[Nicole]
We sat in silence, Clara and I, typing away on our phones, and sipping occasionally from our glass. It was peaceful, only I was not at peace.
I suddenly felt like I was being watched and this had an agitated effect on me even though I acted calm and unbothered. I thought about telling Clara about my fears but that would only heighten hers so I kept calm while hoping the party ends really soon.
After long minutes of typing on our phones and sipping wine, Clara excused herself to use the restroom, and even though I wasn't pressed, I thought of going with her.
"Don't stay too long." I called out to her instead when it suddenly occurred to me that going with her might give my fears away.
Once Clara was out of sight, I went back to typing on my phone, this time disinterestedly. I resisted the urge to go after Clara by taking bigger gulps of wine.
"Nicole?" A masculine voice called with uncertainty from behind me, and I turned slowly so as to contain my fears. He was dressed as a waiter, and had the same body build as most of the other waiters from earlier tonight.
"Sorry, are you the PA to Mr Louis?" He asked, while I nodded with so much uncertainty. He must have noticed my displeased frown.
"Mr Louis said to call you. He asked that you hurry." He informed me, and made to walk away but I stopped him, my voice did at least.
"Where is he?" I asked.
"Suite four." He replied, pointing a finger towards the room floor.
I looked towards the direction of the restroom, where Clara had disappeared into only a few minutes ago, in hopes that she might be on her way back, but it wasn't so. Clara was nowhere around.
My gaze returned, and settled on his face which now screamed of impatience. He was partially facing me and partially facing the exit, and I knew I had to hurry up.
I looked towards the restroom one last time while grabbing my purse, and with a disappointed sigh, I gestured to the waiter who was only too happy to be out of the party arena to lead the way.
I followed behind him, as he walked down the hallway which seemed endless, and occupied by guys. I wasn't sure what scared me the most - His large physique or the other guys with the same body build as him.
The more distance we covered, the more guys of the same body build I saw, and the more terrified I became.
Unable to hold back my fears anymore, I stopped walking, and this prompted him to stop and face me.
"Why is it taking so long to get to Mr Louis?" I asked in the most fearless voice I could muster at the moment.
He looked at me as though I were a mirror, and he was only looking through, and continued his walk.
"Say hello to Mr Louis for me." I said with a voice and tone that surprised me, and turned towards the direction we had come from but there was no way to get through. The other guys stood in the way, to prevent me from passing.
By now my false show of bravery was gone, and it was replaced with the urge to cry. I felt cornered, like a helpless prey, and I immediately wished I had followed Clara to the restroom. I wished I hadn't gotten invited to the party.
I was still wishing when I felt a sharp pain at the back of my neck, and I knew at once that I had been injected.
Whatever it was that was injected into my bloodstream proved very effective because a few seconds later, I was struggling without success to keep my eyes from shutting close.
In my subconscious state, I felt my body hit the hard floor, and at the exact same moment, I felt strong hands roughly pull me from the floor. When with so much strength I opened my eyes, all I saw was the tiled floor of the hallway, moving backward as whoever carried me hastily walked down.
Of their own free will, my eyes shut again, leaving me in darkness to think what fate awaits me.
[Clark]
I left the dark house for my home, uncertain as to how I felt. While I was told of the party Nicole would be attending, the venue for the party was left undisclosed, with the promise of calling me when everything is in order.
More than ever, I felt involving the guys was the worst decision ever. The fact that there was nothing I could do to them only made me feel stupid the more.
Once I got home, my first point of call was the bar which was stuck with assorted drinks and wine. I glanced through the bottles, looking for something strong enough to match my anger.
After long minutes of indecision, I settled for two bottles of vodka and a bottle of Shiraz wine. I reached for a glass cup, but laughed at the thought of using a cup when my intention was to get drunk.
I had desperately hoped to see Nicole today, and now that it would not be happening, the next best thing was to drink myself out. I opened all three bottles and drank from them in no particular order. The aim was to get drunk, and live by the day without thinking about Nicole.
In a few minutes' time, my previous selections were now mere empty bottles so I dragged myself back to the bar for a replacement, holding on to objects for support. The alcohol had fully kicked in, and my eyes became too heavy to remain open. It was pointless, trying to read the name on the bottles as each letter floated into the other, and every attempt to concentrate sent sparks of pain like lightning to my brain.
I drank in large gulps, not caring about anything else, not even the bottles which now weighed more than usual or my eyelids which were beginning to shut close. I did not realize how quickly I was slipping out of consciousness or how numb my whole body had become.
*********
I jolted out of sleep at the sound of my phone ringing loudly. The first thing I noticed was the throbbing in my head. The next were the empty bottles scattered about on the floor.
With so much effort, I reached for my pants pocket, and pulled out my phone which had now stopped ringing. I double-clicked on the screen, and the phone came alive, sending more sparks of pain to my brain with its brightness.
Quickly, I looked away, but not before noticing that I had twenty five missed calls, all from the same number. I moved myself up from the… floor. I must have slipped from the sofa and landed on the floor, I said in my head as I sat back down on the sofa where I believed I had slipped off from.
I thought of returning the calls but the numbness I felt all over my body stopped me, and then the phone began to ring again.
"Hello," I said into the phone once I managed to answer it.
"What the fuck is wrong with you man? I sent you an address. Do you want to see Nicole or not?" The unmistakable voice of Julius asked angrily from the other end, not caring about pleasantries. The call was disconnected immediately, leaving me to decide what to do.
Once Nicole's name was mentioned to my hearing, my once vague mind suddenly became clear, but not the throbbing in my head or the doubled vision I was experiencing.
I shot out of the sofa so quickly, and immediately felt an unexpected shift in my body. It took a whole lot of desperate flailing of my arms to restore balance, and to keep me from falling. I sat back for a moment to make sure I was steady enough before rising again, slowly this time.
I staggered farther into the apartment, ignoring the pain I felt all over my body. I needed to get dressed and go see Nicole, and I needed to do that without bumping into one of these walls that keep moving about.