The Family Night In
They could hear
the fireworks outside, see the flashes and bangs through the windows as the
television played in the background, and the two girls gasped at the sights –
but their gasps were muted as their mother and grandmother looked over, trying
to find some way to help them…
4 pm
“What are you
doing Lily,” Mandy said as she called up the stairs.
“Playing with
Lil-Lil,” the young girl called back, “when will tea be ready?”
“Soon,” Mandy
said with a smile as she went to the kitchen, and put the oven on. She was in her mid sixties,
but with her shoulder length ash blonde hair she looked younger and liked to dress
that way as well. Her black top fitted
tightly, with a deep V-necked front to show her chest, a short red skirt, dark tights
and knee length boots. The boots were made
of a purple fabric, with a paler band at her ankles and over her foot to give
the impression she was wearing heels and tights.
Walking to the
freezer, she took out some fish fingers and chips, putting them on trays and
then into the warm oven before she turned and smiled at Lily. The ten year old was wearing a white short
sleeved top over a matching long sleeved vest, and two scarves round her neck,
a purple one over a brown tiger print one.
A pair of purple leggings, and short taupe leather boots with a bow on
the top of the shoe competed her outfit, with her black hair in two pigtails.
“Can Lil-Lil
have a drink,” she said as she held up her doll, who was dressed just like her,
with her own straight boots.
“Of course –
sit down and I’ll pour her some milk,” Mandy said as Lily sat at the kitchen
table, watching as her grandmother poured some milk into a glass and handed it
to her, before watching Lily give her doll a drink and then take one herself.
“When does Ally
get home Gran?”
“In an hour or
so, and Mummy will be back at seven,” Mandy said as she heard he front door bell. “You wait there, I’ll see who this is…”
Lily nodded as she
heard her grandmother walk to the door, open it and say “Can I…”
“Maybe it’s a
present Lil-Lil,” she said to her doll, before Mandy came back in – with four
women. They were very smartly dressed,
in dark jackets and skirts, tights, and heels, with white blouses under the
jackets, black gloves on their hands, and dark glasses – but Lily gasped when
she saw the pistol in the hand of the blonde woman.
“You must be
Lily,” she said with a smile, “don’t worry – my friends and I need to talk to
your mummy about something, and we need you and your granny to do something for
us.”
“And what’s
that,” Lily said quietly.
“Eat your tea
first,” the dark skinned redhead said as the timer on the oven went off. “Let me help you Mandy.”
As she took her
grandmother to the oven, Lily whispered “who are you?”
“Well, my name is
Blondie,” the woman said as she sat down, “Red is with your grandmother, and
this is Black and Brown. Who is this?”
“This is my
baby, Lil-Lil,” Lily said quietly, “why do you need my mummy to do something?”
“Oh don’t worry
about that – I like her outfit, just like yours?”
“Lil-Lil likes
to dress like me…”
“Well, Lily, once
you’ve had your tea, I need to make sure you can’t let your mummy or your
sister know what is going on, and your granny will be the same later as
well. I think Lil-Lil needs to be the
same as well, so while you have your tea, I’ll get Lil-Lil ready. I promise, it won’t hurt her, all right?”
Lily slowly
nodded as Mandy put a plate of fish fingers and chips in front of her, and sat
at the table before she said “you’re not going to hurt us?”
“Not if you so
what we say,” Blondie said with a smile as Black opened a bag she was carrying,
and handed Blondie several lengths of thin cord. “Is Lil-Lil ready?”
“Be brave Lil-Lil,”
Lily said as she cut a piece of fish finger, watching as Blondie used one of
the lengths od cord to tie the doll’s wrists together in front of her, and then
tie her arms to her sides with two bands.
“So she can’t move her arms or hands?”
“That’s right,”
Blondie said with a smile as Lily held her doll, and then kissed her forehead
before she started to eat some chips. As
she did so, more cords were used to tie Lil-Lil’s ankles together, and then her
legs below her knees, above the cuffs of the boots.
“You’re going
to do that to my granddaughter,” Mandy whispered as she looked at Brown. The woman nodded, and said in an American
accent “that’s right darling – all of you will be like that eventually, even Ally.”
“Oh god…”
“It’s all
right, Gran – Lil-Lil looks happy,” Lily said as she took a drink from her
glass. She can stay with me.”
“Well, we also want
to make sure Lil-Lil can’t spoil the surprise by calling out,” Blondie said as
she carefully removed the purple scarf from the doll’s neck, and then tied it round
her head so that her mouth was covered.
“Are you… Are you going to use both scarves?”
