SAMUEL

The bass from the music that currently played inside the warehouse could be felt in my chest. It was like I was a part of the beat, as if it resonated within me. I wasn't sure if I liked the sensation to be honest, but I wouldn't ditch Winston just because of some music. Looking up at the building from my place beside him, I took in the building.

The warehouse the party was taking place in wasn't far from the farmer's market as Winston had said. It sat wedged between another abandoned warehouse and an old auto-shop that had been converted into a bar, leaving enough space for a narrow alley. Peeling paint and rust weren't hard to find, and it was obvious the old building hadn't seen remodeling in a while. Cigarette butts and litter were spread around on the outskirts of the property, making me nervous.

Tate wasn't quite known for having... tame parties. It was true he rented the lot for each night legally, but unfortunately that didn't guarantee the absence of illegal activity in general. He had gotten in trouble before, but didn't seem to let it stop him. Getting a drink at a party thrown by Tate Evans was like playing Russian Roulette: there was always a chance someone spiked it with something. 

I wasn't sure what to expect at this party besides the possibility of vomit. I'm sure I looked funny trailing behind Winston, holding onto his sleeve like a child. Not to mention I was a couple inches taller and much lankier, which made it all the more odd looking. It wasn't my fault I was nervous! From what I knew, all high school parties resembled the ones I'd seen in TV shows as a little kid.

As we approached the entrance, Winston came to a stop and turned to face me. "You don't have to be nervous. Tate's a little... wild, I'll admit, but I'll stay next to you the whole time." He put a hand on my shoulder and patted it. "If you get overwhelmed and need a break, let me know and we can hide in a bathroom or something."

Feeling a good deal reassured, I took a deep breath and let go of the sleeve I had been clutching. "Alright, let's go."

Winston flashed me one of his knee-wobbling grins and pulled me by the arm towards a booth that sat beside the door. Behind it was a petite dark-skinned girl with short black curled hair. As we approached, she glanced up from her phone and spotted Winston. Instantly, her bored expression brightened and she flung herself into his arms.

"WINSTON! Oh my God, I'm so glad you're here! Tate made me run this stupid booth and it's been so boring. Like, all I'm doing is handing out glow-stick bracelets, I don't get it!" She finally released him from her forceful hold and I saw him wince. "It's like he's mad at me or something," she pouted, looking up into Winston's puzzled expression.

"Uh... I don't know, maybe? Have you done anything bad recently?"

"All I did was kiss another guy! And it was for a dare. And he was gay anyways, so I'm not sure of why he would even be upset!" At this, I slapped my forehead. 

"I doubt it matters to him that the guy was gay, just that you kissed someone else," I said quietly.

"Really? What a drama queen," she huffed, rolling her eyes. I just scoffed.

Winston looked between the both of us for a couple seconds, his face blank before he exclaimed, "Oh! Holly, you don't know Sammy, do you? Samuel, Holiday. Holiday, Samuel." He gestured between us, a massive grin splitting his face.

Holly eyed me with a look full of confusion. "How have I not seen you at a party before if you're friends with Winston?"

"I'm... not much of a party guy."

"Well, that can always change!" she sang. "Anyways, interested in some glow-stick bracelets? There's black-lights inside, so they look pretty cool. May as well do my job." She started digging around in a cardboard box before coming up holding two of them. "Left is yellow and the right one is green."

Winston gestured for me to choose first, so I took yellow and he grabbed green. After we both had them around our wrists, it was time to head inside.

"Tell Tate to come outside so I can talk to him!" She waved at both of us before returning to her seat and slouching, once again glued to her phone.

"Holiday, hmm?" I asked Winston as we stepped inside the darkened warehouse. "She doesn't seem like someone you'd hang out with a lot." We took off our jackets, adding them to the growing mound of... various articles of clothing.

"She may be crap at keeping a boyfriend, but she's loyal as hell."

"Seriously?" I was skeptical.

 "All we've done is chat at parties and she's already chased away multiple girls she said were gonna try and seduce me." 

"Sounds like jealousy to me," I muttered testily. "She just thinks you're hot."

"And I'm not? She'd better."

I flushed and refused to answer, glaring at him.

"Don't look at me like that. She's dating Tate!" he spluttered. "I swear I'm not a home-wrecker!" We neared one of the walls of the warehouse where there were less people. Some crates and other objects were available to be used as tables or seats.

"Winnie, you can't wreck a home if they aren't married. That only makes you an asshole who knowingly helps someone cheat."

"Tomato, to-mah-to. Technicalities." he waved away my words. "Not like I'd date her even if she was single."

