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DOT

“There it is,” I whispered, wiping my nose of the remaining powder. My eyes fell to my reflection in the vanity mirror. “Perf.” I tossed my voluminous golden hair, ensuring perfection. My lingerie outfit was much more risque than what I usually wore, my nipples covered in elaborate iridescent and pink rhinestone clustered cups of the barely there bra, basically resembling pasties. My bedazzled matching thong tied into bows that settled on my hips, revealing pretty much my entire body, aside from my pink leather go-go boots. My skin was lathered in a shimmery body oil, catching the light from every angle as I sparkled like a fucking star. My lips curled into a smile. “Look at you.” I spoke to myself, topping off my lips with a sparkle gloss, popping them. I slid into the pink harness, holding the elaborate pastel pink angel wings, smothered in matching pink and iridescent rhinestones and crystals, the feathers gently gliding along the floor as I twirled at my reflection. “A real angel.”

I picked up the dripping iridescent choker, attaching it around my neck as my eyes fell to the small compact. My mouth began to salivate, wanting another hit, even though I had just taken one.

You don’t need it . I thought to myself, staring at it with such intensity. But I want it.

My fingers snatched the compact, scrambling as I forced it open and scooped another small amount and snorted it without a second thought. I pinched my nose, feeling off. Something dripped from my nostril, taking me back as I looked at the red smear on my fingers.

“What the fuck?” I glanced up into the mirror and noticed the small trail coming from my nose. “Shit!” I tried to stop the bleeding, tossing my head back, feeling it drip down the back of my throat. After a few minutes, I checked and noticed it had finally stopped, but my fingers were coated in blood. My eyes glared down at the red color, almost hyper focusing on it as flashes of Juan flickered in my brain. His voice, the sound of his body squelching as I stabbed him, came crashing into my mind all at once, flashes hitting as I swore I looked up and saw him standing before me. Immense fear flooded me as I stumbled back, nearly falling over. My eyes were wide, refusing to look away as the bloodied man smiled back at me.

“No!” I shouted, squeezing my eyes shut. “You’re not real. You’re not real!” My breathing filled my ears. I could feel my pulse in my skull, as the feeling of something brushed past my face.

“You’re right, Luanne, I’m not real.” Juan’s voice made me shiver. “Because you killed me!”

My eyes snapped open as I spun, searching for him, but he was gone. “What the fuck is happening?” I felt like my nose was bleeding again, dripping down my face. “No. No, no, no, no!” I frantically grabbed a handful of tissues from the vanity and wiped as much as I could from my face. Just when I thought I was good, the sound of Kat’s grunts made me whirl around. “Kat?” But I was alone, still hearing it as if she was standing next to me. “Kat?” I searched the dressing room, knowing something was wrong. I was alone, yet I heard her.

“Angel!” I spun at the sound of Dante’s voice, my vision flickering to see myself standing in front of Frank, forcing his dick down his throat, blood covering my face like a scene from a horror movie. I felt sick, standing there, helplessly watching myself as I proceeded to murder the man with my knife.

“Stop,” I cried softly. “Stop it!” A sharp ringing pierced my ears, my head aching as I flinched, falling to my knees in pain. “Stop!” I tried to open my eyes, but I couldn’t. The pain was too much. The ringing only increased until the world fell silent. I couldn’t hear anything except my own breathing and the sound of my heart racing.

Gentle sobs drifted into my ears as I reluctantly opened my eyes, shocked to see the scene before me. It was me, but the old me with brunette hair, carrying myself as if I had no confidence and I only lived for others, never myself. My body was on the floor of my old trailer, beaten and bloodied. The sound of my muffled cries filled the room as the old me tried to crawl towards the trailer door, leaving behind a trail of blood.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Juan’s drunken voice made me flinch as I turned to see him charging at my old self. His hands were red and swollen from beating me, his face flustered as if the abuse I had endured that day had taken so much out of him. “I said—” His sweaty body tackled the old me. “Where do you think you’re going?” My old self cried out, screaming and begging for him to let go. “You’re not going anywhere, Luanne. You’re mine!” His hands flipped me over and wrapped around my neck as he began to squeeze, those dark heartless eyes burning into my soul. I tried to close my eyes, but when I opened them, I was the one in his grasp—not the old me.

