I watched my friend get murdered right in front of me.

This happened in 2018 and I’m not really sure why I’m posting it now. Maybe it’s because I’m still in shock that it actually happened, but I feel like this is something I need to talk about.<br><br>It was the summer of 2018, and my friend Rachel had been invited by a guy she had hooked up with on and off for a couple years to this fancy party out in the Hamptons. Regardless of it being super last minute, she decided to go, and invited me to tag along.<br><br>When we got there, it was just like something out of a movie. An old Victorian mansion, surrounded by beautiful gardens and vineyards. There were probably hundreds of other guests there, and a live band playing in the huge ballroom. We spent the night mingling and sipping cocktails, and having a blast. The person who had invited us was very busy catching up with various other people, and I kept teasing Rachel about how this was so obviously a sex party. She laughed it off, but as the night wore on, she seemed more and more distant. I figured she was drunk, and just wanted to go to bed, so I went looking for our host.<br><br>I found him in one of the side rooms, where he was chatting with a group of well dressed men who looked old enough to be my grandfather. They were talking about something in hushed tones, but I remember the look of horror on my hosts face when he saw me. Whatever he was trying to hide, it wasn’t very subtle. One of the men with him turned around, and our eyes met. I felt a chill run through my body, as he smiled and said «hello there. You must be the young ladies companion». I felt a hand on my shoulder, and my host rushed me out of the room, telling me he needed to talk to me in private.<br><br>He took me outside, and into the gardens, where we were alone. He was fidgeting nonstop, and explaining to me that this was not a normal party. This was a party where «certain kinds of people» could come and be themselves, and he wasn’t sure if he should have invited Rachel because he thinks she was too innocent and naive for this kind of thing. I was asking him what he was trying to say, when he just blurted it out: «this is a satanic ritual. Your friend is to be the sacrifice tonight». I tried to play it cool, and act like I wasn’t completely terrified. I was trying to convince him that we needed to get Rachel out of there, when he told me «I’m afraid it’s too late for that», just as I felt a hand grasp my arm.<br><br>I tried to struggle, but I was being held down by two huge men who were twisting my arms behind my back. I couldn’t see Rachel anywhere, but I could hear her. She was screaming, begging to be let go, and telling them she wanted to leave. She was being held down on some kind of stone slab by at least 3 people, as they strapped her arms and legs down. She was crying, and telling them she didn’t know what kind of game they were playing, but she wanted to go home. I was trying to scream for help, but my voice was muffled by whomever had their hand covering my mouth. I looked over and saw Rachel struggle against the restraints, and fall back down onto the slab. She called my name, and I felt tears stream down my face as I tried to tell her I was there, but my voice was still being muffled.<br><br>The rest of what happened is still a complete blur to me. I saw Rachel thrashing about and screaming as they sliced her throat open, and I felt myself pass out as I heard her take her last gasps of air. It was like something out of a horror movie, and I was trapped in a living nightmare. I don’t know how long I was out, but when I came to, it was like I was in a different universe. I couldn’t understand how this had happened, and that it hadn’t been a dream. It felt like something from a different life.<br><br>I was alone in one of the bedrooms when I came to, and I didn’t know where anyone else was. I stumbled out of the house, and into the gardens, calling for my friend. I looked everywhere for her, and finally found her body on one of the trails, rolled up in a rug. I was in denial. I couldn’t understand how this had happened. I was screaming her name, and hugging her body, when someone shook me and I came to.<br><br>I was sitting in the back of a police car, and had no idea how I’d gotten there. I asked the cop what had happened, and if they’d found the killer, and he just looked at me like I was crazy. It wasn’t until the next day that I realized I had no proof of any of this, and no one would ever believe me. The people who did this were all rich and well connected. They had covered their tracks well, and there was nothing I could say or do to prove it had happened. I’ve spent years trying to get my life back together, but I can never go back to who I was before. It feels like a part of me died that night, along with Rachel.<br><br>I still have nightmares about what happened, and I wake up crying and screaming, thinking it was just a bad dream, until I realize it really happened. I don’t know how these people live with themselves, but I hope they enjoy the rest of their lives, because they have all but ruined mine.