Heaven's Way Club did not look like a way to heaven at all. It looked like the road to hell. The lights on the billboard that was written its name shimmered with a piercing red colour. At the entrance sat a lame woman with her child begging for money. The place looked dead. A huge man stood at the doorway to usher in the appropriate people and send off the inappropriate. His face was hidden by a cap he wore on his head and the darkness that had completely coloured the night.
It was just 9pm but one would think it was already midnight. Elizabeth sauntered towards the door. The muscular man stared her down as she drew closer. She opened her small handbag and brought out a tiny card when she reached him. The man looked at the card for just a second before letting her enter.
The interior of the club would be darker than the exterior of it wasn't for the disco lights. The music was deafening. Elizabeth meandered past dancing or smooching couples to the other side of the VIP. She smiled when she saw Elijah already there.
For the second time, he had reached before her for their meeting. The last time he'd done it was their very first date. The other times between the first and last 'dates' were more like a patient-waiting-for-her-personal-doctor kind of thing. He would always reach minutes later. There was one time when he even reached an hour and some minutes later. They always pulled ropes about time management and patience but no change was achieved. Elijah stood up when he saw her, as beautiful as the first time he saw her.
"Wow, you look like an angel," he flattered.
"Really?" she laughed loudly to compete with the noise. "Don't you think we would have gone in a more silent and decent place?"
"Like where," Elijah shouted back amid the noise. "Like to a beach at night?" both laughed as he pulled her to the sofa he had booked. The table was clean with a banquet of flowers he handed to her as they sat. Elijah called a waiter and whispered an order in his ears.
Elizabeth's eyes were running from one point to another—the happy dancers, fighting men, smooching lovers, and drunkards. She rested her final glance onto a lone couple that was seated on the other side of the VIP section. The man looked to be not only older but more like a grandfather to the young girl. The crying girl was on top of him, seated, facing the man, but something wasn't adding up in the picture. She was rising and falling in slow motion, in that one would not notice it if they weren't keen enough. She looked keenly at the whole scene and realized the man was touching the young girl wherever he wanted. The girl did not seem to enjoy every bit of it but never objected either. Elizabeth's eyes were glued at the act and after a few seconds of studying the two, she realised they were having sex! Right in the open coach in a club! The girl was putting on a large skirt which covered everything transpiring inside.
"Liz," Elijah interrupted her attention.
"Yes?" She turned and gave her whole attention to him. However, she seemed to be divided by both stimuli for she stole quick glances to the couple as she spoke with Elijah.
"Is everything okay?"
"Yes, sure. All is well." The lie was dead but Elijah did not realize since the music covered up the tone in her voice.
"Okay, I called you here to have a last laugh with you. We've come a long way and even when departing, we shouldn't depart like strangers. I thought about your decision and..." He paused for a second, and continued, "I respect it. You deserve better."
"Ohhh, you're so sweet Elijah. I'm so happy that you did not take it wrongly." He smiled, as the waiter brought what had ordered after such a short time. There were two plates of hot fries and chicken, a bottle of Smirnoff and of Stoney, already open. "How did you know I wanted soda?"
"I've known you for quite a long time babe."
"I'm going to miss you." She looked in his eyes as she said this. Elijah turned his attention to the food.
"So are we going to eat?"
"Sure."
"Don't worry; we will get time to talk after we're out of this loud place. Elizabeth nodded in affirmation. The happy duo went to work on the tasty meal and drinks. After a few minutes of eating and drinking, Elizabeth's mood was hyped. She started to shout amid laughter and sang to each song the deejay selected. Elijah joined in the frenzy.
"I need to use the latrine," she shouted.
"Okay, can I escort you?"
"What did you think? Did you have another girl you are expecting?" she laughed out loud with hands now wrapped around his shoulders. "Of course we are going together. You're the only person that can calm me down when I'm feeling hot." Another set of laughter. Elijah directed the steps of the staggering woman to the ladies' room. They both entered a toilet.
"Help me remove my jean," Elizabeth shouted.
"Sshhh... You don't need to shout, I'm here for you." whispered Elijah as he removed the young woman's jean pants. She squatted up on the toilet and passed a long splash of urine to the floor instead of the toilet hole. "Give me my pants now," she said, holding the hand out amid laughter.
"So you thought you would just leave me like that, after all the things I've done for you?" spat Elijah, throwing her pants to the floor. "You ungrateful slat!" He unzipped his khaki trouser and pulled it down.
"Oh, wait, so you just wanted to eat me before we break up?" she laughed out loud. Elijah landed a sharp slap on the helpless woman. Her laughter became past. "You have beaten me, let me go!" She tried to fight but her offender was too strong to have a wrestling contest with. He pinned the weak woman to the toilet wall and did whatever he would think of to have pleasure.
A few moments later, Elizabeth was silent, with eyes fixed to the ceiling. Elijah pushed her to the corner of the toilet where she squatted, helpless. He wore his trouser and zipped it. Before going out, he thought for a moment. The growing idea in his mind matured and he turned back to Elizabeth. He bent over and punched the woman below her navel a number of times.
He then removed a table knife, he'd got from the table after eating, and shoved it a couple of times below Elizabeth's navel. She cried in pain but was too weak to help herself. Elijah then hurried out of the toilet and completely out of her life. She sat there, soaked in blood, weak and helpless. Tears of emotional and physical pain rolled down her eyes before she became unconscious.
*
She regained her consciousness in the evening of the following day. Her eyes opened but didn't recognize the environment she was in. It looked like a hospital. Her skin was as pale as ash because she had lost a lot of blood. She felt an aching pain in the pelvic region, and a severe headache filled all chambers of her brain. She did not seem to remember the events that happened after eating and drinking with Elijah.
"She is awake," Stephanie whispered to Faith. The two had come immediately when they received the emergency call concerning their friend.
"What am I doing here?" she asked, fighting to utter out each word.
"You should have some rest Liz," suggested Faith.
"What happened to me?" Elizabeth asked.
"You have been unconscious and lost a lot of blood; you should have some rest," Faith answered.
"You had used large amounts of drugs as per the doctor's report," Stephanie slammed the news to her. This awoke her troubled mind. She began to remember whatever Elijah did to her the previous night, and sobbed herself back to sleep.