Astray

by Carlos King

  Alexis laughs. “Yes, ma’am. Earlier you said one of the other girl’s pimps whooped his ass. I guess having a pimp can come in handy sometimes, huh?”

  “It’s never handy to have a pimp. You don’t want some lazy, no-good-ass nigga dictating everything you do. They take more than half of your money and don’t do none of the workload. They beat the fuck out of you whenever they get the urge to and they’ll rape you faster than a stranger on the streets would. That’s why I don’t play that pimp shit. That’s why I keep you with me so they know you ain’t gone play that shit either…At least not on my watch you’re not.”

  “How come everybody leaves you alone? Pimps, crazies, cops, they don’t never bother you like they do the other girls. I know that big ass gun helps, but that can’t be all there is to it.”

  “That’s because I put time in. People know me out there and they know that I can be a psychotic bitch if they push me to the edge. People respect shit like that. That’s the main reason nobody’s messed with you yet. If I didn’t keep you near me they would’ve been tried to pimp you out,” Trina informed.

  “I know. Believe me; I’m thankful for everything you’ve done for me. I’m especially appreciate how you came looking for me when you learned I was with that sick piece of shit. Your timing was great.”

  “Come on, child…No need dwelling in the past. Taking care of you out there is my job. Now let’s go to bed. It’s been a long ass night and I’m tired. I lost ten pounds looking for you. My damn feet tryna swell.”

  Alexis and Trina get up from the table and retire to their respective rooms. Narrowly escaping the dangers of the day, the two can sleep soundly knowing that they’ve avoided what could’ve been a potentially glooming outcome. Unfortunately, Alexis’s luck is on borrowed time. In a time not too far ahead, she’ll be confronted with a series of traumatic events that will force her to reconsider the path she’s taken in life and possibly lead her to making a life changing decision.

  CHAPTER 10

  A SEASONED PRO

  SPRING OF 2012

  Alexis has matured into a twenty-four-year-old young woman. Her years on the streets have taken a significant toll on her, both mentally and physically. Physically, she’s developed into an exceptionally attractive woman, whose beauty is unparalleled to anyone else working alongside her. However, the hardships of her life are clearly visible in her everyday demeanor. As for the changes she’s undergone mentally, Alexis has gone from being a naïve and inexperienced youth to becoming a hardened veteran of the hectic street life.

  Truthful to her word, Trina retired as planned, moving to Florida with her younger sister. She tried to get Alexis to accompany her, but Alexis declined. So now with her no longer being led or monitored by her mentor’s guidance, Alexis is now an independent contractor in the world of prostitution. Her sole ambition is exclusively focused on making just enough money to get by.

  Before Trina left, Alexis befriended the young girl she had met ten years back when she was still new to the game. She and Tatiana, in a very unique way, have grown up with one another. Being the two youngest girls working their block at that time put them in a position of becoming very close, which eventually led to them developing a bond that later grew into a tight friendship.

  On one particularly warm night, Alexis and Tatiana find themselves outside talking with each other as they wait for their next john.

  “It’s dead as hell out here tonight,” said Tatiana.

  Alexis puffs her cigarette. “Who you telling? I’ve been out here an hour and ain’t made shit.”

  “I don’t know why you’re complaining. As soon as a damn car pull up it’ll be you they ask for.”

  “Not tonight they won’t. I think I’m about to take my ass home. These heels got my damn feet hurting.”

  “I wish I could go home early, but if I don’t make some money by morning Rich will kick my ass.”

  Alexis tosses her cigarette to the ground. “I don’t see how you put up with having a pimp. I couldn’t deal with somebody telling me how much I need to make every night. Bad enough I got to come out here and do this shit. I don’t need no added damn stress.”

  “Hey, it’s your own fault. Trina tried to get you to move to Florida with her. You’re the one that let that offer pass you by. I still don’t get that one. If she would’ve asked me, I would’ve been down there in a heartbeat.”