“Juan,” I cried, tears flooding my eyes as I kicked my legs. “Please?—”

“The only way you’re going to leave me is in a body bag!” His hands constricted as I gagged and choked, gasping for air.

Think, Luanne. Think! I slapped at his hands, clawing his fingers with my nails, unable to break free as he just smiled down at me. Play dead. Fake it and he’ll let you go! Do it!

My eyes rolled as my body fell limp. Within seconds, Juan gradually released my neck, slapping my face as I remained unphased, pretending to be unconscious.

“There, that wasn’t so hard now, was it?” I listened as he spat next to me. His fingers grazed my face, flicking my lower lip. “Still warm to the touch.” He squeezed my face, moving it side to side. “What a fucking waste,” he groaned. It took everything in my power to remain as still as possible, forcing my breathing to remain low, so low he wouldn’t notice. He nearly startled me with his lips pressing against mine as he kissed me, the smell of alcohol rank on his breath, his hand drifting to my breast as he moaned faintly. “I’ll get one last use out of you,” he whispered as I listened to the sound of his pants unbuckling. “One last fuck,” he grunted, lifting my skirt and sliding my panties to the side. “Yeah, I will.” Juan forced his penis inside me, grunting as he assaulted me. I felt like dying, wishing my heart would stop. Wishing my injuries would take me. I had to fight my tears, despite the aggressive rape, pretending to feel nothing as he shoved his dick deeper, squeezing my breasts.

“Oh fuck,” he whined. “Fuck, fuck, fuck!” Juan slid his dick from my body, coming all over my leg, his hot jizz drenching my thigh. “Oh, Luanne,” he moaned, squeezing my breast hard as he continued to come. My stomach was sick, twisting into knots as I did my best to appear lifeless, listening to him as he finished, wiping his hands across my torso.

Juan remained silent for a few minutes, lighting a cigarette as the realization of what he did settled in. He shook my leg, trying to wake me, but I refused to move. I wanted him to think I was dead, to leave me alone so that the moment he did, I could run.

“Luanne? Baby?” He slapped my shin. “Wake up. Luanne, wake up!” It took everything to not wince at his raised voice. “Oh fuck.” He shuffled around, panicking as he thought I was gone. “Fuck, no.” The sound of him punching the trailer wall made my heart jolt. “Shit, this isn’t happening.” I heard the trailer door squeak open as Juan rushed out. “Fuck!” The door slammed shut as I held my breath and listened.

It was silent.

Did he leave? Is he gone? Is it over?

I remained frozen, counting to a hundred again and again, too scared to move.

He has to be gone. It’s been awhile. Fuck, open your eyes, just a little.

I did just that, taking my time to peel my swollen lids open and look around. Juan was gone, and I was alive.

Now !

As quickly as I could, I shot from the floor, Juan’s cum sticking to my thigh as I tried to wipe it off and fix my panties. I nearly threw up at the idea of being assaulted but knew there was no time to think about it. My feelings would have to wait. I needed to escape. I grabbed my bag and what I could, stuffing a wad of cash and food into it as I cautiously opened the trailer door and peeked out. The sky was dark, crickets singing in the distance. He was gone, and I took my chance.

I quietly stepped down the mini set of stairs and left the trailer, glancing over my bloodied shoulders in every direction, paranoid and fearful, as I began to walk away from that life. The trailer sat about a hundred yards away from the main road, and I had reached about half the distance when I heard him.

“Luanne?” My body stiffened at his voice, coming from behind me in the direction of the trailer. “Luanne, baby? Is that you?” Shaking, I reluctantly looked over my shoulder to see Juan standing outside the trailer with a hand saw.

Fuck!

“Luanne!” His gaze darkened as he gently placed the saw down and bolted in my direction.

“No!” I screamed, sprinting towards the main road, my body screaming and aching.

“Luanne! Come back!” He was quickly gaining on me as I neared the stop sign, noticing an older woman in a pickup pulling up. “Luanne!”

“Help!” My screams caught the old woman’s attention as she turned to look at me rushing to her truck. “Please! Help me! He’s going to kill me! Please!” The woman looked back at me to Juan, waving for me to hurry. I reached for her door as he grabbed my hair and yanked me back. “No!”

