Dream in the Ash |Book 1|

Chapter 6

Three Months Later

Down a cramped alleyway in the market district of the sweltering city, slowing rain dripped down the brick buildings and splattered onto the cracked sidewalk. Like ominous whispers gossiping about her, the noise was deafening inside Audrey's head.

As always, his voice cut through the rain's murmuring in melodic crescendos that rose and faded in her ears like waves crashing onto the shore.

The club she worked at, Sarai, sat at the end of the dead-end street and didn't open for an hour, leaving the sidewalks deserted. But it had been months since she'd felt truly alone on her walk to work. Audrey pulled her hood tighter over her head in a futile attempt to ignore the taunting. She'd started hearing him even in those first few days, but it had grown worse than ever the past month. The murderer was taunting her again.

Footfalls splashed behind her. She hesitated. Shadows from the darkening sky stared back at her from every corner.

It turned out that three months of freedom and loneliness was enough to destroy a person's sanity entirely.

I'll take a break from the hard stuff for a few days, she promised herself, not even caring that it was a lie. She needed to lie to herself most days.

She shivered despite the heat—and picked up her pace.

At the back door, she knocked and shouted for Mags to let her in.

Standing water seeped under the shitty locked door from the deep puddles on the ground. Audrey pounded on it again. "Open up, or I'm not working tonight."

A loud moan masked any other voice or sounds, drowning out her rapping and shouts.

Her job was miserable. She had already heard those noises enough—already faked those noises enough. Watching their security guard and one of the girls getting it on was low on her list of priorities. Trembling with irritation, she stomped away from the back door, her shoes slipping on the wet cobblestones.

Around the block stood a group of men she'd rather avoid.

"Fuck outta my way," she muttered, shouldering her way into the front door.

"Here she is, folks, our resident serial killer. Aren't you all sunshine and rainbows today and late, too," Erik quipped, smoking a cigarette.

She didn't bother to correct him. Her legal victory had proved bittersweet. Everyone still believed Audrey did it, and the reality of freedom was another type of prison for her.

She rubbed her forehead at all the voices still slamming into her. The pain was a dull ache. A constant reminder of trading one cage for another. "I'm here, ain't I? I gotta get ready."

Erik grabbed her sleeve and yanked her back before she could grasp the door handle.

"Don't you dare talk back to me in front of everyone," he hissed. "I give you everything."

It was never enough, even if she'd kept him flush with cash for the past three months. "I'm not that late," Audrey grumbled.

He touched her cheek with his fingers. "Get out of my sight. I want to see those perky tits in my face a lot tonight."

Hearing his thoughts and sensing his intentions before he showed them all meant she could probably kick his ass if she wanted—but she didn't feel like fighting back. Tonight—like most nights—she was too tired and too high to care, and it also just wasn't worth the trouble.

All she did was nod at Erik. He stepped aside to let her pass with a cruel grin.

Anger surged in Audrey's veins. I hate that look on his stupid face. One day, I will put him in his place.