The motel lobby air was thick with the smell of beer and cigarettes while the grip on Mira's arm was like iron.
"Whaddya say, Lorena Sanders? Are you gonna give us a taste or not?" The beer bellied man smirked, as his hot and foul breath fanned against Mira's face.
Mira was already panicking so much. This exact situation reminded her of certain things she had gone through as Mira.
Not even the Lorena Sanders face could help against this either?
She had yelled and screamed a lot of times already, but it seemed like every single man in this motel had no problem at all with the harassment these men were doing to her.
In fact, it was like they wanted it. They would watch if given the chance.
Just when she thought no one would help, the motel's front door slammed open with a force that made the windows rattle. And everyone in the lobby froze and turned to look.
A man stood in the doorway. He was old and looked like he'd already had a long night.
He blinked multiple times as if taking in the scene before him, at the two grown thugs cornering a terrified woman against the counter and the other men watching and doing nothing to help.
"The hell's going on here, Frank?" the new arrival slurred as he pointed a wobbly finger at the receptionist. "You running a show while I'm not here?"
Mira, who had been hopeful before, sighed.
This wasn't a heroic rescue. It was just a stupid drunk man looking for a fight.
Yet Mira knew this was the only distraction she might get.
Beer belly turned his head to snark at the interruption. "Mind your own business, old man!"
Because his attention was on that, his grip on her arm loosened a lot, and that was all Mira needed.
Adrenaline pumped into her system as she quickly wrenched her arm free, shoved beer belly hard in the chest, and bolted.
She did not bother looking back, nor did she care about the commotion that erupted behind her. She just ran.
She burst out of the motel and into the cool, now dark night air.
Run! Just run!
She kept telling herself, even though the mantra was running thin, just like the stupid borrowed outfit she was in.
She heard a scuffling sound behind her and glanced back, but she saw nothing and just assumed it was a rat.
Or maybe just her sanity packing its bag and leaving at this point.
Then there was another sound again, this time a heavier footfall.
Okay! That can never be a rat. Unless it's a really, really big rat.
She picked up her pace even when her exhausted legs screamed in protest. The main street was starting to feel too exposed, while the few neon signs kept buzzing like angry wasps.
So she ducked into a side alley thinking it was sure to be a shortcut to somewhere she wouldn't be seen.
But it wasn't a shortcut at all.
It was in fact a dead end. A brick wall stained with things she didn't even want to identify. It reeked of garbage and urine.
Perfect. Just fucking perfect.
She immediately spun around to retreat the way she'd come, but it was too late.
There were already footsteps behind her, and they had multiplied. Beer belly. Skinny man. Along with two more men now blocking her way yet again.
And this time, the earlier mockery they had was replaced with raw aggression and anger.
"Thought you could run from us, you little bitch?" Beer belly spat as he advanced slowly.
The rest started to follow suit. Mira ended up backing out until her back hit the cold, damp brick wall behind her.
The skinny one with the missing tooth let out a nasty laugh. "Looks like the princess had no shining armor."
Panic ran through Mira and her mouth went dry.
"See guys," she blurted as she raised her hands in what she hoped was a gesture to calm them down, but it only looked like she was surrendering.
"Let me explain, guys. You need to know that I'm not Lorena… I swear I'm not her at all."
Their laughter echoed through the alley.
"Crazy bitch must have lost her damn mind. Did the ghost of that actress you killed run you mad?"
"Maybe she's possessed because of her evil deeds. Deserving, if you ask me."
Mira knew she had nowhere to go and nothing more to say that would help her right now, so she decided to use the crazy card as much as she could.
She decided to act really possessed as she changed her voice into some echoing, dramatic one. "I'm not Lorena! You idiots! I'm just in her body. And you're about to piss off the wrong spirit!"
But beer belly simply scoffed. "Oh, you think ghosts scare us? We find it even better. We'll simply exorcise you our own way."
Then he lunged at her. His hand grabbed her arm like it was nothing as he slammed her back against the rough brick.
Mira could swear she felt the air whoosh out of her. Then she started to fight like a wild ghost. Kicking, scratching, and even spitting.
It was all she had, yet it did not seem to work.
Another man moved in, easily blocking her flailing hands and legs as he laughed. "She's feisty. No wonder she ruined lives. It's time someone ruined hers."
Hands pinned her as one person gripped her waist to hold her still. The smell of cheap cologne and sweat filled her nostrils as her vision started to give up.
She could not believe she was going to end up like this after all she went through as Mira. This just could not be how it would end again.
But then the alley suddenly exploded as a blur of movement filled the air.
What happened next wasn't even qualified to be called a fight. It was more of a dismantling.
Because one second, skinny man was in her face, and the next moment there was a sickening crack that caused him to scream, his arm bent at an impossible angle.
A man she'd never seen before moved with such unnatural, blinding speed that was terrifying.
And then before she knew it, another one of the men was screaming and clutching his leg as blood spilled dark and fast on his jeans.
Mira ended up sliding down the wall as her eyes widened with sheer, uncomprehending terror. She continued to watch as those shadows dismantled the thugs one by one.
And then it was over in less than a minute.
The silence afterward was more terrifying than the violence. The thugs were scattered across the alley floor, moaning and broken.
The rescuers, if Mira could call them that, stood amidst the wreckage. They didn't even look in her direction.
One of them, with a scar cutting through his eyebrow, calmly wiped blood from his knuckles with a handkerchief. Then he finally glanced at Mira, even though his eyes were empty. "Orders were clear," he said. "If anyone touches her, kill them."
And then they disappeared as silently as they had appeared, leaving her surrounded by groaning men and the smell of blood.
Mira finally staggered back to her feet as her whole body trembled. She hugged her arms around herself, ignoring her now torn fancy blouse.
"What the hell was that?" she whispered to the empty air. "Who the hell…"
But she could not start dwelling on what had just happened. The only thought on her mind was the need for safety.
And the first thing that came to her mind was the only home she knew. Even if she had been thrown out of it, she was sure her stepfather would still let her in, just for this night.
So she ran. She took buses while ducking her head whenever someone looked at her for too long.
Despite jumping at every sound and shadow, convinced that the scary men in suits were watching her, she finally reached the familiar worn-out building.
Her heart was pounding as a fragile hope bloomed in her chest. She looked up at the window that used to be her room, the same room she had been miserable in so many times and saw that the curtains were already different. Now an ugly beige color instead of her usual blue floral.
She finally hammered on the door with a fist and someone opened the door with a crack even though the chain was still on.
Mira was shocked to see an unfamiliar face in their home.
The woman peered out, her eyes narrowing, then widening in recognition.
"Wait… aren't you that actress from TV?" she asked.
Mira's voice was cracking. "No… I'm Mira. Mira Carter. And I live here with my stepfather. Where is he? Why… who are you?"
The woman let out a dry, humorless laugh. "How can you be Mira Carter? Is that a cosplay name or something? Or are you trying to scare people with ghost stories now?"
Tears of frustration pricked at Mira's eyes. She was so tired and lost.
"Okay, okay. Where's Gordon Shaw and his stepdaughter? They used to live here together."
The woman shrugged, already annoyed. "Oh, those people? Gordon moved out. And as for the stepdaughter, you might wanna check the nearest graveyard for her. Did you not hear that she offed herself?"
The woman's grin then twisted into what seemed like satisfaction. "Did us all a favor, if you ask me."