“As long as you don’t have a bad trip, you’ll be fine.”
Aubryn said as I looked at the gummy she handed me. The edible looked nothing like I thought it would; just a lightly colored, sugar-coated disc. It certainly didn’t look like something to be excited about.
“What is it again?” I said, keeping it in my hand as I looked at myself in the mirror. I had never worn “goth” clothes before, and so far my first impression consisted of tight.
“An edible, duh. You know what it is. We’ve been over this already. Something to help you loosen up. So you’re not such a prude.” Aubryn said, joining me in the mirror. She raised her skirt with a finger and flashed one of her long legs, the one that was tattooed entirely black. I looked at her reflection, subconsciously tugging at the bottom of my corset. My skirt seemed too short, my boots too high. Meanwhile, Aubryn looked like a natural countess.
“How do I look? It feels so… weird.” I said, looking at the combination of fishnets, chains, and black eye-liner. I had never dressed in goth before, and everything I was wearing had come from Aubryn’s closet.
“Frumpy.” Aubryn said, flipping her hair. I frowned, and she started to laugh.
“Only joking, darling. Embrace it, it’ll be fun. Come on, our Uber is here. We’re gonna be late.” She shouldered her purse and headed for the door as I gawked at myself some more. I felt ridiculous, like I had dressed like a clown for a children’s birthday party. In my hand, the edible was getting sticky.
“Are you sure about this? It seems like a little much.” I said, holding the gummy out. Aubryn responded by popping one of her own in her mouth.
“Ted was a pig, he cheated on you. You need to get out and have fun, they’re really light doses. Just a nudge in the right direction. Come on, girl. Give the True Crime a rest. Let’s get out and live a little.” She said, opening the door to my apartment and waiting.
A sigh left my lips as she opened the door. I looked at the melting gummy and reluctantly put it in my mouth. Aubryn cheered as I chewed it, swinging her purse around to celebrate. It tasted stale, the sugar-coat failing to mask the greasy consistency once you bit into it.
Downstairs the Uber was waiting, a little hatchback idling at the apartment curb. The driver, a younger man, got out and held open the backseat door. He tried to feign his surprise at our outfits and failed miserably. I got in first, while Aubryn stared awkwardly at the driver.
“What, never seen a real woman before?” She said, leaning forward and moving her shawl to expose the swell of her bust. The driver took the opportunity to check his phone awkwardly, and she sighed and climbed in slowly.
“Fuckin’ shoes.” She said, as the driver closed the door behind her.
“How long does it take to kick in?” I asked sheepishly as we settled in.
“I don’t know. Not long, hopefully. It’s different for everybody, I guess.” She said, getting a mirror from her purse and checking her eyeliner.
“Wait? I thought you said you tried them before!” I yelled. Aubryn paused, and her reflection in the tiny mirror slowly looked at me.
“I lied.” She said.
I called her a whore, and she shrugged.
“Look, I took one too. We’re in this together.” She said, and with a delicate stroke, ran the dark eyeliner pencil around.
I leaned my head against the window, watching the cars kick up mist as they passed. It had rained all morning, hopefully the end of a long string of storms. I thought of Ted, and how just a week ago, I never would’ve dreamed of going out dressed head to toe in such extreme clothing. We would usually spend Fridays snuggled up on the couch, watching horror movies on whatever streaming service. Maybe even open a bottle of wine. That was until two weeks ago, when I found out he was sleeping with two different coworkers. Now I was off to some sort of nightclub that….traveled around?
“What are you ladies doing tonight?” The driver asked cooly.
“I’m lookin’ to get fucked.” Aubryn blurted, snapping the mirror shut. The driver glanced at her in the rear-view for a second before returning his eyes to the road.
“You said the club moved around? Like a circus?” I asked out loud, mostly at her.
“Yeah. Only sleazier, and they, like, set up shop in abandoned buildings.” Aubryn moved on to lipstick while I imagined a sweaty local bar, except decorated with leather and chains.
“Is that even legal? How did you even hear about it?” I asked.
“Saw something about it online. I’ve seen them mentioned before, this is just the first time they’ve been in the area. Thought it might be fun.” She said, pursing in her lipstick.