“Get off her!” The woman jumped from the truck, aiming the shotgun now in her hand at Juan. He froze. “I said—” The familiar sound of the shotgun loading echoed in the air as she aimed it at him, tapping the tip against his head. “Let her go!” Juan growled, releasing my hair as he raised his hands and eyed the old woman.

“You got no business here,” he warned.

“Get in the truck,” the old woman motioned her chin towards the running vehicle. I quickly jumped from the ground and ran inside the truck, watching through the opened window as she remained there with her gun. “Might not be my business, but that don’t mean I’m afraid to plant one of these shells between your eyes.” Juan glared at the old woman. “I’m going to walk back to my truck and me and that pretty little lady are going to drive off. If I so much as catch you breathing the wrong way, I’ll shoot. Understand?” Juan tsked as the old woman slowly backed up to the driver’s seat, her shotgun and eyes remaining locked on him. “Here sweetheart.” She passed me the shotgun. “If he moves, you shoot him, got it?”

The cold gun slid into my shaking hands as I struggled to hold it, pointing it at Juan as the old woman buckled in.

“Luanne,” he yelled, glaring at me.

The truck kicked into drive, and Juan bolted towards us. My entire being panicked as I shot the gun, my ears ringing as he hit the ground. The old woman slammed on the gas pedal as we tore away from him and onto the main road.

“Are you alright?” the woman asked, carefully taking the gun from my hand.

Looking back, I watched Juan stand, unharmed, and stare as we drove away.

“No.” I closed my eyes.

“Dottie?” Patty’s voice broke me from the painful memory, a loud gasp shooting from my lungs as I realized I was in the present, back in the dressing room. My eyes searched the room, my consciousness settling as I tried to bring myself back down.

You’re fine. Everything is fine.

“Dottie?” Patty knocked on the dressing room door. “The Devils are here. They’re looking for you.”

The Devils—my devils. Pull yourself together.

I shoved my dark demons aside and cleaned myself up, looking at my pained reflection. I could see the old me staring back. She was scared and hurt, lost in this big world. “That isn’t me anymore,” I whispered. “The old me is dead.” I pinched my cheeks for the perfect blush and shook my head, settling into my new self. “Luanne is gone.” My trauma sank to the pit of my stomach as I adjusted my lingerie and wings, feeling like my usual self again. “Time to party, Dottie.”

I opened the dressing room door and Patty stood there waiting for me. “Hey.” She eyed me closely as I stepped out into the club. Eden’s Inferno was fully alive, lights strobing all across the club as music shook the building. It was a fucking vibe, the very one I was needing right now. “Everything okay?” I looked down to see her holding a tray of shots.

Without even thinking, I picked two up and shot them back, the whiskey burning my throat as I let out a loud whoop. “Perf!” I smiled, brushing past her to The Devil’s Corner. “See you later, Patty!”

The music took hold of me as my body swayed and moved with the beat. I shimmied my chest, the crystals glistening under the mood lighting as my wings wiggled behind me. My eyes noticed the two bedazzled devil masks, locking onto them as I danced my way through the crowded club and to them.

“Oh, I love this song!” I screamed, shaking my ass as I reached their table. With a quick spin, I landed in Dante’s lap, giggling as he tried to help me up.

“You okay, angel?” Kat rushed to my side, trying to help me back to my feet, but I laughed, rolling around in Dante’s lap.

“Oh, I’m fine! Jeez, why does everyone keep asking me that?” My legs kicked as I shook my ass, tossing my hair around. “I just want to party!” Kat grabbed my wrist, yanking me up as Dante stood, holding my waist.

“Dot, what’s going on? Are you high? What did you take?” His hands reached for my face, but I slapped them away.

“Knock it off! I said I was fine!”

“Angel.” Kat spun me to face her, carefully lifting her mask to see my face.

Ugh, Kat is just fucking perfect.

“Dottie, did you use?” She pulled me close, looking into my eyes as my hands pressed against her chest. “I think she overdid it a little, Dante.” Kat spoke to him behind me.

“God, you’re so beautiful. Kiss me.” I leaned forward, kissing Kat as she nearly fell over. Dante had to grab us, pulling us apart as I laughed out loud, grabbing his neck to kiss him. “Take your mask off! Let me see your handsome face!” He grabbed my wrist, stopping me. I nearly stumbled over, feeling the mixture of coke and whiskey mixing in my stomach.

