Debauchery [ h.s ]

3

I have never ran so fast in my life.

Every part of my body is sweating; I'm burning from the inside out by the most intense fear I have ever experienced—the fear of death. I thought I have been through it already when that man spoke to me outside the club but that is nothing compared to what I'm going through right now. My heart is racing so fast that I think it's going to implode. My throat and lungs are compressed; I can't breathe, and I can't give my body the energy it needs at this moment. My weak legs are so shaky that with each step I take, it feels as if the ground is slipping away from me.

My head is spinning; I'm completely lost because I can't even fathom all that has happened in the last ten minutes. I'm running for my life, but I have no hope of getting out; it is impossible. I'm wheezing, and my chest feels too tight. I feel like I'm slowly being crushed, that my body is going to turn to dust. My vision is blurred because of all the lights that are flashing around me, and I can hear the bass of the music in the distance. I quickly turn my head, and see that the room next to the staircase is a nightclub. People are dancing, shouting, kissing, and here I am, trying to escape death.

Nothing good has happened to me since I came here. I feel like throwing up, and screaming for help is impossible. I feel invisible. Nobody turns around, nobody wonders why I'm running so fast, nobody helps me. I pray that I will run into Louis, but my intuition tells me that I'm not going to get out of this nightmare. I came here to get him out of here, but now that is far from my mind as I'm trying to save my own ass. I'm aching all over, my heart is pounding in my ears and I'm shaking so badly I can barely stand. My legs are so weak and shaky that I'm running with much difficulty, and I might fall over any moment now.

My mind races and tries to form a thought of hope, but only finds more pain. I search for something to cling to that would make me disappear from here, and wake up from a bad nightmare in my bed. But I can't find it. An orb of terror is growing uncomfortably in the middle of my ribs; I feel like I'm being stabbed, and fear is tearing me apart from the inside. I'm barely breathing, and I wonder why I haven't already died of asphyxiation, like even my own lungs are trying to kill me.

I look over my shoulder and see this man following me. His face is hidden under the persistent darkness in the corridor, but I can tell that his jaw is clenched. He is almost invisible as he is dressed in black; he looks like a demon, and now, my worst nightmare. His walk is tense, and his fists are clenched tightly. I run as fast as I can, but he catches me with every step. I can feel his eyes staring into mine; he is terrifying. As a child, I have always been afraid of Louis chasing me down the dark hallway. But now, the fear has turned into horror.

What had I discovered in that room that has given me a death sentence ? All I can think about now is running away from him, but I'm way out of my element here. At any moment, the man at the front desk, who hadn't scared me at first, could jump out and slit my throat. I'm running very fast, but everything around me seems to be in slow motion.

My face crashes with, what I guess is, a shoulder, and I look away from the demon chasing me. I have bumped into a mature woman with dark hair and overly made-up eyes who stares at me as if I disgust her. I look ahead, and resume my run without worrying about the pain I now have in my cheek. I can feel him getting closer to me, and I can't waste a second. I cross the boxing hall, and quickly see a man in the ring, but it doesn't seem to be Louis.

I have no strength left; my running becomes slow. I remember how his breath on my neck had frightened me as I realised that he had been watching me all along. I don't know who he is, but to me he has no face other than that of my death. Tonight, he will be my last heartbeat, my last breath, and his voice will be the only thing I will remember.