"Well, if everyone is ready I guess we can leave," Susannah announced. Viki put Timmy's coat on him. She buttoned it up all the way. She put a scarf around his neck to protect him from the cold November day. She then put her own coat on and they were on their way. Susannah wondered, as she unlocked the doors that led off the unit, if Todd or Pete were aware that they were finally getting out, past the doors they had each tried so hard to get through.

************************************************************************************************************

Sam's brought his car to the front of the hospital. Susannah, Terry, Frank, Jeff and Viki waited in the hospital lobby with Timmy. Timmy had been apprehensive about walking through the doors that led off the unit. "Your daddy is not out there, Timmy. I promise," Susannah had assured him.

Once on the elevator, he became afraid of the other passengers. Timmy clutched Mr. Rabbit tightly his chest and buried his head in Viki's shoulder. Viki noticed some of the other passengers staring at them. She looked back at them coldly and held Timmy close to her.

"This isn't where I live! Where's my house?" A confused and frightened Timmy asked when they got to the street outside the hospital.

"We're not in Chicago, Timmy. We're in Llanview Pennsylvania," Susannah explained. She could see that Llanview held no meaning for him, any more than Asa's lodge did. He had no idea where he was.

"I wanna go to my house. Maybe my mommy is there?"

"Sweetheart, we're very far away from your house. We can't go there," Viki gently informed him. She was still not sure she did the right thing in allowing Todd to be put through this.

"I'm cold," Timmy complained. His body was not used to the cold outdoor temperatures.

"Well, let's get you into the car," Susannah said, pushing him gently towards the back seat of Sam's car.

Jeff got in first. Susannah gently guided Timmy into the back seat. She then got in next to him. Viki sat in the front with Sam. Terry and Frank followed in Terry's car.

The trip to the lodge was fairly uneventful. At first Timmy was nervous, but after calming down he started to take some interest in his surroundings and asked some questions about the scenery going by as they drove. Timmy asked first Susannah and then Jeff to hold Mr. Rabbit up to the window so he could see too. After a while Timmy curled up on the seat and put his head down on Susannah's lap and fell asleep.

"Timmy, wake up sweetie. We're here," Susannah called out softly as she gently shook her patient. She wondered if it would be Timmy who would wake up. To her relief, it was. Timmy seemed even more confused by his environment than he had been and didn't want to get out of the car.

"Where's my mommy? This isn't my house. I want mommy," he whimpered. It took about ten minutes of coaxing and soothing words from everyone but they were finally able to get Timmy to leave the car and walk into the lodge.

As had been previously arranged, Frank, Jeff and Terry had gone on in and were waiting in the next room in case Susannah needed them.

"I think we'd better leave your coat on until I get this place a little warmer," Sam said to Timmy as he turned up the heat and then started to build a fire.

Timmy started to look around the room. Suddenly he rushed into Susannah's arms. He was shaking and terrified. He cried out, "No! He's gonna eat me!"

"Who's going to eat you sweetie?" Timmy pointed to the moose head hanging on the wall.

"Timmy, that's just a big ol' stuffed moose. He's not real," Sam comforted.

"Asa's decor," Viki remarked, frowning and shaking her head from side to side.

"He's got real big teeth. He's gonna eat me!" Timmy insisted.

"Look pal, look!" Sam poked at the moose head with the fire place poker. "See! It's not real."

Timmy looked up. He finally believed the head on the wall wasn't going to hurt him. He started to calm down.

Now that the fire was going Susannah said, "Let's get you comfortable." She took Timmy's coat off.

"Timmy, will you lay down on the couch?" Susannah asked.

As usual, Timmy did what he was asked. After first taking Mr. Rabbit's vitals, when Timmy requested, "Do Mr. Rabbit first," Susannah took Timmy's pulse and his blood pressure once again.

Susannah explained to Timmy that she was going to help him get very relaxed as she had done several times before, so he was not frightened by what she planned to do. Susannah had discovered that "The Eye Fixation with Imagery Method" of hypnosis worked best with Timmy. She asked him to hold up a coin slightly above his eye level, and concentrate on just one little spot of the coin. She told him how he would become more and more relaxed.

