Lamia

Her hips swayed to the music, her movements in time with the music that was more electronic drum than anything else. The colored lights of the stage reflected off the bells and coins gems of her jewelry and belts reflecting on her swirling skirts of iridescent silk. The song reached its climax and suddenly came to a crashing halt, along with it her skirts swirled in a graceful dramatic arch crashed to the stage as her dance finished.

The drunken cheers and applause from the club goers were no comfort as she made her leave from the stage and found her way to the bar, it was all business as usual.

“Great set tonight, Helen, as always,” Tom the bar tender yelled over the noise, “here’s your water.”

Helen took the water graciously and in several long gulps had emptied it.

“Jesus Helen! Take it easy, you’ll get sick drinking like that!”

Helen just nodded, “Thanks Tom. Not to sound rude, but may I have my pay now? I’d like to change out of my costume and get into a bath.”

“Sure,” he pulled an envelope out from behind the bar and handed it to her. Helen thumbed through the bills to make sure the whole hundred was in it before stuffing it into her bra.

“Can we expect another performance next weekend?” Tom asked.

“No,” Helen replied coldly, “I’ve grown bored with this place, it is time for me to move on.”

“Oh…Where will you go?” he inquired.

“Where ever fate will have me go. Thank you for the work, Tom, maybe one day it’ll bring me here again,” Helen walked away and made for the door, before Tom could say another word, and out into the warm night air. She started the five block walk from the club to her motel where she’d spent the last six weeks.

Two blocks into the walk Helen wished she had driven to the club instead. The dance took more out of her tonight than normal and her jewelry felt too heavy for her frame. She came upon an intersection and hit the button for the cross walk to change. Overcome suddenly by the exhaustion that she had been fighting off all day, she leaned against the street light pole and closed her eyes, just for a moment, she told herself, completely unaware that she was being stalked by a hunter, starving for it’s next meal.