DYING TO SURVIVE (Dark Erotica) by Scott Hildreth, SD Hildreth Page B

tried to remember the last time she had attended church.
    “And you don’t think God has anything to do with this?” Dana asked as she approached Elena.
    “Shut up, Dana. I’m not going to talk about this anymore,” Elena said sharply as she turned away from Dana and faced the opposite wall.
    “Maybe it’s what we all need to talk about,” Dana stated as she wiped the remaining tears from her face.
    “Bitch, you keep nagging at me, I’ll make sure your dead ass is lying at this door in the morning,” Elena barked as Dana approached.
    Dana ran her hands through her hair and scratched her scalp with her fingertips. It was difficult for her to process someone claiming to be a Christian yet demanding God had no involvement or knowledge of events or happenings in their life. Raised in the mid-west, and a Methodist, Dana believed that God was forever present in her life.
    “God is our refuge and our strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1,” Dana said softly.
    Elena turned, raised her right arm, and punched Dana in the mouth. As soon as her fist made impact with Dana’s face, Dana fell to the floor and began crying.
    “Holy shit, Elena,” Meghan shouted as she stood from the bench.
    “Oh my God,” Dana said as she wiped her mouth and looked at the blood on the back of her hand.
    “Yeah. See? Your God let you get your ass smacked, bitch. Keep it up. You’ll be waiting by the door in the morning. In a fucking pile, pendeja ,” Elena shouted.
    “What the fuck?” Meghan said as she approached the two women.
    “Fucking bitch was God this , God that , God, God, God . I fucking told her. Bitch,” Elena spat on the floor beside Dana and took a step in the other direction.
    Meghan walked into the bathroom and returned quickly with a wet washcloth in her hand. Sitting upright and against the wall, Dana held her hand to her mouth. Meghan knelt beside her and handed her the washcloth.
    “Thank you,” Dana said as she accepted the washcloth.
    Dana wiped her mouth and looked at the bloody washcloth. She shook her head and wiped her mouth again with the wet cloth. Now regretting her having mentioned God, the pressure she placed on Elena, and mentioning her religious faith entirely - she began to question her ability to remain in the room safely and peacefully. With a heart full of regret and sorrow, she attempted to stand. As she stood, her legs wobbled beneath her.
    “Here, let me help you,” Meghan said as she reached under Dana’s arms to help her stand.
    “Fuck that bitch. Leave her ass on the floor,” Elena shouted across the room.
    Meghan shook her head slowly as she held Dana upright.
    “Thank you,” Dana whispered as she stood.
    Meghan blinked her eyes in acknowledgement.
    “I was just explaining to Shellie my reasoning in all of this. Trying to make the best sense of it,” Meghan said as she turned toward Elena and Shellie.
    “And?” Elena asked.
    “Well, without a doubt, someone is going to have to volunteer tomorrow morning to die. If not, we all die. I think we have to look at both sides of all available options. Hear me out, okay?” Meghan said as she faced the bench that Shellie and Elena were sitting on.
    Shellie nodded her head and continued biting her fingernails.
    “Whatever, okay,” Elena sighed.
    “Well there are really three scenarios. Correct me if I’m missing something,” Meghan paused as she stood before the two seated women, with Dana standing immediately behind her.
    “He kills one person and stops, that’s an option. And if he stops, he may keep the remaining people in here forever. That’s one scenario. The second one is this - he kills us all one at a time. Either of those two options, really, are the same as dying. It just gets down to which one of us has the guts to be the first - but the end result is the same, pretty much.  The last option - he stops after the first person agrees to die, and releases the remaining people.” Meghan paused again and