Chapter 9: The Most Interesting Day in Belews Lake History pt. 2

First and foremost, apologies for the long delays. Thanks to everyone who has read, commented, and helped proofread the story thus far. Big props to AuroraIncident, Boots, and adub for sticking with me through the multiple iterations of each chapter.

As always, I believe it’s best when the story passes through several sets of eyes before I hit that submit button. The more feedback I can get, the better. So if any readers have an interest in helping refine the story (or even if you’re sitting on ideas that you think would be fun to see fleshed out) hit me up on discord and we can see where things go from there.

All characters involved in sexual activity of any kind are at least 18.

Part II - Second Week of Band Camp

10:17 AM, Interstate 65

A black Denali roared down the interstate, occasionally straying from its lane just enough to pass a car failing to pull over far enough. Lights and sirens are only able to do so much to waken groggy drivers from the ‘case of the Mondays’ that infects them. Ahead, a 2014 Intercepter guided the way. It’s recommended that for every five miles per hour the speedometer reads, a driver should give an additional car length buffer between themselves and the car in front. While pushing 90 MPH on the freeway, Bonnie Bergman kept the distance between the SUV and the marked police car at only three.

“I’m glad it’s you behind the wheel and not me,” the Forsyth County fingerprint specialist, Danica Chapman, said from the passenger seat.

Before she could receive a response, the Chief Deputy’s car slowed just enough to stay on the pavement as it turned onto Pine Hall Road. Bonnie was forced to pump the breaks, swerving to keep from rear-ending the smaller car. Neither woman could fully comprehend the impressive display of reactionary timing she’d just displayed. Still, they were forced to embrace the shoulder for the officer ahead just as they had for the late-rising drivers who didn’t understand how to maintain their lane. Kicking up loose gravel at the point where the two roads converged, they miraculously stayed on the road.

Once she’d regained control of the vehicle, as well as her own composure, Bonnie yanked the radio-mic from its mount on the dash and barked, “Jeez, Ry. How ‘bout a little more warning next time?”

It took Danica an extra second before she could exhale. She made a mental note to say an extra prayer before going to bed. Unlike the officer they were following, neither she nor Bonnie had jobs that required “Advanced Driver Training”, and while the woman behind the wheel was competent, they both knew the only thing that kept the top-heavy vehicles tires on the asphalt was Divine Intervention and a lack of four-wheeled congestion.

“Where you think he learned to drive like that? Bowman Gray?” Bonnie asked, her irritation replaced by her normal, jocular, tone.

Danica put a non-trivial amount of effort toward unclenching her teeth to reply, “I’d like to think our tax dollars aren’t spent sending uniformed officers to a NASCAR track for training.”

Bonnie let out a frustrated sigh, “It was one thing to drive like that back on the highway, but these rural streets? I have no idea what’s up ahead.”

The answer was near instantaneous. What they’d expected to be an empty road out in the sticks more closely resembled Santa Monica Boulevard on any day ending in a Y.

“My Stars, wha’dja think this is about?” The driver asked as she took in the scene.

“Gotta be the eclipse,” Danica said, only remembering the event herself.

“Right!” Bonnie said giddily. “I was so sure I’d be stuck in the lab, I plum forgot it was even happening today. You know what time this whole thing ‘spose to kick off?”

“Afternoon I think,” try as she may, Danica wasn’t able to match her coworkers enthusiasm.

“Now, what’s got your bee in a bonnet?” Bonnie asked. “Oh, lookie, seems Ryan isn’t trying to pull a Moses and decided going around the traffic is the proper course of action. This’ll probably be a bumpy ride. Hang on.”

She steered the SUV onto the shoulder and resumed the pursuit.

“Got dangit,” Bonnie muttered. “If he don’t watch out, he’s likely to clip the arm off whatever soul is unfortunate enough to have chosen to stick it out the window. This ain’t no amusement park Ryan, we’re stopped, and no rules warn ya of stickin’ yer arm out the window if yer stopped.”

Danica decided to respond to the question the driver had directed at her, “If I received a call like that from Lucy, I’d be hauling ass too.”

“You still got a while before ... wait, when does Lucy enter high school?”

“Oh, no. We’re not there yet. I hadn’t even been thinking about the additional fears when she’ll go off to high school,” Danica shook her head.