That both relieved and confused me. "Why? Isn't she attractive to you?" She was visually appealing, that I could tell. Being gay didn't make me blind.

"Yeah," he said as he sat down on a stack of wooden pallets. "But you're way more fun to hang out with than a girlfriend."

That caught me off guard. I stared at him blankly for a second before jolting back to myself and sitting beside him. "I seriously doubt it."

In response he winked. "You already know everything about me, and I know everything about you. It's less work than getting to know a girlfriend!" 

I put my forehead on his shoulder and smacked his arm. "You lazy shit. I shouldn't be surprised."

He chuckled and patted my head, sending a small shiver down my spine. "You really shouldn't."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

After having an obviously under the influence teenager try to sell me some "happy pills", almost stepping in a large glowing puddle of some questionable substance, and somehow getting lost on my way to the water cooler, I was ready to melt into the floor and die. What on Earth did Winnie see in these things?

The number of people present had grown exponentially. It was like an impenetrable wall of pure teenager had sprouted out of the ground. Nobody looked familiar and the few people I did recognize weren't anybody I'd want to approach unless it was life or death.

Leaning against the wall, I sighed and checked the texts I had sent about ten minutes ago to Winston.

SAMMY: i'm stuck in a corner and can't get out help 

SAMMY: and i never even found the water cooler ):<

No response still. 

I hadn't really been thirsty, I just wanted to get away from Winston for a minute or two. He had been chatting with two people who only seemed to know how to talk about chemistry, and being him, completely forgot I was there. This was something I was used to, but that didn't mean it didn't hurt.

Winston wasn't a jock despite his stockier build. Instead, he was obsessed with chemistry. He genuinely balanced chemical formulas for fun.

Just looking at a periodic table infuriated me. Whatever I did, I could never understood it properly. I could have asked for his help, but I was embarrassed and didn't want to bother him. One barely passed chemistry class later, I regretted that decision immensely.

My phone vibrated in my hand and I checked for a reply from Winston.

WINNIE: sorry i was telling tate 2 go talk 2 holly 

Ah. That explained it.

WINNIE: which way did u go??

SAMMY: towards the back but i don't know if that's where i am. it's just one of the corners. there's an exit right next to me

WINNIE: go thru it ill go around & find u

I pocketed my phone, glancing about one last time in case there was an opening in the crowd. No such luck. Pushing open the door slightly, the squeak of the rusty hinges sounded at the same time a scream ripped through the air.

Oh God, it had come from outside.

What if Winston was already outside?

I threw the door open the rest of the way. The light the street lamp at the end of the alley gave off fully disoriented me, and I ran blindly. Everything was spotty and it was difficult to make out details. All I could do was stumble and hope I had chosen the right way. Suddenly, I tripped and the ground rushed to meet my face. The impact made me grunt and I blinked rapidly to try to clear my vision as I looked up.

About five feet away, a man stood over someone with an object in his hand. The light glinted off the strange item which resembled a soccer-ball-sized white orb. Why would someone have such a weird thing in an alleyway? What would he even do with it?

I moved my gaze to the person lying on the ground. Now I could see, I might be able to make out what's going on. 

Was that... a puddle of blood?

There was a puddle of blood around the person and a knife sticking out of their chest. I could see their stomach rising and falling, but their breathing seemed shallow. Then I recognized them. My chest was tight and I felt like I couldn't breathe. 

"HOLLY!" I screamed from my place on the ground, my voice hoarse. Her closed eyes fluttered open and she opened her mouth to say something, but only a stomach-churning gurgle came out. The man looked towards me but his face stayed bathed in shadows. As he began stepping closer to me, I started shaking. Was I going to die?

"What the fuck?"

Winston stood at the end of the alley, looking at the bloody scene with horror. He took a step forward, not seeming to understand what was happening. "Sammy? Holly?"

The man slowly backed away still with the orb in his hand, then began sprinting in the opposite direction Winston came from. I wanted to get up and tackle the guy, but my limbs stayed frozen.

When the man disappeared from sight, Winston started to walk towards me. It quickly turned into a run. Besides the pounding of his shoes on the concrete, all I heard was a soft exhale from Holly and then nothing. 

It narrowly registered in my brain that the bubbly, arrogant girl I'd met only an hour or so ago had died right in front of my eyes.

Suddenly, a brilliant white light exploded from her body, blinding me once more. I sat up and fell backwards. A primal instinct screamed at me that I needed to get away, right now, or something horribly dangerous was going to happen. The light didn't stop, and pain struck my head all at once with such ferocity I felt like I was actually going to die this time around.

The last thing I heard was Winston yelling my name before a combination of the pain and stress made me go limp and pass out on the ground.