I started this story a while ago and I wasn't sure about it. It isn't the sort of thing I would normally write and I didn't know if I was even going to publish it. I've decided to go for it. and see what kind of feedback I get.
This story was really inspired by two things in particular - 1. David Bowie's Thin White Duke period. He described the Thin White Duke as a nasty character, who was ice masquerading as fire, singing songs of love with a hollow heart. I watched a lot of documentary footage from that time, including stuff he did with Iggy Pop, who I loosely based the character of Nox on. 2. The song, Without You I'm Nothing by Placebo, which David Bowie performed with the band (there's a live recording on YouTube). The lyrics were on my mind as I wrote this story, and I even considered calling this fic after the song. In the end I decided to stick with my original title.
This story will contain strong language and sexual situations with dubious consent and references to rape and coercion. It is quite a dark tale, more in the spirit of the original disturbing versions of popular fairy tales.
I do not own anything relating to the movie Labyrinth, although I have invented some new characters for the purposes of this story.
Thank you for taking the time to read it and please do leave feedback.
An After Dark Fairy Tale
Chapter 1
"This morning the family of the missing Staten Island woman, Meredith Laker, made a fresh appeal for information regarding her disappearance. Miss Laker, a twenty two year old aspiring actress and singer, was last seen on Saturday afternoon. This is the sixth case of a young woman in her early twenties going missing without trace in the last six months..."
The radio droned on in the background while Sarah rushed around her tiny apartment. She was getting ready for her latest audition and second-guessing her outfit choice. The casting call for the orange juice commercial had specified 'Required: An attractive and voluptuous (in all the right places) young woman with a perfect smile. It wasn't exactly her dream role but bills needed paying and her rent was due.
"It's so full of orangey goodness you can taste the sunshine in every drop."
Sarah repeated the line over and over to herself until she felt sure she had it memorised. The right words still had an awful tendency to slip away from her at vital moments, a problem that was exacerbated by nerves. As the clock hands edged towards eleven, she grabbed her purse.
It was a grey kind of day. The rain had stopped but the sidewalks were a concrete maze of dirty puddles. A taxi sped by too close to the kerb sending a wave of muddy spray over her.
"Oh, for fuck sake!" Sarah cursed, her light green raincoat now speckled with dirt.
She ran for the bus only for it to sail past her before she even reached the stop. At that moment a light drizzle began to fall, leaving her with the distinct impression that today was not going to be her day. It was at times like these when she wondered if chasing another audition was worth the trouble. There were only so many knockbacks a person could take.
Sarah reached the bus shelter hoping she wouldn't have to wait too long. A hastily tacked up poster caught her attention as it began flapping around in the breeze. It had on it a photograph of Meredith Laker, the missing woman from the radio news report. Sarah recognised the pretty, blue-eyed, red-head from casting calls they'd both attended. Sometimes they exchanged chit-chat in passing. She knew Meredith was a couple of years younger than her and originally from Wisconsin, but they were really only passing acquaintances. Still, she couldn't help wondering what had become of the young woman.
"Sarah Williams? You were expected an hour ago."
She had arrived at the casting venue in a flustered state and begged for a second chance. In her only stroke of luck that day, another girl had failed to show up and Sarah managed to snag her spot. The mud on her coat made her look a mess so she removed it and ran her fingers through her long, dark chocolate tresses. Her name was eventually called and she stood awkwardly in the middle of the audition room with a carton of orange juice in her shaky hands.
"Um, it's so full of orangey goodness you can taste the…" Sarah's mind had gone terrifyingly blank. She took a deep breath and tried again but she froze on the same word. What was it? "You can taste the… something... in every drop. Damn it, I know this!" Sarah smacked her head in frustration. "Is it — orange?"
The casting director rolled his eyes and yelled for the next girl.
Sarah slunk out of the room, cursing her inability to recall even the simplest of lines. It made her question, and not for the first time, why she obstinately clung on to what was obviously an impossible dream. Sarah had convinced herself acting was in her blood. But now it felt as if she was going through the motions and lying to herself in order to keep her going through the monotony of her mundane life.
A glance at her watch told her she was going to be late for her waitressing job. Sarah hurried out onto the sidewalk just in time to see the bus pulling away from the stop.
"Some days it just doesn't pay to get out of bed," she sighed, putting on her muddy raincoat as the drizzle started up again.
When Sarah finally arrived at the diner where she worked most days and nights, her stern, middle-aged, scrawny, and balding boss was waiting for her. His name was Larry and she often thought he looked like a real-life Elmer Fudd.
"This is the second time you've been late this week, and it's only Tuesday," he complained.
