The Lost Soul

CW: Physical violence, sexual violence, substance abuse (spiking)

The bar was crowded, trapping me in a sea of people, enveloped in a room full of smoke, and the sound of music echoing off the walls. Though I was entangled in a world of darkness, it was not enough to block the flash of light catching the corner of my eye. Did someone just take a picture of me? I looked around, hoping to find the culprit, but as I tried to gaze through the crowd, I discovered my efforts were in vain. “Whatever,” I told myself. Taking another sip of my drink, I turned my mind to other matters, which included the hot stud playing pool. It has been a while since I slept with anyone, and if I wanted to break my dry spell, he would be my choice for the evening. Downing my drink, I hopped off the barstool and began to stagger towards the pool table, but before I even took two steps, the room started to spin. As the room began to spin faster, I reached for the barstool to steady myself, but before I could grasp it, a pair of hands encircled my waist.

A gentle voice whispered in my ears, “Easy, Vicky. It seems you’ve had a little too much to drink.”

I tried to push him away, but my arms laid idle at my side. My legs began to give out under my weight, and my mind disappeared in a fog of confusion. As if a voice called outside of my body, I heard myself ask, “How do you know my name?” before I could hear his answer, everything went dark.

I’m not sure how long I was out, but when I came to my senses, I knew something was terribly wrong. I felt the sensation of cold steel pressing on my back and encased in a lifeless body. Why can’t I move, I thought? Is this a dream where I find myself frozen in time? The rasping sound of heavy breathing answered my question. This was no dream. The feeling I was being watched began to overshadow me. As I tried to open my eyes, I quickly discovered they resisted my command. Again, I tried and after wrestling with their resistance to opening, I found myself the victor.

The glare from the fluorescent lights burned the back of my eyes, and they involuntarily closed again. I wasn’t sure if I was gaining more control over my faculties, but when I tried to reopen my eyes, I was met with less resistance. This time, I let my eyes adjust to the light, and a moment later, I found myself amidst unfamiliar surroundings. The room was unusually clean, spotless to be exact. Stainless steel benches were affixed to the walls, and on those benches were plastic buckets, filled with unknown chemicals. I felt like a fish out of water. Again, I asked myself, ‘Where am I?”

As if my thoughts were spoken aloud, a voice from a corner of the room answered, “I’m glad to see you’re awake, Vicky.”

As I tried to speak, my voice was raspy, barely more than a whisper. “How do you know my name?”

A man stepped out of the shadows, entering my field of vision. He was tall and thin, with dark hair and was in his mid-twenties. He looked like any other man you could pass on the street and quickly forget him.

“I took the liberty of going through your pocketbook,” he replied. “Your name is Victoria Lightfoot, but I’m sure your friends call you Vicky. I can call you Vicky, can’t I?” He continued without waiting for an answer. “Lightfoot, eh? American Native I presume. Good. Then you should appreciate what I am doing here.”

“Who are you, and what have you done to me?” Vicky garbled out. “Why am I here?”

“My name is Arman, and the good news is, I brought you here to save your soul. As to what I have done to you, it is simple. I slipped Liquid X, a date rape drug in your drink. Then I took you from the Bar of the Damned and brought you here to purge your soul of all the poison it has ingested through your lifetime. Of course, I had to make sure you wouldn’t try something foolish like trying to escape, so I injected you with atracurium, a paralytic drug doctors use for surgery to make sure you don’t move during an operation.” Arman laughed. “It just occurred to me. considering I’m performing a certain type of operation, atracurium seems be a proper piece of the puzzle.”

Arman may have thought it was funny, but I was horrified. Struck with fear, my mind began to race. “What is he going to do to me? Am I going to die?” But the most important question I asked myself was, “How am I going to get out of here?” with all my might, I tried to command my legs to move, but it was as if I was disconnected from my body. “How long does this drug last? In time, I might be able to move again.” I knew I have to stall him. “So, Arman, if that’s you real name, where did you get these drugs? I doubt if you pick them up from the local pharmacy.”

A glimmer of pride shown from Arman’s eyes. “To tell the truth, I work as an IT Specialist at the National Institutes of Health. Now, you may ask yourself, how could an IT guy have access to exotic medication such as ketamine and atracurium? You’d be surprised how simple it is. You see, I have access to all the labs and storage areas that have computer equipment. And as for security? It nearly non-existent behind those closed doors. Oh, you’d be surprised what I have stored in my medicine cabinet.”