“What’s it called again? The club I mean.”
“The Black Unicorn.” Said Aubryn, in a spooky voice.
“Wow. Edgy.”
The driver quietly drove as we talked. It seemed to get darker the further we got, street lamps thinning until there were nothing but dark roads. We had gone into the “rougher” part of town, the side I wasn’t very familiar with. By the time I didn’t recognize the surroundings at all, he started to slow down. Without a word he pulled up to the sidewalk and stopped, putting it in park and unbuckling. We looked around confused, only seeing a liquor store and a rent-a-tux shop with its lights out for the night. There was no club to be found.
“Uh, what are you doing?” asked Aubryn, reaching into her purse, where she was well-known for carrying bear-mace.
“We’ve reached the destination.” Said the driver, opening his door.
“Bullshit.” I said, but he just sighed and pointed to the phone mounted on the dash. The GPS signaled we had arrived.
“But there’s no club, just the liquor st—” Aubryn started, but the driver cut her off.
“Must be down there.” He said, pointing to the right.
Wedged narrowly between both stores was an alley, completely dark aside from the tint of red light at the end. It looked like somewhere you went to be intentionally kidnapped.
“You’re kidding.” I said.
“Look, I just put in the address and drive there. This is where it said to go. Unless you want to pay for a ride home, I don’t know what to tell ya.” Said the driver, looking back at us.
Aubryn and I exchanged looks, and after a moment of silence, the driver got out and opened the door for us.
“You sure about this?” I said before getting out.
Aubryn looked down the alley for a moment, before shrugging again.
“I’m sure it’ll be fine. Anything happens, I’ll mace em’.” She said, and got out. I reluctantly followed.
Once the drive was paid, we took a deep breath and headed down the alley. It was dark and creepy as fuck, our heels clacking as we entered the darkness. The red light got brighter, and soon we heard the thrum of bass.
“If we’re getting human-trafficked, I swear,” I said, trying not to sound nervous.
“It’s actually pretty cool.” Aubryn said, one hand still stuffed in her purse.
The beat got louder with every step, and I could make out a muffled industrial tune. We looked for some kind of sign, but there was nothing but damp brick on either side. At the end of the alley was an abrupt turn, and when we rounded the corner we both jumped.
A man was leaning against the wall, almost blending into the red glow. He was wearing a mesh top and a kilt, his face obscured by a goat mask. There was an opening in the goat’s mouth, where he was busy dragging off a vape rig. As we approached cautiously, he exhaled a cloud, one that wafted up and caught the light of the red lamp.
“IDs please.” Was all he said, his combat boots scuffing the concrete.
We both awkwardly fished for our licenses, and I suddenly felt very out of my element. The man waited patiently, the loud bass thumping down the alley. Behind him was a metal door, one that had been crudely spray-painted black. Blue eyes scanned each I.D. from behind the goat mask. After a moment, he handed them back.
“Cool. Welcome to The Black Unicorn.” He said, and reached for the door.
He yanked it open and motioned inside, the music blasting through the doorway. The inside was pitch black, with a strobe light firing non-stop.
“Your edible kick in yet?” I asked Aubryn, suddenly feeling anxious.
“Not yet.” She said, biting her lip as she eyed the doorway, the strobe light reflecting in her eyes.
I looked back down the alley at the empty street. The driver had already pulled away.
“Come on, let’s go.” Abryn said, already pulling me with her. Once we were in, the doorman shut the door behind us, mumbling something like “have a good time.”
We were in some kind of coat room, several leather and fur jackets lining the walls in the tiny space. The strobe came from the ceiling, an aggressive flash that both made me excited and anxious. I looked at Aubryn, her features blinking in rapid stills. After a silent agreement to keep our stuff on us, we headed into the next room that appeared to be the bar.
The strobe faded to a bright neon glow, one accented by a living cloud fed by a fog machine. Overhead was a dancing blacklight, multiple beams cutting through red hue. We waded through the crimson mist in time to see dozens of heads lift and look at us. The patrons of The Black Unicorn eyed us for a moment, most with indifference, others in curiosity. There were people of all shapes and sizes, each donning their own combination of lace, leather, and ink. Sculpted muscle wrapped in tight latex, and seductive curves in nothing but body paint and pasties. Piercings in every imaginable place, each glinting in the swirl of blacklight that filled the room.
