the lure (a story)

He sent her out to pick up some new girls for his customers to enjoy. He told her what he wanted and expected her to supply them. It was like reading a gross and ugly soul’s wish list. But his customers were depraved. And the best chance he had of getting what they wanted was to send out a young woman. Someone the targets might identify with or turn to in their vulnerability.
She had been beaten down by “the life”, her history and him, to such an extent that he had but to ask and she did it. She jumped. Did it really matter whether the bruises were in her soul or on her body? She was bruised. Badly.
She had told him about how her fall had begun. And he had taken advantage of the knowledge frequently to hurt her and to make her compliant. Each twist of the knife had made her more cold, numb, bitter… anything but innocent or empathetic.
Now she was a loaded weapon. His loaded weapon.
If he asked for new toys for his customers to break, then that’s what he got.

Before you blame her… Let me tell you her story.
She was brought up by a woman (some would call her a mother) who could not stand to be alone. So she brought a string of men thru their home. And when she was passed out, on drugs or alcohol. or at work, the men helped themselves to her daughter.
When she tried to tell her mother, she was slapped and told to shut up. When she finally walked in on one, she chased her daughter out of the house. Even though her daughter was naked.
Even though her daughter was bleeding, hemorrhaging really, and needed emergent hospital care.
So she went to the ER. And somehow between a long weekend, and short staff due to a flu, she was left unnoticed after treatment.
A young guy listened to her story and said she could crash with him and his GF. So she followed him home.
You have to know the story, right?
She thought he was a friend, a saviour, and she had gotten lucky. Not so! As soon as the rent check was due or he was out of drug money, she was pimped out.
At first the customers were fairly gentle. He wanted the hot new toy to last awhile after all. But they became more and more depraved.
She kept herself barely conscious, just so she could move if someone told her to.

Until today…
When she was tested to see if she was really as vegetative as she seemed. Well, compliant in his thoughts. And yes, she was.
She sniffed out what he was looking for and brought one back. Just to test further, he slapped her and sent her out for another. Claiming a flaw. But she had followed his instructions to the letter. He added something.
So she found that and brought it home to him.
He smiled and sent her to a new customer. Before the “date” was done, she had paid for her sins with her life. Her sins?
Well some would blame her. Would you?