by Sarra Cannon
“Ok, cool.” I hoped this one was eighteen and up too.
We wove our way through the crowds. I glanced into the rows of bars and clubs teeming with people dressed in various degrees of costumes. Despite my apprehension of hanging out with someone I barely knew, the excitement seemed to be rubbing off on me. I found myself moving along to the music spilling out of one club when we were momentarily stopped.
“Duncan!” A girl with long blond hair yelled and proceeded to wrap her arms around Duncan’s neck. She was dressed as a pumpkin, if a pumpkin was just a skimpy piece of orange fabric. “Come dancing with us.” She was visibly drunk.
“Oh, hi.” He gave me an apologetic look.
I shrugged. It wasn’t like we were on a date.
“Why aren’t you dressed up? It’s Halloween. You’re supposed to be dressed up.”
He shoved a hand into his back pocket. “How do you know that I’m not dressed up?”
“Laurie!” The girl yelled. “It’s Duncan, the stripper who did Debbie’s party last week.”
Wait. What? Did he strip? Wow, that was pretty surprising. He wasn’t bad looking, but I hadn’t met a male stripper before.
Another girl ran over. This one was appropriately attired. She had an awesome lollipop costume on. She also gave Duncan a hug, so I decided to people watch while I waited. That’s when I saw him. The gorgeous guy from the bar. All six plus feet of his perfectness. This time he was wearing one of those sleeveless white t-shirts that showed off his muscular arms. But it wasn’t his muscles that jumped out the most. It was his beautiful set of black wings. Now that was a costume.
He glanced up just as he passed, and my chest tightened. He looked at me with curiosity for a second before continuing on. Maybe he vaguely remembered my face but didn’t know why. I wasn’t sure what would be worse, if he remembered the humiliating moment, or if he didn’t.
I suddenly felt embarrassed of my cat costume. Were the whiskers too much?
“Daisy?” Duncan called my name and snapped me out of my daze. “Ready?” The girls must have walked off while I was distracted because Duncan was alone watching me. I wondered how obvious my ogling was.
“Yeah, sure.”
Duncan towed me along until he turned into a dark and completely unappealing dive. This was his favorite place? I kept my mouth shut. I didn’t want to offend him. Maybe this was one of those hidden gems you always hear about. Just to be safe I texted Reyna the name of the place as inconspicuously as possible, Grounddiggers.
“Who are you texting?” Duncan asked as we walked through the entrance.
Evidently I wasn’t as inconspicuous as I thought. “Just a friend.” I’m not sure why I didn’t just tell him who it was. I just felt like it was safer not to.
He nodded at a bouncer, who like Duncan was dressed all in black. The bouncer grunted something unintelligible to Duncan. Duncan must have taken the grunt to mean enter because he pulled me further inside.
Chapter Six
The interior of the bar was no more appealing than the exterior. The faded black paint on the walls looked like it hadn’t been touched in years. The worn wood floors made the stairs at Chad’s apartment look high quality in comparison.
I tried not to make a face, but with the musty smell in the air, I was having some doubts about whether the place could pass any health code.
A large, dilapidated bar dominated the room. Otherwise there were a few tables all of which had no chairs. Compared to the other bars on Bourbon Street, this one was mostly empty. The dozen or so customers were all dressed exactly alike. Black dress shirts and matching slacks.
Black was a popular color for Halloween, but wearing it head to toe seemed a bit much. Then again I was wearing all black.
“Can I get you a drink?” Duncan asked.
“No thanks.” I needed a few minutes first. This was not the type of bar I was used to. The bars we’d been at the other night were similar to the ones near East Madison, but this place was something else entirely. I couldn’t ignore the sense of unease spreading through me.
I took a closer look at the customers. They were all male as far as I could tell. Was this a gay bar? If so, it was probably the worst looking one in the world. I had no problem if Duncan was gay, but why bring me here? And hadn’t he admitted to having inappropriate thoughts about me? The last thing I needed was some confused gay guy trying to use me to experiment or something. That would have fit with the theme of the weekend though—messed up.