“Oh, rubbish, there ain’t nothin’ ta worry about,” Bonnie smiled. “It may have turned my hair grey, but my boys all made it through without a scratch. Maybe some bumps n’ bruises. But certainly no scratches.”

“Things are different than when your boys were growing up. Now, it’s pretty much mandatory that you send your child to school with a phone starting in first grade. And then when they get to class, they get in trouble for having it.”

“It’s probably for having it out, dear,” Bonnie chuckled. “Though I understand. Can’t say I agree with a child that young having a phone, but I understand.”

“They never warn you the peer pressure of being a parent is worse than what you used to get in college and ... ugh, High School,” new fears surfaced in Danica’s mind.

“Oh hush,” Bonnie took her hand off the steering wheel long enough to bat at the air in her passenger’s direction. “You know that’s all a normal part o’ growin up. Gotta let ‘em make mistakes. Gotta pick ‘em up when they’re down. You wanna keep ‘em safe but ya gotta let ‘em live a lil.”

“She does. Nothing too bad, but she’s willing to step outside her comfort zone,” Danica shrugged. “It’s my comfort zone that’s the issue.”

“Well, obviously,” again, Bonnie brought her hand off the wheel. This time to pat Danica’s knee in a comforting manner. “But again, it’s all just normal parts o’ growin’ up.”

Danica dare not pout, lest Bonnie took offense to it, but she felt the driver wasn’t seeing how much things had changed in recent years.

“I’m not even sure I want her in band anymore...”

“Don’t be like that. You know, my boys all graduated from Carter. I’m still involved in that community and this is the first time I’ve ever heard of something like this happening,” Bonnie assured. “I’m confident this is just a one-off event and not something you or your little girl need to be concerned about.”

“A one-off?” Danica scoffed. “Weren’t your boys there that year those kids got driven off the road by a classmate?”

It had been quite the scandal. The initial thread pull needed to unravel a local corruption ring. Danica had been working for the County Forensics team for less than a year. It was the most interesting event of the decade. And because it was among her son’s classmates, Bonnie was a source for questionable gossip in their nearby town.

“That got blown out of proportion,” Bonnie lied. “If it was as bad as people want to remember it, you think Ryan would have stayed there?”

Chief Deputy Ryan Goldstein, the very officer whose car they were following to the campground, had initially been reassigned to the Stokes County Sheriff’s Office in order for them to maintain some semblance of order as the depth of debauchery unfolded in the tiny community. Despite the tarnished reputation of the area, including its law enforcement, the single father saw enough unique charm in the town that he committed to ensuring its recovery and eventual prosperity.

Had he been a lesser man, Danica would never have gotten to know him. But he remained in constant communication with their precinct. Not only through the convenience of modern communication, but also frequent visits throughout the years. Equal parts ambassador as he was headhunter. His Utopian description of the small towns they serviced, and the liberty of having a larger area to look after, often resulted in newer recruits requesting a transfer. If it had been busy enough to merit its own forensics lab, Danica would have succumbed to the temptation herself. It was because of these visits that Ryan had been in their station when he’d received the call from his daughter. The look on his face, the color draining as his daughter’s words exited his phone to kiss his ears, was all that was needed to send everyone in within eyesight into a frenzy. Cases that already existed on their docket were the only things that prevented every soul in the building from volunteering to assist with the one that wasn’t within their own district.

“He stayed because it provided him opportunity for advancement,” she claimed.

“It cost him his marriage, you know?” Bonnie stated.

“Don’t even joke about that.”

“It’s true.”

Danica lingered on the revelation, “But he never complains or-”

“Course not. He’s in love with the town. Why else would he regale us with tales of its splendor whenever he comes to visit?” Bonnie snickered.

Danica was on the losing side of the argument and she knew it.

“Are we sure Ryan knows where he’s going?” She deflected.

“He’s been going there at least once a year for ... is his kid a senior now? Yeah, pretty sure he’s got it down.”

“Looks like we might be there,” Danica said upon seeing a turn signal on the lead vehicle. “Give him some room so you don’t-”

Still hugging the side, the interceptor kicked up a shower of rocks as the tires transitioned from smooth asphalt to the loose gravel of the campground. Flashing lights could do nothing to part the queue of vehicles they needed to cross.

“What’s up?” Bonnie spoke into the radio’s mic.

“Road forks ahead,” Ryan explained. “All the other site’s are on the right. The band’s is on the left.”

