Club Diablo

Word Count: 988

         The taxi swerved through the narrow back streets of the sparsely lit industrial complex.

         “You sure we're in the right place?” I asked.

Amy nodded. She was staring out the window with the same faraway look I'd noticed constantly over the past week. Suddenly she snapped back into the bouncy party girl I recognised and had seen doing overtime today. “It's underground Davey my boy, word of mouth only shit.” Then in a quieter more distant tone she added,  “and word's spreading.”

         “Fucking sweeeet!” put in Jay. He'd been drunk and amped for the last few hours. “Warehouse shit bro, this is gonna be off tha hook.”

         “Ha, yeah man, it'll be wild.” I said with a forced laugh. Amy's returning erratic behaviour wasn't sitting well.

         “Remember the last warehouse gig Swift took us to? Fucking bouncing off the walls son.”

         “Swift came with me last time. Maybe he's still there.” said Amy, absently.

         “Still?”

         “Pull over.” Commanded Amy. The driver obeyed.

From the moment we stepped out of the cab I could hear the muffled beat of a bass line caged by bricks and mortar.

         “Ready for the party of your life boys?” Amy's tone was back in lively mode but seemed somehow forced. A Slap on the back from Jay snapped me back into the moment.

         “Party time bro!”

         We followed Amy down a dim alley in between two high empty warehouses. The sound of the music grew with every step. A giant flaming arrow was spray painted on the wall, “Club Diablo” written beside it in burning six foot lettering. It seems we were going the right direction. A giant muscular man dressed all in black seemed to spring in front of us from nowhere. He looked us over coolly.

         “ Amy” He rasped with a wolfish smile. “So glad to see you back again, and you've brought friends.” Amy smiled weakly but said nothing.“We're always happy to see fresh faces here. Are you gentlemen ready for the party of your lives?”

         “Too fucking right!” whooped Jay, swinging an arm around my shoulder.

“Haha, what a spirited young man you are. Excellent.” He motioned towards a heavy steel door I hadn't noticed in the wall which appeared to open of it's own accord to crash against the wall behind it. The music coming from the depths within flooded over us, heavy trance which flowed through my body, almost daring me not to dance.

         “Welcome to club Diablo.” Boomed the man.

         “Yeah boy” yelped Jay, plunging into the darkness with me grasped tightly under one arm. I fought the momentum for a second to look back at Amy and the dark figure towering over her. Her arms were folded tight over her chest, her head looking down towards her feet. Before I could say anything the door slammed close again alarmingly. On this side of the door was a fluorescent devil, it's head held back in a hearty laugh. “This is gonna be epic!” Jay screamed into my ear as we walked further through the tunnel to the flashing lights ahead.

         We emerged into a glowing cavern alive with bone splintering noise and a sea of sweaty thrashing bodies. Lights shot over the crowd, blinking in time with the music. Jay started dragging me into the heart of the melee. He was already whooping with excitement and thrashing one hand in the air in time with the music, his other hand was still wrapped firmly around my shoulders. I could feel my whole body getting slick with the perspiration of those we were sliding past. We reached a small oasis of space where I finally fought free from Jay's grasp. He automatically started bouncing around in time with the rest of the crowd. It didn't take long before a girl started grinding against him. I wiped my hands and face on my shirt in an attempt to clear some of this film of other people's sweat. Looking down at my now glowing white shirt I noticed it was covered with a slick black substance. This wasn't sweat. The music reached a climax and broke out into solid fever pitch beats. A set of strobe lights began blinking erratically. In the flashing white lights I could see the sticky substance wasn't black at all, it was red, red like.. like... Oh shit.

         I looked up to see the crowd staring at me greedily, every last one of them was covered in blood. A girl in front with a white singlet and glow sticks in her hair was bleeding profusely from a gaping wound in her cheek. Another raver in a baseball cap's left arm was flapping loosely by his side, his shoulder a mess of bone and torn flesh. All of the mob had scarlet stained mouths. I turned to Jay. He was already on the floor. His dance partner now straddling him, feasting enthusiastically on his throat. A dozen others soon joined her.

         I dove back in the direction of the door and the swarm of disfigured monsters fell over each other in an attempt to get to me. The writhing confusion worked to my advantage as I fought my way back through the crowd. Before I knew it I was sprinting up the black tunnel and towards the mocking fluorescent demon. In another instant I was beating on its face screaming.

         “Let me out, fucking get me out of here.”

The sudden silence was overpowering. I lifted my head to see I was banging, not on a steel door, but on the chest of the black clothed doorman.

         “Leaving so soon David?”

         “Please, just let me the fuck out of here.”

         “Of course I will David. There's just one condition.”

         “Anything.”

         “Be back here in one week, with two friends.”