An Echoing Race.

Chapter Thirteen.

Here you go @Hannah4bsb.  It is because of her constant nagging me at uni [and through text message] that this chapter is finally up! So thank her guys! :P 

#Chapter Thirteen#

Judging by the look on Salem’s face, the answer to Mira’s question wasn’t going to be good. She glanced at him and looked slightly sick to her stomach when she registered what exactly that look meant. He had already mentioned how dangerous these people were and seeing everything right now simply confirmed his words. 

Without saying anything, Salem moved forward and began to manoeuvre his way through the crowd. We followed and I tried my hardest to avoid bumping into any sweaty dancers or people who were making their way to the bar to get something to drink. 

It was only Salem, Mira and I who knew what Houda looked like, so we were keeping a keen eye out for her as we moved through. We spent a good half an hour, both standing on the sidelines, observing for Houda and walking around occasionally to find her.

The music was beginning to give me a headache and since I was asthmatic, the vile smoke in the air was clogging my throat and airways. 

“I don’t understand where she could be!” Mira cried, rubbing her hands up and down her arms. “We’ve searched everywhere!” 

“Maybe not everywhere,” Salem mumbled and we turned to see him looking behind us. Following his gaze, our eyes rested on a stairway that was discreetly hidden in the left corner of the club. The lights were turned off in that area and the smokey haze that was drifting through the room didn’t make it any better. 

It was obvious that it was supposed to be a restricted area, for the staff or owners only I assumed, but we had no other option. It was the only place we had yet to check and we definitely weren’t going to stand around and wait for Houda to show up. 

With a word to one guard to stay downstairs and stay watch incase anyone came up, the rest of us began to file up the stairs, one at a time. My heart was beating erratically in my chest and my palms were clammy with sweat.

A closed black door was what we found at the top of the stairs but it was nothing that we didn’t anticipate. I could smell something off, not like the normal cigarettes but smoke that seemed like it almost had a flavour. It lingered in the air and I spotted Salem and the other guard exchange glances.

I pretended to be clueless although I was one hundred percent sure what was hidden behind that door; drugs.

Without warning, Salem kicked down the door and it flew off it’s hinges, back into the room. Mira and I tumbled in and my eyes immediately jumped across the room, absorbing the sight before me. 

It was bad.

The first thing I noticed was the girl who was lying across a couch that was pushed up against the back wall. The second thing I realised was the man who was on top of her, basically mauling her face with his mouth. There were two other men in the room, sitting around a table and playing cards but as soon as we had barged in, they were on their feet, guns aimed at all of us.