The Last Night Of The World
"Get your asses on stage, I'm raising cash tonight!"
Piper Halliwell jumped. It wasn't because she hadn't expected the rough man in front of her to speak, nor the fact that his voice could have woken all the sleeping witches in Salam. Piper would have jumped even if he had whispered. She was terrified. Her stomach was coiled and an intense shame had crawled its way up the back of her throat.
"Take a look outside, my little witches." Her new boss spoke again in his bellowing voice. His name was Darryl Morris and he owned the only after hours club in town designed specifically to service the rebels, 'Dreamland'.
Piper clawed at her arms to prevent herself from freezing the room in fright. She had been asked to take off her dress twenty minutes earlier and prayed her boss wouldn't notice that she hadn't. Though even without her dress, Piper believed she would still be wearing more clothes than the ten women sharing her dressing room.
"The joint is packed, just like the old days!" Darryl smirked with greed. He planned to use the wiccan women in any way, so that he could earn as much money as he possibly could from the rebels in his club. After all, it was probably his last chance to raise enough money for a pass out of the realm.
"They say Salam will fall in less than a week. Tonight, you will all hook up with a WH rebel. Do what you can to get him on side, it may be your only ticket out of this realm. Unless of course, you can manage to score a pass from the embassy, in which case I will be the first to hear about it. Either way, tonight we'll bleed the compassionate bastards…"
It was probably the most compassion he had shown in his life.
Piper's mind continued to churn with pointless thought so that she could block out the screaming voice of her conscience. She watched as one of the women – the one wearing the least clothing - spoke defiantly to her boss.
"We'll never get out of here. Everyday more rebels disappear and we've been screwing the same few who are still in town for months. Let's face it. Short of hooking up with one of the few female rebels, you'll never get out of here. And neither will we." The woman's dark curls sunk into her head, as if too weary to bounce. Piper sensed the discouraged wiccan had once been beautiful, but nonchalance and repression had corroded that away. Her features were tired and used.
Darryl glared at the woman. "Just shut up and get your hotpants on," he spat, "or tonight may be your last screw!" He suddenly changed his tone. "You're all in luck. Now hear me out, I have inside word that the last of the rebels will ALL be in Salam tonight."
The scantily clothed women responded excitedly.
"I will be holding a raffle," he continued. "Ten bucks a ticket, and the winners each get one of you. I'll take 60 of the profits and divide the rest among yourselves."
"What makes you think any of the rebels will be up for it? Tomorrow could be the falling of Salam." The defiant woman spoke again, the intensity of her pout radiating her scepticism.
Darryl scoffed. "It's human nature. Think about it, Fee-Fee. What man would refuse the chance to get both smashed and laid on the last night of the world? This is their last chance here and they know it. I'll have them paying more for just another slut. We'll pick 'em clean, that's what this raffle is about."
"Yes sir!" The woman chanted obediently.
Darryl scoffed again. Then he placed his calloused hands on Piper. "I found this new girl, from the country...'untouched' she claims. Get her dressed!"
"Untouched," the women snickered, peering at Piper through critical eyes. Darryl smirked. "Legs unparted, parts uncharted..."
And then he was gone.
Piper watched the defiant woman as she pulled on her hotpants and darkened her eyeliner. She caught Piper's eye in the mirror and turned, deliberately. She then reached for a leather lace-up bikini and approached Piper. She spoke in a husky voice. "Just drop the virgin act, alright? The rebels will see right through you. You can call me Phoebe."
Piper wanted to be sick. She was 17 years old and hadn't so much as seen a man naked.
"Why do you do this?" Piper asked in a shaky voice. She allowed Phoebe to circle her and slowly undo her zip to below the waist. Phoebe contemplated the question and paused for a second. "You really are new at this, aren't you?" Her voice wasn't kind, but Piper could sense the smallest hint of empathy in the woman. She shivered, despite the sticky atmosphere, as Phoebe lifted the dress over her shoulders and let it fall to the ground. Suddenly she could feel the women studying her body.
"What are they like?" Piper asked, stumbling away from Phoebe before she could violate her any further. She picked up her dress and clutched it to her chest.
"Who the rebels?" Phoebe asked in disgust. "Come, have a look, princess." She slid out the door. Piper hesitantly followed her toward the stage, not letting go of her dress. She caught up to Phoebe and gasped in shock at the boisterous crowd gathered on the other side of the curtain. Men were drunk already, yelling over the crowd for "slits" and "whores".
"There's so many of them!" Piper's voice caught in her throat.
"Yes, so many men, so little time. If only these nights lasted for all eternity. I want them all..." Piper couldn't tell if she was being sarcastic or not. She cringed at the thought.
Phoebe sighed, suddenly appearing twice as old and rough as she had before. "I know there's nothing in their hearts, but that doesn't stop me from needing them. Every time I take one in my arms, I close my eyes and picture the same thing. Not a strong rebel embracing me, but a ticket out of this nightmare."
Piper spoke in a whisper. "Do you really think there's no hope of escape?"
Phoebe's reply was silence, her expression unreadable. Piper stuttered, "B-b-because, I don't – I just don't think..." she couldn't think how to continue.
"B-before I came here I had no idea of the rebel's realm. Wh-when my parents were killed by the Witch Hunters, I started having a dream. The same dream every night of a world that's far away, where life is not unkind. There is a strong man who'll fight for me, but never kill. He keeps us safe all day, so that no one can come at night to blow the dream away. I want to find my dream more than anything, Phoebe. But I can survive here. I already have. My parents were the most powerful Magicks in my village. I'm stronger than most mortals think. I -"
"That's nice honey, but you're here now, okay. You're selling your body and your soul to dirty, drunk men. You may be strong now, but don't try to tell me that you will survive this. Your mind won't survive this. Your heart..." Phoebe frowned. "Your heart will become stone, Piper. Your dreams are all you'll ever know. But you have to understand that's all they'll ever be. Just dreams."
"No. You're wrong." Piper spoke with certainty. Phoebe simply shook her head, not having the energy or patience to argue with the new girl. "Okay, princess."
Phoebe took one last look at the rebels before turning to return to the dressing room with Piper in tow. She chuckled, "They swear like men, but they screw like boys." Piper looked fearfully into the older woman's eyes. Suddenly feeling unnerved, Phoebe cleared her throat. "Put your dress back on," she ordered. "If you're afraid, you shouldn't be here."
"I need the money!" Piper protested, closing her eyes tightly and discarding the material covering her body. Phoebe shook her head. "Don't we all..." she spoke with regret. She bent over to retrieve Piper's garment from the floor. "Wear the dress." she ordered again. "Play sweet. Lower your eyelids and act innocent. These men will pay the moon to get fresh meat. You never know, after tonight you may be crowned the Princess of Dreamland, new girl. Show them what you've got. Or what you haven't got."
Piper held back the tears in her eyes as Phoebe walked away. Her body trembled as she stepped into her dress and fumbled with the zip. "I will not cry," she whispered furiously to herself. "I won't think, I'll just do my dance. When I make love it won't be me. If they hurt me...I'll just close my eyes, and picture the freedom I will buy with their money. They can do what they want."
She thought she was crying, but when Piper wiped her cheeks there were no tears. Through her strong words, the girl's heart ached.
She would not sleep on this night.
Author's note: Thanks heaps for making it this far!! Please review! I love reviews...(grins)... I'll be posting more when I get my ass into gear.
(That's my usual story)
CHEERS!