Sarah muttered her apologies and pulled on her worn apron. It didn't seem like her day could possibly get worse but the fates conspired against her as she served up wrong orders, dropped plates, and spilled drinks.
When her shift came to an end, Larry handed her the back pay she was owed, minus the missed time and the cost of breakages. "Sorry sweetheart, but you're a lousy waitress and I'm gonna have to let you go," he said.
"No, please, I need this job," Sarah begged, all to no avail.
She pulled on her coat and walked to the bus stop. Tears stung at her eyes as she contemplated the mess she'd made of her life.
Her childhood, when she had been so full of hopes and dreams, seemed an age ago. She really did try to be a good older sister to Toby. But their relationship remained distant, mainly due to their fourteen year age gap and the arrival of another sibling closer in age to him. Jenna could be a playmate to Toby in a way she never could. Sarah began to feel more and more like an outsider. She had left for college at the age of eighteen never to return home. Her family didn't appear to notice her absence and she rarely saw or heard from them. Sarah told herself if they didn't care then she shouldn't, either. But it wasn't that simple.
Perhaps if she had a good relationship with her mother, the rest wouldn't hurt so much. Sadly, after Linda divorced her father she became more and more of a distant figure in Sarah's life. There were perfunctory gifts and the occasional invitation to a movie premiere or opening night of a play. But Linda Williams didn't have time for anything that didn't benefit her career. She had remarried, got divorced, had a string of famous beaus, and was now seeing a man more than ten years her junior. Linda and her daughter had spent so little time together in recent years, they were no better than strangers.
Sarah didn't even have any close friends to lean on in her hour of need. Occasionally, people had tried to befriend her because of who her mother was or because they thought she was the kind of girl who would do anything to be popular. Sarah had been somewhat of a loner as a child and it never bothered her then. Imaginary friends kept her company when she had need of them. Otherwise, she reasoned it was better to be alone than with people who wanted you to be someone you weren't.
Her love life was a non-starter too. Sarah always told herself she was waiting for the right man. But, in truth, men never seemed to notice her. People told her she was pretty and she kept her body in shape. Sarah wasn't vain but it did seem strange that she hadn't had one guy ask her out since she was a junior in high school. She assumed there must be something she was doing wrong, even if she didn't know what it was.
It had been a hell of a day and Sarah arrived back at her run-down apartment building with a heavy heart. Her mailbox was full of overdue bill demands and she was forced to dodge her landlord as she was already a month behind with the rent. With no job and nothing put by for a rainy day, she wasn't in a position to pay any of what she owed. Her father had already loaned her money, and behind her stepmother's back too, she couldn't ask him for more. Sarah considered calling her mother, but she felt enough of a failure without her mom lecturing her on how no one gave her any handouts when she was a struggling actress.
She trudged wearily up the stairs to her apartment and unlocked the door. The place was so drab, Sarah didn't bother turning on the light. She lit a couple of candles instead. She had lived there for a couple of years but it had never really felt like home. Her fridge was empty, except for an almost-expired carton of milk and a mouldy lemon. Sarah usually ate at the diner during her shift but there hadn't been time that day. Missing meals was becoming a regular habit. She slumped down on her tatty armchair and let out a heavy sigh.
Maybe I should wish for the goblins to come take me away, she thought.
The idea popped into her head unprompted and caught her by surprise. How long had it been since Sarah had set eyes on that little red book she used to read from in the park? It was called The Labyrinth, she remembered the faded print on the cover. Her stepmother had probably sold it in a garage sale. The vivid dream she'd once had about the Goblin King and his crazy world did cross her mind occasionally, but it hadn't in a long while. Sometimes, the heating pipes hissed and made a sound like wheezy chattering laughter. She listened and wondered if the noise could be something else instead.
Sarah gave herself a mental shake, get your head out of the clouds and back down to earth, she chided. She glanced over at her stack of unopened mail and noticed she'd dropped a paper on the floor. It looked like some kind of flyer and Sarah reached for it, flicking on the lamp as she went.
Pretty young things required for well-paid positions at Peaches, the premier night club for open minded individuals. A glittering career awaits you!
There was an address and it wasn't too far away from her apartment building. Sarah was beat but she was in more desperate need of employment than sleep. After a quick freshen up, she set off to find the place. It was just after eleven and for the first few blocks there were plenty of people around. Things quietened down the further out she got. Sarah stood with a look of puzzlement upon finding the location. The neighbourhood was mostly derelict and not at all where she would expect to find a thriving business.
Sarah held the flyer up under a streetlight to double check she had got the right address. It was then, out of the corner of her eye, she spied an orange neon sign. When she turned to look at it, it was so huge Sarah didn't know how she could have missed it before. The place didn't appear to be a buzzing night spot as there wasn't another soul around. But appearances could be deceptive, and so Sarah crossed the street and went through the door. She could hear the thrumming of music and the distant chattering of voices coming from below. There was a set of dimly lit winding steps and she carefully descended them.
