penny

This is evolution.
My meat hangs tighter to my skeleton with every season.
I have learned to adapt, and what has not,
well those parts
are maggot-filled,
schlepped off along the waysides, composting.
My lips have no time to tend to them, again,
they are busy digesting the words my tongue would say
if it owned a body.
- - -

Penelope Rose Alexander.™

Penny was a little too busy with checking her gear to even realize how late it had gotten. But once she followed Josiah out she finally got a good look at the sky. It was nearly pitch black from the last time that she'd checked it and her watch now read 7:15pm. What the fuck have we been doing all this time? She sighed heavily, tapping the barrel of her gun nervously against her cargo pants. She was pulling at the many strings in her head for a solution. These weren't vampires so the UV lamp in the van wouldn't help much. But her goggles would. With that she nodded her head and headed towards the van. Josiah had already positioned himself in the front seat and only Niles was waiting for her before he went inside the van. But she couldn't force herself to move any faster. The bags she carried were a little heavy. She made it though, just before she thought Josiah would go off his rocker, and handed a bag to Niles. She was glad he didn't argue and just took the bag like an obedient puppy. They had a pretty weird friendship, these two. Penny got to speak for and comfort him whenever arguments broke out. While Niles on the other hand allowed the girl to sleep with him whenever she had nightmares and cover her ass when she needed it most. The great white and the sea lion; both dangerous but one more so than the other.

Once she was safely inside the van, Penny automatically went to her post near the wall closest to the drivers seat. She checked her clip. Out of the twelve rounds that her small 9mm held, only three were left.“Fuck, I really need to control myself.” She looked up at Niles as she said it but he was already in position with his rifle resting on his shoulders and his eye looking through the view finder. The only sound he made at her comment was a small grunt which made her giggle slightly. She shook her head and reached inside her bag for a new clip. But instead of pulling out a clip, Penny lifted a pair of night vision goggles. She'd gotten them on one of her many solo raids throughout the city. Which had caused quite a fuss with the marine especially considering the fact that she'd gotten them from a military base. “Put these on,” she said tossing another pair of goggles to Niles. These were heat seeking. Although the bogeys were way past insane. They were anything but dead so she was pretty sure that those goggles would pick up on their body heat. She could already here a few screeches and calls not too far in the distance. They'd really made a stupid mistake about staying out this late. Penny could already hear it now. The marine would surely have a field day about their little excursion. But Penelope was sure that their designated group leader would step in. Especially considering the fact that if anyone would've been qualified to go on a field trip, it would've been Penelope. Her knowledge of weapons and ability to stay calm by all means had earned her that right.

By now Josiah had already hit the road and already Penelope had her hands tied with a few bogeys. Jo's driving wasn't helping either. But she got a few good shots off before she went flying. ”Fuck!... Jojo!.... man!” At this rate she'd have to pray that Niles had everything covered. From what she could see he still had his eyes fixed on the road and seemed to be handling the crazy drive just fine. She really needed to get a grip on things and tighten up. But every time she moved to pick herself up Josiah would make another crazy swerve and she'd slip. She could hear him screaming for help where she was on the floor. But what assistance could she give if he kept swerving like that? Finally, after several determined tries, Penny got herself into a crouched position. She quickly changed the clip in her gun and aimed it at the ceiling. They couldn't have been too far from the apartments now. Scraping noises were coming from the roof loud enough that she could tell something was still holding on. But when she moved to fire into the roof again she was thrown back. This time she went flying through the van and nearly pushed the back door open before Niles grabbed her arm. Thankfully they had reached the apartments but she could tell that they weren't in the clear just yet. Something was in the garage with them. 

“Switch to submachine.” That was all Penny had time to whisper before the back door to the van flew open and she was yanked right out of Niles' grip and onto the garage floor. All she could do was brace for the fall and raise her gun before she was thrown against a wall nearest the van. The impact of the back of her head hitting the wall caused her to see in spots through the goggles that she still had on. It was two quiet now and the only sound that could be heard was the sound of feet shuffling back and forth through the dark. Terrified, she looked from left to right while trying to get herself into a better position up against the wall. “Niles” she whispered glancing back at the open van door. Leaning to the right, she tried to see if she could peer into the van from where she was sitting. With her gun still pointed she called out his name one last time. “Niles.” Movement came from the far right of the van and that's when she realized that she'd made a mistake. They couldn't see in the dark but they could hear. It was like playing a game of Marco Polo. You only needed your ears to find a victim. 

