18.
“When I was in my early 20s in St. Louis, I lived with my boyfriend. We had a large group of friends who would all party together. At one party, there were a lot more guys than women. The guys were all playing foosball, air hockey, and some other games while drinking excessively. I’ve never been a huge drinker, so I wasn’t drinking. I was just hanging out in the kitchen looking at magazines because I found the party boring, with mostly men playing games. At one point, a guy I had seen around town but didn’t really know walked into the kitchen and started chatting. He said, ‘Your boyfriend seems to be ignoring you.’ I told him my boyfriend was really into competition and loved playing in the foosball competitions. Then he walked over to me and unexpectedly grabbed me. He picked me up and started walking out the back door. I was kicking and punching him while struggling to get away.”
“At that moment, another woman walked into the kitchen, and I screamed for her to help me. I was frightened but in shock because I did not see it coming.
The guy, whose name I didn’t even know, laughed and told her, ‘It’s OK. We’re just playing. She’s fine.’
The woman ran into the foosball room, grabbed my boyfriend, and told him some guy had just carried me out of the house.
My boyfriend ran out of the house after us and caught up to us as the man was pushing me into his car. I was still fighting and kicking, but he told me if I didn’t shut up, he was going to make me. I was frightened out of my mind.
Just as my boyfriend got to the car, the guy changed his entire demeanor and said, ‘Hey man, you were ignoring her, so I was going to take her to get something to eat.’
That’s so untrue. My boyfriend quickly analyzed the situation, grabbed my hand, and told the guy, ‘Hey, I’ll take care of her from here.’
The guy got in his car and drove off. I burst into tears.
We went back into the house and called the police. After talking to them, they said no crime had been committed, and that was it.
I have no idea what could have happened to me. Maybe nothing, maybe something very bad.
After that incident, I was always on guard at parties. Actually, I became hypersensitive to my surroundings after that. From that point on I was always looking to see where the exits were. I always had money and change tucked into a pocket if I had to escape.
I have a tracker on my phone so, in case I disappear, my family can track me. I also have a panic button on my home alarm system and cameras that back up to my cloud. Yes, I am paranoid. Better safe than sorry.
When I hear about women at bars or parties getting drugged and assaulted, I realize how lucky I was that I had not been drinking and had my wits about me so many years ago. I was also lucky that other woman saw the situation and helped me.
I also understand, after my incident, how serial killers grab women, children, and weaker victims right out of public view.
It’s the element of surprise and not being 100% aware of your surroundings that can put you in the worst danger.”
—Karen M.S., Quora
To hear more people share their experiences being kidnapped, click here.
