Ganked: Life Bitten And Taken

I started screaming. "Help! Jason! Kasey! Help me!" I started kicking, breaking the passenger-side window.

“Damn it Jeff! Keep her still!"

"Yeah yeah I got her." The man grabbing my legs said, grabbing them tighter. He was also the guy whose lap I was laying across. The guy in the back had my arms.

“JASON!!!" I yelled as loud as I could. The SUV I was in came to a stop at the end of an alley. The guys passed me back into the trunk part of the SUV. I tried to find a way to open the back door but the driver and guy in the back crawled back with me and held me down, ripping my shirt open and trying to undo my skull belt. Suddenly the back door opened and the men who attacked me disappeared along with whoever opened the back door, but I could hear vicious roaring, and the dumpsters down the alley sounded and looked like they were being banged around. I ran out of the SUV and toward a street that was at the end, but that was just another alley. I looked left, but there was an end to the alley, so I looked right and saw a building, but there was a way down another alley, so I ran that way. Once I came to the building, I went left. I tripped over a wooden pallet and fell on the rough asphalt because my eyes were so blurred by my tears. I tried to scramble to my feet but someone grabbed me around my waist. I struggled to get away, thinking it was one of those guys again.

“Riley! Riley stop it's me!" I heard a familiar voice and turned around to look into the sad face of Jason. I stopped struggling and hugged him tightly, burying my face into his chest and crying deeply. He wrapped his arms around me and sighed with small trace of relief. Kasey came up behind him and looked down at me.

"Come on. Let's go." Kasey said softly. Jason nodded and picked me up bridal-style, cradling me like a child, and he started walking. When we reached the truck, Kasey opened the back door and Jason crawled into the back seat with me in his arms still. I was sobbing to the point of hiccups, and Jason stroked my head gently, soothingly.

“Shh. You're ok now, Riley. Everything is going to be ok.“ I just grabbed onto his T-shirt in an effort to pull him closer. All was quiet in the truck except for my sobs and sniffling. I looked out the window and noticed a landmark that suggested we were going towards my house.

“I don’t wanna go to my house.” I spoke softly, keeping my head down and not looking either of the boys in the eyes.

“Riley, you’re pretty shook up. I think it would be best if you were with your family right now.” Kasey said, keeping his eyes on the road.

I shook my head and I could feel the tears coming back into my eyes. “No. I don’t want to go home. Please. I don’t want to go home.” I could feel myself start to panic thinking about the look in my parents’ eyes when they found out I was almost raped.

“Ok. Ok Riley. We’ll take you back to our house, alright? Just calm down.” Jason said soothingly, gently taking my chin into his hand and bringing my eyes to meet his. His were filled with so much pain, my tears began to gain momentum again, but I nodded and rested my head against his chest again, looking at his hand that I took in mine.

Kasey turned the truck around and headed in a different direction. I allowed my eyes to close, and I drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

********************

I woke up to the sound of whispered hollering. I opened my eyes and stared at a poster of a black Dodge Ram 1500 with a hemi engine showing underneath the hood. I was in Jason’s room. I sat up and looked around for Jason or Kasey, but no one was in here. I got out of bed and looked down at myself, noticing that I was wearing a big black T-shirt and a pair of basketball shorts with the drawstrings tied as tight as they could go so they wouldn’t fall off my hips. I ran a hand through my hair and untangled it with my fingers, then sat on the edge of the bed for a minute and listened to the voices that came from downstairs.

“No. We can’t do that!”

“Shh! Keep your voice down Jason!”

“You know what would’ve happened if we weren’t there, Dad! If we-” That’s all I heard before I ran to the bathroom and threw up, recalling the event that occurred earlier that day. My stomach was quivering, and my body was shaking. A second time. Jason came running to my side and held my hair out of my face. Tears rolled down my face and fell into the water-vomit mixture in the toilet.

“It’s ok Riley. You’re ok.”

It was all over. Kasey handed me a damp washrag and I used to wipe the crap away from my face, then crawled into Jason’s lap and calmed myself. Jason’s parents, who were very fond of me and who I was very fond of, stood in the doorway and Kasey stood behind Jason. Jason picked me up again and walked me over to the bed. He tried to lay me down but I just clung to him and refused to let go, so he laid down with me.

“I’ll go get her some water.” Jamie, the boys’ mother, said, then walked from the room with Daniel, their father. Kasey sat behind me since I was on my side, my back facing Kasey and my face towards Jason. Kasey gently rubbed my back. I loved this family, but I did not want them to know what happened to me. Jamie and Daniel were like my second pair of parents, and I loved them just as much as I loved my blood-related parents. I knew I could never look them in the eyes ever again, for all I would see would be sadness.

“Riley. Talk to me baby.” Jason whispered in my ear, the pain was in his voice still.

I thought for a second about what I could say. I didn’t really want to talk.

