; ; Tuesday, in Psychology class, they ; discussed ESP: precognition, telepathy, ; telekinesis, out-of-body experiences, ; paranormal things like that. Ruth said, ; "That's bunk. Prof. Lamachi, I challenge ; you to show some objective evidence of ; genuine ESP. If you can't, Dr. Lamachi, ; stop pretending that psychology is a ; science."
; ; "Miss Minton," he said, "there is ; evidence and there is evidence. Some ; people just don't have the talent, and ; won't believe anyone has. Some probably ; have the talent, but just don't know it. ; Our culture, after all, does not hold it ; to be normal to be able to project one's ; thoughts, even though many people are ; convinced they can and are willing to ; tell us about it. Of course, the ; physicists and chemists haven't measured ; it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't ; exist."
; ; He was speaking with passion, and he ; was looking right at her, singling her ; out. She almost blushed, seeing his eyes ; boring into her and realizing she might ; have dressed more modestly. Perhaps her ; taut T-shirt was a bit provocative. He ; was very handsome, in a somber, saturnine ; way: tall, well over six feet, but thin ; as a shadow, and given to wearing black, ; three-piece suits and black ties. His ; eyes were black. His bushy eyebrows were ; black. His hair was black. There was a ; little diamond-shaped mole on the tip of ; his nose. It was black. I could be ; attracted to that man, except he's so ; spooky, she thought.
; ; "Anecdotal evidence has some value," ; continued Lamachi. "Do you believe that ; Jesus Christ ever lived? All we have is ; anecdotal evidence, and even that was ; based on hearsay, not eye witness ; accounts."
; ; "I'll believe it when I see it," she ; replied, petulantly. She immediately ; regretted that, thinking: I'll probably ; drop a letter grade for that one; he says ; one third of the final grade is for class ; participation. For the remainder of the ; class, it seemed to Ruth that Prof. ; Lamachi was undressing her with his eyes. ; It made her want to squirm, to be so ; assaulted by this male authority figure. ; She forced herself to sit very still, ; trying not to call attention to herself ; and holding her notebook upright in front ; of her breasts, as if to shield them from ; his eyes. She knew the notebook wouldn't ; cover everything. Ruth was big for a ; female, big boned and "well upholstered." ; She squeezed her knees together, and as ; her eyes followed the professor, noting ; his every move, there was a strange ; tingle, there, between her legs.
; ; As Ruth walked to her next class, ; down the gap between Wilkinson Hall and ; Edison Labs, there was a commotion behind ; her in the quad: people running, a siren, ; an ambulance. She decided she didn't have ; time to go back and see what it was ; about.
; ; After class, someone who was waiting ; for Thermo 314 said, "You wouldn't ; believe what happened in the quad, less ; than a hour ago. Some female student was ; walking stark naked through the quad. ; Not a stitch on. Of course, a bunch of ; guys started whooping and yelling and ; pointing, and that poor girl looked like ; she'd die of shame, trying to cover ; herself with her books. And then she ; dropped her books. Oh, the look on her ; face. She curled up in a ball and just ; waited for them to come and get her. ; They took her away in an ambulance, ; probably to the psycho ward." Ruth ; shuddered. She knew how the naked girl ; must have felt.
; ; Tuesday night, it was scarier. Ruth ; dreamt that she -- well it wasn't really ; Ruth -- it was a nurse, and Ruth was a ; student, not a nurse. The woman Ruth was ; dreaming she was, she was getting off ; from a night shift in the wee hours of ; the morning. She was going out to her ; car, and a man jumped out of the shadows ; and grabbed her from behind. So real, ; fingers digging into her arm, a forearm ; under her chin, squeezing, choking her, ; so she couldn't scream. Then there were ; others, and they were pushing her off ; balance and holding her down on the cold, ; hard pavement. It was too real to bear. ; She could feel gravel or broken glass ; grinding into her right shoulder blade, ; as one of the men pinned her shoulder ; down with his knee. She felt bolts of ; pain as her left arm was twisted over her ; head and the wrist bent nearly to ; breaking. She could smell the booze on ; their breath, hear the scrape of their ; shoes on the parking lot pavement, hear ; with startling clarity the rrrrip of her ; uniform as they clawed at her. She could ; taste the salt of the hand over her ; mouth, feel the chill of a blade, first ; at her throat, then at her bodice. It ; was still cold, as someone slipped it ; under her bra strap and pulled until the ; pressure was relieved. The cool air ; across her breast proved that she was ; totally vulnerable. A rough hand in the ; darkness seized her breast and squeezed. ; "MMMMPHuummmm" she groaned through the ; hand across her mouth, a stricken ; animal's cry of terror and despair. She ; could feel the point of the knife at her ; navel, and then the back of the blade ; sliding back and forth along the midline ; of her belly, as her assailant sawed ; through panties, pantyhose, and whatever ; was left of her uniform. Ruth felt the ; strain of a desperate heave, as she ; struggled to get free. She felt gravel ; gouging her hip, tasted salt as she bit ; the hand which gagged her, biting as hard ; as she could. "Bitch," she heard, and ; someone kicked her in the ribs. There ; was an audible crack and excruciating ; pain racing through her, a pain which ; left her gagging, limp, and helpless to ; resist.
