¨C´mon Christine we´re on in 5.¨

I hesitantly stood up from my seat in my dressing room and proceeded to follow Kimora, one of my fellow group members. We are a part of one of the most well known girl groups in the country, Inflorescence, the sweet smelling sensation of the 2010s. Kimora and I started making our way to our manager Alexander and our final group member Adrianna. As we walked over they spoke in hushed voices and quickly got quiet. We stood there awkwardly for a few moments then Alexander ushered us to another part of the backstage area while he walked onto the stage and began introducing us.

        ¨Introducing the queens of the night, the perfectly picked bouquet…. Adrianna, Kimora, and Christine.¨

As we walked out the crowd began cheering Inflorescence and we stood at our specific spots on the stage. Me on the left, Kimora on the right and Adrianna in the middle. The music started and we began singing and doing choreography to some of our songs. Kimora was a great dancer,  I was a great vocalist, and Adrianna was just Adrianna. She was dating Alexander, our manager so she pretty much is the face of our group because of it. It was obviously shown too, she was always in the middle and always had the better costumes. In this specific instance Kimora and I were wearing a plain sparkly bodysuit, knee high boots, and our hair was permed in a high pony. Adrianna was wearing a similar sparkly color but it was in the form of an asymmetrical dress paired with pumps and her hair was in a half updo bun.  

By the time we finished the crowd began roaring and we walked backstage. Adrianna gave us a nod and what seemed like a fake smile and walked over to Alexander and they began speaking in hushed voices again. Kimora and I looked at each other with confused looks on our faces wondering what the two could be talking about. Instead of asking them we both walk back to the dressing rooms and remove our costumes. 

By the time I walk out of my dressing room I see Kimora leaned up against the wall beside my dressing room. We both start walking to the backstage area again. We walk silently until she finally breaks the silence telling me that she knows what Alexander and Adrianna were talking about earlier.

¨Alexander wants you as new front girl instead of Adrianna.¨

¨Why would he want me as the front girl when he only pays attention to Adrianna?¨

¨You´re like seriously talented, who wouldn’t want you as a front girl.¨

By the time we reached the backstage door to exit we crossed paths with Adrianna and Alexander but this time they’re not speaking in hushed voices they’re yelling. We try to walk by but Adrianna grabs my arm and looks at me with daggers in her eyes. She lets me go but my arm feels sore afterwards. Kimora and I walk to the backstage exit and realize it’s locked. We wiggle the knob a little and it doesn’t budge. We walked back to Alexander and Adrianna and told them about the door and Alexander went to the door to go unlock it. After he leaves Adrianna looks at me and I know she doesn’t want me to take the offer. After he doesn’t show up within 5 minutes I begin to worry.

¨Maybe we should go check on Alexander.¨ Kimora suggests

 When we get to the backstage exit and don’t see Alexander. Instead we see sneaker indentations on the floor and a half broken key, the part you put into the keyhole missing. We didn’t hear any noise so he just vanished, silently. We all walked back down the hall defensively to reach the main backstage area and started looking for him. 

¨We should go look for Alexander, Kimora check the dressing room area while me and Christine go check the stage area.¨

Kimora tries to protest that she and I should look on the stage but Adrianna just hushes her and pulls me with her to the stage area. Not long after we leave Kimora’s vision she starts going off.

        ¨You’re lucky I gave you a chance Christine, you would be nothing without me.¨

I wanted to say something mean so badly but I knew I needed to keep my mouth shut.

         ¨It’s pretty obvious you’re jealous of me, accepting the offer would be just plain disrespect.¨

I knew I wasn’t jealous of her and it’s embarrassing that she thinks that. 

        ¨I´m-¨ 

Before she could finish her sentence we were splashed with water. Adrianna walked right into a mop bucket and it drenched us. Adrianna starts to say something but I hush her. There’s a mop bucket but I don’t see the mop or any of the cleaning crew. We don’t have any extra clothing to wear besides our costumes from the performance so we go to look for something to dry off with. We pulled the curtains on the stage open so we could go look out in the bar area for a rag. When we stepped out of the curtains it was pretty dark. There were a few stage lights still on so we could see in the crowd and we saw someone leaned over at the bar area. We called out to them but they didn’t respond. I pulled out my phone and it wouldn’t cut on, the water broke it. 

