Home Invasion Turned Hellish

When waking, I have a process I like to do. I slowly open my eyes so I can adjust to the light, do a stretch, a yawn, and greet the day with vigor.

When I was woken, it was in the dead of night. And not by my hand. I was only just able to make out a figure in the darkness as a small hand was clamped over my mouth. There was a flash of metal in the darkness, a knife at my throat.

"Scream and I'll cut you." A woman's voice breathed through the darkness. "Nod if you don't wanna die."

I nodded.

"Get up." she snapped, pulling me into an upright position. I was quickly twirled around as she pinned my wrists behind my back. She tied my wrists together with thick zip ties and did the same to my ankles. She finished things off by stuffing a rag in my mouth and sealing it behind a thick strip of duct tape that she smoothed against my cheeks.

She spun me back around, and having adjusted to the darkness, I was able to get something of a good look at my attacker. The slanted eyes gave clue to her East Asian heritage, as did the delicate milk coffee color of her skin. Black hair swished behind her in a long ponytail, and she loomed over me, lithe and commanding, the black mask covering the lower half of her face shrouding her in even more mystery, matching her form-fitting black leotard.

"Let's go." she spoke, hoisting me up by the arm and dragging me out of the room. My eyes stung as I was met with the bright light of my living room, then widened at the sight. A large duffel bag sat by the entryway to the kitchen, filled with things from all over my house. Clothes, electronics, accessories, even some small kitchen appliances. That she was a thief instead of some serial killer or paid assassin gave me small comfort. At least I wasn't going to die...I hoped.

She pulled me over to the couch and practically threw me down, and the knife was at my throat again. "Stay right here." she commanded, the stern tone in her voice leaving no room for argument. "I'm almost done cleaning you out. If you move even one inch from here..." She let the threat hang, and sauntered off.

I doubt I could escape, not without doing serious damage to my wrists and ankles. Still, the idea that this woman thought she could just break in and take whatever she wanted irked me. I work hard for my stuff, and she thinks she can just take it? No way!

It took a lot of effort, but I managed to get myself into an upright sitting position. My room wasn't that far. If I could hop my way back in, I might be able to shut the door, lock it, and call the cops. Hard, but not impossible.

Trying to keep as quiet as possible, I pulled myself up, keeping eye and ear out for the robber. Hearing and seeing nothing, I made my way back to my room. Tried, at least. It was hard to stay quiet when hopping on a hardwood floor. I tried to focus as much of my weight as possible on the balls of my feet, but there was still a telltale

thump-thump-thump

as I bunny-hopped to my salvation. Not wanting to press my luck, I took careful, planned steps.

Thump-thump-thump.

Wait. Listen.

Thump-thump-thump.

Wait. Listen. And repeat.

Ten feet became nine, then eight, then seven. The distance became smaller and smaller. Until I was close enough to peek past the doorway. My phone, right on the nightstand, waiting to assist in putting this robber in her place. Just a few more--

The door shut with a heart-stopping slam, my black-clad intruder appearing with an

angry

look on her face, hand on the door. "Didn't I tell you to stay put?" she snapped, putting emphasis on the last word. "You already made this difficult by being here. And then you disobey when I give clear instructions." She leaned in close, and even though she was at least a foot-and-a-half shorter than me, I felt myself cowering beneath her steely gaze.

"Now I have to punish you."

Panic overtaking me, I did the only thing I could think to do in that moment. Run. Or try, anyway. I whirled around and tried to hop somewhere, anywhere, but the robber was back in front of me with inhuman speed. Her leg was a blur as she struck me square in the chest with a sneakered foot, sending me toppling to the floor with a pained grunt. As I tried to lift myself up, her foot slammed down hard on my chest, practically knocking the wind out of me.

"No, no, no." she chided, playful yet no less furious. "You're staying on the floor. You lost your upright privileges when you didn't listen to me."

I squirmed, and she ground her foot harder into my chest. "I said

stop

. You don't listen, and look at the mess you're in."

Her frown deepened as she lifted up her leg and began unlacing her sneaker. Only when it was a few inches in front of me could I see the state of them; worn and frayed from years of use, a split down the side, revealing a sock that once upon a moon, was white, but was now a sickly brownish-yellow, peppered with dirt spots that looked like it would take a pressure washer to scrub out.

She popped off the sneaker and let it fall to the ground with a soft

clunk

. I could see the sock in full now, caked in sweat, dirt, and grime, her toes pressed against the thin, almost threadbare fabric.

The second that sock was exposed to air, it was as if the entire climate of the house changed. A muggy sort of warmth emanated from the sock, enveloping me like a shroud. My eyes immediately watered at the stench; something like stale popcorn, old cheese, and vinegary standing water. I gagged from the first whiff, and I could see her smile beneath her mask.

"Oh, yeah. Ripe, isn't it? Should be. These are my faaaaavorite gym socks. I never wash them, for luck. And I've had them for over five years."

I practically hollered into my gag at this revelation, trying to do anything to shuck her off, but my efforts only served to irritate her more. "Hey, quit that. There's no way you're getting a 'leg up' on me." She snort-laughed at her own joke, pressing down harder.

She pulled her sock away, allowing me some fresh air. But to my horror, I saw her undo and remove her second sneaker, revealing an equally putrid sock. She knelt down, pulling something out. A strip of black cloth that she quickly tied around my eyes. I yelled into my gag, and she slapped me, hard, my cheek stinging from the impact. "Shut

up

! This is your fault, and you know it. This is already gonna be really bad for you, I can make it

so

much worse."

