The Mark Of The Beast

2. Crash Da Club POV: Shannon Alexis Chandler

Suddenly It's like I was jerked out of the pitch-black darkness, jerked back conscious, and since my eyes were open and I'm not staring into pitch-black darkness. My voice is back too. I startled myself. All I could remember was right before I went unconscious I was trying to breathe through a burning blistering pain that was making it impossible and I couldn't make a sound not even to scream.

I guess I regained consciousness the same way I went out as I inhaled both lungs full of oxygen minus the burning blistering pain I must have been expecting or anticipating the breathtaking pain by the violent gasping sound that escaped me unexpectedly as I inhaled a bigger breath than what I thought was gonna actually get into my lung's. I must have given myself a start then I was surprised to hear the squeal wasn't silent. Causing me to choke on a caught which I then had a minor coughing fit. It wasn't real bad and only lasted a minute. My breathing was fine after that. I didn't feel any pain, no burning, or blistering inside me. so I just lay back. Relaxing on my back just breathing and staring up at the decorative decals of constellations on my ceiling.

Trying to get my bearings mentally before physically. I didn't want to overdo it and bring on another awful attack or episode or whatever that was that knocked me unconscious. IDK What the hell happened nor do I care to relive it already. I gotta get a check-up pronto...Wait? Uhm...My ceiling? I slowly cut my eyes to the left to get a side view of what was to my left. Then I cut my eyes to the right to get a side view of what was to the right of me. Taking a deep breath and raised my head to look around. My room?...

I wasn't in my room when everything went black. I remember. I was at Abernathy's. I remember everything then everything went black. The next thing I knew I just woke up minutes ago.

How did I get here? Why am I not at the hospital? Who would bring me here instead of the hospital? And just leave me alone unconscious?

They can leave me alone unconscious at the hospital. I don't feel like I was unconscious for that long. It seems like a few minutes it takes longer than that to drive from there to home where my room is.

Where is my phone? I sat up looked around me on my bed and felt my pocket's no phone, I don't see my backpack/purse or my keys anywhere either. So WTF? Well, now how about this for "Dude where's my car?", turning on some light for starters.

"Hey Alexa, turn on my bedroom light plz". I hear "Turning on light" and the room's lit up. I glance around and still don't see my backpack or phone or key's laying anywhere.

"Hey Alexa can you find my phone?". she replies with "Locating Shannon's Phone" and I forget it doesn't ring when Alexa finds it and the obnoxious alarming sound goes off instead. Coming from the drawer of my vanity.

I go over to the drawer and pulled out my phone. I should have given myself a look in the mirror but my mind was elsewhere. I silenced the alarm and plopped back on the bed. I notice it's automatically bitching about having 3% battery power left and I stretch across the bed on my stomach and plug into my charger that stays plugged into the wall by my nightstand.

I see my status bar is so full of notifications. Tons of missed calls, visual voicemails, and text messages. Mostly from James and Kelsey. A couple from mom and 1 text from dad, real short and sweet straight to the point as always. Not surprised that mom and dad didn't call me to death since they never do. Why are Kels and James blowing me up? The messages went on forever cuz they got to be more frequent the longer they didn't get any answers or replies from me. Kelsey was legit worried to death but James just got so pissed and then more pissed. Like didn't he just do me the same way no matter how many times I called and text?h I didn't need to listen to the voicemails I could read them but the app will play them for you as you read and he was on one by the yelling of psychobabble bullshit that was spewing from him non stop. I let it in one ear and out the other. Surely I'll get some understanding that I can't answer and reply unconscious. I was lost in my thoughts when James' voicemail that was currently playing pulled me back to what was going on.

He was threatening "You stupid b***h! I'm not playing this bullshit with your ass. It has been 2 f*****g days!"

2 days? WTF? I could hear him start punching stuff, a table, maybe a wall or door. Could be anything just around in the room conveniently in his reach. For every word he spits out venomously in the background he'd punch something.

Do!" punch. "You!" punch. "hear!" punch. "me!" punch. "Don't!" punch. "make!" punch "me!" punch "hurt!" punch "you!" punch. "You better pick up this f*****g phone" punch. "Call me back." punch "Do what the f**k I told you to do in the first place!" punch. "And get your ass where I told you to be!" punch. "I'm gonna do something we will both regret" punch "When I do see your lying, game playing, trifling ass!!!!!"

He screamed to no end at my voicemail. and my voicemail was full too. It finally reached the point where he says, He ain't seen or heard from me in 2 days because I'm w***e and he swears he will know if somebody else has been f*****g his p***y and he will kill us both, me and my boyfriend.

I'm still stuck on 2 days. How has it been 2 days? I check the time and date on my phone and it's now been 3 days because it is Monday night. Didn't I go unconscious Friday evening? Yeah, it was Friday. I just regained consciousness a little bit ago. I can't remember leaving The Abernathy's and getting here. This is not where I blacked out.

I GPS James location. He's at Spectators? He's at the club on a Monday night while I'm supposedly MIA for days.

I sat up trying to determine where my shoes...a pair of my shoes closer than walking to my closet and I notice something else not right. I'm not wearing the same clothes I had on Friday when I blacked out.

I don't recognize these black jeans with holes everywhere or this shirt that says "2 hot 2 handle". It is cute for being cut into a crop top with one shoulder still intact with not even a short sleeve tho. I'm not wearing a bra bc my n*****s are pretty clear that it must be a bit chilly in here.

I decide to take a look at myself in my body length mirror that is tall as me so I can see my whole outfit and myself in my reflection. Let me tell you something is not right. IDK. I don't f*****g remember!!!! Not that my hair didn't look great it's still long and straightened with a flat iron.

