Regards,
Teej
Screams and Sirens
The banging on the door grew more and more frequent, not to mention impatient, but it did nothing to facilitate the process. After going unnoticed it arrived once again; louder still.
“Silvia? Sil? C’mon; let me in at least? You’re being ridiculous. I’m sure it’s fine.”
Reluctantly, the lock clicked and Karen snuck inside, closing the bathroom door behind her. Silvia was situated in front of the sink, half dressed, a glum expression decorating her face. The two exchanged glances before Karen inquired.
“What the hell is going on? I thought we’d be gone by now. What’s wrong?”
Silvia sighed, embarrassed by the scene she was causing. “I appreciate you lending me something from your closet, it’s just… I dunno if it’s ‘me’. What was wrong with what I had on?”
“I just think you’d do better in this,” she said in a sweet manner. “We’re going out; sometimes you need to, you know, let loose? Do something that makes you stand out.”
She was trying to be nice about it. Really, she was being a friend by forcing her to play a bit off character. A look of despair reached her face when Silvia arrived. Planning to remain unnoticed, Karen had a different idea in mind.
“Humour me and try this on.”
Figuring it was the least she could do, Silvia obeyed; stepping back to examine herself in the mirror. Purple fabric draped artistically down her frame in an elegant fashion without inhibiting movement. It complimented what little make-up she’d thrown on beforehand and fit surprisingly well. A faint smile trickled across her face, though she attempted a façade of disappointment.
“Not bad.” The words barely escaped her lips.
“Stuff not bad. You look great! I can’t believe you hesitated! Honestly, you should keep it.”
“Now who’s being ridiculous.”
“I’m serious! Looks better on you anyways. Give it a thought at least.”
“Alright.”
There was another knock at the door that caused a slight jump out of the two of them.
“Hey, you two done yet? We want to get going.”
Karen let herself out with Silvia shuffling close behind. Bradley was still in the hall, greeting them with a smile.
“Hey Silvia; hardly recognized you. You’re looking great.”
Karen placed an arm around her pulling her in. “Isn’t she?! We ready to go then?”
“Think so.”
Entering the small space provided for the simplistic apartment to call a ‘living room’, the group rejoined with Mary, who had been left on the couch with her boyfriend.
“It’s about time— Oh, you do look nice though. Here, Silvia, finish this for me.” She leapt up and handed Silvia her drink. “Just be a second.”
Mary disappeared down the hall as Silvia carefully sipped the glass. It was strong. She turned to Karen who laughed at her reaction.
“You don’t have to finish it.”
Quite a bit left to go, the second attempt wasn’t any better. Mary’s boyfriend even joined in with a chucked.
“I don’t think we’ve actually met. Silvia…”
“I’ve heard a thing or two about you; the bookstore chick? Jeff.” He unenthusiastically held out his hand.
“That’d be me I suppose.”
“Good to place a face.”
She was doing the best she could to slowly nurse Mary’s drink down; refusing to believe she’d been outmatched. “So, what do you do?”
“Sales rep. Nothing great, but it pays enough that I don’t complain.”
“I’m back! Let’s go!” Mary announced as she returned which Jeff expressed gratefulness to. Snatching her jacket, she made for the door without skipping a beat.
“Wait, what about Jackie?” Brad yelled after her.
“She’s out of town visiting her parents. I thought you knew. Got the place to myself for the weekend,” raising her eyebrows after that.
“Oh, I…didn’t know. I suppose we should go after her then.”
Silvia finished what she could as Karen scooted the rest out. The door Looked on the way out and they made their way down.
A line had naturally gathered by the time they’d reached the place. The word ‘Malice’ was distinctively displayed in bright neon over the entrance; the only distinguishing aspect about the building. The rest was plain brick. Taking their spot in the queue, it wouldn’t be long before they’d manage their way inside.
Gathered in a circle, Mary began suspiciously peering around, searching her surroundings. Satisfied she nudged Jeff; sliding something into his hand. Placing it up to his mouth, his action was made as nonchalant as possible. Karen leaned in to Silvia’s ear.
“I’ll split half with you,” she murmured.
Having no time to respond, she placed half a pill in her hand before accepting her own. Silvia paused, staring at the tiny object, but after receiving a look of confidence from Karen, did likewise. It soon dissolved in her mouth leaving a faint aftertaste.
