"London, London! Are you ready to party?"
A loud roar of shouts and screams boomed in the stage hall.
"Tonight we have a very interesting guest tonight. All the way from Canada, may we present… Dead Mau5!"
More screams followed. The hungry crowd didn't know who exactly they were screaming for, but at this point, they didn't care. The majority of the lot were eighteen year-olds to twenty-five year-olds. They were just dying for entertainment of some sort.
Out merged the rodent DJ himself, throwing his hands in the air for his audience. Raven stepped out right behind him. Part of her felt the urge to hide herself as much as possible, in case a friend of hers was out in that crowd (because after all, London was just a drive away from Essex). Perhaps Alesia was out there? Probably not with Raven missing… It wouldn't really matter, because who would recognize her in this mask and wig?
"Hiiii, friends~" Mau5 shouted, his face glowing with glee.
The young people in the front began to hysterically jump up and down, clawing at the stage. They were desperate to touch either Mau5 or Raven with their greedy hands. Just like Paris, Raven thought. She expected better from her home country. Was Essex the only city that seemed to be civil when Dead Mau5 came through?
Raven felt Mau5's presence loom over her. He whispered in ear just loud enough for her to hear: "Gonna start with Cthulhu Steps as the opening… And that's the short version. Okay~?"
Raven nodded over her shoulder. Mau5's grin became visible in the dark; the inside of his mouth was gleaming a slight cyan color. Someone was a bit happy, she thought, chuckling to herself.
Mau5 then turned and slinked behind the giant syncboard on stage. The crowd was shouting so many different things, it was slurring into loud noise. She could pick out things like "bloody hell," "the fock is that?" and "mouse face", but most of it was all gibberish.
Suddenly, the sound of electronic whips and syncs began to flood the speaker system above. Immediately afterward, the bright lights around the stage sparked to life and the colors of green and blue lit up the entire room. That rubbish of noise quickly melted into cheering and more excitement.
"Watch out!" Mau5 shouted in his mic, "You'll awaken Cthulhu~"
Only Raven understood his comment, but the crowd just shouted at him in confusion. It didn't, however take long for the crowd to start jumping, spinning and dancing. Raven started with a simple swing, moving just her hips, core, arms and head from side to side. She was going to avoid using up too much energy for this show… she's need it for later.
"Move, friends… move~!" Mau5 shouted, as he whipped the syncs up a notch.
You aren't referring to me, are you?
The crowd was jumping and dancing with so much aggression. The were making the stage tremble. He had to be talking to Raven.
"Feel me~ Move~"
Raven stepped it up a bit, adding some more stomps and dramatic swings. But she kept the jumping to a minimum.
Cthulhu Steps continued to play on, hypnotizing everyone in the giant room. They started off jumping all over the place, but after two minutes in, there was a swaying wave that pulsed through the audience as they moved to the music. It almost hypnotized Raven to mimic them, but she stayed strong and kept with her independent dance.
Lights. Off. Lights. Off.
Thump-whip-kraz-thump-whip-kraz-thump!
And on and on, the show will go… where it stops…
Only the Mau5 will know.
…
"What happened, Raven~?" There was a small hint of annoyance in his tone.
"Wot do you mean?"
"When we were practicing, you were much more… lively… but then out on the stage," he paused, fumbling with his own fingers, "you were hardly into it…" Mau5's ears drooped in disappointment. "Are you still nervous?"
"Only a'lil," Raven replied.
"Do you… think you need more of my mix? I brought some again just in case…"
Raven shook her head, trying to hide the disgust on her face. "I was more trying to save energy so that I don't feel sick from exhaustion by the end of the show…"
Mau5 gave a skeptical look, with his mouth in that formation of a perfect, straight line. "But lil Raven~" he said with a slight pout. "You dance so well… I'd like you to give it your all… so the crowd can really feel the music. Seeing you will inspire them to take in the joy of the music more."
Raven sighed, nodding. She got his point… kind of. She didn't really even have time to argue on this for long; they were only give a 15 minute break before they needed to return to the stage and finish the show.
"Okay, okay, Mau5… sorry. I'll give the second half a lot more energy."