“Where do we sit?” I asked, wincing against the music’s volume. Aubryn motioned to the counter, where there appeared to be open seats.
We made our way to the bar. Aubryn led, weaving through the crowd. Some looked at her hungrily, others scoffed. A scrawny man wearing a plague doctor mask playfully reached out with a cane, and she ignored it.
I couldn’t help but take in the room around me, half-marveling, half-intimidated at the intensity of everything around us. At one table a heavy-set man wearing nothing but a leather vest was setting fire to shot glasses, while someone in a clown costume cut up fine white lines. Another woman was resting her chin on her hands calmly, while a man in a devil mask steadily dug into her back with a tattoo gun. The devil mask looked up for a moment and nodded, before returning to his work at hand. In the very back, it looked like someone was receiving a blowjob.
Aubryn and I sat at the counter, me holding my purse close while she looked around. There was a kindling magic in her eyes, and part of me wondered if it was just the edible kicking in. She looked from one table to another, aweing at the company. I wished I had shared her sense of wonder. Whereas she looked like she was at home, my gut was telling me to run for the door.
“What should we get to drink?” She said, looking behind the bar. I shrugged and looked for a paper menu, and discovered there wasn’t one. A large chalkboard “menu” sat between the shelves of liquor, scribbled writing reflecting in the blacklight. There was a bunch of your household beer names, followed by a long list of cocktails I hadn’t heard of. At the top of the list in large capital letters, it read: SPECIAL. Standing next to the board was a burly man in a Hawaiian shirt, thick forearms flexing as he shook a tumbler.
“Two specials, please!” Aubryn said, leaning over the bar. The bartender nodded, uncapping the tumbler and pouring the contents into a glass in front of him.
“What’s in the special?” I asked, and she shrugged. My look of contempt only made her laugh.
“Come on, girl, relax. We made it! It doesn’t look that bad. It looks fun, doesn’t it? And there are other girls here. It’s not just a sausagefest.” She said, nudging me with her boot.
I looked at the other girls in their risque outfits and immaculate make-up, each of them smiling in one way or another, even the girl on a leash. There was something special about the confidence everyone seemed to have. It didn’t matter what getup they had, they fucking owned it.
“I suppose it’s pretty cool.” I said, and Aubryn started to clap with excitement.
“See? I told…” She trailed off, her eyes focusing on something across the room. I turned in my stool to see what she was looking at.
Across the room there was a man leaning against the wall, returning her gaze. He was shirtless, a harness stretched over rippling pale muscle. His hands were in pockets of his slacks, smoke dancing from the cigarette in his lips.
“Oh my…” Aubryn said, reaching down to hike up some of her skirt, showing off her tattooed leg. The cherry on the man’s cigarette started to glow, and without a word he started heading over.
“Are you kidding me? Already?” I said, aggravated. We had just gotten a seat, and she was already trying to slip away.
“Don’t worry dear, I’m sure it won’t take long. They never do.” She said, shouldering her purse.
The man came over and put the cigarette out in one of the many ashtrays on the bar, taking the time to show off the tautness of the straps across his chest. He looked at Aubryn for a moment, a long uncomfortable stare that she returned. I held my purse closer to me, and without a word he walked away, to the back. In the direction of the bathrooms.
“Don’t leave without me!” She said, giving me a look of fake apology before eagerly following.
You bitch.
I watched them go, the thrum of the bass rattling my ears. This wasn’t the first time something like this happened, and it wouldn’t be the last. She would usually stick around for the drink first.
I slouched on the stool, the tightness of the corset suddenly feeling exhausting. Through the noise of the goth bar, I thought of being at home, on the couch with some True Crime. I yawned and rubbed my eyes, immediately feeling the sting of the makeup. I had forgotten about the heavy eyeliner. I cursed and grabbed a napkin off the counter, wondering how much I had smudged it.
Ahead of me the bartender set down two martini glasses, each filled with a jet-black liquid. Sticking out of each glass was an olive on a tooth-pick. The specials, a first round apparently on me.
