Authors: Aray Brown
Two men came out of the shadows and cornered her.
“You’re still a hoe. A hoe never stops being a hoe.” The tall man in a hat joined in.
“I spent a lot of money on you. What do I get for my service?” The short man said, grabbing her face.
“Let me go. Now! ” Isabel demanded.
“You heard her, let her go.” The leader ordered.
The three men backed away. As Isabel looked away, the short man hit her head against the rear of the car and then the three men wailed on her before she had a chance to attack. The leader placed a hand over her mouth. No one could hear her scream. She couldn’t believe this was happening again.
They tore her blouse and slid the panties down around her ankles. They raped her. First was the leader and then his friends. Isabel was in and out of consciousness and vaguely saw their faces as they ejaculated inside her.
“You ain’t nothing.” The short man said, disgusted.
“Is she dead?” The slim man asked.
“She will be. You’re way overpriced.” He replied, looking at her like she was trash.
The short man doused her with gasoline and withdrew a lighter. He felt he was doing a service to the community by ridding it of human waste.
“What are you doing?” The slim man asked.
“Cleaning up.” The short man said, firmly
“You’ve gone too far this time.” The slim man replied, snatched it from his hand.
The short man swung at him and took back the lighter.
“You can never go too far.”
Suddenly they broke out in a fight. The slim man tackled him. He had finally grew tired of his antics and felt guilty for every one of their dirty deeds. He wasn’t afraid of him anymore. Just as he moved toward Isabel’s body, the short man engulfed her body in flames and then pummeled him to the ground.
“Stop it man you’re going to kill em!” The tall man exclaimed.
“Get ya own ride home old yella, fucking pussy!” The short man said, spit on the ground. They hopped in the car and sped off, leaving them behind in the dust.
The slim man got up, put one hand over the busted rib and trudged to her scorched body. He extracted his coat and shielded her body, then watched the flames die out. He reached for her purse, retrieved her cell and called for help.
“911, what’s your emergency?”
“She has burns all over her body.”
“May I have your name please?”
“Todd.
“Todd, does she have a pulse?”
“I don’t know.”
22.
The doctor’s prognosis; Isabel wouldn’t survive during the night. She was severely burned and badly beaten.
The nurse rifled through Isabel’s purse in search of identification. She found Medina’s number and called her immediately.
“Isabel Kraygen?” Price asked, heart thumping.
“She’s in ICU, room 206.” The receptionist said.
Price scurried to the elevator, pushed the second floor button, and then flew past the hospital staff to the room where a seasoned Lieutenant was questioning Isabel. Half of her body was wrapped in gauze. Price listened outside.
“Tell me what happened?” The lieutenant asked.
“I just finished my set. I work at The Black Tiger.”
The middle–aged man scribbled on his notepad.
“You think I deserve this don’t you?” Isabel asked, cold stare.
“What happened next?” The lieutenant changed the subject.
“I was in the parking lot and three guys cornered me. They beat me up and forced themselves on me.” Isabel said.
“Have you seen them before?” The lieutenant asked.
“No.” Isabel said.
“Would you recognize em if you saw them again?” The lieutenant asked.
“Their faces are burned into my skull.” Isabel replied.
“That’s all for now.” The lieutenant said.
“That’s it?” Isabel inquired.
“We got the DNA samples from the rape kit to analyze. Oh and one of the guys saved your life. We have him in custody. These creeps rarely have a conscience. Call me if you need anything else.” He said, turning the knob.
“What happens to him?” Isabel asked.
“If he cooperates and turns the rest of them in, he’ll get a reduced sentence…I’ll be seeing ya.” Sticking a cigarette in his mouth, he lit a match.
She was mesmerized by the flame. The middle-aged man lit up, blew out the fire from the match, and then made a quick exit.
Outside, Price hid around the corner.
“Lieutenant.” Price cried out.
The middle-aged man halted.
“What can I do for you?” He asked, the cigarette hanging out of his mouth.
“My name is Medina Price. I’m her sister.”
“And?” The lieutenant asked.
“Her car was stolen. The person who did it might be involved.”
“Nonsense, it was a three-man job. They worked her over pretty good too.” The lieutenant took a long drag from the cigarette.
“I need you to put an ATL out on her car.” Medina said.
“It’s probably being sold for parts by now.” The lieutenant replied.
“What if it was your family?” Medina asked.
“I never met ‘em and you’re wasting my time.” The lieutenant finished his nicotine fix for the day, squished it with his shoe.
“But--“
“I’m sorry Price; it’s out of my hands.” The lieutenant interrupted.
The middle-aged man turned around, walked in the opposite direction. His pace escalating from slow to fast.
“How are you holding up?” Price asked.
“I’m still alive.” Isabel said.
“You didn’t deserve this.” Price replied.
“Maybe I did.” Isabel said, feeling like she was nothing.
“No--“
“How was Annalise? Was she kind?” Isabel interjected.
“Yes.”Medina said.
