In the Heat of the Moment

13

By the time Jason managed to let the rest of us inside, it was taking all of my willpower to keep my excitement under control. Everything was progressing so perfectly that it almost felt as if some vice deity was on my side. Our designated swimmer, Jason, had accomplished the impossible, swimming the length of the lake to the spot under the house, in less than twenty seconds. Within ten more seconds, he had killed the alarm and was inside. I would have kissed him for giving us an extra ten seconds for us to spare; but that is not a part of my nature. I hurt people. Besides, I’m not an idiot, and it was more than clear that the hardest part still lay ahead.

Finding Espen would be no easy task, especially since I had absolutely no idea how the inside of it would look. I had searched from top to bottom for someone who would have a plan of the mansion; but as soon as I got one, I got the news that the band had made some modifications to their lovely little home. I wanted to fucking kill all of them for making things even harder on me, since that now meant that finding him would be no more than a gamble. He could be literally anywhere in the 11,158 square foot mansion. I felt dizzy just thinking about it. There were at least ten bedrooms, and God knows how many bathrooms and other rooms. If we weren’t careful, it would take us an entire day to find him.

The inside of the mansion was a surprise, since it appeared more like a housing model from a magazine, rather than the living quarters of several young promiscuous men. I mused that it must have taken much more than one maid to keep each large spacious room that spotless and pristine.

High ceilings, and roman archways held up by classical scamozzi columns crawling with vines, made us feel as if we had wandered into the temple of an ancient god. Dim hallway lights caused Obsidian marble tiles to sparkle beneath our feet, like strange dark mystical water. By the time we had reached the end of the entrance room, we stumbled up on two large, adjacent circular staircases.

Although I really had no idea where I was heading, I immediately chose one and began ascending the steps. The sound of my footsteps were almost non-existent, while the tips of my fingers absentmindedly trailed the black ornate balustrades as I slowly and carefully made my way up the stairs. The feel of Jake and his companions’ eyes at the back of my head, and other intimate places, did not make me feel like any less of a predator. In fact, I couldn’t remember feeling so alive in my entire life.

After we reached the top, we walked around for about fifteen minutes. We had wandered into a hall somewhere in the mansion, where the walls were decorated with abstract paintings and a glass circular staircase split the carpeted hall in two. Several members of our little group paused, looking lost and confused. I clenched my fist in frustration since I was supposed to be leading them and had no idea where to turn; but I knew that giving away my emotions could be the death of me and this entire plan. It was no secret that Jake and his companions were still watching me like hawks and waiting for an opportunity for me to mess up, so they could devour me. Once I did, they would have my ass…literally…but for my plan to work, I had needed them to help me. Besides, to my knowledge I was the only one who had a gun, so I still felt that if anything did go wrong, I still had a fighting chance.

I narrowed my eyes coldly and looked at Tobias who had taken a seat on the floor.

“Get up!” I snapped. “We don’t have time for that.”

“My feet hurt, and it feels like we’ve been walking for hours,” he whined. “Are you sure you know where he went?”

“Yes Colin,” mocked Jake. His gleaming malicious smile sent a chill down my spine. “Are you sure you know where he went?”

Ross took a step forward, and made an obscene gesture at me with his mouth. It took nearly all of my willpower to remain firmly planted on the spot and not take a step back. A part from Jake and his two companions, none of the three other guys saw what happened.

I narrowed my eyes and held my head high realizing that I had to think quickly.

“Would you rather we turned back then?” I growled, slightly embarrassed and angry at Tobias for highlighting my moment of weakness. “There will never be another opportunity like this. Take it or leave it.”

Tobias paled a little, and for some reason I could almost no longer bear to resist snapping his pale bony neck. The little shit managed to annoy me much more than all the people I hated combined. He was one person who I would not find pleasure in even keeping around to torture. His existence alone proved to be a thorn in my side.

I took two seconds to look around, realizing for the first time that both Jason and Garrison were nowhere to be seen. I was shocked that they had managed to disappear from our sight in only a few seconds, and extremely irritated to know that their absence also meant we were going to have to look for them. More time wasted, I thought exasperated. I resisted the urge to slap my forehead.

“Goddamnit…” I muttered.

It would have been almost impossible for them to head back down the stairs without drawing my attention, since I was at the front of the group and currently faced everyone else. On the other hand, I found it extremely hard to believe that they could have made their way to the front and slipped past me without rousing my attention. At first, I thought about moving on since I figured that they might be ahead of us, but it was then that I spotted the archway to my left, not very far away from where I stood.

It had led to another wing of the house, with another great hallway that contained several rooms on both sides with locked doors. I wondered if this would be where the bedroom suites were. If so, was Espen hiding away behind one of those doors? He couldn’t have been too far with such a short headstart, could he?

