After spending so much time on a quiet liberal arts campus for the past three years, it was strange to be back in a town like Iron Hill, and especially, at night.

It was the kind of town where people disappeared. The sort of place where smog hung heavily in the air, where a cold wind would find its way in, even on the sunniest of days, and grey clouds would descend out of nowhere. It felt industrial and more like a city than any other town that Shelby had seen out there in the vast sprawling desert, but it still had the dry and arid atmosphere that gave the place an even more post-apocalyptic edge.  If she hadn’t been born and raised there, she would have hated it without question. But as she walked down the streets and looked around, she couldn’t help but smile and feel a small swell of gratefulness. It was always reassuring to be in familiar surroundings, even if those surroundings were raw and dangerous. There had been many times, in her younger days, when she had longed to have the freedom to be out at night like her and Molly were at that moment. She had always wanted to be just like any other normal girl, able to go out with her friends and have fun. But her father had always made sure she was never in the kind of situation where she could be hurt or dragged into Iron Hill’s dangerous underworld, and as such, she had spent the majority of her teenage years hidden away in her family home, too afraid to leave.

College had been such a welcomed break from isolation that she had partied hard and thrown herself into campus life. It was liberating, in so many ways, to be able to wander around the quiet little mountain town where she was studying, to feel safe and anonymous. But now that she was back in Iron Hill, she didn’t have the same fears as she had when she was younger. Her father had taught her all the lessons she needed to know on how to keep herself safe, and with her father being so well-known, there wasn’t a person in Iron Hill that would mess with Shelby now.

She was, in one way or another, untouchable.

She had a power she didn’t even realize she truly had until recently when a group of scary looking men had cleared a table for her in a restaurant and shuffled out of there looking as if they were, in some way, afraid of her.

“This is your dad’s influence,” Molly had whispered. “What was a burden to us growing up may end up being kind of fun now…”

She had wiggled her eyebrows and grinned, but Shelby had just died a little inside. She didn’t want to be different than anyone else. She had loved being away at college, where she was anonymous and free. But now, she was back in her hometown and everyone knew her face and whose daughter she was. And even though that meant she did have some respect, it also made her uneasy.

“Where to first, then?” Molly asked as she held out her arms and spun around on the spot.

They were in the center of town and loud music blared all around them, mixing together and making such an awful din it was almost impossible to concentrate.

“I don’t really mind,” Shelby shrugged. “You pick a place. It’s your night.”

“No,” Molly corrected as she linked arms with her friends. “It’s our night… Come on, Shelby, you promised.”

Molly pouted and looked hurt and Shelby knew, in that moment, that she was being unfair. The girls had been so excited and had been planning their reunion night out for such a long time and now, Shelby was ruining it by dragging her heels and having no enthusiasm.

Come on, Shelby, what is wrong with you? she asked herself. Just relax and have some Goddam fun!

“Sorry,” she smiled widely. “I know, I did. Now, come on, let’s just go in here and order the first drink on the menu.”

She pulled to the left and the girls swung toward the first open door and clattered their way inside.

It was dark and dingy, but neither of them would mind. The long wooden bar ran the full length of the room and the girl tending bar was chewing gum and watching a TV up in the corner. She tossed them a glance over her shoulder and curled up her lip as if she didn’t want them there.

“Not as chic as you were expecting?” Shelby whispered as she saw the look of disgust on Molly’s face.

“Well no, not exactly,” Molly laughed.

“We’ll just have the one and move on,” Shelby whispered as she pulled her toward the bar. She pulled out two stools and they both sat down and looked around. The girl behind the bar scowled at them as she stood there waiting for their instruction and Shelby almost wanted to laugh that she had mentioned a drinks menu. If there was one thing she was certain of, this was the kind of place that definitely didn’t have one of those.

“What can I get you girls?” the bartender finally asked as she chewed her way over to them and looked at them from behind lazy eyes.

The girls looked at each other and Shelby spoke up first.

“We’ll take two beers and two shooters,” she nodded. “Jaegers, sours, anything, we don’t mind, surprise us.”

Molly gasped and looked at Shelby as if she couldn’t believe what she had just heard.

“But what about our new mature image?” Molly asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Screw it,” Shelby laughed as she swung slightly on the stool. “I can’t imagine us running into any of Iron Hill’s finest in here, can you?”

The bar girl sneered and turned her back on them and Molly threw her head back and laughed before she held up her palm and slapped Shelby a high-five.

