The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

City Nights 
by Marge Simon 

A November moon lights her passage as she darts down a deserted street. Bits of paper circle the air like birds of prey forming totems – obituaries, casualties of city life. She knows the omens, her heart pounds as she nears his presence.

When she comes to a building with double doors she stops. The windows are oval, frosted to discourage curious eyes. At her touch, one swings open revealing a staircase. Muffled moans echo from a basement room. She moves slowly down the stairs, knowing what likely lies at the bottom. She doesn’t see him at first. He wears shadows like his skin.

There are four women and an old man chained to the wall. The women are moving but extremely pale, covered with open sores. The man hangs limp in his shackles. They aren’t hers. Obviously, he’s already drained and disposed of the ones she brought him last month.

He steps in front of her, flashing a smile. “I’m about done with this lot. Bring in three more tonight and we’ll celebrate, love.” He draws a finger down her cheek, bends to kiss her but she turns away. His hold on her has weakened. Regrets surge in her heart, at a loss before another time, another life.

She bites her lip hard. “No, Ivan. No more, I’m done.”

“You can’t be serious. You know you won’t last a month without my protection, babe,” he flips a curl back from her face.

“Maybe I won’t. I’ve never tried going it alone, it’s time I did –let go of me!” She starts to leave but he snaps his fingers in her face. “You’re not done until I’m done with you,” he whispers, securing her again in his thrall. 

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Fiction © Copyright Marge Simon
Image courtesy of Pexels.com 

More from Marge Simon:

Cast from Darkness
by Marge Simon and‎ Mary Turzillo

Cast from Darkness is another triumphant collaboration between award-winning Speculative poets, Marge Simon and Mary Turzillo.

The poetry includes themes running the spectrum of the speculative genres and forms ranging from the haiku through many nuances of vere libre to the prose poem.

Available on Amazon!