Part 7
Duel
The whispers of Mina’s performance echoed through the underground scene, each tale bolder than the last. The thought of her best friend enduring such agony filled Lena with rage. She knew she couldn’t let this stand. Evelyn had gone too far. That night, Lena stood once more outside Abyss, the steel doors looming before her. She wasn’t here to dance; she was here for answers - and retribution. The thought of her best friend enduring such agony filled Lena with anger and guilt. Mina had gone without her - alone. And worse, she had fallen into a trap Lena should have seen coming. She knew she couldn’t let this stand.
Inside, the club pulsed with its intoxicating rhythm. The crowd, clad in their usual latex and leather finery, moved like one living organism to the beat. The air was thick with heat, sweat, and anticipation. Lena moved through them with purpose, her eyes locked on the stage where Evelyn stood like a dark queen, observing her kingdom. Evelyn saw her before Lena could even speak. A smile curled at her lips, sly and mocking. She descended from the stage, her heels clicking on the glass floor.
"Well, well," Evelyn purred as she approached. "Back again, my dear rubber kitten? You only have this one outfit? Or are you simply hoping to catch my attention - again?"
Lena folded her arms. "I’m here because of Mina."
"Ah, yes," Evelyn murmured, her voice like silk over razors. "Your brave little friend. She danced beautifully. A little unprepared, perhaps, but very spirited. The Torment Heels were designed especially for her."
"She didn’t know what she was getting into!" Lena hissed. "She thought it would be the spike heels - like mine! Why did you trick her with the needles?"
Evelyn tilted her head. "Because she expected the spikes. Expectations are meant to be broken, dear. That’s the entire philosophy of Abyss. She didn’t object. She danced."
"But needles? That’s going to far. Way too far for Mina. This has to stop!"
Evelyn chuckled, her dark eyes gleaming. "Stop? Oh, Lena, Abyss is a place for those who crave the edge play, who seek the thrill of pain and pleasure intertwined. Your friend knew exactly what she was getting into."
Lena’s fists clenched. "You pressured her into these heels, Evelyn. You feed off of her pain."
Evelyn stepped closer, her voice a whisper only Lena could hear. "Of course I feed off of her pain. And yours. And you’re different? You came back. You can’t resist the lure, just like the rest. But you’re not angry at me. You’re angry because you weren’t there to protect her. Because she did it alone."
Lena stepped back, her heart pounding. Evelyn had hit her weak spot.
"What do you want?" she asked coldly.
Evelyn straightened. "Justice. Drama. Entertainment. And I think you do too. You’re here, aren’t you?" Her smile widened, a glint of malice in her gaze. "How dare you to confront me over something as mundane as a dance in needle shoes? You’ve seen nothing yet. Then let’s see if you’re as strong as you think."
She turned to the crowd, who by now had begun to circle. Their murmurs quieted as Evelyn raised her hand. "Ladies and gentlemen, tonight we have a special treat! Our rubber kitten Lena accuses me, confronts and challenges me, for seducing her friend to a dance in the Translucent Torment Heels. Therefore, we shall settle our argument in the tradition of Club Abyss: A duel between myself and the illustrious Lena, who has graced our stage before."
The crowd erupted in cheers and gasps, the energy in the room shifting to feverish anticipation.
Lena shook her head. "Don’t do this."
Evelyn smiled. "Oh, but I must. And we shall let her prove her strength. I accept her challenge. A duel. Myself against Lena. A dance, yes, but not just any dance."
Attendants stepped forward, carrying two sets of shoes, their transparent bodies lined with countless tiny nodules. "The Heels of Fire," Evelyn said, gesturing. "Equipped with needle points that don’t merely prick. They burn. Electrified, heated by an integrated circuit just enough to sting like fire. Your soles, and the sides of your feet - all fair game."
Gasps echoed through the room.
Evelyn continued. "And the stakes? The loser shall spend eight hours in the Abyssal Needle Frame - bound, still, pressed between two plates of needled agony, the pressure adjusted to maintain a perfect amount of pain, never enough to break the skin, just enough to beg. Every minute, an hour. Every breath, a lesson in pain."