As he relaxed, she told him the coin would start to feel heavier and heavier and drop from his fingers. Then his heavy eyelids would close and his arm would fall back down to rest on his stomach. Once this was accomplished, Susannah continued to talk to him in a slow monotone, further relaxing him and deepening his trance. She guided him to imagine being in his favorite place, which was currently the hospital playroom. She had him see and feel himself there, sitting on a special flying blanket that he was the pilot of it. He could take it anywhere he wanted to go and stop and start it at will. He was in control and he was safe.

"Timmy, it's Doctor Hanen. Can you hear me?" Timmy nodded. "Timmy, can you fly your blanket inside for a while and find Todd and help him to come out and speak with me? Then you can fly your blanket back inside or to the playroom and go to sleep for a while. Todd, I want you to let Timmy know where you are so he can help you to come out."

"Todd's hiding," Timmy spoke up slowly.

"I know he is sweetie. Todd, I know you feel safer when you hide, but I want you to come out and talk with us. You'll be safe here. Viki and Sam are here and we won't let anything bad happen to you. Todd, let Timmy take your hand and bring you to us on his special flying blanket. You'll be safe here."

"Can he actually see the alters when he's inside?" Sam asked.

Susannah held her finger up to her lips to let Sam know not to speak at this point.

"Todd, Timmy is very tired and he wants to go inside and sleep. Won't you please come out," Susannah coaxed.

To the surprise of all three of them, they saw Todd's hand reach out as if he were taking someone else's hand in his and watched as his fingers closed around the hand he was holding.

"Todd's here, but he's real scared," they heard Timmy's voice say.

"Thank you Timmy. Todd will be safe. We'll take care of him. Now, I want you to go inside and go to sleep. Todd will be safe with us."

They watched in amazement as Timmy let go of Todd's hand and went inside. Todd, apparently realizing he was alone, tensed up. The physical change was unmistakable. Todd's body actually seemed to grow taller. His face became more angular. This clearly was no longer Timmy.

"Todd can you hear me?" Susannah asked. He nodded yes.

"Todd, coming out of your hiding place and letting Timmy see you was a very brave thing to do. You are much stronger than you think you are."

"I'm so tired. Please leave me alone. Don't make me," Todd pleaded.

"Don't make you what, Todd?"

"I don't want to be here. I just want it to stop."

"Do you know where you are?"

"Hospital," Todd answered.

"No, we left the hospital for a little while. You are in Asa's lodge," Susannah informed him.

"No! No!" Todd cried out. He was shaking his head from side to side.

"Todd you're safe here. It's November 17th 1998. Sam and Viki are here. You're safe. No one is going to let anything or anyone hurt you. Nothing bad is going to happen to you. You will be able to talk about things that happened in the past and know they are not happening now. You'll know that now you are safe."

Todd calmed. Susannah allowed him to rest for a few minutes. She began again, slowly. "Todd, can you hear me?" Todd nodded. "Todd, I'm going to take you back to the night Georgie Phillips died."

"No! Please, I don't want to," Todd begged.

"It'll be okay. It's not happening now. You're just going to tell us what you were feeling."

Susannah took his pulse. His heart was beating at ninety-seven beats per minute. Despite her calming words Todd was already in panic mode and they hadn't even started yet. Susannah wondered if she should administer a little more sedation. The problem was, she wanted him as alert as possible.

"Todd, I want you to take a deep breath through your nose and let it out through your mouth." He did as he was asked. "Okay, once more." Todd took another breath. "Todd, you're feeling very calm and relaxed. I know you want to go back to inside your head, to the safe place you found, but I need you to stay with us and tell us what happened. If you start to feel afraid, I want you to take a deep breath and hear my voice telling you that it is just a memory and that it's not happening now. Todd, I going to have you open your eyes and become fully aware in a min . . ."

"No!" Todd's voice cut Susannah's off in mid-sentence. He was now violently shaking his head from side to side.

