Devil's Playground Read online

  Nadya made a soft, sad little noise and looked up to Aleksandr. “What just happened?”

  Aleksandr's stomach filled with the burning, bitter taste of bile as he looked around them again. “Nature itself fears the Furies.”

  He hadn’t known that he had spoken the words until he shook himself from his surprise and glanced down at the twins.

  “They’re back, aren’t they?” they asked in unison.

  “Yeah,” he nodded.

  “So,” Nadya said softly, looking down at the closest, lifeless birds. “What do we do now?”

  “Right now, we need to get out of here before people start asking questions,” Aleksandr said.

  He took a step before the twins grabbed his hands and squeezed.

  “Don’t forget to tip,” Nadya said.

  “Seriously,” Aleksandr replied through clenched teeth.

  Ivan shrugged. “I think they’re having a bad day.”

  Chapter 2

  Evelyn looked up as she heard someone call her name. From the corner of her eye, she could see her father shifting about, moving back and forth as if he just needed the right angle to see the edge of the phone screen. All this time and he still couldn’t understand the limitations of video calls.

  “Who’s that, sweetie?” he asked, failing to cover his growing frustration.

  Evelyn chuckled, flipped her phone in her hand, and held it up so he could see her approaching friend.

  “Dad, you remember Judy.”

  “Oh, right.” He was instantly at ease again, his voice rich and warm. “How are you, Judy?”

  Judy waved somewhat apologetically, ducking lower to meet his eyes. She had to because Evelyn wasn't about to stand on her toes to cover the distance.

  “Hi, Mr. Figueroa.”

  “Don’t leave me in suspense,” her father said. “What’s the comp like?”

  Judy smiled. “It’s been really fun. Although I didn’t place as well as your daughter.”

  Evelyn turned the screen back to herself. One great thing about video calls was that it was easy to direct the conversation. “We’re in different weight divisions.”

  “We won’t be for much longer if you keep putting on muscle like you have been,” Judy interrupted.

  Evelyn ignored her. “There are stronger competitors in her division.”

  “Ah,” her father performed his best impersonation of a wise old man.

  Judy leaned onto a sharp angle, managing to hover her head over Evelyn's shoulder and reenter the shot.

  “I hope she told you that she won her division. She’s a kickboxing champion now.”

  Holding the phone steady, Evelyn lifted up her duffle bag and shook it. “I’ve already shown him my new shiny trophy.”

  “And I’m deciding where to put the new shelf,” her father added. “She’s filled up the one above the fireplace.”

  “Well, maybe you can take my kindergarten penmanship award off of it and clear up some room,” Evelyn teased.

  She laughed as her father let out a horrified gasp. “But your l’s were so loopy.”

  “Maybe you can convince her to stay for the presentation, Mr. Figueroa,” Judy cut in.

  Evelyn shook her head. “Not happening.”

  “Come on, Eve,” Judy protested. “You just won a championship. You should be really proud.”

  “I am.”

  “So, get your photo taken. Shake hands. There are reporters in there waiting to hear from you.”

  “Reporters?” her father asked. “Sorry to tell you Judy, but you haven’t got a chance. Reporters and my girl don’t get along.”

  Judy paused as if it had all just clicked into place in her head.

  “They’re not here for that,” she said, less to convince Evelyn and more to reassure her.

  Evelyn chuckled bitterly. “Maybe they’ll toss me a few relevant questions at first, but they wouldn’t be able to help themselves. Eventually, it’ll all be about the Sokolovskys.”

  Judy flinched. “It’s been two years, Eve.”

  “Right. Because that matters. I mean, no one talks about Jack the Ripper anymore.”

  Being kidnapped by serial killers, and everything that had happened after that had affected Evelyn in ways she hadn't anticipated. Most of her friendships had withered and died. But Judy remained. They had actually grown closer, in no small part because unlike so many other people, she knew when to be quiet. She used that skill now and let Evelyn and her father finish their conversation. Mostly, it was the ritual Evelyn referred to as the ‘game plan’.

