## New Guy in the Cellar

Post by tie d » Wed Apr 29, 2009 9:11 pm

This is a repost from about a year ago. Stay tuned for part II.
Based on real events, but significantly embellished:
â€œHey! Betcha $5 I can tie you up so you can't get out.â€
Alex was pretty cocky, but not without reason. He was the best in the neighborhood, and everyone knew it. Everyone, that is, except for Michael.
The boys were 13, and they had been playing tie up games together for several years, but Michael knew nothing about it. He was from a nearby neighborhood and only knew the boys from school, but this was his first time over. It was a half day of school today, and Michael had been invited to hang out for the afternoon. He was the unsuspecting victim.
Michael was average build and was a great baseball player. The girls loved him! He had dark brown wavy hair and brown eyes. Today, he wore a white short sleeved polo shirt with an open collar over a navy blue T-shirt. Both hung loosely over his worn and tattered jeans. Black high-top Converse with white laces were on his feet.
â€œYouâ€™re on!â€ said Michael naively. Oh, how he would regret those words.
â€œLetâ€™s go down to the cellar. It's the perfect place.â€ said Alex. â€œIâ€™ve got some rope and stuff down there that we can use to truss you up.â€
Michael, now with a slightly worried expression, was directed by his three captors down the wooden stairs. The air was stale and dank. Alex flipped on the light switch and a couple of ceiling bulbs dimly illuminated the shadowy space, revealing an unfinished basement with boxes, old furniture, and clutter piled everywhere. Along the far wall, Michael could make out a messy workbench with an old wooden chair arranged squarely in front. A few coils of white cotton rope, a role of silver duct tape, and some rags were neatly arranged on a nearby table.
â€œHey, you guys were planning to tie me up right from the start, weren't you? That's why you invited me over. Isn't that kind of weird?â€
â€œWelcome to the dungeon.â€ said Steve. â€œWe needed a new victim.â€
Michael turned and started walking back up the stairs, but was stopped by a firm hand on his shoulder. â€œDonâ€™t worry. Weâ€™ll let you go if you canâ€™t get out. But five bucks says weâ€™ll be the ones doing the tying AND the freeing.â€ said Chris.
â€œOK, but not too tight, and you gotta let me out whenever I say, right?â€
â€œSure. Now câ€™mon.â€ said Alex indifferently as he nudged Michael forward.
The four teens walked toward the bench. As they passed by the table, Michael considered the carefully arranged supplies. â€œWhat are those rags for?"
"Guess." said Alex.
"No way, no gags, man. Why the heck would you need to gag me anyway? Nobody can hear from way down here. Besides, what would I need to yell about?"
â€œShut up and put your hands behind your back!â€ ordered Alex. "A bet is a bet."
Looking around him, Michael recognized that he was outnumbered. He reluctantly complied. "Besides, it's gonna be easy to get free." he reasoned.
Alex began carefully coiling rope around Michaelâ€™s crossed wrists while Chris held the victim's arms in position behind his back. â€œNot so tight, Alex.â€ pleaded Michael.
â€œShut up, or Iâ€™ll make it even tighter!â€ barked the captor, as he finished off the binding in a secure knot. â€œNow sit down.â€
Michael plopped down in the chair as his bound arms were directed over the seatback. â€œTape or cloth, Alex?â€ asked Steve.
â€œCâ€™mon, guys. You donâ€™t need to put that gag on me. Donâ€™t put those nasty rags in my mouth. I'll stay quiet and won't complain. Just tie me up any way you want, and Iâ€™ll show you how to escape, but no gags, all right?â€
â€œI believe he wants cloth.â€ replied Alex. Directing his comments at Michael, he continued, â€œMan, itâ€™s not a proper kidnap without a proper gag, Mikey. Besides, those rags arenâ€™t that dirty. They won't taste so bad.â€
Michael knew he would have no say in the matter. Besides, he was at an even greater disadvantage now that his hands were tied. With no reasonable alternative, he just sat quietly and let the boys work.
