“Fucking kill him, Jamie!”
“Stop being such a pussy and get closer!”
“Give him a hook! A hook!”
Amidst the roaring and bloodthirsty crowd, I looked on in shock as I witnessed the violence and destruction taking place in what could only be called a decaying pit that sank four feet down into the floor. Inside of which held Jamie and a complete stranger, each releasing a rain of blows at one another with full abandon. Droplets of blood, sweat and spit flew across and out of the pit, raining down on the exuberant spectators standing far too close to the fight. As I saw this, I wondered how I had possibly got here.
My time with Clark and his friends had started off normal enough. We had gone to a nearby cafe I had never heard of before, located only a few minutes away from where we were. They all proceeded to order their food, with myself only getting a slice of toast, still far too full from my own breakfast to get anything substantial. At the time, the atmosphere still felt slightly awkward, it being clear that none of them really knew what to say with the introduction of myself into the group. But with the help of Clark, and his incessant chatting and charismatic energy, by the end of the meal, the awkwardness had lessened notably, with conversation flowing a lot more smoothly, with it soon reaching a volume that matched what I heard when I first spotted them outside the corner shop.
The longer we talked, the more I got to know them, and I soon realised how both right and wrong my perception of some of them was. When it had come to Jamie, I had first thought he was the strong and silent type, and while I might have been right about the strong part, he most certainly wasn’t silent, being as talkative and boisterous as Clark. The only difference was that he was a lot raunchier and violent in his thoughts and topics. When it came to Cindy, even though she looked goth-like in appearance, her attitude and actions were anything but. I swear she swore louder and more often than any sailor ever could.
Regarding Lewis, I had assumed he was a quiet kid, and for the most part, I was correct. That was until fighting or violence were brought up and he suddenly became more passionate than even Jamie, gaining a certain glint in his eyes that frankly scared the shit out of me and made me lean my chair as far away as I could. Lastly, when it came to Alice, while she seemed cold and aloof, which she definitely was, it turned out she was also a lot more humorous and sarcastic than I could have ever expected, jumping at any opportunity to slip in a small joke or retort. Overall, at breakfast, I had a surprisingly good time, something which had become a slight rarity over the past week.
However, it was when we had gotten to Sharky’s that things started to become strange. Sharkys itself, actually called ‘The Shark Pit’, looked to be a decrepit bar that was all but hidden from the world. Nestled down an alley, which in turn was hidden under a veil of pitch-black darkness. The place itself was a large wooden building that seemed to be held up by a combination of grime and hope. The wooden floorboards inside creaked so precariously with each step that it was a miracle none of them snapped underneath our weight.
Inside the room was an old wooden counter spanning half its length on the left-hand side with what appeared to be the world's strongest man standing behind it. A man who made even Jamie seem small in comparison. Along the edge of the room was an array of tables and stools with a surprising number of people laughing and drinking around them already, despite how early it was in the morning. But what drew the most of my attention was what looked to be a large hole dug directly in the centre of the room, spanning three metres in length and width and a little over one metre in height.
However, before I was able to ask any questions, the others had quickly ushered me to a table near the back, completely disregarding the hole. Immediately, drinks were gotten, and rambunctious chatter continued for hours on end until my head was dizzy, either from the constant layer of smoke around us or the plentiful alcohol. Before then, I had only ever had beer a few times in my life, still not entirely used to being tipsy or drunk.
We continued talking until, at around one o'clock, the sound of a loud bell rang across the room, silencing all sounds of conversations and laughter in its wake. Just as I had started to feel wary and maybe a tiny bit fearful of the unnatural silence plaguing the bar, the patrons all but exploded into a symphony of cheers and shouts.
I turned to Alice who was seated beside me in complete befuddlement, apparently looking very funny, going by the way she broke into laughter at the sight of me. After finally calming down and still seeing that I was looking for answers, she leaned closer towards me before whispering in my ear. Her pink lips held in a mischievous smirk. “You didn’t think this place was just a bar, did you?”
