The Nightclub

Trigger warning: this story contains content that may be unsettling to some readers, including substance abuse, suggestive themes, abuse, and gore.

The wind aggressively danced throughout the night. Its howls echoed outside the window, begging to come inside. Crystal turned the radio’s volume up as she poured boiling water into the bath. She played smooth RnB music, which dwelt on intimacy and sensuality. A bath bomb was submerged in the water, and a silky pink cloud filled the bath. Steam blurred her vision as she stirred the bath bomb, and she inhaled a candy aroma.

Crystal stripped from her robes and sank into the water. She stroked the skin on her legs. They were freshly shaven and smooth. Her body was hers and beautiful, a concept she had never truly appreciated.

She released herself in bliss and self-love… until the aggravating rings of her phone interrupted. She sighed. She left the bath and trailed water to the sink to answer. It was 11:47 PM. On the other side of the line was heavy breathing.

“I don’t do pranks,” Crystal said, breaking the unsettling atmosphere.

Before she hung up the phone, a trembling voice choked up to speak. “Cr-Crystal.”

It was a voice from her past. “Where are you? What do you need?” Crystal asked.

“I went back,” the voice said.

The wind’s violent rampage knocked out the building’s electricity, engulfing Crystal in darkness. The blue screen light was harsh on Crystal’s golden skin. “Did Arzel see you?”

The voice went quiet, but her breathing became irregular. “What do I do? My phone’s dying, and I cannot find the girls I’d came with-”

“I don’t know why you chose to call me,” Crystal confessed. “I can’t do it again. I’m not strong enough to save you. Not there”

“Crystal, you can’t do this to me. Don’t give up on me.” The girl’s voice became heavy and breathy. “I was given something and I don’t know how long I have before it’s too late.”

“I’ll come get you,” Crystal announced, grabbing a towel with tears welling in her eyes. “I’ll hang up here to conserve your battery. And Petra...”

“Yes?”

“Resist the hums of the music.” Crystal hung up.

Crystal blindly stumbled into her bedroom and pulled a flashlight from her nightstand. She shined a light into her closet. A single shimmery red dress ignited from the beam. That would be her armor.

The line for the nightclub was two blocks long of perverted men, baby-faced new adults, and model-like women. Crystal strutted straight to the bouncer, her 8-inch heels clanking after each step. The bouncer was bulky and towered over Crystal. His ominous aura was disrupted by the sight of her. His eyes softened. Groans and whines of irritation from the restless partiers were heard as Crystal cut the line.

“What are you doing here?” The bouncer’s voice was tired and gravelly.

“When did you see Petra come through?” She bluntly asked.

“It’s been a few hours. She brought in some new clientele. Something new for the guys to chew on.”

Crystal glanced at the ring on his finger. The ruby subtly glowed. An insignificant piece of jewelry trapped him in eternal imprisonment. She instinctively touched her neck, looking for a necklace that wasn’t there. “I’m going to find her. What time are they feasting?”

The bouncer unlatched the velvet robe. “Sunrise.”

The bass in the music vibrated through Crystal's body. She forced through the packed dancefloor, looking for any signs of Petra. She repeatedly called Petra’s phone. No answer. It was past 3 am. The DJ entranced the clubbers with addictive music and forced them to dance. Dance for hours on end with no intent of stopping. The pool of glamour and beauty drowned out Crystal’s glimmering look. To get a better view of the crowd, she found a balcony to perch on. But it’s VIP. Kali’s VIP. Crystal recalled how Kali had shown indifference regarding her, and she had doubts that he desired her to return to this world. He was safe.

Crystal pushed her way into the section. Kali had two blonde beauties attached to him. Crystal took a seat across from them.

“You always had a sweet spot for blondes,” Crystal commented.

Kali jumped up and dragged Crystal to the side. His claws dug into her arms. “You must really enjoy the pain.”

Crystal narrowed her eyes. “I might. Maybe you can show me a good time.”

“I’ll get security to drag you out.”

“Ironic when you use them to keep the clubbers in.” Crystal unclenched the fist she hadn’t realized she made and continued. “Have you seen Petra tonight?”

“Who? You can’t expect me to remember everyone I’ve met.”

Crystal rolled her eyes. “Where’s Arzel then?”

“I haven’t seen him all night,” said Kali, biting his lip. “I won’t let you get to him.”

“Then we have the same goal. Let me use this balcony to find my friend, and I slip out before I'm discovered. Deal?”

“Whatever.” Kali slid back to his girls.

Her eyes were strained from 30 minutes of searching with no luck. Faces in the crowd began to mesh together, and with her heartbeat pounding in her head, Crystal’s confidence was deteriorating. Until a girl out of tune with the rest of the club stood out. She was frozen as everyone else was a slave to the beat. That was her. There was Petra. Crystal flew down to the dance floor and beamed to where Petra was. Between the bobbling heads, the frozen girl was seen; it was definitely her.