  She confirmed that they were going straight to the hotel. Assured him that they knew the way and would keep to well-trafficked streets. They set a time for their next call and promised to stick together. Finally, her father was satisfied.

  “Love you, dad,” she smiled.

  “Love you, too.”

  While he didn't try to prolong the call by continually bringing up random topics of conversation, Evelyn knew he was reluctant to end the call. They had been talking when Petya Sokolovsky had abducted her. One substantial blow to the back of her head had spared Evelyn from the details of that encounter. Her father hadn't been so lucky. He had been forced to listen to it all. Most of the time he could put on a brave face and play down how much that had traumatized him. When it came to ending these calls, however, there was no place for him to hide. Evelyn heard it clearly in his voice every time. There was a part of him that truly believed this was the last time he would ever talk to his daughter.

  “I’ll send you a picture from the hotel,” she said, trying to lighten the mood. “I’m victorious, and as such, I deserve my body weight in French fries. I need you to be jealous of that.”

  Hearing his light chuckle caused unshed tears to burn the back of her eyes.

  “Oh, I'm jealous. And bitter. I'm going to have to send you a picture of me with a pizza just to even the score,” he said.

  One more farewell and she ended the call quickly, trying to make sure he was still in a good mood. There were still a few hours left until sunset. Even if they crawled, there was plenty of time for them to get to their hotel before the last rays died. Still, Evelyn kept a quick pace. Being out after dark made her skin crawl. Just like parking lots, children without supervision, and any stranger that looked at her for too long. All of these had played a part that night. And they were the emotional triggers that everyone seemed okay with handling. But there were a lot of other issues under the surface. Darker ones. The real ones that made her wake up screaming.

  The Furies.

  She’d seen their power. Their viciousness. Those demonic creatures were out in the world somewhere, and she couldn’t believe that they would let her go. There was no doubt that the creatures were intelligent. Enough to use traps and wield their victims’ deepest fears as weapons. But they hadn’t been merciful. One had seen Petya take her. Another had tormented her while she was held captive in Olga’s cage. They must have known she was a victim. But that wasn’t enough to secure a reprieve from the Furies. Sometimes, when Evelyn needed the reassurance, she’d tell herself that she had simply been collateral damage. Wrong place, wrong time. The thought helped her sleep, but nothing could keep her instincts from awakening again the next day. She knew, without a doubt or reason, that they would eventually come back for her. Demand her life as payment for supposed sins. And there was nothing she could do about it. These fears were ones that no one wanted to deal with. She couldn't even discuss them in therapy. Everyone would think she was mad. Just like her mother.

  Moving with purpose, they crossed the road and continued on their way, heading into the blinding light of the sun. Judy tried to pull Evelyn from her thoughts a few times. After failing, the taller woman decided to carry on the conversation herself. Evelyn was too amused by the stream of consciousness leaving her friend’s mouth to feel guilty about her silence.

  The streets weren’t bare. People clustered in small groups on the street corners or outside of storefronts
. Evelyn rolled her shoulders, trying to work the tension out. The day was pleasantly warm. The sky a clear blue about an hour away from being painted with the colors of the sunset. It was a beautiful, peaceful moment, and she reminded herself that it was important to notice these sorts of things. Some of her muscles gave a painful twinge. A few of her competitors had landed some impressive blows. She was going to be feeling them for the next few days.

  “Does our hotel have a sauna?” she asked.

  “I knew you weren't paying attention,” Judy teased.

  “You mentioned a sauna?”

  “No.”

  Evelyn turned to her friend before realizing that Judy was just messing with her.

  “Yeah, it does,” Judy said with a wide smile. “We should hit it up.”

  The hotel was coming into sight on the horizon when they approached a group of three men. Evelyn had noticed them early on, mostly because of the effects they were having on the people around them. Older than teens but not out of their twenties, the men routinely showed an aggressive amount of interest in the women that passed them. Evelyn was too far away to hear what the men were saying. Whatever it was, it left the women they encountered very uncomfortable. Anger pushed into her stomach like thorns as she watched the trio laughing and congratulating each other. It was a game for them. One they played with the unwilling people that passed them. Apparently, the whole objective was to cause discomfort and disgust.

