AN: Had another idea for a story and wanted to attempt to write it using the characters of Rick and Michonne. There are some similarities between this one and Glorybox however, I think it's different enough to be a separate story. Again, let me know what you think! If I have enough support for this one like So Gone, I will continue it as well. Happy Reading :) XOXO
The air was tinted in a translucent fog of face powder and flecks of glitter as the dancers rushed backstage to get ready for their individual performances.
Lining her eyes in kohl, she sat and observed herself in the polished mirror. Her waist length dreadlocks tucked in and concealed under a silky black bob as she finished sweeping a thick wing across her eye, giving her a more feline appearance. She then continued to paint her full lips in a cherry-red gloss. She always loved this part; the metamorphosis into the temptress that she had created. It was a far cry from who she was in New Orleans just two years ago. After her mother passed, Michonne couldn't bear the thought of living there any longer. Everywhere she went, every street corner she turned and every face she saw, triggered a haunting memory of her mother and everyone else that she had lost. It was suffocating. So, she packed all of her possessions and set out for the great state of Georgia with only but three hundred dollars in her savings account. She didn't have much, but Atlanta offered her a fresh start. A place where she had the space to reinvent herself, and that was all she wanted. She was eager to finally kill that shy and scared little girl that she had always been known.
"There's not an empty seat in sight out there." A tall, statuesque woman leered while twirling a leather whip. "You're on in five, Kitten."
Michonne flicked her gaze from the mirror over to Madame Kali, who was dressed in a black mesh bodysuit restrained with a red leather corset and red over-the-knee stiletto boots. Michonne smirked as Kali was never modest about her admiration for the dominatrix aesthetic. She was tough as nails and the owner of Vénus en Rouge. The first person Michonne had met once she arrived in Atlanta. Kali gave her the nickname Kitten as she said she reminded her of an innocent wide-eyed cat when they first met.
Knowing she didn't have much money, Kali offered her an apartment above the cabaret rent-free as long as she agreed to fill in for one of her dancers who had left for Paris. Despite only knowing her for two years, Michonne seen her as a mother figure. Kali was poise, cultured and demanded respect. She also made it a mission of hers to embed that same self-assurance in all of her girls.
"A woman's power is only as vast as her confidence" she would always say to them. Words Michonne wished her mother had passed along to her when she was a child.
"Knock 'em dead tonight, Mich!" Said a smiling woman as she brushed her damp, blue dyed curls to the back.
Michonne inched over to her panting friend and hugged her.
"You were amazing out there, Maggie."
After Michonne accepted Kali's offer, Maggie took on the job of showing her the ropes in the world of burlesque. She felt there was no one better as she was the most revered dancer at Vénus en Rouge. She performed under the alias of Trixie Royale. Her vibrant style and playful charm enraptured men everywhere. Admirers lined up for hours just to get a glimpse of her on stage. Typically, Michonne preferred to be alone but she eventually also fell victim to her lively personality.
...
"Trixie Royale setting the stage ablaze once again! I don't know about you boys" Madame Kali tantalized, brushing the leather tail of the whip gently over a man's face in the first row. "But I'm ready to be scorched by our next performer."
...
"Looks like I'm on." Michonne gripped her red feathered fan and inhaled nervously. Though she had performed regularly for over a year and a half, her nerves never ceased to calm before going on stage.
"Good luck! And don't let the man to your left throw you off-key." Maggie teased while handing her satin bustier to the stage kitten, Jessica.
Michonne tossed her a smug grin. "No one throws me off-key."
Many of the girls made a sport out of who could score the most howls and applause. Though, to their vex, the winner was always either Michonne or Maggie. At the end of the night, Michonne and Maggie kept their competition rolling by placing a wager on who could land the most handsome man in attendance and allow him the pleasure of spoiling them for the evening, the winner won the privilege of closing the show for the next weekend, which was always the most sought-after slot of the night.
"He's quite the male specimen. I'm sure I'll have him curled around my finger tonight." Maggie bit her lip in thought.
"Not if I get to him first." Michonne jested before kissing a poster of Josephine Baker and getting into position.
….
"And without further ado, welcome to the stage, Kitty La'Noirrrr!"
An eruption of shouts and whistles broke through Madame Kali's introduction as the bright lights fell dim, leaving only a faint spotlight on the stage.
The sinister opening chords of Jill Tracy's Pulling My Insides Out began to play as a slow separation of the thick curtains revealed, Kitty La'Noir.
Her deep brown skin draped in leopard-print lighting by a subtle projection. Her graceful hands slid down the bars suggestively as her round hips swayed to the gritty bass. Her cat eyes coyly drifted over to the left. She was curious to see this extraordinary specimen. She took in a small gasp at the pair of opalescent blue eyes glued to her every move. His sculpted face was partly bathed in a shadow, but his pale skin and striking eyes pierced through the darkness, chillingly. He was ungodly sexy.
She closed her eyes, giving into the rousing chill that traveled up her spine as her body twirled with Jill Tracy's sensual voice.
But, my dear, it's worth the pain. When they're pulling your insides out.
