Chapter Eleven - Xiao

 The blaring sounds of the rock music from the speakers began to bore me. I wondered why everyone is so excited about such disturbing noise. The twitching bulbs and the dark room makes it diffcult for me to shove my way past the hippy crowd, I almost reach the exit when she stands in front of me.

 "Look who's leaving the party" she says.

 If not for Becky who convinced me on before that day I wouldn't be in such a rowdy place.

 "I have to get back to my room" I said as I tried to move past her.

 "Come on, the party just started" she said.

 "You know I don't do this, and besides I have-"

She quickly sipped her drink and throw it aside. "You don't have any excuses, you have run out of excuses." She moved closer to me, placing both hands on my shoulders. "We are done with school bullshit, now we have to celebrate, tonight is our night, let's celebrate." 

 Becky pulled me to the crowd and she began to dance as usual but this wasn't my thing. At the university I have always been an hermit, it's me and my books. People called me names of course but I don't seem to get it. Becky and I never had anything in common, I guess thats why our friendship seems strange to others.

 "Please don't look back," I said to Becky who seems carried away by the music.

 "Why" She asked then she turned to see the last person she ever wants to set her eyes on.

 "Hey ladies," A voice from behind spoke.

 

 Suddenly, I felt a grip on my upper arm as a guy beside me whisked me aside. I collided with another girl who cursed me as I crashed on her, by the time I turn to Becky, she was covered by some guy we knew, but the one she feared the most moved closer to her.

 "Let her go!" I shouted. Immediately, I stand between her and Rex.

 "This has nothing to do with you!" he barked at me but I stood to protect my friend. He sighs and turn towards one of the guys who quickly stepped foward to grab Becky. As soon as he got closer, I griped his arm and twisted it, then I landed a hard blow on his neck, he dropped to the floor.

 

I swayed away from a punch and kick the other guy in the knees, as soon as he knelt down, I jab him in the nose with my elbow. The two other guys lunged to me but I swept their feet with a single kick as they drop violently to the floor, the first one stood up to meet my fist as I plunge it to his neck. He staggers and fell to the floor while the other one received a hard blow on the stomach.

 

After dealing with his goons, I turned to Rex who seem shocked. His eyes widened as I faced him, not only him, everyone else was watching including Becky.

 

"Easy easy" Rex said as he moved backwards but the anger burning in me is still on fire. 

  I dashed to Rex as everyone shifts away, he quickly picked up a bottle but I lunged on him, grab the bottle from him and smashed it on his head. Everyone screamed as blood  gushed from his head.

 "Nobody messes with my bestie" I said as I walked away towards the exit. Rex goons hurried out of my way while the one with a broken knee crawl away as I head to the exit.

 I shut the door behind me and slowly I catch my breath. A pinching pain in my right rib made me realize that I was hit during the fight. I lifed my shirt to see the red bruise on my skin, it hurt.

****************************

 The tap fizz as I wash my hand, and wipe my face, washing away the horrible make up on my face. 

"Nice move," A voice from behind says.

 I turn to see Ben beside me, he seem to be washing his blood stain hands. 

"What are you doing here?" I ask then he chuckle.

"Come on, this is a male bathroom, didn't you read before getting in?"

 

 He seem right, but come to think of it, why is  Ben wounded?

 "Hey, are you ok?" I ask as he wipes his hand with a towel.

 "Yeah it's just a flesh wound," he says, showing me a mark on his hand, seem like a bite mark.

"Whose teeth is that?" I ask.

"Oh," he scoffs and turns to me. "Just a crazy lady I met at the elevator, she suddenly went haywire and lunge at me. While I try to push her away she bite me," he groan.

 I smile "Is there something you are not telling me. Ben"

"What else do you want to hear, best student in Medicine," He says.

We both laugh then he move really close to me until there's no space between us while my back glues to the wall. Is Ben really going to kiss me-I thought. Right from the first time we met at the library I've had feelings for him. Ben and I had been friends and  study partner, though he had numerous girlfriend but none of them lasted up to a year but he has never showed interest in me.  He's my dream man, tall, blonde, handsome and his masculine voice sounds like music to my ears, most time I love to hold hands with him to feel his touch.

His face moved closer to mine and I feel his breath coinciding to mine, today is the day, finally I'm going to have my first kiss with the man I love. With the corner of my eyes I sight the entrance door praying that no one comes in till I have the taste of Ben's lips. My heart race as I take the hardest decision, I pull Ben closer and go for his lips.

 "What the hell, Xiao" he says, pulling away from me.

This is the most embarrassing day of my life, I let go of him and step away. "I'm sorry" I apologize.

"It's ok" he says as he turns to hold  me but I step back and hurry out of the room.

 *****************

 The creaking sound of the door interrupt me from my night meditation, the voice behind me worsen it.

 "Sensei" Becky says as she sits beside me.

 "Get away" I say under my breath with my eyes closed.

"Sensei, I want to thank you for kicking my ex boyfriend's and his goons ass, I owe you my virginity"

I burst into laughter on hearing Becky claiming to be a virgin. "Liar, I don't need your long lost virginity."

"Ok then, believe it or not I'm always a virgin," she says as I open my eyes to give her a weird look.