"You don't want to open your eyes and be here in the room with us?" Susannah asked, Todd shook his head no. "Are you afraid to come and talk with us?" He nodded his head yes. "There's nothing to be afraid of. Anything you might remember happened a long time ago. You can talk about it and still be safe. Right now you are here with Viki and Sam and me and nothing can hurt you. You will be able to talk about things that happened a long time ago and know that it's not happening now. All right Todd, I'm going to ask you to open your eyes, but you will still be in a trance. When I tell you to relax your trance will deepen again. You are going to go back to the night you walked in here and saw Georgie on the floor. You will be able to hear my voice and answer my questions. I'm going to count from one to three. On one you'll start to wake up, on two you'll open your eyes and on three you'll be awake and you will have just seen Georgie on the floor."

"No! Please, don't make me." Todd whimpered.

Seeing Sam, sitting there, grasping the arms of the chair, his knuckles white, Viki knew that, like her, he wanted to grab Todd and get him out of there. He wanted save him from the pain he was going through. Viki reached over and took Sam's hand into hers and whispered, " Susannah won't hurt him."

"Okay Todd, here we go," Susannah continued, "One," Todd's body tensed, "two," his eyes opened. "Three," Susannah said, snapping her fingers. Every muscle in Todd's body tightened.

Todd stood up and walked over the spot where Georgie's body had lain. He seemed unaware of anyone else in the room.

"Todd, tell me what you're seeing?" Susannah prompted. Todd bent down closer to the spot that he was seeing Georgie on. "It's that girl. The one who gave me the envelope."

Todd looked around and went through the motions of picking something up.

"What did you see Todd? What are you holding?" Susannah asked.

"It has blood all over it," he replied. His hands were shaking.

"What has blood all over it?" Susannah pressed.

"The baseball bat," Todd answered and then his hands opened up "letting the bat drop."

Todd put his hands up to his ears and shrieked, "NO! IT'S TOO LOUD! IT'S TOO LOUD!"

"What's too loud?" Susannah asked.

"Bo hit Georgie with the bat. I saw him. I heard it!" Todd lowered his hands. "She tried to get away and he hit her. IT'S TOO LOUD!" Todd shrieked. Once again he held his hands up to his ears.

Viki and Sam both looked at Susannah. They all knew that what Todd was describing never happened.

"Todd I want you to look at Georgie and describe her to me. Tell me what she looks like and what she's wearing," Susannah instructed.

Todd looked down at the floor and started describing what he saw. "She's so pretty. She has long brown hair and her eyes are open. Her eyes are so blue, but they aren't moving. I don't think she can see me. She's wearing a blue sweater and skirt. It got torn. I once told her she looked real pretty in that outfit."

Susannah looked toward Sam and Viki, her eyes asking about the accuracy of what Todd had just described. They both shook their heads.

"It's cold! It's so cold. It's too cold, don't make me! It's too cold!" Todd cried out.

"Todd, I want you to come sit down on the couch," Susannah instructed. He did as he was asked. "Todd, I want you to close your eyes." He once again did as Susannah requested.

"Todd, I want you to relax, I'm going to put you back into a deep trance. I'm going to count to three to one. With each number you will feel more and more relaxed. You feel totally relaxed and calm when I get to one."

Viki and Sam looked at each other, not sure what Susannah was doing. "One!" they heard Susannah say and saw that Todd was once again relaxed and quiet. "Todd, we're going to leave the night Georgie died. We're going to go back to the night of your fourteenth birthday."

Hearing this, Sam jumped to his feet and shouted, "NO!"

Susannah looked at him, and at Viki, who was clearly as frightened as Sam, and calmly said, "It will be okay."

Sam took a deep breath and sat down again. Todd, upon hearing what Susannah said, started to tremble and cry out, "No! No! I don't want to! I'm scared!"

"Todd, it's just a memory it can't hurt you. You're not alone. Remember Sam and Viki are here too. If it gets too scary, we can stop."

" No, please! I'm so scared don't make me!"

Susannah hesitated. Viki looked at her. She saw pain written on Susannah's face. She realized how hard this was for her and realized how much Susannah cared for Todd. Vicki knew that putting Todd through this was tearing Susannah's heart out.