As I looked towards her, her eyes alight in mirth, I replied, “I can’t help but notice that you didn’t actually tell me what's going on.” To which I only earned a small chuckle in return.
Before I could get further clarification, the man standing behind the bar, who I could only assume was the owner, spoke up. His voice was deep and thunderous, matching perfectly with his dangerous-looking appearance. “Who wants to be first?”
A multitude of voices shouted out, half of them nigh belligerent, coming out closer as slurs than actual words. One of those voices included Jamie, who seemed more excited than he had been all morning, his face a bright red and eyes opened wide; a truly frightening sight. One that only got worse after the owner pointed his arm towards Jamie, causing him to whoop and holler in delight as he jumped up, a rabid smile on his face.
He made his way towards the centre of the room, receiving high fives and pats on the back from the other patrons on his way there, meeting up with the other bloke who happened to get picked. A man who had so much muscle his shirt looked as if it was tearing by the seams.
“Anybody going to finally explain what's going on?” I asked out loud in exasperation to no one specific.
“You haven't worked it out? Damn, you’re slow.” Cindy smirked.
“I’ve got an idea. But it seems far too stupid to actually be true.”
“If that stupid idea is that people volunteer to get into that pit and beat the shit out of each other for fun, then you're right on the money.” Clark laughed.
“What do you mean stupid? It’s fucking genius!” Lewis remarked without looking at us, his body leaning forward towards the pit with an intense stare and creepy smile.
“Damn right it is. In fact, why don’t you volunteer for the next fight, Adam?” Cindy suggested, making me freeze mid-drink.
Immediately, I wanted to kick myself for my past boasting and exaggeration when I retold what happened with my fight. I desperately tried to think of an excuse to get me out of her insane idea when I happened to look at my left hand, gripping my drink.
“I would love to. But my hands are still fucked. Can’t do much fighting in this state.” I sighed, doing my best to sound as despondent as I possibly could while showing my still badly bruised and damaged hands. An excuse Cindy seemed to buy as she simply shrugged and went back to looking at Jamie as he entered the pit.
“Nice save.” Alice suddenly whispered from my side, making me jump slightly in fright.
“I don’t know what you’re on about.” I replied, looking straight ahead towards the pit as I took a sip of my drink, not making eye contact.
“Sure.” was all I heard in a drawl tone before the place was once more encompassed by shouts and screams as Jamie and the other man stood in the centre of the pit; both of whom were still able to be seen due to the slope of the pit. There was no fanfare, no waiting. Just a quick count to three before the two began wailing on each other, throwing hail marys with enough force to cause serious damage.
That was how, for over five minutes, I found myself witnessing the most brutal fight I had ever seen. A fight that finally ended with the other dude being unable to get back up after one particularly strong uppercut from Jamie, with him needing to be dragged out of the pit by two other patrons who led him out the bar and hopefully to a hospital. Though, I seriously doubted it. Jamie, the winner, if you could even call him that, looked just as bad. Covered head to toe in blood with his snake tattoo barely able to be seen under it and looking far worse for wear than I was from my fight. Yet from his attitude, you would think he was perfectly fine as he screamed and cheered in celebration while meandering his way back towards us. Almost getting into a second fight when he saw Cindy flirting with a bloke at the table next to ours. With it only being stopped by Clark’s quick reactions.
With the fight finished and the rowdy atmosphere coming to a simmer, I realised how fast my heart was beating, drumming in my chest with such intensity. “For someone who was against it, to begin with, you seemed to really enjoy that ‘stupid idea’ at the end.“ Alice said, her hands in air quotes.
