I decided to reluctantly continue to follow his instructions. I opened the garage door and turned the ignition. I at least hoped maybe I could make a run for it if we stopped but, to my disappointment, I noticed the gas gage was on full. We could travel hundreds of miles without any need for stopping. I put the car in reverse and backed out into the driveway. I looked at my house and wondered if I would ever see it again, or see my husband or children. As I drove onto the main road for once in my life I hoped for a policeman to appear and stop us at some point, but Vincent must have been thinking about cops when he said, “Follow all the traffic rules. I am pretty good with this thing and I have no problems killing a cop or two and then you.”
We drove out of my neighbourhood, my comfort zone, and I reasoned that I might never see anything I was used to ever again. I felt sorry for myself and thought “Why me?” not considering at that point that maybe this was my penalty for the lives I had taken in the past. The thought of dying felt strange, but maybe at least I could lure this guy away from the people I cared about, like some animal mothers do in the wild to get a predator away from the young. Even though I might perish, at least I could have that as my comfort. Still, I did not want it to end this way, but as we drove east, out of Portland, I figured my fate was sealed. We would head to the mountains and there I would die.
I was about to start a conversation to see if I could in some way connect with Vincent and possibly spare my life but he warned me not to say a word as we drove. He said, “I will give you directions when needed and that if you do not want to be maggot food by the evening you had better not deviate from my instructions in the least.” A few minutes later he commented, “You can say goodbye to Portland because you will never see it again.” All I could think about was how he would finally end my life but my only hope was that he had something else in mind – and I hoped whatever it was would give me a chance to escape. As I drove I only had a little hope that I would survive this ordeal, but I had to grasp onto that shred of hope as it was all I had left. I did not want to die and maybe, just maybe, that was not going to be my destiny. That’s what I had to keep telling myself.
Chapter 4
At first, I figured every mile I drove decreased my chances for survival. I really believed that once we were in the mountains I would get the “Turn here!” demand and that would be my final resting place. Oddly enough I noted that it was a beautiful day outside, and it was such a waste to die. Even stranger perhaps was my hope that if this was the end I preferred it to come in nature. I had always hoped the moment would come when I was much older but it seemed my choices were somewhat limited at that moment.
However, after a couple of hours, the mountains started giving way to the arid half of Oregon. A part of me thought that since there had been plenty of remote places Vincent could have killed me, places I had taken people to kill in the past, maybe the longer the journey the more the chance this was not be the last day of my life. I had the luxury, perhaps, to think of other possibilities. I only hoped that Matt would see through the letter and realize I had not written it on my own accord. I also prayed that Nicole would remember what I had shared in the park. My clue to her of leaving her ring on the letter would hopefully let her know I had been abducted.
Desperation and hope mixed in my mind. If only in some way Matt and Nicole would be able to locate me. I wondered though, would the police get involved? Vincent had done a fairly good job in making it appear as if the decision to leave was mine. They might be convinced that I had left due to a domestic dispute. What then?
My mind wandered back to contemplating what Vincent had in mind. The probability was that I was going to die at his hands, but maybe there was more to this. Was I to become his sex slave? There had been plenty of cases of abductions for this purpose. Or was I going to be sold as a slave? I figured then at least I would be alive and perhaps have a chance of escape, if not now, later. Of course I had a vivid imagination and contemplated far worse, and more painful, outcomes.
Hours later we were nearing Hermiston. Vincent finally directed me to turn off onto a side road. We drove for maybe fifteen minutes before he told me to take a left onto a small gravel road. . We proceeded a while until he had me turn onto a rough road. My heart was now racing and I was getting short of breath. Whatever was going to occur was going to take place really soon. It was strange, I had that fear of the unknown that I had experienced before giving birth the first time. I was as helpless now as I was then, but at least I knew the outcome of that event. I knew there would be pain, but I would have my babies – it was just the price to pay. I doubted this would have any positive outcome. I looked towards the back seat at Vincent and noticed the clouds of dust kicked up behind the car. Where was I going?
He then motioned for me to turn on an even smaller road. “Well, this is it Melanie!” I thought to myself. I also thought about God at that moment, but rather than make peace I was angry that this was happening to me. Why was I being allowed to die like this? Why not some miracle right then?
He then told me to pull off again; and that is when I saw a house nestled amongst pine trees not far off in the distance. He told me to go into the driveway and park behind the house. I complied and he ordered, “Get out of the car and don’t try to take off. I will shoot your legs out from under you. I won’t miss – I never miss.” I opened the door and the dry heat of the Oregon savannah felt as if I had stepped into an oven. There was a strong smell of farm animals. I could hear their grunting and I noticed a little corral with a half dozen huge pigs living inside.
Then a woman came out of the house and looked me over – she was maybe in her forties, almost a caricature of a farm woman with long, greying red hair, a ruddy complexion and about my height. She was wearing blue jeans and a loose fitting tank top what showed off her muscular arms and shoulders and somewhat large breasts; quite apparent as she was obviously bra-less. She walked over to Vincent, smiled and then whispered something to him. I could barely hear what they were saying but I did make out the words, “She’s amazing, how did you...?” to which he quickly interrupted, “Don’t worry!”