"Todd, take a deep breath . . ." Susannah went back through the ritual of calming him. "Okay, Todd, I want you to just relax for a few minutes." Susannah got her medical bag. She took Todd's blood pressure. "One hundred and ten over seventy, she informed Sam and Viki reassuringly. She checked Todd's pulse and respiration. "He's okay," she added.

"Todd, it's Doctor Hanen. Can you hear me?" Todd nodded. "I'm going to count to three and when I get to three it will be your twenty-fifth birthday. Todd didn't protest. "One, two three," Susannah counted slowly. "Todd where are you?"

"I'm at the country club." Todd's hands reached up near his neck and he went through the motions of holding something that had been around his neck.

"What do you have in your hand?" Susannah asked.

"A key. My da . . . Peter gave it to me before he died." Viki and Sam exchanged looks.

"Todd, we are going to your twentieth birthday. What are you doing?"

Todd stood up and staggered a few feet forward and tarted to laugh. "Hey man, let's do that again. Let's find a higher hill. Come on, Zack! Hey man what are you chicken?" They all noticed that Todd's words were slurred as he said this.

"Todd what are you doing?" Susannah asked.

"Sledding down the hill on trays from the cafeteria. I think I had too many beers," Todd answered. He was laughing. "I can see two Zacks and one is more than enough. My birthday, Zack pays for the beers," Todd slurred.

Viki smiled at the thought of Todd in a happier more carefree moment.

"Todd, it's now your fifteenth birthday, what are you doing?" Susannah continued to regress him.

"Sam can we go on the roller coaster one more time and then back to the fun house? No thanks; I don't want another hot dog. How about another jelly apple instead? I wish we could do this every day," Todd declared, smiling and looking up at the Sam his mind's eye saw, and not the one sitting in the room.

Tears filled Sam's eyes as he remembered that conversation. He knew Todd was remembering the day he had taken him to an all season amusement park for his fifteenth birthday. Sam remembered how it seemed Todd wanted to stay there forever and not let this one day of happiness end. He remembered how, when he had pulled up to Todd's house at the end of the day, Todd kept thinking of things to say and to ask him, in order to postpone going back into his house for as long as he could.

"That seems like a very nice memory," Susannah stated.

"I love Sam. I wish he was my father. I wish he would take me home with him. Maybe if I'm really, really good and I do better in school Sam will want me to live with him?" Todd said, wistfully. Viki saw the tears that fell from Sam's eyes. She took his hand and squeezed it.

Susannah continued cautiously, "Todd, it's now the afternoon of your fourteenth birthday. What are you doing?" Viki, Sam and Susannah held their breath, however Todd stayed calm.

"Watching television," Todd replied. He sat down on the floor. They could see Todd's right hand going through the motions of channel surfing. He stopped for a minute and murmured, "Lucy! Oh, I saw this one a thousand times." He continued to go through the motions of changing the channels.

"Todd what time is it?" Susannah asked.

"Two o'clock in the afternoon." He answered and stood up and started to walk away. Susannah gently held on to his arm and asked, "Where are you going?"

"To the kitchen. I'm hungry. I forgot to eat lunch."

"Todd it's now four o'clock on the afternoon of your fourteenth birthday."

Todd sat down on the floor again. He appeared to be leafing through something to read. "I wish school would start again. I'm bored!" He complained. He flung down the Mad Magazine he thought was in his hands.

"Okay Todd, it's now four-thirty on the afternoon of your fourteenth birthday." Susannah stated.

Todd smiled, "Dumb cartoon," he muttered to himself. Then he looked off to the side. A frightened look appeared on his face. Then he quickly became passive again.

"Did something frighten you?" Susannah asked.

"I thought it was time for my father to come home, then I remembered he's going out tonight and will be home real late."

Suddenly Todd got a surprised look on his face. He stood up and walked a few feet and stood there. His hand reached out to the doorknob he was seeing.

"Tell me what's happening," Susannah instructed.

"The doorbell is ringing. No one is supposed to be coming here." Todd went through the motions of looking through a peephole. Todd seemed to panic. His breath was coming faster. Then he calmed down. He brushed his hair back and straightened his clothes, and went through the motions of opening the door. "Yeah, I love chocolate cake. It's my favorite," Todd exclaimed."

