Fallout

Danica

The curtain dropped, leaving everyone in darkness until the backstage lights slowly came up. The showgirls had apparently taken that as a cue to leave, and the stage was empty but for the cast and Ruby. Janet and Mallory continued to hug Danica. The three women formed a circle in the hope that it would offer some protection.

“Thanks, girls.” Danica whispered. She wasn’t the one who screamed her lungs out, but she felt as raw as if she had. She still felt like she might.

With the show off the air, it seemed some of the powers that affected them had been lifted. Vivian slipped off her stool and moved well away from the others, clearly worried about a continuation of their melee. I haven’t hit anyone before in my life, they must have done something to me the way they did to Rhonda.

“What now?” Vivian asked from a safer distance.

Ruby spun around on them, looking as if she had it the worst of anyone. Her hair was plastered to her scalp with sweat and her makeup was running down her cheeks. Despite her visible exhaustion, her wrath was radiating off her, almost physically palpable. Danica had an alarming vision of Carrie on prom night.

“Oh you wanted more? I think we’ve all had enough for tonight, Vivian? Through the curtain and out the theater doors to the right are the elevators. All of you are going to take them up to your rooms for the evening. We start shooting again at 8 A.M. EIGHT. A. M. Do I make myself clear?!”

“Are you sending us to our fucking rooms? Like we’re kids?!” Mallory shot back.

“If you act like children, I will treat you accordingly.” Ruby pointed to the stool and Mallory bent over to rest her elbows on it, causing Danica’s borrowed scrub top to be pull up and expose her bare backside. Mallory looked back with renewed fear. Ruby advanced on her, palm raised as if to deliver a spanking, but Danica again jumped in front of Mallory to halt her advance. It hadn't worked the first time, but the maternal instinct is an extremely potent motivator. Ruby paused as if to weigh her options. Ultimately, she lowered her hand. “You do it.”

“Excuse me?”

“Mallory is Al’s contestant, so I will leave her discipline to him. Or, Danica, you could take things in hand before it comes to that. Perhaps you should have a long time ago.” Ruby’s threat hung in the air.

What a fucking bitch. Al isn’t the only one to fear. She looked to Michael for some support, but his attention was still focused on Ronnie and he seemed oblivious to everything. Despite her roiling inner feelings, Danica nodded in an attempt to defuse the situation.

“Mom?!?”

Danica whispered. “She’s dangerous, Mal. Don’t provoke her any more.”

“I don’t have all night,” Ruby tapped her toe impatiently. Danica gave Luciana’s hand to Janet, and she led the two incoherents away where they wouldn’t watch. Danica brought her hand down on Mallory’s backside, drawing a yelp from the younger woman. She had never believed in corporal punishment, this was the first time Danica had ever laid a hand on Mallory and the intensity of that feeling shocked her. “Harder.”

Danica tried again, this time with a little more ****. But she was still holding back, and Ruby could tell.

“Harder.” Ruby whipped her hand around and conjured a small paddle from thin air. “Or you could use this.”

Danica responded only with a guttural growl, barely stemming a tide of insults that she knew would only make things worse. She rejected the paddle and continued with her bare hand. It will heal. Danica told herself as she delivered another stinging slap to her daughter’s backside. The sound of flesh-on-flesh and Mallory’s whimpering were the only sounds in the small space. Ruby locked eyes with Danica, not even bothering to watch the growing red mark on Mallory’s ass cheek. A pure dominance display. We’ll see, bitch. We’ll see.

“That will suffice.” Ruby ended the humiliating display after two-dozen solid strikes. She pulled a key with a small HH logo from between her breasts and tossed it to the ground at Michael’s feet.

“Use that on the elevator to get to the Master’s suite. You’re not necessary tomorrow morning, so sleep in if you like. See you all bright and early.” Ruby stomped off into the darkness of the side stage. Danica turned to apologize to Vivian, but the woman had disappeared herself in the interim. I can’t blame her.

“Mom, we need to get out of here.” Mallory said, as she tried to rub some of the pain out of her butt. “This might be our chance.”

“You’re right.” Danica wiped the remaining tears from her cheeks and collected herself. She could process all this later, but for now she had people to protect. “Janet, you get Sarah. I’ll take Luciana. Lead them to the street and we’ll flag someone.”

“What? Mom, no! You, me, and Janet. Let’s just go. Now.”

“Mallory. I’m not arguing this and I’m not leaving them. They’re victims just like us. Go and see if the crowd is still out there.” Mallory scoffed, but didn’t continue her protest. She headed off to scout the way, holding down the scrubs to cover her as much as she could.

Danica slid under Luciana’s arm when Janet led her back. She was awake, but only barely. Danica pulled one of her eyes open, Luciana’s pupil was completely dilated. “I don’t know what they hit you with, but I need you to walk for a while. I can’t carry you.”

“Deeeeee nada.” Luciana slurred and gave a weak thumbs up. Janet supported Sarah in the same fashion and joined them.