I got a dye job tho. Since Friday? While I was out unconscious. Some kind of rust or copper red and some toned shade of bleach blonde that was blond but not white bleach blonde but a nice and mellow white chocolate kind of blonde were the 2 different colors of streaks and a pretty shadowing that looks like a brownish-red or bronze-red, maybe, the way it shimmers in the light.

Not that I don't love it, the colors are really vibrant and go together real nice and I'm sure this dye job was some hundreds of bucks at least and this must have taken a whole day. It's not really me or what I would have gone for had I been aware.

I also noticed my make up was still on, barely looking like I was knocked out still wearing makeup. I just don't normally wear my eyeliner so thick and fancy with the line going past the corner of my eyelids with a slight wave curl curved into the corners where your crow's feet happen when you get older.

I also don't have a habit of going to sleep without removing my makeup so this isn't what I usually wear because it would be smeared and smudge and looking like a mess was worse than still being so fresh and neat. My eyeshadow matches this cut up to the shirt I have on. Some kind of pretty candy apple red or something. Red eyeshadow? a hint of some shimmering not too bright orange. It's blended well. Just not the colors I wear normally.

Mosquera and eyeliner appear black but then have a shimmer or metallic purple high light color when the light hits my face just right. My fingernails are painted black with flames. For real? So not me.

These jeans practically are about to have a hole in the ass. I'm one ass cheek probably the very next time I have to bend over or squat there will be a hole with my ass cheek hanging out.

I'm painted up like a w***e and have a stripper hair dye job. I'm wearing, well trying to wear is more like it, lacking a little more material to be called clothes. I try to leave a little more to the imagination rather than letting it all hangout

Plus James would probably blow a gasket. So I wouldn't go this far to see if I could give him a reason. The really f****d up part is I have no memory of any of this, no matter how hard I try to remember. I can't' think when I decided to get a kind of hot slutty but don't make myself feel self-degraded makeover.

Im digging myself the more I look at myself. I don't get this style or choice of color's from my hair to my makeup and clothes. I don't get these fingernails but at least they are done.

I can appreciate my bubble but while still eye f*****g my own reflection when my phone start's ringing and startles me. I squealed again, just louder, and put one hand over my heat when my other arm was stretched across my chest.

I don't worry about ever dying of fright or being scared to death because I got too jumpy by a suddenly startled. I plan to stop my heart From jumping out of my chest by putting my hand and arms in the way Lol.

I don't know why I jumped about my phone ringing. It's from Kelsey. I started to answer but then I decided not to. I'll call her b4 I go inside Spectator's and see if she answers. James GPS says he is there, so I think I'll just drop in, pop up unexpectedly. See what he's doing and if the whole cliq other than me is there. After all, his irrational temper tantrum and threats make me curious and maybe he has some idea how I got all the way from the Abernathy's, all way back home. I hope I can make him eat his heart out while looking like a harlot becomes me at the moment.

I grabbed my black bear paws since they were not in the closet and so conveniently shoved under the edge of the bed I wear them a lot all year round. I have so many different pairs of bear paws.

They slide on so easily and these come up knee high right below my knee. with the black fur around the top. I also grab the hoodie jacket that I don't wear often. It has little red devil horns on the hood that stick up when you put the hood on your head and it says on the front and back "The devil made me do it"

I called it good. I'm not shopping for a husband so this is fine. I don't even want the bastard I'm going to try to sneak up on to be my husband either. I headed out the door.

During the drive, I kept replaying everything that was not making sense, and all these major appearance changes I don't remember. How I could have been unconscious for as long as I was. Once I parked in the garage across the street. spectators. It occurred to me to check my map's timeline and see where my phone says I've been since I blacked out Friday. which it says I've bee home since not too long after I estimate my blackout happened Friday, And that I stayed till I just left to head to Spectator's where I am at this very moment so my phone must have been at home while I was out to get my hair and nails done and shopping for these pants and this butchered shirt.

I put on my hoodie and start across the street. I got closer to the entryway there isn't a line really, I mean it's a Monday. The doorman doesn't ever hassle me anyway.

I step out of the street onto the sidewalk at the front entrance to spectators. then this feeling just comes over me. Like a feeling of depression? dispair?, or maybe it's dread I'm feeling.

I don't know why I just feel like this out of nowhere. Sudden sadness with an urge to cry and turn around and run like my life depends on it.

I take some deep breaths and pull it together. deciding I'll be ok once I get inside spectators. I'll order a freaking drink. A strong one and a couple of shots. Maybe calm my nerves and see what James is doing like I came to do.

I greeted the doorman and made quick small talk. "How are you tonight? I politely asked. He said he was "alright" and asked how I was and told me to enjoy myself. I thanked him and told him don't work too hard as I entered Spectators. Started making my way down the short hallway. That led to some cool stairs that look like they are suspended in mid-air from down on the dance floor. It lead down one short set of steps to the landing. Then down the final set of steps to the floor.

As I reached the platform and headed across it. I get that sad dreadful feeling it almost brought me to my knees. I gasped a little and swallowed hard bc there was a knot forming in my dry throat.

I steady myself with the railing and carefully continue down the steps.

As I reach the last step I hear somebody whisper in my ear I thought. I don't know what they said but I looked over my shoulder real quick to see who was behind me. Nobody. I'm the only one on the landing.

I tell myself "Stop it Shannon Alexis" and continue toward the bar. When I heard another whisper close enough to be in my ear again. Sounded like "hurry, you must leave her!" But there was no one there when I looked over my shoulder.

I need a shot of Everclear. I need something because things really don't make complete sense and it getting to me I think.

I quickly closed the rest of the space between me and the bar...