(Note: This is a story about nonconsent/reluctance. If this type of story bothers you—STOP READING!)
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Justine held the postcard in her hand, studying it for several seconds. The seconds turned into minutes as she looked at the nature scene, with all the shadows and intersecting lines and bewildering background. It was all wrong, she decided. She could do so much better.
Her passion for amateur photography had grown to a point where it nearly consumed every free moment she had. Justine took pictures of everything, everywhere, at all hours of the day and night. The subject matter didn't matter to her. She was always after the perfect photograph.
The twenty eight year old graphic designer often had lots of time on her hands. She worked as a contractor and her work came in spurts as some of her regular clients needed help on a project. Justine was fine with this arrangement. She wasn't the type that needed loads of cash to be happy.
Justine lived in a small condo in a medium size rural community in Pennsylvania. She was within easy driving distance of her big city clients and an even easier drive to the desolate countryside she loved so much.
She was single by choice. When asked to describe herself by online friends, Justine often said she looked like Megan Fox...from the neck up. And she was being honest. She was strikingly good-looking with her jet black hair, dark eyes, thick eyebrows, and strong facial features. The rest of her body was, well, very un-Fox like. Whenever Justine filled out an online profile, she felt very comfortable putting a check next to 'Average' for height and weight. Because she was.
In fact, Justine would have been a professional photographers dream. There was almost no light she wouldn't look good in and she could go from a beaming, happy young woman to a scowling bitch faster than a shutter opening and closing.
Justine was proud of her independent, 'I'm in charge' persona. But underneath was still a somewhat insecure woman who was unsure of her place and her control over men. There was even a hint of a woman Justine suppressed that might have wanted to be controlled by men.
The postcard triggered her craving to spend a warm, spring day in the country taking pictures of whatever caught her eye. So, Justine threw on a lightweight sweatshirt and jeans, packed up her camera equipment, and headed for one of her favorite spots.
It took about forty five minutes on curvy two-lane roads to reach her destination. Justine pulled off onto the unmarked, gravel and dirt path she used so often. She drove through a familiar patch of wooded terrain and finally arrived within sight of the pristine little lake. She parked the car and gathered her stuff.
Immediately, the relative silence of the area reminded her why she liked to come here. Only the sound of birds and her own feet disturbed the solitude. Justine tried to avoid making any more noise than necessary, knowing that the occasional deer were sometimes found at the edge of the lake.
But today only presented her with stunning sunshine and colorful spring foliage. It would be a day full of panoramic shots and macro photography of the tiniest plants and animals, without interruption by phone or human visitors.
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Jason was having a particularly bad day, even by his standards. His latest girlfriend, like all the ones before her, was avoiding him at all costs. His boss, a woman, was threatening him with termination if he screwed up another assignment. He'd just about had it with all women.
Not that his male friends were totally supportive. The few he had frequently joked among themselves that Jason was a very appropriate name for the ill-tempered, unpredictable thirty-something man/child. Like the movie character, Jason was not somebody to mess with, but still held it together long enough and often enough to live an ostensibly 'normal' life.
Jason, in all probability, wasn't crazy. Yet, if he ever went on a rampage and the media questioned his acquaintances, they'd use terms like 'loner', 'different', and 'intimidating.'
He wasn't quite six feet tall, a little on the thin side, and strangely eye-catching. Not in a gruesome, ugly way. He wasn't that. Jason was...different.
A run in the county would settle him down. It always did. Away from people, especially women. Jason changed into his running shorts and a tank top. Yes, it would be cool at first. But that also meant more energy for the run. This would be good for him, he decided.
Jason closed the door behind him and took off at a steady pace down the small road. As usual, there wasn't a car in sight. Country living sat well with Jason and he soon forgot most of his troubles, concentrating instead on the rolling landscape and ever-greening plant life.
After a couple miles, he took his usual shortcut in the direction of the lake. Jason liked to run a lap around it before heading up the dirt path to another road that would circle back to his place.
It wasn't until he was nearly out of the woods and into the clearing near the lake that he saw the unexpected movement. Jason was used to scaring deer ahead of him. But this wasn't a sudden bounding away of a lithe animal. This was a more gradual movement; like the way a person walked.
Jason slowed, squinted through the trees, and focused on the figure in the distance. He stopped.
Justine hadn't heard anything because of her own feet snapping twigs as she repositioned herself for some more pictures. She had taken a few shots out in the open spaces around the lake. Now she was working her way back towards the border between the woods and the grass. There were far more flowers here and she was intently looking for the best angle.
Jason watched her. Justine's black hair hung below her shoulders, tousled occasionally by the lightly blowing breeze. Her athletic figure shifted gracefully, sometimes bending at the knees with a camera to her eye and sometimes standing with one hand on her hip while she studied something. He was too far away to make out her face.
An unwelcome anger grew in the pit of his stomach. Yet another woman was intruding on his space and disrupting his routine. Jason felt his head begin to pound. He stepped behind the trunk of a tree and watched.
Justine entered the woods, progressing very slowly in constant exploration of the perfect shot. Birds and squirrels chirped their disapproval. Underbrush crackled with each step.
Jason looked for a route that would get him closer to her without being observed. They were maybe thirty yards apart now. If he moved to his right and she continued on her path, he could stay behind her most of the way. The annoying pressure he felt inside his ears when his boss yelled at him was back. The same irritation his girlfriend caused was oozing through his body. Jason needed to confront this woman and find out why she was trying to destroy his day.
He made his way from tree to tree, gaining a few feet on Justine each time. At one point, he had to hide completely as Justine turned his way. After a short wait, he peeked around and saw that it was alright to continue his approach. Jason was now within ten yards of her and his heart pounded with excitement.
Justine was thoroughly occupied with an attempt to capture a shot of a mushroom when she heard the first clue that she wasn't alone. She started to turn without even standing up. Jason took three giant steps toward her.
Justine screamed at the same time Jason came crashing down upon her. He put a hand on her mouth.
"There's nobody within miles of us," he told her. "So calm down."
Even while he spoke, Justine thrashed on the ground, attempting to grab her camera by the strap so she could fling it at the man on top of her. Jason saw the danger and ripped the camera from her hand before it became a weapon. Once it was out of reach, he concentrated on subduing the squirming woman beneath him.
Soon, he had both of Justine's wrists and was pulling her arms back. She squealed loudly.
"Shut up!" Jason shouted. "I'll hurt you if you don't shut up."
"What do you WANT?" Justine said. "Get off me!"
Jason tugged on her arms. "I want you to shut up."
"There's money in my car," Justine said through the pain.
"I don't want money. I want to know why you are here screwing up my run. I came out here to be alone."