“Please…Don’t tell my parents.” I whispered, looking into Jason’s eyes, his had a hint of relief, but sympathy also.

“Why not, sweetheart? This isn’t something you should keep from them.” Kasey asked, still rubbing my back.

I sniffled. “I don’t…I don’t want to see the sadness in their eyes.” I looked down at Jason’s chest. “Like I see in yours.” Jason flinched, and Kasey stopped rubbing my back for a second, then restarted.

Jamie walked into the room. “Sit up, sweetheart.” She said softly, and I did as she said. Jason and Kasey did the same and watched me as I took the glass from Jamie’s hands and drank it all. When I finished, Jason grabbed the empty glass and put it on his nightstand.

“Thanks mom.” I said to Jamie. She smiled and bent over Jason to kiss my forehead.

“No problem at all. But I’m afraid it’s time for you to go home, hun.” She said calmly.

Jason looked down with a hint of frustration.

“Come on, Riley. I’ll take you home.” Kasey got off the bed and picked me up, taking me downstairs and out the front door that Daniel had opened.

“We love you Riley.” He said, Jamie standing next to him.

“I love you too.” I whispered. Jason followed us with the keys in his hands. Kasey got into the truck with me in his lap in the passenger seat and Jason got into the driver’s seat. He started up the truck and we were on our way.

“How did you guys find me?” I asked, thinking about what happened earlier.

Jason gave a quick glance to Kasey, then put his eyes back on the road.

“When I was making the U-turn at the light to come back and get you, we saw those guys grab you and race down the alley, so I tried my best to catch up.” Kasey answered. Jason sped up a bit.

“I didn’t see you guys when you opened the back door.”

“You were pretty shook up, Riley, and we just opened it and grabbed the guys, then chased after them when they tried to run.”

“You got all three of them?”

The truck came to a stop and Kasey looked out the window. “Look, Riley, we’re already at your house, so it might be a good idea if we talked about this tomorrow.” He said before opening the door and letting me out. Jason cut the engine and got out as well, walking with me and Kasey to the door. I opened the door and went to take off my shoes, but noticed they weren’t on my feet. I looked at Kasey, and he sheepishly smiled. I sighed, happy that I had a second pair of Converse in my closet.

“Hey Riley!” Matt squealed excitedly. He ran up to me and gave me a hug, then high-fived the boys.

“What’s up Matt?” Jason and Kasey were like big brothers to my little one, and all three boys loved to talk about video games, even though the ones Jason and Kasey played were way more advanced than the one Matt played.

“I finally got passed that one level in Mario that you were talking about, Jason! I passed it this morning.”

“Awesome little dude.”

“Did you just pass or did you kick the other guys’ butts?” Kasey asked.

“I kicked butt!” Matt smiled and gave Kasey another high five.

“Oh! It’s the Mischievous Three.” My mom walked in smiling. “Riley? What happened to your clothes?”

“I spilled some….cranberry juice on them and Jamie insisted that I let her wash them right away so they wouldn’t stain.” I was never really good at lying.

“Oh.. Ok. Well do you boys want to stay for something to drink?”

“Su-” Jason started but Kasey interrupted.

“No thanks Sandra. Mom and Dad want us home.”

Jason glared at Kasey, but then just sighed.

“Alright. Well have a nice night boys.” My mom smiled and went back to the kitchen to finish the dishes.

“Good night Sandra.” Kasey smiled, then took my hand and led me up to my room with Jason following. When we got in there, Kasey gently put his hand on my back and moved me over to the bed. "Get to bed." He said, and I obeyed. I was still exhausted anyway. I looked up at the two boys who stood at my bedside. Kasey bent down and kissed my forehead, then looked into my eyes. "Bye Riley."

"Bye Kasey." I whispered, then he walked out of my room and down the stairs. I looked up at Jason, and frowned. He had such misery in his eyes. I sat up and grabbed his hand. "Jason? What's wrong?"

He looked down at me and my heart dropped into my stomach. "Riley. I'm sorry about...what I said earlier...I didn't mean to upset you." I looked at him curiously, then remembered why I got out of the truck in the first place. I looked down.

Jason put his fingers under my chin and lifted my eyes to his. "Riley I'm really sorry." His eyes were filled with torture.

I looked up at him, then hugged him. "Don't you dare blame yourself, Jason. You guys saved me before anything could happen. I'm ok because of you. I love you Jason."

Jason hugged me tightly and closed his eyes. "I love you too Riley." I knew it wasn't in a romantic way. He was like my brother and he only saw me as his sister.

After a minute of hugging each other, I let go of him and he let go of me.

"I'll see you tomorrow Jason." I said softly.

Jason smiled softly and leaned down to kiss my forehead. "Good bye, Riley." He whispered, then left, leaving behind knots in my stomach. Something about the way he said that gave me a bad feeling, but I figured I would worry about it later. I set my alarm, laid my head down on my pillow, and fell asleep.