It pounced on her, taking Penelope completely by surprise and causing her to let out a small cry. With its hands the thing had managed to knock her glasses right off of her face. But just as it went to bite her Penny shot two bullets into its arm before she finally got enough room to turn and shoot it right at the base of its neck. The thing cried out in pain but kept coming at her. But just as she went to shoot it in the head, her gun clicked empty. SHIT! She must have mistook the new clip for an older one. As big of a mistake as it was, Penny still had two options: Either try to choke the creature or let go of the thing and try and reach for a knife that she always kept tucked in the side of her boots. Think, think, think. She settled for reaching for her knife with one hand and trying to choke the thing with the other. But the more she reached for it, the closer the creature got to her face and the bigger a chance it was for her to become infected. 

Frantically Penelope pulled at her cargo pants and prayed that this wouldn't be her last night alive. Warm liquid was dripping down the back of her neck and she was pretty sure that it wasn't her own blood. The creature was snapping its teeth just above her ear like a rabid dog who hadn't eaten for ages. One more inch and she finally got a good enough grip on the blade to pull it out. Now the hardest part of all would come. She had to move fast enough to get herself a little out from under the creature before she stabbed it in order to make sure that no fluids made their way into her eyes, ears, or mouth. Penny knew that if she died now, no one would be left to help aid the others. And she couldn't have that. The small girl pushed up against the creatures neck as hard as she could until her head was safely out of harms way. With that she raised her other hand and stabbed at the creatures head with all her might. The darkness in the garage didn't help her see whether or not she'd actually gotten it in at the right angle. But the stillness and silence of the creature as she drove the knife deeper into it let her know that she'd done right. With as much force as she had left to her, Penny pushed the thing off of her and scooted herself a little farther away from it before she finally forced herself to get up and try to reach the van. All she kept thinking was that Niles was dead and probably Josiah was stuck inside the van from the sounds coming from the front of the van. As she stood, Penny was a little wobbly on her feet and the world swam beneath her. She could feel that sooner or later she was going to pass out. “Not yet,” she told herself, “Not yet.”

Grasping blindly in the dark for anything to steady herself, Penelope finally grabbed hold of the van door. She expected to see the limp body of Niles but was greeted with only an empty van. Her eyes grew a little wide at the sudden sound of a scream and scratching coming from the front of the van. Her instincts told her to move cautiously. But the feeling of loss that she felt from not finding her friend was so strong that she reached for one of his shot guns and headed straight for the front of the van. She didn't even care about the fact that there could have been two waiting to take her on. This means war. Squinting in the dark she cocked the forestock back hard against the magazine and whirled to shoot at the creature. But just as she was about to shoot it, the sound of a silencer was heard and the scratching sounds ceased. Staring back at her was Niles with his gun still held at attention. Penelope lowered her gun at the sight of her friend and let the tension in her shoulders ease a bit. She stared blankly at him for a few seconds and then turned her attention back to Josiah. Opening the drivers door she leaned in, unable to support herself any longer. “Why is it that I always end up saving your ass?” That was the last thing she said before the world went completely black and she collapsed against his legs.

- - -
I suppose, if your heart were granite too,
it'd be there peacefully rotting, a thunderous de-composition,
instead of inspiring my off-season spring cleaning
and plucking for de-evolution. 
- - -

getting off.

