A Real Nightmare

The club

Chapter One

Now the dark begins to rise, save your breath it's far from over.
Leave the lost and dead behind, now's your chance to run for cover.
I don't want to change the world, I just want to leave it colder.
Light the fuse and burn it up, take the path that leads to nowhere.
*~*~*~*~*

Tapping her fingers on the arm of her leather cream-colored sofa, Katerina bit her lip in hesitation. She was warring with herself. A gray storm was swirling within her, her thoughts clashing against her skull like a hurricane. She weighed her options, to go to the club, or not to go. She knew if she went, the possibilities of 'what could happen' rose higher. Could she take the risk and just say screw it, and go?

Rubbing her face frustratedly, Katerina threw caution to the wind for once, stood up and walked up the cherry hardwood stairway and to her bedroom. She would need to dress carefully, so as to not bring unwanted attention to herself. Years of self-esteem issues, along with her driven parents, made her who she was today. She couldn't make a decision lightly without thinking of the consequences she knew could, or would follow.

But tonight was different, it was her twenty-seventh birthday and she would be damned if she was going to spend it at home or with her pushy parents. Having made up her mind, Katerina slid her hand down the black form-fitting dress that hugged her thighs and pulled it from the hanger, quickly changing and putting herself together in record time.

Her pulse was thumping loudly in her ears, the anxiety was crashing around her. She swallowed the lump in her throat and took a deep breath, put her black pumps on and glanced at her reflection in the mirror. Her chestnut, shoulder-length hair was straightened to perfection and her make-up, flawless. Overall, she looked pretty good.

Sweeping her tongue across her glossed lips, Katerina held her head high and turned away from the unrecognizable woman in the mirror, headed back down stairs and grabbed her purse and car keys. The club she chose tonight was a recently renovated one. The owner sold it to another person and she hadn't been since her emotional state had started to slip through the cracks.

Pulling into the parking lot, she pulled the gear shit into park and tuned the ignition off and just sat in her green Camaro, debating whether what she was doing was the right thing or if she should just go back home and put a movie on. Chewing her lower lip and sucking in a shaky breath, she climbed out of her car, the soft warm breeze blew gently through her hair, carrying the scent of summer to her nose. She inhaled deeply, and closed her eyes a moment before opening them with a smile and made her way over to the entrance of, club Pure. Inside could lay the night of her life, or inside could lay the worst decision she has ever made.

The clean shaven bouncer sat on a stool and checked customer ID's, Katerina eyed his tattoos curiously. He was inked with two full sleeves of intricate designs and pictures. He wasn't all that bad looking. When it time came for her, she ruffled through her purse, trying to locate her picture ID. The couple behind her snickered, which caused her anxiety to flare up. Thank god, she had finally found her card and quickly showed it to the bouncer and he pulled the red velvet rope back and allowed her to enter, but not without giving her a cheeky wink first.

Katerina gave him a bashful smile and made her way inside. The first thing she noticed was the smell of fruity drinks and cigarette smoke. That's nothing unusual. She had been in a few clubs that had much more disgusting smells than billowing smoke and the thick smell of alcohol.

She found the closest bar stool and sat carefully down, pulling her dress down to cover up her exposed thighs. She felt out of place and uncomfortable, but managed to push through it. The black marble bar was lined with customers, each with a shot of something in their hand or a cigarette. Swallowing, she flagged down the bartender and gave him a friendly smile.