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Gwen changed quickly into the underwear she had ordered online. She had found the box waiting on her doorstep the night before. A simple pink, silky set that nearly color matched the yarn outfit she had crocheted days ago. That seemed to cinch her decision—well, that and thehigh summer temperatures—and Gwen shrugged the crochet outfit on.
It fit like a dream, like something out of one of the old 90’s movies she had been obsessed with as a teenager. The skirt was long enough to cover Gwen’s belly button, but was definitely not a skirt she could bend over in. That didn’t stop Gwen from doing just that as she snagged the old pair of roller skates hidden at the back of her tiny closet.
They were obnoxiously Y2K, plastic and see through, with pink glitter hearts on the inside. The wheels were also transparent, and if Gwen recalled correctly, they lit up when she used to go down the sidewalk. It had beenyearssince she used them, but they fit like Gwen had never stepped out of them, and she was quick to find her footing. She checked her appearance with her phone and frowned. The same makeup her reflection had worn was somehow on her now.
“Fuck, get out of the apartment, Gwen,” she singsonged to herself with an edge of hysteria.
She snagged a small mini backpack from the back of her closet. It was worn, covered in old anime patches, but it suited the hands-free approach Gwen was hoping for. She tossed the contents of her purse into it and paused as she eyed the doll and scroll case by her nightstand. For a doll without a face, Gwen sure felt like it was staring at her.
“Fine!” Gwen grumbled, snatching the doll. “You can come, too.”
Maybe Gwen really was losing her mind. It was difficult not to think it as she shoved the doll and scroll case into the backpack and scurried out of her apartment. It would at least explain the paranoia Gwen felt as she approached the elevator.
Has nothing to do with your dead neighbor, I’m sure,Gwen thought as she pulled a pair of sunglasses from her backpack and shoved them onto her face.
Two days. Her neighbor had been dead for two days, and not a damn person had noticed. Gwen wasn’t sure if that said something about her neighbor or society as a whole. Not that Gwen was exactly the right person to judge. She had been the one to murder him, after all, and she wasn’t exactly offering up to call the authorities herself. Even with the aid of her newfound power, Gwen wasn’t exactly confident in her ability to bullshit with the police.
A lot of things weren’t in the cards for Gwen anymore, including the mundane existence she had been coasting in a week ago. Predictability had been a bit of a creativity killer, if Gwen was honest with herself.
The moment her skates hit the pavement, Gwen was off with no idea where she was going and not a care about it. It was so very different from her usual routine, but Gwen found the idea of getting lost freeing.
Plus, I can get my mind off of my creepy haunted place and hot demon tongues.
She skated past the familiar neighborhoods, until she entered less familiar ones. Gwen did circles as she listened toMarina and the Diamonds,electro pop blaring in her ears.As the summer heat climbed, Gwen felt the soft tickle of sweat accumulating on her skin. Gwen was very thankful in her fashion choices, even if it meant dealing with the occasional—
Gwen nearly groaned when a white pickup truck came to crawl on the road next to her. It wasn’t as massive as some of the other trucks on the road, looking no different than a basic moving rental with a flatbed. Her finger was ready to jump to the volume on her phone when the passenger window rolled down.
And here we go—
“Hey, you need a ride?”
Gwen didn’t even spare the nobody man a look, but she could feel the vomit inducing arousal rolling off him like poorly concealed body odor. She wasn’t sure what was worse, this stranger pathetically hitting on her or the interruption toBubblegum Bitch.Gwen debated circling back, but she had played this bullshit game before. There was a chance the truck would just follow, unless Gwen managed to find a bus stop with the actual bus waiting for her. A bus running on time in Everett was a miracle on its own.
“Nah, I’m good!” Gwen shouted over the music.
“You sure, baby?”
“Yup!”
“Look,whore—”
The man wasn’t much to look at as Gwen abruptly closed the distance, hand landing on the passenger door. His disheveled appearance—including neon work vest and filthy pants—made it clear to Gwen that he worked in construction. What an awful cliche. The man driving looked surprised, but it passed quickly for something Gwen did not give two shits about. No, her attention was solely on the asshole who dared to insult her.
“I’m looking,” Gwen said, lowering her sunglasses. “Now what?”
The man fumbled for a moment before clumsily gathering what little wits he had. Gwen could feel the spike of arousal and artificial confidence. It tasted like three-day old gas station sushi.
“You dress like that to get—”
“Just to turn on men. You dress like a slut. Are your tits real? Let me touch them. How much for the night? I bet you ride real good. Do you need a sugar daddy? Where’syour pimp? If you lost some weight, I’d fuck you. Smile, bitch,” Gwen smiled, an uncomfortably wild thing. “Should I go on or do you have something new to offer?”
The discomfort that started rolling off of both of them felt a lot better. Gwen could almost taste it on her tongue. Her mouth started to water, the veins in her body pulsating in anticipation. But as enticing as those flavors were, Gwen kept her attention on the arousal as a wonderfully horrible idea blossomed in her mind. Gwen bent low enough that they could see the curve of her breasts more.
Predictably, both of the men took the bait. Gwen felt the heavy perfume of lust float from both of them. It wasn’t appetizing in the slightest—it smelled like boiled eggs, but tasted like a buttered popcorn candy. The flavor almost made Gwen gag, but she forced it down. With some unseen force of will, Gwen ushered the emotions into her stomach. She couldn’t explain how, only that once she could wrap her finger around it, Gwen didn’t stop. Every bite was swallowed with every subtle shift of her body and an easy smile.
When there was nothing left, Gwen could see a dullness to their eyes that hadn’t been there before. It was a lot like watching a star go out in the night sky. They both looked completely drained, the sort of hollowness that came from life truly dragging you down. Gwen wouldn’t be surprised if they were one intersection away from getting into a car accident.
“The thing they don’t tell you men, is you really should be careful who you hit on,” Gwen breathed as she leaned in closer. When she blinked, her eyes were alight with an unnatural cyan glow and her teeth were a little sharper. “There’s a lot ofweirdosout there, and I happen to be one of them. The next time you thinkyou’re important enough to ruin a woman’s day—or any fucking stranger on the street—you will live to regret it.”