In his haste, Ryan hadn’t noticed an older gentleman attempting to direct the influx of automobiles lined up to enter the wooded area. The civilian, not able to differentiate the roles of the two vehicles with blinking blue lights, approached the SUV and rapped on the window.

Instinctively, Bonnie rolled it down.

“More of ya, eh?” The Wiley-haired gentleman scratched his scalp. “Didn’t realize wut happened wuz so bad. I s’pose yu’ll be needin’ me ta move the barricade then?”

“You got a barricade?” Bonnie asked.

“Eh, nothin too fancy,” he shrugged. “Knew we’d see a flood o’ visitors today. Wasn’t anticipating law enforcement or medical. Was I supposed to hire security or-”

“Are you a park employee?”

“Call me Fish,” he extended a hand through open window. “An’ I own this ‘ere campground, s’well as take care of most of the day-ta-day operations.”

“You know anything about what happened?” Bonnie was no detective, but if the man had information they could remind Chief Deputy Goldstein to question him before leaving the scene.

“Nah-much,” he shook his head. “Patrol and aid car I let through a bit ago let me know somethin’ wuz up. Been standing here since. Wife is down yonder tryin’a pack ‘em in tight, but I think we mighta just hit capacity.”

“Things like this ever happen before?”

“Well, I reckon I dunno. Seein’ as I don’t know what this is exactly. Sure, on o-casion someone’ll do a dummy and we’ll ‘ave to come help ‘em out. But almost never need no authorities involved. Swear I do my best to keep these grounds in tip-top shape. Lord Almighty, if something happened ta one of those kids because I- Well, I’d never forgive myself.”

“Let’s not go jumping to conclusions,” Bonnie reassured. “We don’t have much information either yet, but until we have reason for you to be concerned, you probably shouldn’t mind us much.”

“Eh...” the man looked as though her words brought little comfort. “Right, I guess. If ya’ll need directions to their spot, it’s real easy. Just-”

“We know where we’re going,” Bonnie nodded. “Officer in the car ahead of us is a regular here. At least for the past few years since his daughter-”

It was Fish’s turn to cut her off, “That was Ryan wasn’t it? Not used to seein’ him in uniform so I didn’t ... Say, it wasn’t Cleo who ya’ll’er comin’ check on, izzit?”

Bonnie turned and raised an eyebrow to Danica, who merely shrugged.

“We- can’t go into much detail,” she said loudly without being overly dismissive.

“Understood,” he answered as officially as his slack-jawed tongue allowed. “Imma move the barricade n’ put up signs to ward off the incomin’. Once I got those up, should I- I don’t know, be helpful in any way?”

“Giving us some space and ensuring no one from the other sites comes snooping around would be for the best. It looks like you’re gonna have your hands full already. We’ll come find you if we need you.”

“Sounds good. Oh, and ‘fore ya go,” he reached into his satchel and produced a few items for them. “I don’t suppose yer planning on stayin’ long enough to catch the big event, but in case you do wind up here for it...”

“Thanks, Fish,” Bonnie said as she handed off the dark lensed frames to her passenger.

“Lemme see if I can get you folks on your way,” the older gentleman scurried ahead. Within seconds, the break lights on the interceptor faded and the car proceeded forward, extending a courtesy wave to Fish who was pulling the gate open for the branch of the road leading to the bands site.

“Thanks again,” Danica called out as they rode past him.

“Should be a dock right up here,” Ryan’s voice calling out over the radio startled Danica.

Pull yourself together, she told herself. This is just another case. You’ve done this hundreds of times.

She breathed a sigh of relief as she caught sight of the Stokes County patrol vehicle and the EMT standing outside their ambulance instead of loading someone in it. Ryan parked far enough to the side that another car would easily fit around his. Bonnie did the same.

She was right. Everyone’s fine, Danica tried to convince herself as she removed her gear from the back of the SUV. She looked upon the group mostly huddled together. Standard issue EMT blanket around the tall girl, that’s our victim. There’s Cleo. Those two must be chaperones. Maybe they’re a couple? Though why is he dressed like the students? That girl is smaller than Cleo, she could be theirs.The others all look like female students.

“Danica,” Bonnie said with a tone that denoted it wasn’t the first time she’d called out.

“Yeah,” the fingerprint specialist shook her head to clear it of the thoughts she’d been having.

“Are you ready to do this?”

