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Lights attached to the wall, ensconced in metal, give me just a bit of leeway to see the battered door at the other end. The hallway reminds me of an underground tunnel, one that would’ve been used to help people escape, and I wonder if that’swhat it was to Ripple Hills before. Did they keep people likemeenslaved, and this tunnel was made to help them flee? The idea makes me shudder, but I keep walking.
I’m fortunate not to see bones scattered on the floor, or anything out of the ordinary, just a simple dirt path leading to another door. Through the gaps of the door, flashes of neon lights fill the spaces. I make my way toward it, the music growing louder, the bass drumming, until I’m standing in front of it. I twist the rusted handle, and the door lets off a light moan when I pull it open, and as soon as it is, the music grows twice as loud. The bass thrums through the soles of my shoes, and the lights are damn near blinding, flashing all over the place.
The stench of sweat and body odor smothers me when I close the door behind me. The crowd is thick, and for a split second, I don’t think there’s any way I can get through. People are shoulder to shoulder, facing a stage of performers, cheering wildly. Couples dance and gyrate, bumping into other people without a care in the world, and half-naked women stand on tabletops and counters in thick, platform heels.
Two large men stand over a naked woman in the far-right corner. She’s lying on her back on a large table, gripping her breasts, and smiling up at them. The men pour liquid all over her, and she spreads it through every line, hole, and crease of her body.
I look past the filthy display, pushing my way through the first gap I spot. The performers play metal rock that drowns out almost every noise, even though people are yelling. I can already sense a headache coming on.
Stand by the bar.Tell me what you see.I hear Caz’s voice in my head and look around, as if he’ll appear.
Can you see what I see?
No, but I can hear it. And I feel your heart beating. Relax. Blend in. No one will notice you unless you make a scene.
I swallow hard, bumping into some of the rocking bodies. A woman ends up grabbing my hand, wanting to dance with me, but I shake my head and brush her off. Men stare at me, some glaring with disgust, others licking their lips with interest. I keep going until I’ve reached the bar. I can’t see a thing on the dancefloor.
The counter is surrounded by a metal cage. There are no stools or chairs to sit on. The bar is its own entity, and the people outside it are beggars, thirsting and desperate.
Two people stand behind the bar—a female with oily hair and red highlights, and a bald, thick-necked man who is shouting angrily at one of the drunk clubbers through one of the windows of the cage, asking what he wants. I decide to go to the woman. If I’m going to blend in, I’ll need to at least hold a drink.
I approach the bar woman, and she peers through the window at me. “What will it be?”
Ask for a gold tonic.Caz’s voice is firm. “A gold tonic, please.”
The woman scoffs, I’m assuming at my manners.
Don’t be so nice. Rippies are rude by nature.
I sigh, letting his voice pass, waiting patiently for the drink.
What do you see?
I take a look around the club.People dancing. Another bar. Sofas near the back wall.
Any other doors besides the one you walked through?
I scan the room, my eyes stopping on a door by a hallway.I see one. Next to the bathrooms, I think.
Give it a try.
The bartender brings back my drink, sliding it across the counter to me, not caring that some of the liquid spills. “Thirteen rubies,” she says.
I dig into my black pouch and pluck out some of the rubies Caz gave me for this very moment. She extends her hand out, and I drop them into her palm.
“Keep the rest,” I tell her.
With a quick bob of the head, she turns away, and I leave the bar, moving across the room to get near the restrooms. The band seems to be playing harder on their instruments, their heads bobbing wildly, hair swinging all over the place. I reach the hallway, and there’s a black door. I pull it open, but nothing is inside but dirty mops and brooms. Damn it.
It's just a utility closet.
Shit.I don’t hear Caz’s voice for a few beats.Right. Well, let’s go for Plan B. Find Rami.
My eyes shiftto a staircase leading up to the second floor, and as the music transitions and the crowd hollers, I hear a man’s bellowing laughter.
Stepping to the left to get a better look, I see him standing behind a barbed-wired gate. His clothes are different from everyone else’s. He’s not like the others in their simple solid-colored shirts and dark pants. Everyone is uniform but him. His clothes appear cleaner, his brown and white suit crisp, and his jewelry glinting beneath the lights. He’s a tubby man, short, greasy looking, but obviously with money judging by all the gold jewelry he wears. As he laughs again, I take note of the red tooth and how the lights flicker off it. It’s him.
Do you see him?