“He used to be kind. You may not understand this, but on some level I loved him. I loved it. It’s amazing what you can get used to when it’s all you know.”
“Issy--“
“I never thanked you for coming to get me.”
“You would’ve done the same for me.”
Seeing Isabel’s weakened state almost broke her. Her fiery vexation burned brighter than the sun. She blamed Phil Saxton and blamed the system.
Isabel was lost and she didn’t know how to pull her back from the brink.
The doctor slowly removed the gauze, taking off every little piece until there was none. He looked at her partially burnt face in the mirror and gasped at the sight of it. Her face was everything to her and it was gone. Isabel averted her eyes. She didn’t want to go through life being a monster, a freak. She was emotionless. There were no more tears to cry. No anger, nothing. They broke her.
An experience like that had a tendency to change you for the worse and that was where she was headed.
When Isabel became well enough, she went down to the police station to make a positive ID. Medina came for moral support.
The lieutenant greeted them and put them in a closed off room, placed a photo montage in front of Isabel. The twins studied the faces very closely as if they could see the criminal’s worst fears.
“Take your time.” The lieutenant reassured her.
Isabel pointed to the pictures on the far left and described them in vivid detail.
“It was them.” Isabel said, motioned.
“Are you sure?”The lieutenant asked.
“Yes” Isabel said.
“Okay. Thanks for coming down. You’re real brave.” The lieutenant said.
“Funny, I don’t feel brave.”
“Do you know how many women don’t press charges because their scared? These two men will be going away for a long time, thanks to you.”
Isabel never forgot what happened, still had reoccurring visions of it. What made it worse was there were no witnesses.
They ruined her. She could’ve made something out of herself. She had the power to be what she wanted. But it was too late for her. The world had chewed her up and spit her out.
23.
Medina wanted justice for those that had suffered, for her. She wasn’t going to rest until she got it and no prison sentence was going to satisfy her.
“I don’t want any part of this.” Ava said, uneasy.
“Duly noted, you’re still going to help me right?” Medina asked.
“If this comes back to me, I’ll be kicked out of the precinct and thrown in jail.” Ava said.
“It won’t.”Medina said, assuring.
Ava was a Detective aiming to make her own way in a man’s world. She hated men, although she had to put on a facade in front of her colleagues.
Much to her surprise, Medina didn’t have to do much persuading.
The arraignment was at 0800. Medina was prepped and waiting in the DOC truck.
“I have no respect for people who think they’re above the law. Up until now you’ve been lucky. Your victims were too scared to come forward, but not this time. This time you’re gonna pay with your lives, without the possibility of parole.” The judge decreed, banged the gavel.
“Get this trash out of my sight.” The judge added.
The judge ordered them to pay Isabel’s hospital bills and thirty thousand dollars in restitution.
The officer cuffed them and led them to the truck where Price awaited their presence. She was disguised as a Corrections Officer. Price had on a matching cap that concealed her face.
They climbed in the back. Staring at their faces in the rearview mirror made her more furious.
They won’t know what they did to her.
“What are you gawking at?” The short man said.
“Nothing.” Price replied.
“You look familiar.” The tall man said.
A male guard hopped in the passenger seat. Price plunged the key in the ignition, rammed the engine as hard as it would allow and took off,
“Maybe I should drive.” The guard said.
Price ignored her.
“Where are you taking us?” The tall man said.
“Shut up convict.” Price said.
“You passed the off ramp. This isn’t the way. Where the hell are you going?” The guard asked.
Price extracted the pistol strapped under the seat and put a bullet in his head. The prisoners were nervous. Price squinted her eyes at them.
Price parked in a cold dark place across from a ditch.
“Get out, now. Move it!” Medina said, aiming the revolver.
“Okay. Calm down.” The short man said.
“You don’t talk.” Medina said, pressing the gun against his temple.
The two men walked along the unknown path at her command.
“Who are you?” The short man said.
“What do you want from us?” The tall man chimed in.
“Satisfaction.” Price pulled the trigger. Blood and brains were splattered all over the road. The tall man fled. Price shot him in the back, then got the gas can from the truck and poured it over the bodies. She dropped the lighter and watched them burn. That’s for Issy, and for what we both lost. She thought.
Price swapped the license plates, and then hurled the DOC truck underwater with the fatalities inside.
Isabel attached the rope to the window casing and placed the noose around her neck, then clambered up the wooden chair to the top; pretended she was scaling a mountain.
Isabel’s life aspiration was to be greater than her parents. Unfortunately she didn’t get a choice. It was stolen from her.
The voices in her head were overwhelming. She couldn’t take it anymore.
Suddenly the chair burst into thirds.
Isabel’s dangling body was still…
Her stomach was slit open and the guts were spewing out.
Upon opening the door, Price shrieked with terror in her eyes. She didn’t expect to see what she saw. Price became hysterical.
Why!
The temptation to pull out her eyes from the sockets was too great.
To die in such a way is abominable. It was too much. Price felt alone and like someone had ripped her heart out of her chest.