FRIDAY'S GIRL ·ϿʘϾ·

Chapter 15

***DRAFT***

The closet door burst open, revealing a misshapen figure, outlined by the lights of cellphones dancing chaotically around, blending into one another in bursts as blinding as they were fleeting.

"Get out!" roared that stranger with fury, as if he were possessed by the devil himself.

Oliver barely had time to react. A violent right hook to the face knocked him against one of the peeling walls of the narrow cubicle. This left him half dazed. Without understanding what was happening, as he could only see silhouettes amidst the gloom, I attempted to escape from that infernal being, but he was quicker. He grabbed my hand and pulled me, forcing me to follow him.

"Let me go!" I screamed in fright, struggling with all my might until I managed to break free from his hand.

The small purse I had with me flew out, and as I bent down to pick it up, driven by a reflex, someone in the midst of the chaos gave me a sudden push that sent me to the ground. I felt a sharp pain in the palms of my hands due to the pebbles and other debris scattered across the worn pavement. Around me, there were nothing but screams and confusion. The police sirens were sounding closer and closer. The din of hurried footsteps echoed everywhere as my fingers fumbled for the purse. People ran desperately, oblivious to my presence, and with each passing second, the fear of being trampled intensified in my chest. Suddenly, the sky lit up with lightning, and I managed to see my purse some distance away, though I didn't have time to grab it, as someone tripped over me, delivering a hefty kick to my ribs. The pain was intense. Fortunately, that terrifying figure lifted me into his arms and headed who knows where with me in tow. I couldn't make out his features, hidden behind a latex mask of the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

"My purse!" I screamed in desperation, for inside were my phone, my wallet, and the pepper spray. I needed all that to make it back home safely!

"Forget the damn purse!" That individual made his way through the crowd with elbows flying, as if he were a professional rugby player.

"Where are you taking me?" I asked between gasps, struggling to breathe due to the tight corset and the blow to my ribs.

Near the bathroom, there's a collapsed wall; we can get out through there. After setting me down, he proceeded to remove the latex mask and the wig. Then, he took my hand, and we walked upstream through that terrified sea of people.

My mind was a whirlwind of dizzying thoughts. Who was this guy? Why had he hit Oliver? What the heck had happened at the party? Who had called the police? And, above all, where was my friend? As I walked, guided by the hunchback, I searched around me with my gaze, unable to see anything but blurs moving through the darkness.

"Wait!" I said anxiously, "I need to find someone."

"Grace is fine. She ran away just before the blackout," Quasimodo assured me, to my surprise, knowing whom I was referring to and, therefore, who I was.

Despite his comforting words, the worry remained alive inside me. The uncertainty of not knowing where Grace was caused me distress. Meanwhile, the blood pumped inside my eardrums, preventing me from hearing normally, as if I were still locked inside the closet, where everything outside sounded muffled.

When we left the factory, jumping through the rubble of the collapsed wall, the moon showed itself for a few seconds among the mantle of black clouds that surrounded it. Finally, I could discover the identity of the person hiding behind the costume of the Hunchback of Notre Dame.

"Owens?" My eyes widened in shock, I never would have guessed it was him. I had even fantasized that it might be "Calipartyguy18." A completely absurd idea, since my friend didn't even know about that party.