Free A Smaller Hell by A. J. Reid Page A

forward to stop the trickle with my mouth.  She ran her fingers through my hair as I kissed the dark, sweet liquid from her body.
    Our moment was cut short by the sound of breaking glass and the heavy footfalls of at least two individuals across the floor of the lounge above us, making for the staircase.  As they descended it, their sounds became more measured and deliberate, as if they'd become aware that someone else was in the building.  I blew out the candle in a vain attempt to disguise our position: the smell of the fire and the dim light still fluttering off it was sure to give us away anyway.  Rachel remained silent, but held me closer and searched my eyes for reassurance.
    ‘It's alright.  It will be ok,’ I lied. 
    ‘Let’s get out of here,’ Rachel whispered.
    I held my finger to my lips as I heard the intruders mumbling to each other.  Suddenly, the large oak door shuddered under the force of a kick or a shoulder from without.  Rachel screamed into her hand.  I searched for a weapon and the gleam of a metal object caught my eye.  It stood in the corner behind the giant barrel of ale.  I reached behind and pulled it out, feeling the notches in the leather sheath: the Captain's sword.  I drew it from the scabbard and held it towards the door, poised on the brink of violence, my nervous system bristling furiously. 
    I could hear laughing from beyond the door.  Was it a woman ?
    ‘I'm tooled up.  If that door comes down, I'll … cut your fucking arms off,’ I said.
    The banging stopped after a while and Rachel emerged from behind me and asked if we should make a break for it.  I let the sword hang by my side just as the door came crashing down.  The two women standing in the doorway, half-lit by the dying fire, looked as if they could barely lift the fire extinguisher they were holding together.  They were both dressed in a lot of PVC, their thigh boots and their micro skirts giving the impression that their lower halves had been dipped in crude oil.  Their long legs began tiptoeing forwards, the firelight revealing their faces, one of which was more ravaged than the other.  I lifted the sword again.
     ‘Now, now, love.  Don't you know it's rude to point?’ 
    The pair cackled and steadied themselves against each other.  The smell of vodka filled the room. 
    ‘Is there any room at the inn?’
    ‘We were just leaving,’ I said, still pointing the sword in their direction.
    ‘I do hope we didn't interrupt anything?’ 
    ‘You really ought to be careful where you point that thing.’
    I lowered the sword.
    ‘Not that thing.’
    I covered myself with my shirt amidst the vodka shrieks and PVC squeaks as they fell over each other like doomed seals in an oil slick.
    ‘What are you doing here?’ I asked.
    ‘Business meeting,’ the older hooker said.
    I began gathering up my clothes as Rachel emerged from behind me to do the same. 
    ‘Oh, don't leave on our account.  Why don't you stay for the show?  We won't even charge you,’ the younger one said, winking one of her wet, emerald eyes at me.
    ‘You can watch from the next room through here.’ 
    The older one loosened and extracted one of the ancient bricks from the wall like a dentist extracting a tooth.
    ‘Maybe you'd like to join us?’ the younger woman said, looking at her companion.
    ‘I don't think they're quite ready for that, Emma.  Besides, I think our man here is spent for the night.’ 
    They locked together in a passionate kiss.  Rachel was slack-jawed at the spectacle unfolding before us.  I was still sweating and trembling from the adrenaline as I pulled on my clothes.  We left the hookers still locked together and pulled the door to behind us.  As we began pacing down the freezing corridor, Rachel stopped.
    ‘I want to see.’
    ‘We have no idea who's coming here.’
     Silence.
    ‘I want to see,’ she said, tugging on my hand.
    We heard a car come to a halt outside and the powerful engine grumble