thunk
THUNK
"Hey careful with the door man!" " it was a gift from pops." Dave replies, a careless grin starts to pull the corners of his mouth.
"My bad man." Gabriel mutters, scratching the back of his neck "uh... i've just never been in a place like this before. Feels kinda... you know." his words ends swallowed by the cold air, his eyes deep on the dirt beneath him.
Beep beep, the car circular lights flash, chasing away the darkness of the lot.
Dave sighs, his grin morphing into a mock-serious expression. "You know what we do, Gabe. Just..." He dropped his voice to an exaggerated minor octave, dragging out the words "Keep pushinnngg..."
Gabe chuckles awkwardly as a response, the sound deflating into the cold just as quickly as it came. His gaze turns to Dave, but all he sees is the back of his head, marching ahead with quick, determined steps. His face betrays no emotion except that stupid grin, the one that follows every joke like an instinctual reaction that never seems to get old.
thud thud thud, a rhythmic pattern follow the crunching sounds of the autumn leaves beneath their boots.
"Tomorrow its finally the big day, eh? it's been so... exhausting."
Gabe's eyes stay locked below him, looking the trail like and old retired hunter past the years of his prime.
"Come on Gab, you are gonna walk home alone if you keep me away from my fateful encounters tonight with all your depressing shit" Dave quips, breaking into a joking sing-song "Sippin on gin and juice, laaaid back" he loudly sings, the notes so off making the ears of close-by birds bleed.
"Aight, i guess..." A silence between the two falls, while walking closer passing by a colorful ad
"FRIDAY NIGHT ON POINT" with the O's in "ON POINT" glowing slightly more brighter than the rest. flashing like a forgotten star.
"Tomorrow everything its going to be different, enjoy today Gabe..." Dave with a softer tone state looking at Gabriel's eyes before they move away.
"Right, tomorrow its going to be different." replies Gabriel, the words barely a murmur.
A hard-looking man his boots scuffed, black cargos hanging low on his hips, stands guard by the door. His sharp eyes scan the street, not missing a single move before following the direction of the friends.
"Damn he looks like he eats rocks for breakfast." Dave mutters, nodding towards the bouncer with a slight grin
They approach the bouncer who nods to both of them in a well practiced manner, they walk in before the man glances to his classic, circular looking watch on his wrist.
Gabriel briefly watches the man actions before passing the door threshold, his stance barely shifting. High-pitched voices and a funky baseline making their way into his ears, silence fading out. His face scowls a bit after his nose chooses to pick the aroma of alcohol and a strong mix of perfumes.
He catches a glimpse of Dave-walking slowly, eyes-cold, like a predator laser focus trying to find any other pairs of eyes that reciprocate the same intensity in his direction.
"Hey!, imma get a drink for us," Gabriel shouts to Dave with his neck almost at the full capacity to turn without moving his torso too much. He hears a suppressed grunt while his eyes come to the front. Scanning the crowd before locking onto the bartender. The man's hands steady as a surgeon as he swirls a glass, the spherical ice clinking softly.
A blonde man, with impeccable skin and a slight stubble watches Gabriel while he's getting closer to the bar.
"Two beers, please," Gabriel says, his voice barely rising above the heavy bass that vibrates through the floor.
The bartender gives him a once-over, his lips curling into a subtle smile as he slides the glass with dark liquid across the counter.
"You’re in for a treat," he says with a casual confidence. "Imported from Germany—something to match the night."
Gabriel glances down at the beer, its deep amber hue catching the light. "Appreciate it," he responds, leaning in a little closer. "Hope it lives up to the hype."
The bartender winks, his eyes crinkling. "You’ll know soon enough." He slides the second glass towards Gabriel.
"Hope he likes it..." thinks Gabriel, rotating 180 degrees to hand the beer to Dave. The sea of faces illuminated by flashing lights blending with the rhythm of a new song, dizzying, pulling Gabriel's attention in every direction at once. His eyes a thin line trying to make sense of a shape that could resemble Dave, everyone moving a blink at a time with his friend nowhere to be seen.
