Chapter 3: Twenty And Twenty-One
1089 Words
A group of six teenagers crossed the street and walked past them. Jassem could hardly understand what they were saying, but he realised it was mostly about celebrities and their upcoming exams. It didn't take the teenagers long before returning next to the growing group of lost people and asking for directions. They laughed, realizing that they all shared a common fate and started to introduce themselves.
"My name is Rahma. I'm twenty. Yes, I failed a few classes in high school, so I'm still stuck there." The oldest girl started with a bright smile. She was trying her best to hide her frostbitten fingers underneath her long-sleeved coat, but that was the reason why it became obvious.
"I'm Dina. Fifteen. I like anime and gaming, but I'm not a Weeboo. Spare me that." The second girl spoke, seemingly busy with her phone. She was so busy that she could find no time to wipe the snot coming out of her nose.
"I'm Wassim. Seventeen. I was kicked out of my apartment because I protested against my parents. They didn't want to give me more pocket money!" A brown-haired boy complained. "I had to spend the night in my Mercedes, would you believe how miserable my life is? Like… How can you not make my weekly pocket money two million instead of one? We're so poor! Might as well kill myself!"
A moment of silence.
"I'm Youssef. Eighteen. I thought maybe it is high time to watch this movie. I'm a year late, but it's worth a shot!" He smiled warmly, nervously crossing his arms behind his back.
"I'm Feyruz. Thirteen. I'm a bit too young, but Rahma is my neighbour, and my parents trust her a lot. Nice to meet you!"
The group of fourteen people exchanged nervous glances and waited for an extra ten minutes, but nobody showed up.
"So, can we go inside? I think they will be intimidated by our numbers. The staff or whoever started this farce." Fahd suggested.
"It's 10 PM already. We must go." Rahma agreed.
They entered the cinema and found a group of three people inside, a woman and two men. They seemed in their thirties. The two groups stared at each other before the woman spoke. "We're looking for the horror movie…"
"Yeah, join our party," Dina shrugged, "We're also lost. This is one crazy Tuesday."
"Ah… I see. Well, allow me to introduce myself," the woman smiled weakly and adjusted her hair. "My name is Joud. I'm a gynaecologist, and I just finished my studies. I thought that maybe I should treat myself and watch something special. It seems like it's cancelled though? I wonder where we can get tickets."
One of the men joined her, and she pointed at him. "This is my fiancé. We met at university, and we will get married next summer."
The man nodded. "Talal," he spoke shortly.
"I'm Harun. I don't know much about medicine, but I'm a good herbalist. Nice to meet you!" The second man joined them with a shy smile.
They walked ahead and found a middle-aged woman frantically looking around, seeming anxious. She frowned, staring at the crowd and quickly joined them. "Is this the group for the horror movie? I came here with my daughter Warda."
A short girl was standing behind her, peeping at the crowd. The woman pointed at herself. "My name is Sonia. Is the movie cancelled?"
"We're wondering about the same thing." Ahlem sighed. "We're eighteen now, and not a single one of us found a way to get tickets. Maybe we should give up."
"H-Hello, people!" They glanced behind and saw a woman scratching her neck and smiling broadly at them. "Is this the horror show? I… It has been a while since I got scared. I'm itching to get my heart to beat faster and hurt… I mean… Good evening, people. Where can I buy the tickets for the horror movie? My name is Shahd. I have been waiting for this p-punishment."
They stared at her in silence before hearing a man screaming and running towards them. "Konbanwa, minnasan!"
Dina grimaced. "No… Please, no."
A thirty-one-year-old man jumped in front of them with stars in his eyes, which were obviously lenses. "How are you doing today, nya? I'm doing great! My name is Oussama, and I came to get thrilled! But, it seems like there are no tickets left, nya? Do-chi-yooo?!" He pressed his hands against his cheeks dramatically.
"You surely live up to your name, Oussama." Fahd smiled in contempt. "A wild lion."
"Born to devour." Zain completed and nodded.
"So, now we're twenty?" Ahlem folded her arms. "It's eleven already. I don't even remember when the movie starts anymore."
"Not twenty!" Joud grinned and pointed at her belly. "Twenty-one."
"Shush, I'm trying to save the price of a ticket." Ahlem winked.
They both laughed.
"Well, I guess there is no movie." Shadi shrugged. "It was just a bad prank started by some mental dude. I'm going home!" He left the cinema, but before reaching the gates, incredibly heavy rain started pouring. The twenty strangers stared at the rain, half-terrified. "We're… stuck here?!"
Shadi gritted his teeth. "What is this bad joke?" He pushed the gates open and stepped under the rain. All the people around him were running around to seek shelter, and he walked towards the main road to cross the street and go home. "I'm not staying with that bunch any more second! They're all nutcases! I QUIT!"
He slowly blinked, hearing the sound of a vehicle honking. Blinding white lights covered his visual field, and as he glanced to the side, he saw a car getting closer at an alarming speed. He narrowed his eyes and saw no driver. He felt his heart pounding so quickly that he couldn't hear his older brother scream his name anymore. He could no longer feel the rain on his skin or hear the noise of the thousand people around him. Within a second, he became utterly alone and detached from where he was without taking another step.
Ready to die, he felt someone pulling him away from the car's path, and he saw light blue hair. He raised his eyebrows. "What?!"
"Take care."
Looking up, he saw bright yellow eyes smiling at him from above.
"It's too soon for you to die."
Shadi stared up at the man's face, eyes round. He felt his heart throbbing as his legs could no longer carry him. He fell to his knees with a gasp and lowered his head, shuddering.
The blue-haired took out a gun and pointed it Shadi. He smiled.
“Unless you want it now.”
Shadi gasped and leaned backwards.
He shut his eyelids, hearing a gunshot.
- Writer
