Red Becomes The Wolf

There are places woman should go and places she shouldn’t; although just as well…those places shouldn’t provoke her to become the wolf, because a wolf you will get. This story takes place in downtown Los Angeles. City of fallen dreams, forgotten morals and broken wings. Nothing about this world is forgiving, but there’s just something about the run-down streets of a city that make you see the true ugliness of our today leaders. Red, a seventeen old girl, on the cusp of womanhood, is a product of our broken system. She steals to feed herself and her grandma, and she lies to the police about the drug deals that go on around her neighborhood because she knows others need to eat too. Red is just a typical girl living in a typical world that’s out to make it for themselves. She’s not yet fully aware of how much her life is controlled. She doesn’t yet understand that it’s the men who run the system and who make it hard for her family to get proper support. She’s knows its broken, but she doesn’t yet see how much they love to control.

It’s not until one evening her grandma gets an amazing opportunity to have food on the table for the remainder of the year. “Red! Girl, where are you? I need you to do something for me.” Her grandmother calls from the kitchen. Red had been in her room, listening to Fleetwood Mac “Gypsy” and she was annoyed that she had to pause her music to go see what this old woman wanted this time. “Yes grandma? You need me to reach the cereal for you again?”

“No! Sit down for a second. I need you to listen to me for a second”. Grandma had raised Red since she was five years old. Her father had walked out once he found out he was gonna be a father, and her mother had died on the poor girl’s 5th birthday. She had walked into a local supermarket to pick up paper plates for the birthday cake, but when she entered the store was in the middle of being robbed and was shot immediately. She never saw it coming. Ever since, grandma has been the Red’s provider; she had always worked three jobs to make ends meet, but never seemed to be enough. Red sat at the table and waited.

“Look honey you know I’m only getting older, and we still have some time before you’re able to work fulltime, and we gotta eat. So, our neighbor next door offered us a deal. If we deliver a package to 222 Moral Blvd., we’ll have food on our table for the rest of the year. Now… I can’t make the trip myself; my arthritis is getting worse with the weather and these eyes aren’t what they used to be. Baby girl… I need you to deliver this package.

“But how am I supposed to get there?”

“Take the car. I know it’s beat up; it barely makes it from point A to point B, but this distance is short. You should be fine. Just make sure you take Heaven Ave all the way down. Don’t stop anywhere, don’t talk to anyone… especially in that area. Men other there are always making trouble for young girls.

“I mean… it sounds like I don’t have much of a choice. I either do this or we continue to eat Spam and noodles every night. I’ll do it grandma, for us.”

“Thank you, baby, I knew you would. You’re such a good girl”. Grandma handed Red the package that she kept in her beat up tote bag. “Be sure to leave right away and remember to stay on the path.” Red took the package that was fairly heavy, oval shaped and wrapped in brown paper with “Mr. Poe” written on it. “Ahh yes… make sure you give this to Mr. Poe himself. Only he can make sure that the package got delivered safely.” Red nodded and grabbed her boots, the car keys and off she went.

She took Heaven St. just like her grandma said, but she remembered she had an extra two bucks in her pocket and suddenly had a craving for a candy bar. She decided she would just stop really quick. She drove slowly until she came up to a liquor store. Getting the candy bar wasn’t the issue. It was going back to the car that was.

“Hey sweet cheeks! Where you off to?” There was about six of them, all around Red’s age, looking to make trouble with girls. Red ignored their cat calls. Until one ran up to her and stood in her way. “Hey, you’re gonna be rude like that after we gave all those compliments? Come on, don’t be like that sweetheart.” Red pushed past him “I’m not your sweetheart, now get out of my way.” “Oh no, we got a fighter fellas!” He grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him with force. The others gathered round and started pushing her into each of them until they all had a grab at her. “Stop! Go away! I said Leave me alone!” She shouted as loud as she could. Moments passed, the owner of the liquor store heard the commotion and ran out to scare them off. He’s had trouble with these fatherless boys before and couldn’t afford to lose more business.

“Get out before I call cops on you!” The owner yelled. The boys laughed and ran off without another word. Red felt violated and wanted to cry but held it in as she ran to her car and sped off.

She got back on Heaven St. but after dealing with those losers she lost her focus and passed Moral Blvd. and before she knew it the gas light came on and she had to stop. “Piece of shit car” she mumbled. She found a rundown gas station and stopped. She stayed in the car looking for loose change and dollar bills. Luckily, she had enough for one gallon of gas. However, while she was looking for cash there was a man dressed in fancy clothing watching her, just how a wolf does when it’s hunting.