; ; It was more than Ruth could bear. ; She woke screaming. Her heart was ; pounding, and she tensed in terror for ; the next blow. She wondered how much ; more punishment she would have to endure, ; before they got down to...IT, that ; ultimate assault that she knew must come. ; But there was no next blow. She was in ; her own bed. She was not going to be ; kicked and tortured and subjected to ; humiliating, perverted, sexual violation. ; It was only a dream, a compendium of all ; her fears, a dream Ruth wished she had ; never had. What a cruel city this is, ; where a woman is so helpless, a ready ; victim, game for sadistic hunters who ; stalk the night. She lay for what seemed ; like hours, shaking, fearing sleep.
; ; Wednesday, before Ruth left for the ; campus, she climbed the stairs to the ; apartment above hers, Mrs. Pronko's. ; Mrs. Pronko, only a few years older than ; Ruth, had two small children. There was ; no Mr. Pronko. "Mrs. Pronko, was there ; was anything in the morning paper about a ; rape?"
; ; "No, Ruth," she said, "I didn't see ; anything like that, not on the front ; page, anyway."
; ; Wednesday night, Ruth dreamt that ; she was some kind of feminist nut. She ; was stalking a guy who had been accused ; of date rape. Ruth, whoever she was in ; her dream, caught up with him in the ; shadows behind the field house. Ruth ; felt a thrill of satisfaction, as she ; struck, dropped him with a blow to the ; head. She used a bronze statue of Athena ; which "Ruth" had won as some sort of ; award. She examined it, in the dim light, ; to see if anything had broken or bent ; when she heard that THOCK, the sound of ; bronze meeting bone.
; ; The young man lay unconscious on the ; ground. She rolled him onto his back and ; undid his belt, unzipped his fly. She ; tried to get his trousers off by pulling ; at the waist, but he was dead weight in ; them. Finally she took off his shoes and ; pulled his trouser legs, one at a time ; with both hands, until she had them off. ; His Jockey shorts came off, too. For the ; first time in her life, Ruth knew what it ; felt like to handle a man's genitals. ; She hefted his scrotum, like a little ; purse with the family jewels. She picked ; up his flaccid penis, so much dead meat, ; harder than bread dough, softer than a ; Polish sausage. Suddenly there was a ; knife in her hand, a serrated bread ; knife. She was pulling on his penis with ; her left hand while she sawed through it ; with the knife in her right hand. There ; was a strange smell there in the dark, ; blood, she supposed.
; ; Serves the bastard right. He won't ; use that to rape again. She laid the ; severed meat on the man's belly and ; addressed his scrotum. The bread knife ; sliced it open easily. It was much ; easier than cleaning a chicken, but it ; felt much the same, the slimy feel of ; skin and... insides. She clutched his ; testes, like little eggs, and lifted. ; She had imagined they would just come ; free, but they were attached, and she ; gashed her knuckle as she hacked them ; loose. Ruth stood up, the rapist's balls ; in one hand. I am Woman; hear me roar. ; She put the knife and the statue in her ; carryall and calmly walked away. Fifty ; yards across the grass, rounding the ; corner of the field house and reaching ; the street, she saw a storm sewer grate. ; Almost like making poached eggs, she held ; her hand out and let one wet spheroid ; drop. Splash. She opened her hand ; entirely, feeling the wet organ peel off ; her skin and fall free. Plop. It had ; landed on the grate. With her toe, she ; nudged it off, into the slot between the ; bars. Plish. It was gone.
; ; Ruth walked back a few yards, to ; where she could barely see the body in ; the gloom. Mindlessly, she wiped her ; bloody hands on a tissue, which kept ; sticking to her skin and shredding into ; wispy strands. A stray dog, some ; homeless mutt, was sniffing at the ; bastard's body. She walked back to the ; body. "Here, Doggy," she whispered, as ; she picked up the "sausage" with thumb ; and forefinger. "Here, here's a treat ; for you, Doggie." As the dog ran off with ; the penis in his mouth, Ruth had a ; fantastic orgasm.
; ; Suddenly awake, sweating and ; shaking, her nipples erect and her vulva ; all wet, Ruth cried out loud, "NO. That's ; not me." She looked around the darkness ; of her little room, as if afraid of ; arresting officers. No. I've never ; actually hurt anyone. I'd never do a ; thing like that. I could never kill a ; man. Ruth couldn't get back to sleep. ; She squirmed in her narrow bed, trying to ; put the memory of that dream out of mind. ; How could she have a dream like that? ; Was she going crazy? She thought of ; going to the Student Health Office and ; asking for counseling, but she couldn't ; stand the thought of sitting there and ; telling all that stuff to some man. She ; could visualize it so vividly, even ; though she was awake. I can't, she told ; herself, I can't sit there, making eye ; contact with a man, and tell him I have ; orgasms from sicko dreams.
; ; Thursday, it was Psych. class again. ; For some reason, Ruth had worn a pretty ; dress, one which had a scoop neckline ; that emphasized her cleavage. She sat ; there, admiring the way Lamachi paced ; like some caged black panther, as he went ; on about strange pathologies and mass ; hysterias, like people going ape over ; werewolves and vampires. She noticed ; every time his eyes dwelt on her bust, ; and she wondered what sort of man he was. ; Was he married? No, she thought not. ; Did he have a girlfriend? Would he be a ; good lover? Suddenly, he whirled and ; fixed his gaze on her. "Of course, Miss ; Minton is probably thinking that vampires ; are no more real than UFOs, yet many ; reputable people have seen UFOs." Yes, ; that's exactly what she was thinking, but ; she kept her mouth shut. Somehow, some ; little wedge of doubt was being ; insinuated into her logical model of the ; real world. There was something about ; Professor Lamachi. It was hard not to ; believe him.