  “Great,” Judy heaved a sigh as she straightened her spine and fixed her eyes straight ahead.

  Evelyn glanced over each of the men in turn. It didn’t seem like they were armed. She checked the street. No vans or waiting cars. The men were willing to follow women for a few steps but kept close to the chosen outpost. It was easy to spot the moment the men saw them. That was when the laughter began.

  “Damn,” a man with dark hair called after them as they passed. “You girls need to lay off the weights!”

  “Dude,” the blonde one cut it, “those are guys.”

  Judy rolled her eyes, lamenting their lack of creativity. All the while, Evelyn’s spikes of anger had grown into a burning blistering heat. It felt like fire was lapping down her limbs. The sensation grew as one with a ratty goatee fell into step beside them.

  “Don’t you listen to them, sweethearts. You girls are beautiful!”

  “Just keep walking,” Judy whispered as Evelyn grinded her teeth.

  They barely made it a few steps before the ‘white knight’ took offence to their silence.

  “Hey, I just gave you a compliment! Least you could do is give me a little ‘thank you!’”

  “Go away,” Evelyn hissed through her teeth.

  “Damn, no need to be rude.”

  The man fell back, rejoining his friends. Their laughter grew louder. They kept moving without looking back.

  “Bitch!” The one with the goatee shouted.

  Evelyn stopped dead in her tracks and shoved her duffle bag into Judy’s stomach.

  “Hold my bag,” she said as she whipped around.

  “Eve, no!”

  Evelyn heard her friend’s continued protests, but none of it really reached her. It all faded away under the white noise filling her head. The blonde man noticed her first and quickly informed the others of her approach. A smug smirk tipped the lips of the man with the goatee as he stalked forward to meet her, his hands relentlessly slicking back his already gelled hair.

  “Oh, she looks mad,” he called back to his friends before grinning at Evelyn. “Don’t worry, honey. I’ve got something right here that can help you with that.”

  He grabbed his crotch. Evelyn slammed her fist into his gut. Releasing a wheezing gasp, he doubled forward, eyes bulging out of his skull. Not giving him a chance to process what was happening, she cupped the back of his head and drove her knee into his face. There was a solid crunch and a satisfying spurt of blood. His friends’ cries of outrage drifted across the edges of her awareness, noted but dismissed. One hard yank sprawled the injured man out over the pavement. Judy was at Evelyn’s back before goatee’s friends could upgrade from protest to action. Even while Judy kept her hands up in a placating manner, the set of her feet and shoulders said she was ready for a fight.

  “We’re both trained fighters.” Judy kept her voice smooth and calm, but the threat was there. “Let’s not let this get violent, boys.”

  The men lingered back, their eyes darting between the women and their injured friend. It seemed that they were considering for the first time that the girls’ muscles might not just be for show. Their indecision was most likely aided by the fact that Evelyn had used the distraction to kick the man onto his back and now had her foot pressing down on his neck. He wheezed and jerked and clawed at her ankle. All she had to do was apply a bit more pressure and threaten to crush his throat to get him to give up.

  “Get the hell off of him!” one of them snarled at her.

  Evelyn didn’t care which one it was. Blinded by fury, she pushed down, making the man at her feet choke.

  “We’re going to kick your ass!” the other promised.

  The threat made Evelyn laugh, bitter and wild. “Really? Oh, that would be fun to see.”

  Judy dropped into a fighter’s stance as the man’s friends surged forward a step. That was it, though. As boastful as they were, none of them were inclined to pit themselves against women who had bigger biceps than them.

  “What we have here,” Evelyn snarled, each word sharp and short, “is a conflict of ideology. Oh, no, don’t talk. Let me guess. You all believe that, because he didn’t lay a hand on me, I’m overreacting?”

  “He just gave you a compliment!”

