He turned to the door. "Others heard. They came around, hoping to buy a poke, and they found that door locked, and they heard the poor sidhe--heard them crying and wailing and begging. And they walked away. Did not want to get involved. And then, after the sidhe passed, one returned."
My penlight faded, taking the room into darkness, and when it surged bright again, the boy was gone, and the girls lay in their beds, and--
One glimpse of them and I squeezed my eyes shut and wished for the skeletons again. Cold, expressionless skeletons. Horrifying in their way, but not nearly so much as this, the image burned on the back of my eyelids. The girls, in their beds, contorted in their last agonies of death, chunks ripped from their own arms, as if they'd tried to chew their way free. The two smaller ones with their eyes closed, the smallest's face screwed up as if squeezing her eyes shut against the horror of her own death. The oldest had her eyes wide, hate and defiance, as if she refused to look away, refused to hide from what had happened, faced death snarling, lips curled back in a final hiss, her body pitched forward, throwing herself against her bonds with her last breath.
Then I heard the sound at the door. A low keening that set my hairs on end. It was the same sound I'd heard in the forest, watching the lamiae mourn their dead. I walked to the door, stepping over the body of the man at its base. When I reached for the knob, my fingers passed right through, and I stepped into the hall to see two girls--two lamiae--one crouched outside the door, the other standing with her hands against it, leaning forward, her cheek on the wood.
"We could not find you, sisters," she whispered, first in Greek, the words translating in my mind. "We searched and we searched, and you were lost, and now you are lost forever, and we cannot even get inside to put your bodies at rest."
She scratched her hand down the wood, splinters digging in, trails of blood left behind. Then a distant board creaked. A thump followed and a man called, "Hello?" The girls went still, one choking back a hiss, and when they turned, the grief drained from their eyes, leaving those blank expressions I'd seen on the others.
A man appeared, carrying an old-fashioned flashlight. He saw the girls and stopped.
"Oh," he said. "You're out."
Even seeing the two sets of lamiae for only a few moments, I could tell these weren't the same girls. Considering that he seemed to be one of the johns, I'd sure as hell hope he'd have taken a closer look at the bound and captive girls he was screwing, but I guess that's naive of me.
"Yes." The girl on the floor rose, pulling the word into a sibilant hiss. "He lets us out now. We have learned to appreciate what we have. We were just coming back for the night."
"Oh, well, that's good. So the trouble's over, then." His head bobbed as he put on a false-hearty smile and strode toward them. "Good to hear, good to hear. Even better to hear that you're back for the night." He winked.
The girl smiled. "We are glad to be back. Now that the trouble is over. You heard it, did you not?"
"I...came a couple of weeks ago and there was something going on down here."
"Crying. You heard us crying for help."
The man shifted, glancing over his shoulder. "I...I don't know what I heard. It's none of my business. You're out now. He's letting you walk around, so whatever it is, it was settled. No harm done."
"No harm done," the girl repeated, slowly, as if tasting the words, and if I'd been the guy, as soon as I heard that tone, I'd have run.
But he only forced an awkward chuckle and said, "Right. Now, is your, uh, boss here?"
"No, he is not." The girl walked over. "He will be, soon. You can wait if you like. But if you do not wish to wait..." She laid her hand on his hip. "We will take your money. What you pay him for one, you can pay us for two."
The other girl sidled over
, struggling a little more to smile. She walked up on his other side and buried her face--and her expression--against him as both their hands slid to his crotch.
"Both?" he said, breathing hard already.
"Is that a problem?" the girl said.
"N-no, of course not."
"You do not have to do it two times. We will both please you." She unbuttoned his trousers and the other girl reached inside. Then she did the same. "We will both enjoy you. Then you can enjoy both of us. First one and then the other, for as long as you can hold out..." She lifted on tiptoes to whisper. "We know ways to help you hold out."
"H-how long will he be gone?"
"About an hour. Is that enough?"
"Y-yes. Please. Yes."
"The room is locked, though. We need to wait for him to open it. If you want to wait for a bed."
"N-no. No. This--this is fine."
"Right here?"