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"Who's there?" he called, Pete had heard a strange ruffling noise. As if someone was hiding in the bushes, his heart pounded. His throat felt dry, his grip on his fighting stick tightened. That's when he saw her, a young woman stumbling out of the bushes clad in a ripped black cocktail dress with a strap hanging down and the other still up. The skirt was bunched up around her waist, bruises littered on her arms and neck and legs, and there was blood to. Pete was frozen, his natural instinct told him to help her but he didn't know what to do. Thank God Alex and the others weren't there, but especially Alex.

She reminded him of a scared rabbit, trembling in the cold November night. "Miss?" he said softly, she flinched violently at the sound of his voice and blindly, desperately, looked for somewhere to hide. "No, No, please don't run away. I won't hurt you, I promise. Are you okay?" he felt stupid for asking that, of course she wasn't. She still wouldn't come out, and he heard her sob. It was a heartbreaking sound. It was the sound of a girl who'd just had something so awful happen to her it couldn't be explained in words, not in that moment. "Please let me help you, I can see you've been hurt" another sob and he could see her hugging her knees; burying her face in the tiny space there. Trying to block everything out.

"I-I…my dress…he…r-r-ripped…I can't…." she struggled to explain to him, her voice shaking violently as she attempted to force herself to string a coherent sentence together. Pete figured out what she meant immediately, "Who ripped your dress? Can you tell me who it was? We can go to the police" not even a split second had passed when she replied with a "NO!" that almost made him jump. "Okay, okay no police. Can you tell me what happened?" when she said nothing he wasn't that surprised, why would she want to tell a stranger what happened to her? She'd have a hard enough time telling those closest to her. "He…I…I thought…I-I…but he I s-said…I said No a-and…he…" she couldn't continue.

That's when it hit him. The bruises, the tears, the scratches, the ripped tights, the blood running down her inner thighs, the way she trembled and hugged herself in a painfully childlike way of protection. The girl cowering in the bushes on this cold November night had been brutally raped. Pete figured he'd known the whole time but he just didn't want to believe it, it was just so sickening. "Miss…I'm sorry but….were you raped?" he couldn't think of a delicate way to ask, he crawled on his hands and knees to reach her. "Hey, it's okay now. Whoever did this…they're gone, okay?" at least he hoped they were gone, fuck. She sobbed again, refusing to look at him or anything. "Listen I'm Pete. I'm going to try my hardest to help you okay?" he watched as she peeked at him, like a scared child hiding behind her mother's legs regarding a new stranger. "I…I'm…Katie"

"Oh, what a real sladky sight to behold, isn't it my little droogies?"

Pete was startled by the sound of his "friend's" voice booming behind him but Katie was absolutely terrified, she let out a strangled screaming sound that plunged straight down Pete's spinal column, she was frozen and Pete watched as Alex approached her slowly; a predator savoring the taste of his prey. "Now don't be so poogly of your Uncle Alex, my darling, I just want to filly with you again" Pete's whole body went rigid on that last word, again. "D-Don't…don't you f-fucking touch me!" she shrieked, and her attempt to sound tough was ruined by the crack and tremble in her terror filled voice. "Alex, just leave her alone" Pete tried, his own voice sounding weak to. He would never admit it, but Alex scared him.

"And if I don't, little brother?" he jeered at him, Pete stepped in front of the cowering girl. "Just leave her the fuck alone" he growled, surprised at the strength in his voice Pete stepped towards Alex menacingly. But Alex didn't back down, his own grip tightened on his cane and he smirked at the younger boy. Alex jerked his head and Dim and Georgie emerged like his personal Hell Hounds from the shadows. Pete couldn't take on three people, fuck. Alex lunged at him, his cane swung in the air so fast it was a blur. Katie's piercing scream was lost in the night as Georgie roughly man-handled her into a laying position on her back. "Get away from her!" Pete yelled, trying to fight Alex and failing miserably. He found himself on his hands and knees, his whole face stinging with pain and struggling to get back to his feet. Alex's boot struck him so hard he heard his ribs breaking. "Hold him down"

And so Pete was forced to watch Alex rape the young girl he'd tried so desperately to help, his stomach turned violently with every heart wrenching sob of pain and suffering that slipped from her mouth. Her muffled screams made tears well in his eyes, he hated all of them. He fucking hated these three heartless monsters, but especially Alex Delarge. When Alex was finished with her ,a second time, he beckoned Dim and Georgie over. "Oh don't be like that, darling, after all they didn't get their turns the last time now did they? Keep those pretty legs open real wide or I'll carve out the pretty piece of flesh between your legs right right?" Pete shuddered, he wasn't sure if Alex was bluffing about mutilating her vagina but fucking hell, even if he was bluffing it didn't make the threat any less disturbing or sick.

The night dragged on, and he couldn't even fathom how horrible he felt for her. She'd already been raped by Alex for shit sake; and the bastard just couldn't let her move on could he? Pete hated him. He hated him. He hated him. He fucking hated him. Katie wouldn't move after they were done with her, she stared straight up at the dark sky and her eyes were…dead, that was the only word that came to his mind. "Come come come now, my little droogies. The night is still young" and Alex was turning his back, he could care less about the girl they'd just hurt. Pete didn't move, he was shaking and his teeth were grinding together. It hurt to move a lot, walking meant absolute agony.

Alex smirked when he saw Pete weakly crawling over towards the girl, "I'm so sorry" he whispered. Alex was dragging him away by his collar like a disobedient dog. "It's been lovely, sweetheart, have a nice life" he called over his shoulder mockingly, "Keep walking you insignifant twit or I'll go back and fuck her a third time" Pete wanted to help her, make sure she got home safe but he didn't want to risk her getting hurt again so he kept his mouth shut and kept walking; wincing in pain with every step. Pete would never find out what would become of Katie, the girl in the black cocktail dress. And he found that it protected his already fragile heart, everytime Alex hurt a young woman in that horrible way—Pete would tell himself, that girl is going to be fine. She's going to bounce back, she's going to heal.

And while yes, most girls did. Pete would later find out that many other girls would lead lives of depression and anxiety after their attacks, one of which successfully killed herself by cutting too deeply. He visited her gravestone two weeks after Alex was arrested for killing the cat lady. His fingers traced letters in her name, forever etched upon the smooth granite.

"KATHERINE MAXWELL"

…Katie.

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