Fear

2

The club door swung open behind us with a heavy thud, and I stumbled out into the night air like a little fawn, unsteady on my heels.

The October cold slapped me in the face. It was the kind of chill that stung your cheeks and made you suddenly aware of how drunk you really were.

The cobbled back street was uneven, and each step I took felt like walking on ice. I had to grip Tyler's arm just to keep upright. He didn't seem to mind.

"Fuck, I'm a lightweight," I mumbled to myself. I'd never had a Blue Kamikaze before, didn't know how lethal they were.

"You alright?" he chuckled, catching me as I swayed to the side.

"Mmhm," I mumbled, the sound muffled by the fog in my head. "I didn't think I drank that much."

"Must've been the shots," he said with a knowing grin.

I nodded too enthusiastically, regretting it instantly. The world tilted. He steadied me again.

"So, err... where exactly are we going?" I asked, slurring slightly. My voice sounded too loud in the quiet street. I winced.

Tyler smiled down at me with something sly in his eyes. "You'll see, Emily."

His words sent a small shiver down my spine, but I couldn't tell if it was the cold, the booze, or something else. I tried to match his pace as we walked further into the winding side streets, but everything was blurry — him, the streetlamps, even the sky.

I was so out of it that I barely noticed the buzz from my purse. My phone. I blinked down at the screen, trying to focus.

Four new messages.
From Isabel.

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Iz: Emily!!!
Iz: Please don't leave!!!
Iz: Don't go with him!!!
Iz: It's a TRAP!
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I stopped walking.

The words swam on the screen, and for a second I thought maybe I was imagining things. I read them again. And again.

'What the hell?'

"Has your friend finally got back to you?" Tyler asked casually, glancing over his shoulder.

I panicked. I wasn't thinking clearly. I could barely string a thought together, let alone make a rational decision.

"Err... no. It's just a random number," I lied, sliding the phone back into my bag with shaky fingers.

He raised a brow, but didn't press. Just kept walking.

I don't know why I didn't just stop right there and turn around. Go back inside. Call for help. Text Isabel. Something. But I didn't. I just kept walking behind him like some lost puppy, trying to piece things together while he led me down tighter, quieter streets.

Then he turned into an alley.

I hesitated. The narrow space was tucked between two tall buildings at the back of a warehouse. A single flickering light above a rusted door made the scene feel haunted. My stomach twisted.

Still, I followed.

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"Ty," a voice called from deeper in the alley.

A man emerged from the shadows, tall and broad with burgundy hair and a face that instantly jogged my memory. He'd been in the club earlier, standing near the back, barely moving. Watching.

It was him.

Tyler gave the man a small smile before spinning back around to me.

"Emily, this is Jack, a close friend of mine."