That returned Mau5's expression back to his idiotic smile. "Thank you, Raven~ Let us give London a wonderful finale~"
…
11:14 PM, GMT
London's late evening was still staying active, even after Dead Mau5's performance. Mau5 was busily packing equipment with James and three technicians that worked in the studio.
Raven was sitting in a pull out chair on the side of the large room. Her anxiety was crawling under her flesh. She… couldn't… get away.
She was just about to slink away, when Daniel, the huge bouncer/body guard, planted himself in the seat next to her. He began to bring up some friendly gab, some small talk, and he was really good at keeping a conversation going. He had her pinned. She couldn't get up and leave. He was definitely doing this on purpose, the large bastard… He was on to her.
As he continued to ask small basic questions here and there, Raven watched Mau5 and the others pack cables, devices of various types, the sync boards and the speakers in padded carrying bags. An idea struck her…
"Bloody hell…" she murmured, leaning over slightly.
"Something wrong?" Daniel asked.
"Don't feel too well… Is there a loo I can run to real fast here?" Raven hoped he wouldn't follow, seeing as it was polite to give a lady privacy.
"A… what?" Daniel asked.
Raven rolled her eyes. Oh yeah… Americans.
"You know… toilet? Uh, bathroom is wot they are sometimes called?"
Daniel's eyes lit up with enlightenment. "Oh of course. I believe I saw one just down the hall. I can't guarantee its very clean, though."
"That's fine," Raven grumbled. She stood up slowly and lingered across the room towards the hallway that Daniel had pointed to.
Don't follow… Don't follow…
Just as she turned the corner in the hall, she caught Daniel walking casually after her in the corner of her eye.
FUCK! Her mind screamed. So much for that plan…
She continued down the hall in a slow stroll until she came across the bathroom. She opened the door. It was a single loo, as she predicited. Closing the door behind her and locking it, her glance fell upon the window above. Her eyes lit up immediately.
The plan worked out anyway. Through the window it is.
Carefully climbing up on the toilet seat, Raven reached for the window's locks on both sides. She eased them open slowly, trying to avoid any noise in case Daniel was standing just outside the door. Once the clamps snapped open, she took both her index and middle fingers, and inced the window up and open. The openning looked just wide enough to slip through. The difficult part was doing it with out making any noise. With a quick hoist, she lifted her body up and swung one leg through the window. She paused to get a firmer grip on the frame so she wouldn't fall back. She then fed her other leg through the openning. Now she sat on the window seal on, with her body still on the inside of the building. She peeked over the edge to see how high up the ground was. Oh hell… It looked to be a good six to seven feet. She glanced back at the door one last time before she ducked down and slipped through the window. Her feet landed hard on the pavement, bringing a jolting sting up through her leg's nerves. She didn't let this stall her; she quickly went into a sprint around the building to the left, seeing at first sight, there was a high, barbed fence on this side of the building's parking lot.
Gotta move quick… need to get some distance away from here…
She ran around on the left side, looking for an openning in the fence. Taking another sharp turn around the corner, she saw a gate and a good alley way to hide in. The gate was just barely open, as if someone made a very small attempt to close it but not lock it. A grin stretched across her face.
Bloody freedom. I can taste it at last.
Her feet guided her across the parking lot and through the open gate. She jumped over a small ditch, and ran for the small narrow street that lie ahead. Her heart jumped in shock when a small car blarred its horn at her as it sped around the narrow street.
Shhhhit. Raven recovered from her surprise and quickly crossed the street. She entered into the shadowy safety of the alley way.
…
Just as Mau5 saw Raven and Daniel leave the room, he felt a sudden and most horrible feeling hit the bottom of his gut. Something seemed wrong. After a minute had passed, he turned to James, "Can you take care of the rest of this? I need to go talk to Daniel.."
James looked up at him with slight irriation, but nodded. "Yeah sure, run off. We'll finish the labor work."
Mau5 frowned, lowering his head. "Sorry~" He then scampered down off the stage and went through the hallway. He turned a corner and saw Daniel leaning up against the wall with his arms folded across his chest and his gaze fixed on the floor in front of him.
"Daniel~? Where is Raven?"
"She's in the bathroom." He said jerking a thumb to the door in front of him.