“Why don’t we take a seat and just rest a moment, angel? You don’t look so good.” Kat tried to direct my body to their table, but I didn’t want to go. Dante had rejected me and Kat was trying to mother me, and I didn’t like it.

“No!” My arm ripped from her grip as they watched me. “I want to party! And if you two don’t want to party with me, then I’ll just find someone else.” My wings almost knocked me over as I spun away from them.

“Angel. Angel!” Kat screamed after me as I pranced into the dancing crowd, raising my hands up high, flicking them off.

“Later bitches!”

I lost myself in the music once more, dancing with random patrons as the devils watched from their corner, sullen and bitter.

That’s right, watch me. Keep your devilish eyes on me as I show you what you’re missing.

I purposely put on a show, shaking my ass and dancing on everyone I could, letting strangers touch me and hold me however they pleased. I didn’t care who it was or what they did, I just wanted to remain in this fuzzy high and drift away from everything. And I wanted the devils to see me having the time of my life without them. To make them regret rejecting me.

“Want to go outside for a smoke?” The guy I was dancing with asked. He seemed harmless enough, but truthfully, the hot club air had made me break a sweat and the idea of stepping outside in the cool spring night sounded like a good idea.

“Sure!” He took my hand and led me towards the back of the club. My eyes peeked over my shoulders and past my wings as I waved bye and blew a kiss to the devils, watching them stir and simmer.

The two of us stepped out into the night, our hot breaths fogging the air as the moonlight beamed down on us. The strange man lit his cigarette, watching me squeal and spin beneath the blue light, sparkling as my wings felt like they were glowing. “It’s such a beautiful night!” I exhaled, gripping the railing next to him as he offered me the lit cigarette. “Thanks,” I breathed, inhaling the smoke.

“So.” He took another hit after me. “You’re a dancer? What’s your name?” I could feel his eyes trailing up and down my near naked body.

“Yes, I am.” I smiled, acting shy and bashful. “You can call me Bubbles. What’s your name?” He grinned, exhaling a cloud of smoke.

“Charles.”

“Charles?” I shook my head. “No, you don’t look like a Charles—” We both laughed. “Charles,” I mocked. “Blech, too formal. No, you look like a Charlie!”

“Charlie it is.” He grinned, smoking the cigarette. “So, what’s your story, Bubbles?”

“My story?” I blew a raspberry, taking the cigarette from him. “You don’t want to hear that.” I leaned against the railing, tossing my head back over the railing, soaking in the moonlight.

“And why not?” Charlie asked, leaning over next to me.

“Because it’s such a sad story.” I exhaled into his face then poked out my bottom lip in an exaggerated pouty face. “And right now, I don’t want to be sad. I want to party.” I offered the cigarette back to him.

“Well, why didn’t you just say so?” Charlie placed the cigarette between his lips and reached into his pocket, pulling out a tiny baggie of colorful pills. “I got a whole bag full of fucking parties in here.” My body rose as I stood, eyeing the colorful pile of pills in his open palm.

“It’s like a rainbow,” I cooed, gazing at them.

“Yeah.” He removed the cigarette. “A rainbow that’ll make you feel so good, you’ll think you’re a flying unicorn.” My eyes shot to him, sparkling as he watched closely.

“I like the sound of that.”

“I bet you do.” Charlie took my hand, dropping the pills into them and retrieved a small flask from his coat pocket. “Bottoms up, Bubbles.” He handed me the opened flask, eagerly waiting for me to down the handful of pills.

“I don’t know if I should.” I hesitated.

“Hey, you want to party, right?” I nodded. “Well, then let’s party.” Charlie took a large swig of the flask, offering it back to me. I eyed the pills and licked my lips.

“Let’s party!” Charlie smoked the cigarette as I tossed the handful back and took a large gulp from his flask. The vodka made me cough, nearly choking on the pills as they dropped into my stomach. “Fuck,” I wheezed.

“Yes, now… ” Charlie stepped closer, blowing smoke in my face. “Let’s get this party started.”

DANTE

“We shouldn’t have let her out of our sight!” I slammed my fists into the mirror of the bathroom, shattering it as my mask bounced on the counter.