While pumping her gas the strange man approached her. “Now what’s a pretty thing like you doing in a place like this? Don’t you know you’re in the void sweet cheeks? Anything can happen in the void.” The man was dressed like a pimp, stood tall, proud and wasn’t ashamed to show his glistening white teeth, which shone like knives in moonlight. Red looked at him for a moment but said nothing. Instead, she kept her head down, hoping he would just go away. “Oh, come on now… don’t be shy, I wont bite, unless you ask me to.” The man was getting closer, he was entranced by her beauty. He thought she would be a great addition to his collection of girls he had back at his whore house. He was a notorious collector of pretty things and enjoyed selling and sharing his finds for the right price. He just knew she would make him rich, but first he wanted to have some fun. “I’m Dr. Wolf by the way.” He stuck out his hand for her to shake but Red only looked at him and said “Hi, sorry, but I need to get going.” The pump was finished, and she proceeded to make her way to the car. “Hold on there! What’s your hurry? You shouldn’t be out here by yourself sweetie. Someone could take advantage of you.” Red cringed at that and turned around “Look here ‘Wolf’ I don’t need your help; I don’t want your help. Leave me alone. Goodbye.” The Wolf was taken aback. “Darling, I don’t mean you no harm. I just wanna know where you’re going that’s all. If you tell me that then I’ll step aside. It might be useful for someone to know where you were last seen in case something does happen.” He was now standing in front of the driver’s seat and was clearly not going to let her leave. Red noticed that it was only getting later, and she should have been back home by now. Worried that her absence was jeopardizing their chance of being fed for the rest of year she blurted out “I’m headed for Moral Blvd. to drop off a package! Now get out of my way!” The Wolf backed away slowly, all the while grinning and shaking his head.

On top of everything else Red went through that night, she now had to worry if this psycho “Dr. Wolf” was gonna try to follow her. It didn’t seem he had a car though, and she was driving pretty fast, so there’s no way he could catch up with her. But Dr. Wolf knew those streets better then anyone, and he just so happened to know exactly what house she was going to and knew the short cut. When Red reached her destination she quickly sprinted to the front door, eager to get rid of this package and make her life and her grandmothers much easier. She knocked, but there was no answer. She knocked a second time, louder, urgent, but no answer. She had to get back home, there’s no telling where that Wolf could be by now. She quietly opened the door, but no one appeared to be home. “Hello? I’m Red, I have a package for Mr. Poe. He’s expecting me. Is anyone here?” She wasn’t sure what to do, because if she didn’t make sure Mr. Poe got what he wanted there could be consequences she knew she wouldn’t be ready to pay for. In the corner of her eye, she saw a faint light coming from a back room, and so she tiptoed near to it. “Hello? Is anyone in there?” She peaked in, and saw a man dressed in a over sized hoodie hunched over his phone.

The air felt thick with deceit and Red immediately felt panic run through her spine. The man did not move, or speak he only looked down at his screen and scrolled as if waiting for her first move. “Are you Mr. Poe?” Red’s voice shook with nerves, but she couldn’t run away. “No, I have to see this through. I made a promise.” She thought and pushed herself closer to him. “Yes, I am him. You have what I want?” She nodded yes, but was hesitant on giving it to him, because she knew he wasn’t Mr. Poe. He was either someone else entirely, or he was that Wolf from earlier. “Have a seat girl, let’s see what you brought me. I promise I won’t bite unless you ask.” And with that she knew how much danger she was truly in. However, despite the outcome, she knew she wasn’t going to go down without a fight. So, Red took a deep breath, and decided to play along with his game.

She sat awfully close to him even though the warmth of his body repulsed her. He was instantly aroused. The Wolf reached for the package, gliding his fingertips across her thigh, and began to open it. To Red’s relief the package was filled with tiny pills. He looked them over and had an idea. “If I get her to swallow just one, she’ll be all mine and I can drag her back to my house of girls.” He smiled immensely as he thought out his plan. “You’ve done good. Perhaps we should celebrate by trying one. Just so we know it’s legit.” He said as he handed her a single pill. “Yea, that sounds like fun.” She took the pill and pretended to place it on her tongue and fake swallowed while leaning into him more. He was distracted by her youthful glow and full lips that he didn’t even bother to check if she really took it. “You’re gonna take one with me, right? I think it would be so much fun if we both had a nice trip. Maybe we can play?” The hoodie was still covering a majority of his face but Red could tell he was over stimulated by her proposal. He quickly swallowed one. “Lets both take two, have ourselves a merry-go-round!” He popped another in his mouth and handed her the one as well. She did the same as before, hiding the pills in her sleeve.