Just as I was about to deny it, I realised it was true. Somehow, during that massacre, I went from being completely shell shocked to enraptured, enjoying the bloodbath I witnessed with a passion and fervour I didn't know I could feel. After that realisation, the afternoon sped along in an array of both casual chatting and enjoyment as well as blood-pumping excitement. With five more fights taking place throughout the evening, each just as thrilling and bloodied as the last. By the time it reached eight o’clock, all of us were tipsy, to say the least, Clark having somehow gotten even louder than before, drawing quite a few annoyed glances from the nearby tables.
The bar at this point was absolutely packed, with even going to the bar to get another drink becoming a struggle. Something the others quickly noticed. “Hey, this place is getting way too crowded. We should go somewhere else.” Clark shouted.
“Let's go to Underworld! We haven't been there in ages.” Cindy moaned, her body draped over Jamie as her lips separated from his. Breaking the ten-minute make-out session they had gotten into.
“It’s only been a week since we were last there.” Lewis replied absentmindedly, too busy glaring at anybody who got even the tiniest bit close to him, clearly eager for a fight of his own.
“A week too long! Let's go!” Cindy said as she attempted to stand back up. Her hands wrapped around Jamie in a vice-like grip as she used him for support, her legs shaking throughout like those of a newborn fawn.
“Looks like we’re going.” Alice sighed. “There’s not a chance in hell we’re going to be able to stop both a drunk Clark and Cindy from going where they want. They're as stubborn as a pair of mules.” She giggled.
“Seems like they’re not the only ones who are a bit too tipsy, no?” I said, smirking as I looked at her completely flushed face.
“Like you're one to talk. You almost fell over when you went to take a piss.” She leaned in, giggling once again while she did so, our faces so close I was able to feel the warmth of her breath against my face and smell the floral scent of her perfume as it suffocated me within its intoxicating smell.
“Hey! Hurry the fuck up you two!” Jamie suddenly shouted, making the two of us jump away in surprise. I looked towards him, noticing he and the others had somehow already gotten up and were ready to leave. An action I soon followed while doing my best to avoid facing Alice and thinking about what just happened. When we were ready, we stumbled our way out of the bar, doing our best to squeeze past the multitude of people now crowded in the bar.
Once we finally got out the door and underneath the darkened black sky, the group immediately started walking, or in a few cases stumbling, forward, heading for the club Underworld. As we made our way there, laughing and joking far too loud, I made a startling discovery when I placed my hands in my pockets for warmth; I had no money left. All that could be felt in my pocket was the rattling of a few coins, my phone and the bottle of pills I had gotten from the hospital, reminding me I needed to take one soon. There was not even enough change for another drink from Sharky’s, let alone getting into a nightclub and buying drinks there.
This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.
“Shit! I haven't got any money left. I need to run back home quickly and grab some.” I shouted loudly, trying to be heard over the shouting match currently taking place between Jamie and Clark.
“How do you not have any money? All we’ve had is a few beers.” Cindy slurred.
“Well, I wasn’t really planning on somehow ending up going to a nightclub tonight, so I didn’t bring that much with me. Just give me twenty minutes, and I’ll race back home.” I said, praying that they would agree, not wanting the night to end.
Before Cindy or the others could say anything else, Clark quickly piped in, “Of course mate! We will not move a single step until you get back!” He said loudly and confidently, in direct juxtaposition to the way he stumbled around as he spoke.
Not feeling too confident in what he was saying, I turned to Alice, who gave me a small nod. To which I quickly sprinted down the street back home. Or at least I attempted to. The run back home was precarious, to say the least. If you could even call it a run. In my alcohol-induced state, I had forgotten just how poor my stamina suddenly was and found myself two minutes later lying on the cold stone floor from an unfortunate trip, panting rapidly in desperate need of oxygen. After that, I sobered up enough to eventually get back up and lightly jog home, being careful not to overexert myself again. It seemed, however I still overestimated my ability to jog in the dark while drunk, falling over another three more times and collecting a plethora of scrapes and cuts along my arms and knees because of it.