“And Michael?” Janet added softly. Michael didn’t notice, he and Rhonda were still clutching each other on the floor. Mallory came running back up from the curtain.

“They left, Mom. All of them.”

“If you don’t need them, they leave.” An unfamiliar and hoarse voice abruptly spoke from behind Danica. Rhonda. Of course!

“Rhonda, how do we get out of here?” Danica asked.

“There’s no ejector seat. No fire door. No lifeboat.” Rhonda slowly climbed to her feet. She was still almost nude but made no effort to cover herself. “No leaving without the host’s permission. We tried once, and the road just goes until you fall over and then it goes some more.”

“Well how did all the others leave? Let’s just go that way.” Mallory said.

“The staff have their own doors. They won’t open for us, and even if they did… You wouldn’t want to follow. It’s like you can go left or right or up or down or… more.” Rhonda swirled her hands around in all directions. “WoooOOOoooooOOOO.”

She’s not making sense, we need to get her to a professional.

“Come on, Michael, you take her.” Danica ordered.

“She’s right, there’s nowhere to go.” He mumbled. “I came in that way, it’s deserted.”

“So what? We have to try something. Don’t just give in to them!”

“I’m not giving in to anything, I just recognize when I’ve lost a round.”

“Lost a round?!” Danica hissed. “You’ve lost your mind! These people kidnapped you. Your daughter. Your wife. Apparently two wives! Didn’t you see what she made me do?!” She jabbed right at his manhood, hoping to spark something primal in him.

“Exactly, Danica! We have no idea what we’re dealing with! They were able to grab us out of thin air! You heard Sarah, they pulled her out of her car and she drives like a fuckin’ bat out of hell!” Sarah, coherent enough to recognize her name but not the tenor of the conversation, threw up the devil horns. “...And all of us saw what they did to Ronnie. Whatever this is, it’s beyond us. We need to play along for now, play nice, and wait for an opening. I think we should all go upstairs and figure this out in the morning.” He collected the discarded key from the floor.

“Of course he wants to play their game, Mom. You heard how it ends for him.” Mallory interjected.

“Stay out of this.” Danica forcefully shushed her. But she couldn’t dismiss that concern. He can’t seriously be onboard with this. I know him better than anyone. But how well did she, really? A whole wife that he never mentioned? To take the hosts at their word, Michael didn’t know either. But how could she trust them? Her entire understanding of the world had been upended in less than an hour.

“That’s not what I meant. I don’t intend to play this through to the end,” He said, desperately walking back his mistake. “Danica, just don’t do anything crazy or stupid.”

“No, Michael. Crazy and stupid is your move.” Danica could see how deep that one stung him. Good.

But for the moment, it wasn’t enough to spur him to action. He bit back a reply, instead reaching out to take Ronnie’s hand in his own and lead her out of the theater. He took her!? Danica was nearly apoplectic, but Janet gently touched her shoulder, snapping her back to her present problem.

“Should we go after him?” Janet asked.

“He’s a grown man.” Danica said firmly.

“Allegedly.” Mallory always had to get the last shot in. Once again, Danica couldn’t disagree.

“Come on.”

Ronnie had said the other staff would leave. And so they had. The Casino floor was still lit and all the machines turned on, but it was as if every single person had simultaneously decided to stop what they were doing and walk off. The tables still had half-consumed drinks, discarded poker hands, unattended roulette wheels still spinning…

“Creepy.” Mallory crossed her arms protectively. It sure is.

“The phone.” Danica pointed to a phone booth mounted along the wall near the exit. Mallory picked up the receiver and tried dialing, but slammed down the phone in frustration.

“It’s asking for us to pay in chips?” Mallory and the others looked around at the tables, but it seemed like the others had collected theirs when they left. The Cashier’s cage was locked.

“Ok, no go. Let’s try outside.”

The group piled outside into the night. Why is it dark? It shouldn’t be dark yet, it's barely 6. The larger concern was a lack of anything else. Nothing. No cars, no people. Just…nothing.

“What do we do, just walk?” Janet asked.

“But which way?” Mallory shivered in the desert air. Danica was feeling the bite of the cold herself, clad as she was in her sports bra. “Ronnie said they tried it, but maybe they only tried one direction?”

Danica had to admit she didn’t know. Her first instinct had been to flee, and why wouldn’t it be? But now with no cars or help visible, the situation had changed for the worse.

“We shouldn’t.” Danica conceded, to the shock of Janet and Mallory. She continued before Mallory could jump in. “We don’t know where we are. If we were in Nevada, the sun wouldn’t be setting for over an hour, but obviously it’s the middle of the night. There’s six of us with no food, no water, no phone, and not everyone even has a full set of clothes or shoes. And they might just yank us back here the same way they did the first time.”

“Las estrellas…confundida…” Luciana slurred, pointing at an empty expanse of sky. “Polaris no está alli.”

“Great. And on top of all those problems, the stars are confused.” Danica sighed with resignation. “Look, it was worth a try, but we might have to go back inside and do something else tomorrow.”

“That’s just Michael’s plan with extra flourish.” Mallory accused.

