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Blood in the Water
Dec. 28th, 2019 03:54 pmIt was a strange kind of music, standing where the crowded city streets met the open air of the shoreline. Usually Danny found himself most at home in that twilight space, the bizarre duality of peace and chaos never settling fully on one or the other. Tonight neither the crash of waves and wind, nor the drone of vehicles and voices, could break through the deafening sound in the alley to his right, just behind his usual haunt.
Tick. Tap. Plop.
Blood in the Water was the peak of night life offerings in this coastal city. A bar turned denizens-of-the-nightclub on the very edge of the city's hold on civilization. The music just barely reverberated beyond the dense brick walls, splattered with graffiti, erupting into the softer nocturnal city soundtrack each time a door opened, only to be shuttered away again the next time the doors swung shut.
Tick. Tap. Plop.
Danny's hand went to his mouth as he felt his stomach lurch. The neon lights rippled on the ground, reflections tinged a rosy hue in the thick, wet pool in front of him. Red trailed down toward the drain until it met water, spreading and dissipating into tendrils through the clearer run off from the afternoon's rain.
People claimed sharks could smell a single drop from a mile away, and this city was full of them. The thump of music drowned out the steady drip, tugging Danny's attention from the limp mass awkwardly draped across the bench to the sudden pulse of lights inside the den of iniquity.
Stepping over the pool of tacky, less than fresh blood, Danny slipped a pill bottle from his shirt pocket and tossed a small handful of the tiny capsules back. He could wash it down with a drink once he got behind the bar. Pushing the imagery out of his mind, he relieved his coworker and washed the pills down with a tall glass of something clear and smooth, his eyes scanning for anyone who didn't already have a glass in front of them. His hands, just slightly unsteady, lifted a glass from the clean stack and he let his background thoughts fade into the music
"Warm or cold?" His voice was easy-going, volume trained just loud enough to be heard. The bar catered to all tastes. No questions asked or records kept.
Tick. Tap. Plop.
Blood in the Water was the peak of night life offerings in this coastal city. A bar turned denizens-of-the-nightclub on the very edge of the city's hold on civilization. The music just barely reverberated beyond the dense brick walls, splattered with graffiti, erupting into the softer nocturnal city soundtrack each time a door opened, only to be shuttered away again the next time the doors swung shut.
Tick. Tap. Plop.
Danny's hand went to his mouth as he felt his stomach lurch. The neon lights rippled on the ground, reflections tinged a rosy hue in the thick, wet pool in front of him. Red trailed down toward the drain until it met water, spreading and dissipating into tendrils through the clearer run off from the afternoon's rain.
People claimed sharks could smell a single drop from a mile away, and this city was full of them. The thump of music drowned out the steady drip, tugging Danny's attention from the limp mass awkwardly draped across the bench to the sudden pulse of lights inside the den of iniquity.
Stepping over the pool of tacky, less than fresh blood, Danny slipped a pill bottle from his shirt pocket and tossed a small handful of the tiny capsules back. He could wash it down with a drink once he got behind the bar. Pushing the imagery out of his mind, he relieved his coworker and washed the pills down with a tall glass of something clear and smooth, his eyes scanning for anyone who didn't already have a glass in front of them. His hands, just slightly unsteady, lifted a glass from the clean stack and he let his background thoughts fade into the music
"Warm or cold?" His voice was easy-going, volume trained just loud enough to be heard. The bar catered to all tastes. No questions asked or records kept.