Susannah, Viki and Sam all exchanged looks.

"Todd, who are you with?" Susannah pushed.

"Michelle," he answered calmly. He then started to look nervous.

"What are you doing now?" Susannah asked.

"I can't find any matches, " Todd answered, doing what looked like the opening and closing of drawers.

"I don't want to get in trouble," he whispered to himself.

"What will get you in trouble?" Susannah pressed.

"Taking my dad's cigarette lighter. Michelle is disappointed if we can't light the candles," Todd sighed in dismay.

Appearing to open one more drawer, Todd lifted something out of it. He walked a few steps. He lifted the top of the lighter and flipped the flame on with his thumb. He then proceeded to light fifteen candles.

Todd looked down smiling and blushing as he heard Michelle sing 'Happy Birthday' to him. Suddenly Todd looked off to the side. Horror etched his face. "M-M-Michelle just b-brought me a b-birthday cake. W-w-we weren't doing anything w-wrong," Todd stuttered.

Todd looked at the floor. He saw the cake Michelle had baked splattered all over it. "Dad please! Don't!" Todd begged. "Oh, God!" He said to himself.

"Todd, it's not happening now. Tell me what you're seeing," Susannah asked.

"My dad is calling Michelle a whore and a slut and a filthy little bitch. He's got her by the arm and he's throwing her out of the house. He's telling her how stupid and worthless I am and that she needs to get herself a boy who acts like a man and not like a little girl," Todd cried. He looked ashamed and clearly devastated by what had just happened.

"No! We weren't doing anything," Todd insisted loudly.

"What is your father saying to you?" Susannah continued to press.

"He said, 'Don't you raise your voice to me. Are you screwing around with that little tramp right in my own house? Is that what you do when I'm not home?'" "She only came to bring me a birthday cake," Todd responded. Tears filled his eyes.

"What did your dad say then?"

"He said, 'You really think that junior slut likes you? She was laughing at you! She came here tonight so tomorrow she could tell all her friends what a pathetic loser you are.' Oh God!"

"Todd, what is it? What's happening now?" Susannah persisted. "I still have the lighter in my hand. He sees the lighter." Suddenly, Todd's arm thrust forward. He held it straight out, as if it were being held still by someone.

"Tell me what's happening?" Susannah prompted.

"He wants to play the game different tonight. It's an experiment. He wants me to hold my hand over the flame for as long as I can, not just for a minute. I don't want to. Oh God, I just want him to leave me alone. I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't! I don't want to be hurt anymore." Then just as suddenly Todd pulled his arm away and "looking his father in the eye," he said, "NO!"

Todd stood frozen to the spot, staring at the father he saw in his mind. Sam Viki and Susannah froze as well. Their hearts were pounding.

"You dare to say no to me, you little bastard! Who the hell do you think you are! You're nothing but the son of a Goddamn slut. Do you think because some whore came to give you a cake that makes you some kind of man? Give me your hand!" Todd heard Peter say to him as he felt Peter grab his arm.

Once again Todd's arm shot out in front of him. He just stared straight ahead as he felt the flame under his hand. Susannah knew that he had "gone away inside his head."

Todd put his hands to his ears. "He's crying. Make him stop!"

"Who's crying?" Susannah asked. "I don't know. It sounds like a kid. It's getting louder. Make him stop! Make him stop! I don't want to hear him!"

Susannah remembered Todd mentioning something about hearing a child cry before. She remembered it happened when he was discussing Georgie.

"Can you see the child? Can you tell where the crying is coming from?"

"No." Todd cried. "Look around and see if you see the child," Susannah suggested.

Todd looked around, but it wasn't the room he was looking at. It was his mind.

"I can't find him." Todd pushed his hands against his ears. His eyes were squeezed shut. He backed into the wall, crying, "No, I'm scared. I wanna go back. Don't make me. Please! Let me go back!"

The voice was similar to Todd's, but not quite. When Susannah approached him, he scrambled away, to the corner of the room. "Todd, you know I won't hurt you," Susannah gently assured him. He stared at her, still terrified. "Do you want Viki or Sam to come help you?" Susannah pointed to them.