“How much?” I asked, cupping my hand to my mouth so he could hear.
“Twenty.” He said, leaning on his elbow.
I got a bill out of my purse and he took it, shoving it in his pocket before walking away. Sitting alone I looked at the drinks, wondering if they were even safe to consume.
I looked towards the back of the club, to the little neon signs labeled “guys” and girls”. The hallway was empty, save for the two mohawked individuals intertwining their tongues in the shadow. There was an uproar of laughter behind me, and I looked to see one of the women with a shaved head was riding a guy like a horse, walking on his hands and knees as she hit him with a trotter. The table behind them laughed and clapped, barely audible through the music. The rider whipped him again, and he whinnied and turned around, giving me full view of his junk confined in his speedo. The back of each thigh was tattooed, cursive letters that read “Pretty Please”.
I grabbed my martini glass and downed it, immediately wincing. The mixture started with bitters with a punch of alcohol, one that burned hot as it flew to my stomach. A sour tail blended everything together… and it actually wasn’t that bad. I coughed against the strength of the drink, feeling the heat in my face immediately.
I arched my back in the stool, feeling a gradual lift of stress. Maybe this place wasn’t so bad after all. I looked at the empty glass, wishing there was more in it. Behind me, I heard another snap from the trotter. The music changed to something harder, with more bass and electricity. The light show reflected the intensity. My foot seemed to tap on its own. In the rift of pleasant hard relaxation, I felt my phone vibrate through my purse. I dug it out and unlocked it, the brightness from the screen stinging my retinas. I expected it to be Aubryn.
It was a text from Ted. I locked my phone, tossed it back in the bag, and grabbed Aubryn’s drink. It went down even smoother than mine. I exhaled heavily, feeling the rush of the heat as I set the glass down. I propped myself up on my elbows, resting my chin on my fists as I looked around the bar.
Hiding in the array lights and fog was art on every wall, pictures of paint that popped with every strobe. A shibari-tied woman in barbed wire. A large deer with gore hanging from its antlers. A masked man wielding a chainsaw. I followed each piece curiously, watching them pop in the flashing lights. My eyes rested on one, a framed canvas much bigger than the others.
A goddess sitting on a throne, atop a mountain of corpses. She was covered head to heel in tight leather, accentuating her bust along with long, curvy legs. A cattle prod was clutched in her grasp, arcs of lightning traveling across her arm. Her head was that of a unicorn’s, but painted black.
Behind me, I heard another crack of the trotter. Much louder than the last.
I pushed off the counter, my limbs feeling suddenly heavier. I turned to see the Pretty Please and its rider, and saw nothing but an empty floor. The two of them were gone.
What?
I knew I hadn’t imagined it. I looked at the group that had laughed at the spectacle, only to find their table empty. Their drinks had vanished from their table as well, multiple empties replaced by a single glass of scotch. Behind the glass was a man in a suit, sitting straight and staring right at me through a pair round, wire framed sunglasses.
I rubbed my eyes again, only to feel the makeup punish again. Through the sting I squinted at the man, who was now raising his glass as if to toast me. There was a crack in his face, almost like a scar that ran through the center of his forehead down to the wrinkled folds of his neck. He raised the glass to his lips, and promptly dumped the drink all over himself, as if deliberately.
I looked around to see if anyone else had seen it, but nobody else was paying attention. In fact, nobody else seemed to be doing anything. Everyone seemed frozen, stuck in whatever pose they left off in, but wrong.
The man in the leather vest that lit the shots was slumped in his chair, drool oozing over several empty shot glasses. The clown’s fine lines were smeared and scattered, blood leaking from his big red nose with his head reared back in his chair. The woman getting the tattoo had collapsed, face down and with limp limbs weakly laid across the table. Behind her the devil mask mercilessly continued his art, red splatters coating the gun as he worked furiously. Something had changed. Something wasn’t right.
I turned to the bartender for help, my reaction slowed and distorted as I searched for the man in the Hawaiian shirt. I found him standing behind me, blue eyes focused as taut hands ran the cloth over a glass.
The music kept getting louder, and I had to shout to get his attention.
