Saving Athiya

Prologue

ATHIYA

TWENTY TWELVE

"Come out! Come out from wherever you are!"

The mocking voice cut through the musty air of the basement. It was complete and utter darkness down here. The base hasn't been used for decades and it always petrified me when my friends insisted that we come here at night.

There were clear signs of spiders being alive as all the corners of basement were covered with webs of all kinds; thick and thin and some even had dead insects attached to it. My heart felt heavy as I hid behind the old mahogany chair covered in white, dense spider webs.

"I know where you are, Thiya!" Nathan's voice cut through the air.

Tonight was like any other Friday night except I was dragged in this ghostly basement to play hide and seek. Nathan, my brother, always said it is more fun to play when the environment is challenging for the players.

Playing in the basement of the town's abandoned mental hospital is, no doubt, meant to be challenging and frightening for a person like me who is afraid of the dark. My heart is still beating erratically from fear of being surrounded by darkness.

A squeal tore from my throat when Nathan popped out from behind one of the pillars in the basement into the office I was hiding in. My right hand flew to cover my beating heart as if the mere presence of the hand might bring my heartrate down to normal speed.

"Nathan, you scared the shit out of me!" I said getting up and smacking his shoulder.

"It's not fun if you don't have your heart pumping and your body sweating!" He replied cheekily.

I huffed.

"Fuck you! Can we go now? I don't like to be here." I requested.

"Yeah buddy! We all know how scared Thiya gets in the dark places. It's very amusing." Jake, my brother's best friend, said while I heard everyone laughing at my expense.

"Whatever!" I huffed while crossing my arms over my chest, getting annoyed with their attitude.

"Okay! Okay! It's time to go to the club to celebrate our girl's 21st birthday." Gia, my best friend, announced grabbing my hand and dragging me outside in the same manner she dragged me into this ghostly hospital.

···

The ride to the night club "Xtacy" did not take a lot of time but the anticipation of going to a club with a legal ID made the trip even more exhilarating for me. While Nathan was getting us another round of drinks from the bar, I enjoyed the heart thumping music surrounding me by dancing with Gia and Jake.

"Hey!" Gia pressed her lips to my ears, "I need to use the restroom. I will be back!" I stopped her by holding her wrist before she left by herself.

"You can't go alone. We are coming with you!" I stated seriously. "And, don't worry! We are dumping this oaf with the other one." We laughed while Gia hooked her arm around Jake's and dragged him with her towards the bar.

"Hey! Hey! I was about to tap that ass!" He exclaimed but followed us anyways.

"I know but she is still going to be there!" I told him, "but Gia has an appointment with Mother Nature and we can't postpone this call. And you are staying with Nathan until then!"

"O—kay!" He replied giving us a thumb up with his free hand. I laughed.

After dropping Jake off at the bar, Gia and I went in the direct of the restrooms hand in hand while dancing to the latest song playing in the club. I stopped, clutching my tummy in laughter when Gia toppled over after tripping over her other foot.

"Oi! You! Stop laughing and help me." She exclaimed trying to get up in her 6 feet high heels but failing miserably. Getting my laughter under control, I helped her up. "Come on before I pee all over the floor."

I scrunched up my face in disgust.

"You go first!" I told her, "I'll guard the door." She shrugged and went through the door.

I was nodding my head and tapping my left foot to the song's rhythm, enjoying the beautiful tune with my eyes closed when I felt someone grab my wrist.

I suddenly opened my eyes and saw a tall and buff guy in bouncer's uniform holding my wrist in his hand. As a knee-jerk reaction, I tried to snatch my hand from his but he just tightened his grip even more.

"Let me go!" I said while trying to free my hand. "Let go!" This time using the other hand to push him away but to no avail, he just pulled me towards the back of the club. "No! Let me go!" I screamed while scratching him with my nails, trying to get his hand off me.

It only caused the guy to hold my hand tighter in his grip. We finally stopped in front an exit door. The "EXIT" sign was missing an I and the light being the X kept flickering on and off. "Let me go! Let me go!" I kept chanting while trying to push the guy away from me.

Suddenly, the guy snatched my hair in his grip and smashed my forehead on the door. For a few seconds, the music became mute as if I was underwater. I tried to see what was going on but all I saw was darkness with specks of hot white dots blocking my vision.

A vigorous shake of head brought all my senses back and I could hear everything very loudly. Slowly, my vision cleared showing me a smudge of blood on the white door. Oh, my God! He hit me hard enough to draw blood! I thought, panic trying to surface above every other emotion I was feeling right now.

"Are you done!" He asked firmly, "Let's go!" My nose twitched at the horrid smell of garbage as soon as he pushed the door open. Bracing the door with one hand, he pulled me towards him and then pushed me out the door in the next second.

Trying to keep my balance and see through the darkness was a challenge but he just pushed me towards my freedom. The happiness of escaping the dangerous man motivated my brain to work with my sense of sight but the happiness was short lived when my eyes connected with three men in black tailored suits.

I took a step back as one of the three men stepped forward, moving towards me. A shiver of fear went through my body as one side of his face quirked upwards, his eyes glinting with amusement.

"Come here, Princess." I flinched back when he caressed my cheek. I watched in fear as his eyes changed from amusement to anger in two seconds.

"Come here!" He repeated sternly. Afraid of what might happen, I took one hesitant step towards him. "Good girl." He said and gave my head a rub as if I am a dog. Another wave of fear passed through me as his face lit up with a maniacal smile. "You're coming with me."

I watched as he turned his back to me after telling me to follow him. My eyebrows almost touched my hairline.

"Wh...what do you mean I am coming with you? I am not going anywhere with you." I argued trying to buy some time. I am sure my brother knows that something is wrong. I know they are probably looking for me right now.

"You are and you will!" He said firmly. He suddenly caught my jaw in his hand and squeezed. I whimpered.

"No!" I shook my head from left to right but before my face could turn left again, a stinging pain brought hot tears to surface. The man had backhanded me. The pain from my cheek combined with my previous injury was quickly becoming unbearable. I could already feel my head throbbing with intense pain. Not to forget the constant thumping in my head was making me nauseous.

A small scream of pain escaped my mouth when he, suddenly, gripped my hair in his hand and started dragging me a black sedan. Realizing the grave situation, everything slowed down around me as he dragged me to the waiting car. I could distantly hear the footsteps of the other men following us.

"Get in!" He said while jerking me into the car. I went inside hesitantly. He gave me a shove, hard, and followed me in the car. I watched from the corner of my eye as the other three men went to the car behind this one, parked under a broken street lamp.

"Close your eyes." He demanded. I shut my eyes quickly, afraid he might hurt me again. My face scrunched up when I felt a cloth covering my eyes. He was blindfolding me. I thought. He doesn't want me to know where I am being taken. And that thought terrifies me more than anything.