; ; Later, after her shift at Leno's ; Pizza Palace, Ruth saw Mrs. Pronko in the ; hall. "Ruth, you know you asked me if ; there was anything in the paper about a ; rape? Well, today's paper does have a ; little item about Mercy Hospital asking ; for more police protection. They said ; that the nurses are afraid to go out at ; night. They don't say there was a rape, ; but they say there have been some ; 'incidents', lately."
; ; "Oh, just great."
; ; "Great? How can you say that?"
; ; "No, I didn't mean the incidents ; were great, Mrs. Pronko. I...I was ; worried that there might have been ; something serious. I saw some suspicious ; characters."
; ; "You should report them to the ; police, Ruth," she said, turning a page. ; "Oh, here's another one. It says, ; 'University Chancellor Dr. Howard ; Pettrack refused to comment on rumors ; that a female student was the victim of ; date rape last night. The matter is ; under investigation.'"
; ; "Any murders?"
; ; "No, Ruth, no murders. What's with ; you, all this sudden interest in crime?"
; ; "Psych. class," she said. "We're ; supposed to keep track of the local ; crimes, so we can discuss them in class. ; We're on deviant behavior now."
; ; Ruth had brought a pizza home, and ; she pigged out, studying for a chemistry ; exam Friday morning. Finally, when she ; had actually memorized the last chapter, ; she glanced up at the clock and realized ; she had to get some sleep. No point ; going into an exam groggy. She brushed ; her teeth, used the bathroom, and crawled ; into bed. It seemed to her that she was ; instantly asleep.
; ; Then the dreams began, wild dreams! ; She dreamt she was a freshman student, in ; Gibson dorm, and her roommate had left to ; go home for the weekend. The roommate ; lived in Cleveland. Ruth didn't know how ; she knew that. She dreamt that she put ; tape over the automatic lock on the east ; fire exit so her boyfriend could sneak in ; and come to her room. She pushed her room ; door closed and made sure it was locked. ; He put his arms around her. They kissed. ; He pulled her tightly against him, so she ; could feel his manly, athletic body ; pressed against hers. She felt his hands ; slide down to grasp her buttocks, and ; felt a little tingle as he squeezed. ; Then his hands took the waistband of her ; sweatshirt. His released his grip on her ; and lifted her sweatshirt. It caught for ; an instant, below her breasts, and then ; they were free, exposed. Ruth, whoever ; she was, knew he would do that, dreamt ; that she wanted it, and that's why she ; wasn't wearing a bra. "Mmmm," he said, ; softly, as he licked and sucked her ; breasts. She could even smell the beer ; on his breath; it seemed so real, yet so ; strange. In her dream, she was smaller ; and thinner, another person, not Ruth. He ; got his hand inside the waistband of her ; jeans, and it felt so real! The tingles ; from her breasts, radiating through her ; body, and the delicious pressure of his ; fingers between her legs. They tumbled ; onto the dorm room bed; she could hear it ; squeak in her dream and see the posters ; on the walls and ceiling of the room. He ; tugged at her jeans, but they wouldn't ; move far, until he managed to undo the ; button and the zipper.
; ; "Don't," she breathed, softly. She ; felt her jeans being dragged down, over ; her hips, pushed down over her knees. He ; began to pull on her panties, and she ; felt the elastic pop. "No, Bill," Ruth ; said, in her dream, "I'm afraid." She ; could feel that her panties were no ; longer protecting her, that she was ; utterly naked to his gaze. Even in her ; dream, so vivid, so real, Ruth realized ; it wasn't herself talking; it was like ; tapping into someone else's brain, ; feeling the sensations of someone else's ; body.
; ; "Don't be. I have a condom."
; ; "No, not even with a condom." Ruth ; dreamt that she thought of saying that ; she was a virgin, and wanted to stay that ; way, but she actually said, "I don't want ; to take the slightest chance. It's my ; fertile time of the month." Then Bill ; picked her up and propped her up on the ; pillows, pulling her jeans and panties ; down around her ankles, then actually ; pulling them off over one foot, so that ; her right leg was entirely bare and her ; left foot was swathed in rumpled ; clothing. "Please, Bill, don't get me ; pregnant." She tried to clamp her knees ; together, but he pushed them apart, bent ; down between them, and put his tongue in ; her navel. Wow, it felt as if he'd ; pulled a string attached to her sex ; organs. Then she felt his breath on her ; thighs, and his nose in her short hairs, ; and his tongue...Wow! "Ohhh, Bill." Ruth ; had never had a guy go down on her, but ; it seemed so real, so believable, so ; detailed, in her dream. In seconds, it ; seemed, her insides were fluttering, as ; if her womb was a heart, beating, and she ; had a glorious orgasm!
; ; Only then, the way it is in dreams, ; she was someone else, and she was in a ; car, sitting on some guy's lap, with her ; back to him and her skirt up around her ; waist and his hands cupping her breasts. ; He was inside her, bucking like crazy, ; and she was squirming and rocking. Ruth ; had another wild orgasm, and then ; another, except this time she was out in ; the woods somewhere, and she was on top. ; One after another, again and again, in ; her dream, Ruth was a different person, ; with a different man, in a different ; place, coming like crazy each time, until ; at last she woke, trembling from the ; exertion of a sexual marathon.
; ; Ruth was drenched with sweat, all ; wet down below, feeling as if she ; couldn't stand coming one more time. ; What's happening? I'm a virgin. I've ; never gone all the way in my life. How ; can I dream such things? How can I know ; what it feels like? She fell back on her ; pillow and tried to reason it out. It ; seemed so real. She had been "touching ; herself" ever since junior high school. ; She had experienced an orgasm, but never ; so many, never such intense orgasms, not ; like these, which left her worn out. How ; could she dream so realistically, so ; vividly, about something she had never ; experienced? Lamachi, if he knew, would ; probably smirk and call it repressed ; sexuality, make some remark about dreams ; as wish-fulfillment. Ruth resolved never ; to tell anyone. She felt ashamed, dirty. ; At last she fell asleep again.