“E-excuse me! Do you see that, do you see that man over there?!” I asked with a hiccup. I swallowed hard, each muscle requiring greater effort to respond. Everything felt slowed down.
He looked at me with annoyance, pausing his task. He leaned in slow, staring maliciously through the sporadic strobe.
“Have you ever been slapped so hard, it knocks your fuckin’ teeth out?” He said, just loud enough to hear. He stared at me intently, his pupils large and pulsing. A smirk crawled over his bearded face, and the blackness of his pupils burst, scurrying away like skittering roaches.
I recoiled from the bartender, who only laughed and continued polishing the glass.
What the fuck?
My head was swimming. I looked to the back of the club towards the restrooms, where Aubryn had disappeared. The neons for the bathrooms were flickering weakly, burning out. In a panic, I dug into my purse for my phone. With clumsy hands I pulled it out, almost dropping it. I hit the power button, only to get the same black screen.
My phone was dead.
I tried again and again, and when that didn’t work, I held the button to restart it. It did nothing, just a useless brick in my hand. I put it away, and looked at the man across the bar. He nodded with a smile, and slowly took off his sunglasses. I felt a sick sort of tunnel vision in his direction, like I couldn’t look away. He let his sunglasses fall, a soundless gesture that was lost to the music. The bass slammed my ears, and the lights focused on him. I looked at the scar on his forehead, the seam between his face that was starting to bleed.
It wasn’t a scar. It was a zipper.
The man pinched the zipper flap and started pulling, separating the bleeding teeth as it ran down his nose and over his mouth, continuing down his neck. The zipper tore through the collar of his shirt and burst the buttons of his jacket, a red stain that grew the longer he pulled. His face went slack, the skin loosening as his hand disappeared under the table out of view. The skin began to part, something dark writhing within.
The music stopped, and from the face came a hand.
Deep red dripped from the hand as it reached out, a visceral slime that splashed over the empty glass and onto the table. Inky black and covered in latex, it grabbed one side of the face and pushed, making way for another. Together the hands pulled the face apart, peeling it back as it made way for a head. The husk of skin buckled and slacked as another face pushed through, a gimp mask with its eyes and mouth zipped shut. The new limbs shone in the frantic strobe, slapping wetly as it found its balance on the tabletop.
I couldn’t breathe. I looked around for help, only to see the same frozen scene from before. Only the devil artist continued to move, the gun whirring and digging, blood splashing the wicked mask. The gimp suited man was crawling over the table now, oily drool seeping from every limb. As the limp skinsuit fell away to the floor behind it, the gimp man looked at me, an indescribable animosity radiating from its expressionless, synched-up face. With the sound of tearing meat, the lips started to part, the metal stitching bleeding as a high-pitched scream blasted from its mouth. It sounded like nails on a chalkboard.
I stumbled out of the stool, nearly falling as my feet touched the floor. My legs felt like gelatin, a mixture of fear and the booze making my knees weak. Each step was awkward and poorly placed, the platform boots working against me as I bounded for the bathroom. I needed to get Aubryn and get the fuck out of there. Behind me the gimp man shrieked but I didn’t dare look back. I heard it leap from the tabletop, a rapid squelching echoing as it fought to chase me.
The strobe rapidly-fired, and I could only see the ground in front of me moving in flashing bursts, like an old film. Each frozen slide brought me closer to the bathroom doors, and I focused on the dying neon lights. Just as I heard the gimp gaining I shoved through the door of the girls restroom and threw myself against it, forcing it shut. I was so worried about keeping the gimp out, I didn’t realize the lights were off until I stood alone in the dark.
There was an electrical ‘pop’, and the lights flickered on. After a few blinks it stayed on, the starkness of the tile blinding in the sudden illumination. I shielded my eyes against the fluorescents, expecting to feel the impact of the gimp on the other side. But the door remained still, and I closed my eyes as I caught my breath. Each heavy breath was restricted by my corset, and I wished badly to tear it off. My vision felt delayed, like my brain was comprehending a second behind what my eyes took in.