Pivoting around the cage, Kitty La'Noir expertly recoiled her feathered fan teasing the audience with a glimpse of her shimmering brown breasts adorned with sparkling red tassels before bashfully veiling them again. She playfully batted her lashes at the crowd as roars full of vigor washed over her. She felt the audience ramping up as she slowly and methodically whirled her fan, presenting the audience with one scandalous gander after the other.
She then moved closer to the crowd, blurring out everyone else but the mysterious blue-eyed stranger. His eyes remained steady on her as his face crept out of the darkness. Her lips parted as she scanned over his auburn beard inundated with flecks of silver as it ascended over a defined jawline. His hair was a sea of glossy dark brown waves that framed his face perfectly. She felt her knees go weak as a glint of want flashed in his cold unyielding eyes. Her cherry lips turning up into a lascivious smile as she began lowering the red feather fan achingly low. Shrieks of men in the crowd grew louder as they anticipated an eyeful of her beautiful body in all its glory before she turned around shily.
Red light danced across her figure, seizing the suppleness of her movements as she continued to spin and twist her body in the most elegant ways before the curtains slowly began to gather back together. She graciously bowed and blew the adoring audience a flirty kiss while peering over the mysterious man, slowly giving her his applause.
Michonne inhaled as the curtains came to a full close, blanketing her in blackness as she tried to catch her breath.
Madame Kali winked at her from the side of the stage before sauntering back to the excited crowd. "We might have to douse you all down after that red-hot performance. Whew!" The audience's applause and whistles grew louder.
"Let's hear it one more time for Kitty La'Noir!
….
Michonne ambled down the long hallway and back into the changing room, feeling electrified by the audience and even more so by the beautiful stranger whose eyes still haunted her. They weren't like any she had seen before. They weren't just blue, but an unnaturally vivid blue.
She eventually snapped out of her thoughts and removed her sleek wig causing her long locs to cascade down her back before unlocking her locker.
"So..." Maggie dragged her words as she came from behind the lockers dressed in her usual rocker chic attire. Pressing herself against the cold lockers, a sly smirk spread across her rosy lips. "Did you see him?"
Michonne flickered her a knowing smile before peeling off her glittered nipple tassels. "Who is he?"
"No idea. Maybe he's visiting or something." Maggie pondered aloud. "He doesn't look like any man I've ever seen in Atlanta." She added.
"His probably from Romania or somewhere like that." A blonde woman interjected, matter-of-factly.
"Would you please, just stop, Britney?" Maggie intoned as she rolled her eyes, annoyingly.
Ever since the recent uptick of murders in the city, Britney had convinced herself that it must be the doing of vampires since most of the bodies were found drained of blood and torn apart.
"I'm serious! Did you see his eyes? It was like staring into the devil himself." Britney paused, falling deeper into her thoughts as she tightened a hold on the cross of her gold necklace.
"Britney, with all of the shit going on in this city lately, vampires would be the least of my worries." Michonne said pulling a black crop top over her head.
For the past few months, the busy metropolis of Atlanta had descended into a free fall of chaos and decay. Corrupt politicians and overbearing police officers had begun to run amok causing the city to quickly erode into a ghost of its former self. Growing levels of poverty and anarchists soon followed, resulting in a significant exodus of people who could afford to flee to a better city. And those that couldn't, did their best to stay to themselves and out of harm's way.
From time to time, Michonne mulled over how Kali was able to withstand the increasing property taxes for Vénus en Rouge especially since they were only getting a fraction of the customers they used to.
"Well suit yourself." Britney's high-pitched voice broke through Michonne's depressing thoughts.
"Just remember to protect yourself, ladies. God, only knows what's lurking out there." She retrieved a can of mace from her snakeskin purse and walked out of the locker room leaving the two women behind with her words of advice.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to get a weapon, just in case." Maggie swallowed, digesting Britney's warning.
"Yeah, that might be a good idea." Michonne seconded. "Hey, wanna go have a few drinks downtown, my treat?" She tried to shake the uneasy feeling creeping over her by changing the topic.
"Cant." Maggie dropped her head disappointingly and answered. "I gotta get up early tomorrow and work. Sherry called off…again and now I'm stuck with her shift."
"That's the third time this week. Did she quit or something?" Michonne furrowed her brows, puzzled.
"Probably. I mean everyone else is. The city's going to shit." Maggie let out a saddened breath and took out a pack of cigarettes.
"I'll come by and keep you company then." Michonne smiled as she knew how much she hated working morning shifts.
"Aww! Look at you, being a good friend." Maggie smirked as she blew out a circle of smoke.
"You know what, never mind. I take it back." Michonne glared over to her and shook her head.
The two laughed and then gave each other a comforting hug goodbye before parting ways for the night.
…
Michonne gathered her bags and strolled down to the elevators. She checked her phone for any missed messages as she stood in front of the pristine gold elevator, preparing to press the illuminated-up button. Her heavy lids drifted down the hall of the changing room out of boredom as her body fell frozen by the sight of Kali beckoning in that blue-eyed stranger in the crowd over and into her back office.
