Nikki Shore - Ghost Beneath The Ashes

Chapter 4

Gen. Mortimer Avenue, 8:45 PM

The neon signs of the building of a strip of night bars flicker playfully as I parked the taxi near the wall of a small supermarket nearby. The fee was hefty, but with enough money in my pocket thanks to Erin, I paid the driver. He drove off to the right going to Mango Avenue.

A bunch of guys—all pretty drunk by the look and smell of it—got outside the door of the nearby establishment. I tucked my hands to my pockets and crossed the street, heading towards one of the bars called 'Blue Sphere'.

As I try to enter, there is noise inside, the kind of noise that most kids nowadays listen to. A brute of a man sporting black body-fit shirt, jeans and tattoos filled to the brim like graffiti on a brick wall stopped me from entering. Apparently he was the bouncer, and was about to pat on my jacket,

"Hey buddy, relax, I'm unarmed, so keep your hands to yourself, thank you."

I said to the brute with a firm grip in my hands.

He said to me then with his open hands wavering back and forth,

"Pretty tough gal, eh? Well, we don't want any funny business, so I suggest you better don't do anything stupid or anything."

He lets go of his hand and let me pass through the large door. Inside, I was struck by the size of the place. The lights, or lack thereof, danced playfully in the entire room. Smoke machines fogged up the view as the dim lights of the various screens had their eerie glow.

I approached the bar counter and see all sorts of people, office workers talking to each other, rich people with their literally minimal dresses, and friends laughing their asses off, flirting at people passing by and ignoring some others. They each had their problems, but they seemed to forget them here. I'm not here to forget.

I sat in a chair affixed to the floor, facing the deep black marble bar counter with white swirls looking like cobwebs. Sitting next to me was a woman with skin tight clothes affixed to her phone the entire time. A couple of guys, three or four of them, eye at me from a distance, thinking that it's that easy to pick me. The young barista tending the bar approached with a plastic smile.

"Your order?"

"Water please, on the rocks."

I said it hard boiled. He seemed to distance himself, wondering why I would order water in a bar like this, but did so anyway and headed back to his little work place at the back. I then saw a scrawny looking guy, who with a sight of me, slowly increased his pace and then straight out ran for the back door. I followed him and headed to his direction, shoving some of the guys and girls there. They didn't seem to care.

***

Gen. Mortimer Avenue, 9:30 PM

We were at the back of the place, a narrow corridor, where he passed through, I bumped through the walls just to follow him. Finally we got out of the bar and onto the street. He ran past the road to the other side as I kept pace with him. There seems to be less traffic this time of the night. I saw him there, he was about to head off to his shiny little BMX when I shouted,

"McCoy!"

He stood still frozen, his hands and legs shaking, like he was about to pee off his pants. I slowly approached him.

"Trust me, I'm not going to bite and you know it. I'm here for some information."

When I approached the guy, I quickly grabbed him by the shoulder and then faced him in front of me. His messed up straight hair, that almost was chin length with some stupid looking bangs that makes one think he was on the emo scene, sweep out messily. He dressed handsomely, white long sleeved shirt on top of a sharp looking vest, with tacky looking white pants and appropriately matched shoes.