The wet sounds of smacking lips made me open them again. Before me was Aubryn and the man in the harness, intertwined in a fit of standing lust. They stood like they were on strings, both of them leaning and groping without proper footing. Aubryn had one leg hooked around the back of his, her back arched and arms posed like a marionette. The man moved his hands slowly, one moving a strap off her shoulder to expose a pierced breast, the other disappearing between her legs and under her dress. I could hear the labored breaths and sensual moans in my head, so loud it rattled my brain and gave me goosebumps. The lights flickered again, and the man noticed me.
The man looked first, his eyes swirling pits of black. He smiled at me for a moment, before turning back to Aubryn, running his lips over her neck as she leaned back. He let his hand run over her breast before squeezing it hard. Aubryn winced against his touch, and opened her eyes to see me.
Her eyes were bleeding. My mind fought to calibrate the sight, and I released what was streaming down was what was left of them.
I screamed.
“Go on without me dear. nnןǝss ʎon ʍɐnʇ ʇo ʍɐʇɔɥ” Aubryn said, her voice fading away.
Oh god—
The man squeezed until his hand shook, the other still hidden under her dress. The skin around his grip started to bruise, and with a sickening tear he ripped the breast from her torso. Aubryn’s lips parted with an exasperated breath, even as the bare tissue beneath was exposed. Even as he sank his teeth into her neck and pulled a chunk of flesh with it. The spatter of blood on the tile crisp and hot in my ears.
Oh god, oh fuck, fuckfuckfu—
I pulled on the door, her bleeding tears guilting me as I fought to get away. I yanked on the door but it was locked, locked from the outside, the deadbolt rattling every time I pulled on the knob. The far side of the bathroom started to dissolve, smearing like an Alkeseltzer tablet in water, twirling to a focal point in the center of the back wall. Like a black hole.
“Let me out! LET ME OUT! Fuuuᑌᑌᑌ⊂ⲕ Ł∈Ť ๓∈ ØᑌŤ!” I screamed, the echo of my own voice distorting as the words were being sucked away. The door wouldn’t budge.
The sight of the man peeling her was pixelating and drifting away, spaghettifying as the spherical void pulled them into it. The room was fading into nothing. The door unlocked, and I looked back to see Aubryn reach for me. I left her.
As soon as I was on the other side, I fell immediately to the floor. Pain scrawled like lightning across my limbs as my elbows and knees took the blow, the long platform boots feeling like clubby, awkward extensions. I touched my elbows and felt the warm stickiness of blood. The tile floor had been replaced with a crude, metal grating, one that stretched into darkness on both sides. High above a lightbulb came to life, the familiar red glow returning. The ceiling seemed to stretch higher than I thought possible. Gasping for breath and hugging myself, I frantically looked around me. The goth bar was gone.
In its place, a long, singular hallway.
“Help!” I shouted, an echo that bounced infinitely on both sides.
One by one red bulbs blinked on, each to the deafening sound of a hammer drop. I flinched against each one, until there were so far away the noise felt like an afterthought.
“Hello?” I called weakly, my words muffling under the weight of the dominating silence.
̶N̶o̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶s̶e̶e̶m̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ ̶m̶a̶t̶t̶e̶r̶,̶ ̶s̶o̶ ̶I̶ ̶w̶a̶l̶k̶e̶d̶.̶
̶I̶ ̶c̶h̶o̶s̶e̶ ̶r̶i̶g̶h̶t̶,̶ ̶f̶o̶r̶ ̶n̶o̶ ̶p̶a̶r̶t̶i̶c̶u̶l̶a̶r̶ ̶r̶e̶a̶s̶o̶n̶.̶
My footsteps were loud on the grated floor. The air was heavy and musty, growing thicker with every clumsy step. There was a buzzing in the air, like a string of bug zappers strung together. I could hear screams in the distance through the buzzing, both of pleasure and pain. Dozens of them, hundreds. Every climaxing cry melted to an anguished scream of torment, blending together in a loop. The longer it went on the less I could differentiate between the two, until it droned into a repetitive song suffocating euphoria. The darkness seemed to move around me, shadowy tendrils wisping for my attention. I flinched against their grasp at first, ducking away every time it outstretched towards me. But the longer I pressed on, and the more my eyes adjusted, I realized they weren’t reaching for me. They were pointing down.