; ; Somehow, Ruth got through that Chem. ; exam, but all Friday afternoon, working ; again at Leno's, she had a weird feeling ; that people were looking at her. It was ; as if they could tell she was some kind ; of nocturnal nymphomaniac, as if it ; showed. Ruth felt as if she were the ; victim of some huge injustice; she didn't ; even have a boy friend.
; ; It was nearly midnight when the ; Friday night crush was over, and it was ; spooky, standing by the bus stop. Ruth ; shivered a little, standing there in her ; light waitress uniform. There was a big, ; bright full moon. She felt conspicuous ; and vulnerable. It would have been more ; sensible to change into my jeans, she ; thought. She could imagine a car full of ; men stopping and kidnapping her.
; ; Finally, her bus came into sight, ; groaned and sneezed to a stop, and she ; got on, got into the warm security of the ; dark steel box with the familiar smells, ; body odor, diesel fumes, stale perfume, ; and she could see a few familiar forms of ; passengers stolid in their seats. In the ; anonymity of the dark bus, humming slowly ; through the darkened streets, she finally ; felt more secure. No one was staring at ; her. No one was threatening her.
; ; When Ruth got home, Mrs. Pronko had ; left the newspaper by her door. The ; headline read, "Student Found Dead." Ruth ; hurried inside, locked the door, and read ; all about it. A student, just recently ; suspended, had been found behind the ; field house, his skull bashed in and the ; body mutilated. The police, the paper ; said, had arrested one suspect. The dead ; man was supposed to have raped the ; suspect's ex-girlfriend. However, the ; police had let him go. It seemed that, ; under questioning, the girlfriend, who ; wasn't identified, admitted that she had ; lied in accusing him. She said she ; thought her new man was making a play for ; her roommate, and, somehow, if she ; branded the guy a rapist, he'd have to ; stick with her. Sick. On the editorial ; page, some editor, who wasn't on top of ; the late news, had written about how the ; murder had all the earmarks of a ; homosexual falling out, and he called for ; the police to shut down all gay bars. ; Double sick. But, of course, the worst ; was that Ruth had dreamed about the ; murder, in detail, before it had ; happened.
; ; The student exhibitionist, that ; could have been coincidence. The rape ; she dreamed about, with the nurse, that ; wasn't confirmed,and besides, "incidents" ; happen all the time. Dream about a rape, ; there's bound to be one soon, somewhere. ; All the orgasms Thursday night. Well, ; there are probably dozens of students out ; screwing each other, but there's no way ; to know whether what she had dreamed ; really happened, or was going to happen. ; But the murder, the crushed skull and ; "mutilated body," the location just where ; she dreamed it happened, that really made ; a believer out of her.
; ; Ruth wanted to sleep, but she was ; afraid to lie down in bed. What would ; she dream tonight? She stayed away from ; her bedroom, prowling in circles in the ; other room, wringing her hands, picking ; up specks of fluff from the floor, ; washing the one dirty dish, a coffee mug. ; She adjusted the curtain on the window, ; sharpened a pencil from her student's ; desk, finally willed herself to sprawl in ; the broken down armchair. She could not ; relax.
; ; Ruth went upstairs and knocked on ; Mrs. Pronko's door. "Mrs. Pronko, can we ; talk? Something has happened which has ; me all shook up."
; ; The door opened a crack. "No, Ruth, ; I can't talk now." Ruth smelled tobacco ; smoke. She has a man in there. ; "I understand. It's just that... ; well, I just can't get to sleep," Ruth ; whispered back.
; ; "You can't sleep? I know just the ; thing for you." The door closed, then ; opened in a moment, just a few inches, as ; Mrs. Pronko handed out a bottle. "Drink ; this. Sleep well. We can talk tomorrow, ; if you have to." The door made a loud ; KECHUNK as it closed. Then there was the ; sound of the deadbolt lock, too. The ; bottle was half full of rum. Ruth ; drained it, there in the hall, surprised ; that it burned her throat. She wasn't ; used to alcohol, too law-abiding, under ; normal circumstances, to drink alcohol ; while underage. She left the empty on the ; floor, and headed down the stairs. The ; rum worked fast, allayed her ; apprehensions, banished fear. She shed ; her clothes onto the floor, shrugged into ; a night dress, and collapsed on her bed. ; Soon she was asleep.
; ; Ruth dreamt that she woke up, and ; saw the moonlight on her bedroom wall, ; the moon shining through the window. In ; her dream, she sensed there was someone ; in her room, though she knew she had ; locked the windows and door. "Who is ; it?" she called out.
; ; "It is I, Professor Lamachi," said ; the familiar voice, and a dark figure ; stepped into the moonlight, large as ; life. She noticed the mole on his nose.
; ; "Get out!" she yelled.
