Olly

Olly woke up to the steady drumming in her ears - Wake up Olly! This may be your only chance of escape.

Her naked body ached from the regular thrashings she received from her captor Ted in the last three days. He raped her two to three times a day and slapped her continuously till she passed out. The strong smell of liquor had already made her giddy today. Her body couldn't respond to his touches. So, he thrashed her repeatedly till she lost consciousness. 

Now, the room was dark. A narrow gap in between the planks of the door allowed a thin ray of light from outside. The pain was unbearable. She couldn't carry her body till the door to inspect whether it was open. 

The voice called her again -Get up Olly, before he returns. 

Olly raised her body on her weak limbs. Panting for breath, she slumped down. A few minutes later, she picked herself up once again. This time, she crawled a bit. The small movement gave her some strength, though the pain shot through her entire spine. She stopped once again, putting her head down onto the dirty floor. A creaking sound forced her to turn her eyes towards the door. The ray of light had broadened. She started pulling her wretched body towards the door. It seemed to be her only hope. 

Struggling, panting, froathing in her mouth, she reached the door at last. 

Then she saw the hand lying on the floor in the gap between the doors. Her blood froze. The monster was lying there drunk, guarding her after he failed to tie her to the window. 

He is down, Olly! 

The voice called her again. 

This time she fetched all her strength and pulled the door apart. Now, she saw him lying on the floor outside, his head on the floor with his mouth wide open, dripping saliva from his tongue. The street lamp outside lit up the contours of Ted's massive body. 

Olly raised her hand to get hold of the door knob, so she could raise herself up. Once on her trembling feet, she took time to steady herself. A feeling of disgust swept through her as she saw Ted's loathesome figure sprawled on the floor. A gust of cold breeze blew past, brushing her hair away. The dark night outside lit up with a flash of lightning followed by a clap of thunder. Ted made a groaning sound as the sound pierced his ear drumms. Olly waited for sometime. When he lay still, she held the door with both her hands and put one step ahead over the monster's body.

Then she passed her other leg over him and was free to go. The images of her frail father and her crippled mother flashed before her eyes. She recalled how they were crying when Ted dragged her away from her home three days ago. She wondered whether they were still alive. This thought lent wings to her trembling body. Her nakedness couldn't stop her. She felt no shame now. Every one in this world is naked beneath the clothes. She stepped upon something as she got down from the raised floor. Stooping down, she felt for it in the darkness and picked it up. 

A bottle with some liquor still in it. 

'Oye!' 

The blood curdling yell of Ted pinned her to the ground and as she turned back, she saw Ted staggering on his legs. 

'Come back you bitch!' he shouted. 

Olly started shivering in his presence. She felt being drawn towards him. A flash of lightning lit up the sky and large drops of rain started falling. Something ran down her guts. If she returned, he would kill her. If she stayed there he would kill her. She had to escape. She got up on her heels and paced away, still holding the bottle as a weapon of self defence. 

That's when she heard him step onto the ground behind her. So, she was caught. He would beat her again and rape her more fiercely than ever. She was sure of that. If she ran away, her poor parents would not be able to save her from him. 

She stopped. The rain drops felt like arrows on her exposed body, but, they also gave her strength. She turned back. Ted stood just inches away from her, waving his hand threateningly. No, she couldn't escape. She had to do something. Her brain gave her no solution. Ted was almost upon her now. The nightmare would start again. She got desperate. 

Hit him! Somebody shouted at her. Without wasting time on second thoughts, Olly raised the bottle above her head and brought it crashing down upon the head of the monster. He staggered and fell. 

The rain lashed at her. She turned towards the road ahead. It was dark but there was a ray of hope.