As those words rang through my ears, I noticed my toes began to tingle. The drug is wearing off! Just a little more time and I might be able to escape. I must continue distracting him. “So, tell me Arman, how are you planning to save my soul?”

Arman scoffed. “Me? I’m not going to do a thing. You’re the one who’s going to do that.”

A glimmer of hope came into being. I can wiggle my toes now. Just a little more time. “Exactly, what do I have to do?” I asked.

Before Arman could answer, the chime of an unseen timer blared out. “Well, Vicky, time for another shot. I wouldn’t want you to get any ideas about trying to escape.” He stretched out his arm towards a workbench and picked up a syringe.

As I realized what he was about to do, I began to panic. “Don’t do it! I won’t resist. I promise.”

But Arman wouldn’t listen, and I was powerless to stop him. He lifted my lifeless arm and administered a dose of atracurium. “I would like to believe you, but I don’t. You don’t know how many women before you have said the same thing.”

Terror overwhelmed me when I discovered I wasn’t his first victim. How many were there before me, and even worse, how many will there be after me? As the sensation in my feet faded away, all feelings of hope vanished with it. “I need more time, but it’s useless.” Suddenly, an idea came to mind. I may not be able to get time, but maybe there’s another way I can get free. “Arman.” I called out. “If I want to save my soul, what do I have to do?”

“Simple,” Arman replied. “Confess all your sins to God, and with all of your heart, pray for forgiveness. If you do that, your soul will be cleansed, and you’ll be freed.”

Could it be that simple, I thought? If he hears my confession, will he let me go? There was only one way to find out.

“Oh, God, please listen to this wretched soul,” I began. “I have sinned, not only against you, but to all those who have touched my life. My drinking and sleeping around was only for my pleasure and nothing more. I swear, from this day on, I will never taste alcohol, or sleep with another out of wedlock. Please Lord, through your merciful heart, please forgive me, a sinner.”

When I was finished, I felt her eyes tear up. Though my body remained motionless, I was trembling in thought, as the weight of guilt eased off my shoulders. “Do you think God heard me?” I asked.

Arman smiled. “It was a beautiful confession, Vicky. I’m sure God will forgive you and answer your prayer.”

Though I was afraid of what the answer might be, I bravely asked, “Will you let me go now?”

“Yes, I will set you free, free from the body which corrupts your soul through sin. You are a creature of the earth and thus doomed to sin again. Now that your soul is clean, how can I let you stain it again? Now is the time to separate your soul from your body and let it soar to eternal life in Heaven.”

Fear struck my heart when I heard those words. “No! You can’t,” I stuttered. “They’ll catch you if you do this. Just let me go and I swear I’ll won’t anyone about this. Please!”

“Oh Vicky, how kind it is of you to think about me, but you don’t have to worry about that. You can ask the others why that is, when you ascend to Heaven. Do you know where we are right now?” Armand continued, “We’re in a morgue, the crematorium to be exact. I work here part time as a janitor and have access to the building 24-7.” He pointed to a door at the end of the room. “Behind that door is the cremation chamber. It’s there where your corrupt body will be purified by fire, and your soul shall be release to eternal life. Later I’ll scatter your ashes in the cemetery. The plan is quite simple, no body to discover and no questions asked. So, like I said. I’ll be safe and you have nothing to worry about.”

Vicky began to whimper. “You can’t kill me. That’s a sin! You don’t want to commit a sin, do you? Please don’t do it. I want to live. Please, please give me a second chance!”

Arman reached towards the bench and retrieved another syringe. “Don’t worry, Vicky. Once I give you this, you’ll fall asleep and won’t feel a thing. The next thing you’ll know, you’ll be in Heaven thanking me for what I’ve done. No, I’m not killing you. I’m giving you a new life.” With that, he stuck the needle in her arm and pressed the plunger. He watched as Vicky’s eyes fluttered for a second and then closed.

“There, there, Vicky. Be at peace.” Arman rolled Vicky to the next room, opened the cremation chamber door and gently slid Vicky’s body inside it. Then he closed the door and threw the main switch, the flames ignited and began disintegrating Vicky’s body. Arman then took his phone out of his pocket and glanced at its photo album. There was a picture of Vicky at the bar. He smiled and placed the phone back in his pocket. “It is finished. Tomorrow morning I’ll spread the ashes and later that afternoon, I’ll check the bar at the other side of the county. Looking for lost sheep is my calling. I am the good shepherd, and thy work shall be done.”