; ; "No, Miss Minton, I will not." Ruth ; tried to scream, hoping Mrs. Pronko would ; hear, but she couldn't; she couldn't make ; a noise. His eyes stared at her, and she ; felt as if she couldn't move, as if he ; had paralysed her with his stare. In her ; dream, he came to her, dressed in a big, ; black cloak. He slipped it off, and ; underneath he was naked. Scared as she ; was, she could still think: Ha, a ; flasher. It might have been funny, but ; this was too real, as real as her other ; dreams, and she was scared. He laid her ; out on the bed; she was powerless to ; resist him. He pulled her nightgown over ; her head, exposing her body. He hovered ; over her, caressing her breasts, stroking ; her body and legs, spreading her knees, ; so he could kneel between them. She ; couldn't raise a hand to push him off. ; She couldn't scream. She couldn't even ; move her legs. All she could see was ; those staring eyes, which seemed to glow ; in the dark.
; ; "It's all right, Miss Minton," he ; assured her, "It isn't going to hurt." ; Then he lowered himself, covering her, so ; real, and she was powerless to resist. ; She could feel him entering her, and feel ; the weight of him on her thighs and ; belly, as he pushed deeper and deeper. ; She felt pangs of anguish at being ; violated, imposed upon, deprived of her ; virginity, but it didn't hurt, ; physically, not then. It wasn't the ; storied brutal penetration of the ; ravished virgin; she was wet and ; receptive. He slipped right in. It was ; like her other dreams, so realistic, so ; thrilling. As she felt him moving, doing ; push-ups over her, she couldn't help ; herself. The sensitivity, the tension, ; the excitement, built up and up, as he ; stared into her eyes. With every ; movement, it was as if he injected her ; with electric energy, so she was ; squeezing and shaking inside, stirred, ; filled by him and his strange power. In ; spite of herself, she came in a glorious ; Fourth-of-July, 1812 Overture orgasm, the ; Big O, with thunder and lightning and the ; most earthshaking, shuddering spasms ; she'd ever felt, over and over. Still, ; he thrust into her, then teasingly ; withdrew, then thrust again, faster and ; faster, stretching her, filling her, ; making waves of excitement which seemed ; to race through her body and reflect back ; to her groin, building up, setting off ; another storm raging in her pelvis. She ; was sure he was coming, too, and she ; could feel his hot breath on her neck. ; Just as she reached the heights once ; again, unable to stop, unwilling to stop, ; demented, delirious with ecstasy, she ; felt him bite her neck, and heard him ; slurping her blood!
; ; At that point, Ruth woke up, gasping ; for air, her heart pounding. She reached ; to her throat, but there was no wound, no ; blood, not yet. She looked at the clock. ; It was 3 am, Saturday morning, and there ; she was, sitting on her bed, in her ; nightgown, shivering with fright. The ; full noon was shining in her window, ; making a rectangular patch of light on ; the floor, and, already, the rectangle of ; moonlight was starting up the wall. Ruth ; trembled. She had just dreamed of her ; own death, or maybe something worse than ; death, and her dreams, she was sure, ; always came true. She sat there, staring ; at the moonlight on the wall, watching ; the rectangle creep upward, counting the ; minutes until she would discover ; Professor Lamachi in her room.
; ; Her mind seemed incapable of coming ; to grip with her imminent fate. Should ; she pray? No, she didn't believe in God. ; But then, she didn't believe in vampires, ; either, until right now. She wasn't sure ; what happened when they bit you, but she ; didn't want to find out. Then she ; realized that, this time, it didn't have ; to come true. She would make it so it ; couldn't come true. She pulled the ; shade, so there would be no moonlight on ; the wall. Then she got dressed, wearing ; jeans, so he couldn't pull her nightgown ; up. She went into the kitchenette and ; put water on, to make instant coffee. ; Waiting for the water to boil, she sat in ; the dilapidated armchair and, as if ; drugged, she slipped into sleep.
; ; Hands groped beneath her shirt. Hot ; breath wafted across her throat. She woke ; with a scream. She made and drank strong ; coffee, until the big jar of instant was ; empty. She turned on the radio to an all- ; night station and paced the floor, ; determined not to fall asleep. Several ; times, even as she walked, her eyes ; drifted closed, and terrible images ; captured her brain: glowing eyes of ; Professor Lamachi, blood dribbling across ; her breast, snakes, seething between her ; legs and burrowing into her abdomen, open ; graves, gruesome specters, each vision so ; frightening that she awoke with her heart ; pounding. She tried to keep walking, ; longing for the dawn.
; ; Ruth opened one eye, then both. Her ; heart was not pounding. She was curled, ; more or less comfortably, in the ; armchair. The clock said 2:14, and ; sunlight shone through the curtains of ; her window. She went into the bathroom, ; examined herself for wounds. No blood. ; She showered and dressed in clean ; clothes, eyeing, mistrustfully, her ; rumpled bed. Then she left the little ; two-room apartment, carrying her waitress ; uniform. She would be early for the four ; to midnight shift at Leno's.
; ; Leaving Leno's, she noted that the ; moon was still almost full, and the sky ; was clear. The thought of lying in her ; bed, watching the moonlight on her wall, ; was far more frightening than the shadows ; of the night.She did not want to go home. ; Anywhere was better than that. She went ; through the alley to the back of Leno's ; and found a piece of wooden crate, an ; improvised defensive weapon, about as ; useful as a policeman's nightstick, she ; figured. Then Ruth started down the ; street, staying close to the curb, away ; from doorways. She walked away from her ; apartment, saw the bus she would have ; taken leaving Third and Main for it's ; last run. Wistfully, she watched its red ; tail lights grow smaller as its tires ; whirred on the pavement.
