The secret encounter

I’m already so late! I grab my coat, papers, keys, and phone before bolting out the door. I look down at the time and realize I have exactly twelve minutes to make it. I can make it, but it might be pretty close, damn. I start my walkout briskly, trying to make up for the time I had lost to myself not hearing my alarm go off. I am on my way to an extremely important meeting with two people who may help my dreams come true. Finally being in control of myself and my own business. I’ve waited so long for this meeting I just couldn’t believe it was finally the day and here I am two steps behind. The wind was so icy it stung as it whipped my face, whirling my red curls around. I clung my coat tighter to my body trying to get rid of the awful draft coming from god knows where. I’m looking down focusing on the next step I’m going to take, my eyes in tears from the dry, unforgiving wind when something rails into my left shoulder. The force is so strong I’m thrown off balance as I trip three steps sideways and try to scramble to recompose myself. I turn to my side to glare whoever so rudely knocked into me without saying sorry. It was a man. Tall, maybe at least a foot more than I. Dark, short hair slicked back and a long pointy nose leading up to his black piercing eyes. He wore a sleek gray suit that made him look that much more intimidating. “Watch where you're going lady, good god!” I scoffed and tilted my head back in disbelief. Who the hell did this guy think he was anyway? How incredibly rude! I watched as he turned the corner and carried on as if nothing had ever happened.

Oh shit! My meeting! I glance at my phone and I now have 6 minutes to make it, my papers are flying all around me. I rush to each page picking up the pace trying to get each piece as it’s being tossed away. I notice some of them are now dirty and some are wet and ruined. I sigh as I know I just don’t have time to fix any of this. I have to make it to my meeting! I turn the corner right in front of the little scrimmage I had just had, when I’m knocked completely back so hard I fall to the ground and my things are flung everywhere, “ Hey, just what in the hell do you think you're doing?” At that moment I realize that there are two of them now, one in front of me and now the man who knocked into me before behind. I open my mouth to yell for someone, anyone. But I was so wrought with fear only one silent, shaky cry came out. “Come with us.” The two large men in gray suits grab onto my arms and proceed to handcuff me. What is literally going on here? What did I do to him to make so mad? why me, why now! Why did I have to be late! why! I was so scared the only thing I could do was say “W-wwhy?” I am so confused and distraught. It seemed like two minutes felt like two years. “You know what you did.”

I literally have no idea! What did I do? I try going back over the last couple of days in my head, trying to put something together to make sense of this. A black unmarked car pulls up to the side of us and the man opens the door. “Get in, now.” He shoves me in the direction of the car and I follow lead leaning my head down and climbing into the back of the car. I have no idea if I am ever going to come back alive. I am so scared! My hands won’t stop shaking, back and forth. I have no courage to speak any words from my mouth. I swallow really hard, my throat is so dry. It feels like I’ve swallowed rocks that scratched my throat on the way down. There are now three men with me. The driver, and the two gentlemen from before. They don't speak one word to each other. We just drive in complete silence. It sounds like high pitched screeching all around me, taking over every piece of my mind. I couldn't for the life of me remember why I could be here. Not long after starting our journey, we were already pulling up to a small compound building with a wired metal fence around the whole perimeter. We must be just outside of town, but I have no idea where. Trees are surrounding us on every side, we are out of complete sight. That very thought was even scarier, I shook my head and tried to regain some composure and ask what the hell was happening here. "Where.. are.. we?" My voice cracked with fear and anxiety. I felt adrenaline rushing through my body as I remained on alert.

"Get out." The man I had crashed into earlier was holding my door open waiting for me to step out and follow him inside. I reluctantly got out taking in all my surroundings. I was focusing on how I was going to get myself out of this, and I was coming up empty. He opens the door to a small dark hallway with stairs leading down into the ground. Down we go. There had to be at least a hundred stairs to get to the bottom, it seemed like it went on, and on before we reached the last step. The stair led to another hallway full of closed doors. What the hell is this place? There was nothing in here, just a building with rooms it seemed like. The man in the gray suit kept on his way leading me down the hall and then a turn to the right down another hall. A couple doors down and the door with the number 421 was opened. The room consisted of a desk and three chairs, and that was it. One window that was blackened out, obviously a two-way mirror, and one doorway, the one we came in. On the desk sat files laid out all over the place. "When were you first contacted?" The man's voice was quiet but stern. "W-What?! I'm sorry, excuse me? Cont-" "Don't play stupid with me, you know damn well what I'm talking about. If you don't tell me what I need to know, you won't be leaving here." There's no way at all possible that they know about what happened to me. I thought it was a bad dream I had. There was no way what I had experienced was actually real.

I was all alone, or I thought I was. It was just a normal night like any other and I was home watching tv, scrolling through my phone when I heard something in the backroom fall over. I grabbed my phone and headed towards the noise to check it out. "Hello?" I asked, hoping there would be no answer. Silence, except the sound of my heart beating out of my chest. I listened closely to see if I could hear another noise. Nothing! I sighed in relief and let out a quiet chuckle, I'm so easily scared it's ridiculous. I went back into the living room and the power shuts off all in one instance. I am completely frozen as I dart towards the kitchen to the breaker box. What? As I enter the kitchen all my cabinets swing open and the table and two chairs start to levitate in the air. I try to let out a scream from sheer terror, yet I am still frozen with disbelief. My phone starts to ring, but not in my ringtone. A tone that is so high pitched I can't even hear myself think. It fills my ears and I fall onto the ground grabbing at my ears, trying to make the sound go away. It feels like my ears are going to start bleeding any moment and then it stops and a voice comes over the line and says, "Now is the time. You are ready. You have been chosen." My skin felt like it was on fire and as I looked down at myself, I was glowing pale white. I screamed out in terror, "What's happening to me?!" I felt this intense pressure taking place in between my eyes and a light from a place I couldn't see beamed down onto my face in the very spot and I couldn't move. The light was growing more intense and I had to squeeze my eyes closed to shield them. The light was starting to dim and fade away when a warm tingly sensation flowed all through my body and pulsated into the ground creating a loud thud. The lights were back on and I was sitting in my chair with my phone in my hand. I looked around and realized I was by myself, and I decided that it must have been a really vivid nightmare. And I never spoke of it to anyone. Not one person since. It had scared me so badly I convinced myself it was dreamt and tried to carry on as normal as I could.

Now things were going to shit. I was scared, I didn't know who these men were, and most importantly how did they know? While I recalled back the horrific memories I now have to face as reality, the man in gray just stared, waiting for my reply. Do I tell him? Or do I keep my mouth shut? Will he even let me go? So many thoughts were racing through my head I couldn't get a clear vision of what to do next. "You're something special, you know that thought don't you? You didn't think we'd let you get away that easily did you?" His smirk made me think I was never going to be leaving this place.