Paragenesis: Stories of the Dawn of Wraeththu by Storm Constantine

concerned.
    Finally, Jamie pulled his car
into a narrow side alley in what looked to be one of the more
rundown areas of the city. After stopping the car, Jamie and his
friends quickly got out, ushering me in front of them through a
small door into a dark room. The metal door closed behind them with
a resonant clang that sent shivers through my body.
    I could hear the heavy
breathing of other guys in the darkness of the room; I could almost
smell their anticipation. Apparently though, only Jamie really knew
what was going to happen, because one of his goons suddenly asked,
‘Are ya sure this is the right place?’
    ‘Yes, now shut up!’ Jamie
barked back. He pressed a large hand against my back, propelling me
further into the gloom and down a hallway.
    The building stunk of old piss,
of rotting meat, trash and other things that I didn’t want to
identify. The smell definitely did not ease the churning in my
stomach.
    ‘Down the stairs, Piggy.’
    I felt like retching, but my
body had begun to descend into a state of shock. I followed Jamie’s
directions, nervously climbing down the stairs. The other boys
followed behind me, ensuring that I couldn’t make a break for
it.
    The stairs emerged into a large
basement, dimly lit except for small patches of sunlight streaming
through grimy windows. Then, as soon as all of us had stepped into
the room, a light array flickered on overhead, the bright
fluorescent bulbs humming loudly. They revealed that we were not
alone.
    A tall figure stood illuminated
in the harsh fluorescent radiance. Spiky hair dyed indigo,
fashioned into a Mohawk that spilled down his back, contrasted with
the whiteness of his skin, as did the black fishnet shirt and black
latex pants that seemed moulded to his incredibly lithe body. His
face was...the only word I could think to describe it was sculpted.
His features were fine, narrow and angular, yet with a fullness of
lips and a certain lushness about him that was reminiscent of
marble sculptures from Ancient Greece or Rome. The fishnet shirt
revealed that the figure was in fact a guy, yet the way he held his
body and the way he moved seemed off somehow. There was something
distinctly inhuman about him.
    As the stranger saw us, he gave
an odd, almost feral smile. He peered at me from eyes shadowed by
his hair. ‘Good, you brought him,’ he said, in a soft, almost
whispering voice.
    ‘Yeah,’ Jamie replied smugly,
‘Just as ya asked - the Pig...er...the kid, Mikey. You got the
money? Same deal as always?’
    The stranger stepped forward,
moving towards us with a sinuous grace that made me uncomfortable.
Not that I wasn’t already scared enough to piss myself, but I was
so caught by the grip of terror, at that moment even a loosening of
my bowels seemed impossible.
    When the stranger spoke next,
it was in a sort of pleased hiss that reminded me uncannily of a
cobra about to strike, ‘Excellent, Jamie...you will most assuredly
receive what you deserve.’
    ‘Great, just what I wanted to
hear,’ Jamie smirked and nodded his head, glancing smugly towards
his friends as he said, ‘See, what’d I tell ya? These guys’ll pay
good money for these scumbags. Best part is, no one cares what
happens to ‘em, so it’s easy money.’
    Just as the last word left
Jamie’s lips, the stranger snapped his fingers. At once, the room
was again thrust into darkness. Movement erupted around me. Jamie
and his pack were shouting and flailing about, and there were
others in the murky shadows, moving with absolute silence except
for the whispering slither of vinyl and leather. Bodies crashed
into me as I tried to make a break for it, sending me spinning,
until I couldn’t tell which way was out. I strained my eyes trying
to pierce the gloom, but all I could see was the afterimage of the
fluorescent light burned against the backs of my eyes. Finally, I
thought I spotted a gleam of light, a possible way out, so I
started running, pushing my way past whatever got in my