; ; Downtown was almost deserted. There ; were lights, of course, street lights, ; some store windows, traffic lights, dim ; glows from office buildings, sometimes a ; glimpse of a red exit sign through a ; window. A wino sprawled in a doorway, ; oblivious. An intersection away, a ; police car cruised by. She thought ; perhaps it slowed a bit, as if the unseen ; driver was observing her, but it ; disappeared and didn't come back. On ; North Main, across the bridge from ; downtown, there was a place, Paddy's Bar ; and Grill, with music leaking out, but ; she passed quickly by. The EXXXotic Art ; Theater was still open, "Open 24 hrs". ; Two young men were kissing, just beyond ; the lights of the entrance. She walked ; and walked, past the brass foundry, auto ; dealerships, the hospital, countless dark ; houses. She walked until there were no ; longer sidewalks. Then she did an about ; face and walked back.
; ; It was past dawn on Sunday morning, ; when she let herself into her apartment ; and dropped her stick. Her arm muscles ; were cramped from gripping it for hours. ; Skin slipped off blisters when she pulled ; off her shoes. She slumped, asleep, in ; the chair and, blessedly, did not dream.
; ; Leno's was closed on Sundays. That ; afternoon, Ruth climbed the stairs and ; knocked on Mrs. Pronko's door.
; ; "Mama can't come to the door right ; now. Go away." It was little Caitlyn's ; voice, muffled by the door. There was no ; point in asking for help there. Ruth ; couldn't think where else she could go. ; She would have to tough it out, sleep in ; her own place that night.
; ; It was a tough night, sleeping ; in the chair. Ruth dreamed of waking up ; to find Lamachi in bed with her. That ; woke her up for real. She dreamed that ; the campus police arrested her, strip- ; searched her, and then pushed her, naked, ; into a room where Dr. Lamachi stood ; waiting for her. She dreamt of being in ; a mental hospital, in the most secure ; ward, with bars on all the windows, and ; Dr. Lamachi was the psychiatrist in ; charge. She dreamt that she confronted ; Lamachi in his campus office, and he ; smiled and said, "Miss Minton, if you ; refuse to participate in the assigned ; activities, I don't see how I can ; possibly give you a passing grade." Then ; he rose and approached her, beginning to ; unbutton her blouse. In one fragment of ; dream, when her eyes had just closed for ; a moment, just before dawn, she didn't ; see or hear Lamachi, only vaguely smelled ; him and was aware of his presence; she ; had an explosive orgasm which left her ; disoriented and confused, pacing the ; floor with her crotch wet and her nipples ; sore.
; ; At first opportunity, Ruth forced ; her way into Dr. Pentledown's office. In ; contrast to Ruth's T-shirt and jeans, the ; spare Dean of Women wore a severe, ; tailored suit with a black string tie. ; She had half-glasses on, as she had been ; reading her mail. Looking over the semi- ; circular lenses as if Ruth were some sort ; of vermin, Dr. Pentledown spoke: "I only ; see students by appointment."
; ; "This is important. It can't wait."
; ; "Oh. Well, we'll see. Your name?"
; ; "Ruth Minton."
; ; Dr. Pentledown swivelled her chair a ; quarter turn and addressed a computer ; terminal: "Minton, Ruth Anne, second ; year, student number..."
; ; "Yes, that's me."
; ; "Don't be impatient, Miss Minton. ; You seem to be doing well academically, ; all A's this term, except a B in ; calculus. What seems to be the trouble?"
; ; "I want to report...I want to report ; a case of sexual harassment."
; ; Dr. Pentledown's eyes flashed, and ; the corners of her mouth twitched. Ruth ; wondered if it was in anger or ; anticipation. The dean looked like an ; owl which had just seen a mouse. "Who ; are you accusing?" she said, evenly.
; ; "Dr. Lamachi, the Psych. prof."
; ; "And what did he allegedly do, to ; harass you?"
; ; "It's kind of hard to explain. I... ; I can't really talk about it."
; ; "It's that embarrassing, Ruth?" The ; dean's voice had softened, seemed almost ; sympathetic. "Was it something he said ; to you which was offensive?"
; ; "No, not exactly."
; ; "Something he did? Did he touch ; you, in a sexual way?"
; ; "Yes. No. No, he didn't actually ; touch me. He... he made love to me, in ; my dreams."
; ; Dr. Pentledown might have laughed, ; but she didn't. She seemed very annoyed, ; and Ruth knew she would have to tell all: ; "He has been harassing me in my dreams, ; by telepathy. He won't let me sleep. He ; behaves like a... like a vampire."
; ; The Dean just stared for several ; seconds. "A vampire? How does he behave ; like a vampire?"
; ; Ruth noticed she wore no rings, ; wondered if the Dean of Women would know ; what she meant if she told her about the ; orgasms, orgasms which had become a ; torture Ruth could no longer endure. ; Still, she would have to tell it all. ; "At night, he comes into my room and ; seduces me."
; ; "How does he get into your room?"
; ; "He just appears. In my dreams."
; ; "You dream of Dr. Lamachi." The ; older woman looked pensive. "Yes, well I ; suppose he is rather handsome. You're ; probably not the first student to find ; him attractive, but I don't think that's ; grounds to complain about sexual ; harassment. Has he actually said anything ; or done anything to you?"
; ; "He bit my neck, like a vampire."
; ; "When? Where?"
; ; "In my dream. When he was making ; love to me."
; ; "That's not.."
; ; "He's a vampire, I tell you. You've ; got to stop him."
; ; "Ruth, my child, you are a sensible ; person, an engineering major, trained in ; logical thinking. Can you possibly ; believe that Dr. Lamachi is a vampire?"
; ; "He is. He haunts me, every night. ; I can't sleep."
