Lost in Hollywood

Alice in Wonderland

The surprise and the pain of getting a fist in the face made Sky almost black out. Her ears were ringing, the coppery taste of blood filled her mouth as she slumped against the wall fighting the darkness that threatened to claim her.

Someone grabbed her and pushed her against the wall so hard that some of the framed tattoo designs fell. The sound of breaking glass pierced her foggy senses, and Sky came to, gasping for air.

"Two for one," Kyler laughed, his face so close to hers that Sky could taste the mint in his breath. "It's our lucky day!"

Sky was faintly aware of the sounds of fighting, tables falling, and things crashing to the floor tiles, the grunts and thumps, fists meeting flesh, muffled shouts and curses, but the frantic beat of her heart almost drowned them. All she knew was Kyler's face floating in the center of her vision, surrounded by darkness and floating stars, his forearm on her throat, pinning her against the wall, squeezing the air out of her windpipe.

Kyler chuckled and increased the pressure on her throat, choking her. Her useless struggles seemed to amuse him and his grin grew wider, making him look like the creepy cat of Alice in Wonderland, the one with a mouth too big for its face, and why couldn't Sky remember its name?

"Please—" she tried to speak, but nothing came out except a pathetic croak, barely a word at all.

Kyler's predatory grin grew, it split his face like a wound, eating away the last resemblance to a human. His laughter echoed in Sky's head which was getting lighter with every frantic heartbeat.

"Awww, what's the matter? Going somewhere?" Kyler's face was almost touching hers now, his grinning lips too close to her breathless mouth. "Not gonna happen. The lover-boy is six feet under, and Hawk here seems to be a bit busy. No one's saving your ass this time."

No! No, no, no, no—!

A voice pierced her panic-fogged mind. She wasn't sure if it was someone screaming in the background, or if it was in her head, but that one word became her whole consciousness. No! She wouldn't let Kyler do this, she wouldn't— Through the darkness that crept toward the center, Sky writhed and squirmed, tried to claw Kyler's arm off her throat, but she was losing the fight, her body was heavy as lead, her head light, and she couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe—

Kyler pulled his arm back just enough to let her draw in some air. Sky gulped in deep, painful lungfuls of precious oxygen, but the relief was short-lived. In a heartbeat, Kyler was choking her again, this time his fingers digging into her throat around her windpipe, and God no, no, no, his other hand was under her skirt, and Sky was screaming now, even if no sound came out, screaming because it was Matt's cold leather couch under her cheek again, it was the aching pain between her legs when she woke up, the past had caught the present, swallowing the years in between, making her just as helpless as she had been then, a stupid, helpless slut. Kyler's fingers were disgusting snakes, trying to push into her panties, and no matter how hard Sky tried to push him away, to squeeze her thighs together, nothing helped. There wasn't enough air in her lungs, and she couldn't stop what was happening, she couldn't even move, so stupid, so fucking stupid, and everything that happened was her fault, she deserved it all.

"Let her go! You asshole, let her go! Let her go or I'll fucking kill you!"

She would have known that voice anywhere. So familiar to her, always a bit dry and raspy, now breaking with fear and rage.

Tears filled her eyes, blurring Kyler's grinning face.

Hawk—!

What were they doing to him?!