Predator and Prey

Nellie trudged through the door to her apartment, kicking off her high heels in the entryway. Another night, another attack… this one more brutal than usual. Standing before the cracked bathroom mirror, wetting a rag to remove her makeup. The powder washed away, revealing cuts, bruises, and scars in various stages of healing mingled with the fresh ones from tonight. She frowned at her reflection as she dabbed her lips, removing the lipstick and blood.

The stuffy summer air was suffocating. Nellie opened the window, immediately shutting it again as jazz music from the club floors below trickled in. The sound was nothing but a bitter reminder of the passing craze that made her job harder. She saw the writing on the wall. Vaudeville was on its way out… everyone wanted jazz acts now. Where theaters and nightclubs once jumped at the chance to book The Sam Scanlon Band, now she had to wheedle and beg to get them booked. Even then, the owners demanded something in return, a higher price each time, and her body was the only currency they accepted.

Nellie flopped on her bed with a sigh, still in her torn dress. She opened the drawer in the nightstand, pulling out a flier from a state fair years ago where she first met Sam. He rescued her from a lifetime as the town laughingstock back home, invited her on the road with him, and made her the manager of his act. The least she could do for him was keep his dreams of stardom alive by any means necessary…

She didn’t choose New Orleans. That was where the band happened to be when their old gig fell through. Running low on money and opportunities, they all tried to make the best of it. Nellie kept telling herself anywhere was better than that small town in Minnesota. There she was nothing but an object of pity; here she was an object of desire. Either way, she was still an object…

She lifted the lamp on the nightstand, revealing a flask hidden inside. She took a long swig, then another, hoping to calm her thoughts. Soon her eyes drooped, and she turned off the light. As she drifted off to sleep, the nightmare of her daily life ended, and another one began.

****************************

Gentle sunlight warmed Nellie’s cheek as she stood in the middle of the forest. Tree branches swayed, their leaves rustling softly. Colorful flowers dotted the landscape. Nellie ran her hand over a daisy’s delicate petals until the tranquility of the forest was shattered by a strange animal cry. It almost sounded as if it was calling her name.

“Nell!”

“Nell!”

“Nell!”

Nellie felt the leaves crunching under her feet as she ventured farther into the forest. Birds chirped, and bees buzzed overhead. A butterfly fluttered past, pausing a few feet ahead as if beckoning her to follow. The cries grew louder as she followed the butterfly deep into the forest until she came to a small clearing.

There nestled on a bed of leaves, she saw a fawn. It was a scrawny, ungainly creature with curled ears that appeared too large for its head. Sunlight beamed down, as if encircling the fawn in a golden halo. It looked up at Nellie with big pleading dark eyes, crying, “Nell!”

Nellie’s heart ached with sympathy for the poor creature. She knelt in the clearing, holding out a hand to the little deer. “Poor thing! Where’s your mother?”

The fawn titled its head to one side, looking at her with sad eyes; she understood. “Oh, you must miss her terribly!”

The fawn stood, wobbling on its spindly legs. It cautiously approached Nellie, nuzzling her hand with a plaintive bleat. Nellie’s heart went out to the orphaned fawn. She knew how it felt… weak, defenseless, and all alone in the world. A wave of motherly affection washed over her, and she hugged the fawn close, gently stroking its velvety soft ears. The fawn stopped crying, burrowing its head into Nellie’s chest.

For several minutes, Nellie silently held the baby deer, her cheek resting against its head as if to shield it from the world’s cruelty with her body. Suddenly a thought occurred to her. “Are you hungry, little one?”

The fawn gave a soft squeak, looking up with wide, expectant eyes. Nellie giggled. “I’ll take that as a yes!”

Her blue eyes darting about the clearing, she spotted a patch of wild roses growing nearby. Thorns pricked her hand as she picked the bright red blooms, but she didn’t pay it any mind. The hungry fawn’s needs mattered more than her own pain. She held the bouquet near the fawn’s mouth, watching with motherly affection as it munched on the petals. She felt the thorns digging deeper into her hand, deep enough to draw blood. She winced softly.

As the fawn finished its snack, Nellie discarded the mangled rose stems. The fawn nuzzled her hand, licking at the cuts the thorns left behind. Nellie smiled, her heart swelling as if it would burst from the sudden rush of sweetness when…

The fawn chomped down on her hand. Nellie gasped, drawing back. The fawn’s dark eyes suddenly glowed red, red like the blood oozing from its mouth and from Nellie’s hand. Its teeth elongated, forming sharp fangs. Antlers sprouted from its head, fanning outward into long knife-like spikes. Heartbeat quickening, Nellie inched away from the beast, gazing up in horror as it grew larger… or was she growing smaller?

Platinum-blonde fur, the exact shade of her hair, sprouted all over Nellie’s body. All she could do was stare, mouth agape as her hands turned into paws. The sky darkened, blocking out all but a tiny sliver of golden light in the distance. With a thunderous crash, rain fell in driving sheets. Nellie saw her reflection in the gathering puddles. A rabbit… she’d turned into a rabbit!

