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We stepped over small puddles of blood, broken furniture, fixtures that had fallen from the ceiling. It was hard to believe that this was the same club that that the others had taken me to that first night to celebrate. The night that I found out what they really were...and soon after made the choice to stay in darkness forever. The trashed husk of a building that lay in ruin at our feet hardly resembled the place that we once knew. And I began to wonder if it was my fault that it was gone.
"So do you remember where this joint is or not?" Max grumbled.
"I...I think so." I said.
"You think so? Dude, either you remember or you don't."
"Hold on, just give me a second." I tried using some of Doc's memory techniques to peel back the layers of fog that had misted over my thoughts in the months since Gyro had taken me there. Hell, he had taken me to so MANY places, it was hard to keep track of them all. "I think....it was up north...and...I think I remember that we took the subway. But not the Red Line...it was Blue." I shuffled through my memories like a deck of playing cards, hoping to put them in the right order and deal myself a winning hand. But it wasn't easy. Not at all.
What could I remember...let's see...
"We were SOOOO drunk.....he ran right into a brick wall!"
No...not that one. That's not the right moment.
"I got us tickets! To the ICEZONE!!!"
Not that one...
"C'mon, I KNOW you wanna let us in Bernie...."
"It's my birthday..."
"They're 'chasers', Justin....just meant to keep an eye on you...."
All I could really get were fragments and pieces. Some with perfected details, some with altered perceptions. But I knew that it had to be in there somewhere. After all the times Gyro and I had been out together, it should be easy to locate the right memory to find him again.
"Whoah! The POLICE....I'm NOT leaving you here...."
"Heyyyyyy, my buddies are here!....I only had a little bit of spice...I....You don't have to yell...."
"You guys can 'booty screw' at the club....!"
Come on, dammit....where are you?
"I KNEW you could do it Superman!"
"Vampires call it a 'sunburn' shot...Bacardi 151, vodka, splash of lemon juice...."
"Just a couple more fights, Justin! And we can make all the money we NEED!"
WAIT....back up! THERE...that's what I'm looking for! Somehow, that memory is connected to what I need to know. I remember....hmmm...I remember going to Soren's arena that night for the first time with Gyro and Dion. I remember having to fight....I remember the video game machine in the convenience store that acted as the secret entrance....wait...no, that's too far ahead. Back up some. The images scrolled backwards in my mind, almost as if recorded onto an old video cassette. It was a delicate manuever, trying not to go back too far or leap too far ahead. But with a little concentration, I managed to work something out. Ok...before the arena...where were we? We were...WAIT....Jeremy! That was the night Jeremy threatened us over the money we owed him! He had his goon come pick us up with Torsten and Grimm...outside of....of a club. The location is kinda hazy, but was getting clearer fast. I needed to go out that night....but why? Ok...I remember...Trevor was chasing me that night. We had to get rid of him. So we sent Gyro to watch him and keep him occuppied...and...THERE IT IS!
"I've got it! I remember!" I said.
"Hallelujah...." Trevor sighed sarcastically.
"C'mon, we've gotta go! We may not have much time." I said, hurrying in the direction of the nearest Blue Line subway.
"Justin, are you sure it's the right place?" Jenna asked.
"Positive." I could feel it. My thoughts and feelings could easily cling to it. If Rage is doing what I think he's doing, and he's tracking me down, then my essence should be just as evident on Gyro as it was on Max. Probably more. Jesus...what if that makes everyone in the lot a target? What if that makes...Taryn a target? As we galloped down the stairs and hopped the turnstyles to get on the train, I made sure to keep Taryn extra close to me. I held him against me, ignoring the looks of other people waiting on the same train. I didn't care if they looked. I needed him here with me. I needed to protect him at all costs. Because losing him means losing myself. And nothing matters after that. Nothing. I'd gladly welcome oblivion, and take this whole worthless planet with me if I had to. I swear it.
At first, Taryn might have mistaken my clutching him tightly as a sign of affection. But soon he began to feel the desperation in my embrace, and he turned to look me in the eye. His glorious green eyes were so hypnotic sometimes. A beauty that could be better defined by tears than by words. And he ran his soft hand across my cheek, as if to somehow calm me down. He could have asked me what was wrong, and he would have gotten the predictable answer, which would have been designed to sooth his nerves instead of my own. So he didn't bother with the task at all, and just turned into me to lay his head comfortably on my shoulder while I wrapped my arms softly around his shoulders and leaned against the wall. I could smell the sweetened scent of strawberries and sunshine in the locks of his hair, and I could feel the warmth of his body heat as his chest pressed up against mine. I held him even tighter as I began to let my mind wander to darker thoughts of having to let him go. I began to tremble slightly, and almost felt my eyes welling up with tears as the inevitability of it all started to crush down on me from above. Weighing oh so heavy on my already weary shoulders. All I could do was stay silent, hold back my sniffles, and keep that boy wrapped as tightly in my arms as I possibly could. I wanted to keep him safe. I just...I had to keep him safe.
