The World of Future Past

"There weren't always dragons in the Valley." I said confidently while maintaining intense eye contact with a person on the other side of a heavy metal door. He sized me up through a small sliding window in the middle and promptly shut it close. Nothing followed.

Meg must have given me the wrong phrase! I was about to turn away when the lock creaked. The door opened for me and the man behind it was smiling now. He politely ushered me inside and took my coat.

"Welcome back to The Club, Madam" I hope he did not recognise me. "Is it just you today or are you expecting any guests?"

"Just myself, thank you" was it a catch question? I knew well it wasn't a place to casually bring a plus one unless you are a regular. Access is only given to people who knew the code which changed every night. They couldn't pick anything more pretentious than that, I thought.

Thanks to Meg for pulling this off, I thought. She was just the person to ask for a way into any exclusive place anywhere in the world. Former model, now covering celebrity lifestyle at The Magazine, she routinely hangs out with the rich and famous. Beautiful and charming, Meg has always been inside celebrity circles and dated exclusively men from the Fortune 500 list.

The Club was the last place I saw Lou.

We met at a gallery opening. I was researching a story about the artist. He was a mystery in the art scene. His rapid ascension to fame almost overnight was a subject of a lot of gossip. His paintings were dark and haunting but extremely realistic. They depicted fantastical creatures that seemed to come to life If you looked at them long enough.

I was standing in front of a large-scale representation of a knight slaying an otherworldly creature with wings, piercing it with his sword, light streaming out of a gaping wound. It was captivating.

"Don't you think there is something very powerful about this painting?" a voice brought me back to reality. "You can't tell which one is good and which is evil." The man who spoke to me was rather pleasing to the eye, very well dressed and confident. I looked around to make sure he was indeed addressing me. He was smiling at me expectantly.

"I guess one could interpret it as the eternal struggle between forces of good and evil in all of us." I attempted to say something intelligent. "All of the works seem metaphorical. Perhaps the artist is a fantasy fan who spent his teens locked in his room with Tolkien books" I commented.

"Interesting take. I'll name sure the artist gets your feedback. He is a friend. We have known each other for centuries. Literally."

"I'm not an art critic but I'll stand by that" my stomach turned a bit but I kept cool. He was clearly messing with me.

"Louise" He extended his hand. "Just Lou for friends."

"Pleasure to meet you Lou" Damn, he was good. He had the presence of a man that comes from a lineage of wealth and privilege without being too obvious or snobbish. I felt special. Is he going to be my friend?

"There will be a party after. Would you care to join me?"

I could not be more impressed with him after we casually showed up at the most notoriously secretive and exclusive club in London. I always dismissed stories about that place as rumours or exaggerations. It seemed far fetched that there was a place where powerful and influential of this world got together and down to all sorts of mischief.

A hostess let us through a door into a restaurant. It was full of chic people dinning at large tables covered with white cloths and drinking out of gold-rimmed champagne flutes. We were not staying there although the food looked great, and I was famished. Behind another door was a wide spiral staircase that looked like it was carved out of stone right into the earth. I felt cold air on my skin as if we were descending into a cave. It was surreal to discover there were caves in central London. I figured if there were catacombs under Paris, London must have its secrets too.

The further we were descending the stranger it all looked. What was I doing following a random man into a cave just because he was cute? Was I that desperate for attention? But a chance to see The Club was too much of a scoop for a writer to pass. I heard music getting louder. We finally reached another door with a menacing-looking individual standing in front of it.

"Sir" he nodded and opened the door for us. The space behind it didn't seem real. The architecture reminded of an amphitheatre. It was impressively big with high ceilings considering it was located underground. The interior was rich. Predominantly dark red velvet, heavy curtains with golden tussles were draped elegantly around seating areas. The place was dimly lit which created a mysterious ambience. It smelled of expensive perfume and affluence. It was like entering another world. An underground world of fancy people.

"How about some more drinks?" He gave me a cheeky smile amused by my reaction.

"Yeah! Let's get tipsy!" I was already quite tipsy, but the night was young and I needed more Dutch courage.

Whoever was responsible for the guest list of this place had a very good taste. Moving through the crowd toward the bar was like moving through a stadium full of models and movie stars who showed up in their best attire to be cast for "The World's Best Looking People Having Fun" show.

He was a regular at this place. People were coming up to greet him. He was holding my hand firmly to make sure I am not falling behind. Surprisingly, this simple gesture made me feel safe, protected. A lot about him felt safe and at the same time, I couldn't read him. So, I decided to just enjoy the night.

"The usual for me and an Americano for the lady, Sam" the bartender was a pal too.

"Right away!" said the bartender leaning closer over the surface of the bar. "The sky is cloudy tonight, Sir. Expect a change of weather." They gave each other a knowing look. Lou's face seemed to change slightly after hearing that cryptic message. He quickly went back to being all cheery as he turned to me.

"How did you know I love Americano? It is more known as a type of coffee than a cocktail."

"Lucky guess. I hope you didn't find it too forward of me."

I would normally, I thought. But that night I was down to play a helpless female in need of masculine guidance in my choice of beverage.

"I would have if you got it wrong," I said instead. He smiled at me and kept his eyes on mine for an instant longer. His confidence was certainly working on me.