“Only if you
think Lil-Lil is brave enough to be blindfolded – do you think she is?”
Lily thought
for a moment, then nodded as Blondie used the leopard print scarf to blindfold
Lil-Lil, and then made sure she was left where Lily was able to eat and watch
her.
“So you are going
to do this to me?”
“Oh yes,”
Blondie said with a smile, “and don’t worry – it’s like a game, and Lil-Lil
will be with you all the way…”
5.30 pm
“Granny! I’m home!”
Ally looked
round as she hung her coat on the rack, before she heard Mandy say “can you
come into the front room Ally – we have visitors.”
“Sure – who is it,”
she said as she came in – and then stood still as she tried to process what she
was seeing. Her grandmother was sitting
in an armchair, hr hands behind her back, and there were three women in dark jackets
and skirts, looking at her through dark glasses.
But it was her
little sister that caught the twelve year old’s attention. Lily was sitting on one end of the couch, her
leopard print scarf tied over her eyes and her purple one over her mouth. Her wrists were tied together in front of her
with rope, and there were two bands of rope around her chest and arms, holding
them to her sides. Another band of rope held
her ankles together, and one more her legs below her knees, with her wrists
tied down to that, and her doll lay across her arms, looking just like her.
“Gran…”
“It’s al right Ally,” Mandy said quietly as she twisted round, “these
ladies want to talk to your mother, and I think we’re part of the reasons she
will do it. Isn’t that right?”
“That’s right,”
Ally heard a woman say behind her as a gloved hand was placed on her
shoulder. “So I need you to be very
quiet, and then we’ll so to you what we did to your sister, Are you all right Lily?”
“Hhhmhllrht,” Lily mumbled through the scarf as she nodded
her head.
“But – why…” She looked at the brown haired woman, who
smiled and said “just do as we say Ally.”
Mandy watched
as Blondie guided Ally’s hands behind her back, and then started to tie them
together with cords. She had her brown
hair cut in a pixie cut, and was wearing a knee length dress, with a blue and
brown rustic pattern, short sleeves and a square neckline. Her legs were covered in brown leggings, and
her feet in a pair of mid-calf brown leather boots.
The young girl
looked round as her wrists were secured, and then a longer length of rope
passed round her body, pulling her arms into her sides as it went around her
waist and stomach. “Are they robbing us,
Granny,” she said quietly as h felt the ropes getting tighter and tighter.
“I don’t know –
but they haven’t hurt us, and I don’t think they will hurt you if you keep calm,”
Mandy said as she watched Blondie bind Ally, and then direct her to sit at the
other end of the couch.
“Okay – it
doesn’t hurt, but it is tight,” Ally said, Lily turning her head and nodding as
she said “chnnhhshhnw?”
“Of course you
can,” Blondie said as she untied the leopard scarf, Lily looking over and
saying “Hlllhhshsss” through the pink scarf as Lil-Lil also had her eyes
uncovered.
As she looked
down, Brown was starting to bind her ankles tightly together with rope, as a
loud bang sounded outside the window, all three family members looking out.
“Ah – the firework
displays appear to have started. I think
there may be extra ones as well.”
“Why,” Mandy
said as she wriggled round.
“It’s Diwali
this weekend as well,” Black said as Ally felt her legs been secured together. “Lots of extra celebrations.”
“I wanted to
watch the film tonight as well,” Ally said with a sigh as she twisted her legs
round, and looked at Lily.
“Oh that might
be arranged – but for now, I need you to be quiet,” Blondie said as she looked
at Lily. “May you sister borrow your
scarf?”
Lily nodded as
the blonde woman picked up the leopard print scarf, and tied it tightly over
Ally’s mouth, the ends hanging down the back of her neck.
“Ghhshmmlhkuhnhw,”
she mumbled, feeling the cloth move on her lips as she giggled, and Lily joined
in.
“So what
happens now,” Mandy said as she looked at Blondie. The woman looked at her watch, and said “well,
let’s get you ready now…” Mandy watched
as Brown took more rope from a bag, and started to prepare herself…
7 pm
“I’m home!”
Rhea hung her
leather jacket up, hearing the sound of the television in the front room, and
looked in the mirror, brushing some lint from her short sleeved white
blouse. She was also wearing a short black
skirt and stockings, with knee length black patent leather boots.
“I said I’m home,”
she said as she walked into the front room, and then stared at her daughters as
they both said “hhhllhhmhmmee.”
“Good evening
Rhea – my name is Blondie, and as you can see, we have your family
hostage. We need you to do something for
our employer, and in return, we give all of you a very special family night at
home.”
