20 A Strange Man Hovering Over Her

Bam! 

The sound of someone hitting her door woke her from sleep and Zoe groaned in annoyance. Spending the night at a brothel was not the best option especially when you wanted a good night's rest. But then, beggars are not choosers and that was the condition Zoe found herself in. 

To make sure that her money does not run out quickly before her pay and to sleep under a roof instead of the abandoned warehouse full of robbers, the brothel fitted her needs.

It was shocking to Zoe because by the time she returned to the warehouse, she found out that her things had been ransacked and no one stepped out to take the blame - even though they knew who did it. 

They ignored her as she stared at her things on the floor with a dumbfounded expression. But then, nothing pained Zoe more than her laptop that was stolen in the process. That had been her only chance of contacting her parents when she charged it, but now it was gone, alongside important documents that she had stored in there. 

Zoe contemplated reporting the incident to the police until it hit her that she was a thief as well. She just pawned off someone else's phone, perhaps, this was karma treating her in the same way. 

Moreover, what if the owner reported the phone missing since he can't get to her and she lands in trouble instead? Zoe thought over it and found out that keeping quiet about it was the best. 

Aside from a few of her expensive clothes, nothing else was missing from her luggage and so she packed up and left the damned warehouse. There was a first time for everything and thankfully she has learned from her mistake in case of the next time - she sincerely hoped there would be no next time. 

That was how Zoe decided to stay at the brothel. It had a roof and a locked door - that can be broken down by even an amateur thief. The bed squeaked with the slightest movement and she feared there might even be bedbugs even though she hadn't experienced an insult bite yet. In one word, the place was run-down, but then, that's what she gets for choosing a cheap prostitution inn. 

But the most annoying of  all was the paper-thin walls where Zoe could hear the noises coming from the other rooms and it wasn't exactly the best of sounds. Amorous moans and the loud squeaking of the bed hitting the wall kept Zoe awake for half of the night. Since her room was located in the middle, it meant that she could hear the noises coming from both rooms on her sides. 

The men here must be on drugs or had amazing stamina because they went at it with their female partners all night. To an extent, Zoe became bothered that she had to take a shower in the middle of the night and thankfully the icy cold shower erased the stupid imagination from her head. 

How was she going to survive this till next week before she goes crazy from desire? She had until that much time before her pay from her teaching job came in. Perhaps, she could purchase a headset the next day and distract herself? She thought. 

Having made up her mind, Zoe had to cover her ears with the pillow and managed to fall asleep at last. 

Well, not anymore… She was awake. 

The banging against her door continued, and Zoe's eyes widened to the size of saucers. Please tell her that they were not doing it against her door. 

Oh no. 

Zoe stood to her feet with lightning speed, intending to open her door and give them a piece of her mind, but decided against it at the last minute. She didn't want to be treated to any unholy sight. So she banged her hand on the door instead, shouting at the top of her voice, 

"The both of you f*ck off and go get a room!" 

In response, Zoe heard another bang, but that was all, because there was the sound of a door opening and she discovered that it was her next-door neighbor. Damn it, with all he did last night, wasn't he scared of his d*ck weakening from overuse? Wait, was there even a side effect from having too much sex? 

With a sigh, Zoe had to start her morning ritual earlier than expected; it was barely six in the morning. She needed to leave here before they led her into temptation. She would resume work on Monday, but until then, she would spend the day outside and only return to the brothel at night. 

Zoe finished brushing her teeth and spat out the remnants of toothpaste, saliva, and water into the clean sink. She turned the faucet lever to rinse her mouth with cold water, but all that came out was a drop. 

"What the…" Zoe sighed when nothing came out leaving her no choice but to grab the can of water she purchased the night before and finish up. 

Done, she stripped down and entered the shower to have her bath. However, the moment the water touched her back, Zoe screamed like a turkey being killed for Thanksgiving. The water was so cold that it could have been from the Arctic Ocean, even though it was impossible. The place didn't run hot water, and even at that, Zoe never thought it would be this freezing. 

She had to bathe this? 

Wonderful. 

Her morning was running great. 

Today was definitely turning out to be awesome. 

Hardening her heart, Zoe turned on the shower, a sharp gasp leaving her mouth when the cold water touched her body once again. Her body adjusted to the temperature with time and she had her bath. It was a good thing this wasn't Winter else Zoe was sure she would have pneumonia before the week runs out. 

Just as planned, Zoe left the brothel afterward, making sure to lock her door properly even though there was nothing valuable in there aside from her clothes. Those clothes were expensive and she couldn't endure it if any of them got stolen again. Thanks to the incident from last night, she didn't have much left. Any more robbery and she would have to return to school on Monday naked. 

Zoe had her breakfast at a diner, and one should have seen the way she ravished the tantalizing pancake that she had been served. She had the whole of her money in her pocket having learned her lessons from the recent robberies. The money was her last hope and she couldn't let some idiot break into her pathetic room and steal it. She pawned that man's phone for it, the least she could do was protect the money well. 

With literally nothing to do, Zoe spent quite a while at the dinner thinking of her next plan. Once they paid her, she would have to redeem the cell phone at the pawn shop. But then, if she did that, her income would be stretched and she would have little left. She hadn't even thought about her accommodation problems. 

Zoe groaned, lowering her face to the table. No matter what she did, it seems her problem was intent on swallowing her alive. Fine, what if she called the man and asked him to pick up his phone? He wouldn't blame her for pawning it, right? 

Filled with determination, Zoe walked up to the staff on the counter and begged to make a call with her cellphone. The woman reluctantly agreed and Zoe thanked her, before dialing her number and calling it. 

It felt like forever as the phone rang and her heart pounded the entire time. What if this was a bad idea? She chewed on her nails nervously. 

"Hello," 

A deep voice came alive on the line and Zoe shrieked from the fright, nearly dropping the phone in the process. 

"It's you, right?" 

The voice continued to say and she ended the call abruptly. Zoe turned to the waitress and said, 

"If he calls, tell him this is a wrong number," And then, she hurriedly left the place. 

What the hell had she been thinking? Zoe chided herself when she got outside. Does she expect him to forgive her after what she did? She wouldn't do the same if their positions were reversed. 

But then, she can't ignore him forever. Fine, she would redeem his phone after her pay comes in and then arrange a meeting between the both of them. He just had to wait a week more. 

As she planned, Zoe walked around throughout the day, and only when it was late at night did she return to the brothel knowing that she was about to have another sleepless night. Or maybe not. 

Zoe purchased a headset and played the music stored in the memory card. The music accompanied her enough that she drifted to sleep until it was interrupted. 

Call it instinct but Zoe felt something was wrong while in her sleep and her eyes snapped open in reality only to see a strange man hovering over her. She removed the headset from her ears immediately and attempted to scream but the man cupped her mouth and muffled it. 

Defenseless, Zoe did the only thing that came to her panicking mind at that moment. She kicked him in that spot where the sun never shone.