We made our way down the stage to the stairs and saw the mop, strangely it’s about 10 feet away from the mop bucket. I picked it up in case I needed to defend myself and Adrianna noticed this and let out a loud gulp. We started making our way over to the person and they still hadn’t noticed us so we tapped them. They slumped farther forward, still not moving on their own. Adrianna looked at me, seemingly terrified. I grabbed the person’s shoulder and saw it. There was a deep gash across their front side and the weapon wasn’t there. Adrianna saw it too and screamed. I grabbed her hand and pulled her behind the bar counter trying to calm her down. Her face lost all color. Before I could do anything we heard something being dragged. 

I whispered to Adrianna to get under the counter while I looked above. I knew I was in danger if I looked above but if I didn’t who would, Adrianna is in shock. I stuck my head above and saw him. He had to be at least 6.5 feet and he was dragging Alexander by the feet. He picked up Alexander and put him on one of the tables. I ducked down but I didn’t know what to tell Adrianna, I just knew we had to get out of here. There were two exits but from our location one was available, the front entrance but the man was near it. Making it back to the stage is our only option. 

¨Adrianna this is probably our only option, you need to run to the stage while I keep watch, do you understand?¨

 She looked scared but nodded. I looked over and gave her the signal to start going. She started making quick work across the floor around tables but when she saw Alexander on the table she stopped in her tracks. I tried to usher her to go on but she was frozen. The man started pulling out a large knife but this made Adrianna scream. He noticed her and started making his way to her. She tried to get away but it was too late. He was within two feet of her and started swinging. All I could hear were screams but this was my only chance to escape. I swiftly went the other direction to the stage and didn’t look back. 

He had to see me run by, but I knew I needed to find Kimora, we needed to get out of here fast. I dashed down the hallway to the dressing rooms, the floor covered in blood. I saw Kimora near my dressing room and she was badly harmed. Her ankle was cut so she couldn’t walk; it looks like she’d been dragging herself.

¨We need to get out of here and fast, we don’t have much time.¨

¨Just leave me, i’m badly harmed i’ll just slow you down.¨

I helped Kimora into a chair in the room and started moving a makeup table in the direction of the door to make a barricade.

¨What are you doing Christine.¨

I didn’t respond, I just kept working on the barricade, noticing my surroundings. There wasn’t  much for survival in this room. Majority of the items here are makeup and clothing so nothing too useful. I took the socks out of my boots from the performance and wrapped them around Kimora’s ankles to attempt to stop the bleeding. She grunted in pain as I tied them tightly but this was her best chance of survival. I picked up one of the boots breaking the heel off so I had a weapon to use.  I took one more good look around the room this time noticing a vent. It looked like one of the vents with a passage, not big enough for two people though. 

¨Kimora, I need you to get into that vent.¨

¨No, you need to get into the vent you’re our best chance of survival.¨

Before I could respond the man began banging on the door. I jumped backwards to provide extra support to the barricade. 

 ¨Kimora, no time to argue go now.¨

She looked at me stuttering, but instead of trying to argue she pulled herself up with the help of the chair and made her way to the vent. There was no way she was opening that on her own so I gave her the heel. She used it to pry it open and got in. 

The door kept shuffling centimeters forward but the weight of the furniture and I was able to hold it still, temporarily. The man eventually gave up and I could hear him walk away. Kimora was gone, I could no longer see her in the vent. Thoughts filled my head wondering if the man is after her now. If both of us were in the vents one of us would be blocked so I couldn’t really go in and find her. With all this information I had two choices, to go in the vent or open the door. 

When I opened the door I could see bloody shoe prints. He must have walked through the blood and left them. I made my way down the hall, noticing the footprints every step I took. When I made it to the backstage area I heard the air cut on. He has to be near the bar, that’s where the control system for the air is. The temperature around me began to get warmer and Kimora is in the air vents. The hot air paired with the metal would burn her skin. I rushed to the stage and I could hear the sirens. The man was nowhere to be found.

¨After that incident I was labeled as a murderer by the public. I was the sole survivor of that night, Alexander, Adrianna, Kimora, and an unnamed custodian being the casualties. The bloody footprints were the only piece of evidence but they were completely disregarded. No one believed my story and I was eventually found guilty.¨

¨Is that all you have to say for your appeal ma´am?¨

¨That’s all I can say because it’s the truth.¨

¨i’m afraid I cannot let you go back into the public, your mental state has not improved.¨

I knew it, even if I did tell the truth they wouldn’t believe me.