“See, this is what I’m talking about,” she grinned.

“I know exactly what you mean,” Shelby agreed. “Let’s enjoy ourselves, we deserve it.”

After an hour, they had both relaxed and the pressure for them to act prim and proper was long gone. The girls swigged their beers and chatted away in the dirty little bar, not even caring who saw or heard them. The bartender came over and kept the drinks flowing, not allowing them to be dry for one moment, even though the look on her face suggested she couldn’t wait for them to leave. Shelby was instantly grateful that they had chosen somewhere quiet and unassuming for their first drinks, even if it had kind of been by accident.

“I never thought you’d come tonight, you know,” Molly admitted. “I’m proud of you.”

“You didn’t?” Shelby was almost confused. “But why?”

“I could just tell you were dreading it, almost as if you were slipping back into how you felt when we were growing up. Too afraid to go anywhere and worried of what might happen if the wrong person in town saw you.”

Shelby shrugged. Molly wasn’t wrong, but they had both grown up a lot since then, and Shelby was a woman now, not a girl.

“It’s strange being back here, I can’t lie,” Shelby admitted. “But it feels good, you know? I’m back in my hometown, but I’m independent. I guess it would be worse if I were back at the family home.”

“Your dad’s so good,” Molly smiled. “I mean, that apartment… It’s insane, Shelby. You’re so lucky.”

Shelby smiled shyly. She knew she was lucky, but it felt weird to admit it. Sometimes, she just liked to ignore all the things she had. She hadn’t worked for them or earned them, so why should she show them off or brag about them? It didn’t feel right and she didn’t want to act like a spoiled little princess.

“I’m also very grateful,” she said sincerely. “And I am very lucky to also have a best friend like you.”

Molly beamed and raised her bottle of beer toward Shelby’s.

“To best friends,” she grinned. “And to the night of our lives. To embracing who we are and having fun, no matter what!”

“No matter what,” Shelby agreed as they chinked bottles and swigged their drinks.

“Can I get you girls another?” the bartender asked aggressively as she leaned over to sweep away their empties.

“No thanks,” Shelby said as she jumped off the stool and to her feet. “Come on, let’s go somewhere with a bit of music.”

“Woo!” Molly cheered as she clapped her hands and followed Shelby toward the front door. “That’s more like it!”

The girl behind the bar rolled her eyes and gave them both dirty looks as they made their way to the doorway. And as the door swung closed behind them, she reached down and picked up her cell phone from under the counter. She scrolled down to a number and pressed dial before she held the phone to her ear.

“It’s me,” she said coldly. “Rich bitches on their way down Main Street. Blonde and brunette, both in little black dresses, you can’t miss them. And yes, you can thank me later…”

She smirked and hung up the phone before she sighed and turned back around to continue watching the TV.

If there was one thing she hated more than anything, it was entitled little girls like them out on daddy’s money. But at least they hadn’t been quiet about it… bragging about their amazing apartments and their easy, wonderful lives. And now, they were about to find out that Iron Hill wasn’t the kind of place that stood for people like them. 

“Yes, you go and have the night of your life, girls,” she smirked with a wicked grin before she lit a cigarette and tapped her long, sharp nails on the top of the bar. The room around her alone and empty, just like her soul.

Shelby and Molly walked down Main Street and laughed a little too loud as they tottered along. They hadn’t been drinking long, but it didn’t take much for them to let their guards down and start to act like fools. It was almost as if Shelby had forgotten where she was. In her head, she was still roaming around campus, dancing on the tops of tables, and not having to worry about who may see or hear her. She had been determined that, when she went home, she wouldn’t succumb to old fears, and so far, she was doing a good job. But since they had left the bar, she had a strange feeling.

It was like she could sense they weren’t alone.

Molly was giggling and tottering along on her heels as they looked from one side of the street to the next.

“That place sucks,” she said as she pointed to a building with a warm orange glow and country music coming from the inside. “It’s for old men and loose women,” she raised her eyebrows. “We need somewhere for people our age, something a bit more fun.”

“What happened to that bar that used to look all dark and dangerous on the outside but was actually really nice inside? Remember, it was like something out of a horror movie but we loved it anyway and always wanted to go inside! All red velvet and black walls! We never would have known what it looked like if it hadn’t been for Facebook pages, remember?”

