Charlie Cradle's Wonderful Existence: A Novella

by Scott J. Callaway

  Chapter 10

  There was a lineup of people gathered outside of Red’s nightclub, all waiting their turn to reach the door bouncer and be given entry. Charlie wondered why Rowan would pick this place, even if he believed Roxy wouldn’t think of looking for them in such shady dwellings. Her anxiety level was now increasing at an incredible rate because, firstly, it was terrifying enough being chased by a crazed bounty hunter, and secondly, she had never gone to a bar or nightclub in her life and never expected to. And that was fine. The idea of so many people bumping shoulders together in a dimly lit confined space and the revelries of drunken fools gave more than enough cause for her to be happy with keeping her distance. The thought of entering one now, even if it were with Rowan and that their lives possibly depended on it, and that she had no idea how extreme Roxy’s intentions were, made her want to throw up.

  Rowan reassuringly held her hand the entire time that they crossed the street and approached the bouncer. Charlie wondered why they weren’t heading to the back of the line, since it was quite long and that the people waiting might get upset, but Rowan ignored the crowd and focused on the entrance. And the amazing thing was, he didn’t even have to say anything. As soon as he approached the bouncer, a large, bald man wearing a black leather coat and dark sunglasses even without sunlight, appeared to recognize Rowan and simply nodded his head and jabbed a thumb over his shoulder, motioning for them to go inside. Charlie couldn’t help but notice a few questionably-dressed women making a fuss over their skipping ahead of the line.

  Great, she thought, now I might have to worry about having them on my back, too.

  In the lobby just before entering the main room, Rowan pulled Charlie aside to talk to her, trying to talk loud enough to be heard over the loud beat of the music coming from within.

  “There’s something I got to tell you before we go in there,” said Rowan.

  “Like to avoid eating the peanuts sitting at the bar?” asked Charlie.

  “That too, but this is about what you asked me earlier before we were interrupted by Roxy.”

  “You mean my question about mortals?”

  “Yes. I didn’t want to bring you into any of this, because most regular people don’t cope well with knowing the truth, but there are people in this world who aren’t exactly… normal.”

  “What do you mean? I don’t understand.”

  “You’ll see what I mean in a moment. Come on, Red probably already knows I’m here.”

  Things just kept getting more and more confusing, thought Charlie. Rowan’s vague explanations had also gotten old quick and were starting to get under her skin. She was tired of being given a bone to eat just to find out that she was only allowed to sniff it. But there was something about what Rowan said that made her feel uneasy. It was the thing about people not coping well knowing that kind of information. What did he mean by that? What was not considered normal for him? Charlie really hoped she was prepared for whatever it was that she was about to face. Her simple, boring existence was beginning to spiral out of control fast.

  The dance music increased in volume as they left the lobby and entered the main room of the nightclub. Just like Charlie had always imagined the inside of one would look like, men and women dressed in varied degrees of clothing came to and fro holding liquor and beer in their hands and danced and ground against each other on a dance floor, barely containing themselves. She wondered why anyone would want to suffocate themselves within the center of a drunken crowd, and how anyone of them could find it fun dancing in a space so small they couldn’t properly move their elbows without knocking someone over. But they did. And they apparently loved every second of it. Although, she was sure a few of them loved it for other reasons, since it looked like a little bit more than just dancing was going on.

  People bumped and pushed passed them as they milled about the nightclub. Rowan continued to hold Charlie’s hand, never letting go, and guided them to a dimly-lit bar on the other side of the room with red neon lights glowing from behind the counter. As they approached, a well-groomed bartender, with dark slicked black hair, who wore a red button-up dress shirt that was loosened near the top to reveal his chest hair and dark shaded sunglasses which hid his eyes, noticed them walk up and extended his greetings to them with open arms.

  “Rowan, my man!” said the bartender, smiling wide and revealing white pearly teeth. “What brings you to this side of paradise? And oh, who’s this pretty little flower that you’ve brought with you?”

  The bartender paused and looked Charlie up and down, which made her feel dirty and like spiders were crawling all over her body.

  “Oh my…” he continued. “Rowan, you’re too good to me! A virgin! What? Is it my birthday already?”

  Charlie was taken aback, embarrassed, but thankfully the neon lights were already giving her skin the illusion of being red or else she would have stood out like a sore thumb.

  “Hands off, Red, she’s with me,” said Rowan. “Charlie, this is Red. He owns the place.”

  Red grinned at her seductively and made Charlie feel dirty all over again. Right off the bat, she knew she wouldn’t like this guy. The words hustler and slime ball were written all over him. No wonder he ran a nightclub full of partly dressed women dancing around. Then Charlie noticed something strange about him. Suddenly and curiously, from behind his sunglasses there was a subtle flash of red that she never would have noticed if she hadn’t been staring directly at him.

  “What just happened with your eyes?” asked Charlie.

  Red grinned again and removed his sunglasses. Charlie gasped in shock as he revealed to her two bright red irises. The more she reacted toward the colors of his eyes, the more they appeared to glow with delighted intensity.

