Survival: Stop Living in Fear!

PROLOGUE   Four hundred miles east of Hawaii, low over the ocean, a DC-6 pilot fought successfully to keep panic out of his voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, we will strike the ocean’s surface in a normal landing attitude. The aircraft’s wheels will be in a retracted position; you will feel two severe jolts as our plane settles onto the surface. Have your life jackets on, ready for inflation when flight attendants tell you to inflate. Good luck.” One hundred and three passengers remained alive and were rescued shortly after the plane ditched. Their lives were saved because each of them wore a life jacket that kept him or her afloat until help arrived.   1944. Somewhere in London. Air-raid sirens filled the night with their mournful wail. Thousands of men, women, and children left warm beds and trudged in orderly fashion to predesignated air-raid shelters. Hundreds died, but thousands lived because they had been instructed in what to do before enemy bombers dropped their deadly cargo.   1964. A United States Navy submarine settled to the ocean floor somewhere off the north Atlantic coast. More than three hundred men trapped in the mortally wounded vessel remained calm. There was no sign of panic. Each man went about his business of preparing for evacuation. Well trained in the use of sophisticated equipment, all were saved. Panic was averted and rescue made possible by thoughtful and precise training on how to handle a potentially deadly circumstance.   For those who read it, Survival will be their life jacket, their shelter against attack, and finally their source of knowledge about how to avoid panic—that state of mind which leads to chaos and death during trying circumstances.   Survival readers will be prepared to avoid circumstances which lead to tragedy because they can recognize the face of danger. If, however, disaster strikes without warning, they will be capable of meeting the test and surviving where others might die.   It has been said by many who have read Survival that it will save thousands of lives. One of those lives might be yours. The violence and aggression that is rife in America now afflicts every country in the world. No one can escape, and therefore everyone must learn to live by following a set of rules that will offer protection and even immunization against the effects of violence.   It is to this purpose that the author of Survival dedicates his work. Those who read this book and understand its meaning and purpose will not be overwhelmed by a sense of hopelessness. Rather they will be buoyed by a sense of joy and confidence. Joy for the chance to live in America and meet its challenge, and confidence in their ability to exist without undue fear, thus accomplishing personal goals.       1     HOLLY MONIHAN GLANCED AT a round-faced clock built into the tan brick wall. It showed ten minutes to five.   Holly worked as a clerk typist in a large room with twenty other young women. Each had a small desk and modern electric typewriter; all were expert at their business. Over eighty words per minute without error. As employees of a large insurance company, they typed claims and counterclaims seven hours each workday. For her expertise each woman took home $250 per week and in addition was given excellent medical coverage, including dental care.   Holly stretched, pulled the long legal paper from her typewriter, and began to put things away. At five o’clock she was free to go. It was Friday night, and although she didn’t have a date, Holly looked forward to spending a few hours at her favorite disco bar just outside the city limits of Evanston, Illinois, a bedroom community in suburban Chicago. She lived alone on the third floor of a modern, comfortable apartment complex. The bar was outside the Evanston city limits because no establishment within those limits was allowed to serve alcoholic beverages.   “Are you going to the Music Shop tonight, Holly?” Antoinette Gatts called from two desks away.   “Toni, you know I go there every Friday night. It’s a big thing for me. Will I see you there?”   Toni’s big brown eyes sparkled. “Sure, but I thought we might go out to your place for dinner, and then if things didn’t work out I could spend the night with you. That’s only a few blocks from the Shop; it’s an easy walk if we don’t connect.”   “Great! We’ll catch the five forty and get to my place before six thirty. Did you bring a change with you this morning?” Holly, in contrast to the dark-complexioned Antoinette, was a blue-eyed natural blonde. In their late twenties, both young women worked hard at being attractive and succeeded even beyond their hopes.   Antoinette and Holly had known each other for more than a year and felt comfortable both double-dating and going their own ways. When the latter happened, they made it a practice to retire to the ladies’ room and discuss their prospective dates. They avoided “kinky” attachments and sought each other’s advice before making a commitment that would separate them for the night.   