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“Do you know what drugs the asshole gave you? What he used to keep you loopy?” She tilts her head to the side.
I shake my head, not wanting to tell her what he really gave me. “No. He called them my vitamins. That’s all I know. He didn’t give me a choice; he made me take them. And the few times I tried to fight it, he beat me so bad I was bruised and broken for what felt like weeks. Then he would beat the same spots, making it hurt more.” My lips wobble as I try to keep the emotions from flowing out of me. The lump in my throat threatens to spill over.
“What a fucking monster!” Ronnie’s jaw drops. “I want to find the fucker and peel his skin from his body and then roast him over an open fire.”
My eyes widen at her confession. “That’s… dark.” But maybe I kind of want to do the same thing.
She looks at me and then busts out laughing. “That was the least dark of the dark things running through my head.”
“Thanks for keeping it light.” I crack a smile.
We spend the rest of breakfast filling up on food and talking about our plans for the night. She tries to pull my focus away from my nightmares, encouraging me to think of other things. She got us a cheap room at a run-down place called the Nexus Hotel for a couple nights, so at least we will have a bed to sleep in for a bit. We decided to stay away from the shelters and brave the streets of Vegas.
While the shelters are nice, they felt too confining to me. Too many people, too many questions. And every now and then, we get a room in a run-down motel or hotel. It’s a bed for the night.And sure, the room smells, and there is who knows what on the sheets, but it’s a bed in a room.
At least it’s better than sleeping on the street.
“Okay, so I’m gonna go do that job really fast, and then I will be back. Do you want me to pick up something to eat?” Ronnie asks as she packs her small handbag.
“Are you ever going to tell me what it is you do?” I mean, I’m not complaining at all. While this room is the absolute worst, whatever she does is letting us stay here.
Looking around, I take in the dirty beige walls that are across from me, a salmon-colored wall painted behind me, and the dingy bed I’m sitting on. The orange and pink comforter looks like it has seen better days, and there could be a science experiment on this thing.
Don’t even start thinking about that.
The floor is tile, but the grout is black and stained. There are brown stains on the ceiling, which I’m sure are from leaky pipes, and don’t even get me started on the cracks in the tub in the bathroom. But it has hot water, and it lets us shower. Beggars can’t be choosers.
“I will be back in a couple of hours. Don’t worry. Just keep everything locked up and watch some TV.” She smiles at me, ignoring my question and heading out the door.
I get up and immediately look out the window, watching her get into a beat-up black SUV. I narrow my eyes, my mind turning with what she could be doing.
I watch the SUV drive off, and I slink back into the bed and turn on the TV. I flip through the channels, not really seeing anything that interests me. Turning it off, I lean back on thepillow, my eyes feeling a bit heavy. A little nap wouldn’t hurt, and I will be fully rested when Ronnie finds her way back.
So, I close my eyes and let sleep take me.
“Well, I need you to watch her for a bit. I have to get on stage,” a woman decked out in a glittery, skimpy outfit says into the phone. “I know, Tom, but we need the money. So just deal with it.” She angrily punches the phone with her finger, ending the call. She huffs as she walks out the door past a big, burly guy.
I look back at the area in front of me. My makeup is eccentric, my hair filled with glitter. My heart beats wildly, nerves on complete edge.
“River! You’re up next, so get your ass out here.” My eyes meet a slimy looking older man. I cringe as he smiles at me, his yellow teeth and chapped lips making me want to vomit.
There are voices all around me, but I can’t make out the conversations. The music is too loud. Before I realize, I’m up on stage. The music starts up, but all I hear is the beat. My body glides toward it effortlessly.
My ass shimmies as my legs move me toward the pole on the stage. My body winds around the pole as the music plays on.
Suddenly, the music comes to a stop, and the lights go dim. I look back toward the back of the stage in confusion. Where did the music go?
Looking back at the crowd, my heart stops. All I see are their eyes. I can’t make out who they are, but an endless sea of eyes stare back at me.
They stand up and start to come closer to the stage, and I try to scream, but no one can hear me. Nothing is coming out. I look over at the bar, but it’s empty. Shaking my head, I start to walk back but fall on my ass.
When I look up, the black shadows are hovering over me, their eyes locked on me.
And I let out a blood-curdling scream.
“Raelyn! Raelyn! Wake up!” Ronnie’s voice wakes me, her hands shaking my shoulders. I shoot up in a sitting position, my breaths coming out fast. Sweat drips down my back.
She hands me a bottle of water, and I chug it down. My eyes dart all around me, trying to make sense of what is reality and what isn’t.