Moonlight

Eighteen

Alice walked once more into the room, looking for the next client. The music was loud, and Alice felt happy: she relished the sense of familiarity that this place now gave her. She knew its secrets and its stories.

Athena had disappeared who knows where. Some girls were walking around, parading their goods to the customers. Some newly formed, temporary couples disappeared upstairs.

A man came up to her. He had a cap on and kept it low, so you couldn't see him.

'Let's go,' he said and took her upstairs.

Alice stopped in front of the room where she checked the guys before taking them to her room. But the man grabbed her by the wrist.

'Which one is yours?' he barked.

'Hey, what's the idea?' she said.

He opened a door to a room. It was empty. The man dragged Alice inside and threw her in.

Alice stumbled across the room, hitting her head against a cupboard. She looked at the man, then, feeling numb with pain and fear, her heart racing, she looked around for the panic button. She tried to stand up to reach it, but her head was spinning, and she couldn't easily balance.

Then the man was on her again. He threw a punch, then another, then another. Alice felt the blows on her face, her chest, her arm. The man wasn't stopping and was not careful about where he was hitting.

Alice couldn't breathe. She felt tears running down her face and heard the loud scream that was coming out of her mouth.

Finally, the man stopped. Alice looked up. He took the cap off.

Vincent!

'What did you do? What the fuck did you do?' he screamed.

'I don't know...' she moaned. 'Please!'

He punched again, and again. He threw her across the room, then was on her again, kicking and punching.

Alice knew. Vincent was bankrupt, and he knew it had been her, even if indirectly. She tried to stop the blows, but she couldn't move easily: she felt pain everywhere, and he was on top of her, restraining her movements.

'I'm going to kill you!' he screamed.

Then it all went black.