HIS NEXT VICTIM (DARK THRILLER)

4

Unconscious Embry lay stretched on her living room floor. Remnants of her costume hung around her ankles and tangled in her toes. Her otherwise naked body was covered by a hefty jacket. Her bun was undone, and her hair scattered everywhere.

The vibration of the phone caused her to stir. She groaned, feeling aches, and pains all over her body. Her head was pounding. She couldn't tolerate the harsh light that poured in from the square windows.

She tried to search for her phone, but to no avail. Finally, the vibrating stopped.

"What the fuck..." Embry mumbled, pulling herself from the ground. She noticed bloody scabs on her knees and elbows. Tightening her upper lip, she struggled to remember what happened last night. She couldn't remember anything after her last drink.

She tossed the coat off her body, feeling overwhelmed by its heat, and onto the white sectional. She scanned the room and saw her purse on the bar. She sighed with relief. She had to count her money. She struggled walking on wobbly feet and gripped the bar for support.

Leaning against the counter, she began quickly counting a wad of cash. She concentrated on her money until she heard rumbling from upstairs. She froze. Her eyes glanced at size 13 Yeezy's on the ground by her front door.

She cursed herself; hating when she brought dates home. She couldn't be responsible for her actions once she was drinking. She continued counting; waiting for the man to come down the stairs.

Once she heard his heavy body traipsing down the white carpeted steps, she put her money back in her purse. The man came in her line of sight, surprising her by his attractive face.

"Wild night, huh?" he said, grabbing in shoes.

"Mhm," she mumbled; she didn't care how good he looked. She wanted him out of her crib.

"Not one for words?" he smiled.

"Yeah, I am," she said, crossing her arms. "This is the part where you pay me."

"Damn," he laughed, "You hurt my feelings. I thought you had a good time."

"Don't flatter yourself. Just give me my money."

"Damn." He shook his head. He removed his wallet and tossed out a bundle of hundreds. "You're one cold bitch, yo."

Embry rolled eyes and gathered her money, "You know the game. It ain't even that deep."

"When can I see you again?"

"Whenever, as long as you're ready to pay."

He leaned against the wall, "So you act like you ain't feeling the kid?" He licked his pink lips. She looked over his honey brown skin and pretty ass face...

"You ight."

He laughed. Embry wasn't giving anything away. "See you later?"

"Maybe...But, right now, you gotta go," she said, guiding the man out, by holding the front door open.

"Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack. Bounce," she said firmly. She'd done her service, and he paid. She was done being nice, and her customer service skills had worn out.

She tapped her foot as the man slowly moved out the door. Embry ushered him out by waving her hand. As soon as both of his feet were outside her door, she slammed it on his back and turned the lock.

Embry owned a two-story townhouse. It was beautifully decorated in white and pink furniture. She walked up the carpeted staircase and started the shower.

She saw Kenise had called her and decided to return the call, even though normally it would go ignored. She agreed to visit Kenise at her dorm and get the missing English homework. She rushed her off the phone as Kenise began to criticize her frequent absences.

"I'm not tryin' to hear that shit."

Embry stepped in the warm shower and washed her body with vanilla bean scented soap. She questioned why she was even going to college. She wasn't confident in academics. After her shower, she slicked her hair into a high bun and laid her edges.

Naked, with her body dripping, she walked into her second bedroom, which was a massive closet. A full-length mirror sat in the corner, which she used to admire her body. After having her two children, her body was stretched out. She'd gotten breast and ass implants in addition to losing 30 pounds.

Reggie, her children's father, always made her insecure because of his constant cheating. Now, as she glanced at herself in the mirror she felt as if she was pure perfection.

While she sorted through several designer outfits, her phone rang. It was her mother. Embry rolled her eyes and answered.

"Yes, ma'am?" She said into the phone, putting her mother on speaker.

"Embry! You said you were gonna take the kids to the park today? Girl, where are you?! The day is almost gone!"

Embry cursed, "Oh, shoot! Mama, I forgot. I apologize."

"You need to be sorry to them! These are your children! Daddy and I are too old to be raising them!"

"Oh, here she go." "I know..."

"I can tell you rollin' your eyes, lil' girl! King is asking about you. Queenie hardly knows you. I don't know what has gotten into you, girl."

'Mama. I can't deal with this right now."

"When can you? You should come to church and get out of that whorehouse!"

"Oh, my God! Please stop with all that, ma! You know I hate it when you do this. Look, I'll come by tonight and see the kids. Please give me a break."

"Your whole life is a break, Embry! I don't know how you turned out like this! Because I know, I raised you right. "

Embry kept quiet, listening to her mother rant. After applying lotion to her skin with cocoa butter, she squeezed on cut off shorts and adjusted her breasts in her top. Her nipple piercing poked through.

She judged the outfit in the mirror. She wasn't sure if it was too slutty or not.

"Embry, are you listening to me?!" her mother screamed

"Yes, ma'am," she said dryly.

"Did you know Reggie called me this morning?"

Embry twisted her face in confusion. "You shouldn't be answering those calls. You know they charge you, right?"

"I know, baby. He said they are letting him out soon. He asked me a lot of questions about you..."

Embry and Reggie started messing around when she was fifteen. Her parents used to hate him. When she got pregnant at seventeen, they had kicked her out. She had to depend on Reggie for everything. It was the worst time of her life. He was sleeping with random women and always running the streets. Now every time he called, he acted like her damn daddy.

Embry rolled her eyes as old memories filled her mind. Reggie was a childhood flame that left her with a lot of baggage; two children. Her son, King, who was three years old and her daughter Queenie, who was eighteen months.

"Ight, momma. Imma go. Kiss the kids for me," Embry said quickly before hanging up.

Embry wasn't ready to be a mother when she gave birth to her children, and she wasn't now. When Reggie got locked up right after Queenie was born. She felt like she was going to rip her hair out; two kids, no money, and alone.

Embry started hitting the tracks hard. She started stripping and then tricking. The kids stayed with her momma most of the time, but Embry provided for them. She had a life insurance policy that was paid up in case something happened to her and saving account for them with over a hundred thousand dollars. She knew her lifestyle was dangerous, but she loved it. It fulfilled all her desires.

She felt alive. She felt weightless. The men made her feel beautiful with no strings attached. She did not want to be responsible for her children, not yet.