Reaching the doors, the sound of electronic music could be heard blasting from inside. The gate pulsated from the vibration of the composition, keeping in time with the party within. Led down a dark passageway, the friends found themselves in a much grander room. The music felt almost deafening as each bass beat pulsed a slight shake of the club. The atmosphere provided minimal lighting though was compensated with the use of strobe lights and lasers which danced from wall to wall. Midst the performance were the various silhouettes of individuals preoccupied with enjoying and celebrating the night. There were hundreds of them, nearly piled on top of each other, experiencing the ecstasy of the event.
They looked at one another as they entered. Mary thrusted her jacket on to Brad predating any friendly gesture of making a trip; taking Jeff’s hand, they disappeared into the crowd.
“I guess I’m off to the coat check!” Brad yelled but it was only by reading his lips any of his message was comprehended. The two girls handed them theirs and motioned to where they intended to go. With a few steps he too vanished into the background.
Silvia was feeling the effects of Mary’s drink now and was embracing her surrounding as they squeezed their way to the side. There was a break in the music, making it easier to navigate, as the Dj roared over the mic.
“How you people feelin’ out there?!” There was a louder response from the crowd. “Right. Right. That what I fuckin’ like to hear, yeah! Well, Imma about to bring it right back here with something sinister and we’re gonna dance ‘till dawn! How’s that sound?!” It was followed by another unanimous round of cheering which brought the blare of more house music. “Here M-Cuz kickin’ it back to y’all!” He ended with a series of cackling.
Karen snagged a couple water bottles from the bar which they downed in an instant as the music pulsed through them. Merely dancing with each other, it wasn’t long before others took notice. The party eventually made its way over, encompassing the duo. Without warning Silvia’s hand was taken in invitation. A wide-eyed smile that connected his hand to hers brought her forward, their movements now synchronized. Within seconds, Karen had found a new partner.
Turning to find her friend, Silvia found it hard to spot her within the sea of endless people. She didn’t believe she’d travel far but it was impossible to tell. Her eyes darted about until they discovered the two a few groups over. She couldn’t help but laugh, seeing them gently kissing between steps.
Brad, returning from his quest to coat check, finally made his way over. Squeezing through the crevasses of the scene, he resided somewhere between the two of them. After a few quick words with Karen the need to dance snatched his control.
Karen slowly rejoined Silvia, weaving amongst the enthusiastic masses without breaking rhythm; her gentleman caller tailing not far behind. Kissing Silvia on the cheek, she grasped her hand and presented her with another half. Then, with a wink, waltzed off to return to her partner; a strong looking guy in a striped shirt and a glow stick around his neck; it was useless trying to yell anything.
Silvia thought nothing of it at this point and slipped it between her lips. She was fixated on the man in front of her. He moved with the upmost of grace and never missed a step. A twist and a twirl; he had all the moves and Silvia couldn’t help but be swayed in the exhilaration of it all. She was living in the stellar instant and loved every bit of it.
Colours swirled all about; she could no longer stay transfixed on one particular object for long. Yellows, oranges, greens, blues, reds, purples, and everything in-between; they hopped, skipped, bounced, and swiveled around the room, captivating her. Never had she seen such beauty. It was perfect; it was great; it was wonderful. She attempted to place adjectives to it; nothing felt enough; brilliant; magnificent; glorious; sublime. Everything was euphoric; she couldn’t help but want to experience it all.
There was no sense of time as they continued through the night. Five minutes became an eternity while an hour passed in the blink of an eye. A new energy surged through Silvia. Every movement was significant, every moment meant the world. There was a positive field surrounding her; an essential connection she shared with all those around her. She couldn’t contain the happiness that overwhelmed her. The expression via continuous movement and flow felt as her only hope to keep herself from exploding into a sparkle of jubilation.
They continued back and forth as the music played on proving the excitement could actually build. Taking everything in around her caused uncontrollable laughter. Tickled by the experience, she closed her eyes to absorb the room. When they opened again she found herself lip locked with the individual she’d been dancing with; her arms tightly wrapped around him. She had no intension of slackening her grip.
She awoke; consciousness brought forth the feeling of being hit by an early morning bus. She struggled to grasp on to reality as she scrambled up, tumbling out of bed. Where was she? The place looked familiar but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She sat up, staring at the wallpaper and curtains, positive she’d seen them at one point. Waiting for the room to stop shaking, it took another minute or two but then it clicked. What was she doing in Jackie’s room?
That’s when the nausea took its turn. Instantly she was overcome with sickness. Snatching a coat left on the floor she stumbled into the hall; clawing her way to the bathroom which was fortunately unoccupied. There was no bother for the lights, she remained perched over the porcelain bowl, expecting to go at any second; nothing happened. Slowly returning to a normal state, Silvia tried to contemplate what did.