"I don't know Viki. I'm scared! Who are you?" Susannah's pulse quickened when she realized this was yet another alter they had never met.

"My name is Susannah Hanen. I'm Todd's doctor. Can you tell me your name?" Hearing this Sam and Viki looked at each other with fear in their eyes.

"I don't know. I don't think I have a name. This isn't the same house."

"The same as what, sweetheart?" Susannah asked.

"The same as the one I was in. The same as Todd's house. You can call me Todd too. I had to pretend to be Todd so our father and Michelle wouldn't know it was me. I love Michelle. She's real nice to Todd."

He seemed to be calmer. "Todd, how old are you?" Susannah inquired.

"Fourteen."

"Have you been with Todd since he was fourteen?"

He shrugged his shoulders and replied, "I don't know. I live inside a secret hiding place. I know about Todd but I don't think he knows me."

"Where have you been?"

"It's a secret. I can't tell anyone about my hiding place."

"Do you know Miss Perkins or Tom or Timmy or any of the others who live with Todd?"

"I know them. I can see them but they don't know me. I'm a secret."

"Have you ever come out before today?" Susannah asked.

"Once. Todd was so ashamed that his father called Michelle names and told her how bad he was. I don't think Michelle will want to be friends with Todd anymore. "

Tears filled his eyes when he said that. He was starting to get agitated. Susannah could see he was starting to loose his connection to her and to his surroundings.

"He shouldn't have said no," Todd stated. He started to cry again.

"Who shouldn't have said no?" Susannah asked.

"Todd. It made our father angry and then I had to come and pretend to be him. NO! I WANT TO GO BACK INSIDE! PLEASE!" he screamed.

Then, without warning, Todd's body hit the floor, face down. It wasn't as if he fell but as if he were pushed. Todd's hands came together like Tom's had, as if they were tied together. Only now his ankles came together in the same way. Todd's body lurched as he felt the buckle end of Peter's belt hit his back, but he made no sound. Again and again his body lurched. He remained silent.

"Susannah please!" Viki cried out. She walked closer to where Todd lay on the floor.

"FOR GOD'S SAKE! STOP THIS NOW!" Sam yelled.

"Please! If you have to, leave the room!" Susannah spoke to them, harshly.

Susannah knelt down. "Todd, you're not in your house in Chicago. You're at Asa's lodge and you're safe. No one is hurting you. Tell me what's happening. What are you feeling?"

"He's hitting me with his belt. If I move or make any noise it'll get worse." Having come back for the moment, as the alter Todd tried to escape, it was Todd's voice that whimpered this as his body still lurched with each blow from the belt.

Then his body was still for a minute. Susannah took his pulse. "Rapid, but steady. He's all right," she assured Viki and Sam.

"NO! NO! WHAT ARE YOU DOING! DAD? NOOOO!" The alter Todd shrieked out as he felt Peter pull down his pants and underpants. He tried to free his hands and feet from their imaginary ties. He pulled his knees into his torso. He tried to get up even though his hands and feet were still bound. His body crashed onto the floor again. This time being held down by the weight of Peter's body.

"TELL ME! TELL ME WHAT YOU DID WITH THAT TRAMP!" Todd heard Peter scream.

"Nothing!" Todd cried out. "We didn't do anything!" Todd's breath came in short gasps as Peter's weight on top of him hampered his ability to breath.

"LIAR! YOU'RE JUST LIKE YOUR MOTHER! A WORTHLESS PIECE OF GARBAGE!" Todd continued to hear Peter scream.

"Todd, tell me what's happening. What is your father doing to you?" Susannah pushed him to talk. Her heart was in her stomach.

"He pulled down my pants. He's on top of me. He's . . . he's . . . NOOOO!" This time Todd's scream was silent. He just mouthed the word.

Todd lay on the floor, silently, not moving a muscle. His breathing easier because Peter, finishing what he started, had gotten off of him.

"Todd," Susannah called out gently. She brushed back the hair that had fallen in his face. "Can you hear me?" She got no response. She realized this is the only alter she was aware of, other than Timmy and Andy, who experienced sexual abuse.

