Dealt

TRIGGER WARNING

Zia lay in the bathtub with her head leaning against the back of it.

The warm water felt like heaven after being in that hell hole.

She washed her hair and scrubbed her skin before she filled her tub and got in. She couldn't imagine soaking in the muck from that room.

She closed her eyes and thought about leaving the circus. She imagined a new life where she wasn't being treated like a prisoner but like a regular person instead.

She imagined dancing just for fun. She dreamed of not being afraid of the world any longer. But would she ever be accepted as normal? She wondered.

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts.

"Time to go." Damien said on the other side of the door.

Zia's stomach tightened. "Ok.". She replied.

She stood up, grabbed a towel and stepped out of the tub.

She pulled the white silk dress over her head that Damien left in the bathroom for her. It hugged her curves and exposed her back as cleveage. She hated it.

The only time Zia didn't feel uncomfortable with begin so scantily clad was when she was wearing a performance costume. Somehow it felt different.

She cleared out her damp hair with a comb and didn't bother to put on makeup.

When she finished getting ready, she slowly opened the door. Damien leaned on the wall across from her.

"Good girl." He said with a smirk as he looked at her from head to toe.

Zia remained silent.

"Tonight you have a different customer and he's impatient and important, so let's go."

Panic took over Zia. "Wait, I thought you said it was the same man from last time!"

"Does It matter? You agreed to this." He said with a cocked brow.

For some reason she felt that if it was the same man, she would be ok, but she didn't know what this new man would try.

"We can always go with option two of our deal." He said firmly.

Zia glared at him. Damien swiftly grabbed her face and spun her around, slamming her back against the wall.

Zia closed her eyes in anticipation of the worst. She could feel his hot breath on her face.

"Don't you ever look at me like that again or you will be sleeping with the Darkness." He whispered.

Zia opened her eyes. Her chest heaved as she struggled to control her breathing.

"Let's go." Damien said, taking Zia's hand in his.

Zia followed silently.

They stopped at another room. Damien unlocked the door and entered, pulling Zia behind him.

The room had a lit fireplace and blue lights. The furniture was grey leather and white with fur rugs on the floor.

Another large bed with many pillows and blankets, was in the corner of the room just like the last room.

Sitting in a chair near the liquor display was a bald, overweight pink, greasy man. He wore thick glasses and his black suit was too tight for him.

He was a large man. You could tell he enjoyed the pleasures of being wealthy by enjoying whatever landed on his fork.

You would think that men who spend money like this would buy their right size in clothing. She thought.

"I will leave you two alone." Damien said as he briskly walked out of the room and closed the door.

Zia's head snapped in the direction of the door closing. She felt suffocated in the large room.

The man sat there looking at her for a moment. Zia did not make eye contact with him.

"Come here." The man said as he reached for two glasses and poured whisky in them.

Zia walked towards the man.

"Have a seat."

Zia remained standing.

"Do you not speak?" He asked.

Zia ignored him.

"Well, dance if you won't speak." The man said, clearly becoming bothered by Zia's refusal to cooperate.

Zia stood still.

The man stood up and walked towards Zia, causing her to step back.

"I paid a lot of money for you. You will do as I say" He said as he grabbed Zia's arm.

Her heart beat rapidly as she felt his grip tighten.

"I need music to dance." She said quickly.

"You should have said so." He said, releasing her arm.

The man walked over to the table near the couch and put on a record. The music was of a soothing symphony.

"Sit." She instructed.

She began dancing for the man as he watched her hungrily.

She didn't dance like she did in the circus. Her moves were more restrictive. She was so uncomfortable.

"That is enough. Come now." The man said, patting his lap.

Bile rose in Zia's throat as she swallowed it back.

"No." She said with fear in her eyes.

The man stood up and grabbed Zia's arm pulling her over to the bed. Zia pulled herself away from him, but his grip was strong.

"Let me go!" She cried.

The man grabbed her and lifted her up, throwing her on the bed and took off his jacket. He seemed excited at Zia's resistance.

He climbed on the bed, crawling over Zia. Before he could bear weight on her. She slammed one of the glasses from the table near the bed into the man's head, shattering the entire glass as blood poured out of his wound.

His body fell to the bed as Zia jumped off of it. She ran to the door and turned the knob, desperately trying to open it. It was locked. Zia screamed through her teeth. She had to find a way out.

She looked over at the man in the bed, but he didn't move.

She ran over to the bed and pulled the sheet from under the blanket. She frantically pulled and pulled until the entire sheet was pulled out from the bed.

She tried to tear the sheets, but they were thick. Using her teeth and hands, she began ripping thick strips of the sheet until she felt she had enough.

She carefully climbed onto the bed and began tying the man's hands together with the sheet. She tied his legs and wrapped his head to stop the bleeding.

When she finished, she felt his thick neck for a pulse. He was still alive.

She put two pillows lengthways next to him and covered him with the blanket.

She looked around the room for another way out, but she knew Damien well enough to know he wouldn't leave another way out.

She walked over to the closet and found another blanket.

She wrapped herself with the blanket and situated herself in the corner, near the door and waited, praying that the man wouldn't wake up any time soon.