Chris began on Michaelâ€™s legs, binding each ankle separately to a leg of the chair with rope while Alex secured Michaelâ€™s wrists to the bottom rung with another length of rope. Steve meanwhile prepared the gag. After twisting a length of cloth into a tight, tidy strip, he wadded another piece up into a ball. Michael watched Steve intently and feared what was coming next. A panic suddenly gripped him.
Michael began to babble. â€œOK, you guys win. Please let me go and Iâ€™ll pay you the five bucks here and now. In fact, Iâ€™ll pay you guys five bucks each. Remember, you promised to let me go whenever I said.â€
â€œNot a chance. Weâ€™re getting the five bucks anyway, so we might as well have a little fun in the process.â€ said Steve. â€œNow open up.â€
Michaelâ€™s eyes widened, and he suddenly began struggling wildly. â€œHelllllp!! Let me g...!!â€
Steve sprang behind the struggling boy. Clamping one hand firmly over Michaelâ€™s mouth, he planted the other under his chin. While wrenching Michaelâ€™s jaw upward and shut, he simultaneously forced his head back against the top of the chair.
â€œHold him still! Iâ€™ve just about got his hands finished!â€ yelled Alex.
â€œChris, get me the gag!â€ demanded Steve as he looked down into Michaelâ€™s panicked eyes. â€œLook, dude. Itâ€™s going in one way or the other, so howâ€™s it gonna be? The easy way or the hard way?â€ Michael nodded his understanding and stopped struggling.
Steve uncovered Michaelâ€™s mouth which fell open and Chris immediately stuffed the wadded cloth in. Before the gag could be tongued out, the cloth strip was stretched tightly between Michaelâ€™s teeth and knotted behind his head, securing the wadding in place. Michaelâ€™s eyes teared a little as he fought to keep the gag in the front of his mouth. He chewed on the strip angrily, and released a few pathetic muffled grunts of displeasure. He tested his bonds, and knew for sure he was in for a long and uncomfortable afternoon. "How could I be so stupid as to let these guys do this to me?" he lamented to himself.
â€œThere. That should do it.â€ proclaimed Alex. â€œNow, for a few coils around his chest, and there will be no way for him to get away.â€
Alex wrapped a length of rope tightly around Michaelâ€™s chest and the back of the chair while Chris secured Michaelâ€™s thighs to the seat in much the same way.
The three stepped back and gazed at their hostage. â€œHe ainâ€™t goinâ€™ nowhere!â€ affirmed Chris excitedly as he high-fived the others.
â€œPoor kid.â€ said Alex.
Michael began working to free his wrists but got nowhere. And, without use of his hands, he knew he would never get his legs undone. Realizing he wasnâ€™t easily going to get free of his bonds, he began working on the gag.
â€œHey, quit!â€ said Steve. â€œNot so fast. The gag stays in â€˜till we take it out!â€
Steve grabbed the role of duct tape and began wrapping several layers around Michaelâ€™s head, overlying the cleaving strip. When finished, Michael tested the reinforcement, tossing his head side to side and opening and closing his mouth. Futile! The gag was there to stay.
So, there Michael sat, unable to move and unable to cry out for help. He was completely at the boysâ€™ mercy. What terrible things did his captors have planned for him? His mind raced.
From behind a stack of boxes Alex pulled out a digital camera and began snapping pictures. Michael leaned forward and looked down at his bound feet to avoid the camera, but Steve again grabbed his head and pulled him back upright in the chair. â€œSmile for the camera, Mikey.â€ he said, holding the captive's face toward the camera. Michael stared blankly into the lens.
Steve and Alex left with the camera while Chris stood guard. Fifteen minutes later, the two returned.
â€œWe downloaded some of these pictures onto my computer and emailed them to Sarah with a ransom note. I then called her and told her where she could collect you. She sounded excited to see you! She said sheâ€™d be right over. I hope she can find enough beer to pay the ransom.â€
â€œSarah? Oh no!â€ Michael thought. He absolutely couldnâ€™t let her see him this way. He had been trying really hard to get her to like him, and this would completely ruin everything.