"Would you excuse me for a moment please?" He touched my shoulder as if to make sure I will remain in my place.

"Sure. I'll be here" I tried to seem casual as he was walking away, disappearing into the dancing mass.

I was standing at the bar alone sipping my cocktail, attracting unsolicited attention from men around me. A guy on the other side of the bar was especially obvious. He just stood there staring. He was giving me creeps. His eyes looked completely black. I thought he must have been just high off his face, or my Americano was too strong.

Lou was nowhere to be seen. It was time to explore the place. It was decidedly decadent. No one seemed to care about anyone else. It was a diverse collection of people. Man, women, cross-dressed, non-binary. All seemed too close to each other, dancing harmoniously to techno music. Some were making out while making eye contact with me. It all felt intoxicating. I couldn't wait to find Lou and get lost with him in this sea of bodies.

There were sofas along the perimeter of the dance floor. Half covered with heavy velvet curtains. I could see a man licking a fluorescent liquid off a woman's bare leg as she was passionately kissing another woman. Whatever that was, I thought, I wanted to try it. The air was heavy with pheromones and a sense of forbidden. I wanted to stay there forever.

I finally saw him talking to a beautiful woman in the corridor, away from the main room. They seemed familiar with each other. Well…I could have seen it coming. The guy was obviously a player. I was sure he had already forgotten about my existence.

On a closer look, the body language between them seemed off, hostile. Suddenly, he grabbed the woman by her neck and shook her. I was shocked. No, he was not a player, he was a psychopath! My heart sunk. Suddenly it didn't feel right to be there. I felt stupid.

With this thought, I turned around and set my way directly to the exit. Up the spiral staircase and out into the night. Away from all the weirdness.

The air was clear and chilly. The moon was bright. At least the night was beautiful. Well, it was nice enough to discover that The Club was real. I felt some sense of accomplishment. I could hear the sounds of Oxford Street just outside of the alley. I turned there to get a cab. What a night!

"Leaving without saying goodbye?" He was just behind me. "I am sorry if I did or said something that could have come across as odd. Tonight tuned out not to be the best night to have company in this place. I spare you the details. I must insist on walking you to the cab. This area can be dangerous at night."

I don't know if there can be a justifiable reason to grab a woman's throat like that but perhaps this is how they both get off. The alley was quite dark. I nodded and turned in the direction of the light and sound. He followed.

There was something uneasy in his gait. He kept looking around and above our heads. What a creep, I thought. Why does he have to be a creep? I only started to like him.

"Hold on a moment." I looked around to see what the problem was. He was standing frozen looking up at the rooftops. I saw nothing but the moon's light reflecting in the walls of surrounding buildings.

What followed was so unexpected and so unbelievable that I still have doubts whether it did happen, or if I have been drugged by Lou and hallucinated. A large shadow crossed the sky above us. I couldn't understand what it was. It moved fast and seemed to be just that – a shadow. I could feel something sinister. Before I could say anything, I felt a hard push. Something struck me and forced me to the ground. It was the shadow. A mass of darkness that took a physical shape. I couldn't breathe under its weight. A gust of foul smell burned my nostrils. Two bright green eyes were peering at me. I felt paralysed with fear.

Next moment a lightning stroke the shadow. Then again. It let out an ugly screech and let go of me. In the haze, I realised it was not a flash of lightning. It was a sword. A man who wielded the sword looked like the knight from the painting I saw earlier. His heavy armour was glistening in the moonlight. It was adorned in scriptures.

"Stay down!" he shouted. It was Lou!

With a final strike of his sword, he sliced the shadow's head off. It rolled down the alley right into my lap, splattering green blood all over the pavement.

It was the head of the woman from the club! The one whose throat Lou grabbed earlier. Looks like he did have his reasons.

Her head was glaring at me with dead green eyes. Her mouth was full of sharp teeth that were slowly receding, returning her to a human form. My last thought before passing out was that this is all is too mad for a school night. I wish it was all happening on a weekend.

The next morning my alarm went off at 6:30 am like every other normal Thursday of my normal life. I felt a little hangover and even a little disappointed that I was not a heroine of a fantasy saga, rescued by a handsome knight in shining armour. None of this happens in real life. On the positive side, I am not hunted by a green-eyed, rot-smelling shadowy creature.

I inspected my body and discovered a few bruises and a scratch on my back. Frankly speaking, this is not unusual for me after a night out. I tend to bump into things when inebriated. Perhaps Lou did drug me last night and took advantage of me in that alley. He could have just asked, I thought. I decided to order a test kit just in case.

My clothes from last night were neatly folded on a chair next to my bed. I decided to examine them for any evidence of last night's events. No green blood stains or foul smell. Everything seemed fine. Was it really a dream? The most realistic and the most surreal dream I've ever had.

I made coffee and switched on the TV for some background noise while I got ready for work. My morning ritual. Another great rainy day. I was putting on mascara when I heard something that made my skin crawl. An unidentified woman's body has been found in Central London. I grabbed the remote and put the volume up.

"Scotland Yard has made no statements yet as to the cause of death. All we can report as of this time is that the body was found in the Soho area. According to our source, the body has been severely mutilated…"

I felt dizzy and nauseous. The room started to spin around me. It was all real. I was there when she was murdered. What if I was caught on CCTV? I had to find Lou. I had to go back to The Club.