A World Apart

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Eleven

Logan

Even though I can't see anyone smoking, there seems to be a permanent haze dusting my vision. And just as well, the distorted view is the only thing keeping me from focusing on the line of beverages behind the bar.

This is the type of dive I never thought I would find myself in again. A cradle to oblivion. It's almost an exact clone of nightclubs from the old days, with a few genetic mutations. Obviously the hygiene has deteriorated and pretty much all rules have been left at the door. Besides that, the people, the setup, the inventory. It all comes together well enough to offer a slice of the real thing.

I love it.

Just the air is intoxicating. Carrying with it the nostalgic smell of forgotten nights and erased problems. I breathe it in and a current of electricity runs through me. My body clenches as it struggles to contain the excitement. I need to reign myself in, if I don't, I'll get lost here, just like I used to.

It's so tempting, though, to slip back into its embrace. To dive back in to the constantly churning waves of people. Everyone gathered with the sole intent of having a good time. Emotions amplified. Thoughts swirling into hurricanes. Joy finally within reach.

Oh, what I would give to live this life again. Where any issue can be resolved with a burning drink. Where the nights and days blur together until whole months have faded away. It was a miserable way to live, but compared to things now, it was bliss.

Maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to split off from the others. I knew coming in here would be a struggle I didn't want them to witness me go through, but it may just turn out to be one I can't overcome on my own.

Focusing on the task at hand is proving to be a poor distraction. There's hardly a person in here who isn't clutching a drink in their hand. Some of the wilder ones are even boasting two. Then there are the people drinking cocktails! Cocktails! As if things weren't ridiculous enough.

When I arrive in the main room, I have to stop for a moment just to take it all in. Almost the entire ceiling is made of glass, pouring sunlight down into the pit of revellers below. I'm taken aback once more when someone walks across it, seemingly floating in the sky. There must be a plaza or something overhead. Their bare feet leave a trail of imprints on the glass behind them. Judging from the amount of marks on its surface, I imagine they get a lot of people standing up there. Makes you wonder how thick the glass must be.

Beyond this, there are four separate bars scattered across the room, each decorated with the wilting attire of an abandoned holiday. There's a Christmas one, festooned with scruffy tinsel and overlaid with candy cane wrapping paper. There's even fake snow frosting the glasses. New Years is covered in dull confetti and the corpses of popped balloons. Tucked in the corner with candles and cut out love hearts is a bar for Valentines. And then there's Easter, with plush rabbits and painted eggs sitting along the shelves of liquor. I wonder if they skipped Halloween on purpose.

At the back of all this, on the far end of the room is a raised stage, with a DJ booth and a range of other musical instruments lined across it. People are beginning to shuffle between them. It looks like they might be getting ready to play live music soon. Anything would be better than this techno crap they're currently blaring. If only Rocket were still here, unlike me she would have appreciated such a luxury.

The Christmas bar turns into the first target for my expedition. A bit of merriment and cheer to kick things off. Unfortunately it turns out they've managed to capture everything but the Christmas spirit. I've barely spent ten minutes here before deciding I'm better off elsewhere.