His voice became more audible when he asked the woman, “Is the other one okay?” The woman nodded, looked at me and asked Vincent, “Are you absolutely sure?” He responded, “She will pass the test” to which the woman warned him, “She better!”
The woman looked me over again, the way one might examine someone trying to remember if they know you or not. She smiled and went back into the house. She came back out and handed Vincent a large, yellow t-shirt before she disappeared back into her home. Vincent then ordered, “Remove all your clothing – and I mean every last stitch! After you are finished throw your things into the car and put on the shirt. Do it now!” I did as he demanded, wondering what was going to happen, and then he told me to start walking into the house.
As I took a step I could feel the small, sharp stones under my bare feet and the prickly fragments of plants. Each step I took toward the steps of the house hurt. Vincent then said, “Watch where you step, it takes a while to build up the soles of your feet but in time you won’t even miss shoes.” At that moment I wondered “In time? Does that mean I am not going to die?”
I walked into the house – it had that old, rustic feel to it. There was no prefabricated furniture, just a dark, western-style vintage look about it. Vincent pulled a rug back in the hallway and lifted what appeared to be a trap door. I was not thrilled to go down but with a gun pointed at you, motioning, you cannot put up much an argument. Then the woman came out and said “Wait!” and pulled out some electrical tape. She apologized and then began to roll strips over my mouth and head several times. Vincent warned, “Try to remove that before I give you permission and I will beat you to a pulp!” The woman sighed but said nothing.
I walked carefully down the old wooden stairs. I could see large tool boxes lining the little hall and a door with a small glass window. My mind was imagining the worst case scenarios. I was rea
lly worried at that point – it was bad enough being kidnapped and placed in some underground room, but the thoughts of what might happen next were terrifying. I figured I was not being kidnapped for ransom since I was not rich, and Vincent had made it a point to make things look like I had run off on my own. The only thing I could imagine was torture or sexual slavery…or both.
He told me to move aside as he opened the door. He motioned me to go in. I entered the room. It was bare of anything except a large tank to the right and a toilet at the other end of the room. I heard something and turned to the left and saw a young Asian woman with long black hair, wearing a t-shirt like mine and with tape around her mouth huddled in the corner. Vincent ordered me to sit in the other corner and stay unless I needed to use the toilet at the far end of the room. He said, “I will be back in about an hour. If either of you two remove the tape I will cut off your ears!” He shut the door, locked it and turned off the lights.
I sat there on the cold floor wondering what was next. There was absolutely no light – it was like being sealed in a tomb. Then, I felt the other captive touch me and grasp my hands. I could hear her whimpering and I squeezed her hands in re-assurance. It was difficult to communicate anything but as we tried in some way to share our fears the door swung open and the light came on. Vincent ran in and yelled, “You! Why aren’t you in your corner?” He grabbed her by the hair and dragged her back as she cried. He had a long machete in his hand which he waved in front of her face. He then he muttered, “Let’s just get this over with! You girls ever hear of Hannibal – the guy who crossed the Alps with elephants?” I nodded that I had, while the Asian girl was curled up with her head buried between her knees. Vincent continued, like a school teacher, “Hannibal would take prisoners from barbarian tribes that attacked his troops on his way to Rome. He would then pair them off and make a deal – the survivor of each pair could join his army, while the loser, well, the loser would die. It was simple really – you win and you live.”
I was beginning to comprehend what this was leading up to. Just then the girl looked up, her face conveying horror and disbelief. He went over to her and whispered something into her ear. She shook her head and seemed to be saying “No!” in a muffled scream. He replied, “Oh yes…and I will do it too!” She continued to cry but she slowly rose to her feet, but slouching and continuing to shake her head.
Then he came up to me. He said “Okay girl, you have no weapons but if you kill her I promise that I will not go back to Portland and mess up that pretty little family of yours, okay? But if she wins, then I have to drive back and finish those kids off, one by one. And if neither of you fight I will kill you both and then kill your loved ones, get it?” He then added something to his threat that seemed off, even at that time. He looked at me and said, “Now please win, my wife will be really upset with me if anything happens to you.” Vincent moved over to the other end of the room, by the toilet, and said, “Begin!”
We both looked at each other in disbelief. I believed his threat and figured he was quite capable of using the machete on us both. I took notice of the girl – she seemed to be regaining some composure, and was standing a bit straighter, but still whimpering. I noticed she was about my height, thin, but not very athletic looking. Given her Asian heritage I wondered if she had any martial arts training, which would put me at a distinct disadvantage. .
Vincent yelled, “Look, I am not in the mood to have to hack you both into pig food! If I see no action in 30 seconds I am going to cut off a chunk of meat from both of you!” My heart was pounding but I took a step towards the woman. She did likewise as Vincent started counting down from 30…25…20…At 15 seconds the woman let out an anguished, muffled scream and threw a punch at me; I ducked but she hit me in the back of my head. I pushed her away and she tried to grab onto me. She attempted to twist me around but I broke her hold. She kicked me in the abdomen as I stepped back. The pain was intense! And as I knelt over for a split second, she threw me off balance and onto the floor.
