Stung by the Wasp

Psychedelic Addict

Jennie could feel the cocaine eat away at her brain as she tried to come down from another brutal high the following evening. The mattress irritated her skin as she lay facing the ceiling, watching the black mould race across the plaster through heavy eyelids. Her stomach growled, begging for food. She didn't know when her next meal would be. The sun shone through the grimy curtains, the heat making the pungent stench of stale beer and blood in the room become more apparent. The mattress stewed in the calefaction. Jennie was aware of her own body odour, unable to recall when the last time she showered was. Her lips were chapped. The sunlight burned her eyes. Kai came storming into the bedroom just at that moment, the sound of the briefcase hitting the surface of the desk startling Jennie. Her heart raced in her chest at the noise. He approached the foot of the bed and glared down at her. Jennie met his narrowed eyes.
"You disobeyed me again, kitten" he hissed.
"I didn't"
"One of my clients saw you get off the bus in town yesterday" Kai spat. Jennie's palms grew sweaty, and she suppressed a tremble.
"I.." she began, but a hard punch in the gut cut her off. Once she had been incapacitated, Kai grabbed her ankle and hauled her down the bed. Jennie fought back, pulling her ankle free from his grasp, and kicking out with it, landing two knocks on his chest as she scrambled away from his clutches. She rolled over and pulled Kai's gun from under the blankets, where he had left it the other night and pointed it at him, removing the safety with her thumb as she did so. The weapon felt huge in her small hands. She met his eyes once again, brazen in her actions. Kai smirked, enjoying the game.
"Kitten" he slurred, lip curling up into a sneer at the sight before him. Without warning, Kai backhanded the gun clean out of Jennie's grasp, taking her off guard. He smacked her across the head, before using a strong arm to reef her closer to him. Jennie squirmed, brain rattling around in her skull at the assault. Kai grabbed her neck with an unforgiving hand, holding her down as he pulled her hips up towards him, her toes catching in the carpet as she struggled against him.
"No" she cried. Kai pushed his palm down on her temple, shoving her face into the mattress, stifling her screams and protests. Jennie tried to lift her back, but Kai wasn't letting up. Jennie threw an elbow up to see if she could land a blow, but Kai was ruthless. He grabbed her arm and pinned it at her back, pulling it high so that she couldn't move.
Jennie protested, but her words lacked coherency.
"I can't hear you kitten" Kai teased. Jennie writhed at the feel of his cold fingers against her skin as he pulled her panties down. Without warning he rammed his erection into her vagina, proceeding to rape her violently as he rocked his hips in a steady rhythm. Jennie shut her eyes in an attempt to block out her ordeal, as Kai gathered pace. Her entrance stung as he moved, his vicious actions causing a severe pain to pool in her lower abdomen. Once he reached his climax he pulled out, discharging his load onto the bed beneath Jennie's legs. He groaned loudly, spanking her on the ass for good measure.
"Nobody is going to treat you as well as I do, kitten" he said, dressing himself. Jennie crumpled to the floor, pulling her knees up to her chest as her addled mind processed what had happened. She wasn't aware she had been crying until she wiped at her face with cold hands. Her vagina ached and the muscles in her lower back tightened. Kai dropped onto the bed, pulling a joint out of a tin box on the bedside table. He cast a look over at Jennie and scoffed, inhaling deeply on the filter. He scoffed at her appearance.
"Clean yourself up" he mocked, flicking the ash off his joint with a deft motion. Jennie stood up and pulled her panties up her legs. Moving to the desk she cut two lines of cocaine, tripping over stacks of the drug as she did so, legs trembling. She snorted one line before two loud gunshots ripped through the silence. Her heart leaped into her mouth. Kai scrambled up and ran towards the living room, pocketknife in hand. Jennie wiped at her nose, feeling dizzy all of a sudden. Kai walked into the living room, Jennie at his side. Baekhyun was standing to his full height at one end of the room, gun in hand. Taemin was slumped over in a chair, a fist sized hole in the side of his head. Another man lay at the door face down in a pool of his own blood. Lisa was also present.
"What the fuck?" Kai yelled.
"One of the rival gangs" Baekhyun explained. Kai stood in the middle of the room, assessing the damage.
"Where are my drugs?" he said, noticing the sizeable difference in his cartel. Cocaine had been spilt on the ground beneath his feet, powder sticking in the cracks of the dirty tiled floor. Plastic littered the place in clumps. Baekhyun fiddled with his gun.
"They managed to take like 500 grams" he said, not meeting Kai's gaze. Kai chuckled, but not in a friendly way.
"HOW DID THEY MANAGE THAT?" he roared.