The room hushed.
Evelyn turned back to Lena. "Do you accept, rubber kitten?"
Lena hesitated. Her mind screamed no. She didn’t mean to her argument being seen as a formal challenge against Evelyn. She could refuse - the contract allowed her to decline the forfeit, but if she agreed she could not refuse to pay the forfeit. But the crowd stared, waiting. Evelyn stared, smiling. The eyes of Abyss were on her. Lena felt a chill run through her, but she refused to back down, how could she run when challenged like this in front of an audience? She’d lose face and would not be taken seriously if she refused her first challenge up on center stage. But a needle frame? What does that even mean?
And then Lena nodded. "I accept."
Cheers erupted. Evelyn beamed.
Attendants stepped forward, seating them both in opposing chairs. The heels were placed carefully, reverently, onto their feet. Lena’s breath caught as the first wave of pain pulsed through her arches - not sharp yet, but threatening. The shoes locked with a soft mechanical click.
Evelyn stood tall, radiating confidence. Lena, despite her nerves, met her gaze unflinching.
The lights dimmed. The music began.
A slow, pulsing rhythm, seductive and dark. Lena took her first step. The needles under her soles stirred. She danced. Each movement was an act of defiance. The heels responded to every shift in weight, the heated needles pressing, withdrawing, pressing again. The pressure built, sweat already beginning to form beneath her latex suit.
Evelyn danced too, graceful and precise. She was practiced, controlled, but even she couldn’t mask the wince as the shoes punished an imperfect pivot. The tempo rose. Lena adjusted her rhythm, following the beat with sharp precision. Her calves burned. Her feet screamed. But she kept moving. The music twisted, turned erratic. The beat faltered, challenged them to follow. Both stumbled - for half a second. The needles surged upward, and Lena cried out. This was very different form the spikes she had felt on her earlier visits. But she kept dancing. She had to.
Evelyn faltered again. A misstep. A slight hesitation. Pain twisted her features. Lena pushed harder, her steps sharper, more controlled. Her eyes narrowed. Sweat dripped into her eyes. But she didn’t stop.
The crowd was breathless. The music built toward its climax, thundering in her ears. Lena matched it, step for step, pain exploding in her soles. She was barely conscious of the fire searing up her legs. She was inside the beat. Then Evelyn missed a cue. One foot slipped. The shoe read the instability. All the needles extended at once as her weight left the insoles. She went down with a cry, collapsing to her knees. The needles fully deployed. She couldn’t rise. Any movement sent another wave of fire through her body.
Lena danced the last few bars, her body trembling, barely upright. As the music stopped, she fell too, collapsing to her knees, but the needles stayed retracted inside their nodules. But she had danced until the end. The crowd exploded in a frenzy. Evelyn looked up, face twisted in fury and disbelief.
The crowd roared with applause, their excitement at the unexpected turn palpable. Evelyn stood frozen, her face a mask of fury and disbelief. How could she have lost to the newcomer?
Lena forced herself to her feet, her body trembling but victorious. She met Evelyn’s gaze, her voice steady despite the lingering pain. "You lost."
Evelyn’s lips curled into a malicious smile. "Congratulations, Lena. You’ve earned your victory. But this isn’t over."
The attendants approached, ready to escort Evelyn to the basement. Evelyn raised a hand, stopping them. "I’ll go willingly. But remember this, Lena - I’ll have my revenge."
With that, Evelyn allowed herself to be led away, disappearing into the shadows of Abyss.
Lena stood alone on the stage, the crowd’s cheers fading into the background. The victory felt hollow, the threat of Evelyn’s revenge lingering in her mind. She had won the duel, but the cost was high. The pain of the Heels of Fire still burned in her feet. Later that night, as she limped out of the club, the steel doors closing behind her, Lena knew this wasn’t the end. Evelyn would return, and the darkness of Abyss would continue to haunt her.