Beneath the grate was a sea of bodies, bloody and rotting as far as the hallway stretched. A trench of blood and skin and leather, thousands of faces petrified in a scream. Their eyes followed me as I walked, each clanking footstep drawing a new set that traced me. Hollow and soulless they watched, beady pupils that begged for help but lacked the strength to ask. I wanted to help them but I couldn’t, they were so far away and I didn’t know how to—
My boot struck something solid. I was so busy with what was below I hadn’t been looking ahead. Sprawled across the grate was a body, pants around their ankles, a bloated belly poking through a leather vest. Charred burn marks lined his chest and stomach, trailing all the way down below the waist. I looked away from their flaccid member, drawn to the mess above their shoulders. The face was obliterated, large seeping holes punched all the way through their skull, and despite the heavy bruising on their neck, their last expression appeared to be… in awe.
I stepped around the man’s body, only to find another soon after. A polka-dotted costume ripped open at the waist, and a clown face caved in at the center. The corpses continued in a trail, a trail of bloody breadcrumbs across the grating.
A couple with mohawks was sprawled in the same fashion, as was the woman with the shaved head. Stepping over them I could hear the crackle of electricity, followed by strenuous groans. The eyes below followed me as I approached, two shifting figures coming into focus through the darkness. Between the electricity and pained groans was the occasional suck of breath, one of relief and desperation. Above another lightbulb flashed, the same tired glow raining from above.
An exposed man in a speedo was suspended in the air, gasping for air as a cattle prod was run repeatedly into his abdomen. A single hand held him against the wall, squeezing tight as he struggled against the shock treatment. Each time the prod let up, he breathed the same hushed word.
Please. Please.
Pretty Please.
A woman held him against the wall, elbow length gloves glinting in the light above. She was easily a foot taller than him, holding him up like a writhing peasant in an unbreakable grip. Long legs with spiked platform boots stood defiantly as he squirmed in pain, wrapped in climbing leather that accented the feminine curve of hips. A tight corset covered everything but her full breasts, dual piercings of a star and moon unified by a silver chain.
The dominatrix held the cattle prod into his stomach, staring intently as he struggled. Glowing pentacle eyes, burning from the head of a black unicorn. The man seized and frothed at the mouth, the veins in his neck taut as he clenched his teeth. She worked the prod methodically, piercings jingling with every thrash. When she finally let off, he let out an exasperated sigh. I watched as the man finished, an exhilarated and exhausted climax she welcomed by further squeezing his neck, and rearing back her head.
“Thank… you—”
The Black Unicorn rammed her head forward, driving her spiral horn through his left eye socket with wall-shaking force. Contorted limbs went limp, plucked away from the edge of pleasure into the crush of death. She withdrew the horn and rammed it through again, his lolling head smashing into the wall repeatedly as she crushed teeth and bone. Once the decimation was complete, she tossed him aside, and ran a slick black glove over her corset. An exhale of smoke billowed from her nostrils as she spread her fingers, admiring the gory strands.
I started to back away, stumbling over the corpses behind me. The Black Unicorn looked up from her fingers, blazing star eyes settling on me. She curled her hand into a fist, the dark fluids oozing as she squeezed. An electrical snap followed, arcing across the forked tip of the cattle prod.
“No! Please!” I shouted, knowing it was useless. She stepped forward, her wicked heel crunching the skull of her latest specimen.
I climbed to my feet and ran, the heavy platforms bounding loudly on the grated floor. Behind me The Black Unicorn whinnied, an excited cry that taunted me as I ran. The bulbs passed overhead, the red and black fade passing as I ran as hard as I could. I could hear her taking her time, bones snapping against metal with each delicate step.
I kept running, the many eyes below watching in silence, following in silence. But each step only brought more darkness, the same repetitive glow passing. She whinnied again, and her steps became faster, loud metallic bangs joining the chorus of my panicked sprint.
clang CLANG clang CLANG clang CLANG clang CLANG—
My chest heaved with every breath, my desperate will to live fueling as I ran harder than I had in years. The muscles in my legs strained and pulled, fighting against the awkwardness of the long boots. Despite the screaming in my joints and the burn in my lungs, I pushed as hard as I could.
