Bab 59: Rolling From the Dark
The coldness of the water pouring down on his head made Ru open his eyes. He looked around in confusion for a moment, then rubbed his eyes and realized the real world. In this world, there were Vaelan and Clockmaker. They'd just poured a bucket of water on Ru.
"Hey man, what is this? Time to pass out? Have you been drinking shit, huh? Have live music tonight at the Wolf Without You Bar, remember?"
Ru paused momentarily and then smiled when he heard what Vaelan said.
"Oh, yeah! The performance at the Wolf Without You Bar... I totally forgot," Ru replied. "I guess I was a little out of it. I'm ready now, let's go."
"Are you ready?" Vaelan asked sarcastically.
Clockmaker continued, "What could you possibly be ready for when you're unconscious in a hotel room, Liru? We told you to stay with us, didn't we? Look at you, you're filthy!"
Ru sniffed himself and asked, "Am I unhygienic?"
"More like alcoholic, man," Vaelan replied.
"Get me a smoke, and I'll be right as rain," Ru said, looking around and appreciating the pristine condition of the room. "This place must cost a pretty penny."
"We paid, don't worry," Clockmaker said and handed Ru the pack of cigarettes.
"Thanks," Ru said. "Do you have my phone and wallet?"
"Here you go," Vaelan said, handing him the phone and wallet.
Ru's heart sank as he scrolled through his phone's gallery. Just a few calls from Vaelan, the last video, and two selfies he took – no trace of demons.
"Tch, no demon," he muttered, his voice filled with disappointment.
"How many times have I told you, Liru? Cameras can't capture demons," Clockmaker said, her tone tinged with exasperation.
"Why?" Ru persisted, his eyes sparkling with childlike curiosity.
"Because the demons are rapidly spreading over an area too large for ordinary cameras to detect. They are much larger than they appear," Clockmaker replied, her tone patient. "They're part of a higher reality and find their way through cracks in the space-time continuum with their essence. They affect us."
"Every living or non-living thing in our universe has a space and a time," Vaelan added, his voice filled with authority. "Don't you know, dude? These demons are like parasites. They eat our time and feed on the energy of our dimension."
"But they're in the upper dimension, we're in the lower dimension. In this case, they're the host and we're the parasite," Clockmaker countered.
"So what, we're getting into demons?" Vaelan insisted.
"I think so. Their dimension is seeping through the cracks. So the demons must be catching us like a disease," Clockmaker explained.
"Are you two talking about string theory in front of me?" Ru interjected.
Vaelan nodded in approval, his right eye blue and his left eye red.
"Oh, shut up and gimme a cigarette," Ru said.
Clockmaker and Vaelan fell silent together. Judging by the flashing lights in their eyes, they were arguing inside.
"How did you know I was here?" Ru asked and took the backpack from Vaelan's hand. His inner voice continued his sentence: "Even I don't know where I am."
Vaelan had his lighter stolen while trying to light Ru's cigarette, and he gave a strange explanation for what happened: "The front desk lady gave me a ring, you know? She said, 'Your wild buddy partied like crazy last night and didn't bother to check out on time.'"
"How did she get your number?" Ru asked skeptically.
"From your phone, Liru. According to what the lady said, you dropped it in the lobby," Clockmaker said.
Ru was lost in thought as he took a few puffs of the cigarette. He didn't feel hungover, there was no sign of headache, nausea, or fatigue. But he did smell of alcohol. And the aftertaste was more like sugar than alcohol. Remembering the lollipop stuck in his mouth, he felt nauseous and gagged.
"Man, don't throw up," Vaelan said hastily.
Ru covered his mouth and whispered, "It's strange." He pocketed the cigarette pack and the lighter.
"Dude, forget it, come on," Vaelan said excitedly. "Hold on to me and get up. My car is nearby. We'll go to our place, we'll take you back to yourself. We'll dress you up nicely. A quick rehearsal and boom!"
"Boom, yeah," Ru said wearily.
Holding on to Vaelan, Ru slowly got to his feet and looked around. The room he had slept in, passed out in, or somehow ended up in was almost luxurious for Ru's impoverished budget. The room was pretty tidy overall, with just a few empty bottles here and there.
"Hmm," he thought calmly. Suddenly, with the thought 'Maybe the corpse is in the bathroom', he tried to wriggle out of Vaelan's grasp. "Let me go; I have to pee," he said when he couldn't.
"Shall I hold it for you?" Vaelan asked, grinning.
"Fuck off!" Ru said and went into the bathroom. He caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror while looking around. His eyes were partially bloodshot, there was a split lip and a small bruise on his neck.
"Did it really happen? Did they take my blood," he muttered to himself. Then he sat down on the bathtub and started to think. It was all a blur, but Ru quickly concluded: "Someone is playing a trick on me, for sure."
As he thought about it more, he remembered more. "That person in the VIP number. The girl... That girl... Hmmm? There's also a cat man, right? Hmm..."
"Still peeing?" Clockmaker asked, waiting at the bathroom door.
"Wait a minute, you paid a lot for the room, don't let it go to waste," Ru said, heading for the closet.