Tobias and I were the first ones to go through, while I could hear the muffled footsteps of the three others behind us. I decided to try the room closest to me, since the door was slightly open, and I could hear the quiet conversation of two familiar voices coming from inside. My blood began to boil, and I violently shoved the door open.

The sheer size of the entire room, made me stop in my tracks and forget why I had been there in the first place. Everything in it was gargantuan and plush, from the jeweled and silver ornate head board behind the bed, to the few antique furnishings that decorated each corner. At such a tall height, I felt small and awed, but as soon as I spotted the figures of both Jason and Garrison, my rage returned.

“I told you to stay with me!” I growled. “What are you doing in here?”

When Garrison turned to face me with that dopey hippy look he always seems to wear, I fought the urge to slap my forehead.

“We thought we heard something, and decided to check it out,” replied Jason distractedly. He was messing with a guitar he had found lying on the ground in one of the corners.

I ran my hand through my hair and sighed. The others had already entered the room, and I could imagine Jake’s wolf grin behind me.

“Who do you suppose this belongs to?” he asked, taking it into his arms and strumming the strings.

“We don’t have time for this!” I growled exasperatedly. “Are you all fucking retarded?! Don’t you understand the gravity of the situation we’re in?! We need to find Espen and get the hell out of here. NOW!”

A small amount of panic had begun to worm its way into my head. If I stuck around with these people much longer we were bound to get caught, or Jake would find some way to take me away.
I closed my eyes for a second, willing myself to calm down and regain control of the situation. It had occurred to me again that I still had no clue where Espen was, or if I was any closer to finding him.

Before I could open my mouth to say something else, I was distracted for a second by a small movement under the bed. It was so swift, that many people would have immediately dismissed it as a figment of their imagination; but I am not many people, and I never ignore my instincts. It is what has kept me safe for a very long time.

I clenched my teeth and narrowed my eyes, knowing I was the only one fortunate enough to spot it. I was sure I had gotten a glimpse of a shoe of some sort, and it made me both a little angry and somewhat curious to know that someone had managed to elude my attention, and join our already crowded, chaotic party. It was not Espen, since he seemed like the type to not hide and take all of us head-on; but this coward was content to lay under the bed and wait for our departure. I think not, I thought angrily.

With almost superhuman speed, I bolted to the bed, overturning it in a single burst of strength. Two pale, horrified faces met mine as I grabbed them by their collars and hurled them against the wall. The entire room seemed to grow quiet out of shock and disbelief at my impressive display of strength. Even Jake, who I thought I could never astonish was for a moment, speechless.

“Who the hell are you, and what are you doing here?” I snapped, slamming them both again into the wall.

Although their mouths moved frantically, neither of them could utter a sound. I was both amused at that fact, and at the same time, slightly annoyed. What was I going to do with these two pathetic beings who might have destroyed my chance to possess the creature I had dreamed of for such a long time? They were probably hardcore Infant Altar fans, who like me, had found a way to sneek into the mansion unnoticed and meet their idol. I knew I had to get rid of them, and that I would, but at that moment, I had neither the time nor patience to contend with yet another bunch of idiots.

My hands closed tighter around their necks, anger fuelling my strength.

“What are you doing here?!” I growled in a low voice.

The one choking in the grasp of my right hand began to stutter.

“M-meeting Espen!”

I sneered, and threw them both on the floor. They both scrambled on to their knees, crawling away and gasping for breath.

“Wrong answer,” I growled, slowly approaching them. I would “accidentally” throw them both out of the window overlooking what seemed to be a large indoor garden.

“J-j-just leave them, and let’s go!” cried Tobias at once scrambling in my way. I swept him aside angrily and continued making my way to the two intruders, but before I could reach them again something made me stop.

It was footsteps approaching in the hallway nearby, combined with the sound of harsh whispers. The owners of the voices had paused in front of our door, and it took me some time to realise that the voices I was hearing was in another language. While one was unmistakably furious, the other party sounded hysterical and almost pleading.

For a moment it felt as if my heart stopped. After listening to it over and over, I would have been a fool not to recognise the enraged voice immediately. While it sounded nothing like the harsh death metal vocals I would listen to each night, it bore an uncanny resemblance to the same low angst filled voice that sprouted from radios and televisions all over the world both day and night.

I clenched my fists tightly, nails nearly cutting painfully into my skin, as soon as I saw the door being pushed open. The voices had immediately gotten louder, and my breathing faster, forcing all manner of deranged thoughts into my mind. Tiny bolts of electricity surged through my body, causing my groin to grow shamelessly and spring to life. Yes! I thought. The creature I desired the most was drawing near, and I did not do anything much to make it happen.

I was ripped from my thoughts by a loud, tired wail, sounding almost like a young child’s. At first I thought I was hallucinating, until it became louder and more incessant. It took me some time to realise that the sound had been coming from inside the room. I looked at Jake, who looked equally as confused. The door opened.