Ahead, the darkness parted, a shining beam of light in the form of sliding doors. At the end of the seemingly endless corridor was an elevator, bland paint and tile beckoning safety. I pushed toward the light, each lunge more punishing than the last. Behind me The Black Unicorn screamed, and the heavy steps turned to the drum of hooves. I heard the buzz of the cattle prod nipping at my heels.
I leapt into the elevator, hitting the back of the cab so hard I felt it rock on its cables. I looked to see the dominatrix, her long elegant legs had bent back wicked hind limbs, sparks flying off the floor as she rushed toward me.
I hit every button in the elevator, and watched painfully as it waited to close. With an audible “ding” the doors receded, slowly closing on the madness that engulfed me. I sat helplessly against the wall, tears streaming as the bright pentacle eyes stared me down. Just as they closed she slammed into them, the metal warped against her halted momentum.
I hugged my knees to my chest, and the car began to move.
I didn’t know where, and at this point, I didn’t care.
I sobbed for a while, the floating sensation of the elevator bringing me an odd sense of peace as we traveled to the unknown destination. It was over, at least for now. I rested my chin on my wiped my eyes, feeling the burn of makeup, once again. Through my blurred vision I saw droplets hit the floor, little red specks in front of the toes of my boots.
I glanced above, and saw one of the ceiling tiles being scooted over, revealing a dark crevice. Through the darkness poked the gimp, his bleeding zipper mouth parting in a scream. I looked away and shielded my face in denial, just in time to hear the whinnie, and see the spiral horn burst through the elevator doors.
Through the sickening swirl of black I heard a voice, snarky and loud. Red light faded in and out, followed by an annoying strobe. My head felt heavy, tossing side to side along with limbs that failed to respond. Jerky movements, unfocused steps. The loud latch of metal, then the red glow again.
“Get back! Get the fuck away from her! I’ll fuckin’ mace you, swear to God”
I opened my eyes to see a man with a goat mask, hands up in surrender. Aubryn was shouldering my weight, a task that seemed to be going downhill quickly. I felt myself rocketing towards the ground.
“What the fuck, what is happenuuuuuuGH—”
I threw up violently, haunted by the sounds of my stomach contents hitting the pavement. I heaved until there was nothing left, and looked up to see Aubryn holding the bear mace, and a very surprised goat bouncer. We were back in the alley, outside of the bar. The bouncer mumbled something like “alright, sheesh” and retreated back inside, closing the door behind him.
“Girl, what the fuck happened?” Aubryn said crouching down, still clutching the mace. She rubbed a hand on my shoulder, and I shrugged her off.
“You said go on without you.” I mocked, my memory coming and going in broken, painful fragments.
“What? I said ‘don’t leave without me’. I wasn’t even gone that long.” She said, her eyes softening.
“I, I don’t know.” I mumbled, still spitting vomit. Bitters and sours and bile burned my throat.
“I was only gone ten minutes. I came back and you were passed out at the bar! What, five, six drinks?” She exclaimed, digging out her phone.
“No… no that’s not right.” I said, trying to get up. My head throbbed with every heartbeat.
“I thought you were fuckin’ dead. What happened in there? Are you okay?” She asked, making an effort to comfort me while she held the phone to her ear.
“How strong… were those edibles?” I asked angrily, wiping my mouth.
Aubryn paused, her mouth open in confusion.
“Honey, they weren’t edibles. They were vitamins. I was just trying to loosen you up. I’ll get us a ride, let’s just get the fuck out of here.” She said, and started speaking into the phone, stepping away.
I got up and looked at the metal door, the thrum of music dull on the other side. I heard laughter through the bass, and the familiar snap of a trotter hitting skin. The laughter kept on, even as Aubryn arranged a ride, and walked me down the alley.
A car arrived minutes later, and she helped me in, apologizing repeatedly as we got buckled. I rested my head against the window, my head full of fog and lights and discomfort. The driver put the car in gear and started pulling back on to the street.
“You ladies have fun tonight?” He asked, angling the mirror to see us.
As Aubryn flirted with the driver, I couldn’t help but look back at the club, watching the red glow as we pulled away. Just as it was out of sight, the lights went out, leaving nothing but a dark alley.