; ; "I don't think anyone else has ; complained. We don't find young women ; with puncture wounds on their necks. ; Ruth, be sensible. You find him ; attractive..." Dr. Pentledown winced. ; "...You find him attractive and your ; imagination is filling in the rest. It's ; not his fault."
; ; "You don't understand. He's evil."
; ; Dr. Pentledown took out a sheet of ; stationery and wrote a short note on it. ; She put it in an envelope and licked the ; flap with her thin, pink tongue. She ; pressed it sealed and handed it to Ruth. ; "Take this to the Student Health Office, ; immediately." Ruth took the envelope and ; stood, confused. "Now. Go. Take it to ; the doctor." She thinks I'm crazy. This ; is a note to the doctor, telling him to ; lock me up, put me away.
; ; Outside in the quad, Ruth ripped ; open the note and scanned it. The words ; leapt out at her: "request immediate ; psychiatric evaluation," "relates ; apparent paranoid delusions," "possible ; schizophrenia." She crumpled the paper ; and threw it violently into a waste ; barrel. "I'm not crazy!" she cried. ; "I'm a telepath." Seconds passed, while ; she just stood there. "Yes, I'm a ; telepath," she whispered. I'm an ; engineering student, trained in logical ; thinking. I have discovered that I have ; strange psychic powers, precognition, ; telepathy, who knows what. The logical ; thing to do is to find out how to use ; them. Look for an engineering solution.
; ; Smiling now, Ruth walked over to the ; Student Union, bought a cup of coffee at ; the snack bar, and sat down to think it ; through. I do not have to play the role ; of victim. I do not have to let him ; invade my mind. I can beat him, if I use ; my brain, my logical thinking processes. ; She used the pay phone to call Leno's, ; left a message that she was feeling ill ; and wouldn't be in to work. She walked ; out to the quad and looked up at the ; building marked Emerson Memorial Hall, ; Psychology and Human Relations. ; A minute later, she was outside Room ; 216, Professor Lamachi's office. She ; knew what she was doing now, as she read ; the little sign with his office hours ; posted. She leaned against the wall, ; close by the door. She didn't know how ; telepathy worked, but she reasoned that, ; like radio, the signals would be stronger ; up close. So far, she had only received ; signals at night, while she was asleep, ; but if she closed her eyes and... well, ; she would experiment. A few seconds ; later, there appeared on that movie ; screen in the brain a scene, the inside ; of Dr. Lamachi's office, as seen from his ; chair. Then the view moved down to his ; lesson plan.
; ; Hallucinations ; 1. Causes ; A. Drugs/ toxins ; B. Lack of sleep ; C. Sensory deprivation ; D. Disease ; E. Direct stimulation of the brain ; 2. Typical Manifestations
; ; That was enough for Ruth. She ; walked down the hall, smiling. That ; sucker didn't even know I had tapped into ; his brain. She stopped by an occupied ; classroom, closed her eyes, and tried ; again. She saw a notebook page, and she ; was writing, in her best script: ; Jane Burger ; Mrs. Anton Burger ; Mrs. Anton J. Burger ; Ruth tuned that out and scanned her ; receiver some more. She was a young man, ; Anton, perhaps, and she was concentrating ; on Jane's tits, as she was writing in her ; notebook. Ruth tried to pick up others, ; but all she succeeded in getting was ; doodles and tits. Aren't any of the ; other students thinking? Maybe there are ; only two good transmitters in there.
; ; She went back to the Student Union, ; sat in a corner with her eyes closed. ; Scene: the kitchen. A big pot of red ; sauce. Did I already add two cups of ; salt? Change of scene: A table in the ; middle of the room. She "listened" to ; the conversation for a while. One of the ; students must be a good transmitter. ; Ruth amused herself for an hour or so, ; practicing her receiving skills. OK, I ; can receive whenever I want to, not just ; when I'm asleep, and I know how to tune ; out, when I want to. What else can I do ; with this amazing brain of mine? Ruth ; watched a student employee bussing dirty ; dishes. She imagined herself to be the ; student, imagined tripping and dropping ; her tray. The student carried the tray ; into the kitchen. There was no crash of ; dropped dishes. ; An airhead blonde, probably a ; Communications major, was sipping a diet ; cola. Ruth resented skinny blondes who ; drink diet colas. She imagined herself ; getting up, crossing behind the blonde, ; and bumping that airhead with her 165 ; pounds of real woman. As she concentrated ; on that fantasy, repeating it in her mind ; for the third time, the blonde suddenly ; lurched in her seat and spilled her drink ; all over her books. Bingo. So that's ; how it's done. The student bussing ; dishes, she had a fresh load and was ; headed for the kitchen. Ruth imagined ; herself sneaking up behind her, like some ; sort of ghost, and grabbing her ankles. ; CRASH. The busgirl went sprawling. Lots ; of things make sense to me, now.
; ; Ruth spent Monday night in her own ; apartment, staying up to think. She ; didn't study; she just sat and ; concentrated, very hard, on what she had ; resolved to do earlier that day. There ; were no unwelcome orgasms. She didn't ; sleep. Sleep deprivation seemed to ; heighten her powers. She did take her ; stick, her "nightstick," and whittled it ; down to a sharp point. She spent a lot ; of time hefting it, getting the feel of ; it.
; ; Tuesday morning, before Psych class, ; Ruth walked past Room 216. Yes, he was ; in there. She walked to the women's rest ; room, just around the corner, and, in the ; privacy of a stall, she concentrated ; again on her game plan. She imagined ; herself outside Lamachi's office, every ; detail correct. Her hand reached for the ; door knob. She grasped the knob. She ; turned the knob.She pushed the door open. ; There, on her mental movie screen, she ; could see him clearly, his feet up on his ; desk. "Miss Minton," he said, "what can ; I do for you?" She locked the door ; behind her.
