Page 8 of The Devil Within

“I think I’ll stay. I’m good to get myself home,” I yell back at him over the thumping bass.

He slings his arm around Paul and plants a soft kiss against his partner’s forehead.

“Catch you tomorrow then!” they call back toward me as they wave and make their way through the sea of people.

I dance for a few more songs, letting the pounding of the music travel through my flesh as I sway along with the beat. Eventually, I feel the need for more liquid chaos. Leaving the crowd, I make my way toward the bar. I’ve probably already had enough tonight. I’m on drink number … four? Maybe five. Shit, I lost count, honestly. But I just feel light—free. And I’m not ready for that feeling to end just yet. My limbs sway and twist in time tothe beat thumping out of the speakers as I wander through the crowd. It’s as if I’m one with the song. We’re all one as we move in time together. It’s nice to be anonymous, no one, and yet part of the sea of bodies.

As I make my way off the dance floor, I fold my arms atop the sticky bar top. All the bartenders are busy so I lean forward, pushing out my breasts, hoping to get their attention. My phone buzzes in my pocket. My breath hitches as hope swirls in my stomach. It could be her. Slipping my phone from my pocket, I stare down hopefully at the screen.

Halloween Hottie: Hey, you never returned my text the other night. Hope I didn’t scare you off. I’m excited for our date.

I sigh and can’t stop my eyes from rolling into my head. That wasnotthe text I was hoping for. I should be excited. He’s nice and hot. But he’s nother. I can’t help the disappointment I feel that it’s not Celeste.What the fuck is wrong with me?I should be thrilled that this hot ass lawyer is excited to take me out, but instead I’m moping about my friend who won’t text me back.

“What can I get you?” The bartender pulls my attention away from my phone as I pocket my device and look up.

In front of me is a very attractive woman. She’s tall and curvaceous with full lips. Her loose black curls frame her heart shaped face and her dark complexion seems to glow in the lights above the bar. Her white V-neck shows off a pair of fantastic fucking tits.Fuck, she’s hot as hell. She’s exactly what I need to get my mind off Celeste and my stalker. Things have been a bit intense lately, but tonight I’m fucked up and ready to escape the shithole that is my life—if only for a night. A sexy distraction is exactly what I’m looking for. Maybe I can even go back to her place and avoid the nightmares that leave me breathless andexhausted.

“I’ll take a vodka lemonade, please,” I say, flashing her the sexiest smile I can muster.

Her ebony eyes sparkle as she assesses me, her gaze wandering from my face down to my cleavage. I feel my nipples tighten under her hungry stare.

“Put it on my tab!” An abrasive slur comes from beside me as a heavy arm slings across my shoulder. The putrid smell of sour beer and terrible body spray assaults my senses.

My beautiful bartender gives me an annoyed look before turning and wandering towards the service well.Damn it.I spin my stool violently towards the drunk asshole who just pussy blocked me, ready to give him a piece of my mind, when a chill creeps up my spine.

The feeling of eyes on me strikes me suddenly. My stalker is here. I don’t know how I know, but I do. He’s here and he’s watching me.

I shove the heavy arm of the hairy buffoon off of me and slide off my barstool. Before me is a darkened dance floor with a blueish strobe occasionally illuminating the writhing forms of dancing couples. The bass thumps in time to the erratic beating of my pounding heart. I scan the crowd, looking for evil hiding in plain sight. Women and men gyrate against each other, each flashing strobe like a blink that shows their movements in stop-frame. I can feel the dark presence that’s been plaguing me for weeks wrap around me, squeezing the breath from my lungs.

And then I spot him. I don’t know how I know, but I know he’s the one who’s been following me. His tall and muscular form stands opposite from me across the sea of sweaty bodies. His arms are folded across his chest as he stands completely still. I can’t see his face as his hood casts a shadow across his entire face, but I feel his heated gaze locked on me. He’s watching me. My breath hitches in my throat and my lungs burn. I can’tbreathe. I can’t move. I’m completely under his spell as he holds me captive with his mere presence.

Then the strobe flashes again, and he’s gone.

I blink rapidly, trying to get my eyes to focus. I scan the crowd, looking for a devil in a sea of unsuspecting victims. He’s not here.What the fuck?He was right there. I saw him. I know I saw him. I know it was him.

My feet move on their own accord, pulling me toward the dance floor. I’m not letting him get away. I’m going to confront him and ask him what the fuck he’s doing and why he’s following me. And most importantly, if he knows where Celeste is.

I barely take two steps before I’m halted in my tracks. A large hand circles my upper arm and roughly pulls me backwards. My back hits his paunchy front as he drags me closer.

“Hey baby, I just bought you a drink. Where do you think you’re going?”

I try my best to shrug off the barstool buffoon but his digits dig into my flesh.That’ll definitely leave a mark.

Oh, he’s one of those assholes. I’m so not in the mood.

“Fuck off,” I snarl as I jam my elbow backwards into his gut.

He groans in pain as he releases me. I don’t miss a beat. I storm off after the mystery man, leaving the drunk, former frat boy behind me to lick his wounds.

Swimming through a sea of sweaty forms, I desperately try to move through the crowd. People are drunk, or high, or both as they move to the music, oblivious to my desperation. I can’t let him get away. I shove and yell as I make my way across the expansive dance floor. When I reach the other side I scan my surroundings, trying to figure out where he could have gone. I would have seen him enter the crowd, or move to the door. It’s like he’s disappeared.

Maybe I really am starting to lose my mind.

Then I notice a small, darkened hallway in the back corner.It’s so dark I can’t see at all down the empty space even with the flashing lights above. A sign signals that the bathrooms are down that hallway. Who the fuck decided bar bathrooms should always be in some shitty, dark, hidden area? I guess those who like to prey on others in the cover of the dark. But I’m not a victim, I’m the fucking predator.

Throwing caution to the wind, I stomp into the shadows. I’m determined to confront the demon that’s been haunting me.

The hallway is dark and smells of piss and other bodily fluids. I can barely see in front of my face as the lights from the dance floor fade into the background completely. I move further back into the darkness and fingers abruptly wrap around my upper arm. I’m shoved to the left, my front hitting the cold brick wall as a firm figure presses up against my back.

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