Definite parts were missing from her night. She recalled going to the club and the dancing which followed but when it came to returning to Karen’s, the gaps failed to fill. Her head throbbed like never before and it was hard to make heads or tails of things. She examined herself in the mirror to find what was left of her make-up had been smudged and worn away. She leaned on the counter for support, scavenging for something to relieve the pressure building in her head. Finding a few ibuprofens, she closed the cabinet, finally taking notice of what she was wearing in the reflection. The jacket she’d snagged didn’t look familiar.
Though the coat was puzzling, it didn’t strike her as alarming as what she had under it, which happened to be next to nothing. She tried desperately to piece things together; thankful she at least had her pants. She recalled leaving Malice with Karen now, escorted by some others. They made it back to Karen’s and then… It became too difficult to know. Silvia began to question why she’d gone out in the first place.
Staggering to the living room, Karen sat with a large glass of water, scarcely looking better than Silvia. Karen smiled at her and tried to laugh which brought an abrupt recollection of her pounding head. Normally, Silvia would be embarrassed being seen in her current state, but the morning brought a new wave of apathy and she wandered on in.
“How you feeling?”
“Like a piano dropped on me, splattering me against the pavement. You?”
“Ugh, I wish it was just a piano.”
“Do you… Do you remember all that happened last night?” Silvia piped, slightly discomfited.
“More or less; why? Is he gone?”
The news brought by this statement nearly knocked her flat on her ass. Dashing as best she could down the hall she stopped at Jackie’s door to discover the lump of another individual lying beneath the sheets. Suddenly, the figure stirred at the sound of her presence. Taking his time to rise, he sat up, painfully opening his eyes. They stared at each other for a brief moment before he spoke.
“Sil? …what are you doing here?”
Upon recognition of the individual lying in front of her, a look of horror crept.
“I think I should ask you the same question.”
He began looking around the room. “Where am I?” It was about then that he began putting the pieces together. Silvia, still wearing what she assumed to be his coat, took a seat at the foot of the bed, looking mortified. Peaking under the cover he turned back to her, then, lending a double take, chose his words carefully.
“We didn’t…”
Silvia looked over her shoulder, giving him a nervous glance.
“Right… Well… if we both can’t recall,” he stalled, “Schrodinger would theorize—“
“How the hell did this happen?”
“Both at the same place on the same night…Intoxication?”
Silvia got a serious look in her eye. “You didn’t plan this, did you?”
“Do you seriously believe I’d pull that shit? I was pissed and got invited out. Marcus was the Dj-ing that night. You wanting to put this on me?”
“You didn’t know it was me?”
“How would I? You looked completely different if my memory serves correct. I had no idea.”
“You never thought to ask my name?!”
“You didn’t ask mine!”
Silvia took a deep breath. “So it was just by coincidence? We didn’t recognize each other, ended up dancing together, and just so happened to wake up next to one another in the morning?”
“That’d seem to be the situation.”
They took a moment to take in everything; sitting in the silence of their situation.
“Em-Aych, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not really interested in,” she sighed, “starting anything with you.”
“Might be a bit late for that; glad to know I’m not the only one though. This really wasn’t my intention; no offense.”
“We got caught in the moment, we’d been drinking, I was on… something—“
“Serious?”
“Not important. It was a mistake.”
“Aye.”
This was followed by another pause.
“So…now what?”
Em-Aych laughed. “You were presuming mixed feelings?” She shot him a look. “Considering I’m assuming it’d be a bad idea to ask for my coat, I think the safest course of action would be to start by tossing over my trousers and moving on from there.”
Silvia attempted to conceal herself as much as possible, fidgeting with the coat as she bent down to fetched them. Grabbing something for herself off the floor, she disappeared into the bathroom.
With a mutual understanding and Em-Aych now out the door Silvia flopped next to Karen, whose condition was relatively the same as before. She’d just finished rolling a ‘J’ and offered to Silvia.
“It’ll help,” she reassured. “Oh, and Brad called. He wanted to see if we were alright. Apparently he’s got this thing for Jackie; anyway, he left early last night; dick.”
Silvia said nothing.
“How’d you and what’s his name end?”
Silvia inhaled, causing her to cough heavily. She passed it back and helped herself to some water.
“You don’t smoke, do you?” She laughed, placing a hand to her forehead for the pain.