"Todd, it's not happening now. Now you're safe. Tell me what's going on. You don't have to relive it to let us know how badly you were hurt. We know. Just say it with words. Look at it from the outside. It's not happening now," Susannah soothed.

"It's all my fault. I made him do it. It's my fault," this "new" Todd cried.

"No, Todd, no! It's not your fault. You didn't do anything wrong. No matter what your dad is telling you, it's not your fault."

Susannah was about to try to get him off the floor so she could check his blood pressure when he suddenly turned over. Still feeling that his wrists and ankles were bound, he inched his way to the wall. He looked to the left. He gasped. A look of horror came over his face.

"Nooo!" He wailed. "What are you seeing? Todd, tell me what you're seeing?" Susannah prodded. Her heart was racing.

"Michelle! She was standing outside looking in the window. She saw everything! OH GOD! OH GOD! OH GOD! Oh God!" Todd shrieked. Then to himself Todd whispered, "I wish I was dead."

Todd's eyes became wide with horror! No! Oh God, no! He's going after her. Run Michelle. RUUUN! She can't hear me. It's like she can't move. No! No! He's got her by the arm. He's dragging her into the house!"

Todd was fighting furiously to free his hands and feet. All the while he was screaming, "NO! DAD DON'T!"

"What's your father doing?" Susannah asked.

"Her coat came off and her bag dropped. She's trying to get out the door. She's trying to get away from him. He's pulling her back. Her clothes are ripping. She got away and tried to get out the door again. He's got Michelle by the hair! He's hitting her across the face. She's screaming! She's screaming for me to help her. Oh God!"

Todd kept trying desperately to free himself. "He's taking her to the basement! I hear her screaming for me to help her. She keeps screaming for me to help her!" Todd tried to lift his "bound" hands to cover his ears but all he could do was lift them, together, to his forehead. "She stopped," he whispered.

Todd pushed himself back against the wall as hard as he could, as if he were trying to become a part of the wall, as if he were trying to disappear into it.

"What do you see? Todd, tell me everything that happened that night" Susannah prompted.

"My father is coming back upstairs. He's coming over to me."

Todd's body jumped up as he felt Peter pull him into a standing position. He started to move his legs as the ties around them were severed.

"NO! NO! DON'T MAKE ME!" he shrieked, as Peter pulled him down to the basement.

Once down the stairs, Peter threw Todd down on the floor against the opposite wall from where Michelle lay dazed from a punch Peter had given her. Her hands and feet were bound with rope. Todd tried to stand up, but fell back down against the wall as a wave of dizziness overpowered him. Peter stood there, silently assessing the situation and deciding what he needed to, what he wanted to do. Michelle broke Peter's concentration when she started to moan softly. Her eyes began to focus. She realized where she was and started to cry.

"Please Mr. Manning I won't tell anyone. I swear I won't. Please, let me go. Todd, help me!" Michelle pleaded softly. She lifted her head as best she could, trying to see Todd.

Peter bent down to where Michelle lay. He licked his lips. "You like my son? You like Todd, don't you?"

Michelle could not see Todd shaking his head and mouthing the word "no." He was trying to warn Michelle not to say she liked him. "Yes, I like Todd a lot. We're best friends," Michelle replied through her tears. Todd squeezed his eyes shut.

"Would you like to be more than 'best friends' with my son?" Peter mocked the words "best friends." Michelle stared at him, not knowing what he meant. Smiling, Peter walked over to where Todd sat and lifted him up by his hair. He dragged him over to where Michelle lay. Without removing the ties around Todd's hands Peter pulled down Todd's pants and underwear and pushed him down, on top of Michelle. Peter's own body sandwiched Todd between him and the terrified girl.

Peter reached for his pocketknife and cut the ties from Todd's hands. Grabbing Todd's wrists in each of his hands, Peter held Todd's arms down on either side of Michelle's head. Michelle started screaming. She tried to squirm away but the weight of Peter, holding Todd on top of her, made any movement impossible. Todd used every bit of strength left in him to try to get off of Michelle; however, Peter's weight prevented him from moving.

"Todd please!" Michelle begged. All Todd could do was stare into her once beautiful blue eyes, now clouded and near black with terror.

