Serpent

Dear Wynter,

We are pleased to inform you that your application for the position of a barmaid has been approved. We are thrilled to have you join our team and look forward to working with you. Below you will find the details…

I couldn’t believe the words staring back at me from my laptop’s screen. I got the job. I couldn’t believe I got the job. I was sure I wouldn’t get it. This was a new club which had just opened a few blocks from my apartment, and it was the to be the new it spot for anyone who was looking to party or even do things which were best kept in the dark.

Snakebite was supposed to be the most exclusive club on the planet. Rumor had it that it was owned by the mafia. There were now a total of three branches in the entire world and I couldn’t believe I got the chance to work in one of them. This club was nothing but a wet dream. I, myself had never gotten the chance to see it from the inside, due to the strict exclusivity criteria. But now, that this email had dropped in my inbox, I would finally get the chance to see if it was worth the hype.

I typed a quick reply, thanking the sender and telling them that I would arrive on time for my shift on Monday and how I was looking forward to working with them as well. I finished off my response with another thank you—not caring if I sounded redundant—before hitting send and shutting my laptop down. The cracks on the lid did not escape me, and I hoped I earned enough from this new job to buy a new computer.

My fingers drummed over the less than impeccable surface of my laptop for a few seconds, debating whether I should work on my other project. It wasn’t due until two weeks later and I’d already done most of the work. With just a few more tweaks, I would have all the information I needed for my client and then I would get paid. However, the problem with this client was, that he would only pay me on the last day, so even if I finished work early and submitted it to him, he wouldn’t pay me. It would only be after two weeks that I would get paid. But once he paid me, things would be good. My life would get better. And hopefully I wouldn’t fail.

I sighed and got up from my desk. I turned off the lamp and made my way to my bed which was only a couple of feet from where my desk was. I sat down on the battered mattress, wincing as the springs dug into my flesh and prayed that these two weeks would be over soon so I could get paid.

You have a new job now. You’ll earn more money.

The thought of my new job brought an unbidden smile to my face, but the thought didn’t last long as a darker one took its place. Innocent blue eyes followed by an angelic smile flashed in the forefront of my mind, rendering my flesh cold as a tsunami of what ifs plagued me. I bit my lip and curled my hands into fists as I tried to fight of the dreadful voice in my head.

No. She will be okay. She has to be okay. I will have money soon and then I would free her from the clutches of the monsters who had her. And then I would kill them all.

Chloe had to be okay. I wasn’t going to let anyone tell me otherwise. In two weeks I would have the money and she would be free. Then I would spend the money I’d earn by working at the club on her education. She wanted to go to art school and I would make sure it happened. Our parents let us down, but there was no way I was going to let her down.

She isn’t even related to you by blood. Most people wouldn’t give a damn.

Blood wasn’t thicker than water in my world. Chloe was the only family I had and I would make sure she got to live the life she deserved. God knows how she would be faring. I wish I knew where she was so I could at least see her and knew she if she was okay.

“Think positive thoughts,” I said to myself and took a couple of deep breaths to calm the pounding in my heart. “Positive thoughts only. She’s okay. They told me they won’t harm her as long as I get them the money by the end of the month.”

As if there was a bug in my phone which was letting them keep tabs on me, it pinged with a message from an unknown number.

21 days to go.

Tears of rage and frustration welled up in my eyes but I didn’t dare allow them to fall. I wasn’t weak and I wasn’t going to let anyone think they had power over me. They wanted money. I would make sure to give it to them. Destroying them would be the greatest revenge and I would do just that.

As soon as I blinked the tears away, I dashed into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I did everything in ten minutes and then crawled into bed and closed my eyes for the day. My life may not be where I wanted it to be, but I would change it soon enough. I wouldn’t let anyone control me. And those who were foolish enough to think they could dictate me or my life, well, I would only be too happy to teach them a lesson they’d never forget. And I would start with the demons who dared to take my sister from me.

The weekend passed by in a blur and before I knew it, I was standing in front of the mirror, checking my reflection to make sure I looked presentable for my new job. The team at Snakebite sent me my employee number which I would have to show to the guard at the entrance to gain access to the club. Showing up without it would have them throwing me to the curb.

I decided to go with my best pair of jeans along with a white halter neck blouse with black polka dots. I’d tied my black and purple hair up in a high ponytail so I would appear professional to my boss and finished off my look with a pair of my most comfortable sneakers. I went for a sultry yet professional look in terms of makeup because I wanted to make extra money in terms of tips. If I looked good, people would tip me more.

Once I was ready, I grabbed my crossbody bag and left my apartment, making sure to double lock the front door for obvious reasons.

The club was a few blocks away and walking wouldn’t have been the smartest decision but it was the one I took and began walking. The sun had just set, casting a soothing purple haze across the sky. The birds were on their way back home and so were the people around me. Cars crawled at a snail’s pace due to the sheer number of them on the road. It made me smile and feel proud of the decision I took.

A cool breeze ruffled my hair and caressed a path of goosebumps down my spine, which only made me hurry to get to the club. By the time I reached the club, I was more than ready to get started on my shift. This new job had given me a ray of hope in my otherwise dismal world. I felt like everything would be alright now.

