She likes to take long walks at night. Sometimes she feels like it's her only escape. There are several walking trails and nice neighborhoods in the area where she lives. Tonight she has chosen to stroll through the bird sanctuary just outside of town. There won't be many birds to see so late at night, but she will likely be the only person there so it will be peaceful and quiet, which is exactly what she needs.
She walks in silence, contemplating the busy week she has planned ahead of her. There is an empty soda bottle lying in the path ahead of her. She knows there is a garbage can next to the park bench several yards ahead on the trail so she bends and picks up the bottle.
A twig snaps somewhere to her left and she hears a flutter of wings. The sanctuary is so far from the main road that those are the only sounds she hears. No passing car sounds or sirens. That's why she loves it here- she can think.
More sounds of wings fluttering- a bit closer this time. She pauses to listen more closely. It sounds as though the bird is just off the path. Some of the birds there are quite beautiful so she decides to take a look. If she is quiet, she may be able to see it without frightening it away.
Carefully, she tiptoes across the well manicured grass and up to the edge of the trees. There, just beyond the first row of trees, she can already see the bird. It is rather small, in the dark she cannot identify the species, and it appears to be injured. It's wings flutter sickly but it does not move from it's position on the ground. She knows there is probably nothing she can do to help, but she advances to get a closer look anyway.
As she leans down over the bird she feels an arm reach around her from behind and a hand clamp tightly over her mouth. Her breath catches in her throat and instinctively she tries to scream but cannot.
"Don't you know it isn't safe for such a beautiful woman to be walking alone at night?" he growls as he tightens his grip over her mouth. "I'm going to take my hand away from your face now and you are NOT going to scream. It would do you no good anyway. Who would hear you?"
Her heart is racing. She is terrified that she will turn around to see a gun pointed at her. She's heard of women being robbed and shot late at night in parks in big cities, but this isn't a big city or a park. Not many of the locals even know of the sanctuary.
Slowly he lowers his hand and grips her arm, turning her around. She holds her breath, trying not to scream. It is very dark as there are few outdoor lamps along the path and it is a cloudy night, but she is pretty sure she doesn't see a gun. That gives her some relief, but only a little.
He takes a small step back from her. She feels his grip relax a little and attempts to step back from him to run, but as she does so he grabs a handful of her long dark hair and jerks her back. She feels a cold knife blade against her throat.
"If you try to run from me I will catch you... and then I will kill you." He says this to her in a low voice, but she does not doubt that he means every word.
"w-w-what do you want?" she manages to stammer the words as tears begin to fall from her pretty blue eyes.
"Do not speak again." He says sternly as he lets go of her hair.
She considers for a moment trying to run again, but tastes her own fear in her mouth and knows she cannot move. She isn't carrying a purse so she now realizes it must not be money that he is after.
She tries to look at him. He is very tall, must be over six feet, with very broad shoulders. She thinks he looks very strong. She is unable to make out his face in the dark.
He takes a step toward her and grasps the waistband of her cotton jogging shorts. He jerks them down over her hips and they fall to the ground.
"Take off your top."
She whimpers quietly and hesitates.
