with no housecoat, she decided to head back inside and snuggle up in her warm bed for the night.
Not believing their good fortune, the Three Bs watched, crouching in the shadows from their vantage point in the trees just to the left of the illuminated terrace. Buzz signaled that he would take the girl and motioned for the other two to follow through the open door.
Just as Mariah’s hand reached for the doorknob, she heard a crackling sound in the woods just to her right. As she turned to squint into the darkness, there was a blurring quick movement, and before she could react, a gloved hand grabbed her left elbow from behind, while another tightly covered her mouth. She sensed a strong man tightening his grip on her and felt herself being shoved through the door into the den beyond. There were other dark figures accompanying him, which she now began to see more clearly as she began to struggle against the grasp of her initial captor. She tried to scream but couldn’t, nor could she free herself from the viselike arms that had engulfed her. This was it—her worst nightmare—but it was no dream. Absolute terror filled her thoughts just before her body became limp and she lost consciousness.
“Jesus, Buzz!” shrieked Big Bear, “you didn’ go an’ kill her already now, did ya?”
“Hell no,” Buzz retorted. “She just fainted. Maybe my glove was too tight over her mouth ’n nose. She’ll come around. One o’ you guys find the kitchen and get me some vinegar. A sniff o’ that should bring her back in no time. Hurry up, will ya? We ain’t got all night here!”
Soon Blood returned with a bottle of apple cider vinegar in hand. “Here ya go, Buzzard—hope it works!”
“Don’t worry, it will,” Buzz smiled as he twisted open the cap and placed the open bottle under Mariah’s nose. In just a couple of seconds she winced, groaned, and slowly began to open her eyes. “Hey sweetie, welcome back to hell!” Buzz laughed as he removed the open bottle from under her nose. He could see that the young girl was still struggling to comprehend what was actually happening to her. She tried to focus her eyes, and then, almost as if she really didn’t want to see, she closed them again. “Come on now, darlin’,” Buzz exhorted, “we got work to do here.”
Mariah was fixed in a state somewhere between outright terror and complete disbelief. Who were these big, burly tattooed strangers in her home? Where did they come from? What did they want with her? Many questions but no answers at the moment. She glanced around nervously, wondering what would happen next. She sensed malevolent intent but was uncertain as to whether they intended to rape her, maim her, or just plain kill her. She was too terrified to focus, and so just continued to lie there helplessly, shifting her eyes slowly from one of her captors to the next.
Buzz continued, “You see, we’re gonna make a little internet movie here for all your men friends over there in Iraq. Show ’em what their women are really like underneath all that crap they make you wear. Show ’em what’s gonna happen to more of their women if you all don’t get the hell outa our country. You follow me, sweetie?”
Mariah’s eyes filled with tears. She tried to hold them back but just couldn’t any longer. A mix of terror and shame flooded her entire being as she listened to Buzz’s threats. How could anyone sink to such a level of vile vindictiveness? She hadn’t ever been anything but kind and courteous to anyone she had met in this country. She didn’t deserve to be humiliated like this. And what about her father? He would never get over such shame brought to his family.
“Hey, you in there, little bitch?” Buzz queried. “We’re about to have a party you won’t soon forget, you little sand slut! What I need from you right now is one o’ them silly ‘jibjab’ things you Arab cunts cover up your head with. You got one o’ them?” He sneered down at Mariah, flexed his left bicep, stretching the large black swastika tattooed prominently over his upper arm, and added, “Or am I gonna have to refresh your memory a bit?”
Mariah recoiled from his grasp and stammered, “Hijab, you mean hijab?”
“Hiccup, jibjab, whatever the hell you call it—I need one now!” Buzz retorted. “We gotta have just the right outfit for this little movie here.”
“In my room upstairs. Bottom dresser drawer are several. I will get one for you,” Mariah added as an afterthought, hoping for any opportunity to escape. As she started to get up, Buzz immediately halted her progress.
“Like hell you will!” he snarled. “Bear, get up there and bring us one o’ them hibjib things. Black one, if you can find it.” As Bear walked through the kitchen and toward the front stairway, Buzz reached down, grabbed Mariah by one arm, and jerked her up and to her feet. “Now, little lady, you get this straight right now. We ain’t playin’ no games here.” Reaching into his pants, he retrieved a six-inch black pocketknife with a silver button on the side. As he pressed it, a gleaming silver blade snapped into place, which he placed ominously close to her neck. “You do exactly as we tell ya and nobody gets hurt. Try any funny stuff, and this nice white carpet’s gonna have more red than a candy cane. You read me, princess?”
With the razor sharpness of the blade so close to her throat that she could almost feel her skin separate under just the slightest pressure, Mariah’s eyes filled with tears again. Sobbing and shivering, she managed to reply, “P-please d-don’t hurt me. I will d-do as you a-a-ask. P-please p-p-put the knife away. W-what do you wish from me?”
“Now that’s a bit more like it,” Buzz sneered as he retracted the knife blade. “An’ really, I’m the least of your worries.” Smiling over at Blood, who was just a few feet to his right, he added, “Now, my pal Blood here—I won’t even tell ya how he earned that name, but I will tell ‘ya this: he ain’t got a kind bone in his body. I mean, I don’t even turn my back on ’im, ’least not for long. An’ Bear up there? Why, he could crush you faster than one o’ them big boa snakes! So yeah, sister, you just do exactly what you’re told, an’ we’ll all enjoy the party here.”
Grinning at Blood again, Buzz added, “Now ol’ Blood here’s got a little bag with some clothes we picked out just for your first movie! Wadn’t we thoughtful?” he added mockingly as he reached into the bag and pulled out a sheer, floor-length black negligee with a plunging V neckline, lacy bodice, and open in front from slightly above-navel height all the way to the floor. “An’ just wait till you see the back,” he grinned before placing the gown back in the bag. “Of course, we added…what is it you ladies call them…accessories? Yeah, that’s it, some accessories to finish out the look! Even a little script in that bag somewhere, just so you’ll know exactly what to say. Why, darlin’, you do a good job o’ this, and hey…the Academy may just be breathin’ down your neck come next Oscar season!” Buzz was having fun now, actually enjoying Mariah’s obvious fear and discomfort. All the better to teach them damn sand niggers a lesson once and for all, he thought.
Bear returned from upstairs, bringing a black piece of cloth that he hoped was what he was supposed to retrieve. “This the head thing?” he asked, looking over to Mariah.
She looked up briefly, nodded her assent, then lowered her eyes back to the floor. She could only imagine where this was all going, and the possibilities were sickening to her.
“Ok, good,” Buzz replied. “Is there a bathroom down here somewhere, princess? And don’t get any ideas; Bear here will escort you.”
“There’s one just off the kitchen,” Mariah added hesitatingly. “What is it you want me to do?”
“Well, just go in there an’ take this little bag Blood has for you. Take off your PJs and put on what we brought in the bag. Our guy at PSU told us ’bout what size you were, so stuff should fit close enough. I want you to put on that