  She didn’t care which one of them had said it, her reaction was the same. She squeezed the man’s throat with her heel.

  “You mispronounced ‘harassment’,” she laughed. “What? Do you all think he has a right to harass women without repercussion? That about cover it? Yeah, I thought so.”

  “Evelyn,” Judy pleaded in a whisper, “this is assault.”

  Evelyn snorted and ignored the warning. “Now let me tell you my ideology. I’m of the opinion that I’m not going to get murdered so you can feel like a big man.”

  “We didn’t touch you!” one at the back of the pack bellowed.

  White hot rage pulsed through her veins and flared in her eyes. “You think rapists just woke up one day and decided to give it a go? No! They start small. Test the waters. See how much they can get away with. And when dumb-shits like you don’t call them on it, they push further. Then further.”

  “You’re insane!” someone accused.

  “No, I’m pissed!” she corrected. “I’m mad as hell that I have to remind idiots like you that I’m not your toy. I’m not here for your amusement. You don’t have rights to me or my body!”

  “Evelyn,” Judy whispered before turning back to the men. “Look, she’s having a hard time–”

  “Don’t apologize for me!” Evelyn snapped.

  “You should listen to your friend,” the blonde said. “Because she’s right. This is assault. Do you wanna see what the cops think of this?”

  “Honey, you’re not paying attention. I see this as a fight for my goddamn humanity! I’m willing to fight, kill, and die for it! The question is,” she pushed her foot down harder to make sure that she had their attention, “how far are you ready to go to support him treating women like shit?”

  A part of her hoped that they wouldn’t believe her. That they’d give her an excuse to unleash some of the anger that was boiling her alive. She doubted it was her argument that convinced them to take a step back. Perhaps it was her chilling glare, or the predatory stance of her body, or the sheer fact that she meant every word she said. Pity, Evelyn thought as she looked down at the man sprawled across the pavement. He was gasping for breath. A blue hue tinged his lips. And his eyes were so wide and unblinking that it was hard not to find him pitiful.

  “The next time you have the urge to
torment a woman, I want you to remember this moment,” she hissed.

  Judy smiled weakly. “Well, we’ll just be on our way then. Right, Eve?”

  “Fine,” Evelyn hissed begrudgingly. She squeezed her foot down a bit, just enough to make sure she had the man’s attention. “I’m going to let you up. If you do anything stupid, and that includes telling me that I need to ‘calm down’ or questioning my menstrual cycle, I swear on everything holy in this world, I will curve-stomp your scrawny hide. Understood?”

  He made a gargled noise that she took as agreement, and she slowly pulled her foot back. Instantly, he rolled onto his side, hacking and wheezing, coughing hard in an attempt to force his airways back into shape. Judy grabbed her arm, anxiously pulling her back from the men. Blinking through the haze of her receding anger, Evelyn noticed that they had drawn a small crowd of spectators. The dozen or so people stared at them with wide eyes, some scowling while others chuckled. A lot of them had their phones out recording the scene, but Evelyn couldn’t spot a single person who was actually calling the police. A part of her wondered if that meant they had some degree of support for her, but she couldn’t follow the thought very far. She was suddenly, utterly, exhausted. Mentally and physically.

  Given their limited numbers, the gathering of spectators had a few big gaps. No one made an attempt to intercept the girls as they walked away. Judy had left the duffle bag a few feet from where they had started, and Evelyn collected it without breaking stride, looping the short straps over her shoulders. It didn’t take long for them to leave the onlookers behind and once again be relatively alone on the street.

  The walk to the hotel was done in silence. While Judy kept close to her side, there was no mistaking the sidelong glares she kept tossing in her friend’s direction. Finally, they were in the hotel lobby and Evelyn released a long, tired sigh.

  “Thanks for having my back,” she said as they joined the queue for check in.

  “For the record,” Judy said in a low voice. “I did not enjoy that.”

  “Well, you weren’t really supposed to,” Evelyn said. “Street harassment isn’t exactly known for being enjoyable.”