Mau5 looked at the door with large, rounded eyes, becoming very silent.
"Everything alright, Mau5?"
Mau5 nodded. "Yes, I'll be right back."
Daniel merely shrugged as Mau5 turned back around. There was a tremble in his tail next to his leg, which was still tucked and hidden down in his baggy slack pants. His instincts were firing like mad. Why did he get the feeling that Raven…? He made a dash down another hall towards the back exit of the building. With much force, he slammed it opened. He paused as he looked around, then ran off around the side. In his head, he was estimating where that bathroom would be on the outside. He turned another left corner and his heart nearly skipped a beat. Right where he was almost certain the bathroom space was, he saw a single window which was wide open. A small girl could have easily fit through it.
Raven! Mau5's eyes became wide as ever. He then ran towards the front of the building. Once he saw the gated fance standing wide open to the world, he felt a much stronger trembling pulse overcome his entire body. His jaw twitched and his lips curled back over his large teeth.
Raven… why…
He hesitated no more; he took off toward a dark alleyway across the street. He didn't care about other humans seeing him up close… there was only one motive angerly repeating in the back of his mind. It was consuming him.
Find. Pursue.
Find. Pursue.
Find! Pursue!
…
The dark alley had a very frightening aura. Raven stumbled through it, practically blind. There were puddles in the middle of the walkway to avoid, and large, metal dumpsters to dance around. She still struggled to keep on running, but she was very exhausted. Dancing at a rave show does take its toll...
She wasn't sure how long this alley way went. It seemed to go on forever. She hoped that it would eventually open up into a bigger street. She was desperate for a landmark or something that she recognized so that she could find the underground system. If I can get there... I'll be home free. It's almost impossible to catch someone riding the underground.
She had only visited London a few times. But she was almost certain she could remember the route to get to the very east of the county. Then from there, she'd need to find either a taxi, or a police station to help her get all the way home.
"C'mon.. c'mon... where are you underground?" She panted under her breath, her eyes darting through the alley. She looked for the bright red and white sign with the blue stripe through it. But it was nowhere to be seen. Just a dark, gloomy alleyway.
The alley curved again to the left. Once it straightened out, Raven could see more lights. Perhaps a bigger street? Or even better, an intersection? An intersection would definitely help her figure out her location better. She heard voices of people in the streets. Just a few more meters away...
A signed with a black arrow pointing to the left caught her eye. There it was! The first sign of the subway. It must be close!
Her feet moved a bit quicker. Almost there!
Suddenly, she felt a constricting object tighten around her right leg. Gasping and placing her hands out in front of her, she braced herself as she fell forward. She skipped a bit on the cold stone ground.
Her first thought was clumsy me... But then she looked around and looming above her, a pair of blazing red eyes glared down at her.
Her heart stopped. "..Wot.. who?"
"Raven!" Out of the shadows, a familiar rodent face loomed down to her level. She gasped in absolute horror.
Mau5 looked upon her with a glare she had never seen before. His eyes were burning with rage. They literally glowed a hot red. His whole mouth was gaping open and it quivered with the anger he felt. She noticed a slight difference in his appearance. She couldn't tell if it was the dark lighting... or something actually happened to him to make him look... black! His brilliant red fur seemed to have faded to a dull black, which intensified his bright eyes with his surroundings.
Raven tried to speak... but the very image of the friendly, happy-go-lucky mouse DJ she thought she knew, now looming over her with such hostility, struck her with fear. She managed to speak one word.. "M.. Mau5?"
His eyes widened and he scooped her up in his arms. She screamed aloud from his sudden reaction. In that instance, he quickly darted back down the alleyway, far from the open streets. Someone could have heard her scream...
"Mau5!" She shouted. More fear was swimming through her entire body. Not only did he not respond to his name, but he was taking her back... she was losing all chances of freedom. "Mau5!" She shouted again.
He did not answer. He only held her tight over his shoulder and sprinted quickly on silent feet back to the entertainment building.
Raven struggled and squirmed, trying to break free from his grip. No! I must get away! "Put me down!" She shrieked at the top of her lungs. Her voice went echoing down the wet, narrow alleyway. Someone had to have heard her cries. Surely someone would come and try to find out who needed help. But would they be able to help in time...?