“Haha,” Molly laughed. “Oh my god, I do! But I’m pretty sure it closed down last year… Not many people in this town crave such dark decadence,” she scrunched up her face in disappointment and looked from one side of town to the other. “I’m sure it was over there…” she pointed to the corner of an intersection and squinted.

The building on the corner was boarded up and dark, and Shelby felt her small bout of enthusiasm instantly shrivel and die. All she wanted to do was go home, take off her high heels and slip into her soft warm bed.

“Come on,” Molly said. “There’s plenty of places, just pick one. One that actually still exists, anyway!”

Shelby rolled her eyes and felt a little bit of anger rise within her. Molly was drunk and it was clear that after they had left the first bar, neither of them had a clue where they should go next, but Molly wasn’t about to admit it.

“Can I help you girls?” a man’s voice cut in from behind them and when Shelby turned around and saw the group standing behind her, she knew they were in trouble.

Molly’s drunken lack of judgement led her to wave the men away dismissively, but Shelby instantly braced herself and reached out to grab hold of Molly’s arm.

“That’s not very polite,” one of the men said as he took another step forward and emerged from the dark shadows of the alleyway and into the light. He was dirty and rough looking, and Shelby was sure she saw the flash of a gold tooth as he grinned. She took a step backward and gripped Molly tightly.

“We’re not interested,” Molly barked as she turned her back on them brattily and began to try and walk away.

“Molly,” Shelby hissed. “Don’t…”

But it was too late, as soon as Molly took another step, the group of men spread out and circled around them and began to back the two girls out of the light on Main Street and into the darkness of the alleyway.

“Not very polite for two little rich girls,” one of the men said as he jabbed Molly in the back and the men stepped closer, tightening the circle and moving them expertly further away from Main Street and into the dark and deserted back alleyway.

“She’s sorry,” Shelby said calmly. “It was just a misunderstanding, she’s had a little too much to drink.”

She could feel Molly’s fingernails gripping into her wrist, and it was obvious she had realized her terrible mistake.

“Hand over your purses,” the man who had spoken first said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife with a switch blade. Shelby jumped as he opened it and pointed it at them both. She gripped Molly with one hand and the strap of her purse with the other, but she knew what she had to do. She couldn’t fight this or try and run her way out of it.

She had been taught, many times, how to handle this kind of situation, and even though she didn’t want to give in to their demands, she knew that was exactly what she had to do.

“Here,” Shelby said quickly as she handed her purse over and the man snatched it from her hands.

“No!” Molly said. “You can’t have them!” She tried to push backwards and free herself from the circle as she wriggled out of Shelby’s grip, but she was just pushed back into the center by two men who started laughing and jabbing her with the tips of their fingers. There must have been six of them in total crowding around them, and Shelby knew there was no way they were going to be able to outrun them, even though Molly was still crying and trying to push her way through the small gaps to freedom.

The men continued to grab her and push her back and the man with the knife looked as if he was rapidly about to run out of patience.

“The purse!” he bellowed as he jabbed the knife toward Molly and she cried and fell to her knees.

Shelby fought back the tears but she stayed standing tall and tried to be strong. Breaking down and crying wasn’t going to do either of them any favors. She had to keep focused and make sure they both got out of this.

But that was easier said than done.

One of the men grabbed Molly by the hair and pulled her head backward as he forced her to her feet. She screamed in pain and wailed as she threw her arms around and Shelby instinctively moved forward and reached out for her, but this only resulted in her suffering the same fate. One of the men grabbed her long blonde hair and pulled her backward so that she was right up against him and he held her tightly with his other arm wrapped around her chest.

“Fucking little bitches,” he spat in her ear and Shelby realized she was trembling.

“We should cut both of them up,” another of the men said menacingly. “See how far they get without their pretty faces.”

Shelby closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, half expecting the knife to slash across her face at any moment.

She heard a thump and Molly gasp before it sounded as if she had slumped to the floor. She still didn’t open her eyes, but it could only have been a matter of seconds later before a heavy, tight fist pummeled into her own stomach, knocking the air out of her and sending her crashing down onto the slippery wet pavement beneath her feet.

She clutched her stomach and gasped for air, the whole world spinning around her as she heard the men all running away, laughing and cheering and shouting threats back over their shoulders as they disappeared into the night. Shelby gasped again and felt hot and raw inside, as if she would never find her breath, and then she went dizzy and heavy, and the whole world quickly went black.