 She sits on the bed and massage her toes, "What are you trying to forget this time?" she asks.

 

 Whenever I'm trying to clear something off my mind I do meditate, and Becky is fully aware, I guess she's really studied me.

 "Ben," I say. I stand up and sit beside her.

 "What happened?" she asks, placing her hand on my shoulder while we sit on the edge of the bed facing each other.

 "I kissed Ben in the bathroom"

Becky gasp. "Finally, how did it go?"

 "Most sweetest feeling ever. I felt like.." I scoff, "I can't explain"

 Becky pat my back with a naughty smile on her face. "Finally, you are not a lesbian. I thought you were one" she laughs. 

"Of course I'm straight."

She nods. "What happened afterwards?"

I lay back and sigh. Becky lay beside me as we stare at the ceiling. 

She places her left hand to my chest. "Don't worry babe, I'll arrange another lad for you."

 My phone beeps, Becky picks it up and gasp. "It's him," She says with her eyes wide open.

"Ben?" I ask.

 "Yes" she says and nods then she unlocks my phone while we read the messages on the screen. 

"Come to my room..... Ji-Li let's talk.... I'm sorry for pushing you away....," Becky and I read slowly.

 "Tonight is your night," Becky says as she toss my phone aside.

"Well, not any more," I reply.

 "What do you mean?" 

"I have a flight to catch tomorrow, I'm returning to China."

 "So soon?"

I turn to Becky as I arrange my clothes into my bag. "Yes of course, my dad want's me home, that's why i brought my bag to this hotel."

"So...you are leaving for good?" 

I turn to see the sorry look on Becky's face, she seem sad, I'm also surely going to miss her.

 "Don't worry it'll be ok, I'll be back before you know it."

"hmmm.. Sensei, how do I contact you? There's no Whaatsapp or F******k in china ."

"Don't worry, I put up a call from time to time." I say.

 

Becky nods then she help me pack, we discuss throughout the night for the last time before heading to bed, sleeping together for the last time.

 

*******************************

 A low growling sound echo from ouside the room. I try to ignore it at first but the sound keeps persisting. The screams of a lady finally jolt me from my sleep, the whole room seem dark, though I can't remember turning off the lights last night. 

"What's going on?" Becky whisper weakly but I gave no response as I try switching on the bulbs.

"Seems like there's power failure," I say.

 I try to reach for my phone but I can't find it. Finally, Becky hands over my phone with the flashlight on.

"Help!!!" A noise form outside get me upfrom bed. I hurry towards the door and rush out of the room. The hallways are also dark as stuffy smell hit my nose. I turned my torch towards the noise coming from the end of the hallway. 

"What's happening?" Becky voice echo.

I turn to her as she points her flashlight at me "Stay back, lemme go check it out," I say to her before turning towards the end of the hallway, alerted.

 The noise seem to have died down, fear begins to run down my spine as I thought of what could have gone wrong. Behold, I encounter the most scariest thing I've ever seen. A familiar girl begin sucked by some horrible looking human, as soon as I points the torch at the cannibal, it truns to me. My heart drops as i recognize the face, Rex.

 This isn't the version of Rex I know, his eyes are bugled and his scattered teeth with flesh hanging on it as he let of of the blood spurting lady beside him. I almost puke on seeing the corpse around him. He growls showing his disfigured mouth as he prepares to attack. I turn away ignoring the corpse as I head to my room.

 "Becky! Becky!! Becky!!! Get in!!!!" I shout as I sight Becky standing at the door. 

 "What's wrong? Why are you shouting!" 

I shove her in and shut the door behind me, she falls to the bed then a sudden banging begins, after a while it stops. 

"What the heck is going on?" She asks.

 My eyes widen as I thought of what I just saw.

"Talk to me" she snaps.

 "A..a...a...a ghost"

'Ghost"

 "He, looked like a monster, he ate her, he tried to attack me."

"Who tried to attack you?" she asks.

 "Rex!" I shout.

"Seriously? Rex scare you off, so much for a Sensei," she joked but I didn't find it funny.

 I hurry to the small bathroom and wash my face again while Becky stand by the door. 

"I guess we should call the police, this Rex is beginning to piss me off.

Becky lights up her cigar, she puff smoke out of her nose.

 "He ate them." I say as warm tears drops from my burning eyes.

 "Ate who?" Becky asks.

 "All of them, Rex is a monster, didn't you see him chasing me?" I ask but Becky nods negative.

"What did you see?"

 She asks again but I try not to remember, my mind drifts towards the blackout. The room is still dark, I stand up and look through the window and I noticed everywhere is the same. The buildings around are also experiencing some sort of power failure. I reach for my phone, dialed the emergency number but it beeped for a while then it hangs up by itself.

 "Something is not right" I whisper under my breath.

  "My phone network is down," Becky complains.

 "Mine too." 

 We both try dialing numbers, rebooting our phones again and again in order to restore network but it seem to have shut down permanently.

"This is strange," Becky says as she tries calling for the last time then she toss her phone aside.

We sit silently in the room, waiting for a miracle then suddenly a loud bang is heard again.

 "Who is that!" Becky shouts.

 "It's me Ben"