5. Gunshots

TRIGGER WARNING

CAMILLE

I heard my shirt rip. A strong hand grabbed my boobs. Another, my ass, and fondled. I blinked past the tears and it rolled down my cheek before my spirit kicked in and I started to fight.

But these men were unlike my father. They were six of them and they were youthful in their grip.

My lips trembled as I struggled against them, eyes glued on the figure smoking unbothered by the chaos going on here.

I recalled his eyes again and how they stared at me. He didn't care, and why should he? He wasn't Superman who went about saving people without being asked.

He and I had no business together-

"Hector, my boy, she's your chica so you get to have a taste first."

They jested and laughed to my detriment. These were the definition of bad boys. Even him who saw and ignored wasn't far from the tree.

One of them stroked my cheek then grabbed it, forcing my head to his face, he sneered with a lustful gaze and his eyes dropped to my lips.

My heart sank. He was going for a kiss.

Not his unwashed teeth and breath-

"H-Hey, stop. Enough!" Hector suddenly developed a conscience but it was almost too late. I'd been backed up against the wall, struggling against the one who had one of my legs lifted to his hip. His hands continued to undo my belt.

"This is not what I wanted. Just let her go-" he tried to push the man off me but one shove from the others sent him to the floor and now he looked up at us in fear.

"Stay down! You think you gon have a shot with this princess with your broke ass?" Smirking, he said, "Fine, I'll let you hit first. What'd you say, huh? Come here, little Hector."

He gulped as he got to his feet and stood beside us, piercing my blurry eyes with fearful gaze.

The man let go of me and pushed Hector to take his place before me.

I was paralyzed from the fear and the harsh reality that this was really happening. Frozen from the shock that the man over there was busy smoking with his eyes glued outside at the passing cars.

He didn't even spare a glance back.

This was all my fault. I put myself in this position and now I'd have to bear the consequences.

What could one young woman like myself do against six men? It was futile and stupid. My father would be easier to deal with but these men? They would beat me to stupor and still have their way.

I was suddenly whirled around to face the wall, my belt undone and my jeans being pushed down.

"S-Sorry, Camille. This wasn't what I wanted. I-I'll make it fast, I promise."

I choked on a lump of tears, shuddering as my body trembled hard. I didn't want this. Oh God please. I'll never come here again. But what's the point? It was futile. There was no saving me. I closed my eyes, hoping this would pass as quickly as it came.

My harsh breathing filled my ears but the sound of his jeans hitting the ground made me jerk. He was on me in the next minute, kicking my legs apart-

A loud gunshot suddenly cracked through the air and the weight upon me disappeared. I stood frozen there, eyes wide and breathing quietly.

"What the--"

"Hey yo, who did that?" One of them yelled, feeling threatened and alarmed.

I couldn't bear to turn around to find out what was going on but from the fear in their tone, I could already imagine.

"We gotta get out of here."

"Who the fuck is that?"

"Hey, we gotta leave now. He's walking towards us-"

"You got a problem with us or what?" One yelled. "You can have her once we're done-"

Another gunshot and this time a loud groan followed and I heard something drop. Hard.

"Fuck! Run!"

"Go! Go! Go!"

Their footsteps pounded against the floor as they ran. I saw them flee for their lives-- I counted just five. Where was the last--

"P-Please..." He whispered in a trembling voice.

Cold air fanned by bare ass, reminding me of my situation. The one who almost had his dick inside me, now begged for his life in a pool of his blood.

I didn't know when I took the bold move of turning around but now I beheld the scene before me. Hector cupped his cock where blood oozed out of. His eyes darted around seeking help.

Bile rushed to the back of my throat. I didn't know how to feel about this. My body still trembled from what almost happened.

My saviour walked closer, cigar in his mouth and one hand around his gun aimed at the dying young boy who had tears pouring from his face.

"I... I have a family. M-My mom... She's expecting me back. I-I'm her only son." But he could already perceive that his pleas were useless.

Those eyes held no remorse. If anything, they wanted him dead. The irritation behind them as he walked right up to him, between his legs--

I turned my face away as I already knew what was coming.

"No, no- arghhhhh."

Heavy stomp over and over again in his genital area and I squeezed my eyes shut but his screams kept coming.

When the stomping stopped and a moment of silence rolled out with Hector groaning and writhing in pain, I felt a dark presence before me.