“Fuck, Dante! We just got that thing replaced!” Kat rushed to me, picking up my hand as she examined my bloodied knuckles, her mask raised and resting on her braids. “Listen, I don’t know what’s going on with her, but I think you’re right. We need to get her clean. That person out there, that wasn’t our angel.”

“Something is off—aside from her being high. I just?—”

“Shhh.” Kat took my face into her hands, gently stroking my cheek. “I know. I sensed it too. But breaking mirrors and bloodying your knuckles isn’t going to make things right. Take a deep breath, baby.” I closed my eyes and did as she said, trying to let my anger roll off my back. “There you go. Maybe she just needs some space right now to process whatever it is that’s getting to her?”

The bathroom door shot open as Patty peaked her head in, pretending not to see the freshly shattered bathroom mirror. “Hey guys, thought you’d like to know, but some strange guy just took Dottie out back. Alone.”

“Oh, fuck no!” I carefully brushed Kat off me, reaching under the sink to grab the hidden revolver.

“Dante.” I whirled around, fuming with an unspeakable rage.

“No one touches our girl, Kat.” I popped the cylinder casing and loaded the gun. “No one.” I slapped the cylinder back into place.

She picked up my mask, handing it to me with a sinister smile. “Let’s go save our girl.” My arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her closer as I kissed her with such passion. Kat kicked her leg back, melting into me. She ripped her mouth from me, placing my mask over my face and lowered her own.

“Patty.” My head tilted towards the woman still in the doorway. “Keep Eddie busy. We have business to take care of.”

“You got it.”

Kat and I held hands, rushing through the club to the back. The world was blurred, out of focus, as we aimed for the doors, focused solely on our girl. Kat kicked the door open, and we stepped outside, searching. A clattered noise caught our attention and sure enough, just off the side of the club and down the alley was Dot. Only she wasn’t exactly conscious. The man had her limp body seated on top of a trash can leaning against the wall, his pants sagging around his knees as he held her, groaning as he tried to fuck her but was failing miserably.

“Get the fuck off her!” Kat rushed to him and swung her fist, clamped around a set of brass knuckles, as she knocked the man back. I lunged to catch Dot, her wings no longer on her back but instead mangled and on the ground, covered in grime. I lifted her lids, seeing her enlarged pupils rolled to the back of her head. Her color seemed off and I could smell vodka on her breath.

“What did you give her?” I shot over my shoulder, cradling her.

Kat gripped the man’s collar, holding him up as his bloodied face looked at me. “S-she said she wanted to party!”

Kat raised him closer to her face. Through clenched teeth, she growled, “What did you give her?” He flinched at her words.

“A party bag!”

Oh fuck.

“Don’t you know Eden’s Inferno is our domain? Who the hell do you think you are, stepping in to deal on our turf?” Kat slammed her forehead into his skull, knocking him back to the ground as he tried to pull up his pants with one hand, the other holding his head. “Give her to me.” She stepped towards me. “I’ll take her to Patty.” I carefully lowered Dot into her arms, kissing her cheek gently.

“Make sure Patty takes care of her. Let her know that she’s on something.” My eyes turned to the man. “I’m going to take care of him.” Kat nodded, rushing back into the club with Dot. The man tried to crawl to his feet. “Not so fast!” I raised the revolver, pulled the trigger, and shot his hand. He fell to the ground, crying out as blood poured from the wound.

“I only gave her what she wanted!” he screamed and cried, rolling in agony.

“Is that so?” My hand reached for his ankle, dragging him back to the trash can as he clawed at the pavement. “Did she ask you to drug her?” I stomped on his ankle, listening as the bone cracked beneath my boot. “Did she ask you to rape her?” My raised snarls hid his screams as I stomped harder, listening to his bones crumble.

“I-I’m sorry! P-please! Ah! Stop!”

I kicked the man onto his back and aimed my gun at him. All I could see was Dot’s lifeless face, and it made everything turn red. “Any last words?”

“Dante!” My head swung to see Kat. She strolled to my side, placing her hand on the gun, lowering my arm. “You didn’t actually think I was going to let you shoot him, did you?”

“Oh, thank god!” the man cried. “Thank you, thank you!”

