Lilly checked her navigation once again as the forest around kept getting darker and denser. The dirt road was steep and winding but surprisingly well maintained. Driving through misty woods she could almost forget that she was working on New Year's Eve.
"I swear to God, if it's another one of those prank calls I'm quitting this fucking job" she murmured to herself, trying to spot some houses along the way. But the forest around her was pitch black and veiled in silence.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, she spotted a soft glow between trees. Few meters further and a sizable cabin appeared in front of her eyes. The company fiat coughed in protest when she turned off the engine, but her attention was fixed on the mansion in front. It was rustic yet stylish, located on a small hill, surrounded by a gravel driveway and slightly chaotic vegetation.
She looked at her phone and almost smiled. If she was quick she could be at Bethany's party just before the fireworks started. She had already declined the invitation, mostly due to her work schedule, but she doubted anyone would be mad if she actually came.
Still weighing her options she picked up four pizza boxes from the back and headed to the main door of the estate. Pebbles were shifting under her feet until she stood on the main porch with her hand on the doorbell.
"Wait guys, food is here!" a muffled, but certainly male voice ringed from the inside. A moment later the door opened and she stood face to face with its owner.
Well, face to chest. He was huge. She quickly scoped him from head to toe. Exquisite physique, one that you must work hard to maintain, blond strands of hair falling onto his face and a slightly crooked nose. He was surprisingly young, probably first or second year of college, and definitely drunk. His eyes were jumping around until they stopped on her face. A sly, cold smile bloomed on his face.
"Hi doll, what a great gift you came bearing." The boy blurted out, grabbing the boxes. He yanked on them, ripping them out of her unsuspecting hands and sat them down in the corridor behind.
"It's gonna be 50 dollars, as per our New Year's special offer." Lilly composed herself as quickly as possible and moved her hand forward, waiting for payment. She didn't want to spend here a minute longer.
His eyes, now pointed at her chest, didn't move as he reached into his back pocket.
"Ya know, doll, we could do with some company. Maybe you should step in for a while and celebrate with us." His hand suddenly sprung and he grabbed her by the wrist. Still smiling he finally moved his gaze onto her face.
"Sorry, but I'm at work right now. Maybe another time." She struggled in his grip, fear and worry building up inside of her. Freeing her arm, she tried again. "It's gonna be 50 dollars, as I said."
His smile disappeared instantly and his eyes turned dark. He threw the bill on the floor below her feet.
"Bitch." He hissed, slamming the door in her face.
After this lovely encounter she looked at the 50 dollar bill laying on the porch and saw red. Anger, fueled by fear, sipped out of her. She was tired, underpaid and about to miss her friend's party.
"What about my tip, you asshole!" She shouted at the closed door, crunching the bill in her hands.
Next few things happened in a split second. The front door swung open and a hand shoot out, grabbing her hair in an iron grip. She screamed, a quick yelp of shock and pain, as he started pulling her deeper into the house. She lost her footing, now getting dragged on the slippery hardwood floor. Screaming and thrashing around she finally reached his arm with hers and started clawing it in a primal fury. Using all her strength she dug her nails into him, tearing open the exposed skin on his wrist.
"Hey, Mike, what the fuck is goin...?!" Through a red veil she got a glimpse of another boy getting up from the couch, utter shock on his young face.
Then she was in the air. Mike, as she got to know his name, flung her across the living room with a heavy roar. After a second of weightless flight, she landed on a marble coffee table in the middle of the room. Ribs first, but her head quickly followed, slamming on the smooth top.
"You want a tip, huh? You want a tip?! Then work for it, like a whore you are!" His voice rising to a scream ringed in her ears as she tried not to lose conscience.
She slowly lifted her pulsating body and swept the room. Other than Mike behind here, there were three more, in various stages of getting up. Despite a fuzziness settling in her mind, she knew she had to act fast to have any chance of escaping this horrid situation.
Staying low to the ground she turned abruptly and bolted for the front door, using their confusion to her advantage. Sharp pain in her chest almost knocked her out, but the adrenaline pushed her forward, past the big-eyed Mike and into the dark corridor. Grabbing the doorknob she heard heavy steps and shouting behind, the boys waking up like a pack of dogs that finally sniffed out their prey.
But she was already outside, sprinting along the driveway, her trusty fiat in view. Just a few more steps and...
A loud "bang" teared through the cold, winter air and something impossibly fast grazed her calf. She cried as her leg gave out and she fell to her knees. A giant body pinned her to the ground a moment later, knocking the breath out of her lungs.
"Come on, boys. If you have already got her then don't let her escape." Someone behind them calmly stated.
As the men on her sat straight, painfully twisting her arms on her back, the mysterious figure got closer and kneeled next to them. A heavy cigarette smoke hit her when he got closer to her. Gripping her chin he examined her bruised face and smiled with content.
"She is a nice one. Don't bang her up too hard." As she tried to free herself, coughing and wheezing, he got up and turned to someone just out of her view. "I'm leaving, for now, I have other things to do rather than babysit you. Don't do anything stupid. Well, anything stupider."
And with that, he was off, leaving her pressed into sharp gravel, fighting for every breath.
"Come one, baby, let's get you home." Mike's voice was dripping with sadistic happiness as he stood up, yanking her body with him.
His intentions were clear - throw her over his shoulder and carry her back to the mansion, but he didn't anticipate her desperate strength. Lilly, despite her bruised and beaten body, was fighting throughout every step he took, squirming violently and swinging her nails at everything in her sight.
"Fuck, this bitch is crazy. Help me, you morons!" He shouted at his still reluctant friends, struggling to keep her contained.