by Goforth, Jim
These other advertised things were of no real consequence, what they were here for were the rooms. Parking as far away from the front of the street as possible, right down the back of rows where a couple of cars were parked sporadically, the two automobiles disgorged their occupants and they headed towards the entry.
To anybody else witnessing them, they may have just looked like a standard metal band with their entourage, since Subversion slung their instrument cases over shoulders or by their side as they walked, but all those here in this party who were aware of exactly what was inside those cases knew better.
Unlike most of the businesses lining this strip, Kathaarian had a fence bordering it from the street, an ornate wrought iron entity in black, tipped with spear point rails that spanned along the front of the establishment, to a towering street lamp on the corner, and then continued down the side of the premises. As the eleven of them approached from the carpark, they had to enter through a gate of the same construction before heading to the front of the building.
At least two stories comprised Kathaarian, maybe even another further back, but from where they were here they couldn’t precisely tell. They could see a balcony overhanging the front entrance which was shrouded in dark curtains in blacks and purples covering the windows standing to either side of the door. Alongside the door and windows in the brickwork were lanterns, encased in a similar wrought iron design as that of the fence, and they glowed with a dim reddish hue which cast an unearthly pale crimson over the place.
“Jesus,” Dax marvelled, halting for a second to gaze at the shrouded exterior and up at the overhanging balcony, neither area presenting any clue as to what the place was all about. “This looks like either a brothel, or a fortune telling joint, or some kind of bar or strip club, or a combination of all the above.”
“Whatever it is, it’s got rooms,” Tempest said brusquely. “Which is all we’re after. Nothing else matters.”
“Let’s go,” Black suggested and led the way up the flight of steps heading to the front door, Mother North ensconced in that stygian guitar case of his over his shoulder.
The women came next, with Tempest shortly thereafter, then Heather came after him. Mark and Miranda came together, the frost between them having thawed after the service station horror, reuniting them after the dangerous situation was eventually averted.
Surprisingly, Dax, still staring at the building and trying to ascertain what it was, was the last to enter, after Blizzard and Seth, with Seth having to prompt his friend to warn him they were all going in.
Inside, there weren’t many more clues as to the nature of the establishment, bar the fact that it hosted accommodation, drinks most likely of the alcoholic variety, and music in one form or another. There were a variety of lounges sitting around like some form of waiting room, deep dark reds in colour, which didn’t exactly shake off the brothel concept proposed by Dax, further enhanced by a small bar off to the right.
To the left there was what Seth supposed was a front desk, though it currently played host to an assortment of lit candles and had nobody in attendance. That side of the room put him in mind of the fortune telling section of Dax’s wonderment. Behind both the bar and this front desk area the walls were cloaked in curtains and whatever was beyond them was thoroughly obscured by these thick velvet drapes.
As they all came in, the door gliding shut with a soft thump behind Dax, the burgundy curtains behind the desk parted and a tall woman emerged, long black hair in so many tails and twists that Seth couldn’t shake Medusa parallels from his head. Her lips were black, which unnerved him somewhat until he realised it was the shade of her lipstick, and her eyes were heavily eyeshadowed with a dark purple black mix that appeared to be almost a match for the colour of curtains in the windows. She wore a number of silver earrings in each ear, also a number of facial piercings adorning her nose and eyebrows, which themselves were so thin they could possibly have been drawn on with a pencil.
She was extraordinarily attractive, albeit hard of face with a slight pinch to her eyes, but Seth couldn’t really tell whether it was the prevalence of eyeshadow and lipstick which lent an appearance of beauty to her or otherwise.
She moved from the curtains to the desk in a swift movement that looked sinuous, almost fluid, and a very faint smile tugged at the corners of her black lips.
“Salutations, travellers,” she said in a husky voice.
“Travellers?” Black hitched up an eyebrow. “Why would you presume we’re travellers?”
