Whiteout Rewrite (The Black Market)

9. The Black Market

     “This place is very dangerous,” said Nick to James, looking shiftily around the street corner they were on. They were waiting on Lopsang who had gone to get them access to the market.

     “I know, you’ve told me a thousand times,” said James, not comprehending the gravity of the situations.

     “James,” Nick grabbed him by the collar and shook him, half because he was serious, and half because he just felt James could use a good shake. “These people will kidnap you and sell you as a slave to a lecherous, vampiric, imp without even batting an eye.” He released James, who nearly fell backward onto the mud-strewn street.

     “You’ve said that,” said James, regaining his balance.

     “They will take you into a back alley for a game of dice, steal your liver, and then let the cannibal orphans eat it in front of you.” Nick knew that there were no cannibal orphans in the black market because of the age limit, but he wanted James to grasp the severity of the place they were going. He had only been to a few black.

     “Jesus man, can’t we just go in?”

     Nick sighed, “No, we need Lopsang to get us the code. If we don’t, idols recessed in the entrances will cut our genitals off with laser beams and then burn us alive.”

     This seemed to be enough to shut James up. They waited on the street corner, watching as people hurried about their days, passing by. The buildings were much taller than Nick had expected, and made from colorful brick. Strung in between them were rows of prayer flags, blowing gently in the afternoon breeze. It was cool, but a sharp relief from being higher on the mountain. Just over the tips of the buildings, Nick could still see its form looming. He was not looking forward to the time when they would have to head back up.

     Just in time to interrupt Nick’s thoughts of freezing to death on the mountainside, Lopsang appeared. He was carrying a pair of black hoods and a bamboo scroll. “Put these on,” he said, handing one of the hoods to both James and Nick.

     “What for?” asked James, sniffing the hood he was handed questioningly.

     “It’s customary for all visitors to the black market to cover their faces. In this way, all the deals are truly anonymous, and no one can carry out assassinations inside,” said Nick, taking his hood and putting it on. The stench inside was overpowering. “God, this smells like something dead.” He felt like he was going to wretch in it.

     “The man who wore it before you was decapitated for not giving a fair price.” Lopsang said it with no hint of remorse. It was just the way things were.

     James’s face looked horror struck.

It was more than enough to lighten Nick’s mood, and allow him to forget that he was wearing a gore-soaked rag. “Come on James, put it on. Wouldn’t want a merchant to cut off that precious face of yours.”

James did so, but did not look happy.

“Alright, follow me, and do exactly as I do.” Lopsang led them down the street, and through a series of twisting alleyways, filled with shops, selling strange oddities.

A man with few teeth held out a plate full of hot buns that issued a green smoke. His eyes were misty, and swirled with the same green color.

As if anticipating James’s surprise, Nick said “You ain’t seen nothing yet.”

They continued walking until they came to a pair of black doors recessed in an alleyway wall.

“Is this it?” asked James, a noticeable tremor in his voice.

“Shh,” hissed Lopsang. “Only I speak until we are safely in the market.”

The building itself was easy to miss. It looked much like the others surrounding it, and even the black doors hardly stood out. Without a guide it would have been easy to miss them. As they had wound deeper between the buildings, the crowds had also dispersed, leaving the street outside the doors completely empty.

Lopsang approached the doors, and tap lightly. On the left side, one of the bricks gave way and exposed a small deposit box. He lowered the bamboo scroll into it, and it snapped shut as quickly as it had opened.

I guess now we see whether or not that code is worth the price we paid, thought Nick. He had been loath to part with any money, but Lopsang had insisted that they pay for the code, which had not come cheap. The alleyway remained silent, and Nick found it unbearable. If we’ve wasted our money.

From behind the doors there came a loud grinding noise, like stone sliding against stone. Nick braced himself for the stone guardian to rise from the ground, but it did not. The doors swung open, revealing a dark hallway that swallowed all the light from outside.