  “Trina’s done too much for me already,” Alexis replied. “She took me in when I was just a kid and pretty much raised me as her own. She put everything in her life on the back burner for me and took better care of me than my own mama did. I want her to enjoy her retirement. She don’t need me down there mooching off of her anymore than I already have. It’s time for me to make my own way. It’s not like I’m never gone see her again, though. I told her I’d visit when I got some extra cash.”

  “At least she let you take over the lease to her apartment,” said Tatiana, tossing her cigarette. ‘That’ll keep you from having to go through the bullshit of trying to find a new place.”

  An old pickup truck pulls along the curb, its horn honks. The driver, a heavy-set, middle-aged white man, leans over to the passenger’s seat and rolls down the window. “Wanna go for a ride, darling?” he asked Alexis in a heavy, southern accent.

  “I’m off the clock, honey. But my friend can serve you with whatever you need,” Alexis answered, gesturing to Tatiana.

  The old man looks Tatiana up and down and readily agrees to the new arrangement. “Alright then, darling. Hop on in here.”

  Tatiana looks over at Alexis and says, “Thanks, girl. I owe you one. The sooner I can make this money, the sooner I can take my ass home.”

  “Don’t worry about it, sweetie. Just be safe out here, okay? Call me later on.”

  “You’re going home?” Tatiana asked, making her way towards the pickup truck.

  “Yeah, I’m not up for this shit tonight.”

  “Okay, girl. I’ll talk to you a little later on then.”

  “Alright, sweetie,” stated Alexis. Tatiana heads toward the rusted truck and climbs inside. Just as she closes the door she can hear Alexis calling out to her, “TT! Call me!” Tatiana nods in compliance. The noisy truck proceeds up the street.

  Alexis watches the truck fade into the night. Once the truck is out of sight, Alexis lights another cigarette and walks off in the opposite direction. Five minutes into her stroll her cell phone rings. She pulls out her phone and looks at the caller ID. It’s Tatiana.

  “What’s up, girl? Everything okay?” Alexis asked.

  “Girl, you won’t believe it. That old ass man is done already.”

  “What?!” said Alexis, laughing.

  “Yeah, girl. It literally took his ass five seconds. The car ride there and back was longer.”

  Continuing to laugh, Alexis says, “What you complaining for, bitch? Those be the best kind of customers. I don’t mind fucking with a quick-shooter. You got your money, didn’t you?”

  “Yeah, I got my money. His ass was trying to get a free-bee afterwards. Trying to say I shouldn’t count that one because it’s been a while for him. I’m like, nigga please.”

  Alexis goes on with her phone conversation. She finds herself approaching a twenty-four hour convenience store and decides to go inside to make a couple purchases.

  What Alexis is unaware of is that someone has been keeping a very keen eye on her. In a new model, black sedan parked nearly halfway up the road awaits someone who’s been closely following her every movement all night.

  Moments after walking into the store, Alexis walks out and continues to make her way home. Just as she leaves from in front of the store the driver of the black sedan starts up their engine and begins to follow Alexis, staying at an undetectable distance. An unsuspecting Alexis is total clueless to imminent danger she’s in.

  CHAPTER 11

  UNHEARD SCREAMS

  Alexis ends her phone conversation with Tatiana after a few more moments of g
ossip. She places her phone back in her purse and as she does so, she develops a strange feeling that she’s being followed. She looks around but doesn’t see anyone. She does observe the black sedan cruising up the street and grows somewhat suspicious. Not wasting anytime, Alexis comes to a halt and gives the driver a scornful glare.

  Although this might not seem like the most intelligent tactic to some, it’s the only logical one as far as street survival is concerned. In any hostile environment, the worst thing you can do is show fear. Whether you’re dealing with wild animals or the human element, you should always stand your ground until there’s absolutely no other option but to run.

  So Alexis stands her ground and doesn’t show an inkling of fear, in spite of her rising anxiety. Alexis watches the car until it slowly passes her by and turns the corner a few blocks up the road. She exhales in relief before continuing on her path.