“Well, you sure aren’t from around here, hun,” the woman responded with a low, throaty chuckle. “If you were from around here, you wouldn’t be in here looking for a place to stay.”
“A place to stay?” Black echoed. “More presumptions?”
“Well, aren’t you?” She countered.
“Indeed, we are,” Black conceded.
“What is this place?” Dax interjected, trying unsuccessfully to catch a glimpse through the tiny sliver in the curtain she’d come through.
“Whatever you want it to be,” she replied, holding her hands wide in an expansive gesture, and Seth noticed her long fingernails were coloured the same black tone as her lipstick.
“Right now,” Tempest spoke up, leaning forward and propping elbows on the counter, getting his words in before Dax could open his mouth and spill forth any of his conjecture about what may or may not be housed inside this Kathaarian establishment. Though all of those who found themselves drenched or splattered with blood from the chaos that ensued at their last stop, cleaned it up inside the service station and ridded themselves of the tainted clothing they were wearing, changing into other outfits, they hadn’t taken any time to shave or handle other ablutions of that nature.
Consequently, the hard rough jawline and cheeks of Tempest were shadowed with dark stubble, giving him an even harsher appearance than he already exhibited, with Black looking similar. Blonde Blizzard, Dax, and Mark were less visible in their unshaven appearances, though Seth suspected he was in the same boat as Tempest and Black, almost self-consciously reaching up right now to scratch at his chin. He wasn’t overly fond of shaving, but he wasn’t particularly overjoyed to be thoroughly unshaven, though at stages Julietta had professed an attraction to having him looking rugged and rough.
“Right now, all we’re interested in is the available rooms.” Tempest said. “Nothing else is of consequence.”
“I see. Here for the death metal thing then, are you?” The Kathaarian proprietor continued. “A band, perhaps?”
“Death metal thing?” Black mirrored again, not missing a beat, though a varied array of expressions traversed the visages of his companions. “That easy to pigeonhole, are we?”
“Stands to reason. Big death metal extravaganza hits town. You guys appear here, looking for a place to crash. Connecting the dots isn’t exactly rocket science. So you’re a band then?”
Dax looked amazed, perhaps starting to think more of his suggestion that this place was, after all, a fortune telling joint.
“How’d you know that?” He queried, happy to let her run with the assumption that he was part of a band. “The hair? The clothing?”
“The fact that some of you are carrying instruments,” she pointed out helpfully, the grin blossoming on her face again. “That’s a bit of a giveaway.”
“Oh. Yeah.”
“I gather you’re playing then?” She continued. “Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?” Black appeared to have caught Dax’s former affliction of repeating the words said in an inane echo. “Yes. We had some car trouble, hence the late arrival. Cutting it a bit fine, I guess.”
“Sun’s only just set. Plenty of time.”
“In any case,” Tempest interjected. “Rooms? I see, your sign says you have some available. Question is, do you have enough to house all of us?”
“I take it you’ve been everywhere else in town? Motels and so forth? Struck out there? I’m surprised the gig organisers didn’t foot
the bill for your accommodation and manage to snare a room somewhere in town.”
“Actually, this is the first place we have tried. And we’re…kinda a late inclusion on the bill.”
“I see.” She mused. “As luck would have it, I do have two three bedroom spaces out there. You will have to sort out your own sleeping arrangements there, what’s in the rooms is what’s in there. Take it or leave it.”
“We’ll take it,” Black said. “Sounds fine to me.”
“Done deal. Cross my palm with plastic.”
Some of them looked a fraction puzzled here, but Seth knew what she meant and as he acknowledged, alarm thumped him in the chest. Shit, a credit card. He had one, but it was in his name and he sure as hell didn’t want his name put to anything. Not even with the apocalypse unfolding back behind them in every town they’d come through.
It didn’t appear to phase Black any, he dug a hand into his pocket, rummaging for a wallet. Perhaps his credit card wasn’t actually in his given name, maybe they had a specific Subversion one, whatever the case was, he didn’t seem averse to using it to pay for the accommodation.