I sucked in a long shuddering breath, the smoke from his cigar filling up my lungs and weirdly enough, they were relaxing.

I opened my eyes to his chest level. His tie was missing from his neck, three buttons undone and his chest peeking out. They heaved with slow but intense breath.

Must've been hard work stomping all over someone's generation.

I looked at his shoes and they were sparkly clean with dots of blood here and there. His hand still gripped his weapon with a lot of veins.

"Are you dumb or are you just desperate for dick?"

"I...I-" nothing I said would be convincing enough. He looked irritated just by staring at me. Did I piss him off that bad?

"You... Came back-"

"What are you doing here?" His frown deepened. "Don't you think, huh? It's fucking late!" He suddenly yelled and fear gripped me. "You pass the main road when it's this dark! Where people can see you. You don't pass the alley where there are no lights-"

He was practically screaming in my face. My heart almost leaped out of my chest. He's scolding me like an older brother, and a scared lover.

"I-"

"You could've died!" he grabbed my shoulders. "Raped to death by these lots who have more STDs than we fucking know."

Hey, that's what I thought too, but blaming me like I actually wanted this was absurd.

"I didn't plan for this," I said in my defence.

"You also didn't think," he growled venomously. "Now pull your damn pants up and go!"

He's heaving now, panting hard, glaring at me, trembling and shaking. Was he alright?

"Are you okay-"

"Get out of here," he started to step back, to put space between us, to breathe and gather himself. "Run, and don't let me catch you here ever again."

I had never seen that much worry, care and fear in anyone's eyes for me. He was concerned and worried... About me.

"No."

The word fell and time stood still. Everything screamed that I just said something stupid in the heat of the moment. A dying man still groaned on the floor trying to clutch on to his last breaths while I-- what? Couldn't let this moment slip past me.

He puffed out a chunk of air, recollects himself because he stepped back to breathe and when his eyes found mine again, the fury behind them was murderous.

"What did you say-"

"Nothing happened. I-I'm fine... Thanks to you." He watched me like I was hard to figure out and he just could split my head open and find out my thoughts.

"You're shaking..." His hand still trembled and I reached for it-- the one without a gun, of course- he flinched the minute I touched him but I wasn't done, I pushed myself closer to his space. "What's going on-"

Anger flashed in his orbs before he suddenly threw me back with one arm over my neck and he growled, "Stay the fuck back."

I groaned, grabbing his hand to ease it off my throat but he didn't budge. He glared at me like I was the enemy.

"The cops will be here soon and get the whole thing mixed up," he laughed bitterly, looking back at Hector. "What will your statement be, Camille-- was it?"

Fuck! He sounded better than my imaginations.

"You saved me... From a predator."

He didn't look impressed. "I killed a man. Now I have a lady with her pants down in this position. You're going to have to say a lot more than that to convince the cops."

You killed a man... "... For me. You did it for me." Ugh! His grip was too freaking tight.

His eyes darkened for no particular reason, "You're not special. I would've killed him anyway, and pull your pants back up. You're not seducing anyone with that."

Ouch. That was a punch to my ego and my fine sexy ass self. Just a minute ago, I was almost raped for doing absolutely nothing.

"I'm not trying to seduce you," I croaked out, lost in his blazing furious gaze. He looked far from alright. Trauma? Nightmare? What was it?

Searching my eyes, he said, "You couldn't even succeed if you tried."

"Hector and the guys didn't think so."

His brow jumped and he glanced back, "You knew him?"

I tried to shrug as his arm eased up a bit, "Kinda. He's been hitting on me for months."

"And you finally decided to walk into an open trap. Very smart of you, Camille," his words dripped with sarcasm. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why didn't you give him a chance?"

Was that a trick question? Well considering we were talking now and he wasn't so uptight as before, I figured I might as well try to lighten the mood.

"Didn't feel like it."

"Hmm..." He looked sceptical for a moment but then I gasped when the cold gun traced the curve of my hips and his eyes continued to bore into mine. He watched my face for every expression. It was hard to hold back.

My lips parted to breathe. I shuddered in anticipation as his gun worked up my waist, past my belly and under my ripped shirt.

"And now?" He briefly let me go but only to choke me this time. His gun disappeared and his hand returned, squeezing my waist to grab a full chunk of flesh.

In this alley with a dead young boy, blood oozing in the air and a dumpster in a corner, a stranger fondled my body, grabbed my ass and I fucking loved it.