Ru was going to call the VIP number first as if such a thing were possible. It was a bad idea, but it could be discussed. Maybe it was time to tell his friends about the 777 repeat calls. No, he didn't want to involve Vaelan and Clockmaker in this. He thought some more, focused on the name that girl said. It was similar to the name of a philosopher, but what was it?
"Socrates? No."
Maybe he could find a clue about last night. It wasn't in the closet, the hamper was empty, nothing under the sink. He left the bathroom. Then he went to the bed. He opened the covers and looked under the pillow and the mattress. He rummaged in the drawers of the nighttables.
"What are you looking for, man, let me see," Vaelan said.
"A clue," Ru said.
"A clue to what?" Clockmaker asked.
"A sign that I'm not crazy," Ru said with normalcy.
"Oh, then you're going to find shit," Vaelan replied.
"You know, you're a great friend," Ru said sarcastically and started rummaging through the wardrobe.
"Dude, this fell off from you, look," Vaelan said suddenly.
"What fell off from me?" Ru asked.
"A big fancy envelope, lace patterned or something, addressed to Fanfar."
"What is it and who the hell is Fanfar?" Ru said, looking at the envelope in Vaelan's hand.
"Dunno, take it," Vaelan said casually, holding out the antique-looking pastel envelope.
"Fanfar, huh!" Ru turned the envelope over. "It's good quality, with a seal. It looks like it has a hat and a nose, is it a crescent moon?"
"Yes, it's quite heavy for an envelope. Let's open it, and see what it is," Vaelan said, curiously.
Ru was about to take the edge of the envelope between his teeth.
"Wait! This could be that special invitation," Clockmaker excitedly.
Ru stopped. Then he wanted to open it up and look inside, but now he's worried about damaging the paper that might be inside.
"Putting the invitation to the million-year apocalypse special show in a shitty envelope like that? Bullshit," Ru exclaimed.
"Speak bigger. Septillions of years," Clockmaker said.
"Where did I find this?" Ru wondered aloud, his mind racing.
"It must have been in your jacket pocket or something," Vaelan said, and continued skeptically: "Who did you steal it from?"
"How offensive is that? Am I a thief?" Ru spoke with great seriousness.
"Aren't you?" Clockmaker said.
"Of course not, if I were, I could pay for this room, maybe?" Ru said, rummaging through his pockets. Maybe he had stolen someone's wallet or card. No phone? No, there was nothing else but his phone and wallet. He was still poor.
"You must open the envelope carefully, Liru," Clockmaker said.
"But he's not Fanfar, why is he opening it?" Vaelan asked.
"Because I'm curious," Clockmaker said.
Vaelan pretended to understand, "Uh-huh."
"Let's not open this envelope here. There might be foreign eyes around," Ru said, and then winked at Vaelan, "Take me home, rich boy."
"Better if you were a girl," Vaelan said.
"Speak for yourself," Clockmaker said, winking at Ru.
Stuffing the envelope into his jacket pocket, Ru snapped, "Don't start with that!"
So the two or three of them left the hotel and arrived at the parking lot. Vaelan pressed the key and remotely unlocked his car, a late-model White Falcon that was still eye-catching even when it wasn't.
"She's my girl," Vaelan said enthusiastically.
"I have lots of girls," Ru muttered as he walked to the car.
"Yeah, I know," Clockmaker said.
"If you have so many, why don't you set me up with one, man?" Vaelan asked, who was sitting in the driver's seat.
"No way, there's no room for anyone but me here," Clockmaker objected.
"Am I a fucking pimp?" Ru asked.
“No, you're a thief,” Vaelan said.
Ru took out his cell phone and ignored them. While Vaelan started the car, he was busy choosing one of the playlists they had listened to on the way.
When the car left the parking lot, Ru chose a song that reflected his mood.
The music erupted like a volcano, the rhythm was fast and striking, and the guitars loaded with powerful chords. The drums punctuated the excitement with sharp beats.
"I'm rolling from the dark, rising to the light,
With every beat, I'll take back my might.
I'm the fire that'll never cease,
Burning bright, I'll find my peace."
The lyrics, reflecting the dark emotions, intertwined seamlessly with the dynamics of the music. Ru turned up the volume, and the car accelerated.
"Through the pain and the fears,
I'll break free from these haunting years.
Storm inside, about to explode,
A force within, ready to erode."
Vaelan opened the windows. Ru lit a cigarette. He took two puffs. Then he handed it to Vaelan.
"I'm clawing my way up from this pit,
From the ashes, I'll rise and never quit.
I'm a force that's ready to ignite,
A dormant volcano, ready to take flight."
The lyrics became Ru's anthem, a cathartic release of pent-up emotions. He was shaking his head and tossing his hair back and forth.
"From the depths, I'll emerge anew,
Unchained, unbound, stronger, and true.
With every step, I'll take control,
A phoenix is rising, reaching its goal."
Vaelan said something as he shifted gears and stepped on the gas: "One day we will write songs that everyone will listen to, right, Rui?"
Ru looked in the rearview mirror and smiled back at Vaelan: "Yeah! We will make music that will make everyone's soul tremble."
Vaelan added hopefully: "We will have fans, we'll touch their hearts and we'll move forward."
Ru looked into the distance and dreamed: "Millions will hear our songs. You will see, Vaelan."
Then the PHNTR-42, traveling on the highway, exceeded the speed limit and disappeared into the horizon.
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