The bouncer that stood at the entrance had me swallowing a lump of fear and taking a step back. He was well over six feet tall with muscles upon muscles piled up upon his limbs. The shirt he was wearing stretched over his chest to the point that it made me wince. I was pretty sure it would rip if he so much as breathed too deeply.

“H—hi,” I said, after glancing at the name of the club written in a groovy font with the first letter being a snake itself.

“Members only,” the guard replied in a thick accent which I had difficulty placing. If he could I was sure he would’ve turned my bones to dust with just a look with the way he was glaring at me.

“My name’s Wynter,” I said and pulled up the screenshot of my employee number and showed it to him. “I work here. I—it’s my first day.”

The man frowned as he read the contents of screen before giving me another suspicious look. Just when I thought he would tell me to get lost he stepped aside and motioned for me to go inside.

The relief that filled me nearly turned my knees to jelly, but I managed to stay strong and mutter a quick thank you before going inside.

Inside the club was unlike anything I expected. It was like I’d stepped straight into luxury which was unheard of for a nightclub. Every piece of furniture screamed money—and a lot of it—and the glasses hanging from the ceiling looked to be real crystal. I didn’t know how the owner could afford to have real crystal glasses for the customers since they were prone to breaking them. The dance floor in the center looked to be made of marble and had a checkerboard pattern with tempered glass on top. However, my jaw dropped at the chandelier which hung regally from the center. It looked like somebody had plucked it straight out of the Victorian era.

“Hello, you must be Wynter,” a man whom I’d never seen before came to stand in front of me. He was a head taller than me with short brown hair and honey-brown eyes. He wore a black shirt which hugged his chest with the logo of the club embroidered on the left breast and black jeans and matching sneakers. “I’m Anderson, but you can call me Andy.”

“Hi Andy. I’m Wynter. It’s my first day at the job,” I told him with a friendly smile. I was glad Andy wasn’t trying to intimidate me like the bouncer out front. “You must be the owner.”

He scoffed and shook his head. “Trust me I’m not the owner.”

“Oh, then is he here? I think I need to introduce myself to him before I begin work,” I said.

“The owner is not here. He never visits his establishments. Like never. He likes to run the show by being in the shadows,” Andy explained.

“Oh. I didn’t know that.” I paused, letting his words sink in. “Do you know who he is?”

He shook his head. “He is an extremely private man. No one knows anything about him. But there are rumors.”

“What kind of rumors?” I enquired, intrigued by the mysterious owner.

Andy shrugged. “Lots of rumors. They say his name is Axel but no one is sure about it. They say he is a criminal overlord, but there is no concrete evidence to back those claims.”

Criminal overlord? What the hell? Did such people even exist? I thought they were only in books and movies. I knew there were rumors about this club being owned by the mafia but I didn’t know it was true.

What about the people who took your sister? They’re as real as they come.

“Well, I don’t believe in rumors anyway,” I said, trying to keep my tone light. “Besides, if he is a criminal overlord, then it’s good that he never visits.”

Andy chuckled and nodded. “Amen to that. So uh…I’ll have someone show you the ropes and hopefully you’ll be able to survive this place.”

“Sounds great!” I said with a little too much enthusiasm.

Andy gave me a final nod and turned to go but stopped and turned to face me once again. “Oh, there’s is just one rule which you must never break. There are other rules, of course, but this one is the most important one.” He pointed at the staircase which led to the upper level of the club. “You must never go up there. And I mean…never.”

“Why? What’s up there?” I couldn’t help but ask.

“It’s the section reserved for the most exclusive members of this club. The people who no one knows about and yet they run the world. Those people are more exclusive and powerful than the political leaders of the world. And the upper level has its own special staff which has nothing to do with us. So stay down here and you’ll be good,” he said and turned to leave but this time I stopped him.

“But what if I—accidentally—went upstairs? What will happen then?” I enquired.

Andy gave me a look that slowed my heartbeat. “Simple. You’ll die.”

Before I could ask him to elaborate he turned on his heels and walked away, leaving me a cold, bewildered mess.

Was he telling the truth? Was I actually going to die if I went upstairs? Who would kill me? Did they have permission to kill unwanted people?

It didn’t take my thoughts long to take over my senses; that’s why when the front door burst open and the bouncer charged in I nearly jumped out of my skin and slapped a hand over my mouth to stop myself from screaming in fright.

“Where’s Andy?” The bouncer asked, his eyes wide, frantically searching for the man who was presumably my boss.

Upon hearing his name, Andy emerged from behind the bar. “What is it?”

“They’re here,” the bouncer said, in a tone which I could only describe as fearful.

“Who?” Andy asked.

“The Hydes,” the bouncer replied.

I literally saw the color drain from Andy’s face as he took a step back. “What?”

“Wh—who are the Hydes?”

“The…owners,” he said after a beat.

What in the world? The owners were here? But he just told me they never visited the club. So why now? What was going on? Was it really them?

“I—it’s okay,” Andy said after a gulp. “They will take the alternate entrance which will take them straight to the upper level. They won’t come here. We don’t need to worry.”

I didn’t believe a word he said. He was clearly worried even if they were going straight to the upper level.

“No,” the bouncer said. “They’re coming here, through this entrance.”

Before any one of us could utter a word, the front door opened and in walked the people who the people could only speculate about.

But they were very much real.