The Next Morning
The heavy scent of rain hung in the cold air along with Michonne's condensed breath as she walked through the graffitied streets that used to be full of life and thriving businesses but now only resembled a boulevard of lost hopes. The sheet of grey clouds deepened to a menacing steel as the orange glow of morning was obscured from view. She rarely woke up early enough to see what the city was like in the mornings but the lingering images of Kali in her office with that mysterious man refused to leave her mind. She stayed up for most of the night asking herself a barrage of unsettling questions.
Was Kali involved in an underground criminal world? Was she trafficking some of the dancers in exchange for money?
Michonne's stomach churned in panic as she quickened her pace on the rain-kissed sidewalk. Wrapping herself tightly for warmth in her black fur coat, she stopped as a speeding yellow taxi ceased midway in the street allowing her to cross.
She continued her stroll as her thoughts turned to Maggie. She didn't text Maggie about it last night as she knew it would probably distract her as much as it did her. She figured it would be best to allow her to get a full night's rest for work. Maggie made a decent amount of money from performing but it wasn't enough to provide for herself and her father who recently fell ill and could no longer work on the farm. So, whatever extra money she made from working at the small coffee shop, she would send to him. It wasn't much but she was sure it would at least cover a few bothersome bills.
...
Michonne released a cold breath of relief as she recognized a old abandoned Cracker Barrel. She was only about a block away now.
As Michonne turned a dark corner, she jumped at the blood curdling cry of a woman in pain with a man hunched over her.
Michonne's skin went taut as she stood unable to breathe, it felt as if a powerful hand gripped her throat and began choking her. Her heart was racing and all she wanted to do was run for her life but a shock of adrenaline rushed through her veins. In a split second, she reached down into the pocket of her distressed black jeans and withdrew a sharp steel knife and sank it into the back of the man. She pressed and twisted it deeper into his broken skin, hoping to cause maximum damage.
Her eyes widened in paralyzing fear as she noticed the lifeless woman lying with an abundance of bright red blood seeping onto the smooth concrete was Britney.
The crazed man swung around and rapidly shoved Michonne off him and onto the cold ground with an incredible force. She struggled to find another weapon as his glaring yellow eyes now drew in on her. Michonne cried for help as he slowly inched toward her, his mouth teeming with fresh blood. She closed her eyes knowing no one was around to save her and this was how her life would end before a low grunt caused her eyes to shoot open. He slumped over her, his intestines exposed as a tall man dressed in a police uniform stood over him. He took out a handkerchief, gentlemanly wiping the dark blood from his hand before extending it out, still stained in the man's blood.
Trembling in terror, Michonne cautiously grabbed the strange man's hand and pulled herself up from the crouching position.
"You should be more careful out in these parts, Darling." The man's voice was shockingly calm and unbothered.
Michonne bent down, resting her hands on her knees, allowing herself to catch her breath for another second.
"Tha…Thank you." She raised her head and gazed at the man whose eyes glowed similar the mysterious man in the audience however, his glistened a pale brown instead of a frozen blue.
"Wha. What the fuck is-?" Michonne tried to form her thoughts into words but her racing mind prevented her from doing so.
He let out a tired breath. "You witnessed a deadly robbery but luckily I was able to stop the fucker before he got to you next." His voice was reassuring and cold.
"But, his eyes…and yours." Michonne paused replaying everything that just happened in her mind.
"He wasn't human." She looked up at him worriedly as a entertained but ominous smirk spread across his dark features.
"You witnessed a murder and was knocked unconscious before I arrived on the scene."
His deep voice fell lower and more demanding as his luminous eyes penetrated her psyche.
Beneath her feet the hard concrete turned to a soft ripple as she felt herself slipping from reality and into a murky blur. It was a void where only his words echoed inside her head, repeatedly. Her mind lost all direction as it continued to swirl into nothingness with her breaths becoming shallower.
….
Across town
Ivy and ferns grew through the crevices of the old winding pebble path, which led directly to the colossal centuries old plantation. It loomed over vast acres and hills that used to be cultivated for sugarcane and tobacco but now was turned into a wine vineyard. History blew in the wind as it whispered unspeakable horrors along with stories of spirited revolts in American antiquity.
He could smell the sweet hint of magnolia infused with rain as he withdrew from a shaded quarter of the antebellum mansion. His crystal blue eyes cutting through the dark of the room as he stayed fixed on the television displaying the local news.
We have a reporter on the ground now with a woman who witnessed this gruesome act.
Rick's eyes grew darker as he recognized the beautiful dark-skinned woman recalling what had happened to her earlier this morning. His eyes then shifted over to Negan, who stood beside her with a concerned expression plastered on his face as he rubbed her back in support.
I saw a lady getting robbed and I tried to help her but..but. I can't remember anything else. Luckily, this man was here to save me.
A buzzing vibration forced him out of his scattered thoughts as he peered down at Madame Kali's number. He took in a strained breath as he presumed she was calling to question him again about another one of her girls falling prey to a roaming feral.