A striking young woman with raven hair dressed in a black leather basque stood in front of a rope sanction. Behind her, a deep red velvet curtain covered the entryway to the club. "Members only," she said.
Sarah held up the flyer. "I came to apply for a job," she explained.
The woman silently appraised her and seemed suitably impressed. "Go find the 'Staff Only' door, ask for Nox, and tell him Ebony sent you," she instructed.
Sarah smiled and walked beyond the velvet curtain into the club. She was totally unprepared for the sight that met her eyes. The place was a scene of almost Bacchanalian debauchery. A sultry song was playing as six almost-naked women gyrated around poles on the central stage area. Baying men and a few women were seated at the tables positioned around the podium. There were a number of topless waitresses serving drinks and sitting on the laps of some of the patrons. Sarah almost turned and fled as a sea of leering faces began to surround her. Some of them were inhuman in appearance and she wondered for a second if she had descended into the very pits of hell.
The 'Staff Only' door was ahead of her. Sarah made her way towards it and hesitated for a moment before knocking. Did she really want to work in a place such as this? There weren't many other options available to her, not if she didn't want to end up on the streets. But Sarah desperately hoped she could find another way and she turned to leave. At that moment, the door sprang open and a unique-looking, square-jawed, short man, with a mop of dark brown hair and piercing big blue eyes, stood before her.
"Well now, who do we have here?" He drawled, low and sleazy.
Sarah started to walk away. "I'm sorry, I came here looking for work, but I just don't think this is my kind of scene."
"Shame," the man said. "Pretty girl like you with a rack to die for. I'm telling you, with those tits you could really earn big here." He smiled in a sweet way for someone saying such crude things.
Sarah paused and looked around her at all the money being thrown down. She had been living hand to mouth for as long as she could recall and her last decent acting job was ages ago. Her resumé did state she was willing to do nudity, if the part required it. Sarah reasoned she could see this job as just another role. It was only topless dancing and serving drinks, was that really so bad in the scheme of things? Her stomach rumbled and she thought of her stack of unpaid bills. "Okay, let's talk business," she said.
The man grinned and led her into his office. "I'm Nox, the Midnight Prince."
Unusual name and title, she thought. "Sarah Williams," she said as they shook hands.
His office was all black leather and gaudy red walls.
"So, you've seen a little of what we do here. It really is all about keeping the customer satisfied. Service with a smile, honey, that's what we're about. The waitressing and dancing might pay the bills, but it's the backstage action that brings the big bucks," Nox explained.
Sarah's eyes widened in alarm as she realised what he meant. Topless dancing and slinging drinks was one thing, what he was referring to was something else entirely. She was disgusted by the notion. "Look, if I wanted to screw guys for money I would just go stand on a street corner."
Nox grinned as if she'd said something amusing before putting on a serious face. "We have a very select clientele here, not the kind that pay twenty bucks for a hand job in some back alley. We cater to all kinds of tastes, expensive tastes, and no price is too high."
Sarah was about to politely decline and leave when she spotted the ladder in her pantyhose. She didn't have enough money to buy a new pair or anything else she needed. It might take a day to find another job or it could take a month or two. Her options were limited to say the least. "I'll wait tables and even dance around a pole if I have to, but that's all I'm willing to offer."
Nox looked her over and a light sparked in his eyes as he made his decision. He opened his desk drawer and plucked out a contract. "Okay, you're hired." He flipped to the last page and pointed to the bottom. "Just sign here and we'll get you set up."
Sarah tried to go over all the clauses but it was written in fancy calligraphy. She could see the Midnight Prince was growing impatient. "My dad always told me to read the small print," she smiled, nervously holding the pen in her hand. "He said the devil is in the detail."
Nox reached for a nearby bottle of whisky and two glasses. "How about a drink while you look it over?" He poured out two large measures as she put down the pen and picked up the contract.
Sarah rarely touched strong liquor. But, not wanting to appear rude, she accepted the tumbler and took a sip. The liquid burned her throat and she immediately began to feel a little giddy. It had been a while since she'd eaten anything solid so it was no surprise that the drink had gone straight to her head. The room started to spin and she closed her eyes. Something wasn't right.
Nox was speaking to her, coaxing her.
"Just sign, my pretty one. Sign away all the pain and the bitter disappointments."
Everything was dancing. Sarah felt her hand start to move over the page independently of her will.
"Excellent," Nox said. "I care not that you bear the mark of another. You belong to me now and forever."
Sarah couldn't keep her eyes open. She swayed in her seat and then the world turned black.