"I don't know. I just came running at the sound of the commotion" Baekhyun stuttered. Kai smashed a fist through the drywall at his comrade's words. Lisa intervened.
"It was Taemin's watch" she said.
"Well" Kai scorned. "Look what happened to him".
Lisa eyed him. "He did the best he could"
"IT WASNT FUCKING GOOD ENOUGH" Kai replied.
"Where did they go?" he asked, turning to Baekhyun.
"Not far" Baekhyun replied.
"Get the shotgun"
Kai stormed into the bedroom and threw on boots and a jacket, sliding his pocketknife into the lining of it before standing up and fixing his hair. Baekhyun slammed the weapons down on the table. Kai picked up one of the shotguns and cocked it.
"Let's go" he said. "Call for backup"
"Already done" Baekhyun replied.
Lisa and Jennie stayed silent.
"You two" Kai said, jerking his chin in their direction.
"Pack the drugs and money now" he said. "Leave nothing behind"
He stormed out of the flat with Baekhyun on his heels. Lisa got to work, and Jennie joined in. Lisa pulled out two large duffel bags from a cupboard in the corner, tossing them down onto the table in front of them. Jennie began packing the one closest to her, stacking the bricks of cocaine in on top of eachother, one by one. Lisa did the same, shoving the money and the drugs into the second bag. They worked like that until the kitchen was cleared, careful to step over the dead body as they completed the task at hand. Lisa searched Taemin's body, opening jacket flaps and checking his jeans for any kind of weapon. When she found his gun she stuffed into the waistband of her leggings.
"There are more drugs in Kai's room" Jennie said.
"Get it" Lisa replied. "I'll take these bags out to the van"
Jennie went into the bedroom and locked the door behind her. With her heart in her mouth  and adrenaline keeping her mobile, she pulled on a pair of Kai's jeans before packing a smaller rucksack with the cash from the desk drawer and the remainder of the drugs, taking two bricks with her and leaving the rest. She heard Lisa return to the flat and she picked up the pace, slinging the bag over her shoulder as she ran to the window, throwing the curtains wide, and yanking the stiff pane open with nimble fingers.
"Jennie" Lisa called from the other room. She banged on the door. "Hurry the fuck up"
Jennie didn't reply, grabbing Kai's gun from the bed before throwing one tentative leg out over the window pane.
"Open this fucking door right now, Jennie" Lisa yelled. Swallowing the bile that had risen in her throat Jennie proceeded with her plan. Rain lashed down on her in cold sheets, soaking through Kai's shirt and revealing her naked breasts as a result. Sirens wailed in the distance. Blue and red lights cast menacing shadows over the entire building. Gunshots and shouts echoed in Jennie's ears, the sounds falling into line with the beating of her heart. She stepped onto the fire escape, the brittle frame tremoring under her weight and the elements at hand. A strong wind picked up, driving the deluge against the structure, dousing Jennie in the process. Her hair clung to her forehead like a wet mop.
Two blasts from inside made Jennie move faster. She could still hear Lisa shouting abuse at her from behind the bedroom door, but she didn't stick around to find out what she was saying. Jennie stepped along the metal construction, gripping onto the slippery handle bars for balance. She hurried down to the street as fast she could, keeping to the shadows as she ran, feet splashing into puddles as she darted down the nearest alleyway. Kai's jeans rode down her hips and she struggled to keep them up as she made it to the crowded bus stop, jumping on the first bus that pulled up, the flood hindering its  speed as more and more people clambered on. Jennie sat down in the nearest seat and hugged her torso in an attempt to trap warmth. Her teeth chattered as the vehicle pulled off into traffic. The rain rendered the window opaque. She pushed her sopping fringe out of her face. The shirt clung to her erect nipples and she sat the rucksack on her lap to hide them. The chill jangled her nerves.
With a ding the bus announced her destination. Rising slowly, Jennie moved to the front, desperate to disembark before anyone recognised her. She tugged Kai's jeans up over her slim waist, holding them in place as she sprinted off the bus, ducking under a shop awning to catch her bearings. The streetlamps seared through the cloak of the fog as Jennie's lithe figure ran beneath them, turning into an elaborate apartment complex at the end of the road. Police cars squealed past her and she shook, ducking into dark corners and shop entrances to hide. The load she was carrying felt heavier than normal. Eventually finding shelter she rang the bell of the apartment she wanted, holding the button down out of fear. She glanced behind her several times, eyes wide. The rain fell in sheets, making it hard to see a figure coming towards her. She felt sick. Lights from neighbouring apartments taunted her, mocking in their idea of safety and security. The door to the apartment swung open and Taehyung stood there tall, his 6ft build mesmerising in the glow. He had a hoodie and matching trackbottoms on. Jennie stared at him, breathing heavily.
