Bruce's Pov
"I'm sorry, what?" I asked, making sure I heard right.
"Come on, we can hit another bar that's so much better than this." He said, and I felt a sigh of relief leave my mouth.
"Alright." I said, brushing it off.
Outside, the cold slapped my face, sobering me just a little. Streetlights glared down, casting long shadows on the wet pavement. I tried to focus on the hum of passing cars, but the edges of my vision kept blurring.
My feet felt unsteady, and ever so often his hand would press against my shoulder to guide me.
We turned left, then right, the sound of the main street fading behind us.
"Where… are we going?" My voice came out slurred, heavier than I meant it to.
He didn't answer, and I thought that maybe he didn't hear me.
The pressure on my shoulder tightened a bit, just slightly, but enough to make me feel uneasy.
We passed through one alley, then another. Somewhere, a streetlight buzzed and flickered, plunging the ground in and out of darkness.
I could hear our footsteps echo against the walls, it was too loud in the sudden quietness.
The air here was different, still. Thicker.
Something in my chest stirred, a prickle of unease that crawled up my spine. I tried to tell myself it was just the alcohol, but my body knew better. Instinct screamed at me, though my mind fumbled to catch up.
"Hey," I tried again, pulling away from him but he held me close.
"I—" My voice cracked, the words snagging in my throat.
"Relax, we're almost there." He said once more. That's when the truth hit me, cold and certain.
Something was very, very wrong.
I tried to think, to keep my thoughts running. But by now, I didn't know where we were anymore. Or even how to get back.
We got to a dark corner where he eventually stopped walking. I assumed I was going to be robbed, so to avoid a rough confrontation , I immediately blurted out. "You can take anything, please just spare my life."
He chuckled, his voice deep. "What if I want you, huh? What will you do then?"
I froze. "W- want me? What do you—"
He pounced on me like a wild cat and before I knew it I was pinned face first into the wall. His grip on my hair was tight, hard. His other hand quickly grabbed my other hands and pinned them behind my back.
"Wait... What are you doing?" I tried to shout, but the words only came out as a weak cry.
I heard the sound of his belt unbuckle, his zipper going down, and my face instantly went pale. He yanked my trouser down roughly, and it happened. Faster than I could process.
I felt rough handled, every minute of it was painful and traumatizing, his hands were even rougher, pressing and squeezing parts of me in the most brutal way possible.
I tried to scream, to protest, but he pinned me down, his grip too tight. My face pressed hard against the stone wall, pain crashing over from all angles.
I would have never imagined that I, a grown middle aged man, would be assaulted by my peer, in such a degrading manner, and powerless to shout for help.
I was traumatised, beyond it I was lost and sore, unable to put my thoughts in order. What was worst, I felt his breath behind my neck, groaning and grunting words into my ear.
"Just relax and enjoy it. It will be over soon."
I closed my eyes, trying to shut out the pain and humiliation. I prayed and begged anybody in the universe to save me from the cruel encounter.
When it was over, I felt… hollow. Not just shaken but emptied out.
"That was fun. Let's meet again some other time." He said with a smirk on his lips before walking out of the alley.
I stayed there for a long time, shock and embarrassment washing over me. Never in my life have I been degraded to this point.
I got up and tried to straighten my clothes, hating myself for being this weak, but my hands wouldn't stop trembling. He left without looking back. I stood there for a long moment before I could make myself move.
I took it slow because I was sore and hurting, one step at a time, but I didn't get far.
At the mouth of the alley, four figures emerged from the streetlight's edge. My eyes adjusted to the brightness and that's when I saw them well. Three men I didn't know, and one I did.
The one from earlier. The shoulder-bump.
Recognition flashed in his eyes, followed by something colder.
"Look who it is," he said, his voice sharp now. "The guy who hit me earlier."
I opened my mouth to explain, but one of the others stepped forward. "It's you huh..." He said, glancing at the one who recognized me. "Why don't we teach him a lesson."
Before I could take a step back, they moved, already closing in on me.
"Please, I didn't do anything. That shoulder thing,it was an accident, alright," I tried to plead my way out, but it only made them smile more. "I'm sorry."
"Too late for apology," they closed in and the air seemed to thicken.
The first blow caught me across the cheek. My head snapped to the side, and the world tilted. I stumbled back, hands up to defend, but the second man grabbed my jacket and yanked me forward. A knee drove into my ribs, knocking the breath out of me.
I tried to fight back, wild, clumsy swings that barely connected. They laughed, the sound echoing in the narrow space.
Another hit came, this time to my stomach. Pain bloomed, making me groan. My legs weakened from the assault before and now. Someone shoved me, and my back hit the wall.
They didn't stop.
The man who recognized me stepped in last. His eyes weren't angry anymore, just cold, almost bored. He grabbed me by the collar, pulling me close enough that I could smell his breath.
"You should watch where you're going next time," he breathed out.
I was about to apologize when he noticed my half buckled trouser, slightly exposing part of my ass and he gave the most devious smile I've ever seen.
"Pin him down for me." He whistle for his guys and what happened next couldn't be more slower. He whispered in my ears, "just relax, I know you will enjoy it as much as we will."
At this point I could only think of the worse, and then he pulled his jeans down, and the rest of it was history.
I was assaulted by all four, taking their turns and doubling just to humiliate me.
I felt my life slipping out of my hand, my mouth gagged roughly, not enough intake of air to keep me alive. But with my last strength, I willed. "I swear on my remaining breath, I will come for you"
Then....
Darkness took the rest.