Prologue
Katherine
In an understated club in not the best part of town, I swayed and sang along as The Hysterics elevated their fans into rock and roll bliss. The roaring crowd was packed in like sardines, sweating and dancing to the thundering music. The air conditioning wasn’t keeping up, and as the temperature continued to rise, the muggy heat was getting the better of me but I had to hold out for just a bit longer.
As the lyrics to my favorite song,The Lifespan of a Firefly,from the underground alternative rock band overtook my soul, I sang my heart out along with the rest of the patrons.
It's a dull kind of pain that just sits in my heart and weighs me down
And you're the only one who can fix it
It burns and erupts at the worst times
Stinging old wounds that have already been licked clean
Right when headway is made, the darkness crashes again
Closing in on my starlight
Little flicks of magic extinguished one by one
The firefly's lifespan gets tested over and over
Thankfully, she is inked into existencefor all eternity
The rock gods started to transition into a fast-paced tempo of a brand-new, not released song and I found my window to escape the muggy heat for a moment. After shoving my way to the back door, I ducked into the alley behind Libations for some much-needed fresh air.
The thumping bass pulsated through the thick brick wall behind me as the breeze pleasantly floated by. Rolling my head back, I breathed in the damp night air, finally cooling off.
“Kat? You good?” Vicki called as she joined me.
“Yeah, just needed to get out of there for a minute.” I smiled at my best friend as she pushed her drenched bangs off of her forehead.
“Want me to stay with you?” Vicki was the sweetest, but I knew how much she had been looking forward to this concert.
I waved her off. “I’ll be back in soon. I was just overheating a little.”
She put her clammy hand on my shoulder. “You sure?”
I playfully elbowed her back toward the door. “I’m a big girl.”
After blowing me a kiss, she ducked back into the venue as the next song started to play.
Reassuming my position propped against the wall, I closed my eyes, taking in the stillness and calm, trying to muster up the energy to rejoin the hoard of elated fanatics. After a few seconds, something deep within me my eyes to open, like some weird spidey sense. I couldn’t put my finger on why, but my heart started to race, my skin prickled and the hairs on my arms stood on end.
Just as my eyes flew open, a towering man in a dark hoodie was rushing to my side, his face draped in shadows. It all happened too fast. I tried to get to the refuge of the club, my fingers reaching out for the metal knob that was only millimeters away. I tried to fight him off, but there was nothing I could do. The stranger’s arms were wrapped around my frame instantly as he pressed me against the cool bricks.
“Stop! Help!” I screamed before his leather-gloved hand flew over my mouth.
Smack.
Searing pain shot through me as my head slammed into the wall a few times. I screamed and cried as blood started to trickle down the back of my neck.
“Shhhhh,” he whispered in my ear. “You’re safe, Katherine. Don’t make me hurt you again. I don’t want to hurt you, precious.”
“How do you know my name?” I tried to shout under the thick fabric. “Who the fuck are you?”
“I have been waiting for this for a long time, precious,” he cooed before sticking a needle in the side of my neck as I continued struggling in vain, trying to escape his tight grip.