Clearing her throat she shook her head. She managed to bring back her voice. “We’re just friends,” she smiled.
A few days go by until one day she sees it lying there and she doesn’t have to move any closer to know what it is. She knows what it means and she’ll have to do, but in an effort to humour herself; him; perhaps some force of the world, she nears. Inspecting the folded sheet before her; ‘Sil’ it reads on the outside. The ink, still glossy as if recently written, the contents was equally as crisp. The message is simple:
Was looking to find some trouble tonight, could use the backup. I’ll meet you on the roof of McCarthy and Twenty-third, say around ten?
MH
Silvia sighed and resealed the slip, stashing it in her drawstring. It was the only way she kept in contact with the increasingly strange individual which time and time again proved ineffective. She had to confront him about it, but usually lacked the means. She now had a reason to make an appearance.
Entering her apartment complex she dashed up the stairs. Fiddling with her keys, it took a few tries before swinging ajar. Throwing on the lights, she tore through her closet until; at last, she uncovered a sturdy black box neatly fastened with a lock. Digging it out, she gently lifted the top to revile her gear folded within.
Silvia dove over a clearing, landing perfectly on the other side. She continued across until she got to the corner where she remained perched. Staring into the intersection below, the street signs could just be read. A shame they never chose to label them from her vantage point, though she considered doing so a number of times. Em-Aych suggested a pair of binoculars, it helped significantly. Just a few more blocks; she questioned if he was already awaiting her arrival. The trip was taking longer than she’d hope.
A few rooftops over brought his shadow in focus. His cigarette burned brightly in the evening light. Turning to wave as she approached, she could just make out his smug expression. He motioned to speak, but Silvia beat him to it.
“I thought you quit?”
“You did too, but yet you show. Bad habits die hard, yeah?”
Silvia pulled his note from her pocket. “These passive notes have to change. We’ve got to be able to come up with some better form of communication. How am I supposed to contact you,” she paused. “If such an occasion were to ever occur,” with a smile.
“Asking for my number then? My, my, how they’ll talk.” He took in a drag as she took a shot at his arm. “‘See what Sean might have for us. How are you Sil?”
“We’re going to try this small talk bit?” She laughed, leaning against a vent, searching the night sky above. “Fine as ever. How is… whatever you happen to do?”
Em-Aych chuckled at this. “Thought I’d give it a shot.”
“I know nothing about you; it strikes me as peculiar.”
“What do you want to know?”
He took a seat on the ground and looked up curiously at her. Silvia fumbled for an appropriate question. “What do you do for money?”
“Damn, this is dull. I find various jobs that pay enough. People find me when in a spot of trouble. I come along and lend a hand.”
She snorted at the sound of this. “How about where you call home? Not in that dreadful old warehouse; I hope.”
“No, no. I got a small flat a few blocks from there. Not much, but it’s enough.”
Silvia found a slight annoyance in his responses. She contemplated a bit longer before asking another. “What did you do before you met me?” It took a second, but she realized how the question sounded. “I mean, how’d you get here? You’ve got to know this isn’t normal, Em-Aych. Everyone has a story…”
He grinned back at her but she refused to share it.
“I had my hand in drug trafficking for a while; nothing too major, but enough to get by. Being in this city, as you know, you see your fair share of violence and the like. Maybe I’ve been here for too long. You start to grow tough inside, before long you lose sight of what matters. Sound at all familiar?”
Silvia didn’t know how to respond. Somewhere deep inside her was starting to understand more and more. As frightening as it might have been to admit, she got the notion that they might not all that different. The variables weren’t, but the situation was certainly relatable.
“What makes you think that might be familiar?” She posed the question, determined to give away nothing.
“In the nature of conversation individuals typically trade inquiries. I believe I’ve earned to ask you a question. So permit me to ask you this: what are you running from?”
That nervous look returned to her face as she thought about her response. “Like you, there are parts of my life that I’d rather remain in the past. I told you, I used to be a gymnast. After enough abuse, that skill-set taught me to fight; I also learned not to trust so easily. All I want is to move away from that, and, with it, I’d rather leave things this way for now.”
“You’ll have to come out of that shell sometime Sil.”
“I think you’ve seen enough,” she teased.
Em-Aych laughed, “We’ll see. Are we going to talk about—“
“Nope.”
“Well, on that note, I can only offer the original invitation to go searching for trouble. Even a Thursday night, there’s enough dickheads and creeps, could use a beating or two.”
He extended his hand which she accepted with a smile. The two took off into the night; screams and sirens as their only guide.
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