Chapter 2
Jacqui was standing outside the front of the club just like we had planned. Her auburn red hair stood out of the crowd, like a fiery loud phoenix. She had on a red tank top and a black ruffled jacket with skinny jeans and red stiletto heels. She was a golden brown color, since she tanned easily without any effort, unlike me. I noticed that she was looking around until she spotted me over the crowd and waved frantically towards me, arms looking like floppy noodles. Once I got to her, pushing my way through the crowd of people waiting to get inside, she gave me one of her big-starving me of precious oxygen-hugs she always gives me.
"Are you excited???!!!" she asked, letting me go with excitement sparkling in her eyes and a big smile on her red painted lips. I had trouble catching my breath to speak because I couldn't breathe with the big, long hug she gave me.
"Sure," I replied sarcastically, rolling my eyes at the same time, finally able to catch my breath. She giggled because she knew of my hatred of parties and socializing.
"Well, I'll have to have the excitement in me for both of us then! Just try not to be too much of a party pooper, OK?" She said.
"I'll try, but you know me," I replied.
"Yea, I know you. And that's why you're my best friend!"
"Ha ha true," I replied. I met Jacqui when we were sophomores in high school. We went to one of my friend's birthday parties and we were the only ones who showed up because her house was difficult to find unless you've been there before. Jacqui and I became fast friends and started to hang out more in school. We try to see each other at least once a month now just to hang out and do stuff like we are doing today.
We finally got to the beginning of the line after about half an hour of waiting and talking to my best friend about life and stuff. Well, mostly her life while I listened and replied to the right places like I usually do. She mostly talked about her school life and family life. She has three older brothers who like to torment her daily. Everyday it's another story of how they torture her, like the other day one of her brothers threw cat litter on her bed because she didn't have time to do the litter box and he was made to do it, so he just threw it on her bed. I'm just glad me and my brothers get along most of the time.
Once we finally got inside and out of the chilly night air, I was blinded by flashing lights and deafened by horrible blaring club music and gagged on the potent smell of alcohol and BO mixed together. All around me people were dancing, drinking, socializing, and staggering around. Seemed like the usual club environment to walk into, I would assume.
Jacqui went straight to the bar where there was a tall and slightly attractive bartender and ordered a fruity drink I don't know the name of, but it was pink and blue. I got a water with a wedge of lemon. We found a table towards the back and set our drinks and jackets down. I attempted to secretly hide my purse underneath my coat. Hopefully no one will notice it.
After settling down and taking a drink of my water, Jacqui then pulled me to the dance floor and started dancing, attempting to get me to dance with her. I felt very uncomfortable as I stood there awkwardly while other people were gyrating to the loud music. I crossed my arms over my chest and stood still, thinking of what I should do next as a slight panic washed over me. I hate social situations. I always feel like I'm gonna have a panic attack whenever someone came near my bubble. Jacqui was dancing next to me, trying to motivate me to dance.
"Come on! Have a little fun for once in your life!" Jax exclaimed, trying to forcefully uncross my arms that I glued to my chest.
"I don't wanna look like an idiot!" I yelled over the pounding music to her. I didn't know what song it was. I hate this new music they have out nowadays. These stupid songs have no meaning and emotion unlike the good older songs. You can say I'm a little bit of a 90's baby.
"I promise you that you won't look like a complete idiot! And who cares what other people think. Just dance!" She replied, giving me a nudge with her elbow, tickling me a little bit as I let out a small giggle.
"Alright! Alright! But I am not responsible for any injuries or death caused by my two left feet." I replied.
"It's easy. Just find a hot guy and grind, like this," she said going to the closest guy and demonstrating. The guy seemed to enjoy it a lot. I didn't. It was very awkward watching that.
"That's not dancing. That's called being a slut." I laughed.
"I am not a slut!"
"If you say so," I replied with a giggle. I sighed inwardly and started to at least sway my hips awkwardly to the horrible loud music. Jax joined in dancing with me instead of the random guy to help me get the hang of it. I felt like a fish out of water. I probably danced like one too.
Some guys tried to rub up against me, but I moved away and declined politely and continued dancing with Jax, and by dancing I meant swaying side to side awkwardly as Jax danced around me. But, they kept trying and I had to less politely tell them to F off. Why are guys jerks? I already said no, what concept of that do they not understand? Jerks.
All of a sudden I felt like I was being watched. I felt it at the back of my mind that something was wrong. I scanned the club only to find nothing out of the ordinary for a club environment. Just a ton of drunk people grinding, 'twerking', drinking, laughing really loudly, stumbling around, or attempting to look good to attract the opposite sex, which only reminded me to a bunch of wild animals.
'People nowadays' I thought, clearing my head of thoughts of a creepy stalker person, thinking I was just being paranoid and continued to dance with Jax. But, the feeling at the back of my mind would not go away.
A half hour later, I got hot and decided to sit down for a bit and chug my water, which felt like I was in the dessert for days and it was my first drink. Even though I was dancing with Jax, I wasn't having much fun. I was only doing it to keep her happy even though I was horribly uncomfortable with the closeness of other people and the weird body movements people now a days called dancing or twerking or some shit like that. Bleh.
After a little bit of sitting and cooling my body down while Jax was chugging down her drink, I started towards the dance floor again with Jax and the random guy she just met while cooling down. I guess they hit it off while she was waiting for another drink and decided to invite him over or something. I didn't mind. He seemed nice enough.