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Gabriel locks his gaze onto his doppelganger at the mirror, exhales deeply, the sound muffled by the basslines loops of the current song behind the walls. Water dripping from his damp hair onto his shoulders making his way through his back.
Knock knock a harsh sound slices through the space "HEY! hurry up i need to get in" A deep voice barks from the hallway.
Gabriel swings the door open, without a word quickly advancing, his steps toward the origin of the music. The burly man previously hitting the door barely spares him a glance before shoving his way inside murmuring something.
Every step closer to the song, the corners of his mouth pulls upward, "I need to enjoy myself now, keep pushing" he thinks, pushing his chest outside and his shoulders down repeating the words like a weak mantra.
A spark catches Gabriel's attention, earrings. They swing gently, framing a young woman with a tight dress that seems to fit too perfectly. Curves that end on her neck and the pitch-black of her hair. And for a moment, everything else, the people, the music, the lights fades into the background.
Just a few meters beside Gabriel a couple moves to the beat, the man stiff and barely moving. While the woman grinds against him, her hips tracing slow circles going up and down with a exposed neck for her partner, inviting. Gabriel's eyes shift between the couple before snapping to the woman with earrings.
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The music changes, and a famous catchy hook "One more time..." keeps pulling him forward "We are gonna celebrate"
Unsteady, uneven first steps making way towards the shining woman blends with the melody. Adjusting his posture and swallowing hard, he finds himself standing in front of her.
"HEY!" his voice louder than intended. "Your earrings..." he hesitates, forcing a grin "They have been making me go in circles deciding whether to talk to you".
Her brows knit for a moment, the corners of her mouth start lifting slightly, barely showing a hint of white. She nods with her head almost absently and her eyes quickly flicker to his right.
"One more time..." The song hook loops again, Gabriel barely catches the faint words that escaped her mouth muffled by the song, "I need to..."
Gabriel leans closer, the noise of the room pressing against his head. "Sorry, i did't catch that--what did you say?"
"Hm, i need to go to the bathroom, excuse me". Her figure moves quickly, her voice polite is polite but detached, and before he can open his mouth, she's already slipping away, her figure disappearing into the crowd
A sharply exhale follows from Gabriel's mouth "Damn that was a waste of a good line..." he thinks, his eyes trailing the swaying motion of the black-haired woman before dropping to the floor. The lights reflect in spinning, circular patterns forming an orbits between each other, another sigh, this one softer. "I guess, i need to learn how to pull instead of keep pushing" he says inwardly, the thought makes him suppress a smile.
"Last drink and i´m out, tomorrow's the day" he murmurs under his breath, already charting his way back to the bar--and then home.
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An unsteady gait cuts through the sidewalk. Each uneven step echoed faintly in the quiet of the night: *thud thud thud*. A half stumble nearly sent him into a lamppost, a quick move resembling a hip swivel saves his deltoids from a blue spot appearing tomorrow. "Germany really... got some strong water back there" he muttered, half-laughing, though the words disjointed and the words looping lazily in his head.
Every blink felt like a flash, reality breaking into fragments--shards of light, movement and sound spinning through his memory. Flashing memories of the place he'd just left. The distant street lights flickers, the glow attracting tiny little bugs that danced erratically close to the bulb, swirling in circular motions close to the artificial light. Gabriel squinted up at them, stopping his march for a moment before shifting back to the cracked pavement beneath his feet.
The music from nearby clubs fades out slowly with each step widening the distance, the bassline still faintly vibrating in his chest. The street stretched in front of him, devoid of life, silent and empty. Just him and the magical scenery of nightlife repeating itself in a endless cycle.
A gust of wind brushed past, curling around him, whispers of cold closing into his ears. Gabriel shivered, every pore of his skin standing like an angry cat. The chill creeping from the base of his neck spiraling down along his spine. He pulled his jacket tighter, the metallic rasp of the zipper being dragged up sealing him from the outside.
"rrRRMM...". A sudden growl faded in from behind, cutting quickly the whispers of the night. "BRRRT-BRRRT" it came closer, no more than fifty meters if his ears serve him well for a distance radar. Gabriel's back straightened. His knees and hips bent slightly in anticipation. His neck swerved to the left, his eyes sharpened without blinking. A man leaped from the back of a motorbike before it completely lost it's momentum to stop.