Her gaze fell upon the tall girl in the group. The one being comforted by the rest. Her beauty couldn’t mask that something awful had transpired. The number of scenarios that careened through Danica’s head at that moment made her nauseous.

“Yeah,” she lied, forcing herself to speak as though her heart wasn’t racing. “I’m ready.”

Monday, August 21, 8:35 AM, Belews Lake Field - (just under 2 hours earlier)

“C’mon pretty boy, if you start slacking Tanner’s gonna think he’s actually got a shot at taking his spot back from you,” Seph jeered. Even at her most sardonic, her comments carried with them a friendly tone that let Miles know they were offered in jest.

Unfortunately, he’d felt off all morning. And the teasing only confirmed that it wasn’t merely in his head.

He hadn’t been aware of the cold when he and Pixie had climbed out of the water in the dark of night. But when he climbed back into bed, he’d instantly felt as though his body had been plunged in ice. He’d spent nearly the entire morning shivering.

Maybe this is what everyone was sick with the other day? He stole glances to the other sections going through their normal morning exercises, but was still too new to be able to identify if there were any absences. No one ever went over what the symptoms were, but Pixie had been sick. Could have got it from her. Cold. Sore. Ankles and wrists feel tight.

“Hold up a sec,” Seph announced when she reached what they’d designated the sideline.

Miles took the opportunity to check his heart rate.

Elevated.

With how often he was active, the moderate amount of sprinting they’d done shouldn’t have affected him in the slightest. It was then that he realized how afraid he’d felt all morning.

“What’s up?” Seph asked.

The question sounded strange. Too loud considering he was standing at her side. He turned and realized it wasn’t directed at him at all but instead at Cleo heading toward them, with Amber, Judy, and Lindsay in tow.

“Skipping breakfast?” Seph chuckled once the girls neared.

“We need to talk,” Cleo said in a hushed tone.

“What? Are you breaking up with me?” Seph’s laugh quickly disappeared once she realized the seriousness with which the other girl spoke. “Wait, what’s the ma-”

“Cleo,” Miles asked, fear consuming his voice. “Where is my sister?”

It took only moments to wrangle Pixie and Mel away from their sections. A little bit of convincing was needed, but Chris agreed to take charge of their combined sections for the morning.

“And remind them they’ll need their instruments after breakfast,” Seph called as they waved him off.

“He gonna be alright?” Judy asked as they stepped away.

“Chris?” Seph glanced over her shoulder to see her old friend stepping up to the challenge. “He’ll be fine. I know it’s a lot to ask, taking charge of almost all of the wind instruments, but he’s a leader. Trust me. He just needs the opportunity for people to see he won’t buckle under the pressure.”

“Uh...” Amber raised an eyebrow. “I think she meant him.”

Seph spun around to find Miles hadn’t kept up with the group.

“Miles?” She tentatively asked.

The girls grew concerned as he stood, unfocused on anything, muttering under his breath. Seph stepped closer, but even then she could barely make out what he said. His words caused her heart to race. She had to snap him out of it. She repeated herself with more assertiveness. “Miles?”

“Huh?” He looked at the group in front of him as though he hadn’t realized they were there. “Um ... Cle- Cleo? W-where is-”

“Right,” she caught his eyes for only an instant before staring at the ground. “We don’t know.”

“How can you not know?” Seph asked.

Cleo swallowed hard, “She- her bunk- gone. This morning when we woke up.”

“Didn’t you say she gets all dolled up before you guys get out of bed?” Joe asked. “Anyone think to check the restrooms?”

“Yeah, that’s not it,” Judy scoffed.

“Yeah, no. Like, her bunk was gone. Her entire cot was missing,” Amber added, then pantomimed the motion. “Mattress, up, out.”

“Well ... that is a bit unusual,” Seph glanced Miles to see if she could gauge his thoughts before turning her attention back to Cleo. “What’d your chaperone say? Where is she? You’ve got Tam’s mom right?”

“She blew us off,” Judy steamed. “She and Tam were having some discussion with a few of the other girls in the back of the cabin. Just said Zo was probably in the bathroom and didn’t even listen when we mentioned the missing mattress.”

“Seph!” Cleo pleaded. “Kristina had threatened Zoe that she’d do something today.”

“Shit, I hadn’t even thought of that,” Seph wiped her brow. “Miles, do you have any thoughts on ... Miles?”