Sometime passed and the effects of the pills were working fast on Dr. Wolf, but Red only pretended to be on his level. He began to caress her legs and arms, kissing her neck and breathing heavily. Red knew he was now at his peak of excitement, any longer and she wouldn’t be able to control him. “Let’s go back to your place! We can dance naked under the moon!” She was trying to sound lucid. “Yes! That’s a marvelous idea. I’ll play you like the drums on my heart shaped bed and my girls can have their way as well.” She acted thrilled and helped him off the couch. By this time, the hoodie had been removed and he was fully the Wolf, collecting his prey, or so he thought. “She’s such a stupid girl, falling right into my trap” His thoughts weren’t in his head anymore; his inner voice was now outside, but Red went along with his rantings. “I’ll drug her some more, get her hooked, have my way for three days, and then I’ll sell her like a dirty whore to the highest bidder. Dumb girls shouldn’t go outside alone!” Red’s body burned with fury, but she had to keep her cool. They reached his car and she insisted on driving, which wasn’t hard to persuade him in. He was so high he never realized that she wasn’t following the directions he was giving her. Red drove aimlessly until she came across a deserted ally.

“We’re here baby. I can’t wait to do all those dirty things with you.” Red said as she unbuckled him. The Wolf laughed and began to get out of the car. Red had to hurry to the other side. As they began their walk Red noticed a baseball bat laying in a dumpster. She grabbed it and hid it behind her back, allowing him to walk ahead of her. “You know what I plan to do with you sweet thing? I plan to nail you so hard your ears bleed. I plan on selling your soiled panties online and telling your family you’ve gone into prostitution. I plan on ruining your life and making a fool of you, and you walked right into my- “before Dr. Wolf could finish, Red swung the bat across his skull as hard as she could. He fell to the ground, moaning, trying to get up. Red wasn’t going to let him forget this night. She kicked him hard in the stomach, twice in the groin and smashed his kneecap with the bat. The Wolf howled out in pain, but no one heard his screams. She didn’t kill him though, Red wasn’t killer. The Wolf moaned in pain but didn’t move. She went over to him and found his phone, shattered it, and said, “Stupid Wolf’s shouldn’t go out at night alone.”

She drove back to Mr. Poe’s house and went inside unannounced. There he was the real Mr. Poe. A short, chubby man with a proud chin. He knew who she was instantly and was relieved. Red gave him the whole run down of what happened, even what happened moments ago in the ally. “Damn girl, you had yourself quite a night for just being a few blocks away from home. That’s how it be sometimes though.” He looked her over and paused “Look, I got an offer for you. I’ll take care of you and your grandma if you promise to come work for me and run errands like this more often.” Red stared in disbelief. Once again, a man was trying to take advantage of her, but this time she had enough. “Mr. Poe with all due respect I have to decline that offer. You and your family promised to feed me and my grandmother for the rest of the year if I deliver this to you. I kept my end of the bargain, and even went to great lengths to make sure you got it. Now, I’m gonna ask nicely this one time that you keep yours.” Mr. Poe was taken aback, no one has ever stood up to him before, let alone a young girl, but she was on the cusp of womanhood and knew she shouldn’t be messed with. “Alright, alright… you and your own have my word. No harm will come to you so long as I’m alive and you’ll be fed for the rest of the year. The offer will always stand though, I could use some muscle like you on my team.” He took out a stack of cash “This should cover everything but let me know if anything happens. I’ll take care of you.” Red thanked him and left “In less than a year I’ll be eighteen and I wont need anyone to look after us, because I’ll be the one providing full time.”

Once Red got home she went over to her grandmother and gave her a big hug. She was still sitting at the kitchen table, worried sick. “I did it grandma, everything is gonna be ok now.” “Oh, baby girl, I’m so sorry I put you through all that nonsense.” She held her granddaughter tightly, vowing to never put her in danger again. “It’s okay grandma, I had to learn… and what I learned is this… sometimes in life to get that you want, what you need to survive, you have to find the courage inside to kick some ass.” The End.