Cold air and fishnets do not mix. But when you've spent most of your life in little to nothing, you eventually learn to ignore the fact that your cooch is pretty much freezing to death. Running in five inch heels, a pair of black leather Brazilian-cut boy shorts, and a leather jacket didn't help much either. For the millionth time this year, Miliani Bledel was late for work. But the pulse in her neck hadn't sped up simply because she was late. It beat like a caged animal trying to escape all because Benny would be waiting for her. The boss used his big,, strong hands to do things that weren't pleasing in the least. He'd make sure she paid for every minute she was late doing something very unpleasant. It'd all start off with a smile that soon led to her lack of air from him choking her and then she'd be pushed onto the stage gasping for breath. But the buck doesn't stop there. The red haired girl had better put on one hell of a show or else Benny's fist would beat black and blues on her pretty little face. So she hurried as fast as she could and raced past Aaron, the alley way bouncer. She had to feel her way through the dark in order to find the back entrance to the ladies dressing room. Girls were everywhere! It was like this dressing room alone had all the tits in the world inside it. Big tits, small tits, triangular tits! You name it and they were there jiggling in all their glory. A very tanned pair of breasts came quite close to Mimi's face as she rummaged through her locker for her favorite mask. 

“Looking for this?” said a voice that could only belong to one very big girl. Miliani glanced up to find her red satin mask dangling from the thin fingers of what should have been a drag queen but was only Genevieve. The girl in question was 6'1” with ass and tits to make any man cry for mercy. She should have been trying out for women of major muscle but instead chose to spend her days stripping and trying so very hard to get into Mimi's V-string. “Benny says you have a birthday to attend to tonight lover. He left you a little present.” The larger girl bit her lower lip and leaned in further so that if Mimi made any sudden movements, she'd come face to nipple in no time. But instead of moving towards them, the smaller girl simply nodded her head and leaned away from the “boobies of doom.” She felt herself slipping into the face she'd often put on in order to get things done whenever Genevieve was involved. Mimi stood and closed the small distance between her and the other woman. At 5'4”, 5'9” in the heels, that put her face just above Genevieve's breasts. She breathed heavily out of her nose so that the air would hit the other woman's chest. Surely enough she reacted to Mimi almost immediately. The smaller girl then proceeded to lean even closer to Genevieve until their lips nearly touched. “Thanks,” she said as she grabbed her mask and left Genevieve standing alone, breathless, and a little confused. She bounded towards her mirror and spotted her so called present. What the hell does he want now? Said package was actually a large, black satin pouch that looked more like an evil Santa Clus had used it to deliver her gift. But it wasn't Christmas and as far as she knew Santa didn't exist.

“Well don't just stare at it! Open it already! I wanna see.” Connie Summers had been Miliani's friend since the day she'd entered into the life. Both girls had been picked up the same day and even had similar family history. Drunken mothers, dead beat dads, and a boyfriend who used force rather than kindness o get into a girls pants. Mimi smiled up at her blond haired friend and pulled the pouch from her vanity onto her lap. She quickly pulled at the golden sash around it and dug in while Connie read the card that went with it. “To my little red devil. Diamonds may be a girl's bestfriend but nothing says I love you like gold and pearls.” Connie bounced up and down in her blue and white polka dotted outfit. “Come on doll face! Open pull the shit out! ” It seemed Mimi had hesitated far too long because Connie, being the nosey tramp she is, pulled the pouch from her lap and emptied its contents on Mimi's Vanity table. Both girls stared in awe as they took it all in. Even the other girls in the dressing room had stopped their conversations to stare. Before them was a gold antique bra that was lined with white feathers and pearls. The bottom piece to it was a pair of metallic god boy shorts with white feathered tails connected to the back of it. The last three items to be pulled from the bag were a mask, a bustier, and a pair of cream colored heels. Everything, except the shoes, was matched perfectly to the “T.” All Mimi could do was stare open mouthed at it all. What the fuck had she done to deserve this?! The girl had expected a slap on the face and a few punches not Vegas style show girl attire. She blinked wildly at it for several moments before she looked up at Connie and said, ”Help me curl my hair.” 

