Have you ever listened to your inner voice, in a whisper, telling you to be careful! ... The first time I heard it, it saved my life.
Friday night, 22 years old and after surviving the exhausting week of work and study, the best thing I could think of was to spend a few good hours dancing and drinking alcohol in the company of my boyfriend, in one of the many discos scattered around the city.
The idea was perfect. At 10 o'clock at night my boyfriend picked me up in his father's truck. We arrived at the "Antro" that was the name of the place hahaha and it's true, it was a dark place, with psychedelic images drawn on the wall. The place was crowded with many young people drinking, talking loudly and dancing. Yes, of course the drugs flew over my head, just as more than once the bottle that someone threw in their euphoria flew over my head.
At 4 a.m. he said "let's go" and I nodded. We got in the van and he started driving. Suddenly I saw that we were in the parking lot of the Plaza de Toros. You won't believe what I'm going to tell you, but that big parking lot in my youth was the biggest discotheque in the city and maybe in Venezuela. All the young people gathered there to listen to music, dance and drink alcohol.
But that early morning I heard the voice. Inside me something was telling me "pass the door lock, roll up the car window" - "Let's get out of here". I did what the distant whisper was telling me and as I rolled up the window and locked the car door I said to my boyfriend "Let's go". But there was no more time. A guy appeared through his window and in one swift motion held a knife to his throat; while another guy knocked insistently on my door.
We were kidnapped. I panicked, lost track of time and space. I screamed, cried and begged. With every scream a strong punch landed on my face or on my head. We wandered aimlessly around the city, I think for more than 20 minutes.
And the voice came back to me. It said "jump." I saw the door out of the corner of my eye, but how could I reach that door, from which I was less than 30 centimeters away, but to me it seemed like miles away. I don't know how I could breathe and above all think. Cautiously with the corner of my eyes I saw the man and realized that he was either very drunk or very drugged.
In one swift movement I opened the door and saw the road. I knew no more about me. Darkness all around me. I had lost my glasses. I felt dizzy and began to walk aimlessly, suddenly a void into which I fell. I got up and fell down again. I noticed I was holding on tightly to the grass and thought where am I, but I lost my mind again.
I looked both ways. I was on an avenue. I think I was evaluating where to walk, however, my brain doesn't bring back those memories no matter how hard I try. Emptiness, nothingness. Someone tells me to drink the water and I answer "it's over" ... memories come to me in spurts and I start to cry uncontrollably "they are going to kill him" I repeated it over and over again without sense.
I run my hand over my head and a viscous liquid sticks to my hand. Blood! From where, from whom. I looked at my clothes, all bloody. Blood was pouring uncontrollably from my knee and from my head as well. I wanted to run away but they stopped me. The police were on their way.
Story written for Posting prompts - Weekend-Engagement: WEEK 143, based on a true story. It happened to me when I was 22 years old.
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