CARNAL

XXI

BLACKOUT

Mijako stood centerstage, her heart pounding in her chest. The bass from the music vibrated through her bones as she danced with a passion that hid her turmoil. The dazzling lights, hazy smoke, and electrifying atmosphere of the strip club held no allure for her tonight. She could feel Siraj's gaze hot on her skin, but she resolved to ignore it. Her body swayed to the rhythm while she battled the storm of emotions raging within.

The disturbing memory resurfaced – Siraj standing over the lifeless, broken body of the unknown woman, with an unsettling calmness in his demeanor. Mijako had never been more grateful for the dim lighting in the alleyway when she stumbled upon the grisly scene.

She couldn't shake off the chilling image or the horror it stirred within her. She had known Siraj was a dangerous man – someone who lurked on society's edges, loved being elusive and wild. She had fallen for his allure like so many others before her. But Mijako had been blind to just how far he could go, constantly worried that his loving nature would randomly alter.

Now, dancing on stage, she swallowed hard and forced herself to continue with practiced grace. Fear tangled with love in a bitter dance inside her heart as she couldn't help but continue to wonder if someday Siraj might turn against her, too.

Each knowing look he shot her raised an unwanted shiver down her spine, knowing that any wrong move could put her in the crosshairs of his wrath. The love that once burned brightly between them was slowly being smothered by dread – but each time they met eyes, Mijako knew there was no escaping him.

Her eyes quickly scanned the room, inevitably drawn to a sinister figure looming in the darkness - Siraj. It was only through the fickle lighting that she could determine his position, shadowed by a velvet curtain-draped booth. His predatory gaze was impossible to avoid as it pierced through the haze of cigarette smoke and alcohol fumes.

She loved Siraj with an intensity that surged through her core. Despite his tender affections and having showed himself as the epitome of devotion, Mijako dreaded being enveloped by his darkness. The momentary lapses of his ruthlessness instilled bone-chilling fear; she couldn't help but ponder whether she would end up like that unfortunate woman someday.

As Mijako prepared for her routine, beads of sweat formed on her forehead in spite of the overworked air-conditioner groaning against the heat generated by a hungry crowd. Bodies pressed against each other, their lust-filled gazes fixated on the stage awaiting Mijako's erotic performance.

Forcing herself to break away from Siraj's paralyzing gaze, Mijako allowed herself to surrender to the pulsating rhythm pervading the room and began swaying to synchronize with it. Her sultry movements came naturally, a carefully crafted and practiced skill, but her emotional detachment lay obvious. Her mind raced through every well-rehearsed dance step while grappling the suffocating grip of doubt and fear.

As she moved sensuously, arching her body and extending her slender legs, Mijako's eyes were locked on anything but Siraj. Her fear-induced defiance made avoiding eye contact imperative, as if it was the only control she had left to cling onto. Yet she anticipated the quiet rage slowly festering within him amidst her refusal to acknowledge his presence.

Time seemed to stretch endlessly as Mijako danced, every breath shallow like a prey await its predator's move. The scattered cheers and catcalls from the tipsy audience trickled into her consciousness as if from a distant realm. High on adrenaline, she powered through her routine despite the unnerving tension that clutched tightly at her chest.

Once her performance reached its climax, she swiftly retreated backstage amid a thunderous applause that barely spoke to her daze-shrouded heart. As soon as the safety curtain shielded Mijako's fragile frame from the public's eye, she collapsed into a crumpled heap on the cold concrete floor.