Amanda and the Giver

Amanda and the Giver

Trevor Prescott

         What was that about?

         Amanda crowned her discarded lacrosse uniform with her panties and headed for the shower. All of her friends were already gone, all because Mr. Bellevue had held her back after practice. He’d asked odd questions, too--how do you feel about chapter five? Algebra can be difficult; do you have any questions? How are things at home?

         Amanda had an A in Algebra. What was up with the interrogation?

         Shrugging it off, Amanda turned the shower on and stepped into the warm, steamy stream. Sprinting drills always left her legs and feet feeling like they’d been beaten with a club. She turned her back to the spray, letting it massage her calves, and then displayed the underside of each foot.

         Turning back around, Amanda let the water spray her face. She couldn’t stay long; she had three homework assignments and it was already five. Sleep would be scarce tonight. Plus she had that essay for Eng--

         When the wire tightened around her neck, Amanda felt like it was going to slice her head off. She stumbled back, the wire digging into the supple flesh of her throat. Panic took hold. While she clawed at the wire, a rag appeared before her eyes and smothered her mouth and nose.

         Amanda kicked, her heels bouncing against the slick floor. Nausea and the lack of oxygen left Amanda feeling like she was going to black out. Her attacker was at least six feet tall, leaving her physically outmatched.

         As Amanda’s eyes rolled back in her head, the wire loosened. She gulped in a lungful of air. A rancid, searing odor filled her throat and nostrils and brought tears to her eyes. Her desperation to fill her lungs with precious air overrode her resistance to inhaling the chemical.

         Amanda’s head swam and darkness framed her vision. Her extremities went numb, followed by her arms and legs. Her attacker released her without warning. Rather than breaking out into a blind sprint like she wanted, Amanda collapsed to the floor in a crumpled heap and blacked out.

#

         Wake up!

         Amanda mistook the voice for her imagination at first, until something slapped her face. Groaning, she forced her eyes open. Her blurry gaze fell to Mr. Bellevue and a piece of her innocence died. He was buck naked and aroused. Amanda’s clothes were nowhere to be seen. Her auburn hair clung to her shoulders in damp hooks. Her wrists were lashed behind her back and the bandanna cutting between her teeth was knotted tight behind her skull. A dusty, bare light bulb hung overhead, illuminating the grimy cement floor and the filthy bare mattress she lay atop.

         Mr. Bellevue dragged Amanda to her feet. “Quick. I need a fix.”

         Certain that she was seeing meek Mr. Bellevue’s secret dark side, Amanda whimpered. She felt like a clawless kitten trying to fight a starving savage. When he turned her around, however, the sight paralyzed her. The wall was a bulbous black creature, faceless and formless with a slimy, viscous texture. It looked alive.

         Her captor shoved her forward. “Get over there. You see that?” He pointed to a bulbous, vein-like protrusion near the floor. “Rub up against it with your body. Do it or I’ll hold your head in a toilet until the bubbles stop.”

         Trembling, Amanda approached the protrusion and twisted her hands against the ropes, finding the knot…the knot was loose! Her heart fluttered. It was tight, but she could probably break it. Swallowing hard, she regained her composure and poked at the wall’s protrusion with her toe. Beneath its slick, slimy exterior the vein felt thick and firm. Amanda shuddered. The creature groaned its approval.

         “Get to work. Rub the Giver.” Mr. Bellevue approached the wall and fell against it back first. The creature accepted him, swallowing up his arms and legs, leaving just his face, front, and thighs exposed. The creature carried him toward the ceiling until he hovered over the room like some sort of unholy deity.

         Cautious, Amanda ran the sole of her foot across the creature’s vein. It quivered again.

         “Yeah…he likes that. Climb on top of it. Press your whole body against it. Make him feel good.”

         Holding back to urge to gag, Amanda threw one leg over the vein and straddled it, working the knotted rope with fresh vigor. The Giver’s flesh supported her, becoming harder—to compensate for her weight? Its cold, clammy flesh became warm.

         “I feel it…” Mr. Bellevue cooed from above. “I feel the power…”

         Tightening her knees, Amanda rocked back and forth. The Giver’s flesh bubbled and quaked, and started turning gray. The knot was nearly free now.

         “Enlighten me…” Mr. Bellevue croaked. “Fill me with strength and wisdom, oh great Giver…”

         Grimacing, Amanda closed her thighs around the vein and rubbed her loins against it. The Giver’s complexion faded to white.

         “The wisdom of the universe…!” Mr. Bellevue’s voice cracked and rose. Amanda looked up in time to see him orgasm. Webs of stringy ejaculate spurted from the tip of his penis, spraying the floor with wet plop sounds.

         Success!

         The rope popped free. Amanda threw one glance at Mr. Bellevue, rolled off the vein and scrambled to her feet.

         “Come back here!” Mr. Bellevue shouted. “Fucking little bitch, get back here!”

         Amanda’s mind raced. She sprinted for the staircase, yanking the gag from her mouth.

         No! Something seized her ankle and she sprawled to the floor. A tentacle extending from the Giver had wrapped around her ankle in an attempt to pull her back. Amanda groped at the staircase, her fingers closing around the banister.

         “Amanda! Get back here!”

         Amanda knew she’d only have one chance. She steeled her strength and clutched the rickety banister in a white-knuckle grip. The tentacle tightened and yanked. A well-timed kick crushed the tentacle between her anklebone and the floor. The creature recoiled and Amanda saw her chance. Gritting her teeth, she screamed and pulled on the banister with all her might.