Michael began to fight violently, screaming muffled obscenities through his gag. The boys simply watched his struggles with delight. Michael and the chair rocked side to side and front to back, almost tipping over a couple of times. Eventually, Michael gave up and hung his head in despair. It was no use. Why did these guys want to humiliate him in front of Sarah? He was their friend and hadnâ€™t done anything wrong.
Michael looked up at his kidnappers and muttered, â€œI can vwing you veeoo, ath muth ath oou wanth. Pweathe weth me go.â€
â€œNow you tell us. Had we known you could get us beer, we never would have kidnapped you in the first placeâ€¦NOT! Itâ€™s more fun to get it this way! Plus, weâ€™ll never owe anyone for it! Beer in return for your freedom. Sounds like a fair ransom to me.â€ said Alex. "Plus, if she pays, it's great news for you, right? How sweet!"
Collecting up the remaining bondage materials, the three boys warned Michael not to struggle or try to escape. Theyâ€™d be back in a little while and if there was any sign of a struggle while they were gone, theyâ€™d make it worse. â€œYou move, and weâ€™ll hang you from the rafters!â€ Chris warned.
Alex inspected Michaelâ€™s bonds and gag one last time and happy everything was good and tight, the boys went upstairs and turned off the light.
About a half hour later, Michael was startled by the opening of the cellar door and footsteps on the stairs. He bolted upright in his chair and struggled to adjust his eyes as the lights were clicked on. To his surprise, he watched as Sarah was led down the stairs by the boys. She, too, was helplessly bound and gagged!
Sarah was an attractive girl, and kind of a tomboy. She was athletic, and played in the same soccer league as Alex and Chris. She had green eyes and light brown, almost blonde shoulder-length hair with bangs and a tan that never seemed to quit. She wore her hair tucked in behind her ears which meant that she was endlessly sweeping it back into place as it fell forward, seemingly with every movement of her head. Today, though, she wore a red ball cap positioned backwards on her head, which served the purpose of keeping her hair more or less in place.
Laura was wearing a light blue unbuttoned work shirt that hung down free around her hips. Her white long-sleeve T-shirt was tucked into the waist of her Levis, held in by a black leather belt. The sleeves of her outer shirt were rolled half way up her forearms and a braided leather necklace with a few turquoise and coral beads adorned her neck. Red high-top Converse complimented the ball cap on her head.
The boys had fastened Sarahâ€™s hands behind her back with a piece of white rope. Her lips pursed around a thin strip of white cloth that stretched between her teeth and was tied tightly behind her head, unquestionably securing a mouth stuffing in place. It appeared that the two hostages had received identical treatment, though in Sarahâ€™s case, minus the tape! Having heard no screams or a struggle while alone in the cellar, Michael supposed Sarah had complied with her captorsâ€™ demands and that in return, theyâ€™d gone easy on her. He now regretted his own earlier attempts at resistance, longing for fewer bonds and a less effective, more comfortable, and more easily defeated gag.
Fixing her eyes on Michael, Sarahâ€™s lips appeared to form a strange and eerie smile around her gag. â€œMichaeoow.â€ she mumbled tenderly through the cloth. â€œAh you O-hay?â€
Michael nodded yes, but didnâ€™t make any attempt to speak, completely embarrassed by his current predicament.
â€œLetâ€™s hogtie her on the floor next to her boy and watch them struggle together while we drink the beer. How romantic.â€ said Chris.
â€œNah. Letâ€™s tie them back-to-back to one of these poles.â€ Steve said, looking at one of the steel basement supports.
â€œGet that chair over there and weâ€™ll finish her just like Mikey.â€ jeered Alex. â€œAnd get the tape. That gag looks pretty loose and needs some fixinâ€™.â€
Sarah was led over to the bound and gagged Michael and forced to sit in his lap, facing her fellow hostage, as Steve retrieved the tape. As Michael looked down to avoid her gaze, Sarah softly kissed him on the head through her saliva-moistened gag. Startled, Michael looked up. Staring into her green eyes, he muttered, â€œThowee.â€ then hung his head in despair.