“One night only?”
“At the moment.” Black said. “Maybe more.”
“Planning on sticking around to see the sights of good old Blackwater Park after the show, hey?”
“Maybe so. Maybe so.”
“One thing,” Tempest spoke up again. “I’ll assume you and everybody else in this town here are well aware of the unusual doings afoot back down the coast a-ways. The apparent correlation between that and heavy metal music, in the eyes of some so called experts or theorists, zany proposals and all of that. Obviously that’s of no concern here? Clearly nobody here is subscribing to those random theories that people of the heavy metal community are in some way responsible for those things or this concert here wouldn’t be going ahead as planned?”
The woman stared evenly back at him with her piercing green eyes, what might have been an expression of mild amusement tempering her face.
“I’ve heard. We don’t subscribe to any theories along those lines at all. And, well, if perchance some sort of calamity befalls Blackwater Park as it has in those towns down there, we’re a resilient populace here. We have methods of contending with things like that.”
“Good to know,” Tempest nodded noncommittally. “Hate to see a whole pile of witch-hunting gung-ho police and civilians rally round a music show, on edge with thoughts that a gathering of metalheads is going to bring Armageddon down on their town.”
“Pretty sure that isn’t about to happen. Not here.” Again, she chuckled, that low throaty rasp of a sound as she returned the credit card to Black. “If you haven’t ever been here before, you’re about to discover that Blackwater Park is nothing like any other town you’ve encountered. In any case, just so you know, my name is Jazmyn. Let me show you to your lodgings.”
***
After Jazmyn ushered them through the thick curtain drapery separating the front reception area, and down a lengthy hallway lined on either side by an assortment of rooms, informing them of various amenities and features that Kathaarian hosted like some exotic tour guide, she left them at their lodgings, returning to her post.
Along the way she spoke mostly to Black and Roxana at the head of the procession, while others paid more attention to the long dimly lit corridor they walked through. Though most doors were closed, by all accounts there was a much bigger bar than the one out in the waiting room/foyer, a place where live music and other things were allegedly hosted. She didn’t make a point of relaying what was contained in each room and Seth supposed if these weren’t other spots of lodging, then perhaps they were other things he and his group didn’t need to be privy to. After all, Tempest stated they only needed Kathaarian to be a place of accommodation and nothing more at this stage, though the woman clearly said to Dax that it could be whatever they wanted it to be.
He mulled over that curious statement and several other obscure remarks the heavily made up beauty made as he trailed in the collective down the hall, wondering what she meant by any of them.
Kathaarian was a hell of a lot bigger than he thought it would be, certainly much larger than it looked from the outside. The corridor, it’s walls adorned with lanterns and lamps similar to those on the buildings front façade as well as a myriad of paintings that he didn’t get the chance to slow down and gaze at, seemed abnormally long and lined with many doors, more hanging curtains over other apertures.
Then they were left alone at the two units Jazmyn assured them contained three bedrooms in each. It was an unusual set up, and if there were many of these suites throughout Kathaarian, along with the bars and additional things the proprietor alluded to, then the place must be an enormous construction.
An establishment that could be whatever you wanted it to be. It sure seemed big enough to house almost any type of institution one could wish for.
There wasn’t much time to scope out the lay of the land immediately, for as soon as Jazmyn took her leave of their presence and returned, no doubt to the unseen room behind the curtain and the front desk, Black assembled everyone in one of the two units. Seth could only refer to it as a unit; with three separate bedrooms complete in the one thing, it couldn’t merely be considered a simple motel room, it was more than that.