  With her apartment complex now in sight, Alexis reaches into her purse and pulls out the keys to the front door. Crossing an empty spacing between two buildings, a mere hundred feet away from her own apartment building, she notices a dark-colored sedan sitting in the shadows. Slightly apprehensive, yet, not completely sure it’s the same vehicle she saw before, Alexis writes it off as a coincidence and redirects her focus on her building.

  Once she makes it to her building’s door she inserts a key into the doorknob and turns. Just as she’s opening the door a man appears from the side of the building and asks, “Hey, sexy, you got a light?”

  The man walks toward her, cigarette in hand. Alexis ignores the man and hurries inside, slamming the steel security door shut behind her. Safely inside her building, a sense of security reigns over her. She heads to her apartment, which is located at the end of the hall.

  Walking down the well-lit hallway in route to her apartment, Alexis becomes aware of a man in all black heading in her direction. Normally this really wouldn’t bother her, but the fact that she can’t see the man’s face due to it being buried within his hoody makes her a little uneasy. It’s only after she passes the man and monitors him making his way for the exit that she begins to relax. She eventually approaches her door and searches through her keys. When she locates the right key she sticks it in the key hole and unlocks the door. It is at this time that Alexis spots something from the corner of her eye.

  She looks up and sees the man in all black charging towards her. Within a flash, the man viciously punches Alexis in the face, knocking her down instantly. Dazed and unfocused, Alexis gazes up at her attacker.

  The mysterious assailant pulls off his hood and reveals his face. Shockingly, it is the same man that attacked Alexis teen years ago when she was only a teenager. She knows this by the discolored birth mark that takes up half of his face. The man stares at Alexis and gives off a devilish smile. Immediately afterwards, Alexis succumbs to her assault and blacks out.

  Fading in and out of consciousness, Alexis ultimately comes to. When she wakes up she finds herself lying in her own bed. While this normally wouldn’t alarm her, something is unusually strange about this situation, and it doesn’t take Alexis long to figure out what. She discovers that her hands and legs are bound to the bed rails and her mouth has been gagged.

  As she regains her strength, she struggles against the phone wires that have her hands tied to the bed post. Her resistance is futile. The wires have been tied so tightly that abrasions appear on her wrists and ankles. Nonetheless, Alexis remains persistent in her efforts of trying to free herself. Alexis only stops struggling against the wires when she hears someone clapping from across the darkened room. Alexis adjusts her vision towards the area where the claps originated.

  She sets her eyes on a man sitting in a chair that’s set in the corner of the room. It takes a second for her vision to focus in on the man, but when it does, the first thing she notices is a large discoloration on his face. Alexis is literally frozen in shock.

  “It’s been a long time, sweetheart. I can tell you remember me from the look on your face,” said the man, unzipping his hooded sweater. “The last time we were together we were interrupted. I think it’s pretty safe to say that we won’t be getting interrupted tonight. “Super-save-a-hoe ain’t here to rescue you with that big ass gun of hers.” The man walks over to Alexis and removes a strip of duck tape from her mouth.

  Alexis spits the gag out of her mouth, trying to catch her breath. With her eyes filled with tears, she looks up at the stranger and asks, “What the fuck do you want?”

  The man takes a seat on the bed. “I wanna finish what I started ten years ago.”

  “You’ve been following me?”

  “What you think? I would check on your corner every few months, waiting for the right time to make my move. I don’t know what it was about you, but something drew me in to you like a magnet. When I found out that crazy bitch you stayed with was no longer around I knew it was time for me to reintroduce myself. I had to leave town on business for a little while, but I kept my mind on you the whole time. I’ve been impatiently waiting for this moment for weeks.”

  “You sick son-of-a-bitch,” said Alexis. “You’re a pathetic-ass loser!”

  “That’s not how you should talk to someone who holds your worthless ass future in their hands, Alexis.”

  “Fuck you!” she exclaimed. “Fuck you!”

  Someone begins knocking at Alexis’ door. Alexis tries to get the person’s attention. “HELP ME!” she yelled out.

