Chapter 17

Derby didn’t really remember much from the evening before, although he had a vague recollection of a confrontation with the fraternity brothers Joel and Mountain, and a couple of other guys. Now he was struggling to wake up. He was cold, and he realized that he was in pain everywhere. He became aware of the sound of running water.

Before he opened his eyes, he tried to move. “Oh, shit! What the fuck? Why do I hurt so much? And why can’t I move?” Derby opened his eyes. At first, all he could see was early morning sky and some tree branches overhead. Then he turned his head to the side, and saw the fountain in the courtyard where he had begun his seductions.

Derby was disoriented and sluggish. Was he dreaming? Do you feel pain in a dream? As he tried to clear his head, he began to understand the source of some of his pain. He was tied to one of the stone benches in the courtyard, his arms pulled out to his sides and bent under the bench at an awkward angle and bound together, and his legs pulled apart and tied at the ankles to some point beneath the bench. Another rope was tied tightly across his abdomen, effectively holding him prisoner. All his joints were screaming in protest at the position, and there was other pain as well.

Some vague impressions from last night began to surface in Derby’s fuzzy memory. He remembered being in a room with Mountain, Joel, Drake, Brad, and Brad’s girlfriend Karen. He was tied up and lying on some kind of table with harsh lights all around it. He remembered Karen screaming at him and spitting in his face. His jaws had been forced open by some kind of hard rod or stick crammed between his teeth.

Mountain had leaned down and said, “Get a good look at me, pretty boy. I am now your worst fuckin’ nightmare. My friends and I all know what you’ve done. You’ve had your fun, but the fun’s over now. At least for you. But you’re actually a very lucky guy. My friends are actually your friends, too. They’ve made me realize that me literally tearing you apart with my bare hands could be fun, but it might get me in trouble. They also thought that disposing of your body could be a problem, so we’ve come up with a better idea.”

Mountain held up a pill bottle and showed it to Derby. “See these? They’re Roofies, the same thing you got from Jerry and gave to little Anna before you raped her, you little shit. You probably only gave her one, but you’re a big, strong, handsome, desirable, sexy young guy, so you’re gonna take two. I’d give you the whole bottle, but that would kill you. Then we’d still have a body to deal with, and I wouldn’t have had any fun with you. So I’m just going to drop two in your mouth and then start pouring water in. Sooner or later, you’ll either swallow or choke to death.”

Derby couldn’t really remember anything else. And now, he was naked, tied to this bench. There was a piece of cloth covering his groin. He attempted to sit up. It was impossible, but he learned something more about his situation. Able to raise his head and shoulders slightly, he could see that there were black marks on his chest and abdomen. Then, he heard voices.