Rhea looked at
her mother as she struggled in the chair, the bands of rope above and below her
chest holding her arms tightly to her sides, and her legs bound as well. A brown scarf was tied over her mouth in the
same way as the girls and the doll.
“Let me – let me
speak to them,” Rhea said quietly, Blondie nodding as Red, Black and Brown went
behind the captives and untied the gags from their mouths. “Mum, girls, are you all right?”
“We’re fine –
they haven’t hurt us,” Mandy said as Blondie also removed the scarf from over
the doll’s mouth. “Lil-Lil says she’s
all right as well Mummy,” Lily said as she leaned down and kissed her doll’s
forehead.
“Mum, just do
what they say,” Ally said as she wriggled round.
“Brown, will
you fetch them a drink and make sure they have one?”
“Of course
darlings,” she drawled as Black looked over the captives.
“Red, you come
with me and Rhea – we shall conduct our business in her home office.”
“I’ll be back,”
Rhea said as the fireworks went off again outside, Lily and Ally watching as
Mandy wriggled round.
“Log in, Rhea,”
Blondie said as Red opened the laptop up.
“What is it you
want me to do,” Rhea said as she looked round from her chair.
“My employer
requires some funds from you, and be assured they will be put to good use,”
Blondie said, smiling as she looked through the sunglasses. Rhea nodded as she logged in, and then
accessed the financial site of her company.
“Who exactly do
you work for?”
“Unimportant –
just do as I say,” Blondie said quietly before she gave instructions. Rhea nodded as she watched the large amount
transfer from one account to another, and then closed the laptop.
“And now?”
“And now, put
your hands behind your back.”
Rhea nodded as she
did so, feeling the rope on her bare wrists as they were forced together, as
she said “what are you going to do with us?”
“As we promised
– give you a family night in to remember,” Red said as Blondie finished binding
her wrists together, and then wrapped a long length of rope around Rhea’s arms
and chest, pulling them into her sides as the rope framed her chest, pulling
her blouse over it.
“A quiet night in
in other words?”
“Well, yes –
but you will have the television on, with the film Ally wishes to watch, and
the sights outside, to entertain you,” Blondie said as she pulled the ropes
tighter, and then secured them together.
“Well, at least
we will all be in the same room,” Rhea said as she wriggled round. “It’s tight, but not uncomfortable…”
“Then we have
done out job well,” Red said as Rhea looked at
her. “Are you from London?”
“No comment –
come on, let’s rejoin your family.”
As they went
back into the main room, Rhea could see Lily taking a drink through a straw
from a glass, as Mandy and Ally watched.
“Did you… Did you do what they asked,” Mandy said
quietly. Rhea nodded as she was sat down
in the second armchair, watching Black as she took more ropes and crossed her
ankles and started to tie them together.
“When we go, we
will turn the lights off,” Blondie said as Rhea watched the woman bind her legs
together below her knees as well. When
she had had finished, she stood up and looked at Blondie.
“Lily, let me show
you something on Lil-Lil,” she said quietly as she took a roll of white tape
from the bag, tore a small strip off in her gloved hands, and then walked over,
Lily watching as she gently pressed it over the doll’s mouth.
“Wow – so she can’t
speak again?
“That’s right –
and I’m going to do the same to you, but I also want to put a sponge ball in
your mouth. Then you really will be like
Lil-Lil, all right?”
The girl nodded
as she opened her mouth, and felt the yellow sponge ball Blondie put in expand
before here was the soft tug on her mouth as it was covered with the white
tape.
“Are you all
right Sis,” Ally said, Lily nodding before her older sister was gagged in the
same way. The two girls looked out as the
sky filled again with light, while Red pushed a compressed ball into Mandy’s
mouth, and then pressed the white medical tape firmly over her lips.
“Thank you,”
Rhea said as she watched Blondie compress a red sponge ball in her gloved hand.
“For what?”
“For not
hurting my family,” Rhea said quietly.
“It was a
pleasure to be with you – now open your mouth.”
Rhea felt the
ball expand in her mouth, and then nodded as Blondie pressed the tape over her
mouth, the four women nodding as they left the room and turned the light off. She looked at Mandy, who nodded as she tried
to get comfortable in the chair, and the fireworks went off. The two girls looked out of the window and
cheered, as she tried to find any way to loosen and untie the knots holding the
ropes around her…
9 pm
The auburn
haired woman looked up as the four women walked in. “Ah – you have returned,” she said in her
deep, rich voice, “did all go well?”
“It did Madame,”
Lily said as she removed her glasses, “the transfer took place, and we put the
tracking software in. We should be able
to plug that security leak now, Madame…”