It was the middle of June and hot. The young women were dressed in jeans and summer blouses. The Music Shop crowd were all young, mostly casual acquaintances. Music was loud with a frantic beat, which kept the young people swaying, bouncing, touching, then parting, sweating but not uncomfortable as the throbbing sounds floated them like a curling ocean wave into a dreamy oblivion.   It was after midnight, and Holly and Toni had already talked about the dark-haired young man who wanted to take Toni home. They had decided it would be all right, so Toni split with her date, leaving Holly to fend for herself.   It may have been the oppressive heat, or maybe the day at the office had been particularly difficult. For whatever reason, Holly Monihan did not feel up to the game and decided she would walk the few short blocks to her apartment alone. No one had seemed very interested in her, and she was not nervous. It was after 1:30 a.m.   Holly entered her third-floor apartment. A table lamp, which she always turned on when leaving, cast a soft glow. Because it was hot, Holly had left open a sliding glass door leading onto a small balcony. The cooling breeze billowed her lace curtains and felt good. She walked into her bedroom and switched on the light.   Holly recoiled in terror. The room was a mess. Everything was turned upside down. Someone had ransacked her room. She turned and moved back into the sitting room. There was a phone on the counter top that separated her living room from a small kitchen.   As she reached for the phone a man’s voice ordered, “Don’t touch that phone!”   Holly spun around. The man stood in the open balcony door and must have been there when Holly entered the apartment. She tried to keep panic out of her voice. “Who are you and what do you want?” she demanded.   The man moved toward her. He was big, over six feet tall, and dirty-looking.   Holly sensed danger and backed away. “There’s nothing of any value here. Why don’t you just leave?” Her voice was trembling.   He struck like a cat. There was no sound. His first blow sent Holly reeling into the kitchen counter. In desperation she picked up a food processor and struck back at him.   It glanced off his face. He growled like an animal.   Holly Monihan, beaten and raped repeatedly, died many times that night before her heart stopped. The investigator’s report stated she had put up a fierce fight, but the savage attack gave her no chance to survive.   Survival Techniques and Analysis   Holly Monihan Case   Following each case history, the “Survival Techniques and Analysis” section will answer questions raised by the details of each situation and point out how to avoid the circumstances that led to danger and tragedy.   Many young women in America have a life-style similar to Holly Monihan’s. Most of them manage to survive without meeting circumstances that result in murder and rape. Holly’s nightmare was not the result of any one specific act or error on her part. A series of attitudes and circumstances are involved.   If Holly had understood and recognized the dangers that exist in her “concrete jungle,” she could have avoided setting up an opportunity for those dangers to close in. This is not to say that Holly should have lived her life in an atmosphere of constant fear. Young women like Holly can live happy, useful, and productive lives without being bugged to death by fear syndromes. They can go out at night and enjoy doing all the things young people have enjoyed doing since the beginning of time. There is no need for them to meet Holly’s fate.   Let’s take a careful look at Holly’s case and see what led to her death. There is an indication that Holly was not fully aware of the dangers that surrounded her and had become careless about personal safety. This can happen with incredible ease. The pattern of uneventful day-to-day routine causes senses to become dulled. It is interesting that Holly and Toni took precautions to evaluate any pending date they met at the Music Shop. On the other hand, Holly apparently gave no thought to the dangers of walking home alone at 1:30 a.m. Even a short walk in the Evanston/Chicago area or in any other area would be a dangerous exposure.   While it’s true that the walk home didn’t cause Holly’s problem, the same casual neglect resulted in her ignoring commonsense precautions and ultimately led to her death. That evening when she left the window of her third-floor apartment open, it was an invitation to the cat burglar. What really happened was that Holly surprised a burglar. She walked in on him and became a rape and murder victim by accident. The burglar had no intention of committing those acts when he entered her apartment. But when Holly surprised him, she became a target of opportunity—young, pretty, and alone.