World Saints

Thursday 29^th November, 4:45pm

It was already dark with I was headed out the door, with my keys in one hand, my purse over my right shoulder and my phone in the other hand; I had my favourite pair of grey leggings on, with a purple cami-top tucked into them and completed the outfit with my favourite black and white check button up blouse, loosely draped over my arms and shoulders, all under my favourite red and blue winter coat. I could tell already that tonight was going to last forever. There was just something about the way the air was that told me, tonight was not going to be our usual night; and by god was that feeling far too right.

I worked the closing shift at World Saints Restaurant and Bar, which then turned into a nightclub after final service and tonight I was running the bar for the first time in a long time, it’ll be going on for at least three years ago, before my promotion to General Manager, but tonight Sophia, our usual Bar Manager called out sick, so we have to do as we have to. I’ve worked at World Saints for eight years, since I got out of school, as a waitress, then behind the bar and now as Manager- it’s been a hell of a ride, and I wouldn’t have changed it for the world, until what happened tonight.

My taxi was waiting for me just a few paces from my apartment complex, I got in, placing my purse on the seat next to me and smiled when I saw that my driver was Ellis, we had known each other for going on twenty years now, we had been friends all the way through primary and secondary school, stayed in contact when she went off to University after college, and now she was moonlighting as a taxi driver after having her first child, an adopted three-year-old little boy. She usually worked in a law firm, but she was on adoptive leave for the first year that her son would be with her, her husband stayed home during the mornings, evenings and nights, so that there was the two of them with the little boy for most of the day. We talked for a little bit while she drove me across town to World Saints, where I paid her, waved her off and let myself in through the back door.

As soon as I stepped into the bar, Kelsi looked on the edge of tears, but the relief when she saw me told me everything I needed to know.

“Thank goodness you’re here, we’ve had no servers in all day, I’ve been having to deal with the bar, the restaurant and even stepping in with hosting too. It’s only been me, Kyle, Jessica and Harvey out on the floor, Georgie, Holly, Sophia, Brooklyn, Hannah and Lila have all called out or been sent home today. And Krisi only has Luka and Greg in the kitchen with her, it’s been hectic. And we’ve been busier than usual today too, must be the full moon or something.” She scrambled to say as she was crashing and banging putting everything in the right place before we reopened for dinner. She took a big breath, sighed and then asked,

“How are you, anyway, looking forward to being behind the bar tonight?”

I smiled hesitantly,

“It’s been a long time, since before you came here, that I’ve run the bar, but its like riding a bike, you never forget. You sound exhausted, when do you finish, and who else is coming in?” Answering her question with another.

“8pm tonight, Jenna and Grace will be here any minute, and then Yasmin, Wyatt and Quinn are due to come in in half an hour.” Kelsi replied calming down from the panic from earlier. I shrugged off my coat and placed it on the coat peg behind the bar; I buttoned up the middle button of my blouse and pulled out my name badge from my purse, I pinned it on my top and washed my hands before helping Kelsi sort things out. We had an hour until opening, and within that hour, everyone else turned up, making things flow smoother and when the doors opened, we were ready and waiting.

10:30pm

Our last table had paid their bill and was heading out of the front door when I poured myself my first drink of the evening. Within half an hour, everything had been moved around and the restaurant was now a nightclub, with a huge dancefloor, comfy conversation areas around the bar and the DJ station was all set up, with the lights already going, and our playlist playing quietly as we worked transforming the place. It was so different you wouldn’t think it was the same place, like night and day all achieved in half an hour. Everyone scheduled for the night had arrived, including security and the DJ, and we opened the doors for people to start coming in.

In less than an hour we were at full capacity, the alcohol was flowing, and everyone was having a good time, I was enjoying being back behind the bar, working with Quinn, Yasmin and Grace again; we were drinking with our customers, dancing along to the music and laughing together, definitely having a wonderful time. It lasted another two hours and into the early hours of the morning, when something changed everything.

