Ryder

fifteen

It was a nightclub.

A huge nightclub that could've easily passed off as a century-old mansion if I hadn't already asked Ryder about it.

"It's no one's house," he'd said, eyes on the road and jaw clenched. "Just a club."

Except that it wasn't just a club. It was a giant fucking nightclub in the middle of absolutely nowhere. Because all I remembered was seeing the wide stretch of woods on either side of us as Ryder drove his car and the next thing I knew, we were here.

It was almost like someone had decided to patch up an old abandoned building on the outskirts of town and turned it into a nightclub. A nightclub in the middle of nowhere. All I could see for miles were tall, looming trees and a patch of a road leading into the dark.

A cold shudder went through me when I got out of the car and looked over at the old, medieval building at some distance. People were either leaving the premises or going inside. Lights were strobing out of the opened doors--the same ones that I could see were guarded by two muscled men in black. Bouncers? I guessed since this was technically a nightclub even though it looked nothing like one.

The Devourer, it read in big dark letters at the very top. It wasn't a very nice name for a scary-looking club in the middle of nowhere.

Ryder had his phone out by the time he joined beside me, gaze somewhat sharp as it flickered over the screen. I let a second pass by and then two more before I spoke up, "Is there something I should know before we go in there?"

His eyes snapped up to mine and he blinked. The whole entire ride till here had been painfully silent except for a question or two I'd directed at him. Ryder's answers had only been short and clipped as if he couldn't care less where he was taking me. I dearly hoped that wasn't the case, though. I hoped he did care at least a little even though his blank, confused gaze suggested otherwise.

"Just do as I say and everything will be fine." He stated carefully, eyes on me.

"Yes, but." I swallowed. "Can't you tell me what we're really here for?" It won't be so daunting if I knew what we're here for.

"I will." And then his phone was ringing and he was answering it, answering the unknown person on the other end with the same short, clipped answers he'd been giving me.

I once again looked over at the building at some distance and wondered how tonight was going to end. It was pitch dark out here save for the nightclub and I was pretty sure I knew no one here except Ryder.

"Come on." He spoke to me this time, switching off his phone and putting it away. "We're going in from the back."

From the back. A loose dark strand of his hair fell over his forehead and I made a tiny sound at the back of my throat. Ryder looked at me and I blurted out, "Okay."

The back entrance wasn't really a back entrance. Instead, it was a broken glass window.

The back of the building was empty and surrounded by gnarly trees. There were a series of windows that weren't too high and one of them happened to be broken rather drastically. I guess we were breaking in then. I shuddered once again and tried my hardest to ignore the rustle of leaves behind me, and focused directly on Ryder as he pushed up the window pane and slid inside with an ease that suggested he'd done this before. Many times.

Broken windows or broken into someone's personal property?

Another loud rustle like someone was particularly hiding within the leaves came from somewhere behind me and I looked over my shoulder, breath hitching. But there wasn't anyone out there in the utter darkness.