“You brought some company, Duncan.” A deep throaty voice asked from behind me. I turned around and came face to face with a tall guy, maybe in his mid-twenties. He was wearing black like everyone else, but his shirt was satin. “Hello, little one.”
Little one? What was that about?
“She’s in town visiting.”
“Oh. She’s from out of town.” The new guy smiled in that ‘I’m picturing you naked’ sort of way.
I stepped closer to Duncan. “Do you not like locals?”
He laughed. “I just like meeting new people. I am Jeryl.” He held out a hand, and I accepted his awkward handshake. He then brushed his lips against my hand. “Lovely to meet you, little kitty.”
Kitty? Oh yeah, the costume. “My name’s Daisy. Nice to meet you.”
“Daisy? Isn’t that perfect?” He rubbed a thumb against my cheek. Was he checking to see if the whiskers were real? I stepped back. He was definitely stepping over the socially acceptable behavior line. That also fit perfectly with the weekend’s theme.
“Perfect?”
“Yes.” He still held my hand. I wanted to pull it away, but how did I do that without offending him? “You’re named after a flower, a symbol of life.”
“Oh. Yeah.” My name seemed to always get people talking. Sometimes in good ways, and sometimes in bad ways.
“Nice find, Duncan.” Jeryl nodded at Duncan.
“Find?” I looked up at Duncan. What in the world was Jeryl talking about?
Duncan put a hand on my shoulder. “Isn’t she? I noticed her yesterday, but tonight I couldn’t resist her.”
“Absolutely perfect,” Jeryl repeated himself.
Duncan squeezed my shoulder. “Let me show you around.” As weird as he was being, he sure wasn’t getting frisky. That was something.
“No.” Jeryl put a hand on my other shoulder. “I’ll show her around.”
The two men stared each other down. Something seriously weird was going on. This exchange caught the attention of several of the other customers who turned to look at us. Or maybe I should say turned to look at me. There went the gay bar question. The looks on their faces left no doubt of what was on their mind. Maybe these guys just didn’t get out much.
“I will be showing her around,” Jeryl once again repeated himself. This time Duncan nodded. Jeryl didn’t seem particularly bigger or stronger than Duncan, so I wasn’t sure why he caved to him so easily. I also didn’t get why he thought it was okay to hand me off.
“Uh, I’m going to stay with Duncan. You know the whole rule that you stay with the guy you show up with?” I didn’t know if it was actually a rule, but it was a pretty good attitude to have.
“Is that some sort of joke?” Jeryl narrowed his eyes.
“Yeah…” His gaze made it hard to think straight. Agreeing seemed like the only option.
“Why don’t we both show her around?” Duncan’s hand returned to my shoulder, and although I took some comfort knowing he wasn’t ditching me, awkward took on new meaning.
My two escorts walked me over to the bar. “Would you like something to drink?” Jeryl asked.
“Uh, no thanks.” I may have made some bad mistakes this weekend, but I wasn’t going to add getting wasted in a bar full of weird guys to the list.
“Are you sure? We keep a full bar of liquor, wine, and beer.”
“Great.” Didn’t most bars? “But I’m fine.”
“Perhaps something nonalcoholic?” Jeryl gestured for me to ta
ke a seat on a stool. “A club soda? Juice?”
Theoretically, they could drug any drink. “No, thanks. I actually think I’m going to get going.”
“But you just got here, Daisy.” The way Jeryl said my name was creepy. I would have taken more quality time with Shaun over the shiver inducing situation I was currently in.
“Yeah, I’m pretty tired, and I’m not feeling great.” I turned to Duncan. “Thanks for inviting me.” I eyed the closed door like a life boat. I’d have much rather been stuck alone in the crowd outside.
Duncan shook his head “You can’t leave yet, Daisy.”
“Yes, I can. I remember where the door is.” I tried to shrug off Jeryl’s hand. Duncan had dropped his.
Jeryl pushed down on my shoulder slightly. “But we haven’t even finished the tour.”