After a little bit more dancing, I had to use the bathroom really bad. After I waited in a seemingly endless line, I did my business and washed my hands and crossed my way through the crowd. I went to get another thirst-quenching water. It seems like Jax had four fruity drinks and a few shots guys buy her and I could tell she was getting a little tipsy by her stumbling and her voice getting even louder, if that was possible. I sat at the table sipping at my water, hoping she didn't notice I didn't join her dancing. I just sat there and let Jax have fun and dance with the guy from before. They seemed to be hitting it off really well from what I could tell, since they were hard core flirting with each other. Hopefully I won't have to walk her home now.
By the time I finally caught a glance at my smart phone, the time said it was a little bit past midnight. I scanned the crowd to look for Jax and saw she was still dancing with random tall and skinny guy. He had glasses and messy brown hair with some tattoos showing.
I got up close beside her and said,"I need to get home and get some sleep. Are you spending the night?" as I shouted to her over the music.
"No, I'm gonna get a ride from this guy," she replied, patting random guys shoulder seductively. "Have a good walk. Try not to get mugged! Text me when you get home, ok?"
"I will. You two have fun," I replied back with a wink.
"Oh we will," she winked back and laughed loudly, turning her attention back to the skinny guy after giving me a hug goodbye.
With that I gathered up my things from the booth, relieved when I saw my purse was still in tact, and walked into the dark cool night waving a last good bye to Jacqui and her new guy.
~~~~~~~
The night was quiet and calm and very cold, which was very freaking nerve wrecking because that's how most horror movies started out. Trying not to think about some crazy serial killer in a hockey mask coming out of nowhere and kill me, I started to walk a little bit faster towards home. I wished I thought of asking random guy Jax was hanging out with for a ride. That would have been the smart thing to do. But of course, I didn't think of the smart thing. Stupid me.
I kept thinking to myself 'nothings gonna happen, nothings gonna happen' as I kept searching for a random person to jump out at me and murder me or something. I mentally slapped myself and tried to calm down. It helped only a little bit. Plus, it didn't help that I've felt the presence of someone watching me the whole time I was at the club. I kept thinking to myself that it was only my imagination, but it still wouldn't go away. And usually those random feelings I get are always right, which made me even more nervous walking home alone.
When I was almost to my apartment, I started to calm down a little bit more, knowing I was almost home and in my safe zone.
'Just a little further,' I thought as I was getting closer to the building. Just then, I felt weightless and I found myself inside on the ground of the dark alley beside my apartment building. I tried to gasp for breath, feeling as though I was under water for a long time. All of a sudden a black blur came towards me and pulled me up forcefully against the wall near me, my head banging hard against the hard brick surface. The black blur held me against the wall as I tried to move, panic starting to hit me ten fold when I realized I couldn't get away from the black blob. I knew I should have just drove here instead of walking.
I tried to scream, but a big, cold hand wrapped around my mouth, muffling my voice. Everything seemed to be in slow motion, when in reality everything was going on normally.
I tried to kick the living crap out of the blurry figure but it felt like I was being restrained by steel bars and I couldn't move anything at all. Was I being attacked by Superman or something? It felt like it was crushing me like a pop can. I looked up and saw in the shadows of his face red eyes staring straight into my soul. I blinked, thinking it was just a trick of the light or I imagined things. Then, I heard it hiss and growl next to my ear and felt it smell the skin on my neck as it leaned down next to my face.
'What is going on?? Am I gonna die???' I thought as tears started to fall from my eyes. I didn't want to die so soon!
All of a sudden my head was painfully yanked to the side and I felt a sharp piercing pain in my neck. Shit that fucking hurts! It felt like searing hot pain as it dug further into my neck. I tried to scream, but the hand was still over my mouth.
I tried to get a better look at my attacker, but I only saw dark hair tickling my nose, its dark jacket, and the opposite wall of the ally way. I tried struggling again, but once again failed to do so, hardly moving an inch. I tried to scream again and bite its hand that was still holding on to my mouth, also a failed escape attempt. I started to feel dizzy; from the panic attack I was having or from the loss of blood, I didn't know. Soon my vision started to have black dots around the edges.
It sounded like an animal the way it growled and hissed as it hungrily drank the blood out of my body. What kind of animal was this strong though? And why did it bite me and why is it drinking my damn blood? What animal has piercing red eyes that glowed anyways? Vampire bats aren't this big or strong or wore jackets or had hands. There wasn't an animal I could think of that does that other than a wolf maybe. But, wolves don't live in the city. Did they? Plus, wolves don't have hands to cover your mouth from screaming or wear jackets either. Maybe it was a mutated science experiment that is out on the loose? My mind was in a jumbled panicked mess as I tried to think of what this thing could be and I couldn't think logically.
Before the world went totally black and I was thinking that this was the end of my small pathetic life, I heard an echoing "Halt!" from a deep booming male voice and a few foot steps running towards me.
'Thank goodness I'm saved!' I thought to myself as I started to feel cold and numb. I felt the restraints of its arms disappear along with the piercing pain in my neck. Unable to feel my legs or any part of my body, I fell to the ground hard, hitting my head and arm in the process. I heard a struggle and what sounded like an electronic shock noise before my vision became completely black and I fell into unconsciousness.