Thrity one minutes later and Miliani was all set to go out onto the stage. She stared at herself in the mirror and twirled before it. The other girls in the room were whispering amongst themselves. Their jealous stares and heated whispers only made the smile on her face widen. “I could get used to this,” She said to Connie, who was now lacing the back of her bustier and trying very hard not to tie her hair in too. “But I'm scared that this means I'll be in deep shit later.” Benny never awarded bad behavior, so why would he start now? He almost never spent money on his “Hoes” and took out anyone who even thought to ask for their checks. The routine was this: You shut up, you danced, and he payed for your rent. You asked for more money and the next day or so you'd wake up in the middle of no where or worse, floating face down in the Hudson River. Bad behavior got you a beating and if you so much as dared to look at another man in Benny's presence he would have him floating right next to you. He paid police officers and knew some very bad people in very high places. You just didn't fuck with Benny and his money. So why on Earth was Miliani being rewarded for her tardiness? 

The answer came in the form of a knock on the dressing room door and Benny himself walking through it. His gaze was icy yet focused as he came to stand behind Mimi while she still looked in the mirror. His big, muscled arms snaked around her waist as he rested his chin against her shoulder. Benny stood at about 6 feet four inches and had enough muscle to be on several covers of Men's Health Magazine. He kept his platinum blond hair cut as close to his head as he could get it without going bald. The eyes that now stared at Miliani's breasts were as blue as a clear winters sky and just as cold. Today he'd kept to his usual unrelieved black suit, tie, shirt, pants, and shoes. He seemed pleased with the way she looked because his hands just kept groping her body.“I'm not used to seeing you in so much clothes.” His right hand snaked lower and lower down her body. Mimi felt as if she was going to barf. “I like you better when you're naked and helpless before me.” His wandering hand cupped over her groin just as he said 'me.' His teeth found the lobe of her ear and it earned him one glistening tear down her cheek. But Benny caught it with his tongue just before it dropped off of her face. “Don't cry my little butterfly you'll mess up your make-up.”With that he kissed her cheek, stood back, and left her looking at herself in the mirror. Benny called over his shoulder as he left. “ You're on in five minutes, my love. Table nine. Your birthday boy is the one with the prettiest lips.” Then he was gone and Mimi collapsed against herself in a fit of tears. But Connie quickly helped her fix her make up. There would be plenty of time to cry after her shift. Besides, Benny didn't deserve to have the satisfaction that he'd crippled her in more ways than one. She'd never let him see her cry ever again.

Five minutes later and Miliani stood on stage with her back to the audience. The liner around her dark green eyes was fixed to perfection and she'd added two feathered fans to her outfit. One had a note attached and the other she'd use to play with the audience. Trevor, the DJ, started her music and Mimi transformed before everyone. All of the lights dropped low except for the ones on her stage. She teased the audience at first; slowly lowering her fans while Nicole Kidman belted outSparkling Diamonds. Once the beat picked up, Mimi moved about the stage and played with a few of the customers she recognized. She taunted and teased them until there was so much money on stage she had to be careful where she stepped or risk falling. Finally she came to the end of the stage just as the son ended. As always, she would pick her favorite from the night and take them to the back for some alone time. When the song ended the lights blacked out, if only for a moment, and someone handed her a microphone. She spoke into it as clear as a bell and stepped right onto table number nine. Being the extremely flexible girl that she was, Mimi bent herself only at the waste until the was just inches away from a man who's lips were soft and pouty enough to be called pretty. The feathered tails at that were connected to her bottom brushed a few of his comrades faces. All the other men at the table seemed normal but this one definitely stood out. “I want you to come with me lover boy” She purred into the mike, “I'll make sure to show you a good time tonight.” With that she stood straight and rested her hands on the man in questions shoulders. She stepped down from the table so that she straddled him and sat into his lap. A few boo's and no-pick-me's rang out in the crowd but Mimi had eyes only for the man before her. With her free hand she placed the fan with the note connected against his chest and licked along his cheek before standing abruptly and disappearing through a set of black velvet curtains. A hostess soon stood near the table and smiled down at him, “If you'll follow me sir, I'll take you to meet Ruby.In room number four."Ruby was Mimi's given stage name because of her bright red hair. The first time Benny had picked her up on the street, He'd called her hair her crowning jewel; saying that its color would make her stand out in the business. Boy, He didn't know just how right he was.