“Maybe another time.” I attempted to step forward.
He turned me so I was looking at him. “Oh, Daisy.” He waved a finger in front of my face. “It’s impolite to make promises you don’t intend to keep. You’re from out of town. You’re not planning to come back anytime soon.”
He could say that again. No matter how many times I visited New Orleans I wouldn’t be taking a step into this dive. “Ok, nice meeting you. I’m going to go now.” I tried to step away again.
I was immediately pulled back by Jeryl. “I insist you at least let me finish the tour. There’s so much more to show you.”
“I suggest you let him.” Duncan wore an unreadable expression.
“I really need to go.” There was no way I was willingly walking any further into that place.
“Not yet.” Jeryl wrapped his hand around my wrist. The contact hurt. My whole body shuddered. I was in some serious hot water. What was this creep going to do to me? And why was Duncan just standing there?
“Are you going to join us, Duncan?” Jeryl now seemed to want his friend’s company.
Duncan nodded. “Yes.”
Jeryl pulled me along as he walked toward the back of the bar. His nails dug into my wrist, and I winced. If Jeryl noticed my discomfort he didn’t show it. Somehow I wasn’t surprised.
“Here, let me show you the VIP room.” He leaned in, and he definitely smelled me that time. “Lovely, lovely Daisy.”
“You have a VIP room here?” I didn’t bother keeping the surprise out of my voice. I doubted Jeryl would even notice.
“Of course. Doesn’t any fine establishment have one nowadays?”
“Fine establishments. Right.”
Duncan held up a set of those bead curtains you only expect to see two places—a hippie’s van or a strip joint. I wasn’t in either, which made their appearance unsettling.
“Go on in and have a look around.” Jeryl released my hand and gave me a slight shove forward. I stumbled into complete darkness. My body went into panic mode. I squinted and carefully reached a hand out around me.
“What do you think?” Jeryl asked.
“Uh, I can’t see anything.” Please let this just be him being weird, I pleaded silently.
“Oh, sorry. I forgot about that.”
My eyes stung as a bright light suddenly blinded me. The change from pitch black to bright light was overwhelming.
I blinked a few times before I could fully open my eyes. “Oh.”
“It’s nice isn’t it?” Jeryl asked.
I glanced around at the peeling neon pink paint on the walls and the crushed velvet couches that looked they were straight from the seventies. I guess that explained the beads. The two poles anchored into the floor and ceiling made me more than a little uneasy. They had better not have expected me to be using one of them, but none of that could compare to the giant cage off to the side of the room. Either they had huge dogs, or these people were even freakier than I thought. “Oh.”
“I’m glad you like our VIP room. We don’t let just anybody see it.”
Maybe this was a cult? A cult of escapees from a mental hospital? I searched for a rationale for who Jeryl was and why Duncan gave him any deference.
“Why don’t you take a seat?” He gestured to a couch. “And maybe you’ve reconsidered that drink?”
What the hell was going on? Was this guy for real?
I blurted out the only thing I could think of that would give me an excuse to leave the VIP room. “Where’s the restroom?”
“Oh, I’ll show you.” Jeryl offered.
“Thanks.” Luckily I didn’t actually need to use the bathroom, because I doubted it was any nicer than the rest of the place.
“It’s just this way.” Jeryl pushed me toward a set of spiral stairs.
“The bathrooms are upstairs?” Could this situation get any creepier?
“Yes. Is that a problem?”
“Uh, maybe I’ll wait.” Walking upstairs meant getting further into the decrepit building. That wasn’t high on my to-do-list.
“I know women, Daisy. You’re not the best at waiting.” He shoved me up onto the stairs.
I doubted he knew too many women, at least not normal ones, but it didn’t seem like I was going to be able to turn around, so I took tentative steps up the stairs. Finally I reached the floor above. Once again I was in complete darkness.
“It’s the third door on the left.”
“I can’t see any doors.”