Crystal was so close. A familiar touch was placed on her shoulder. Not now. Crystal slowly shifted her body and saw him. She saw Arzel.

“Crystal,” he croaked, voice cracking, which revealed a sliver of gentleness. He smirked and spoke with confidence. “You came back for me.”

She scoffed. “Why would I do that?” She picked Arzel’s hand from her shoulder.

Arzel was angelically beautiful. He had luscious blond hair that hit his neck. Features were sharp like a knife. With double smile lines and dimples, he was an enticing man. He peered over Crystal to see Petra, who remained intoxicated and detached from reality. “Oh no, don’t tell me you came back for her?”

“You aren’t going to stop us from leaving!” yelled Crystal.

In front of Crystal’s eyes, with a snap of a finger, Arzel stripped them from their disorganized club environment and transported them to a calming beach under the moonlight. Alone. The song of the shores harmonized with the crickets to fill the silence.

Arzel interlocked fingers with Crystal and guided them to sit in the sand toward the horizon. “I miss you.”

“Liar.” Crystal released herself from Arzel’s grasp and sat on her hands. “I never loved you. I fear you. Let Petra and I go.”

“You hurt me. Don’t you care?”

“So did you, but you only care about your feelings.”

“Crystal, please.”

Crystal stood up as Arzel remained on the ground.“What? If I stay, then I’m your slave again? Trapped in purgatory when you’re done with my soul? You are incapable of humanity!”

Arzel rubbed his eyes. “Why are you really here, then?”

“I told you. To save Petra. How dare you drug her?”

Arzel rose above Crystal. She felt his warm breath. “I pity you,” he said. “Do you really think she was drugged? You think she didn’t have a choice? She’s weak-willed. You knew she would relapse, but what about you?”

Tears dwelled in her eyes. “You’re lying.”

“You wanted a reason to be here. A reason to have a taste. Indulge in me. Dance with the devil. Or are you strong enough to resist me?”

Their lips were suddenly only inches away. Crystal’s lips began to quiver. Arzel licked his as he stared into her eyes.

Crystal closed her eyes. “Take me back.”

She opened them. She was back in the club. Arzel was nowhere to be found. Crystal released the tears she struggled to repress. EDM started playing, and the crowd’s dancing got aggressive. Crystal was pushed and pulled like the waves of an unruly sea. She checked her phone. It’s 5 am. They were running out of time. Petra disappeared from the dance floor. She got in the elevator with a man. Crystal struggled to follow.

The man wiped blood from Petra’s nose while he embraced her. He leaned in to kiss her. But with the music seeping through the private lounge’s walls, Petra stumbled off the sofa and sloppily danced for this stranger.

Bang Bang Bang! Someone interrupted by violently knocking on the door. The man groaned and opened the door. It was Crystal. She forced herself in, swiftly removed the man, and slammed the door behind him.

Crystal had to catch her breath before speaking to Petra. “We need to get out of here.”

Petra never stopped dancing. “Crystal, you came for me?” She wrapped her arms around Crystal’s neck. “I have your favorite medicine.”

“Medicine? Who did this to you?”

“Who? What do you mean who?”

Crystal noticed the sky was transitioning from dark purple to orange through the window. “We ran out of time. We can’t get through the dance floor before sunrise.”

Crystal snatched a chair and smashed the window open, demolishing the chair in the process. She cleared the loose glass with a leg. She leered down at the ground. Three stories down. “We might break something, but we can go through here. Let’s go.”

Petra continued to dance, and it pained her to do so. “What if I don’t want to break a bone?” she laughed at her own question.

“Did you lie to me?” Crystal gulped.

“I was scared. But since you’re here. I can do this. We can.”

“This isn’t an ordinary club. We don’t get to go home. You don’t know what they’ll do to us if we are trapped here, again.”

“Immortality.”

“Eternal suffering. Forced to find souls for those demons to feed on. Or to be a soul for those demons to feed from. Petra, listen to me!” Tears became a waterfall.

“Don’t patronize me. You are Arzel’s trophy. You are a goddess here, so why pretend that you were a victim? Why can’t you do this for me?”

Crystal knew. She knew Arzel was right all along. She knew that she had to say goodbye. She hugged Petra for the last time. She walked to the window and climbed through it, cutting the flesh on her arms and legs. She looked back at Petra for one last time.

“Goodbye.” Crystal let go and fell.

The club was engulfed in flames of an array of colors. Paralyzed, Crystal was forced to watch. Bloodcurdling screams and cries were faintly heard. After a few moments, the flames, the cries, the people, the club ceased to exist. The only thing that remained was a charred alleyway.