The images included with this story are published under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License . The story is published here with the permission of the author. [9/3/2023] I originally made just 1 illustration for this story, but always intended to make a second. I've now added the second, and reworked the first one. Who's Getting Played? by Eve Perry She checked her makeup in the rearview mirror one last time before she put her cigarette out and stepped from the car. She looked around the bar parking lot, watching, waiting. It was a good choice. Flashing orange neon announced it as The Eggplant , a biker's bar on the remote edge of town. Yes indeed, a good choice. She ran her hand through her long bleached hair and began the walk across the lot. The strut was unconscious, unpracticed. It sprang from the same well, from deep inside, which resulted in that look on her face. Primal and urgent.