Living in the Shadows

That night at work was normal. The only problem was that my emotions were getting in the way. Stephanie kept grinning at me mischievously. Matt was standing near the stage watching her shake her ass.

“Wooh, good job baby!”

Oh, so they were an item now. That was good to know I guess. I couldn’t quite tell what the clenching in my stomach was. All I knew was that I wanted to kill her. My gut turned with anger. Was this, jealousy that I was harboring in my veins? Why would I be jealous though? Matt was simply a friend.

“Hey Belle! Stop fucking around and ring up the customers!” Matt yelled at me.

I jumped out of my day dream and went behind the bar and to the register. There was disgusting looking old man with a bald spot. He gave me a yellow toothed grin and came closer to me.

“How much can I get for you tonight?” I stepped back.

I wasn’t for sale. What if I requested one hundred an hour? Or even two hundred? How long would it take me to get out then? Wouldn’t I get out faster? No. I shook the thoughts from my mind. There was no way I would go through with something like that.

“I’m not for sale. But that lovely young blonde up there is.” I pointed to Stephanie who was now shoving her big fake tits in Matt’s face.

“Oh, well I want her then.”

“Fifty bucks an hour. You know how to run the card.” I gave him a hooker card and let him be on his way.

Another man came up, looking to get some drinks for his friends. After he was rung up, Matt was waiting in line behind him. He glared at me.

“I want to buy you for the night.” He said to me.

I looked at him confusedly. “What? Why?”

“Because we have a lot of talking to do Belle.” He said to me.

“Wait until I get off my shift.” I murmured.

“No. I’ll let you go in December instead of January.” He bribed.

How could I say no. “Fine.”

I handed him a hooker card and left with him to the green room. I really hoped they washed the sheets in there. I could just imagine what it would look and smell like if they didn’t. He sat down on the bed and sat me down with him.

“Why did you set Stephanie up with that old man?” He asked me, looking at me quizzically.

“Because he was looking for someone, and I’m not for sale. I thought I’d pick the biggest whore in the bar.” I shrugged.

“Shadows!” A man yelled from out in the bar.

“Hold on.” He ran out of the room.

There was no way in hell I was going to just sit there. I bolted out to the bar area. Rev was standing there holding a piece of paper. Matt opened it and read it carefully.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” He yelled, storming toward me. “Get back in that room!”

I jumped back and sat quietly on the bed. Matt sat down next to me and started moving around nervously. He would rub his temples and then stand and start pacing and then sit back down again.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

He shrugged my hand off. “Here.” He tossed the note at me.

Reader,
I’ve left home. I’m not coming back
Please don’t hurt my daughter,
I can’t live this way anymore.
-Maurice

I gasped and covered my mouth. My hand started to shake and I dropped the note in my hand. Rev grabbed me by the wrist and pulled me up.

“Wait, Matt please don’t let them hurt me.” I reached out an arm to him.

He just looked at me with the utmost sadness in his eyes. Why wouldn’t he reach out and save me?

“You don’t have to love me to help me!” I began to sob.

He didn’t help me, and Rev had dragged me out of the bar and brought me into his van. He proceeded to tie my wrists and ankles. This insured I wasn’t going to go anywhere. Why wouldn’t Matt help me? Was it because of the fucking policy? Hard as I tried I couldn’t stop crying. Rev stopped the van and came around. He opened the van door and pulled me up. He carried me inside where Vengeance met him.

“Sorry sweetheart. Looks like your time here is up.” He dragged me down to the basement and sat me up in a chair. “We’ll give your daddy twenty-four hours to come around.”

Vengeance shut off the light as he walked up over the stairs. He slammed the door behind him. My screams couldn’t be heard, I knew they couldn’t be. I sobbed quietly. Why had my father done that? He knew what the consequences would be! He knew!

“Fuck!” I screamed, kicking my feet out.

That did me absolutely no good. The chair came out from under me, causing me to fall onto my side. What had I done to deserve this? I wasn’t a bad person. Sorry my father’s an inventor. Fuck me!

I was going to die here, in this awful place. The only thing I could look forward to now was seeing my mother. Thinking of her beautiful face made me reminisce back to when she was alive. She was such a wonderful soul. She’d never done anything wrong to anyone.

I was eight years old the night of her death. All I remembered was the glass shattering when mom hit the other car. It hadn’t been her fault though, the other guy was drunk, or so that’s what I’m told.

She’d hit her head, and hit it hard. It caused a rupture in her brain. As much as I called her name that night, she never awoke again, her sad oceanic eyes never to see the world again. I hated that driver, whoever it was. I assumed he was in jail now, rotting away, waiting for his next rat shit meal.

My thoughts were interrupted as the door opened widely and a light shone on my face. I blinked rapidly, the light hurt. Whoever it was, thumped down the stairs and shut the door behind himself. He trumped over to me and I heard his knees crack as he kneeled. I felt myself be lifted up and my face caressed.

“I’m not going to leave you here alone.”