Taehyung frowned at her appearance, shock and concern masking his handsome face.
"Come in" he said.

Jennie stepped into the bathtub, turning the shower on with numb fingers. Standing underneath the flow she created a lather, a puddle of grime gathering at her feet as she scrubbed at her scalp and body, keen to remove the years worth of abuse and addiction off her person as best she could. The temperature warmed her pimpled skin, and she felt a fleeting sensation of safety and security in that moment. Examining her myriad of bruises with tentative hands, she sat down in the tub, letting the steam work it's magic on her pores. A knock on the door made her glance up. Taehyung entered the room, a large white towel in hand. He perched on the edge of the toilet and peered down at her, eager to talk. Jennie braced her arms on the edge of the bath and blinked up at him, afraid to face the music.
"I want to help you" he said. "But I can't do that if you don't tell me what's going on"
Jennie lowered her gaze. "I'm a drug addict"
Taehyung inhaled at her words.  "Go on"
"Kai was my dealer for a while, and then when I ran out of money to pay off my debts he gave me an ultimatum and I took it. I thought he loved me, but it became clear quite soon that he was using my dependency against me" she said, speaking slowly. She assessed Taehyung's reaction out of the corner of her eye. He was staring at the white bath rug at his feet.
"What else?" he asked.
Jennie bit her lip. "The abuse .."
"What kind of abuse?"
Jennie's vision landed on the tiles surrounding the bathtub, the plug hole, the refraction of light bouncing off the shower head, anywhere but on Taehyung. A bolus of shame and guilt formed in her throat.
"Jennie?" he pushed, voice gentle.
"He did what you can imagine" she replied.
"I see"
A silence descended on them. The tap dripped and the drains gurgled. Jennie rested her chin on her arms, the heat suddenly making her feel drowsy.
"I'm scared" she mumbled.
Taehyung placed a large hand on her wrist.
"I'm here, okay?"
She met his eyes. "You don't understand, Taehyung. I stole drugs from Kai. He's going to come after me". Jennie fought back the tears that threatened to spill, sliding her arm free from under his hand as she changed positions in the tub, desperate to distract herself from the discomfort of this conversation.
Taehyung frowned. He scratched at his facial scruff as he weighed his options.
"Alright" he said after a pause.
"Alright?" Jennie questioned.
"Yeah"he said. He rose to his feet. "You ready to get out?"
Jennie shot him a quick smile, before getting to her feet, covering her assets with her hands, a pink blush creeping up her cheeks in embarrassment. Taehyung opened up the towel for her to step into, the soft, laundered fabric wrapping Jennie in a comforting embrace. Taehyung pulled the towel tight around her frame, the muscles in his arms flexing as he worked the material into a cinch. This time Jennie didn't flinch at his proximity. She wanted him in her space, to be close to her. Taehyung looked at her.
"Feel better?"
Jennie caught his movements out of the corner of her eye, lifting her shoulder slightly out of reflex. She nodded in response. Taehyung grazed his cheek with hers, and with her heart hammering in her chest Jennie let him. Their lips met in a gentle act of intimacy, Taehyung's tongue flicking at the inside of her bottom lip in a playful manner, wrestling with her own as their lips moved together in perfect unison. Jennie pulled away then, stepping outside of his embrace, gripping the towel in tense fingers, suddenly aware of her exposed body. Taehyung sensed her doubt and backed up. He scratched the back of his neck, biceps straining against his clothing as he did so. Jennie touched her lips, a tingling sensation dancing across them all of a sudden.
"I'm sorry" Taehyung said.
"Don't be" Jennie replied. "I wanted it to happen"
Shyly she emerged into the bedroom, Taehyung on her heels.
"I'll make some tea" he said, heading into the kitchen. Jennie pulled on one of his T-shirt's, and her freshly washed panties, rubbing the towel down through her hair in an attempt to dry it. She sat into Taehyung's bed, the smell of Lynx radiating off the sheets as she sank into the springy mattress. Taehyung returned with two mugs in hand. He passed her one before sitting on the bed opposite her, balancing the mug precariously on the duvet.
"So, how dangerous are we talking ? Who is this Kai dude?"
Jennie sipped her tea. It burned her tongue.
"Kai is a bad person. He's killed people over messed up drug deals in the past" she said, voice a whisper.
Taehyung sucked his teeth.
"Okay" he said.
"I can be gone tomorrow Tae" Jennie said.
"Absolutely not. He's not going to hurt you anymore Jennie" Taehyung replied, reaching past her to put his mug on the bedside table. Jennie held her beverage close to her chest, unsure of Taehyung's motives and certain that Kai would unleash hell on her once he learned of her whereabouts.