“Right. Shit,” he shook his head to clear it of distracting thoughts. “We gotta go to Boon about this.”

“Fat chance that’ll amount to anything,” Mel shrugged.

“What? Why not?”

“Miles, you gotta remember, things are different here,” Cleo explained. “Zoe told us how football was a ‘big deal’ where y’all were from.”

“Yeah, and?”

“Okay, well, from what she said, football was like ... here,” Cleo held her hand up to her shoulder. “But round here, football is waaaay up here,” She rocked up on her tiptoes in order to exaggerate her point.

“She’s right,” Judy agreed. “I mean, she’s not tall enough to really get the point across, but she’s right.”

“Not helping,” Cleo rolled her eyes. “Football and religion are just about the only things people ‘round here get really worked up about.”

“Okay, Cleo...” Miles stammered. “I know you have a point but-”

“The next thing, after football and religion, way down here,” Cleo lowered her hand to her hips. “Is music. Or basketball. Depending on the town. We could go to Regionals or maybe even Nationals.”

The other girls nodded their heads in agreement.

“Your band does well in those competitions, you’re pretty much guaranteed to get into one of the better colleges,” Amber added.

“Remember when I told you guys that camp would be like Lord of The Flies?” Seph asked. “It’s cause they know the only way we make it to those competitions is by bonding and having to trust your bandmates.”

“Okay, have you guys not actually read that book? Because things get real bad for Ralph and Piggy when they didn’t kowtow to Jack and his group.”

“We can get into the themes of the book later, Miles,” Judy stated. “The point is, they want the weak links to break during camp. And that won’t happen if they step in. So the chaperones aren’t going to help us. And neither will Boon.”

“Boon’s the one who gives the chaperones the order not to intervene when it comes to section leaders and their members,” Seph explained. “And unless we can prove she’s in actual danger, he’ll assume that it’s building camaraderie, traditional hazing, or some other malarkey.”

“Have I mentioned how completely fucking stupid that rule is?” Miles snarled.

“Noted,” Seph sighed. “And agreed. But that doesn’t help us now. Are there any chaperones who won’t think of this as ‘part of the band experience’ and write it off?”

“No. Wait, yes!” Cleo suddenly remembered. “Mrs. Page loved Zoe after she helped with the sizing.”

“She should be in the cafeteria right now,” Judy added. “Let’s go get her.”

“Separate her from the other chaperones,” Seph warned. “If they hear you, they might try to talk her out of helping.”

“I’d like to see ‘em try,” Pixie remarked. “I’ll unleash on anyone who tries to stop us.”

“They can handle it. And regardless of how serious the situation is, Pix, no biting.”

“Aww, still?” Pixie whined.

“What about Mr. Young?” Amber asked, ignoring the tangent.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Cleo said, tentatively.

“If this is a hazing thing, it might be best to only have girls on the lookout,” Seph said.

Miles cursed under his breath.

“Alright,” Seph looked around their group. “Pix, you can’t go with them because we need to cover more ground. That mean’s splitting up.”

“Jinkies,” Pixie said in leu of confirmation.

“I’m gonna give you each an area to search,” Seph directed. “Get your phones then head over. Text me when you’re sure your spot is clear and we can reassess once that’s done, got it?”

They answered her question with series of nods and verbal confirmations.

“Good,” Seph exhaled and then barked her next order. “Amber, you take Judy and Lindsay, get Mrs. Page up to speed, and double check the cafeteria while you’re at it.”

“On it,” Amber said as she led the other girls away.

“Joe, you take Mel and search the washeteria. Be thorough but be quick too. Whole building. Inside and out.”

“But I-”

“You’re going with Joe,” Seph insisted before Mel could fully voice her protest.

“Right,” Mel said sheepishly before heading off with her partner.

“Pixie, Cleo, uh ... you guys go check the docks?”

“I was worried you were gonna say roofs,” Pixie nodded. “Docks are perfect.”

“We got this,” Cleo gave them a confident nod then headed out.

“So that leaves us,” Miles frowned.

“Yeah, head to your cabin. Grab your phone. I doubt she has hers but if she can get access to one I’m assuming yours is the only number she’s got memorized.”

A tinge of guilt struck Miles as he found himself in awe of Seph’s coolness and leadership abilities in spite of the situation.

“Then what?”

“You and I are checking each and every cabin.”

