Reid
I’m fucking hammered. Out of my fucking skull in fact. In an effort to stop thinking about what I did to Scarlet, I started drinking. Then I started smoking the joints Akilah had supplied me with. I became so fucking inebriated that Akilah had to take over the bar on his own. Luckily, it’s quiet tonight—so quiet, in fact, that we were able to lock up just after midnight.
“Are you sure you’re going to be okay, brother? I can stay behind if you need me.”
I shake my head—which is a major effort on my part. I’m fucking drunk and stoned—two things that don’t mix well. “I’m fine,” I manage, waving my hand at him. “Go home. I’ll finish this drink and go to bed.”
“As long as you’re sure.” He hesitates, and when I don’t say anything, he says, “See you tomorrow.”
I wave my hand and grunt in his direction. Akilah disappears and all that I’m left with is my drink and silence. A deafening silence. My head spins, but for now I don’t care. For now, I haven’t got this constant fucking hole in my heart over what I did to Scarlet.
Scarlet.
My precious Scarlet.
“Fucking hell!” I scream, grabbing the bottle and throwing it across the bar. It shatters against some glasses and liquid drips from the other side of the bar, but I don’t care. It’ll wait until morning.
As I pick my drink up and sip, I glance across the bar at my reflection in the mirror. It’s only a little slit of a mirror, but it’s enough to see my stupid fucking mug in it. I have this overwhelming urge to throw my drink at my image, but the call to finish off what’s left in my glass is more pressing.
I down the drink, and when my head pops back up to the mirror again, something moves behind me.
As quick as lightening, I throw my body around to catch whatever the fuck that was, but when I turn, I see nothing. I’m so drunk I’m starting to see shit.
On a smirk, I shake my head and turn back to the bar to pick up my glass and go to bed. It’s then that I see something move again. Again, I spin around, but this time, my heart is fucking racing. I never get frightened, but this is starting to scare the bejesus out of me. And that fucking pisses me off.
“Hello?” I call, thinking I may be going crazy. Am I hallucinating?
All I’m met with is silence again. Nothing is seen or heard. Everything is in its place. I turn again, picking up my glass this time, but when I do, I hear a bang coming from the fantasy room. Frowning, I put my glass back down and cautiously walk towards the door. Akilah can’t have checked everywhere, which can only mean there are people still here. Once at the door, I freeze.
“Reid,” a voice whispers. A voice that sounds a lot like Scarlet’s.
I spin around to find where the voice is coming from, but I see and hear nothing. My heart is starting to beat frantically against my chest. I hear another bang coming from the room again, so I open the door up and walk inside. Everything is dark including all of the fantasy rooms. There’s no one here. I check around the spectator area, but all is quiet—all is how it should be.
As I turn around, I stagger back towards the door when I hear another bang. This time it’s coming from one of the blackened rooms.
“Reid,” a voice whispers again. I turn and keep turning wondering where the fuck it’s coming from.
“Who’s here?” I scream, getting fucking angry. Shit, I’ve never been so scared in all my life.
Then I hear something which makes my blood run cold—a knocking sound on one of the glass-walled fantasy rooms. The sound echoes around the whole room. At first, I’m rooted to the spot. I can’t move I’m so afraid. In fact, I’m scared shitless.
“Whoever’s here, this isn’t fucking funny. Come out before I call the police,” I scream, racing towards the switch that lights up all the rooms. I’m still drunk and high, staggering all over the place, but I need to know what the fuck’s happening.
With a quick flick, I switch the lights on and turn. When I do, all the blood rushes from my face. Scarlet is hanging from one of the bondage machines, but instead of her hanging from the wrists, she’s hanging from her neck. Her eyes are wide open, staring at me. She’s completely naked and has blood running down her mouth.
I start running towards the room, but when I do all the lights go out. “Fuck!” I scream, turning to switch the lights off and on again. The lights flicker, but they don’t come on enough for me to see Scarlet in the room. I curse, switching them on and off until eventually all the lights come on again. Quickly turning, my eyes fix onto that same room only to find it’s completely empty.
“What the fuck?!”
I stagger towards the room and open the door. I don’t know what I’m looking for, but I glance around it nonetheless. There’s nothing here that immediately calls out to me. All looks as it should.
Closing my eyes, I rub my hands over my face. Maybe I should just go to bed. I’m obviously that fucking stoned that I’m starting to see things. I thought it was bad enough that Scarlet was haunting my dreams. Now she’s haunting my fucking high.
Feeling dizzier than ever, I stagger back out of the room and shut the door. I walk over to the lights and shut them off. Then, the fucking shit starts to get even weirder. The loud speakers around the whole bar start to buzz and crackle. A static sound starts and then all goes silent until I hear something that makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end.
“One, two, she’s coming for you. Three, four, she’s out to settle a score. Five, six, better run away quick. Seven, eight, prepare to meet your fate.”
“What the fuck’s going on?” I scream again.
Moving as quickly as I can towards the sound system in the main bar area, I start to shake. Adrenaline courses through me as fear races up my spine. When I get near to the step that leads up to the sound system, I trip on something and fall, hitting my head against the step.
I’m out like a light.