Finally, I made it back home, feeling more like a damaged war hero than the drunk teenager I actually was. Luckily for me, Dad appeared to still be out at work with his truck absent from the driveway. As I made it inside, I quickly rushed into my room, knowing it had already been fifteen minutes since I left the others, and looked in my bedside drawer for my saved-up cash. It was at this moment, however I realised just how little I actually had saved up, finding only ten dollars worth of loose change rattling around in the drawer after searching it again for the umpteenth time.
Facing a dilemma and not knowing what to do, I wondered if there was any other spare money in the house I could take. And that was when I remembered the savings hidden behind the radiator in the kitchen. As soon as the thought entered my mind, I dismissed it. Yet with every second that passed by, the longer I was unable to think of another way to quickly find money, the more tempting it seemed.
What finally convinced me to do it was the thought of my Dad and the anger and frustration I felt towards him in the moment. So it was with no slight amount of trepidation, as if my dad was about to barge through the front door at any moment, I slowly nudged myself towards the kitchen and stuck my hand behind the radiator, pulling out the old wooden box hidden behind.
The moment I opened it up, seeing the large roll of money placed inside, any sense of guilt I still felt was washed away with unprecedented greed as I rapidly took close to fifty dollars and shoved the crisp notes into my pockets. Just as I placed the box back behind the radiator, I felt the buzzing of my phone coming from my pocket. A buzzing that, when I went to check, was caused by a phone call from Clark which I promptly answered.
“Where the hell are you, mate? It’s been over twenty minutes! ... I think.” The slurred speech of Clark and the others in the background echoed out of my phone the moment I answered the call.
“My bad, it took a bit longer than I thought. I got some money; just give me fifteen more minutes to get back.”
“Fine. But you better hur-” Before he could finish, I instantly hung up, roughly shoving my phone back into my pocket where it collided with the bottle of pills I was still carrying around.
Remembering I still needed to take one, I quickly did before placing the container on the kitchen table instead of back in my pocket, not wanting to lose them while in the nightclub. I then immediately proceeded to race out the door back to where the group was when I left. Hoping they were still in fact there.
By the time I made it back, I was on the verge of passing out, everything appearing blurry through my sweat-soaked eyes. Thankfully, to my relief, everyone still appeared to be there, though they didn’t look the happiest with the long wait. That was everyone besides Jamie and Cindy, who I doubted even realised I was gone, having been too busy searching the insides of each other's mouths.
“Finally! Took you long enough! Let's go.” Lewis huffed before staggering on ahead, followed swiftly by the stumbling forms of Jamie, Cindy and Clark, leaving only myself and Alice standing around. A state we weren’t in for long, sharing only a quick look of exasperation before quickly chasing after them to make sure they didn’t do anything stupid.
After only a short but arduous walk we finally made it to the club Underworld. A shining beacon of bright neon lights that stood out in the otherwise pitch-black surroundings, the sound of the deafening music so loud it could still be heard from the very back of the long line we waited in. As we waited, Alice and I tried our best to keep the others under control, a difficult task when one of them had the strength of a rhino and one the energy of a hummingbird. Thankfully, we eventually made it to the front without incident, where we stood in front of a behemoth of a man that looked far more animal than human.
“Uncle Liam!” Jamie exclaimed as I internally sweated in front of the piercing stare he gave us. Alice had told me on the way about how they knew one of the bouncers at the place and that was how we were going to get in, despite our age, however, I had still been worried that something might go wrong. Luckily, it seemed my luck was changing for the better as the gorilla-like man burst into a rumbling laugh as he looked towards Jamie.
“Jamie! It’s good to see you lad. Just you and your other five friends here?”
“Yeah.”
“Alright, have a good time you lot. And Jamie, try not to get too pissed. The last thing I need is your ma’ coming to me with one of her temper tantrums.” With that said, he moved to the side, pulling out a stamp featuring a flaming skull that he roughly pressed onto the back of our hands as we entered the club.