Lopsang walked forward, and motioned for them to do the same. Together, they stepped over the threshold and into complete darkness. Behind them, the doors swung shut with a heavy groan. For a moment, there was only silence, and then, with a gut-wrenching jerk, the floor dropped out from beneath them.

Both Nick and James stumbled to keep their balance, but Lopsang was prepared, and stood comfortably in the darkness as if none of it bothered him. The room shook and shuddered as they descended deep into the ground. All the while, the sound of metal creaking and grinding was all they could hear.

Then, just as abruptly as it had started, the motion stopped, and a thin, white, line began to spread out before them. Doors were opening, and beyond them Nick began to hear the din that only came from the mass purchase of illegal products.

The compartment filled with light, and Nick saw James struggling to get to his feet.

Lopsang laughed, and stepped through the widening gap. They followed, and stepped out into a full city street, lined with stands and shops. Above, was a vaulted ceiling that had been painted to look like the night’s sky. It shifted and swirled like an impressionist painting. People in black masks bustled around the street, trading and carrying various goods.

“Welcome to the Black Market, James.”

     They stepped out of the elevator, and immediately a group of people bustled in to leave. “Lopsang, this is incredible,” said Nick with genuine awe. He had been to a few black markets, but none of them had been nearly as big. Most consisted of a twisting network of back alleys, barely shielded from the sun by tattered canopies. They were filled with the worst kind of people, and their aesthetic reflected it.

     This black market, in Nick’s mind, was exquisite. No one would have expected it to be lurking beneath the dilapidated city above them.

     “It is impressive,” said Lopsang, with the casual air of someone who had seen the same site many times over. “Now where do you want to go?” Despite their surroundings, Lopsang did not seem keen on staying very long.

     “Where does one go for information?” Nick was trying to seem coy, but really, he had no plan past entering the market.

     “You don’t want to go to him.” Lopsang’s tone was dark. There was a brief silence between them, punctuated by the general murmur of people going about their business.

     “Why is that?”

     “Most people say he’s crazy, and he’s not very friendly.”

     “Neither are you, but we’re getting along just fine,” said Nick beaming. It was the grin of someone who was sure they were about to gain the upper hand.

     Lopsang remained silent.

     “Would he know anything about the yeti?” asked Nick, softening a little bit.

     “Almost certainly.” Lopsang was quiet, as if he knew he had been backed into a corner.

     “Then he’s our best chance of getting out of this alive. Anything he knows is more than we know now, and hell, he might even know a way to get rid of the damned thing.” Nick knew it was a long shot, but every creature had a weakness, or at least, every creature he had met so far.

     “Alright, fine, but we’ll need to be quick about it.”

     “Excellent. Now, we’re also going to need some mountaineering supplies.” Nick turned to James with a used car salesman smile. “James, I’m going to delegate that task to you. Find us everything we need to get up and down that mountain safely.”

     “Hey,” said James in protest, but Nick cut across him.

     “And make it quick. As always time is short.” He made a little motion with his hand, shooing James away to his task.

     It was difficult to tell his emotions through the hood, but Nick was sure James was fuming. “I want to learn about the…”

     “Listen James, I didn’t want you to come along on this little excursion, but now that you’re here; we’re going to do things my way.” Nick had suddenly turned very serious, and impressed even himself with his authority. “If we’re going to get up the mountain and not die, we’re going to need gear. We’ll get out of this potentially dangerous situation faster if we split up. I’ve got a better chance at reasoning with this ‘crazy’ friend of Lopsang’s, and frankly, I want to test your bargaining skills. Now, quit your whining, and go find us some crampons.”

     James stared at Nick through the black slits in his hood for a few seconds, and then trudged off.

     Nick knew well that James was unlikely to find climbing gear in a black market, but enjoyed testing him. “Shall we?” he asked Lopsang.

     Lopsang shook his head, and led Nick into the crowd.