“Shut up!” She kicked his broken ankle, turning back to me as she ran her long nail down my neck. “Dot is our girl.” Kat walked past me, kicking around the garbage until she found an old pipe.

“Where is she?” I demanded.

“Patty is taking care of her. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like this fucker got the chance to force her.” Her mask tilted.

“I didn’t—I-I swear!”

“You think that’s going to save you?” Kat picked the pipe up, feeling it in her grip before casually returning to me. “Yes. This will do just nice.”

“W-what’re you doing?” The man questioned as she swung the pipe in her hands.

“I’m going to have some fun with you before I let Dante finish you off.” Kat swung her arm hard, swinging the thick metal pipe as it hit the man’s leg, breaking his shin. He screamed in absolute agony, writhing in pain. “That’s right! Scream! Let everyone here know what happens to pricks like you who hurt our girl!” Kat swung again, whacking him in the chest. The man wheezed, coughing up blood, telling me she had hit a rib and punctured his lungs. She bent down, slapping him across the face. “Shut up!”

“Please! W-who are you?” he sobbed.

Kat removed her mask and grinned at the man. “We’re the Disco Devils, sweetheart.” She stood, slowly backing away as her eyes raised to me, beaming.

I lifted my own mask, smiling back at her. My arm raised, the gun aiming at the man as I pulled the trigger and shot him in the dick. He hollered and wailed as Kat laughed, watching as I shot again and again, unloading the entire cylinder chamber into him. The end of the barrel of the revolver smoked as we stood there, watching the man die before us.

“You fucked with the wrong angel.” I lowered my arm, tossing the gun aside as Kat ran and jumped at me. I caught her, twirling, as I slammed her body into the wall and kissed her, the two of us suddenly invigorated by his death.

“That was so fucking hot, Dante,” Kat breathed into me. “I need you.” Her fingers hastily began to undo my pants, slithering beneath as she began to stroke me.

“Fuck,” I moaned, leaning into her. She continued to slide her soft hand along my shaft, careful with her nails. My dick instantly hardened, becoming constricted beneath the material, begging to be unleashed.

“Fuck me,” she whined, rubbing my wet tip with her thumb. I nearly shivered and jolted at the sensitive touch. Kat removed my dick, pulling me to her pussy and rubbing me against her wet opening. I was thanking god for mini-skirts at this moment. “Dante,” she whispered, tightening her legs around me.

“Kitty Kat.” I shoved my swollen dick inside her pussy.

The club door swung open as Patty rushed out, her face filled with worry and concern. “You guys might want to come inside.”

Fuck, what now?

“Little busy here, Patty,” I called out, fucking Kat.

“It’s about your angel.” We both froze, the moment completely killed.

“Dot,” Kat whispered. I gently slid from her body, twitching as we adjusted ourselves.

“What about him?” I asked, motioning towards the dead man.

“Forget that fucker—Dottie needs you.” Kat and I immediately ran to Patty, following as she led us back inside and through the club, returning our masks to our faces.

“What’s happened?” Kat asked.

“I’m not sure. I knew she was using—you know, coke—but this… this is different. Whatever she took—whatever that fucker gave her, well, it’s bad.” We stepped into Patty’s office, a small room tucked away from the rest of the club, and saw Dot sprawled out on the small couch, her usual color faded.

“Dot!” Kat rushed to her side, falling to knees as she held her face. “Dot, wake up.” She gently patted her cheek. “Fuck, she’s cold, Dante!” I ran to her side. “Dot? Dottie? Baby, wake up. Wake up!” Dot groaned faintly. The sound alone gave me some relief, but I knew she needed help.

“Patty?” I turned to look back at her, tossing her my keys. “Bring the car around. We’re taking her home.”

“She needs a hospital, Dante!” Kat shouted to me.

“She’s strung out, Kat! We can’t take her to a hospital. They’ll just pump her stomach and arrest her. Not to mention, the cops have been closing in on us for weeks. If either of us step foot inside a hospital, it’s all over.” Kat shook her head, grabbing Dot’s hand. “No, we need to get her home and do this ourselves.”

Patty rushed to move the car. I carefully picked Dot up, draping her over my shoulders as Kat covered her with a blanket, keeping her away from prying eyes. “What’re we going to do, Dante?” she asked.

“We’re going to save our angel.”