‘Tragic Night Out’ by Austeja Peleckaite, Year 10, Thomas Clarkson Academy

It was a Friday afternoon at school, and my friends and I had planned to go out later. We heard of a new nightclub down the street that had just opened, so we were eager to check it out. We were so excited that we planned our outfits all week. We were also thrilled to have some excitement in our community. We needed this, a place where young people could socialise. If only we knew how horrible things would turn out.

We returned to my apartment and began getting ready, putting on fancy outfits, over-the-top makeup, and blaring music while believing it was going to be a great night. Later, we put on our shoes and left my house; it was only a 10-minute walk, so there was no need to rush. When we arrived, the location seemed like any other club, with people dancing, drinking, and hanging out with their friends, so we looked in.

A couple of hours later, I discovered my friend had gone to the toilet and never returned, which made me concerned because the toilet door was wide open with no one inside#. She was nowhere to be seen. I waited a while before returning to my friends and the group. I noticed her standing there, but she appeared to be traumatised, she was behaving strange. She wouldn’t stop twitching her head and rubbing her hands. I asked her what was wrong, and she just looked at the toilet. I was still perplexed about what was going on, so I decided to go have a look myself. Everything seemed fine, the usual, people coming in and out of the toilet, just going about their business. I now assumed that she might just be tired, or has she taken something? I returned to the table and continued to party.

I was desperate to use the toilet, and the only open cubicle was the one that my friend went into and emerged looking like she had seen a ghost. I was scared at first, but there was a long queue of people behind me. I entered and closed the door behind me. I was abruptly enveloped by the icy cold environment in the toilet. Shivers went down my spine as I felt its arms wrap securely around my entire body.

Looking at the wall, it appeared like I could see a pair of eyes in the distance. My heart was beating so fast, and then suddenly, without warning, I was swept into nothingness. I was terrified, unaware of what was happening, and knew I was in danger. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. Suddenly, I was in complete darkness before being met by massive, crimson wicked eyes. I started screaming wildly, and before I knew it, I was being violently shaken by my friend Dan. “What’s wrong Emily?” he asked. I was frozen, I couldn’t speak, what he didn’t realise was that I could not recognise him. Blank.