"STH-STOP RIGHT THERE, DONT YOU FUCKING MOVE", the shout rang out, jagged and high-pitched. Gabriel turned fully in the direction of the sound. The man stormed towards him, steps hurried and clumsy. "GIVE ME EVERYTHING YOU HAVE!" the voice cracked. "More bark than bite" Gabriel thought. But the glint of dark metal from his hand said otherwise. A knife.
Gabriel's muscles tense, his gaze fixed straight to the smaller man's face, then flickering briefly down to the torso and legs. The chubbier robber stopped a few paces away. The knife-welding arm awkwardly flexed at the elbow, hands shaking. The weapon far too in the front of him. The stance too narrow, unbalanced. Amateur.
His eyes flickered for a moment to the other man and came back. He acted. His knees bent and ankles tense, the back foot pushed hard off the ground. And he lunged. Both arms and palms spread wide, his left hand going for the robber's wrist, his right aiming for the elbow. The plan was simple. First, control the weapon , then a good pivot with his left while putting his right foot in the outside of the frame of the weapon side, then pull towards him and he would be in control of a weapon and with just one robber to go.
Gabriel lunged.
But then the alcohol hit.
"Every one has a plan before being punched in the face", he said inwardly, "every plan survives till first contact" he half chuckled to himself.
His left hand veered off course, fingers closing around the blade instead of the wrist. Pain flashed up his arm like electricity. Instinctively the man yanked downward, slashing deep into Gabriel's palm. Blood splattered the pavement.
His right hand grabbed the elbow and the struggle finished just at it started. a blow struck the side of his head. Blunt force. His vision swam. The grip on the robber's elbow faltered. He blinked, reaching again-this time for the knife--but warm liquid spilled all over his collarbone. Hot. Sticky.
"RUN! RUN KEN!" The shrill voice cracked like glass. "SIT ON THE FUCKING BIKE AND START REVVING!".
Footsteps quickly mixed together. The engine roared loader, tires screeched and the robbers disappeared from his peripherical.
Gabriel's hands shot toward the warm, wet hole besides his throat. His knees locked, his torso with and slight angle forward, fighting gravity. A faltered step. His right foot slid forward, his balance shaky. Hot liquid seeped through his fingers, staining his precious grandad jacket. Another step, his left leg buckling, knees trembling under the weight of his collapsing body. Darkness crept in from the edges of his vision, swallowing the street lamps, the cracked pavement and the patchy grass like a black hole. Every step pulled him deeper into the void.
Suddenly his pupils shrank looking into the expanding darkness, his head cleared, every muscle, once rigid with strain now was relaxed, and tensed again with barely a thought of will. A sudden pulse of energy started to fill his limbs. Surging through his body, every fiber, every nerve, every neuron ready to send a signal in a moments notice to act.
Thump thump, the sound of his heart resembling a distant drum, growing louder with each beat.
Thump thump thump thump thump thump
Each thunderous pulse now slowing down the rhythm to a crawl, slowing the tempo of his body.
Between the ever-slowed beats something else pressed in-a foreign weight against his skull. Threatening to crush him if he dares to think too loudly. His chest tightened, suffocated with an invisible force, as if the air itself had been drained from his lungs.
The pressure gnawed at his ribs, the bones creaking under the weight of an unseen hand. His left knee finally gave in, the stubbornness of his shaking quads and glutes after competing with a force far greater. With a desperate final step forward, his head dipped. His vision blurred after he forced his eyes open.
The darkness was no longer just a lack of light. It was a--presenc-- and had weight. It spread from the edges of his vision like ink spilling across paper—black, swirling, almost liquid in texture. The world around him warped, bending toward the center, where the hole seemed to expand.
Thump
It wasn’t just a hole, it --was-- a force, like a gravitational pull, dragging at him from every angle. The pavement underfoot trembled as though the very ground was splitting open beneath him. He was falling into it, condemned by his last step.
And as he did, the world closed in on him, the last thing he saw—a dark ring with a lighter edge that seemed to devour the light around it, pulling him into its endless void.
Then, everything went black.