After hours (h.s. au)

prologue

The old staircase rattled when my feet bounced up each step -- failing to hide my arrival. Once I reached the landing of the floor, my eyes were leveled with yet another eviction notice. Bright yellow in all it's glory; I snatched it off the wooden door which led me into my small one bedroom apartment. I sighed, dropping my bag on the floor as I studied the familiar sheet of paper in my palm. 'WE REGRET TO INFORM YOU THAT IN A MATTER OF THREE DAYS IF YOUR RENT IS NOT PAYED TO YOUR LANDLORD, YOUR PROPERTY WILL BE SEIZED."  I crumpled up the paper, knowing that I surely did not have enough money to once again, pay off the landlord. It was my basic way of living at this point, leaving behind what I had called home to move on.

I glanced at the only source of time I had to tell from, and it told me it was two a.m. I had to be out by tomorrow, looking for yet again another temporary home. I ruffled my hand through my knotty hair -- my hand being my only brush. At this point getting up and leaving with close to nothing was okay, it did not effect me as much as it should for the average person. Although, I couldn't classify myself as the normal person at all. 

I packed the one bag I had, full of all of my belongings, and left the room without a final glance or solitary goodbye.

The following night my feet were throbbing with the mileage I had put on them, and my eyes threatened to close from the excess amount of time I had been awake. The streets were long, and people seemed to be wired up all night, the traffic never dulling throughout the night. I was not used to the hustle and bustle of this city, the way the people seemed to work did not fit in with how I grew up in my small town of Alpine, Utah. Actually, nothing about Utah came close to comparing to Las Vegas. 

I turned a corner, and eventually realized it was a dead end leading into a dark alley, where there was one door carved onto the side of a brick wall. The wall looked extremely old, but it had detail despite the old look it gave. I began to walk past it, moving on -- that is until I heard heels clicking behind me. 

"Excuse me, darling," A woman's voice echoed behind me, her tone trilling and high pitched with a slight southern accent ringing from the click of her tongue. 

I wasn't used to the approach of people whatsoever. I wasn't bothered at all because when they took an eyeful of me, they tore their eyes away almost immediately. It wasn't all that bad, I liked keeping to myself since I had always been shy for almost my entire life. 

But, I wasn't rude at all -- so out of courtesy, I spun around to face the nameless beholder wishing to speak to me. The woman revealed to be in her middle age, but she looked completely done up, her makeup and hair looking like it was taken out of a magazine cover. Her smile was timid, and I waasn't sure how to answer her calling. 

"Where are you headed tonight?" She flashed her teeth in a friendly manner, and stepped closer to where I was standing. I had no idea where I was going, which would be pretty hard to answer considering my circumstances. 

"No where." I said, telling the absolute truth. 

Her expression changed, as if she wasn't expecting my remark. It took her a few seconds to respond.

"Well, why don't you come inside then?" She snickered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She gave me no time to protest, or even oblige. Her frail arms hooked around my own as she pulled me with her to cross a threshold I never knew would alter my ways of life from then on.