The monstrous deer fixed its glowing red eyes on her, charging with a low guttural growl. Nellie’s heart pounded against her chest as she ran as fast as her stubby rabbit legs could carry her. Sticks and brambles scratched at her sides. Blinding raindrops fell into her eyes, but she didn’t dare slow down or look back. Only one thought echoed in her fear-addled mind: run toward the light…

Her body trembled, her chest tightening as her heart beat faster and faster. Fighting off the wave of dizziness that threatened to overtake her, she kept running. Almost there…

The path ahead seemed to stretch longer, the light growing smaller and smaller. The monster growled, sounding louder and closer than ever. With her last strength, Nellie made a mad dash for the light, and…

Her legs gave out beneath her, sending her sprawling to the forest floor. A sharp, claw-like hoof pinned her tail. She couldn’t move… she couldn’t even breathe. All she could do was utter one terrified dying scream as the monster deer tore into her chest…

****************************

Nellie’s eyes snapped open. Cold sweat dripped from her every pore as she lay in bed, trembling. Her heart still raced as if she’d been running for her life. She looked down at her hands… hands, not paws. A dream, it was all a dream… the same nightmare she had every night she was attacked, but this time was different. This time she died before escaping the monster…

Nellie blinked, dazed. The radium-tinted alarm clock on the nightstand glowed 3:00 AM. With an exhausted sigh, she turned in the bed, curling up into a ball. Outside, rain pattered against the window, but instead of calming her, the sound only reminded her of her nightmare.

After an hour of lying motionless in a futile attempt to go back to sleep, Nellie sat up and turned on the light. The nightmare had to mean something… She was just like that rabbit, beaten and preyed upon by everyone bigger than her. It wasn’t supposed to be like this! She thought she had it under control… She thought the deal she made would protect her, but it wasn’t working fast enough. For every attacker that vanished, five more took his place.

Nellie ran a hand through her hair as she absentmindedly paced the floor. It was never going to end, was it? She would spend the rest of her life passed around and pawed by every theater and nightclub owner in the city until… She stopped, frozen in place as realization hit her with a terrible jolt.

In that nightmare, she caught a glimpse of her future. One day, some cad would manhandle her too much… until she died, just like the rabbit in her dream. She couldn’t let that happen… she had to fight back! How? She couldn’t do it alone, but who could she turn to?

Not the band… They never treated her as one of their own. They’d probably scoff at her distress. And Sam… Nellie knew what Sam would do. If she knew him half as well as she thought she did, he would quit the act if he ever found out what she had to do to get him booked. Then everything she sacrificed to keep his showbiz dream alive would be in vain. No, Sam must never know…

Nellie gasped, choking on the sultry night air and her own chaotic thoughts. She needed space to think! Stepping into her shoes, she wandered aimlessly out the door, not even bothering to change her torn dress or hide her injuries with makeup.

****************************

In the pinkish light of the rising sun, Nellie found herself on the doorstep of the only person who could help her, her benefactor and partner in crime. She knocked on the door, nervously trying to peer through the curtained windows as she heard bumping and rustling inside. The minutes felt like hours as she waited. Finally the door opened, and Al appeared, still in his pajamas.

“Nellie, my dear,” Al greeted with a smile. The smile remained, but his dark copper eyes turned concerned as he surveyed her up and down, taking in her damp hair, torn dress, and fresh injuries. “Please come in…”

Al ushered Nellie inside, closing the door behind her. He shrugged out of his robe, draping it over Nellie’s shoulders as she sat huddled on the couch. She blinked, absentmindedly looking around the room. Red robe, red couch… everything red, just like her dream. She sat, trembling with fear… and something else too. Unfamiliar rage consumed her. “We had a deal, Al!”

Al blinked, taken aback. “Darling, these things take time…”

“Time is the one thing I don’t have!” Nellie’s hands clenched into fists. Before she knew it, she was on her feet. “I want him dead! I want them all dead… a-and if you won’t do it, I will.”

Al glanced toward the door, and Nellie thought she saw a faint glimmer of worry in his eyes. “Keep your voice down,” he said, his tone calm yet firm. He sighed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. His expression softened. “Let me guess… another nightmare?”

Nellie nodded. “Just like the others, only this time I… died.” Her throat constricted as she said the last word. She heaved a sad sigh that sounded like a sob. “It’s a sign, Al! A sign of what could happen to me if we don’t…”

“Nell…” Al whispered, squeezing her hand.

That touch, that name… Suddenly it was like Nellie was back in the nightmare. The room faded before her eyes, Al’s face distorted, turning into the fawn from her dream. This time Nellie was ready for it! This time she’d kill it before it killed her! She screamed, scratching and fighting with all her might. All the while, the fawn kept crying, “Nell! Nell! Nell…”

“Ma belle Nell…” Al’s voice jerked Nellie back to reality. She blinked, shaking her head in a daze. As her vision cleared, she saw red scratch marks across Al’s cheek.

“What have I done?” she gasped, staring helplessly at the blood mingled with the chipped red polish on her fingernails. “Al, I’m sorry…”

Nellie braced herself for an angry reaction, half-expecting Al to yell or hit back… just like all her attackers did when she tried to fight. Instead he chuckled. “I had no idea you had that much fight in you, my dear!”

Nellie braced herself for an angry reaction, half-expecting Al to yell or hit back… just like all her attackers did when she tried to fight. Instead he chuckled. “I had no idea you had that much fight in you, my dear!”

Somehow Al’s laughter hurt more than his anger ever could. Nellie threw her arms around him, sobbing into his chest. He stiffened in her embrace for a moment before gingerly hugging her back. She had no idea how much time passed before her tears stopped, and Al pulled away, gently tilting her chin upward. “Look at me, darling…”

Nellie blinked, doing what she was told. Al’s copper eyes gleamed with an unreadable emotion as they met hers. “Your attackers will die long before you do, I give you my word as a gentleman. Have I ever let you down before?” He said with a slight smirk.

Nellie shook her head. “No… Sometimes I think you’re the only person left I can trust.”