“I... He’s not wrong, but Michael’s still an asshole. I’m sorry, Mal.”

Mallory nodded her agreement with the latter. Janet hung her head, and Danica pulled it to her shoulder to hug the scared girl. They slowly made their way back inside.

Hope digs in deep and easily. And that makes it hurt so much worse when it’s ripped out.

_____

Ruby

Ruby was headed in the opposite direction. Behind the gaming floor was the reception area to the hotel space, flanked by a large restaurant to one side, and the opening into the shopping area to the other. It was all deserted, just as the gaming floor had been, but Ruby was actually thankful for it. In her current state, she wasn’t sure if she could hold them back if the Staff started pushing against her control. Or the contestants for that matter. It took the last of Ruby’s reserves just to hold Mallory still for that power play. If Danica had called her bluff…

Fleeing from my own cast. I’d be a laughing stock, she thought. Unless I’m made a sacrificial lamb first. Ruby had to kick herself all over again, that scene with Danica and Mallory wasn’t even on the air. Wasted. But at least they didn’t see me have to threaten her with Al. Could this night get any worse?

The large pool area outside the back doors of the building was well-lit and available at all hours, but just as empty as the other spaces. There were two large pools, each in the shape of an H, one with cool water and one warmed to nearly hot tub temperatures. Each had a swim-up bar at the crossbar of the H and large changing huts to each side. The area was flanked with high hedges, and along the back was a large locked gate. Currently, the gate led to the open desert, but if Michael asked for something unique it would appear there.

But that wasn’t Ruby’s destination. In the far corner was a small gap through the hedges that none but the hosts could see. The plants slid out of the way as she approached, expanding to allow her easy passage through to the hosts’ private area.

Inside, a grassy space was completely surrounded by those same hedges and opened to the sky. Ruby could look up and see the hotel tower and the balconies off of the Master’s floor and the Contestants’ floor, but she knew they were prevented from seeing down here even from that vantage. The hosts each had a silver Airstream trailer, pushed as far apart as the space would allow. Not far enough. Not nearly far enough. Though the world outside was cold as befitting a desert night, the hosts’ living space was always kept at a comfortable warmth.

Ruby found Al relaxing outside his trailer like he was on vacation. He had stripped to a swimsuit and sat in a small above-ground kiddie pool sipping a glass of bourbon, under a set of string lights hung between his trailer and a pair of poles. In the moment, she couldn’t decide which she hated most: His goddamned ever-present cigar or his celebratory smile. Why not both?

“What. the hell. were you thinking?”

“I thought it was a nice night for a soak, baby, so-” He gets such joy from ducking my questions.

“I’d accuse you of playing dumb, but I’m past thinking it’s an act. I know why you’d try to set up my girls to fail, that’s obvious. But you ran off while we were on the air, Al. I had to cut the episode short.”

“So no transformation round, huh? Aww, that’s too bad, baby, the viewers expect that right upfront. Shame you disappointed them.” He sipped his drink without breaking eye contact. Well, through his shades anyway.

“Me?”

“You were gonna accuse me of playing dumb? I shouldn’t even have to tell you this, but it ain’t about who started the fire, baby. It’s about which schmuck is standing there when the cops arrive. So what’s the last thing the viewers saw? They saw your chicks running riot on that stage, and you losing control of the show.”

“Is that what happened to Colt? Is that why they retired your old boss?”

“I was cleared by a very thorough investigation. One like what you’re about to experience, I’ll bet” Al just kept on smiling. “Free advice - I’d be hustling my tight ass into the trailer to call the Producers right now. Putting on your sweetest charm and shortest dress to beg for forgiveness.” He leaned back in his pool and blew an impressive smoke ring into the air. “But I’m sure you’ve got it handled.”

Ruby grabbed his bottle of liquor from the ground and tossed it into his pool. Al just laughed as the brown liquid mixed with his pool water. “That’s beneath you, baby!” was his last word before she was able to shut the trailer door and shut him out.

God damn him! Ruby gripped her hair with both hands and raged. He’s right about one thing, that was beneath me. Two things actually, everyone saw me last. Sure, I could make my case to the Producers and the tape would back me up - but would I even get the chance? Should I call them to explain?

Ruby paced again through the small space, weighing her collection of terrible options. The most important thing is that Al is trying to screw me. Always. Whatever advice he offers is meant to set me up. Ruby focused on that for a second. Of course. If I run to them pleading forgiveness it will look like accepting responsibility. Finally away from the pressure of the show, she could see the threads of the narrative he was trying to spin. First time host picks uncontrollable women. Can’t even hit the usual segments because she over-exerted herself. He probably even has a cooked up excuse for why he disappeared mid-show.

Ruby took a long look at the red phone to the Producers, but ultimately decided to trust her gut and leave it on the cradle. I bet this hand and I need to keep playing it. With that final decision made, the crushing weight of fatigue landed on her shoulders. She kicked off her heels and slid onto the bed in the rear of her trailer, asleep before even taking off her evening dress.