Forsaken

Abrupt stop

Walking around the Vegas strip with a camera hung around my neck, I still felt the childlike state I experienced from my first week here.

The lights, sounds, feelings, energy and sights were unlike anything I had ever came across in my entire life.

I had walked down this strip more times than I could count and there was something different each time I looked. The colour of the neon lights were as bright as the sunshine sometimes making you forget what time it really was. They always described New York as being the city that never slept, but they must have forgotten all about Las Vegas. I had heard that some hotels pump fresh air into the rooms to keep their guests awake. How true that was, I don't know.  

If it wasn't the bright lights at night, it was the colourful sunsets, sunrises and the gorgeous colours emitting from Red Rock Canyon.

With my headphones pushed into my ears, I hummed along with Katrina & The Waves - Walking on sunshine. The song always reminded me of Charlie from Supernatural as it was her opening song as she danced in the elevator. It was a dance I've done myself many of times whilst I've been alone. As much as I loved her entrance song, the baddest entrance had to be given to one of the Horsemen's, Death.

I turned my head to look through the casino windows, inviting gamblers to come inside. It still made me smile at how there was never a clock inside a casino, that was one way to keep the gamblers gambling and the tables spinning. Dreams were made in those places, and others were crushed. I didn't know how to gamble but watching always intrigued me. But as you passed one casino, the enticing sound of another arrived.

Swarms of people poured out of shops or casinos, reminding me of ants as they weaved in the crowd of people. I watched one man leave a casino, only to enter another to continue his gambling. Shaking my head I turned my attention to the street performers, some acrobatics, some with circus skills and others dressed as their favourite characters letting tourists take photos... Like I said, there really was something different here.

I had made my choice to move to Vegas when I turned 25. You could say I was a very long way from home... After being in countless dead end jobs, I finally took the plunge and set myself off on a 2 year working visa. One year for work, and another for enjoyment. Like a 'gap' year. Only the gap year never ended and I only returned home to emigrate to America.

One of the best choices of my life.

I worked in a grocery store 4 days a week, the other 3 were my days to follow one of my passions. Photography.

And Vegas was one place to photograph!

Making my way back to the car lot, I glanced up to see a group of teenagers piling out of an elevator, their faces full of mischief and laughter as I passed them and got inside.

It wasn't until I looked at the buttons, I realised they had pressed every single floor... All 11 of them.  I internally groaned remembering I was on the 10th floor.  I looked back at the group of teenagers hoping at least one of them tripped over their own feet and fell from their ridiculously low pants.

Guess they have never heard of a belt before.

I stood in the corner of the elevator as more people got on, closing my eyes  I prepared for the painfully long experience...

---

The elevator stopped at every single floor disposing of it's thankful shoppers. Leaving me and another gentleman in the lift, the door closed giving me a chance to look at him in the reflection without making myself look weird.

He had his head down looking at his phone, his shaven head reflected a little light, but his chin was covered with a beard. Tall.. Very tall.

For my short ass being 5,3 he had to be scaling over 6,1 at least!