"I'm sorry! Oh God Michelle, I'm so sorry!"

Laughing, Peter mocked Todd's words. "'I'm sorry, Michelle. I'm so sorry!'" Peter imitated Todd.

Peter pulled Todd off Michelle and threw him back towards the corner of the room.

As Todd fixed his clothes, shame and repulsion mingled with the terror he was feeling. A wave a dizziness even stronger than before washed over him and he threw up. Wiping his mouth off, Todd stood up. He saw that Peter was kneeling over Michelle, stroking her hair and softly saying to her,

"Todd isn't man enough for you, is he? Is that why you came here tonight, little girl? Is it? I don't want you to be disappointed. I want you to get what you came for."

Peter caressed Michelle's cheek. She tried to turn her face away from his. With all the strength Todd had left in his thin young body, he pounced on Peter and tried to drag him off Michelle.

Peter stood up and grabbed Todd by the throat and pushed him up against the wall. Todd's head hit the wall hard enough to leave him dazed. Peter quickly tied Todd's hands and ankles up again, using rope this time. The sharp fibers from it cutting into Todd's wrists, as they had Michelle's. That done, Peter turned his attention back to Michelle.

Peter stood over her and muttered, "Garbage. You're nothing but garbage, just like Todd's mother and like Todd." He ripped the young girl's clothes off. First the blue sweater, then the blue skirt.

Todd stared as her torn clothes were thrown in front of him. He remembered once hearing the Todd who he was pretending to be tell Michelle that she looked real pretty in that outfit. He remembered how it matched her eyes. Todd watched as Peter proceeded to rip off Michelle's panties and bra. The girl lay naked and shivering at Peter's feet.

Todd felt as if he were in a dream. No, more like one of the nightmares his namesake had. He looked around the basement and nothing seemed real or familiar. Todd heard Michelle's screams but they seemed to be coming from very far away. He heard his own and didn't know they were coming from him. When Peter shoved a handkerchief in his mouth he didn't even realized it. Todd stared at his father and Michelle, as Peter raped her.

Standing up, Peter turned to his son and calmly declared, "Never send a boy in to do a man's job." Todd, his eyes glazed, just stared at his father. Michelle lay on the ground, quietly whimpering. Peter then announced, "I need another drink," and with that he headed upstairs.

"Todd! Todd! Please! TOOOD!" Michelle screamed. Todd looked around. He realized where he was.

"Please Todd, help me!" Michelle cried." Todd tried to free his hands. They wouldn't budge. The harder he tried the more the rope cut into his flesh. He got to his knees and inched his way to Michelle. He was able to spit out the handkerchief. When he was next to Michelle all he could say was her name over and over again.

"Untie me! Todd, please untie me!" Michelle begged. Todd maneuvered his way around until his back was towards Michelle's hands and he felt for her wrists. Michelle raised herself to a sitting position. She turned her back towards him, to assist him. When Todd found her wrists he felt for the knot in the rope and tried to untie it. At first it wouldn't budge. Finally, Todd felt the knot give way and Michelle's hands were free.

The young girl quickly worked to untie her ankles. She turned to Todd and started to untie his hands. "No! Don't! Run! Get out of here. Don't stop for me. Just run. Michelle, please! Run!" Todd begged.

Suddenly, Michelle realized she was naked. Michelle covered herself with her arms. She then walked to where her clothes lay and covered herself with the torn clothes as best she could. Michelle hesitated for a moment and cried, "Todd, I can't just leave you. What will he do to you?"

"Michelle please! I'll be okay. I'm begging you. Run! run! RUN!"

Michelle looked at Todd once more and started up the stairs. Todd, with his back to the basement stairs, didn't see Peter come walking down. Nor did he see the baseball bat in Peter's hand, but Michelle did.

In shocked silence, she backed down the stairs until she was once again next to where Todd sat. Crouching down, she looked up at Peter and she whimpered, "Nooo, please!"

Feeling Michelle next to him again and hearing her pleas, Todd maneuvered his body around just as he heard Michelle scream, "TOOOOD!" one last time.

CONTINUED IN PART 35B

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COPYRIGHT 1998 R/S

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