This is the first story in the series River's Ruin. I'll be taking community feedback into account as to where you'd like to see the story go next. This is my first story on here after lurking for many years. I hope you all enjoy River's journey into depravity.
River Vaughn was drunk as fuck and stumbling along the sidewalk in her fishnets, searching for an Uber. It was after 3 am and she was freezing her ass off even though her black pleated skirt came down to mid-thigh. Her thick combat boots weren't helping her warm up any with the various holes she'd worn into them. The only saving grace was the leather jacket she clutched at. Her messy black hair blew in the chilly wind, it contrasted nicely with her sharp grey eyes.
River hadn't had her phone for very long but the battery was playing up and it was almost dead. She'd been waiting on this Uber for almost 20 minutes and was getting worried that she wouldn't be able to get home.
River and her friends had gone out clubbing and they all lived about as far from her place as it was possible to live in Sydney without being in a whole other city. Her friends had abandoned her to freeze her ass off while they piled into their Uber to go home and pass out.
River had moved back in with her Dad when he got sick. He'd been an alcoholic for as long as she could remember, but things had gotten worse when she left for uni. He'd been getting treatment though, finally, and was sober for the first time in years. River had just turned eighteen and was enjoying her first taste of freedom from being her dad's sole caregiver, but it also meant that she had no fucking clue how to live on her own. She was an art major and hadn't planned on doing much with her degree other than write bad poetry and try to figure out how to be an adult while pretending like she didn't need help.
It was probably that last reason that she'd ended up standing on this side street, calling out to the car driving past her in the early hours of the morning, hoping that they'd see her state and take some pity on her. Her nose had started to numb so she was really looking forward to the warmth of a heater.
The car pulled over on the opposite side of the street and River practically ran across as the last of her phone battery died. The driver's side window rolled down and River could smell cigarettes and alcohol coming from inside. She wasn't sure if the driver had just been drinking or if he was driving under the influence, but considering the time and his behaviour, she was betting on the latter. The driver was a man with greasy hair and a beard so long it could double as a fur coat. He was wearing a flannel and jeans that were much too baggy given how thin he was. The guy was pushing sixty by her guess.
"Hey man! I don't have you on my app, my fucking phone died. I need to get to the suburbs, please!" River stumbled through her words. The driver rolled his window down all the way and she could smell the stale beer, sweat and cigarette smoke mixed with cheap cologne or aftershave.
"Get in already!" he barked at her. The door clicked.
River slid onto the back seat, her short skirt rode up as she sat and she quickly pulled it back down. The door lock engaged and the car lurched into the night.
She was drunk and cold and was just grateful that this guy had picked her up so she didn't question the situation too much. She'd never been picked up by a stranger alone before. She'd never even really partied that much before her first year of uni. The thought had crossed her mind that he might be a serial killer, but she'd been trying to be a little more trusting in her newfound freedom and laughed at the thought figuring her imagination was being overactive.
The car was warm and River could feel the heat radiating out of the vents, it made her drowsy.
Weaving through backstreets she was surprised at how much she was struggling to stay awake. The driver didn't say anything for a long few minutes. When he did speak, his voice was quiet, but there was a cold edge to it. "How much do you cost?"
River stirred from her seat unable to recognise any of the streets whisking by. "What do you mean mate? I'm paying you, you're my driver..." Her voice trailed off as she realised what he meant and her cheeks flushed with embarrassment. She hadn't even considered that he might have thought she was a prostitute. "Never mind, just take me home, I don't know what you think I am, but I'm not..."
"Yeah you are," the man interrupted her, "If you got in my car for any other reason I would have dropped you back on the street a long time ago. I can tell by the way you're dressed that I might not be your usual kind of client am I right?" he said.
River stayed silent, she was starting to get a sinking feeling in her stomach that she'd made a huge mistake. She started to try to open the doors but found they were locked. She tried the window and it wouldn't go down either.
The car was moving fast and River didn't recognise any of the areas through which they were driving. They were leaving the city and heading towards the coast, a long way from where River lived.
The car swung off the highway and onto a side road that wound its way through farmland. It wouldn't be hard for anyone to disappear here, River thought to herself. She started panicking as she realised that with her phone dead, she was fucked. She had a few dollars in her bank account that could have been transferred for an emergency, but she couldn't do that without any charge.
"You can earn the money it's cost me to drive you back and then some," the driver said quietly, "I'll give you thirty for a blowjob."
"Jesus, you must be fucking crazy," River snapped, "I'm not doing that! Fuck off!"
"Then you can pay me for the drive back," the man hissed through his teeth, "I'm not an asshole, I'll give you a discount. Fifty for the fuel and for wasting my fucking time!"
River shook her head and put her hand in her jacket pocket, pulling out her wallet and rummaging through it hoping against hope that she'd missed a bank note or something. She didn't even have close to five dollars on her. She was fucked.