At that moment, I looked up, and I noticed that Trevor was staring at me. I don't even think that Jenna had picked up the emotion with her senses, but Trevor did. He felt my desire to protect what was mine. He tuned in to the fears and the worries and the despair in a way that no one else could. It was always difficult to figure out how Trevor could use his extra so successfully when it was so hard to explain. But in that moment, when his eyes met mine, he knew that something was seriously wrong with this moment in time. He looked at me, and he looked at my arms gripping Taryn's waifish shoulders to the point where they were almost sore from the tension...and I wonder if he knew, or at least suspected....that darker days were coming for us all.
We got on the train and I counted nine or ten stops on the overhead map until we would have to get off. Everyone was silent. Watching me and my expression as they hoped and prayed that Gyro wasn't in as much trouble as I said he would be. I attempted to send him a message mentally using Taryn's extra, warning him to get Rain and get out of that place as fast as possible! but I didn't know how. I just couldn't push it out far enough. I asked Taryn how to use it better, and asked if maybe he could try. "I don't know, I never tried it like that before. I've only been able to really send messages to people who have been in my immediate line of sight." He said. But there's GOTTA be a wayto do it! It happened before. It happened between us when I rescued him from Soren's warehouse. So it MUST be possible.
"Don't even bother." Michael said. "Knowing the little pipsqueak, he's probably at least four drinks past being able to receive anything 'mentally'."
Dion agreed. "He's right, you know? Chances are he's not gonna heed the warning, even if he gets it. He'll be too busy having fun."
Jenna saw my frustration, and said softly, "Don't worry, Justin. We'll get there in time. They'll be fine." But as she randomly laid her hand on my arm, something odd happened. It was like an electric spark between us, and somehow...she felt something unbelievably 'wicked' inside of me. I don't know where it came from or how she triggered it through touch alone, but she was suddenly flooded with images of hate, death, destruction, and pain. It only lasted a second, and she pulled her hand away from me, the overwhelming sensation still lingering in her fingertips. I saw two tears drip from her eyes as she gave me such a look of utter confusion. Like she had never experienced something so foul, so powerful, so irreversibly evil. She used her hand to cover her mouth before she gasped outloud, and quickly wiped her tears away before anyone else really took notice. But we both know that something had happened. And she had somehow tapped into that rapidly churning storm that was building strength with every breath that I took. A level of madness that would not only consume me, but everyone around it, if it were ever fully unleashed. She stared for a few seconds longer, her eyes bursting with fear over what I had living inside of me, and I silently told her...with a look of concern...not to 'tell'. I can work this out. I can find a way to control it. I know I can. But I needed time. I just needed to get through this 'one' night, and then I can get help. Older vampires will know what to do. They'll know the legends, they'll understand the texts...they can help me find my balance again. All I have to do is get everyone to safety first. My family i darkness has to be safe.
The train came to our stop, and we got off, rushing to the surface to find the way there. I think Dion recognized the location and was able to help me find the club again. Thank God it was still 'operational'! I would have freaked if we had found ourselves walking into another 'ground zero' situation. People were walking in and out of the place, and casually hnging out in the surrounding streets. Again, it seemed to be a mix of vampires and humans alike, one of the 'chosen' places where they can co-exist and not tear each other apart. It always confused me, trying to find that fine line between our forced discretion and our apparent union. We live in secret, but how secret could we be with so many places like this in existence?
Then again...maybe the answer is simple. People as whole....simply don't pay attention. They've been brainwashed into not caring, not seeing, not retaining any information for longer than the few seconds it takes to push it to the back of their polluted minds. Strange. They really don't notice the 800 pound gorilla in the room until it rips off an arm and tosses it across the room. I don't think it was clandestine governments and secretive Elders that kept our existence from the general public for so many centuries. It was a list of simple flaws. Ignorance. Apathy. Disbelief. Ego. Laziness. I must admit, for a system so complex and so difficult to pull off, their execution is immaculate.
We approached the club as a group, not really concerned with the party atmosphere in the street outside. However, my senses began to pick up some subtle vibrations from all directions as we got closer. It started out as just one or two sets of eyes, gazing upon us from the parking lot. But that number increased greatly as we walked towards the door. I looked around us, and I could see vampires noticing our little group instantly, their eyes glowing brightly in the dark as they turned to watch us move. I could feel their sudden fascination, I could sense their increasing tension, and when I saw the looks on their faces...I saw a look of amazement.
Eyes widened, jaws dropped, conversations came to a standstill. And a few vampires looked over the side of the roof to see if it was true. It was ME...they could 'see' me. Had word traveled that fast? Is it possible that I've been spotted for what I am? The street outside got quiet except for the muffled sound of the pounding bass coming from inside the club. Some vampires gave me a wicked smile as I walked past, and bowed their heads slightly, as if to pay my visit the ultimate respect. Others backed away from us, sending vibrations of fear and tension into the air around them. They started to actually 'leave' the area when they saw me, finding places to hide until I was gone so they could rush off to some other location. And some watched with an intense focus, studying us and analyzing our every move, trying to figure out what we were doing here. I felt so open...and to me, that was a very dangerous feeling to have.