Mau5 emerged out of the alleyway and darted across the street. Raven flailed and even began to bite and scratch any part of Mau5 that she could reach. She was so desperate at this point. It was almost too late... No matter how much she struggled and nipped him with her nails or teeth, he would not let go. Quickly, he slipped through the gate and only paused to whip it shut with his tail. Then he walked the rest of the way back to the building. Raven still struggled, still cried, still scratched and bit and kicked and beat with her fists. It was too late. But she had become hysterical now. She wasn't going home... forever, for all she knew.
...
He was very harsh with handling her. He practically threw her to the ground. Inside a small room, he locked himself and Raven inside.
Raven grunted in pain as she landed on the hard floor. Quickly she looked up at her captor, and backed away on her hands and butt. She was trembling in fear. From the looks of it, this new Mau5 still looked to be very hostile and angry.
"Raven... why were you trying to run away?" Even his voice sounded on edge.
Raven's mouth gaped open but she could not find any words or even any sound.
Mau5's ears curled back and his tail swished impatiently. Then he began to pace back in forth, cursing something under his breath.
Raven watched him, captivated by what she was seeing. He had completely changed. It's like a different personality. A different person; that was brought out from inside of him. His fur still looked to be a sleek grayish black, and his eyes were still gleaming a bright red.
"Why... why would you... DO THIS!" He immediately yelled. Raven jumped. A sudden realization came over her. She was locked in here with him. He appeared to becoming unstable... and it was very possible that he was going to be as unstable as Psycho. She was in trouble...
"M.. Mau5... please... let me explain something." Raven said softly.
Immediately, Mau5 whipped his head around and leered down upon her. Raven froze up. Perhaps reasoning with him wasn't the best idea...
"Mau5? Is that you in there?" It was James. James was knocking on the door and trying to open it.
Mau5 closed his eyes and took in a quivering breath. His ears curled back even farther. She could see he was trying to keep control of himself... but he couldn't. It was his emotions... they were winning him over.
"Mau5, open the door! Raven... are you in there?"
She didn't know if she should answer. She glanced at Mau5 first, who's eyes were still clamped shut. "Y..Yes." Raven croaked.
"Raven, what's going on? Are you okay?"
Mau5's tail was beginning to swish back in forth quickly. His hands were clenched together so tightly that they were shaking.
Raven hesitated, panting with anxiety. "It... it's Mau5." She paused, when his eyes flared back open. He did not move; he only glared at with such intent.
It was a gamble, she thought. He was testing her to see if she dared to speak anymore. She bit her lower lip tightly.
"What's going on? What has happened to Mau5?"
She thought she saw his red eyes narrow. She knew that look; the look of no control... She swallowed a lump in her throat. That was the same look Psycho gets... It was too late... he was going to snap either way. "He's gone mad!" She shouted quickly, jumping to her feet.
In that instant, Mau5 lunged at her, his jaws opened wide as if he was going to sink them into her body. She shrieked and jumped back, barely missing his large bite.
Immediately she could hear two voices yelling frantically behind the door, and trying to get it open. Mau5 continued to pursue her. Raven ran and dodged as much as she could, even kicking him back with her legs if necessary. She continued to shout and scream whenever he came close to grabbing her again. Once she was up against the wall, he dove at her again, grabbing a hold of her arms and body, and pinning her to the wall. She shrieked loudly, kicked and flailed. He struggled to hold her still. "Stop... squirming!" He demanded. He pulled on of her arms quickly towards him and in an awkward angle. "Ahhh!" She screamed, tears coming to her eyes. "Stop! Mau5 stop!" She bleated.
The door to the room came crashing down, as Daniel rammed it over. Immediately both James and Daniel ran towards Mau5 and grabbed ahold of him, pulling him off of Raven. Raven sank down to the floor, holding her arm. It throbbed painfully. He had almost pulled it out of the socket. She looked back up to see Mau5 looking down at her. His gaze had softened again. He looked at her with pain now as Daniel and James dragged him away and out the door.
Raven continued to sit there, holding her arm close to her body. She bent her head down and began to weep.