Hey all, here is a short for this wonderful 13th day of October. Enjoy!
All stories posted on this blog are ©Mel Chesley, 2021 and may not be copied elsewhere unless express written permission is given by Mel Chesley. Thank you.
Times had been pretty rough, lately, even more so for people like Brielle. She stomped on another cockroach before heading out the door to meet with a few of her friends. She pulled the creaking door shut behind her and used several keys to lock it, then added her security for an added precaution.
"Sigiliu," she whispered towards the door, twisting her index and forefinger as if turning a lock. There was a soft click, and she looked over her shoulder to make sure no one else was around. She grabbed onto the thick straps of her shoulder bag and, head down, walked down the long hallway with flickering lights. At the end of the hall, she pushed open the door to the staircase and quickly went down.
Out on the street, she breathed a sigh of relief, having skipped by the manager of the motel again. Hopefully tonight, she could make some money and get her late rent paid. Very few people were out in the late hour, which is exactly how she liked it; no one to bother her. However, that also meant other types of people were out, ones who didn't want to deal with crowds of people, either.
She walked past several adult book stores and shops, a few boarded-up buildings, and came up to the bodega. She popped inside and grabbed a package of Twinkies and Monster. For the briefest of moments, she smirked at the irony of her drink choice. She put her items up on the counter and pulled out a few wadded-up bills. She tried her best to straighten them out before handing them over to Ramone, her favorite cashier.
"Hey, did you get a chance to, you know, get me that thing I asked for last week?" Ramone asked behind the bullet-proof glass cage. His voice was slightly distorted from the microphone.
"Oh, yeah, I got it right here. You have the cash?" she asked, glancing around.
Ramone put a small wad of bills down in the tray used to transfer money. He held onto the lever until she finished rummaging around in her bag. She pulled out two vials containing different colored liquids.
"What about that other thing?" he asked, frowning.
"Right, sorry," Brielle apologized. She unwrapped a small bundle showing a small square of silver with a perfectly etched rune in the center. "Make sure you wear this against your skin. It won't work if it isn't making contact with you. Got it?"
"Got it," Ramone said, pushing the cash to her. She dropped in his items and grabbed the money. "Thanks, chica!"
"You got it. I hope that helps Sylvia with her morning sickness." Brielle gave a quick wave, cracked open the Monster, and took a drink. With her other hand, she stuffed the money and Twinkies into her bag.
Back out on the street, Brielle glanced up and down, noticing a few of the girls were out at their usual places. She walked over to one of them with a quick wave.
"Hey, girl," the woman said. "Don't you be hanging out here too long, I got bills to pay."
"Don't worry, Kara, I won't be too long. Are you good with what I gave you?" Brielle kept her distance, trying not to look like she was hanging around.
"I'm good, but I will need more. I have a regular in a couple of nights, and that last hex you gave me was perfect. I'll get you some cash. Can I get two this time?"
"I'll see what I can do, I gotta go shopping for some ingredients and they're not cheap."
"I hear ya, girl. By the way, Tiffany could use one as well. I also told Beverly what you do. She'll hit you up in the next day or two."
"Thanks," Brielle said, finishing her drink. "I appreciate you helping me out."
"We have to stick together around here," Kara said. She gave Brielle a quick hug and shooed her on her way. "And stop drinking those things! They're bad for you."
Brielle chuckled as she made her way down the sidewalk. Might be a good night after all.
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