"Nightmare" a short story

Untitled Part 1

It was an exclusive clubhouse. Only the ones deemed worthy were allowed in. Yet it also seemed to attract the downtrodden, the emotional wrecks. They would gather in the lobby, perhaps hoping for the chance to be noticed. It was sad, yet pathetic at the same time. One girl sat alone on a bench near the large windows. At first glance, she looked young. However, upon closer scrutiny, it was obvious that she was older than she appeared. There were dark circles under her brown eyes. She looked haunted. In her hands, a pair of scissors gleamed from the sunlight shining in through the glass. 

What was she thinking at that very moment? Why was she here?

Gazing around the room, she took in the inspirational posters on nearly every wall. This lobby seemed more like the waiting room of a therapist's office. She noticed other people milling around, some sitting, others leaning on walls. A few nicely dressed gentlemen were chatting in one corner near a walnut door. Every once in awhile that door would open and someone would come out or go in. Occasionally, a name would be called and that person was escorted through into the great unknown.

The Unknown. In reality it was the "Members Only" area. The place you only dreamed of going. The place only the very lucky were allowed to enter. Or so she was told.

She was suddenly interrupted from her daydream by a voice calling her name. What? Was that really her they called? Trying to contain her excitement, the girl/woman stood up and walked slowly toward the door. A man in a tweed suit stood there grinning. "Welcome Ginevra! Please follow me."

This was it! She had been chosen. She followed the man down an oak staircase into a fully furnished lower level. It was gorgeous. Cherry wood paneling covered the bottom half of the walls.

On the floors were a luxuriously soft, cream colored shag carpeting. Leather furniture was arranged in an inviting manner around a stone fireplace. Original pieces of art lined the walls. The man left her there and she walked through the room into another room that was almost exactly the same as the first. The only difference was the large screen television bolted to the wall and a few books scattered on a coffee table. A young man in his twenties lounged on a chair watching something on the screen.

Choosing a sofa that looked especially comfortable, she sat down and reached for a book. It never crossed her mind to wonder where the man had gone. Or even to wonder anything at all for that matter. It was so quiet and peaceful down here. Yet there was something...something just out of reach. A feeling. Pushing it out of her mind, she settled in.

Time passed and she felt like she had only been there a few minutes. Yet it was already late and the clubhouse was closing. Strange. She stepped outside but couldn't remember which way she had come to get there. Why couldn't she remember? 

Ginevra headed in the direction she thought looked familiar. There was a large wood fence all along the alley. Alley? She certainly didn't remember coming through an alley. Nor did she remember a fence. Something was off. Hearing footsteps behind her, she looked over her shoulder and noticed a big man walking a few yards behind her. He appeared to be holding something. As he got closer, she realized it was a baby. Breathing a sigh of relief, she continued walking. There had to be an opening in the fence somewhere. But where? 

Before she even knew it, the man was ahead of her. He looked back at her and motioned towards a small door built into the fence. Without a second thought, she followed.

It was dark. Where was she? 

Then, a sharp pain on the back of her skull and she fell over. There was no time to react. The man was on top of her. What about the baby? Wasn't there a baby? These thoughts raced through her mind before she lost consciousness.

Fog. Distant voices. Pain. Slowly opening her eyes, she could barely make out the room she was in. Small. Dirt floor. A wall filled with huge windows that looked out over a large open area below her. She tried to sit up. Managed to crawl over to a wall so she could lean against it. Her clothes were torn and her hair matted with blood. The voices were louder, closer. Suddenly the door opened and a tall man stood there. He was skinny with a five o'clock shadow and beady eyes that she could swear were blacker than night.

"Why am I here? What do you want with me?" Ginevra choked out the words, pleading. "Please let me go!"

He tossed a pamphlet in her direction, turned around and left, locking the door behind him.

"No! Let me go! Please!" Tears rolled down her face as she realized the situation she was in. Who was he? Why did he have her locked up? Where was the man who attacked her?

Wiping her face, she remembered the booklet. It was there, on the floor by her feet. She picked it up. Read the title on the front. "FELLOWSHIP OF THE CHOSEN". What did that mean? She opened it. On the inside was a schedule of worship times, etc. Almost like a church bulletin. But not. Was it some sort of cult? "Oh God, help me!" She crumpled the pages, throwing it into a corner of the room, and broke down.

She must have fallen asleep because she hadn't heard anyone unlock the door. "You are the chosen. Come with me." A gravelly voice without a face. Through sleep-blurred eyes, she could see that it was the same man from before.

"Who are you?" She was panicking.

"You are the chosen. Come with me." He repeated.

There was no choice but to obey. Her legs didn't want to cooperate but she managed to pull herself up to a standing position, holding onto the wall for support. Everything hurt. It hurt to walk. But she followed. There had to be a way out of here. This can't be happening.

He led her down a corridor and then down a set of stairs. Right out into a courtyard of sorts. It was surrounded by the walls of the building which she could see was more like a compound now that she was out. There were rooms all along the walls of the upper floor. At least a dozen of them. All had large glass windows facing outside. The center of the courtyard was a circle made of stones. In the circle, there was an alter. Also stone. Several men, dressed in robes, stood on either side of it. Ginevra was so scared she could barely move. The man pushed her into the circle. And then it happened.

A deafening noise, like thunder only louder, shook the compound. The sky seemed to open up and swallow all the men. One minute they were there, the next they were just...gone. Except one. She hadn't noticed him hiding behind the staircase before. Now he ran toward her, grabbed her by the arm and pulled her out of the circle. "Run!" He shouted. She didn't question him, just did as he commanded. She ran.

 ...to be continued