Let's Play A Game

Hey beautiful people, so I've been suffering a seemingly incurable bout of writer's block but on the train last night I think I was finally cured! Wrote a short story so read and comment please! It's partly inspired by Rihanna's "Russian Roulette".

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She could feel the sweat dripping down her face as she slowly regained consciousness; small beads forming on her forehead and then trickling down her face slowly, like lazy raindrops on the window, eyes flitting open. “How did I get myself into this mess?” she wondered. Her head was pounding where someone had struck her. Hard. “She’s waking up boss” she heard a man say in a voice that was too high pitched to be respectable. She wanted to laugh but her breath caught in her lungs. Her chest ached. Looking down she realised had been bound hands and legs, and there was duct tape firmly around her mouth. “What should I do with the haggard thing?” the voice said again. Ashleigh tried to remember how she had gotten here in the first place, the last thing she could remember was getting into a rich guys car. He drove a Maserati and she felt lucky to be the one to service him that night

“Hey Mistuh, you need a lady friend for the night? I only charge £1000 till the morning and I can do you nine ways from Sunday,” she cooed in her southern drawl, shoving herself through the open window, cleavage first. It was well after dusk and the streets were cold. Business was slow and she would do anything to climb into this matte black car and be carried off into his swanky apartment somewhere uptown, never mind what she might have to do for the next few hours. “Really? All nine ways?” his voice was a rich deep alto and she could feel the vibrations in her ear as he spoke. “Yessir, maybe even more” she offered, snapping her gum and smiling flirtatiously, playing coy because she knew what men like this wanted. It wasn’t that she liked doing this… ‘job’, but sometimes there was simply no other way to pay the bills. She only worked the streets when she needed to, when her three year old could no longer eat broth consisting mainly of water and cried for some meat or bread, sadly this was becoming more and more frequent, she even had a couple of regulars. “Well hop in then, but I’m only giving you £300 no more.” He said with a smile “That’s still higher than some f*ckers offer so I’m in.” she thought as she clambered into the car, feeling the cold leather seats on her thighs.

Now the same alto voice was saying “Leave her for now, wake them all up first.” For the first time Ashleigh realised there were other people around her. Girls dressed almost exactly like her; scantily clad, some stripped down to their underwear, obviously ladies of the night. She saw the guy with the high-pitched voice, he was stout and dressed like an undertaker, even including the hat. He went around the room brutally kicking and slapping all the girls until they were all on their feet. There were about 8 of them, all tied up with lips that had been sealed. “Now, now Caleb, don’t be so harsh, they have enough punishment waiting for them.” The alto voice said, reverberating through the room.

Ashleigh wondered where they were, all she could make out was that it was unfinished and the concrete on the floor grazed her bare legs constantly, there were also a few sparsely spaced windows. It must be a warehouse of some sort. The voice sounded even closer than it was before as it spoke. He was standing in front of one of the girls. “So tell me your name sweetheart” the hooker stood shaking before him speechless. “Very well then, let me explain the rules of my little game to you.” Emerging completely out of the darkness to reveal his 6 foot 5 frame, with a wry grin he said. “It is my job as a bearer of the light, to rid the world of all things sinful and all things immoral and you my dear, all of you,” he says looking intently at each one of them “are both sinful and immoral” Ashleigh watched as he ran a finger carelessly down the hookers face and stopped right at the end of her breastbone, in between her breasts. “Because of your undignified means of living, I have chosen you to play this little game with me, oh don’t cry darling, it might all be quite alright in the end.” He smiles slightly as he watches the hooker shake with fear, then he jab her forcefully in the chest with two fingers. The girl doubles over and falls, completely out of breath. “You simply must choose between 2 options. Caleb, show them the games rooms.” With that the lights went off again and there was an image cast on the wall directly in front of them. From what she could make out, there was a table with a gun on it.  She could hear the baritone voice explaining the rules of the game, and the game was Roulette. There was only one cartridge in the gun. Anyone who managed to survive would be allowed to leave and everyone else… could finally meet her maker. The only catch was a pack of rabid dogs just through another door, waiting to devour anyone who took more than two minutes to pull the trigger. Ashleigh felt sick to her stomach; this job cannot be the reason for her being here right now.

She closed her eyes and began to remember all the decisions that had brought her to this place. Dating Chris, the neighbourhood bad boy even when her father told her not too. Falling out with her mother after she failed to side with her. Isolating herself from all her siblings as she claimed they had all never been in love before. Her decision to move out of her parents house at the age of 17 and live with Chris instead. Loosing her inhibitions one night and indulging fully in his pleasures. Staying with him even after he beat her continuously. Getting pregnant and dropping out of school to have his baby. Chris eventually kicking her and her baby out of the house no matter how she pleaded. Meeting a woman who got her started in the ‘business’, getting her her very first client. Wondering to a perfect world in her mind while different men constantly filled her womanhood; old, young, poor, rarely rich. Nothing good had come out of this and all Ashleigh could think of was her baby girl, sleeping in the dingy apartment. She could only hope someone would save her.

All of a sudden there was a loud bang and then a thump on the floor as the first girl’s body went down. She saw Caleb drag the lifeless body out of the room “Feed her to the dogs” the alto voice said. “Yes boss” answered Caleb. Shivering convulsively and crying at the sight she shut her eyes tight again and thought of her perfect world. Another bang and another thud. Dreams of bright summer days and white Christmases were interrupted by a hand placed firmly on her shoulder. “You’re next” She looked at him with all the light left in her soul and pleaded with her eyes for him to let her go. Her deep brown eyes swam in tears waiting to fall at the bat of an eyelid, but all she was met with were cold black eyes, devoid of any emotions. Caleb grabbed her roughly and she wriggled and thrashed about trying desperately to be freed. Four slaps in rapid succession met her cheek, life had dealt her a heavy blow. Now locked in the room she stares at the revolver, her only escape. Picking up the cold lifeless gun like the eyes she had just seen her hands begin to shake. She stares into the barrel and realises they look exactly like the eyes she has just seen. Her knees buckle and she sinks slowly to the ground. “Only 1 more minute before my puppies come in to play.” says the voice through the speakers. “There are some truly sick people in this world” she thought as she spins the cylinder. “Better to take your chance with the gun than the dogs.”

“30 seconds”

Clicking the cylinder into place, she wills her hand and her heart to be still.

“20 seconds”

She raises her eyes to heaven and says a silent prayer to anyone who might be listening.

“10 seconds”

She lifts the gun slowly to her temple and feels it ice cold on her skin.

“9... 8… 7… 6…”

Slowly and deliberately she squeezes the trigger.