The final rush

Weilyn packed two bottles of vodka into his woven backpack. He stood up and fixed his skirt and took a good look at his makeup in the mirror. He took out a sheer lipgloss and spread the product all over his lips. Meanwhile I was finishing my dazzling eyeliner, packed with all sorts of glitter and shimmering sequins. “Aine. please don’t tell me your going out to Jeila’s party looking like that.” He scoffed as he looked me up and down, processing my blue denim trousers and white top embroidered with text. He sighed and strutted in his two inch heels to his walk in closet and handed me a dress.

I slipped on the skinny dress and twirled. Weilyn clasped his hands, complimenting my physique as he sipped a mixed drink out of a straw. “Girl you look stunning. Ugh imagine what Rick would’ve said.” Rick. That sicko. I wouldn’t be going to a party right now if I was still with him. The dress and denim jacket concealed my bruises pretty well. And they look amazing with my black shoes. I pleated my hair with colourful foil and danced around with my best friend as we blasted simple rave music and drank our first sorrows away. We really should have waited until the party to get wasted. I wobble up to the mirror in my heels on the matted carpet and whipped out my phone. I took a mirror picture captioning, “You can’t catch me now.” And sent it to my social status. This was the first night in an excruciating period of time that I managed to get wasted with one of the only people who I appreciate and loved.

Weilyn chugged his final gulp of alcohol and we ordered an Uber. We got picked up by a well known face, Markle. The girl who used to go to our college, now driving people to places and parties. We laughed and gossiped like clucking chickens the whole way through. We arrived to a festival shortly after, paying Markle in currency and farewells. We had sought to see that we were dropped of on a sidewalk opposite the festival dancing with lights and singing with music. I inhaled the stoic atmosphere and linked arms with Weilyn and approached the festival. An employee at the entrance granted us permission to enter, handing us two laminated passes.

The festival was lively and euphoric, giving the sensation of a surreal escape for the night. The buzzing chatter of the ocean of people merely brushed my ears as I processed all my surroundings. Weilyn took my hand and dragged me to a food stall where we savoured every bite of our fatty fast food and drinks. “Aine, I’m so glad you dropped Rick, he was really sketchy. I just wished I had a chance to swing at that psycho.” I nodded in agreement and giggled. Short flashbacks played in my head like broken records. After we finished, Weilyn stood up and left to go greet some fellow classmates. I sat calmly, smiling and breathing in life. drinking one of the vodka bottles Weilyn racked out his nifty back pack.

I checked my phone to see all of the attention I inhaled through my pictures. Girls I knew or barely knew from all over college and back home dying to be like me. Like me. The girl with a double life heh. Suddenly I felt a cold large hand placed in my shoulder. The hairs felt prickly on the back of my neck as they stood up straight. I really hoped this was a misunderstanding. I didn’t catch a glimpse of this persons face, all I caught was a harrowing white mask. Probably cheap plastic like the ones kids wear on Halloween. He etched his head closer to mine and whispered in a familiar tone, “Hello Aine. Don’t fight back. Your coming with me.” He clenched his fist around my skinny arm and started to yank me out my seat towards an entrance in the bushes. His footsteps got quicker and faster as he hauled his giant black boots across the dry muddy track. I managed to slip free and I start sprinting. Throwing off my mary janes to pick up more speed.

Before I knew it, I was lost in the steep night, the young moon just awakening as I panted and wheezed heavily and found myself in an unfamilair part of the festival, that cliffed out to darkness and an abandoned plot of land dotted with rusty cars and tow trucks. He found me. He was definitely much taller than my petite height. He leaned forward and subtly picked up speed, careful as to not attract foreigners. I didn’t know where to run. spinning in circles to glimpse all angles I decided to just run. Doesn’t matter where it would take me. I couldn’t run straight. The intake of alcohol earlier was slowing me down.

Why didn’t anyone notice? It was like I was invisible. A mere ghost or entity to the public eye. I dashed out onto an empty street, the atmosphere shaded like tarmac. All of a sudden I felt two big bulky arms wrap around me like a serpent and pick me up. His hot musty breath seeping through the mask was pressed against my hair. “I got you now.“ he sneered. I kicked and flailed my legs and screamed until he clasped his gigantic veiny hand around my mouth that smelled like kitchen chemicals. A van hauled up not too far away. The man dragged me into the back and threw me, gushing my head onto the metal and some sort of edge that stuck out like nettles. My head began to throb and ring like uncontrolled frequencies in my ear constantly. Like a furious wasp entangled in my ear. I opened my eyes and was surrounded my a group of men. The same looking as the guy who chased me. My eyesight went blurry and faded, till I saw almost nothing but an abstract of white mushed with ebony grey. And then white faded to black...