The alley was deserted. Only shadows lurked on this moonless night as Alison strolled through the empty stretch of town. She knew this was not the safest area to be in on such a dark night, but it was the quickest way home. After a night of heavy partying, home seemed like paradise. At any moment, she might empty the contents of her stomach and she’d rather do it in the privacy of her own space than on a public street.
Usually on alert for danger, Alison’s intuition was impaired by the effects of alcohol. As a result, she didn’t see the man standing in the shadows, until he had grabbed her by the neck, covering her mouth so she couldn’t scream and whispered, “If you say a word, I’ll kill you.” In a drunken haze, Alison surrendered as he tied her up, blind folded her and threw her into the trunk of a car. Eventually she blacked out, as much from the fumes of the car and from the alcohol she had consumed.
That night, in a run down motel, he raped her multiple times. When the police examined her later, she had internal bruises from the force. After he was done with her, he put drove her to an area several miles away from the city and left her lying on the side of the road.
It was early morning when she awoke with a huge headache, the blind fold still over her eyes. It took several minutes for her eyes to adjust to the increased light. She looked around. Still reeling from the hangover, she was disoriented and had only a foggy memory of last night’s events. Slowly, she stood up, brushing off the dirt from her dress. She had no idea how far away she was from the city. Bruised and beaten, she stumbled in the direction of what she guessed was home.
The sun was shining brightly when she reached the Metropolis Police Station. Not even looking up at her, a female deputy on duty said, “Can I help you?” Alison blinked, still disoriented. “I—I think I’ve been raped.”
Still not looking up, the deputy replied, “We’ll have to call a medical examiner to determine what happened to you.”
Maybe it was the booze or the sleep deprivation, but the usually collected Alison flew into a rage. “Lady! I said I’ve been raped and you have the gall to tell me that I need to be examined to determine this! Are you human?”
The female deputy seemed unmoved. “I am sorry but it is standard procedure. We must examine you to determine the extent of your injuries.”
Alison couldn’t believe this woman. “Do you have any compassion? I’ve been raped and you are talking to me like this.”
Finally, the deputy seemed to understand and looked up. “Miss, I understand you’ve been through a traumatic situation, but it doesn’t help to get upset about the situation. Just take a seat and we’ll get you examined and cleaned up as soon as possible. You’ll also speak with one of our rape counselors.”
At last, Alison felt heard. She slumped down on the hard wooden bench across from the police receptionist desk.
An hour later, she was in an examining room in the back of the police station. On the exam table, the forensic medical examiner took swabs of semen and looked for signs of bruising. After her examination was complete, Alison dressed and met with a rape counselor in an adjacent room.
Alison did the best she could in explaining the story to the counselor. Her memories were foggy, however, due to the effects of the booze and being blind folded during the ordeal. “The truth is, “ she said through tears, “I blacked out due to the alcohol I consumed that night. I wonder if I am to blame for this whole incident.”
The rape counselor had heard the story before. Smart women who had too much to drink and are in the wrong place at the wrong time. She had compassion for these women. After all, she had been one of them nine years earlier. Now she said to Alison. “Don’t blame yourself. You are the victim in this situation. There is no excuse for rape.” She paused, then and continued, “Furthermore, you are lucky to be a survivor. In many cases of stranger rape, victims are killed so that there will be so witnesses.”
Alison took a deep breath of relief, finally feeling heard and understood. “What happens next?” she asked the counselor.
“Well, we took a swab of his semen. We will send it to the forensic lab and have it analyzed to see if it matches any known rapists in the national database. If it does, hopefully we’ll be able to track down the suspect and apprehend him.” She paused again, causing worry lines to form on Alison’s face. “But, sometimes these predators escape under the radar because they have no criminal record and live otherwise upstanding lives as citizens. That’s when it becomes difficult to catch the suspect. “
Alison blinked back tears. What would happen if her rapist was never caught. What if he terrorized other women. How would she live with herself. “There must be something I can do. Something to help the police find this guy.”
The counselor smiled. She could tell that Alison was a survivor and would recover from this event. “You are doing everything you can to help us. Patience is important. If there is anything you can remember about the suspect to identify him: his facial features, build, clothing, that will help.”
As Alison left Metropolis Police Station, it was already late morning. She hadn’t been home since the day before and was overcome with extreme exhaustion. After taking a hot shower to wash the residue of the rape, she fell into a deep sleep, not awaking again until the next morning.
The police never caught the suspect. Alison continued to follow up for a few years after the rape, but eventually accepted that he would never be caught. She went on to become a rape counselor to other victimized women and made peace with the events of that night. She also stopped walking home through that alley alone, making sure that a friend accompanied her after a night of drinking.
When she passes by the alley these days, she has occasional flashbacks to that night. Yet, they have become fewer and farther between and she knew that they would eventually fade with time.
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