With that, Sarah wriggled her head from side to side and quickly got the securing portion of her gag out of her mouth. She spat the packing onto the floor as the other cloth fell down around her neck.
â€œOK guys, thatâ€™s enough.â€ she laughed. â€œGo ahead and untie me.â€
Michaelâ€™s eyes widened in horror as he realized the truth. â€œSheâ€™s in on it!â€ he screamed to himself.
Alex untied Sarahâ€™s wrists with some difficulty as the two captives stared questioningly, but silently, into each others eyes. Once free, Sarah immediately knelt down in front of Michael. Resting her arms on his immobilized thighs, she said, â€œHey Mikey. I hope they werenâ€™t too hard on you. Are you OK? Man do you ever look cute sitting there like that.â€
Reaching up, she gently tugged on the rope that secured his chest to the chair and carefully considered the expression on his face. â€œHey. Someday would you let me tie you up like that, or would you rather get your revenge and hogtie me?â€ she asked, giving him a coy little wink.
Michael wasnâ€™t quite sure how to respond. He reflexively shrugged his shoulders but said nothing, wondering if hogtying Sarah would feel like revenge or just plain weirdness. And to be tied up again, this time by her? Hmmm. Heâ€™d have to think on that a bit more.
â€œIâ€™ll take that as a hopeful sign.â€ Sarah said, and she began to untie the boy.
Once she had his legs undone, she reached up and began unwrapping the tape that concealed the rest of Michaelâ€™s gag. â€œSorry if that hurts.â€ she said apologetically. Looking over at the boys, she said, â€œDid he really need all this? Man. Wish I could have been here for the struggle!â€
Sarah then pulled the strip of rag from Michaelâ€™s mouth and let him spit the rest out himself. Alex untied the rope around his chest and finally freed his aching wrists.
Rubbing his wrists and looking around, Michael asked, â€œWhat the heck was all this for?â€
â€œWe just wanted to see how youâ€™d do.â€ Sarah answered. â€œYou were great!â€
It turns out that Sarah was way into tie up games and that she and the three boys were regular players. They were looking for a new participant but were reluctant to ask Michael directly for fear that he might blabber about it at school. Rather than risk letting out their little secret, Sarah devised the plan to kidnap Michael and see how heâ€™d do. She knew he was fond of her, and figured heâ€™d be less likely to spill the beans if she were involved. But, there were no guarantees. So, as added insurance, just incase things went wrong, Sarah made sure there would be photos that could be used to blackmail Michael into silence.
â€œDevious, yet brilliant,â€ Michael thought to himself. Though he was a little annoyed by the humiliation of the experience and his rough treatment, he was pretty pleased by Sarahâ€™s attention. â€œHmmm.â€ he reasoned, gazing at his sore wrists. â€œIt wasnâ€™t that bad. In fact, I guess it was kindâ€™a fun. And in the end, it seemed to have worked out OK.â€
Once Michael was completely free, Sarah and the boys all thanked him for the afternoon. â€œYou can keep the five bucks, Mikey. But remember, you didnâ€™t get out. We let you out.â€ Alex reminded him.
Michael agreed, but reminded his friends that it wasnâ€™t really a fair fight. â€œI was never really given a chance to get away. Next time, you can tie me up however you want, but give me some time to get out, OK? I think Iâ€™d do OK if I worked at it, although you are pretty good, Alex.â€ Michael continued, â€œI would have had that gag out in seconds if you hadnâ€™t slapped all that tape on my face.â€
Pleased at the prospect that there might be a â€œnext time,â€ Sarah and the boys just nodded in agreement, not wanting to be too discouraging. They then hid the beer in some boxes and made plans to retrieve it over the weekend, to be consumed together.