[ IP ] Another daily writing prompt that I 'm sharing ( storycubes again )

There are so many kinds of people in this world and Erin found herself in the middle of the worst of the worst. The shadowy corner booth she sat in provided her with some manner of comfort. All eyes ignored her and instead were trained on a man dressed as a clown who was dancing on the stage. No one had been allowed to leave and quite frankly Erin was n't sure why they'd all been herded into the church-turned-bar. Most people were either too high, or in Erin's case, too scared to ask what was going on. 
 
 As Erin watched from her dark booth, she noticed that most of the people here seemed off. Maybe it was because she had n't slept well this week, perhaps it was the environment, or maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her - but she could have sworn she saw an animal where a human now stood. 
 
 A tall, thin, and very pale man made his way through the crowd in a way that reminded Erin of a spider. His gaze scanned the room, and lingered briefly on Erin's booth. A smile spread across his face briefly before he disappeared into the crowd. 
 
 The man on the stage was bowing and adjusting his multicolored wig. In a silvery flash, he'd whipped out a flask and took a swig of *something* before stuffing it into his back pocket. A drunken slur, which sounded like some sort of insult, came from somewhere in the crowd. The man on the stage chuckled. 
 
 `` Now, now!'' His voice was amplified despite the lack of a microphone, `` I know some of you are wondering why you're in here. You must be thinking,'Why am I shoved into a shit hole with the scum of the earth?' or perhaps you were simply lost and ended up here.'' 
 
 Erin hugged herself and glanced around. Despite the crowd, the room was beginning to get cold. She spied the spider-like man once more, who was now sitting at the bar, staring at her shadowed booth. 
 
 `` Well, ladies and gents, scum bags and little lost sheep,'' The clown on stage seemed a little more sinister than before, `` You wandered into a web of sorts. See, we're all about to have dinner and thought it would simply be *swell* if you were all invited.'' 
 
 `` This is about to get really messy.'' The spider-like man was nearly sitting in Erin's lap now, `` I'd really hate for you to get caught in a bloodbath. No, someone like you deserves life. Now, I'll give you a choice here, dear Erin - oh yes, I know your name, but that's beside the point. I want you to think carefully before you answer.'' 
 
 The man took Erin's hand and idly traced lines on her palm, `` You see, I'm in need of someone to be my eyes during the day. Follow me and I'll make sure you are safe from harm, of course there's a small blood price to pay, but that is nothing compared to the agony you'll experience if I'm not at your side.'' 
 
 The man gestured towards the bar. A woman had a man pinned against the bar, unnatural teeth gnashed at his flesh, blood oozed from the wounds on his body and trickled onto the floor. 
 
 `` As you can see, some of my people are a little impatient. Now, what is your answer, dear Erin?'' 
 
 `` I'd say,'' A soft voice made the man's grimace in annoyance, `` that you have a few seconds to leave the poor girl alone, Balthazar. You know what she is and you know that your actions are getting closer to breaking the truce.'' 
 
 `` I'll deal with you later, sweet thing.'' Balthazar ran a rough tongue across Erin's cheek before he turned to the source of the voice, `` Dahlia. I see you saw fit to intervene. Unfortunately, this one is mine.'' 
 
 Dahlia, who looked to be a little girl of about seven, stood with her hands on her hips. Erin used the distraction to slip out of the booth and started to edge towards the door. In an instant, she found herself pinned against the wall. Balthazar's razor-like maw was inches from her face. 
 
 A screech sounded from behind them, as flames burst from Balthazar's back. A small hand grabbed Erin's and soon she was being lead through a war zone. Creatures hissed and howled in pain, claws slashed and teeth gnashed at figures throwing arcane energy. 
 
 They briefly stopped at a door near the stage, the clown rushed towards them but was jerked back by a man wielding chains made of ice. Dahlia ignored them and punched numbers into a keypad. Soon, they were rushing through a damp alley, the sounds of the chaos inside muffled to a dull roar. 
 
 