“Let me show you.” Jeryl’s hand settled on my arm. He led me into the darkness. “It’s this one. The light switch is just inside the door.”
“Ok, thanks.”
“Want me to hold your bag for you?”
“Oh, no thanks.”
“Why not?”
“Because I need it.” Like I was letting my bag and phone go?
“You’re not menstruating.”
Crazy? No, this guy was a lunatic. “Ok, I’m going in there.”
“Give me your bag.”
“No. I want it.” I hurried inside and closed the door. I flicked on the lights, temporarily blinding myself.
“Your phone isn’t going to work in there anyway,” he mumbled.
He’d evidently figured out what I was going to do. I walked into a stall. It was actually a restroom. A dingy gross one, but at least he hadn’t led me to a torture chamber or something. I tried to send Reyna a text, but it wouldn’t send. I checked the signal, no bars. No bars in downtown New Orleans? Was that possible? Next I tried the internet. Could I email her? Nothing.
I checked each stall for windows so maybe I could get to the roof, but I came up empty. Okay, plan C. Run for the hills.
I thanked my lucky stars I wasn’t wearing heels, flip flops left my feet open to the ickiness of the Grounddigger, but at least I could move in them.
I waited a few more minutes for good measure, before pushing open the door. I expected to see Jeryl standing there, but the hall was empty. I followed the light to make my way downstairs.
“What are they doing in here?” Jeryl barked.
They? Were there other normal people inside now?
“They insisted they knew Duncan and had to come in. They were making a scene.” Another man I assumed was the bouncer replied.
I tried to quietly take the stairs so I could get closer. The problem is even in flip flops, walking down shaky, dingy metal stairs quietly was difficult.
“That didn’t mean you should have allowed them in. We’re busy tonight.”
Busy? If a dozen people was busy.
“What should I do with them?” the same man replied.
“You have to bring them back now. Who knows what they saw?”
“Daisy!” a female voice shrieked.
I knew that voice. “Reyna!” I tried to take the stairs faster, and I nearly fell down the last few.
Duncan caught me at the bottom. “You shouldn’t have told your friends where you were.”
“Why not?” My gut told me I wasn’t going to like the answer. The dozen patrons were circling in around my friends.
“No one was going to kill you because we wanted you. The rest of them
will be dead by the end of the night.”
“What?” I gawked at Duncan. “Is this a joke, like the Shaun thing?”
“I’m not in charge here.”
“I’m guessing Jeryl is.” I turned to look for the creepy guy. “And what do you mean you want me?”
“You call to all of us, so we’re going to keep you. That’s why I brought you. It also means I’m invited back into the nest.” He smiled.
“Nest? What the hell is this place?”
“Oh, this isn’t the nest. It’s just our place in the city.” Duncan grabbed my arm.
“What?” Dread hit me like a fifty pound weight in my gut. What had I gotten us into?
Chapter Seven
“Reyna!” I screamed her name. We had to get out of there and fast.
I fought to break away from Duncan only to find that all three of my friends were being held by two men each.
“Daisy.” Jeryl broke into a smile. “Lovely to see you again.”
“Why are my friends being held against their will?” Of course I realized I was also being held, but I decided not to go there yet.
“We run an exclusive club. We can’t have just any riff raff running around.”
“You mean the VIP room isn’t the only exclusive spot?” I tried my best to sound genuine.
“Entry to our club has certain requirements.” He clasped his hands together. “We are willing to waive those requirements for you, dear, but not for them.”
“Why? If it’s a female thing, why are you holding Reyna?”
“She smells like sex.” One of the guys holding Shaun wrinkled up his face. “Human-human sex.”
“Uh, yeah I don’t have sex with non-humans.” Reyna paled. “If you guys are into bestiality I’m sorry, but you’re sick.”
“Who said anything about bestiality? We enjoy sex with humans.” Duncan returned his hand to my shoulder. I recoiled. This was all his fault. Or mine. I was the one who had insisted on going out with him, wasn’t I?
“So you’re holding us hostage because we smell like sex?” Shaun sneered.