  Her attacker immediately covers her mouth with one hand, reaching inside of his sweater with the other. He pulls out a 9mm pistol and holds it in front of Alexis’s face. The sight of the gun silences her. The knocking eventually stops. The man re-gags Alexis and walks back into the living room, undoubtedly checking the front door. He comes back into the room seconds later, carrying his gun in one hand and a knife he removed from the kitchen in the other. Tears begin to stream from Alexis’ eyes.

  “I thought it was one of your crack head neighbors knocking, but it was just that bitch you be hanging with. You know, she’s not too bad to look at. I might end up going after her next. Of course she ain’t you, though. Not too many of them bitches out there look as good as you. You’re different. All the more reason why I’m gonna enjoy every moment of this shit.”

  The man approaches Alexis’ bed at a leisurely pace, taking a sit right beside Alexis’ restrained body. He brings the knife to Alex’s neck and presses it firmly against her throat. Terrified, Alexis is forced to lay helpless in her bed as the knife slowly cuts into her skin. A thin strip of blood runs down her neck.

  The demented man sets the knife down besides Alexis’ head and proceeds to violently rip her shirt open. He picks the knife up and slides it into the tiny space that separates Alexi’s trembling skin from her bra and proceeds to cut through the front strap. The depraved man then slides the knife down towards her waist and uses it to cut her dress off. As he’s about to cut away her underwear, Alexis begins to squirm frantically. This only agitates the man, which leads to striking her several times. Once he’s beaten the last ounce of fight from her, the man sets his sadistic plans for Alexis underway.

  Alexis’ muffled screams seep out of her bedroom from a partially opened window. The cries of her anguish are accompanied with a number of thudding blows that her attacker is freely dishing out. Her stifled screams will go unheard; fading into the night like a subtle breeze.

  CHAPTER 12

  LEFT FOR DEAD

  After several hours of repeated rapes and savage beatings, the man who viciously attacked Alexis is finally ready to make his departure. Knowing that his finger prints are scattered throughout several areas of her apartment, he decides to thoroughly wipe down he’s touched. It doesn’t fail to register in the psycho’s mind that evidence of his dastardly deeds is inside of Alexis’ body as well.

  He grabs the blanket off of her bed and spreads it out on the floor. He pulls Alexis off the bed and drops her on the floor. He takes the sheets from her bed and the knife he
used to cut away her clothing and tosses them onto the blanket. Once all the potential evidence has been gathered, he walks over to Alexis’ battered and unconscious naked body and drags her into the center of the blanket, where he proceeds to wrap her up in it.

  He picks up Alexis’ house keys and exits the apartment. He leaves the building and walks over to the vacant lot where his car is parked. The man drives back to Alexis’ building and parks out front. He gets out of the car, walks back into the apartment building, casually makes his way back to Alexis’ apartment, grabs hold of the blanket that contains her body and carries it out to the trunk of his car. He slams the trunk shut, gets back inside the car and drives off.

  For the last twenty minutes, the black sedan has been on a set course that has led the car to a heavily wooded area. He parks a mile or so into the woods and pops his trunk open. The man hoists the blanket up over his shoulder and carries it further into the marshy area. Once he reaches an isolated spot, he dumps the blanket and nonchalantly heads back towards his idling car.

  Two whole days gone by since Alexis’ severely injured body has been dumped by her ruthless attacker. And although her body is barely hanging on, her heart and soul refuses to give out. Despite the brutal beatings and multiple rapes, dehydration and hyperthermia, Alexis is still somehow managing to survive.

  Unbeknownst to Alexis, she happens to by lying in the middle of a pathway that a father and son take every Saturday afternoon to their favorite fishing spot. Luckily for Alexis, today just so happens to be Saturday.

  As the father and son make their way down the narrow dirt path, the young boy notices the blanket from a distance and grows suspicious when it appears to move. The boy alerts his father to what he’s just seen. The father, unsure if what his son has seen is a threat or not, removes his rifle from his shoulder and steadies it on the object, which is about a hundred feet away. The two continue along the path, remaining very cautious in their approach.