“Welcome aboard,” the chipper man in a sleek black suit said with a sly grin.
I took his vascular hand with an uncertain confidence. I made as much eye contact as I could, though his icy blue sinuses peered deep into my soul. His teeth were the purest shade of white I had ever seen in my life. The promises he made seemed almost too good to be true, but desperation drives people to do things they never imagined. It was how I found myself here.
The small room I found myself escorted to overlooked the vastness of the city below. A wide world, full of wonder and excitement. “Opportunity on every corner,” was the exact wording offered to me when I first approached the recruiter. He was not wrong, but I could not shake the feeling in the pit of my stomach. A deep down urge and desire to turn and run. One I ignored with dogged determination.
“Look out here and what do you see?” the chipper man asked.
“A sprawling metropolis,” I said.
“On the surface yes. But look beyond the aesthetic. Look beyond the facades and down into the nitty gritty. What do you notice above all else?” said the chipper man. He placed a warm hand on the small of my back.
I tensed up to his touch. I was afraid to pull back, for fear of jeopardising this budding relationship, though I must stress it is nothing more than platonic. My quandary lay in not knowing what the man was asking, at least not in the precise manner. I aimed to do my best to satisfy his line of questioning. So, I closed my eyes, and tried to imagine what lay below what I could see.
“There are… people,” I said.
“Describe them,” the man asked. His hand pressed ever so firmer against my spine.
“There’s so many. I don’t know where to start,” I said.
“In general, describe them. Their lives, hobbies, families, jobs. What sort of people are down there?”
“I see men and women of all shapes and sizes. Different races. This man, dressed in pink shorts and a cropped top is unafraid to showcase who he is. He dyes his hair monthly, but he is scared to tell others how old he is. The woman he walks with talks about how her child is failing English. She speaks of how this child brings shame upon their family,” I said.
“Follow the man. Tell me more about him,” the man said. His hand was now radiating heat across my lumbar region.
“The man, I can tell he is bored. He hears the same story every day, though not from the same woman. Sometimes from a man. He goes to the gym six days a week, always at the same time. Four in the morning. He spends two hours there without fail, and has done so for the past thirty years. He, he looks familiar. I think I know him,” I said.
I go to open my eyes, and I find myself in the middle of a rambunctious, high energy group workout. The bass in the music thumps against my eardrums and the floor vibrates in unison with everyone performing the movements. To my left, I see the same man who was walking down the street. I pause in confusion and I crease my brow. I wondered if this is how I knew the man. He sees me before I can finish my train of thought and moves closer with a wide grin.
“Keep moving, love! Only a few more minutes to go!”
“I know you,” I said in a soft voice.
“Time for talk after! Come, I’ll help you finish strong,” he said.
Before I had a chance to react, he moved in behind me, pressing his sweaty body against mine and grabbing hold of my wrists. Within seconds, we were moving in unison to the beat. My heart pounded in my chest, and the light seemed to brighten around us. I closed my eyes again, wanting to go back to where I was. I counted to five and opened my eyes. Nothing changed.
“What the?” I said.
The man leaned down and his hot breath tickled my earlobe. “Keep moving. He’s watching.”
“Who’s watching?”
“The man in the suit.”
I look to the stage and see the chipper man in the black suit standing still. He sees me and grins wide. But this time, it is different. His icy blue eyes are now a deep crimson. His skin is pallid and almost see through. He parts his teeth and I am plunged into darkness.
I open my eyes and find myself in the same room overlooking the city. Except I am in darkness. I try to move, but heavy metal chains bar my movement. My body throbs in agony. I look down and see my naked body covered in cuts and bruises. Dried blood marks the floor beneath me.
“What happened?” I asked no one in particular.
“The Devil,” a familiar voice says on my right.
I turn my head and see the man who was wearing the pink shorts in the same situation. His hair is matted with blood and his physique is gaunt and lifeless.
“I know you,” I said.
The man smiles. “I never stopped looking for you, my love.”
The room plunged into darkness and I heard a voice outside the door. I tried to cry out, but no sound left my lips.
“Welcome aboard,” the chipper man in a sleek black suit said with a sly grin.
Fenrir's Lair 