Off To Wonderland

The Shack

Amber climbed the last step to the 7th floor. Her legs were used to the work out, since she’d done it all her life. The elevator always broke down, in the crap building, so stairs were the best option. She walked down the hallway, filled with doors on each side, numbered 1 -24. She turned to face door number 15, and pressed her ear against it. It was quite, but she knew better. She knocked softly. Still nothing. She banged as loud as she could. No reply. She let out the breath she was holding, and pulled out her apartment key. Quickly she stepped in and shut the door behind her looking at the plain room. There were too bedrooms, a bathroom, a kitchen/living room, in which sat a sad looking couch, and a small TV.

Her phone vibrated in her shirt, and she pulled it out. The name: Kimmber flashed on the screen. She answered it.

“Hey”

“OH.MY.GOD!” she practically yelled into the phone, making Amber pull it away from her ear. “You need to come down the Shack right now!!!”

“Why?”

“You have to see this guy!! The havens had descended and brought us a GOD!”

“Kim, I’m not in the mood for guys right now.”

“Did I mention the booze, and new shipment of PEPPERMINT?” there was a pause.

“I’ll be down in a bit” Amber said. She heard Kimmber squeal with glee as she hung up. She headed to her bed room and dropped her backpack on the bed. Doing a quick check in the mirror out of habit; her hair was still un-brushed, her shirt was crinkled, and the black skinny jeans had smudges of something white on them. She pulled her hair in a quick up-do to hide the mess. Before opening the window, and heading down the fire escape. That way if Jimmy came home, he would think she was just locked in her room.

She made it to the Shack around five, and saw Kimmber waving her over. She was grinning ear to ear. Her brown hair fell down her back and her blue eyes twinkled with excitement.

“God, what took you so long?” she asked pulling Amber into a hug. Amber hugged her back.

“Oh you know. Traffic. The bus. Living practically on the other side of town. The norm.”

“Oh right,” said Kimmber, as if she had forgot. Amber looked around.

“So shall we go in?” she asked with a small smile. Kimmber brightened and linked arms with her.

“Yes we shall.” Together they strolled in. the shack was how it normally was. People passed out on the floor, chairs, and tables. Usually doped up or wasted out of their minds. A few people chatted and drank beer, listening to the music that pounded through the speakers. It was dimly lit, and after a few minutes Amber’s eyes finally adjusted. The stepped over limp bodies, vomit pools, and urine puddles. It was the most disgusting, grotesque, and unhealthy place in the city. But to the people that came, it was home. A place to escape from the problems of life, a place to hide, to get high, have sex, and feel no shame, or judgments, unless it was from their own minds.

Toward the back there was a bar, and it was the only clean thing in the whole place. The bartender, known as Mike (labeled after his favorite beverage Hard Mikes). She smiled when he saw the two girls walk up.

“HEY!” he said, warmly, “Haven’t seen you around here in a while. How have you been A?” Amber shrugged, and smiled back.

“Hi Mike. Nice to see you too and I’ve been fine, just working on school, and such. Mind if I have one of your fabulous Lemonades?” He winked.

“Come’n right up.”

“Make that Lemonade and a Martini Dry. Laced please” smiled Kimmber. He bent down to get the ingredients while, Kimmber checked out his firm ass. The she turned her gaze to Amber.

“So where is this guy?” Amber asked leaning up against the bar.

“Well get there when we get there,” she sighed. Amber turned to look around the room. She had an odd urge to clean the whole place up and make it look amazing as she knew it could be.

“Here you are ladies,” Mike said popping up from behind the bar. “One lemonade, and one lacy, martini dry.” he place the drinks in front of the two girls. Who smiled ‘thanks’.

“Can we put this on the tab?” Kimmber asked?

“Yup. But Sunday is the pay day and you owe me…” he paused and pulled out a little note book, flipping through it, and stopping somewhere in the middle, “roughly 500 d.”

Kimmber choked on her drink, and went into a coughing fit. Amber patted her on the back, trying to suppress a laugh. Finally after she had cleared her throat she turned to Mike.

“500! How the hell did it get that high in three weeks?!” she asked in disbelief.

“You’re in here almost every day; and you took some expensive opium, and been filling up on Oxy like it was the source of life.”

“It IS the source of life Mike.” She said a little angry. “Shit! How the hell am I going to come up with 500 bucks by Sunday! That’s in two days!”

“Beats me.” he replied as he left to help another customer. Amber watched as Kimmber bite her nails nervously, and her eyebrows furrow in thought.

“How much do you have right now?” she asked.

“I don’t know A. maybe around 200 d.”

“Well I could pay for 200 if you pay for 3…” she said softly. She was suddenly pulled into a tight hug.

“Oh! Thankyou, thankyou, thankyou! You are the best’est friend ever. Oh but that means I should get off to work and get in extra cash,” she grabbed her glass and turned to leave.

“What about the cute guy?” Amber called after her. She downed the drink in one big gulp.

“I’ll introduce you to him tomorrow. Meet me here at six.” The she waved her hand ‘good bye’ and left. Amber sipped on her Hard Mike and watched all chaos and hurt in this world, go numb in the walls the held the broken in a self-medicated state.