“Okay,” Black said. “I think it’s safe to assume that the death metal extravaganza referred to by the lovely Jazmyn is our guys. It seems a bit much of a coincidence for it to be anything, or anyone else. This, I believe, is going to be one hell of a coup for Global Death, here. Like Jazmyn says, this town is like no other and with them not really falling victim to the propaganda, rumours, and disasters afflicting other towns down the coast, this means it’s the ideal town, not just for us to hide out in, but for Undead to ramp up one hell of a concert and bring their plague down. As we’ve seen, trying to track them from Noumena, they’ve been ghosts, they’ve been hiding out as well, not just because they suspect someone is on their tails, but for the same reason all metal communities down that way are going to be spooked. In the minds of many, metalheads are the enemy, the scourge, the reason for this calamity. Which, of course, you and I all know, in essence does have some truth in it, at least in the sense that a death metal band is solely responsible for the Trigger.”
Black paused temporarily, then proceeded, apparently with plenty to say, hopefully before the lovely Jazmyn decided she’d forgotten to inform them of something and returned to dispense that information.
“They don’t have to do that here, in Blackwater Park, the town is keen for this concert, they love live music here, whether they are strictly metal fans or otherwise. Jazmyn relayed that little titbit as we walked here, she also pointed out that she herself was looking forward to it. Tomorrow. So, Undead Fleshcrave don’t need to hide out with their grand tour designs shot to shit by infecting only a couple of towns, right here they can drum up just as much attention as they want for this show and create some undead fireworks. If anybody has put two and two together about all the towns so far stricken by zombieplague having played host to Undead Fleshcrave concerts, they sure aren’t showing any signs of panic right here in Blackwater Park.
So, one, it would appear we are in exactly the town we want to be in. Two, we haven’t arrived too late, Jazmyn is adamant the show goes on tomorrow. And three, without needing to rush things, or sneak out under cover of darkness, or any such shit to try and pull a sneaky concert, I suspect Undead Fleshcrave will not be hosting any impromptu midnight shows. They’ll be aiming for maximum impact and playing the show at the time advertised with maximum spectators and possible death metal folk who are going to prove highly susceptible to the Zombie Trigger. Meaning, right now, our only issue is finding out where this is going to be. Asking our lovely hostess is out because that tends to blow the whole idea of who we are supposed to be, the fact that she fully believes we are playing this gig.”
“Not necessarily,” Dax piped up. “We�
�re out of town, we don’t know the joint. Like you said, we’re a late replacement or inclusion to the bill. Doesn’t mean we actually know where the gig is going to be. Maybe the promoter was a little lax in handing over the information. I’d be happy to go ask the lovely Jazmyn a whole bunch of things. And see where that goes.”
A lascivious grin stole across the features of Dax as he spoke, but Black just stared evenly at him.
“Nope. She doesn’t need to know any more than she already does, or has already assumed she knows. She’s been pretty damn cagey herself about things, so how about we all just keep our cards close to our chests here. In any case, finding out where it’s going to be held isn’t going to be a difficult task. That’s what we are going out to do right now.”
“Now?” Mark questioned.
“Not everybody,” Black said. “Just a couple of us. As for everybody else, well, it is still early. Why not go and enjoy yourselves? Either here, at this alleged bar or whatever other forms of entertainment they have here, or go out and see the town. Check things out, get a feel for the place. Have some fun. After all, it’s fair to say that in the last week or so, there has been precious fuck all to celebrate, or to be happy about, indeed, no reason at all to want to have fun. Tonight’s different. We’re here in time, in the right town, we know these evil fucks are going to finally resurface to deliver a coup de grace on Global Death’s plan before there is no further chance to do so and these propaganda spouting metal obsessive whackjobs finally realise why this apocalypse is happening and close the net, and we’re here nice and early with the whole night ahead of us. I wouldn’t be getting ahead of ourselves and thinking of going over the top with celebrations, because it’s more of a small victory here so far, the real deal is still to come. But nothing exists to say we can’t make the most of tonight in some form of celebration. So, why not, everybody relax for the evening, do something that is going to take your mind away from all the bad shit, just go someplace else in your head for a while before having to slip back into the mercenary mindset we need.”