Friday 30^th November, 2:30am

It was coming up to cut off for entry, when I saw something out of place about one of the newer patrons stood in the corner of the dancefloor, the one closest to the entrance and exit doors. He was underdressed, in casual clothes rather than going out clothes, just a plain t-shirt poking out under a blue sweatshirt and jeans, with a big winter jacket on, like he knew he would be feeling the cold of being sober in the middle of winter. It was when he ordered his drink with Yasmin, I knew that he was not right; the way he spoke, his body language, it was as if he had been reading from a script that he could barely remember, he was rigid and cold in his stance, but he paid for his drink and moved back to the corner he had come from.

As the night was drawing to a close, with less than an hour until lights went up and we were closing to outsiders, I realised that the man in the jacket still hadn’t taken it off while he was indoors, it wouldn’t be of much use when he did go outside if he didn’t take it of indoors, and tonight it was hot inside; it was beginning to worry me even more than how he had interacted with my staff. It was when he made eye contact with me, that the feeling I had of knowing something bad was going to happen finally came to fruition.

3:12am

The man took off his jacket to reveal a small object attached to his belt loop, it was no bigger than a matchbox, but it was bright orange, so you could spot it a mile away; I only had time to panic for a moment when everything went black.

4:18am

I woke up on the floor of my bar, surrounded by my colleagues and I slowly pulled myself up using the bar; my head was splitting, my entire body felt numb but excruciatingly painful all at once and my vision was very blurred. I saw so many people laying on the floor, on the bar and in the seat areas, no one could I make out was breathing or not. It was then, that I heard moaning coming from one of the guests we had that night, I rushed as best I could to see if they were ok, but the pain in my head and the rest of me made it very difficult.

“Are you hurt?” I asked in a voice that did not sound like my own, it hurt to speak, every fibre of my being hurt. The lady I had just found, nodded her head slightly and gasped in pain, I put my hand on her shoulder and gave her a smile that I hoped told her not to worry.

“I’m going to call for help, I don’t even know what happened, but help will come.” I said as loud as I could so that anyone who could hear me, would hear me. I slowly stood back up from the lady’s side and pulled my phone out of my pocket. It was dead. I managed to get back behind the bar and into the office where I could use the phone and called the police and ambulances to World Saints.

“Hello, I need Ambulances and Police to World Saints Restaurant and Bar, there’s been an incident and I’m not entirely sure what happened, but we need a lot of help, we were at capacity, around 250 people plus staff were in the building when it happened… I don’t know if anyone is dead, but it doesn’t look good… Yes, the doors should be open, I will wait by the doors… My name, my name is Terra Grossman… I’m the manager here… Thank you…” I answered the operators questions and she stayed on the line until she could hear the sirens and doors opening in the background. I thanked the operator and she hung up the phone.

5:25am

I woke back up in a hospital bed, with machines beeping and wires everywhere. I must have passed out not long after the police and medics arrived as I could remember nothing about getting here. I had test after test done, scan after scan to see what damage if any had been done, and to work out what had caused the blackout of everyone in the World Saints.

I was informed that many who were found in the building were awake and currently being treated within this hospital and another; I did find out over the following few hours that a couple of patrons had not made it due to health complications and allergies.

World Saints was closed down and we all were out of a job, but it was for the best, as I had a lot of recovery ahead of me. Whatever the guy had used to do this had caused a lot of damage, both physically and neurologically. It was a good job that I had a lot saved away from work and some other things too.

The CCTV that was installed in the building had caught exactly what happened, but I have not seen it and I am not planning on it either. The papers and news channels across the country covered it in some extent for the next few months, but I never read, watched or even listened to it so I could avoid it as much as possible. All I know is the police have the footage and the guy who did this has been arrested and is being charged with a lot for what he did.

Monday 28^th January, 4:30pm

I got a phone call this afternoon, informing me that the guy responsible for everything that had happened last year had been put away for the rest of his life.

That part of my life was now beginning to come to an end, the only thing left for me to do will physically and neurologically get better, which is going pretty well at the moment.