I yelped as the tape was ripped off my mouth. Just as the rag was removed, I tried to scream for help, only to receive another hard slap. "I warned you. So many times, I warned you."

I squirmed as something cotton and smelly was pressed to my lips. "Open wide."

"Mm-mm!" I protested.

"Open

now

." I shook my head. And that was it for her. She pinched my nose, and I knew I had only seconds before I needed to breathe. Hold it in, I had to hold it in, otherwise...no, don't think about it, just hold. It. In!

I took a breath.

The sock was crammed into my mouth, deep. The awful flavor of crusty, worn, filthy socks filled my mouth, and tape was reapplied to my lips, this time wrapped around to keep them secured.

I screamed hard into my new gag, trying my best to spit out the sock. But the tape was too strong, and my body too weak from her earlier assault. "Yeah, take it! This wouldn't be happening to you if you'd've just been a good little victim!"

Things got all the worse when I heard her rustle. Seconds later, the reeking scent of her sock exploded in my nose, followed by the winding of tape. I quickly realized what she'd done; she'd stuffed her other sock in her shoe and tied it to my face!

I was caught between two hells, and I honestly wondered how a girl could get her socks this stinky. I barely had time to entertain that thought before I was slapped again. "I have more of your stuff to pack up. You stay here and think about how this is your fault."

Her footsteps faded away and I was left in my torment. I don't know how long I was stuck there, tasting and smelling the vile odor of her socks. Minutes? It felt more like hours. My face was getting damp and greasy from her footwear, and I could feel my sense of taste dissolving. My consciousness was starting to fade as the awful smell seeped into me, until my eyes rolled, and I just couldn't take it anymore...

-/-/-/-/-

snap! snap! snap!

"Hey, wake up!"

I blinked, groaning as I returned to the waking world. A small hand smacked against my cheek as my senses returned to me. Someone had broken in, some crazy chick with really awful-smelling socks. It had to have been a crazy nightmare, right?

Well, as it turns out, no. I remembered everything, what that robber put me through, and she didn't seem done with me yet.

My situation wasn't any better than last time, but it was different. The shoe was gone, but the gag remained, and instead of being ziptied, I was tied to one of my kitchen chairs, limbs duct taped to the wrists and legs. The robber sat in front of me in another chair, holding onto a safe. My best guess was she couldn't get into it; it needed a four-key passcode, and unless she had a drill, she wasn't getting in.

She tapped the roof of the safe ans said only one word. "Code."

I shook my head. "Nmmph tmmlmph."

She growled, tapped again, and asked for the code again. "Fmmk ymmph."

I felt a surge of pride seeing her get angry; it was the only leverage I had against her and I was going to hold it from her as long as I could. If only to relish the satisfaction of pissing her off.

She threw the safe to the floor and stomped over to me, gripping my face in her hand. Cutting the tape from my face and yanking out the gag, she screamed at me "Tell me the damn code!"

I gave her a haughty smirk, took a deep breath, and said "Why don't you force it out of me with your stinky feet, you sick bitch?"

The robber let out a shriek of primal fury, raised a hand to slap me, and paused. Her palm was inches from my cheek as she breathed heavily, eyes narrowed. Then, her face relaxed, and I could see a smile form beneath her mask.

"Well, now...that's actually not a bad idea."

My heart sank into my stomach as I realized what I'd just said. What I'd just

done

. She chuckled to herself as she went back to her seat, folding her arms in pride as she raised a foot.

"W-Wait, wait, wait, you don't have to--"

My words were cut off as she pressed her foot to my face, and I almost fainted again. As bad as her socks were, her bare foot was a thousand times worse, the very source of the sock's funk. Her foot was warm and clammy to the touch, saturated with so much sweat it was a wonder it didn't slide off my face. I screamed and tried to pull away, but she used her other foot to pin me to the first and hold me in place. I squirmed in my chair, but I was completely helpless. No, worse; I was completely and utterly screwed.

The smell of her reeking feet invaded my senses; as I gagged, she wiped her foot down my tongue. She'd pinch my nose, cover my mouth with her foot, and when she let me take a breath, it was of a cloud of her foot stink.

Again and again the cycle repeated, until I just couldn't take it anymore. I was broken, physically and mentally, and if I gave her what she wanted, maybe, just maybe, this night would come to an

end

.

"OKAY!" I screamed. "It's zero four nine five!"

She grinned, pulling her feet away, but not before giving me a pat on the cheek with her sweat drenched toes. "There. That wasn't so hard."

I sobbed quietly as she input the code and took out the last of the valuables, throwing them into her duffel. She packed up everything and slung it over her shoulder before turning to face me. "Well, it's been fun. But I should go. There's a cute girl's place I've been casing that I'm gonna rob next week. See ya."

"What!?" I exclaimed, pulling hard on my restraints. "You, you can't just leave me here like this!"

She tapped her chin in mock-thought. "Hm, that's true. Let's fix that, shall we?" Reaching into the duffel, she pulled out a Ziplock bag that, to my shock, revulsion, and horror, was filled with worn socks. "I wanted to sell these online, but I think I can spare some for you."

Moments later I was gagged with two pairs of filthy socks, another pair duct taped to my nose. To make things worse, the blindfold was reapplied, leaving me bound and trapped in smelly darkness. I began sobbing again as she patted my cheek and whispered in my ear. "Don't worry. I'll call the police to have them let you out. I mean...if I feel like it."

And as her footsteps faded, the door shutting behind her, I couldn't help but think that she wouldn't feel it anytime soon...

[END]