The Iron Tiara

“I ain’t never done it with a dead body before.”

“She’s not dead, you idiot. I choked her to keep her from screaming again,” came a reply. “You can tell she’s still breathing. If nobody wants first dibs, I’m on it. I don’t like sloppy seconds anyway.”

“You choked her ’cause you were mad that she kicked you in your tool bag,” one of the men said, and there was a round of laughter.

Panic struck as Christy realized she wasn’t dreaming, and she started coughing again. Out of sheer instinct, her eyes opened as her hand flew to her throat. It only took a split second to comprehend she was completely nude. When her eyes landed on the man who’d tried to strangle her, she tried to get up, but realized too late she was being held down by her shoulders from behind.

She looked up and saw another man leaning over her. She could see the underside of his chin, and it moved as he talked, “Well, hurry up then, Andrew. The lady said Anthony wanted this done and cleaned up quick.”

The man who’d been pressing on her shoulders let go for a second as he grabbed her hands and pinned them together above her head.

“Oh, this ain’t gonna be quick,” Andrew said, his tone malicious. She looked back at him and saw that he’d unzipped his jeans. Apparently, the kick had done nothing to deter him. She started squirming and thrashing when the man who held her yelled for the other guys to help him.

“Let her fight,” Andrew said, his voice thick and wicked. His tone told Christy that he was enjoying this way too much. “I like it better when they fight back. C'mon, white rabbit,” he sneered. "Give it your best shot."

He dropped to the grass then and spread her legs wide, pinning them to the ground by pressing hard on the inside of her thighs. He slowly looked over her body, taking time to ogle each breast and then the space between her legs. He had her spread so wide, she felt like she was going to tear in half.

She looked down to where he’d crouched between her legs and could see the tip of his erection was visible where he’d undone his jeans. She started to struggle, but it only made him stretch her legs wider. He smiled when she cried out in pain as his huge hands squeezed her thighs too tightly and spread them beyond normal capacity.

Christy tried not to move to avoid more pain, but couldn’t hold back the flood of tears that threatened. Her head was pounding, and she felt like her hearing was muffled, but she could still hear her tormentor’s next words. She wished she hadn’t.

“So, let me see. I’m not sure what the choicest morsel might be.” He let go of her thighs as he leaned forward and licked one of her breasts. It was a long slow lick, and he lingered at her nipple, gently chewing with his teeth. She stiffened waiting for a bite that didn’t come. She tried to kick him, but he was quicker, using his body weight to deflect her.

“Or maybe, I prefer something from a little lower,” he chuckled wickedly.

He gripped her thighs again, and she cried out when his tongue entered her and then swirled around the spot where Anthony had given her so much pleasure. Anthony, she thought. How could you do this to me? She couldn’t fathom how even if his affection and protection had all been a ruse, he could’ve ordered this.

“But don’t mistake my intentions, white rabbit.” He grinned evilly. “You’re not going to enjoy it. I’m taking my time deciding what part of your body I’m going to take a bite out of. And after I do, I’m going to chew on it nice and slow and spit it back in your face.”

“Hurry up, Andrew,” one of the men who was standing off to the side called out. “We ain’t got all night.”



When Anthony pulled around the last curve and spotted Christy’s car in the distance, he felt something he’d never experienced before and didn’t even know what to call it. It rose up from the pit of his stomach and grabbed hold of his heart so tightly, he felt physical pain. He then identified the feeling. It was fear. What was Christy, his Christy, doing at the camp?

He pulled in beside her car and, grabbing his machete, jumped out without putting his truck in park. He didn’t notice when it rolled and bumped into the front of the office. It was an eerily quiet night and he could hear voices coming from the back of the camp. He also saw where a motion light must’ve been triggered and he ran toward it, only stopping to grab his ax from a stump. His horror intensified when he recognized pieces of Christy’s clothing strewn along the ground. He rounded the side of one of the bunkhouses and stopped. A flood light from the corner of the building illuminated the scene before him. It only took seconds for him to assess what he was seeing. Fury so intense he thought his veins would explode instantly replaced the fear.



Andrew let go of Christy’s thigh and pulled a knife from his belt. He threw it at the man who'd tried to rush him, hitting him in the eye. The man crumpled to the ground. He returned his hand to Christy’s right thigh and repeated, “I’m still deciding what part of your body I’m going to take a bite out of. And after I do, like I said, I’m going to chew on it for a while and spit it back in your face all while I’m fu—”

“Do it already!” she screamed, interrupting him. “You’re a coward. You’re nothing but a coward!”

She knew he was doing it on purpose. Dragging out the description of what he was going to do was almost worse than him actually doing it. She was going to die tonight, but she wouldn’t do it cowering to him. She would never give him that satisfaction.

Her tormentor’s anger was immediate and raw, and he let go of her thighs and started to move up her body.

She refused to close her eyes as she watched him approach. Then she heard a strange sound and the expression on his face changed. His eyes went wide, and he looked confused. He tried to sit up and fell over. The man who’d been holding her hands above her head stood, and Christy heard him grunt before falling backward and hitting the ground. She sat up awkwardly, and that’s when she saw him.

It was Anthony coming toward them, and she’d never seen him so enraged. Not even when he collected her at the Glades Motel did she see him this incensed. She was momentarily startled by the brutal hatred she witnessed on his face. She chanced a glance at Andrew who was struggling to sit up. He was clumsily trying to reach around to his back with his left hand. It was then that she saw the ax that was protruding from it. She turned around and saw the man who’d been holding her down. A huge knife was sticking out of his shoulder, and he was trying to stand up. She watched as Anthony approached the third man. He was backing up slowly and tripped over the man Andrew had killed. He was crab-walking backward and shouting, “I didn’t touch her. I didn’t touch her!”

Anthony looked over at Christy and asked, “Did he?”

Beth Flynn's books