Hangover

[WP] You wake up after a night of drinking out with your friends. You don't remember much. The first thing you notice is that your hands are bound and you're on a moving carriage. Suddenly a person in front of you says "Hey you. You're finally awake..."

******

If the road hadn't been so bumpy, I might not have woken up until we reached the manor.

But the road was bumpy, and after bonking my head against a few wooden panels, I groggily woke up, quite unaware of my surroundings. I only remembered getting a few drinks at Old Allen's Tavern the previous night, so why the heck was I in a carriage on a road to who-knows-where.

"Uh..." I groaned, sitting up and trying to get a look out the window and see if I could spot any important landmarks. It was of no use; the window of the carriage was tinted black, and since it was dark outside, I really couldn't see anything.

"Hey..." I said, trying to call the attention of whoever it was inside the front compartment, blocked from my view by a wooden wall and glass shield. Actually, I could make out the occupants - two men, judging from their broad shoulders. They wore high-collared capes and were talking in hushed tones. One turned sideways and slid back the glass shield to look at me.

"Hey, you. You're finally awake, eh?"

Finally?

"And who are you?" I asked, feeling around my pockets for my pocket watch. It wasn't there. "And where are my belongings?"

"Hold your horses, man," the man said. "All will be explained when we reach the manor.'

"What manor? Where the hell are you taking me? This is a kidnapping! Stop this carriage now!"

The other man finally spoke, his voice hoarse and bone-chilling:

"You'll do well to keep quiet if you don't want to remember this journey without painful memories in the future. And you, Jonah, stop revealing the secrets of this journey, or you'll be forced to face the consequences."

Whatever the consequences were, they had to be pretty harsh, because 'Jonah' slid the glass shield shut and spoke no more for the rest of the journey.

I could hear a few claps of thunder, signifying that a storm was brewing. Despite visibility being factored out, I could hear the window behind me rapping with a lot of noise, but not the front one. This told me that a strong southern wind was blowing, and therefore we were on the outskirts of the southern part of the town.

The only manor this direction was the Windsor Manor, and it was quite a rich, but uneventful one. There was an heiress as far as I could remember, Lady Victoria, but she was to be married to Lord Jacob Smith the next month.

No matter how I looked at it, the reason for my being on this carriage headed to that manor was unknown.

The carriage came to a halt abruptly, and after some shaking, the door to my compartment opened and the two men got in. The one called Jonah was a bit tall, lanky, and had a goatee. He carried a small pistol in his hand, and his cruel, tiny eyes glistened in the dim candlelight he carried, darting from side to side.

The other man was bigger and had a long vertical scar on both cheeks. His eyes were dull, almost dead looking, and his face was fixed in a permanent scowl.

These were not the type of people that one would be happy to cross paths with at an ungodly hour of the day.

"Our mission here is brief, simple, and crucial. Montgomery here will be following you into the manor, where you'll act as Lord Jacob Smith and bring out the heiress, who was supposed to be meeting Smith today. Once you get her into our possession, you're free to go," Jonah said.

"Why me? Why not use the real Smith?"

"We tried last week," Montgomery cut in. "But he was being too... stubborn, so we accidentally killed him while trying to rough him up a bit. But, we were surprised when we found out that you looked exactly like him," he said, tossing me a picture.

The man in that picture was an exact copy of myself, save the fancier clothes, and proud airs about him. It was going to be the perfect impersonation.

"What do you want with the lady?"

"That, my friend, is none of your business," Montgomery said, prodding me in the side with a sharp knife. "You are just here to facilitate her capture, so be sure to act the part if you value your life."

I nodded and we got down. Marching up to the gate, Montgomery knocked and held an umbrella over my head. I wanted to turn and smile cheekily at him, but his knife was subtly pressed against my back, and I knew I wouldn't live to see his reaction.

Soon, a manservant came to open the door.

"Ah, you!" I said, smiling as I thought of what to say to a man whom I did not know. "And how is my dear Victoria today?"

He looked at me, amused, before replying "She's fine. We've been waiting for you all night! This is 2 AM, you know!"

2 AM. That was a shocker.

We were let in, and as I walked into the sitting room, the lady sat in front of the piano, playing a melodious piece. As soon as she saw us enter, she turned and folded her legs.

"Even though I and William are the only occupants of this huge manor, I still do not need your company. I'm only here because my late mother wanted me to at least go and meet your parents. Whatever you have in mind about marriage should be long forgotten!" she said, sighing.

"Why don't you give love a chance?" I said cockily as I raised an eyebrow. She had a fleeting expression on her face, akin to the realization of a hidden fact. Montgomery hadn't moved, meaning he did not see what had happened.

I glared at her and winked. "Shall we go? I do not want the storm to meet us when we've not reached the town!"

She smiled a tight smile. I hoped she'd gotten the hint, even though I knew a woman's instincts were second-to-none. She probably already suspected me from the moment she saw me.

"What's it going to be, Mister Impostor?"

Before Montgomery could react, I slammed my elbow into his neck. He coughed blood and lost balance as I dashed forward towards the lady, shielding her in case of any attacks on his part.

The manservant, William, ran towards Montogomery with a log from the cold fireplace. He attacked Montogomery savagely, before screaming in pain as both men crumbled to the ground. Running forward, I saw the gory sight.

Montgomery's skull had been smashed in, and he was dead. But he'd managed to stab William in the chest, and had dragged the knife all the way down to his stomach as he fell.

"Are you alright?" I asked frantically.

"Run!" he said, passing out. He would be dead within minutes.

"We have to go, friend. You are a friend, right?"

"You're just going to leave him like this?"

"He's dead, accept it. That's your fate too if you don't leave here with me now. You accepted that fate the moment you chose my side. That was a huge risk, one I commend you for nonetheless. Let us leave now, I do not know if we'll be alive by daybreak either way!"

With that, we left through a secret exit, scampering into the bushed and finding an alternate route back to the town in the unforgiving weather.

******

The story may sound false to you, and I understand. I wouldn't have believed it myself if it wasn't the story of how I met my wife.

@Leo_kitti, @Hanzell does this count?