Murmuration Chapter 21 - Paul Oakenfold at the Escape (Part 2)

Murmuration Chapter 21 - Paul Oakenfold at the Escape (Part 2)

The strobe pulls me away. I watch Katie as she looks like she is stumbling in slow motion. The whole place shifts between two realities, the lasers cutting through the smoke and strobe. I am cascading through the most wonderful vertigo and I have no idea if I am up or down. I lift my hands, barely noticing that I am not holding Kaite anymore. I breathe deep and blow another rush through my mouth. As the strobe and smoke subside I look around confused as to where Katie has gone. I notice something move below me and look down to see her sitting on the dancefloor. I can’t read her face. Is that confusion? pain? laughter? I squat down and offer her both of my hands. She holds them both in hers but doesn't make any effort to get up. I miss this cue and try to help her up. Without her help our sweaty hands slip apart and I stumble back in what feels like slow motion. Into the lap of a couple sitting on the benches behind us.

I look back with panic and wide eyes of surprise and try to express my regret.

“No problems man” the guy says as he stands to help me up.  “Shall we get her sat down? she looks a bit fucked” he says with a kindly smile on his face.

I nod and mumble something about strong pills. 

“Come with us, he smiles as the girl leans over to persuade Katie to stand up and follow.

We follow them, staggering through the crowd. People make way for us and ask if we are okay. We must look proper fucked! Without being able to hold my focus on a thought for long we follow in trust. The guy seems to disappear and the girl guides us around the bar to the relative calm and quiet of the round bench seat. The girl scooches someone over and sits Katie down while keeping hold of her hand. My teeth start to grind as I feel my body for the first time in a while. I take in the circle of plastic faces and saucer eyes.

The girl says something to me as Katie blows air through her mouth, her eyes half closed and hand kneading the girls hand still in hers. I look at the girl and try to smile. “Rhubarb and Custards right?” She smiles, nodding the answer as she already knows. “There are some mental pills going around tonight.”

I nod in the hope that I understand the question.

“This is Rubarb Corner honey, they have everyone fucked up, on the way up”

“Fucking ridiculous” i mutter. Feeling a wave of anxiety as I do.

“Don’t worry sweetheart, they will tail off a little soon” she says, noticing my concern.

The guy steps in front of me and hands Katie a bottle of water. “Drink some of this darlin’” he says kindly and then stuffs another in my hand. 

I nod my thanks and reach up to grasp the lid, missing entirely. 

He takes the bottle out of my hand and smiles “have a drink and take a little time to breathe and you will be good to go” as he takes the lid off for me.

The thought that he bought a couple of complete strangers a bottle of water brings on another rush and i stumble back, feeling the world twist and spin around me. He watches me as his girlfriend kneels in front of Katie to help her with her water. My vision blurs as I sip the icy cold water. a kaleidoscope of coloured spots dance in my vision as darkness falls. It has the intensity of the Lewes fireworks but also feels as close as campfire sparks. I can feel the water sliding down my throat, refreshing my body and wrapping me in nourishment. 

I open my eyes and feel refreshed and ready. Then another rush hits me and I stumble back landing on the fella behind me. I laugh, open my eyes wide and let out a cheesy “Why hello?” as I look up into the reflected saucers of the guy’s eyes. He looks confused and smiles back like he can’t control his emotions properly. Perhaps he is angry but can’t work the mechanisms to express it. Anyway, love and happiness is all he has got. Without moving off his knee I reach down and pull from my pocket my rapidly disintegrating packet of bensons. I look down and try to adjust my focus on the soggy and broken gold box, with deliberate and exaggerated precision i aim my fingers at the fags and pull two out, first go. Feeling pretty pleased with myself, I offer one of them to my new friend. He smiles and holds out a shaky hand. Nodding his head and using a similar deliberate and exaggerated grabbing motion. He reaches out for the cigarette. He misses a couple of times and then finally takes one. I pull out my lighter and hold it for him to light his smoke. Between us we eventually manage to align the flame and tip, he draws and gets his fag working. I slide off him into the space next to him and watch him draw long and hard to release clouds of smoke as his eyes roll back riding the accompanying rush.

I watch hypnotised as I light my own. As sure as I can be that the lighter is in the right place I pull hard to try and get it lit. Nothing. Something tastes wrong. 

“Wrong way round mate” my new friend with the water plucks the cigarette out of my mouth and laughs kindly, his smile broadening across his face.

I watch as his eyes widen, dark and unending. I feel my smile drop as his continues to spread across his face. I get drawn into his eyes and quickly all I can see is the darkness. His laugh is lost amongst the sound of pulsating music and the clattering bar. He is a clown, barely visible in the darkness but the only thing I am aware of. Pennywise in the drain, an evil pennywise. Does that make him twice as evil or do they cancel each other out and he is a good pennywise? Like in maths. His hand reaches from the darkness and stretches towards me, ‘am I . . . ‘. 

Then it drops. What was I thinking about? He replaces my fag with another and takes my lighter from my hand. I wonder what the fuck just happened. It felt huge. Important. I instinctively take a huge drag on my cigarette and smile and nod my thanks. I release the smoke and watch it swirling and dancing over the lasers and off into the distance of the ever extending dance floor stuttering and jolting across the strobe. . .

“Fucking tune” I scream as the music drops and the club is filled with heavenly vocals.

The digitised bass starts to  jump from one side of the club to the other and feels like it is surrounding us all.

“Katie!” I yell again ‘Sugarcubes”

Katie clambers to her feet with grace and poise that seemed highly unlikely only a few minutes ago. She raises her hand to the god, or the DJ or whoever and moves towards me. With her other hand she deftly plucks the cigarette from my mouth and takes a long drag.

“Sounds like Oakenfold to me” she announces to everyone and anyone and takes my hand to lead me to the dancefloor. I stop short, making her stop with a jolt.

“Pennywise!” I yell at our somewhat bemused new friend . “I mean . . .” confusion overtaking me “water man!” I offer, by way of explanation. 

I add “ . . .  and water missus.” trying to pretend it wasn’t an afterthought.  

“Are you guys coming?” 

Pennywise points at himself and laughs “Am I . . .  Pennywise? 

Water missus laughs too and grabs his hand dragging him to join us. 

I bounce my way past the bar and into the throng of the dancefloor. Riding on the stuttering sumptuous bassline and raising my drink bottle to toast Tom, Rich and Chris who are still conducting the music from the speaker.

The rest of the (unfinished) story is here - https://www.abctales.com/collection/alien-murmuration-1st-person