I had never been in a club before, only having heard and experienced them from TV and movies, as well as in passing from other people at school who had. So I was completely unprepared for the onslaught of lights, sound and smoke I faced after taking only a few mere steps inside. I did my best to follow the others to the bar, a tricky task due to my blurry eyes and the swarm of people all crammed together that made Sharkies seem almost barren in comparison.
When we finally got to the bar, we all ordered our drinks; the others with practised ease and myself just copying what most of the others got, a double vodka and lemonade. It was then, while I was expecting us to go find an open space to have our drinks like some of the others around us, to my shock, everyone in the group began to slowly splinter off.
Clark and Lewis were the first to go, heading towards a group of girls off to the side. Jamie and Cindy were quick to follow, travelling somewhere beyond the sea of bodies that were in front of me and disappearing out of sight. In response, I just stood there, completely lost and having no idea what to do. At least, I did until I was forcibly dragged by Alice further into the club. To a space filled with people crammed together, all dancing erratically and where the music was even louder.
“Oh no no no! I don’t dance!” I shouted with as much strength as I could, still barely audible even to myself.
“Come on! Don’t be a pussy!” She shouted back, still dragging my arm towards the dancefloor.
Not wanting to seem like a pussy, I followed her onto the dance floor, looking and feeling as stiff as a wooden puppet. The exact opposite of Alice, who the moment she stepped into the crowd of flailing bodies broke into dance. A relaxed smile was on her face as she swayed with the electro music blasting around us. Seeing how at ease she seemed, I did my best to follow, trying to copy the way everyone else around us moved. It must have been a funny sight, based on the way Alice burst into laughter while looking at me. Feeling my face go a deep red and not wanting to embarrass myself further, I went to leave, only stopping when I felt her hand grip mine and pull me back towards her.
“I’m sorry for laughing!” she said, while continuing to giggle slightly. Still seeing my disgruntled face, she brought me closer, close enough that there were only a few inches between us, and I could smell the hint of vodka resting on her breath.
“Just follow my lead.” And with that, she began slowly dancing to the beat, our hands still clasped together and our bodies pressed tight against one other.
My mind was muddled; the sounds, the lights, the alcohol, the feel of our bodies drawn together, there was so much stimulus I was unable to even think. So I didn’t. Allowing myself to simply get dragged along, losing myself in the music and no longer caring about the million different thoughts that popped into my head. After that, the rest of the night passed in an erratic blur of drinking, laughing and having a good time. At one point during the night, I found myself in the toilets, meeting back up with both Lewis and Jamie.
“Hey, what are you guys doing?” I asked, or at least attempted to, my words coming out closer to a muffled groan than coherent speech.
It was enough, however, for Lewis and Jamie to jump up in a panic from their leaning position over the sinks in the corner. Upon seeing it was me, they seemed to relax slightly before quickly ushering me forward, placing their arms behind my back and allowing me to see what they were doing. Resting on the sink was a small metal strip, no wider than two fingers and maybe around only four inches long. The interesting part however wasn’t the metal strip, it was the white powder collected on top. White powder split into extremely thin lines.
“Is that cocaine?” I whispered harshly in surprise.
“Dude relax, it’s only a bit of cocaine. You want some?” While Lewis tried to persuade me to take some cocaine, Jamie kept staring daggers behind us, looking warily at the other people in the restroom who got a little too close.
“No, I’m not going to fucking have any!”
“Fucking hell man stop being such a pussy.” Jamie said before quickly ducking his head down, pressing his nose almost flat against the plate over one of the lines before snorting upwards.
“Woo! That’s some good shit man.” He exclaimed, eyes wide as he shook his head, looking suddenly energised.
“Fuck man let me have a go!” Lewis said suddenly before immediately dipping his head down and doing the same exact thing. The sound of his loud snort reverberated around the restroom, drowning out even the muffled club music that could still be heard.