"Sweet Jesus...the chosen one is real...."
The inner voices began almost instantly, and no one could hear them but me. Depending on the emotion involved, some voices were louder than others in my mind. But I heard them all, and picked up my pace as I attempted to get in and back out again before I caused too much of a disturbance.
"No....no this can't be! Is it the 'End Times' already??? Are we to be judged here tonight???"
"He brings the light. He brings us the truth!"
"Oh....My....GOD!!! He's come to destroy us! The angel of death has come to MURDER us all!!!"
"Justin?" Dion asked, seeing my anguish. "Justin, are you aright?" I started to tell him that I was ok, but a trickle of blood ran out of my nose, and a severe pain ran through my head like a migrane headache.
After a second or two of forcing the pain to go back down, I said, "I'm...I'll be fine. Let's just get Gyro and get out of here. Fast. Ok?" Dion nodded as I wiped away the trickle of blood, and we walked to the front door of the club. I had to literally concentrate to keep my head from exploding. The pressure was indescribable. Was it some trait that I had gotten from Zero, expressing itself without my direct consent? Absorbing too much, too fast. I felt as though I was all alone, with a thousand minds all pulling on me from different angles...stretching me out...tearing my brain into pieces with fish hooks, used to take a firm hold of my thoughts. It really began to hurt, and I became dizzy with the task of holding it all together.
"The chosen one has returned..."
"The destroyer of worlds is here...."
"How DARE he claim to be our savior..."
"The message he holds must be STOPPED! It will change EVERYTHING! It will lead to CHAOS in the streets!"
"His power...his energy...I MUST have it! I must take it from him!"
"That's him! That's the one who sired him! He couldn't have too much longer to live...."
The guards at the door moved forward to stop us before entering the club. But as soon as they saw me standing with the others...their eyes widened, and their breath caught in their throats. They immediately stepped aside and gave us no further trouble. How is it that they KNOW me??? How can they tell? What hidden subliminal vibe am I giving them to alert them to my very presence. They CAN'T all be psychics and readers! There's got to be something else. Something that shows on the outside without me knowing it. Because I refuse to believe that the vampires on the Pier could have spread the rumors of my existence THIS far, this fast.
We stepped into the club, and it was frantic with energy. The bodies gyrated in unison, the darkness of the club illuminated with brief flashes of laser light and mist. It was bigger than Bernie's place, and the crowd seemed to be a bit more 'rowdy' in nature. But it was basically the same kind of party environment that Gyro was known for.
"Ok, so where do we start?" Jenna asked.
"The bar, of course." Trevor replied, and he was already in motion to check it out, with Michael following behind him closely.
Dion took a leadership role in the situation, and gave us positions. "Jenna, you hit the dancefloor and see if you can feel either one of them out. Max, you see what's going on in the VIP lounge, and be careful."
"I got your 'careful' right here, Dion." Max said, grabbing his crotch before heading off to the lounge.
"Dylan and I are gonna check out the upstairs areas and the balcony. And Taryn, I want you to go..." Dion started, but I interrupted him.
"Taryn's staying with me." I said abruptly, taking a hold of his hand. Dion gave me a strange look, so I rushed to give him an excuse. "We'll make out better if the two of us stick together. Gyro and Rain will recognize us easier in the dark. It would be better that way." I hoped that my nervousness didn't show through my lame explanation, but I wasn't about to be split up from my angel. Not in here. Not with danger lurking about.
"Ok..." Dion didn't press the issue. "..Why don't you and Taryn go up to the balconies then and check that out. Dylan and I will split up and check the corners of the room to see if they've taken up any booths or tables." He gave me one last look, knowing that I was hiding something from him, but decided to get to the matter at hand first. "Alright, let's move. We meet back here in ten minutes whether we find something or not, got it? I don't want anybody getting mixed up in this crowd." We nodded, and went our separate ways. I didn't dare take my hand off of Taryn's as we waded through the crowd of people. I held on with a death grip, pulling him towards the stairs.
We walked up, swerving back and forth to avoid people who were either walking up or down, as well as people who were just hanging out on the steps, kissing, drinking, or leaning over the side. Even in the darkness of the club, I noticed a few heads turning my way. And through all of their deceptive thoughts, one stood out. It said, quite simply...
"...Once the sire is dead, the message will be lost forever. This boy has nothing to look forward to but heartbreak and madness..."
I stopped walking, and turned my head in the direction of the vampire that said it. He was older, rail thin, with goth make up on and glow in the dark sunglasses. I stared at him in anger, feeling the offense of his comment...and I felt my eyes turn pitch black as I caused his glasses to shatter and the drink in his hand to explode! The shards of glass cut his face, and he was covered in alcohol, but he got off lucky. I was forced to pull the energy back before it awakened the Beast...but he needed to learn to keep his thoughts a little more 'positive' when it came to the love of my fucking life! Next time...I'm shattering bone!
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