; ; Using her mind's eye, Ruth scanned ; the office for a suitable weapon. Except ; for his phone, there was nothing heavy ; and hard to hit him with. Ah, but there ; are other weapons."Dr. Lamachi, you must ; know how much I admire you."
; ; "No, I didn't realize you might feel ; that way."
; ; She moved close to him. Her full, ; soft hip gently bumped his leg. "Surely ; you know about the dreams I've been ; having, erotic dreams, about you."
; ; "No, Miss Minton. How could I ; possibly know about your dreams?"
; ; He's pretending innocence. "Oh, I ; think you know, Dr. Lamachi. Remember? ; Telepathy? Telekinesis? You have been ; invading the privacy of my bedroom and ; seducing me while I slept, haven't you?"
; ; "No, of course not." He tried to ; get up, but she pushed him back into his ; chair. With one straight arm against his ; chest, she held him there. With the ; other hand she groped for his fly and ; unzipped it. "Really, Miss Minton, this ; is highly irregular."
; ; "Don't be coy, Dr. Lamachi. I know ; about telepathy now, and I know you are ; hot for my body." She could feel his ; penis swelling in her hand. She ; maneuvered it through the fly of his ; undershorts. Yes, he was uncircumcised, ; just as he had been in her dream.
; ; "Miss Minton, please stop."
; ; "You like it, Dr. Lamachi. You ; can't lie to me."
; ; "Well, I... There isn't much time ; before class. Perhaps we could... ; another time, perhaps?"
; ; Still holding him down with one ; hand, and holding him up with the other, ; she bent over and applied her lips to his ; organ, which responded instantly by ; stiffening considerably. "You are not so ; old, are you, Dr. lamachi, that you can't ; find me attractive?" With her lips and ; tongue, she fellated him, while her hand ; let go of his penis and felt for his ; scrotum. He was transmitting strongly, ; now. She could feel what it felt like to ; be a man with a woman doing that. She ; could even feel her own fingers on "her" ; scrotum. Lamachi answered her question ; with a long sigh. Lamachi, I've got you ; by the balls, for what you did to me. ; Bite my neck, will you? Perhaps he was ; receiving her, too, but it was too late. ; Even as he struggled to get away, she bit ; down hard on his prick and squeezed his ; balls as viciously as she could. His ; body bucked and arched, but he couldn't ; escape her grip. Still squeezing and ; twisting his testicles, she released his ; prick and threw one of her legs over his, ; so she was sitting on his legs, pinning ; him down with 165 pounds of feminine ; flesh. He howled and clawed at her face, ; but her free hand went from his chest to ; his throat. His screams abated to a ; feeble gurgle. His eyes rolled. His face ; turned red. She could "hear" him ; transmitting, pleading with her, but she ; ignored that, just as she ignored the ; pain which seemed to come from balls she ; didn't have, and the indescribable need ; to gasp for breath.
; ; Sitting there on the toilet, eyes ; closed, concentrating hard, Ruth imagined ; the sharpened stick which she brought ; with her. It appeared in the right hand ; of the phantom Ruth, who sat astride the ; helpless Dr. Lamachi, as she choked him ; with her left hand. She could feel arms ; thrashing, fingers clutching for her ; face, her eyes. She pushed aside his ; black tie with the point of the stick, ; slipped it between the buttons of his ; shirt, just below the breastbone. ; Lamachi gurgled, twisted, obviously ; struggling for his life, but Ruth had ; almost infinite strength. If she needed ; more, she had only to imagine it.
; ; She released his throat and held the ; stick with both hands. She leaned over ; him and pushed, putting her weight behind ; it. She could feel his pain in her own ; chest, as the wooden stake pierced the ; skin and flesh. She used both hands to ; direct the point more upward, to thrust ; for the heart. A sense of calm came over ; Ruth. The pain in her chest was gone. ; The pain in her throat was gone. The ; pain in her phantom testicles was gone. ; He's dead, she thought. You can kill a ; vampire with a wooden stake through the ; heart. Then, as in the dream where the ; dog ran away with the penis, Ruth had ; another of those shuddering orgasms. It ; made her smile, this time.
; ; Exhausted, sweaty from her ; exertions, Ruth sat on the toilet for ; several minutes, until she was more ; composed. She knew they could never ; connect her with the crime; it was the ; classic murder in a locked room.
; ; Then she left the rest room and ; walked down the hall. Thirty students ; milled around in the hall outside the ; classroom. She stopped by the office ; door. He was in there, alive! She turned ; the door knob and pushed. The door was ; unlocked. She went in and confronted Dr. ; Lamachi. She would re-enact what she had ; foreseen minutes ago in the women's room.
; ; "I've been expecting you, Miss ; Minton. You have a talent, but it can't ; compare with mine. I know exactly what ; you were thinking. Yes, you will suck my ; cock, but not right now. I have a class ; to go to." The stick flew from her hand.
; ; "Yes, Master," she heard herself ; saying. When Dr. Lamachi left the office ; and locked the door behind him, Ruth was ; sitting, helpless, in his office chair. ; While there was no physical restraint, ; her arms felt as if they were bound to ; the arms of the chair, and she could not ; escape. In a desk drawer, a vibrator ; buzzed. Vaginal secretions soaked the ; crotch of Ruth's jeans as she writhed, ; grunting, right on the edge, but denied ; the release of an orgasm.
; ; [END] ; ;