The warmth of the sun on her skin was Zoe’s first indication of the amount of time that had passed. The bandanna they’d used not only succeeded in covering her eyes, but also forced her to hyper-focus on everything her other senses could perceive. First, the dismissal of her assailants, leaving her tied to the tree. Naked. And alone.

But she wasn’t alone.

Every unseen insect, she could feel tap its way across her flesh. The occasional brush of leaves from a branch above her that occasionally dipped down as some animal applied weight to it. Even the wind was personified as it built up speed across the calm surface of the lake to bite on every inch of her exposed flesh. The experience was amplified by the fact that she’d never gotten the opportunity to properly dry off.

With the sun, so too rose other creatures that dwelled in that region of North Carolina. From above, whistles and tweets catcalled the girl on full display for the world. Closer to the ground, honks and jeers from web-footed onlookers. Though the girls who had brought her here had left, she was far from alone. And further from feeling anything close to safe. The birds had become her new tormentors.

What other life awakens around the lakes in North Carolina? She searched the recesses of her mind for any mention of alligators or crocodiles in the area. Then thought of bears and big cats. Even deer posed a significant threat in her current condition. Even if no one has mentioned them, that doesn’t mean they aren’t there. She knew she was just going to cause herself to panic more, but that knowledge couldn’t prevent her from correcting her own internal monologue, that doesn’t mean they aren’t here.

The thought caused her to involuntarily attempt to scream. It was pointless, as she’d discovered previously, the rope holding her head against the tree was fastened at her mouth. The moisture which should be coating her tongue and throat was instead being absorbed into the fibers wedged between her teeth. Her jaw was tired from staying open so long. For every attempt she made at emitting an audible sound, she received an unpleasant taste as her tongue inevitably struck the rope. She could only wonder what its original purpose had been.

Lacking any true means of monitoring the time, she could do nothing but replay the events in her head. Refusing to remove her clothes when her assailants had demanded it of her, attempting to push them over and run past them. She’d been somewhat successful until they swung the board at her. It mostly clipped her rear but with enough force for her to lose her footing.

Had she not been so far outnumbered, and unarmed, things likely would have gone different. They likely had thought she wouldn’t put up a fight. Hadn’t thought that, starting from the age of seven, Zoe had demanded her father train her how to defend herself. That she needed to get good at it quick in order to keep up with her brothers who had gotten a head start in their self-defense training.

Six against one wasn’t a fight she had a chance of winning, but she had no intention of letting them walk away unscathed. And they didn’t.

Unless she was mistaken, she’d broken someone’s nose, given a fat lip, a black eye, and had scraped some skin off one as well. The first person to attempt to tie her legs had received a full kick to the ribs, which knocked them down. Zoe was fairly certain she’d broken a bone or two. They weren’t quick to get back up. She had no way of determining whether she’d inflicted most of her damage upon only one or two individuals, though she suspected each of them received at least a bit of pain from her.

When the scuffle ended, she’d received an additional swat from the oar to her chest, and the hands groping to fasten the rope around her limbs incidentally scratched her as well. All in all, she was confident she’d dealt out more than she was given. Once she was fully bound to the tree, she suspected they’d take the opportunity to beat her until she either passed out or died. Even with that bleak thought in mind, her spirits fell when she saw the knife in the hand of one of her aggressors.

Its cold steel was pressed against her neck, which she instinctively withdrew until it was against the oak behind her. They took this opportunity to secure her head to the tree. She made the mistake of opening her mouth to scream, and they shoved the rope with it between her teeth before tightening it. She feared that they would plunge the knife into her skin at any second. Instead, they brought a bandanna down over her eyes. It took a bit of effort since her head was already pressed against the tree. But the others weren’t concerned about her comfort or if they yanked out any of her hair.

She considered that the knife may only have been brought out as a means of intimidating her and getting her to comply as she was tied up. Then a hand took hold of the collar of her shirt, pulled it away from her skin, and the blade bifurcated the cotton tee she’d slept in. She heard her own muffled screams before realizing she was making them. Had panic not overridden logic, she would have understood how futile the gesture was. No one standing in front of her was suddenly going to come to her aid. She could do nothing but whimper as her body was exposed for all to see. It would probably have been easy for her attackers to just pull down the shorts she’d been sleeping in, but something about having them cut off brought forth more fear as well as a sense of shame.