CHAPTER 1: ANNA
She’s lived on her own, isolated from the outside world for the past three years. Having just recovered from an abusive marriage and settling into a small, comfortable house in a new neighborhood, the only thing she knows she wants is to feel safe and comfortable.
The move-in process still being in a halfway stage, her house is furnished with some basic furniture pieces like a couch, two chairs, a simple dining set and a bed. There are still some boxes stacked in various places in the entryway, kitchen and bedroom, but there is a small vase of flowers that was a housewarming gift from her sister Beck.
The clock on the oven reads 8:00 pm and Anna is finishing up her leftover Chinese food for dinner. Just as she was heading towards the kitchen to throw away the takeout containers, she heard some loud music playing. She shrugs it off until the volume increases, followed by some male voices screaming loudly. She grows annoyed and wonders if she should call the cops, but instead, she decides to walk over to the neighboring house and investigate the situation herself. Upon knocking on the door, it opens itself and Anna shyly walks inside. The music is deafening to her ears, but she walks on and finds that the source of the commotion is inside the common space and backyard patio. Just as she begins to let her guard down, someone bumps into her and she lands on the floor.
“How is she doing?” an unfamiliar voice asks. “Do I need to call an ambulance?” “Let’s wait and see if she wakes up first.” another voice says. Anna finally comes back into consciousness, having no idea what just happened. The only thing she’s able to see is a young, handsome face looking at her. She can see through his glasses that his eyes are a mix of green and brown, and his curly hair sits perfectly just a few inches above his shoulders. “She’s fine, guys. Give her some space, please?” The stranger helps Anna up to her feet and everyone suddenly disperses, suddenly realizing that no real danger is present.
Before the young man can get any other words in, Anna interjects. “I should get back home. It’s late. Thank you for helping by the way.”
“Wait, what’s the rush? Can I at least get your name?” The young stranger’s presence makes Anna lose her senses for a moment and she introduces herself, but then she remembers the original intent of her being in this house and starts to feel awkward. “I really should be heading home now. Thanks again.”
“No problem, Anna.” He smiles at her, and Anna starts heading towards the door.
FIVE YEARS AGO
“Babe, just keep your eyes closed. I don’t want you ruining the surprise.”
“I can’t wait any longer, Seth. Just tell me what the surprise is!” Anna squeals as she keeps her hands over her face. Dinner has been set on the table, the arrangement consisting of all of her favorite dishes: spaghetti squash, a big bowl of greens tossed into a salad and a 3-tiered chocolate cake. WIth her eyes shut, Anna has no idea that all of this food is for her. Once Seth finally turns her around and opens her eyes, she starts jumping up and down in full delight. The two of them sit down and load up their plates. Everything about this night is just perfect, Anna says to herself. The minute the thought is gone however, she feels a slight tinge of worry. I hope Seth hasn’t done anything wrong….
The two of them eat in silence for a bit, and then Seth suddenly excuses himself from the table. “I can’t do this.”
“What do you mean? You cooked all of this food for me. Tonight is perfect.”
“I know, and I’m glad you’re happy.” Seth gives a small grin, but Anna is able to see past this.
“You know you can talk to me, right?”
“No.”
“Well, I’m here for you. You can trust me.” Seth doesn’t respond for a long while, and the two of them stare at each other, Anna’s expression dumbfounded. She doesn’t know what could be going on inside her husband’s head, but before she could finish her current bite of food, Seth takes her hand and says, “why don’t we just forget about dinner and go to bed?”
“It’s only 7:00, hun. The sun hasn’t even fully set yet.”
“I want to go to bed, Anna. That’s not a request.” The sudden firmness in his tone struck her silent, and so she obediently went upstairs with him and they laid together in bed, keeping some space between them. Just as Anna started to doze off, Seth was fully naked and mounting his body on top of hers. At first she didn’t move a muscle and laid perfectly still, but after hearing the sounds of duct tape being ripped apart, her eyes widened and realized she couldn’t make any sound. Why is this happening? Anna started frantically mumbling as she squirmed on top of the bed. Even her hands were bound by the tape, and she couldn’t find any trace of Seth in the bedroom. After a few slow minutes passed, he showed up in view. He didn’t say a word as he climbed back into bed. He first caressed his wife’s cheek, and then he made his way down to her chest. Anna’s body began to tense up, and she tried to squirm free which made her husband’s temper worsen. Every time she moved or so much screamed from behind the tape, he would hit her in the ribs or on the face. His fists were so powerful against her skin that at one point, blood started to form out of the corner of her eye. Did he just punch me close to my temple? she asked herself. Fear, anger and confusion made her thrash around more violently, and her cries only made the situation worse as Seth tore off her clothes and clenched her skin violently, hitting her and violating Anna in places that only made her cry and scream at a pitch that was deafening to his ears. “You don’t have to like it, but you will do what I say.” Seth growled. He rips the tape off of her mouth and Anna starts tearing up, and the sight of her crying makes him convulse, his expression twisting up into a snarl of disgust. He slaps her on the face where the bloody spot on her temple had dried and a new gash starts coming out.
If the first fit of screams didn’t wake up the neighbors next door, the second round surely did as Seth continued to sexually torture Anna. Her wails grew more hysterical and she kicked him in the nuts, which made her husband fall to the floor unconscious. Right after seeing him lay on the floor, Anna tried to unbind herself when Mr. Keith burst through the front door of the house and hurriedly walked up to the bedroom door. He noticed Seth on the ground and asked what had happened, but she was too traumatized to find the words to explain the situation. He then noticed that she was bleeding from her temple and dialed 911 into his cell phone. Once he hung up and finished the call, he put his arms around her and tried to comfort as she cried in his arms. Keith could feel her trembling and shaking, and so he grabbed a blanket from off the floor and wrapped it around her. “You’re alive, Anna, and I’m here for you. I’m not going anywhere. You’re safe with me.”
For the next five to six months after that night, Keith allowed Anna to stay at his house. When he told his wife about what happened, she was just as sympathetic and willing to help Anna move on and start a new life for herself. They gave her her own cell phone and debit card. They also had an emergency fund set up for her just in case. “I doubt that Seth will try to track you down, but if he does, this will be of good use.” Anna nodded and offered a small smile, expressing thanks without having to say it. The day she left, she felt mostly confident, but she knew she would miss the kindness that her neighbors freely expressed and gave when they temporarily took her in. "We’re just a phone call away if you ever need anything,” Keith said as they stood on the front steps of their doorway. Anna smiled and leaned in to hug both him and his wife. “Thank you. I feel like I can’t say that enough.”
“It was our pleasure. Come back any time if you feel unsafe or need company, okay?”
“I’ll try my best. Thanks again.” Hugs were spread around again and then Anna stepped onto the passenger seat of the taxi cab.
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