At that point she was wildly punching me wherever she could manage. Her eyes were filled with ferocity as she appeared quite willing to finish me off. She had me pinned to the floor and was wildly hitting me in the head. I tried to get up but she had me in a difficult position and with each blow I lost more and more concentration on what I was doing. Then, as I suddenly felt the warmth of pulsating blood flowing from my nose and down my cheek it seemed that time stopped – I blacked out, like in some cheap boxing movie where the champ is being plummeted and the film sound stops and everything goes to slow motion. I can remember hurling my arm towards her hair and yanking her towards me. She tried to pull back and that is when I took advantage and twisted out of her grip. I then lunged at her, forcing her to the floor. I cannot remember what happened next but I suddenly became conscious that I had her pinned to the floor. I held her tight as every muscle in her body fought to regain her footing. Then, for a brief moment I took notice of the smell of her perfume mixed with the scent of her perspiration. I realized this young woman was a person, a victim fighting for her own life as well as her family. That moment of contemplation broke my concentration just enough to allow her to wrap her left leg around mine and twist out of the hold! She struggled to regain her footing. I took a quick glance over at Vincent as he tapped his weapon on the floor and then back at the young woman. It was then I went into attack mode. I had to…for my family! I rushed her and hurled all my weight against her and thrust her into the wall. I could swear I heard one of her ribs crack but I did not hesitate this time. I grabbed her by the arm, swung her around like a rag doll and flung her into the wall again. This time I knew for certain I heard a crack – the muffled noise made by the shattering of her teeth.
I then threw the poor thing onto the floor again. She must have been stunned as she landed on her abdomen, trembling. I pounced onto her back. The only real resistance was her hand grasping my arm but only offering a feeble attempt to pull me off. At that moment I became hyper-aware of everything. I could feel her chest move as she took desperate breaths, I could still smell her and her perfume and I even noticed the red glittery nail polish she wore on her fingernails. This was a strong contrast to the streaks of blood her face had etched onto the floor as well as the growing scent of her sweat. As for her legs they were barely moving, but they were warm – both our t-shirts had rolled up and the skin of our lower bodies was pressed against each other. Her whimpering was punctuated by frequent swallows as she was probably bleeding in her mouth. I did not want this to continue but when I looked over at Vincent’s hideous form he was still tapping the machete. Yet with his other arm he held it out and lowered his thumb like some Roman emperor at the ancient Coliseum. I knew what I had to do so I secured my body over her so as to immobilize the poor creature and wrapped my arm tight around her neck.
With each movement she made I was able to tighten my grasp and pull her neck back a bit further. I could still manage to breathe through my nose but blood was dripping from it onto her, and I could taste blood oozing from wounds in my inner cheeks. I knew at this point it was her or me. So, like a python tightening her grip on some hapless animal, I continued to pull back slightly while bending her neck and back beyond the safe point for her. Her breathing became more laboured and her left arm was still desperately trying to find a way to dislodge me. I heard a cracking noise – no, not the neck bone, but what must have been the trachea. Her breathing was reduced to gasps; and while her limbs found the strength to move about frantically, her struggle was in vain. She made a squealing noise and then offered no resistance whatsoever. I could feel her chest convulsing and hear her lungs attempting to fill with air, and so I shifted my body and pulled my arm against her neck with all my strength to strangle whatever life was left in her. After a moment or two she let out a muffled moan and her body went limp.
I rose up, observing her now lifeless body on the floor. I could still feel blood dripping from me but it seemed to be decreasing. I nervously put my han
d to my mouth to take inventory of my teeth – I was relieved they were all still there, but when I looked at my hand it was covered with blood. Vincent yelled, “Sit down!” He dragged the woman’s body into the middle of the room and checked her pulse. He laughed, “Congratulations! You totally crushed her throat with the skill of an assassin!” He yanked her t-shirt off and threw it at me, “Clean yourself up and mop up all this blood. You don’t want to find out what will happen to you if you don’t make the floor shine.”
I had no choice but to obey. As I cleaned he scolded me, “Now what are we going to do? You killed the girl I picked out to be your friend! No matter, I will protect you – nobody needs to find out about this.” He then told me to remove the tape from my mouth.
I pulled it off and managed to ask him “Why?” He started laughing again. He turned her onto her back and said, “Look! You killed her. Why did you do it?” As I trembled and gasped for breath I quickly responded, “I didn’t want to – you threatened my family, and I did it for them you bastard!” He approached me and slapped me in the face, causing me to lose my balance and fall to the floor. In an almost sympathetic voice he said, “I will not kill your family, I have no reason anyway. But you know what? This young lady you murdered was fighting for the life of her little brother – and I will make you a deal…cooperate and I will spare his life as well. If you cause me any trouble at all, I will keep my promise to her and arrange to meet up with him when he is riding his bike home from school. Understand?”
Deliverance from Evil Page 5
