Chapter 02
Pulsing techno beats, luminescent lights, and sweaty bodies. The sights of the club might have been a comfort to my compatriots, but it was nerve racking for myself. Everywhere people moved their bodies in time with the long winding music, and loud chatter could barely heard above the music. I shrunk into a corner not willing to mingle with the crowd in anyway. I wasn't even dressed right as Nick harshly reminded me.
"My god, Matt! You're dressed in fucking jeans and a T-shirt when you're going to a CLUB?" Each note of his retort struck me like arrows, but the truth is I never cared much for clothes and I thought Jeans and a T-shirt were rather appropriate. I didn't really have much of anything else to wear.
"It's okay, Matt." Said Jenn soothingly "I'll just take you shopping to prepare for going inside." All of a sudden I was whisked in some strange shop, and walked out wearing a black T-shirt, Pants that were almost impossible to walk in, thanks to the innumerable chains that were sewn on them, and a fishnet shirt over it. I imagined myself with an anime sweatdrop sliding down the back of my head as I walked out into the street, to an almost musical jangling of the chains.
"What the hell Jenn?" I asked her in disbelief.
"What, I think it suits you." She said going on the defensive. Turning to Ben for support she asked "What do you think, Ben?" He shrugged and I don't think he seemed to care. Nick gave me a malicious smirk out of the corner of his mouth. Me not being used to the weight being put on my lower body walked clumsily with my acquaintances towards the towering building surrounded by bright neon lights. I all of sudden felt like I was on a bad acid trip or something. As I opened the plain metal door a rush of techno met me in a strange wave; this was something I was NOT used to. So there I was huddled in a corner like a puppy cowering from an abusive owner. I felt someone tug at my arm and glanced up to see Jenn try to guide me onto the dance floor. Seeing as I was scared as shit, had two left feet, and couldn't possibly maneuver in time with the music given what I was wearing.
"COME ON MATT!" Screamed Jenn over the music "YOU JUST GOTTA GET INTO IT!"
"FORGET IT! I CAN'T FUCKING DANCE TO SAVE MY LIFE!" She still tugged at my arm and a tranquil, atmospheric song blared over the speakers as she succeeded to get my ass in the middle of that floor. She started swaying her body in ways that were completely foreign to me, and I did my best to try and mimic her movements, and tripped over the hem of my pants. I could see Jenn shake her head as she showed me how to dance, I guess. Before I knew it though I lost myself in the slow theme, and the vision of a tranquil winters night, walking alone as the snow gently drifted down to kiss the ground, thinking thoughts, what thoughts though, all that filled my mind was the music. In the horizon I could see the neon blues and greens of a distant city, they were hypnotizing in their glow, and the snow seemed to agree, for it slowly drifted towards the city in a gentle mesmerized march. I took my first shaky step towards the city, each kept in time with the beat of the endless tune playing in my mind, with each passing step the feeling of being alone waned, for I could sense the presence of a girl not much younger than myself walking with me. As I moved closer I could hear these words playing in my head.
"Matt, come for me. Come meet me in the wired."
I turned to my right to see a little girl with auburn hair, and eyes that deceived the childlike appearance of her body. She looked up at me with a pleading look in her eyes. She held out her hand encouraging me to take it. As I reached I heard a loud bang echo through the world, and the image of the girl shattered like a window.
All of a sudden I was back in the club, and I saw people running towards the door in a stampede. One man was standing in the center, above a bloody body whom I did not recognize. This man looked disheveled and he had a look of extreme panic in his eyes. For some reason I felt drawn to him, though I could hear Jenn's panicked cries of "Matt, come back!" He looked absolutely terrified at the sight of me, though I couldn't understand why.
"STAY BACK DEMON!" He screamed at me in a voice that seemed to be of him being possessed by one of the aforementioned demons. "Don't haunt me anymore." He kept on yelling, his voice seemed to be on the verge of tears. During this whole thing I didn't even seem to be there. Almost I was watching this from a TV screen. All of a sudden I began to speak. It was weird though, it wasn't like I was really speaking, but someone used my mouth to speak for themselves.
"You will never escape, for we are all connected in the Wired." At these words the man turned the gun on himself and pulled the trigger. The slap of warm blood and gray matter seemed to jerk me out of my reverie. I felt a tug at my arm and saw Jenn pulling me to the exit door.
Two hours later I was sitting in the police station while the officer read my information to me in a stream of information that barely registered in my numb little mind.
The words "We tried to call your parents but they didn't seem to be home" did however. I figured they went out for a little and wouldn't be back until the crack of dawn. Not wanting to relive the events of the night, and fortunate enough to have a house key, I asked one of the officers if they could drive me home.
As I figured the house was completely abandoned when I arrived, not wanting to do anything but sleep I went to bed and completely crashed without even changing out of my street clothes.