He stands in the shadows, a flickering street lamp the only source of light in the dark narrow alleyway. He slowly opens and closes his fists making his hands more comfortable in the black leather gloves he wears. Dressed completely in black he waits silently for his prey.
He sees her at the far end of the ally walking quickly toward her back gate. With her head down searching in her handbag for keys she doesn't notice the slight movement in the gloom as he pulls down the ski mask. Reaching the gate the attractive twenty two year old furtively looks around her as she thinks she hears a noise, but it is nothing. She reaches for the gate handle and turns it stepping over the threshold of her yard.
Before she is even through the gate something solid and heavy slams into her back sending her sprawling forwards onto the cold damp concrete. Looking up and around she screams as she sees him. The tall broad man looming over her, his face covered in an emotionless featureless mask. Head to toe in black with not a single area of flesh showing. She takes it all in in a split second, so dark, so cold, so terrifying.
He reaches down and grabs her by the hair, he doesn't even attempt to stop or stifle her screams. With a single brutal tug he lifts her to her feet and traps her body against his with his free arm. So strong, so confident, he picks her off her feet effortlessly and before moving kicks backwards. A second later there is a loud bang as the gate is slammed shut against it's frame. The sound only adds to her terror, nobody would be able to see what was happening now, just the way he wants it she thinks as she screams long and hard again.
Frantically she tries to struggle against him but he is too strong. She feels a moment of hope as she catches sight of a nearby bedroom light come on in a neighbours house, but her hopes dissolve as it is switched off just as quickly. She flails her legs and kicks out trying to hurt him or break free but it is useless as his arm tightens around her waist and he reaches for her bag. Without a pause he up ends the small brown leather bag so that it's contents spill to the floor. Her purse, a lipstick, mascara, hairbrush, some tissues, her mobile phone, and the item he is looking for scatter around their feet. Suddenly he bends and retrieves her keys from where they have fallen, it happens so quickly that she doesn't even have the opportunity to struggle free or at least try too.
With the keys in hand he moves for the door, all the time the girl struggling and screaming, he doesn't care, he will have her inside soon. As he approaches the door a security light blinks on and illuminates the yard and what is going on in it. Without a seconds thought he smashes it with the elbow of his free arm as he passes and the yard is plunged back into darkness. As he gets her to the door she begins to struggle harder and even has the presence of mind to scratch and punch at him, but that doesn't matter, he likes it when they fight. Without breaking his stride he slams her face first into the door, it completely stuns her and he knows that the wind has been knocked out of her. Quickly he tries the different keys that are attached to the key ring and on the third attempt there is a satisfying click as the door unlocks and then swings inward slightly. Pocketing the keys he drags the stunned girl through the door and into the house.
There is just enough light for him to see that they are in the kitchen and at the other side of the room there is another door leading out of it. Letting go of the girl he pushes her to the floor and manhandles her onto her front. She is regaining her senses now and begins to struggle as he grabs an ankle and drags her a couple of feet backwards towards the door they just entered through. As she tries to push herself up in a bid to stand he cuffs her hard around the head and she instantly drops back to the floor before he drops to his knees straddling her midriff but facing the door. Fishing into his pocket he pulls out the keys and finding the correct one re-locks the door from the inside. As she hears what he is doing she renews her efforts to get free, she screams and thrashes around beneath him attempting to dislodge him. But again he simply ignores her and re-pockets the keys. Abruptly he stands up and she suddenly has nothing keeping her from moving. With terror gripping her and adrenalin rushing through her she springs to her feet and heads for the opposite door. Three, Five, seven metres pass before she is stopped in her tracks. A burning hot pain sears through her head as she is jerked backwards by the what seems like inhumanly strong grip holding her hair. She is pulled backwards all her momentum gone now, and as she turns to claw at her attacker blow lands across her cheek like a thunder clap. Her knees go weak, her vision blurs momentarily, and her head swims as she tries to cling to consciousness.
The iron grip loosens and she crumples to the floor not entirely aware of what is going on around her. She can sense movement and hears furniture scraping along the tiled floor, but all she can see are stars. The cold of the tiles beneath her seems to help bring her round as it seeps through the linen skirt and thin cotton long sleeved top that she is wearing. Murmuring she groggily pushes herself to a sitting position and starts to look around at what is going on.
The man finishes moving the large kitchen dining table to the centre of the room and clears the chairs from around it as he keeps one eye on the girl. She is almost ko'd by his back hander, but is already moving and recovering. He sees her push herself up and start to look around before she screams and tries to stand once she sees what he is doing. He springs forward in three paces to intercept her as she clambers to her feet. This time she is able to put up a bit of a fight and begins punching, scratching, and even kicking at him. He pays the blows no heed as he unceremoniously grips the fabric of her top and flings her across the room toward the table. She half stumbles and half falls as his shear strength propels her.