the stairs. My heart was beating so hard and I was breathing so deep I was sure that he would hear me. I prayed to God that if he would deliver me from this, I would change my life. He walked slow and deliberate as if trying to sneak up on me. He slowly opened doors and peered around corners. Then he entered the kitchen. He tried to soften his footsteps but I could hear the clicking of his hard toed shoes on the linoleum. “I know you are in here, Cassie. Come out.” He said softly.. “COME OUT!” He then screamed. “I have been wanting you for a long time. A long time. You have never noticed me, but I noticed you. You are a rare jewel and I want you. I didn’t mean to scare you, really. I won’t hurt you”. “I knew you had to be here, I knew you couldn’t have gone far”. I was shaking and my knees were beginning to buckle again. I was starting to feel faint. He began to slowly walk around the kitchen, he looked into the walk-in refrigerator and I wasn’t there. He looked behind the huge island that I had in my kitchen and finally walked out of the kitchen toward the dining room. Then he remembered that he forgot something. He stopped. He started to walk toward the walk in pantry. He walked slowly as if he became increasing light on his feet and then he stopped. “Cassie, I know you are in there”. I didn’t say anything. “Cassie, come out or I am coming in”. Still nothing. He grabbed the door and opened it.. I LUNGED at him and knocked him down. I stabbed him once in the stomach with my butcher knife. “AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!! And he fell. He was hurt. I started to run and he grabbed my leg and threw me down. He started to pound my face and pull my hair as if he was a wild animal… I screamed and fought back. I fought with my pain, my hate and with all of my strength. He fell back again and hit his head on the counter top going down to the floor. BOOOOOOOM! Blood was flowing from his head.. He stopped moving. Shaking I moved away from him and noticed that he was passed out and hurt. Before I called the police I wanted to know who he was. S0, I pulled the hood off his face. It was TAZ!!!! The owner of the nightclub!!! Pieces of my hair were all over the floor, you could see the struggle all over the house. I laid on the floor breathing deeply taking in and savoring each breath that I took. I thanked God that I was alive. My hands were shaking and I slowly picked up the phone and dialed 911. “Hello?” “My name is Cassandra and I need help. Someone help me, please”. I dropped the phone because I blacked out. The ambulance came and took me to the hospital to treat my injuries. Thank God I only had minor cuts, bruises and I was ok. Or at least I appeared to be. I found out that Taz had been stalking me for months. When I saw him, he had planned each and everytime that we ran into each other. He was calculating when he would get me alone. I had hurt Taz pretty bad and he had hurt me too, but he was going to jail for a long time. I had to testify at my rape trial and his brother took over the club. Thus ended another chapter in my life. I stopped dancing in the club and started going back to school…part-time. Not great, but at least I was trying. I still think of Kelvin now and again, maybe something will come out of it. We finally spoke again and he was really been a big help to me. Monica and I no longer speak. I wanted to start changing my life for the positive and I needed to get all the negative things from around me. I now only had one thing left to do. I had finally gotten the courage enough to pick up the phone and dial this number…6..8..7...2..1..3…and lastly 4. It rang. And rang. And rang a third time. I waited. And it rang again. “hello?” A unfamiliar but kind voice answered.. “How can I help you”. “Yes, my name is Cassie, I mean.. Cassandra Wilson. I am calling because I need some help, I AM AN DRUG ADDICT. THE END |