More Than Meets The Eye

More Than Meets The Eye -16-

It was probably twice the size of the massive dance club upstairs and the dance club was the size of a normal gym of a high school!

The thick stench of cigarettes and numerous types of fumes filled the air mixed thickly with the odour of different kinds of alcohol. How convenient Will and Autumn’s perfume blended right in!

Basically; it was like a Smoke and Booze Bar except the people looked far from wanting to get drunk.

When the fumes cleared, Autumn forced herself not to look surprised and instead tried to keep on the dopey, sleepy act.

The sight was . . . killer. Not in the good way though.

Couches were strewn everywhere with half-naked men and women and some small booths had been set up where buff looking men guarded the sly groups of men with large satchels. Autumn guessed they were negotiating with smuggled items. On the left hand side of the large hangout was a massive round bar where sketchy-looking men and several women took drinks and conversed in low voices. Music played from small speakers in the corners and it was a wonder the racket upstairs didn’t disturb them at all.

All eyes turned to the group that had entered and Autumn soon slackened her muscles and leant against Will, almost letting him drag her across the room towards the other side where one small door was labelled ‘The Feature’.

“Is that it?” Autumn slurred, smiling sleepily and let her feet drag along. She mimicked the movements and sluggish gestures of all the other junkies she spotted around the room. Some were taking pills, some were injecting themselves with something and some were snorting powder up their nose. It took every fibre of her being not to shudder in disgust.

“Hey,” one barked from the couch, a thick fuming cigarette in one hand. “What’s your business?”

Will’s head flopped to the side and he slackened all his muscles. “I’ve heard of this place from my cousin. Said it was a good place to do whatever the hell I want.”

The man narrowed his eyes and beckoned with a finger towards them.

Autumn felt a jolt of alarm as Will complied, dragging her over and looked to the man questioningly.

“What about those two sluts there?” he sneered, pointing to Noelle and Opal.

Autumn bit her lip to stop herself from snarling insults at him. How dare he call her friend and nanny slut?! But then again . . . they were dressed half like skimpy girls and half like Goths; she had to admit they were playing their role well.

“Word on the street is, they took on a gang by themselves and burned the remains,” Will snickered, sounding awfully convincing to Autumn. Her stomach lurched nervously. He sounded so cruel . . . “Some bitches, don’t you think?” She suppressed a shudder, wondering how much Will really had learned from his cousin.

The man snorted. “We don’t get much of them around.”

“It looks like they want to do a little damage to The Brawl,” Will said, motioning to the door.

Autumn suddenly dug her nails into her palm, encircling her arms around Will’s arm in order to stop herself from coughing in the thick fumes.

“And who’s this little sweetie?” he slurred, winking at Autumn. He looked as though he only just realised she was there. He scrunched his face up. “She looks familiar.”

Will shrugged. “I made her get plastic over her face.” Autumn cringed inwardly; really, did Will take a tutorial on all this or something?

The smoking man let out a chortle, his voice sounding wheezy and strangely animalistic. “That’s a good boy. Enjoy yourself and your little whore.”