Chapter Twenty Eight
Jay walked into the darkness that lay behind the doorway. As he moved into the unlit space, a light came on and he saw what looked like a fire exit at the bottom of the illuminated white corridoor. There were also two doors opposite each other half-way along the corridoor. As Jay stepped forward tentatively, he heard the sound of the door closing behind him.
Obviously, Jay wasn’t the first chip-less person to have tried his luck in the bar. What did that mean? For one, it meant that what Aimee had said to him about the ex-insiders was probably true. There were certainly more of them than he’d thought there could be. Enough had tried their luck in this place to warrant the security guards going around checking anyway. As he stood there, he thought of Aimee, and wondered what she would make of his adventure when he eventually got home. He didn’t have much time to think as the door to his left opened and he heard the noise of voices from within what was probably a warehouse or storeroom.
Jay moved forward quickly, anxious to avoid any confrontation, hoping to slip past whoever had opened the door. The last thing he wanted was to have to explain himself to warehouse staff. Although he moved quickly, he was forced to stop just as quick as the body of a man emerged into the corridoor. Surprisingly, it was the same guard he had seen inside the bar. The man smiled knowingly at Jay. Worryingly, Jay saw he had exchanged the remote control for a black plastic stick. He rapped on the door opposite, calling out to whoever was behind it.
‘Got another one here, Jimbo. Two in one night, can you believe it?’
Without thinking twice about it, or waiting for Jimbo to appear, Jay took advantage of the guard’s momentary distraction and launched himself quickly forward. The speed at which he did this took the security guard by surprise, and as Jay barged past the man, he toppled over onto his side. Jay staggered past the man, who was flailing his arms about, trying both to break his fall, and to grab hold of Jay as he moved dforward towards the fire exit.
As Jay recovered himself, he heard the other door open and the sound of shouting behind. Jay didn’t look round, but nonetheless felt he would be followed as he burst through the fire door into an narrow alleyway. He looked both left and right quickly, and then headed right because left looked like it was a dead end. As he ran past boxes piled up next to the wall of the bar, he felt he was being followed, although he couldn’t tell for sure. The alleyway was dark and smelled of urine and fish beer. Jay kept running, and realised he was heading for a side exit towards the front of the bar. A mental map of the area quickly came to mind, and, knowing there were few places he could hide near his flat, he decided to cross the subway again. That’s it, he thought to himself, he’d head for the restaurant where he had originally been heading. Surely I’ll be able to convince them who I am or get some help there, he told himself.
Just before he came out of the alleyway, he stopped himself as he became aware of something lying in front of his way out. At first, he had no idea what it was, but as he approached, he realised it was the twisted body of a man. He was limply sitting, with his back to the wall, his arms bent forward. The man’s head was twisted and Jay guessed the neck was broken. Clotted blood covered the nose, with more lying in a small pool by the side of the head. Jay started running again, and heard the clutter of boxes falling behind him. Jimbo or the security guard, or both of them, were definitely following him now.
Jay vaulted over the body of the man, and as he emerged into the street, it occured to him to knock at the boxes behind him, causing them to fall over onto the body behind him, and blocking the exit temporarily. Hopefully, this would give Jay enough time to escape.
He darted down the tunnel heading for the subway entrance. A bubble car passed him going in the opposite direction, and he could hear the sound of a siren in the distance, and the sound of artifical waves crashing from an electronic billboard on the other side of the street. Jay grabbed the rail of the stairway to the subway, and heaved himself downwards, his hear tpunding in his chest.
‘Do you often dream of paradise?’ asked the billboard, ‘If not, then you need to change your fleece-bedding now. Avalon Fleece, for that deep sleep you’ve always dreamed of.’
819 words
18,161 words
Obviously, Jay wasn’t the first chip-less person to have tried his luck in the bar. What did that mean? For one, it meant that what Aimee had said to him about the ex-insiders was probably true. There were certainly more of them than he’d thought there could be. Enough had tried their luck in this place to warrant the security guards going around checking anyway. As he stood there, he thought of Aimee, and wondered what she would make of his adventure when he eventually got home. He didn’t have much time to think as the door to his left opened and he heard the noise of voices from within what was probably a warehouse or storeroom.
Jay moved forward quickly, anxious to avoid any confrontation, hoping to slip past whoever had opened the door. The last thing he wanted was to have to explain himself to warehouse staff. Although he moved quickly, he was forced to stop just as quick as the body of a man emerged into the corridoor. Surprisingly, it was the same guard he had seen inside the bar. The man smiled knowingly at Jay. Worryingly, Jay saw he had exchanged the remote control for a black plastic stick. He rapped on the door opposite, calling out to whoever was behind it.
‘Got another one here, Jimbo. Two in one night, can you believe it?’
Without thinking twice about it, or waiting for Jimbo to appear, Jay took advantage of the guard’s momentary distraction and launched himself quickly forward. The speed at which he did this took the security guard by surprise, and as Jay barged past the man, he toppled over onto his side. Jay staggered past the man, who was flailing his arms about, trying both to break his fall, and to grab hold of Jay as he moved dforward towards the fire exit.
As Jay recovered himself, he heard the other door open and the sound of shouting behind. Jay didn’t look round, but nonetheless felt he would be followed as he burst through the fire door into an narrow alleyway. He looked both left and right quickly, and then headed right because left looked like it was a dead end. As he ran past boxes piled up next to the wall of the bar, he felt he was being followed, although he couldn’t tell for sure. The alleyway was dark and smelled of urine and fish beer. Jay kept running, and realised he was heading for a side exit towards the front of the bar. A mental map of the area quickly came to mind, and, knowing there were few places he could hide near his flat, he decided to cross the subway again. That’s it, he thought to himself, he’d head for the restaurant where he had originally been heading. Surely I’ll be able to convince them who I am or get some help there, he told himself.
Just before he came out of the alleyway, he stopped himself as he became aware of something lying in front of his way out. At first, he had no idea what it was, but as he approached, he realised it was the twisted body of a man. He was limply sitting, with his back to the wall, his arms bent forward. The man’s head was twisted and Jay guessed the neck was broken. Clotted blood covered the nose, with more lying in a small pool by the side of the head. Jay started running again, and heard the clutter of boxes falling behind him. Jimbo or the security guard, or both of them, were definitely following him now.
Jay vaulted over the body of the man, and as he emerged into the street, it occured to him to knock at the boxes behind him, causing them to fall over onto the body behind him, and blocking the exit temporarily. Hopefully, this would give Jay enough time to escape.
He darted down the tunnel heading for the subway entrance. A bubble car passed him going in the opposite direction, and he could hear the sound of a siren in the distance, and the sound of artifical waves crashing from an electronic billboard on the other side of the street. Jay grabbed the rail of the stairway to the subway, and heaved himself downwards, his hear tpunding in his chest.
‘Do you often dream of paradise?’ asked the billboard, ‘If not, then you need to change your fleece-bedding now. Avalon Fleece, for that deep sleep you’ve always dreamed of.’
819 words
18,161 words
posted by blog-efl at 30.11.04
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