“Fuck man you weren’t kidding. Adam, you have to try this shit man!” With that, Lewis thrust the metal plate that still held a line of cocaine towards me.
Seeing the line of cocaine now only inches from my face, I was about to protest, to tell him to get it away from me and head out of the restroom and back into the club. I was about to. Yet as the seconds dragged on, those words never left my mouth, Instead, my gaze constantly shifted between the cocaine and the expectant look both Lewis and Jamie held. I’m not sure what it was. Whether it was the alcohol, the atmosphere, the peer pressure, the fact both Clark and Jamie did it and seemed fine or maybe all of them together. All I knew was that I was tempted, more than tempted, in fact.
As I waged war within myself, still locked in my thoughts, it seemed Jamie was sick and tired of my indecisiveness, turning back to Lewis, “Bro just give me the line, he’s not going to do it. I knew he was too much of a pussy. Such a buzzkill”
In an instant, with a sense of indignation, I snatched the metal plate before Jamie could grab it and instantly went to snort the line. Trying to copy exactly what Lewis and Jamie did before squashing the last of my doubts as my nose hovered over the cocaine and I snorted the line.
The first thing I felt was the bizarre feeling of the cocaine moving up my nose and a bit down my throat, as well as the pain that followed, with my nose feeling slightly raw. However, that was soon forgotten when an intense feeling of energy and alertness coursed through me. Making me feel as if I had just taken a couple shots of espresso mixed with five-hour energy drinks. A feeling that I could only describe as pure euphoria washed over me, placing what must have looked like a moronic grin across my face. I looked up to Lewis and Jamie, seeing my reflection in their enlarged, dilated pupils and wondered if I looked the same.
“Woah.” That was all I was able to say, still overcome with so many different sensations.
“Come on man let’s fucking party!” And with that, Jamie wrapped his meaty arm around my neck before all but dragging me back into the club and out of the restroom with Lewis in tow.
My memory of what happened after that was spotty, to say the least, with each memory seeming entirely unconnected to the previous one and lasting only a couple of seconds. One moment, I was taking shots with everyone in front of the bar; the next, I found myself pressed tightly against the bodies of complete strangers as I danced with complete abandon. At one point, both Clark and I had to wrest Jamie away from another bloke who had been getting a little physical with Cindy. The fact we didn’t get kicked out for that was a miracle, to say the least.
The only memory that was still quite clear to me after taking the cocaine was when I was somehow back with Alice on the dance floor. The two of us pressed so close together that I could feel the sweltering heat of her body against mine as well as the smell of her perfume. If any words were spoken, I couldn’t remember them. It was then, as we were staring into one another's eyes, our bodies still swaying and grinding against each other, that our lips were suddenly locked in a passionate and messy kiss. My first ever kiss.
It could have lasted only seconds, maybe minutes or even hours. All the music, the lights, the people around us, all of it faded into the background and out of my mind. The only thing I could think of was Alice. How soft her lips felt, how her tongue constantly moved around, the feel of her skin as her arms wrapped around my neck and mine around her hips. It was amazing.
I don’t know how or why it ended. Just that one moment we were kissing, and the next I was saying goodbye to Clark, Lewis and Alice as we stumbled out of the club. I wasn’t sure what exactly had happened to Cindy or Jamie, but I doubted I wanted to find out based on how much they were groping each other the last time I had seen them. After I said goodbye, I staggered my way back home, the only memories of which were when I constantly fell into the buildings and street lights scattered in my way.
The last thing I remember of that night was finally getting home. Luckily, without being robbed as in the state I was in, I would have been easy pickings. I entered through the door as quietly as I could, seeing that the truck was parked outside, only banging into the wall a couple of times on the way to my room. The moment I stepped into my room, I instantly laid my head down on my pillow. My body sprawled haphazardly across the bed as I passed out, falling into a deep, dreamless sleep.