  “What’s wrong, honey?” said Red, laughing and replacing his sunglasses. “Haven’t you ever met a demon before?”

  Charlie stared at Red in disbelief. Rowan had warned her that she would learn that some people weren’t normal, but she hadn’t expected anything this extreme. She looked to Rowan for answers, but all he offered in response was a weak smile that translated into words in her mind which sounded like, this is why I didn’t want to tell you.

  “A real demon?” asked Charlie, returning her attention to Red. “Like… a real demon?”

  “Straight from the land of fire and brimstone, baby!” said Red. “But let me tell you, no place gets any hotter than it does in here!”

  “How is that possible?” asked Charlie.

  “In the beginning, God created blah blah blah and please tell me you know how the rest of the story goes or else I’ll have to do something you humans consider politically incorrect. That’s unless you’re one of those scientifical types who believe the cosmos farted us into existence. I love that story! But face it – I’m a demon, baby. I’ve got hell in my bones and heaven on my back, trying to cramp my style. Those self-righteous louts are always trying to bust this place for underage drinking. But enough with the small talk. Rowan – now that I know you haven’t brought me this virgin to play with, I know you didn’t drop by just to say hello.”

  “You owe me a favor,” said Rowan, his face serious and his tone of voice expressing that he only wished to converse for as much as was needed. Charlie got the feeling that Rowan didn’t care much for Red either.

  “You mean you’re still holding me to that promise I made so long ago?” said Red, frivolously. “Didn’t you know the word of a demon can’t always be trusted?”

  “I should have cast you out from that man by the docks that day. I realize now how wrong I was for doing so, but nevertheless, you gave me your word that if I let you stay, that someday you would return the favor. I’ve finally come to collect. We need a place to stay until we’ve lost track of a bounty hunter that’s giving us trouble. Give me your word that you’ll keep us hidden until the coast is clear.”

  “Sure, sure, my word is my bond and all that jazz.”

  “I’m serious, Red. Or else tonight I�
�ll finish what I should have done long ago.”

  Rowan placed a hand on the bar and a subtle blue glow radiated from beneath his palm. Red’s brow creased as he stared back in defiance, and a low growl escaped his throat that was somehow impossibly loud enough to be heard over the roar of music. Several bouncers also took notice of Rowan’s glowing hand and took a step toward him in warning.

  Charlie couldn’t tell if the temperature felt like it was rising because of the collective body heat from everyone inside, or if it was from the tension between Rowan and Red as they looked ready to come to blows. For a long moment, neither of them looked ready to back down, until thankfully Red cracked a smile and defused the situation. Charlie sighed with relief. As exciting as it would be to watch a wizard and a demon partake in an epic battle against each other in the midst of a thriving nightclub, Charlie would have rather it happened on screen than right in front of her.

  “All right, all right already!” said Red, grinning and throwing both arms up in the air in defeat and then waving his men off. “Back down boys, there’s not going to be any trouble here tonight. You know if you weren’t so good-looking, I might have needed to smack you around a little. But how could I hurt a face like that? Okay, you have my word. If that bounty hunter comes around looking for you, then I’ll make sure my boys send her packing. How does that sound, lover boy?”

  “No funny business,” said Rowan.

  “Who? Me? I never!” said Red, using his index finger to cross his heart. Then, he dropped all his antics, leaned onto the bar, and regarded Rowan seriously. “But know this, after tonight, the slate’s wiped clean, and if we meet again under similar circumstances, I can’t guarantee a warm reception.”

  “I expect as much,” said Rowan, then he turned his focus onto Charlie and leaned in to whisper something into her ear. “I’m sorry to ask this of you, but I want to make sure Red’s going to hold up to his end of the bargain. Can you wait here while I go cast a spell of shielding on the entrance? Red may have given us his word, but I doubt if push comes to shove that he’ll make an effort to protect us.”

  “Uh, sure,” said Charlie, her eyebrows knitting in concern. “Yeah, I can wait.”

  “Thanks. I’ll do my best to be quick about it.”

  And then, before Charlie had the chance to say anything else, something unexpected and amazing happened. Just as Rowan was about to turn and leave, he stopped and looked at her one more time, then he leaned in, gently grasping both of her shoulders, and kissed her lips. It was a moment unlike anything she ever experienced. Where most people experienced fireworks firing in their hearts or the sensation of floating on a cloud, Charlie experienced an epic combination of the thrill of ranking first place on an online gaming leaderboard and the calmness of sitting on her parent’s veranda while reading as it rained. Her first kiss was the collective, positive embodiment of every good feeling she had ever felt, and she wanted it to last forever. Unfortunately, Rowan pulled away after five seconds of blissful eternity and the smell of cigarettes, booze, and sweat rushed back to seize control of her senses.

  After their kiss, Rowan looked at Charlie and smiled, gently held her hand in his own, then let go to leave and prepare his spell to cloak their presence from Roxy. Charlie watched him be swallowed up by the booming crowd and felt a small ache in her heart, wishing for him not to leave her. Red interrupted her thoughts with a laugh and brought her back to the present.

  “If you think that kiss knocked you off your feet,” said Red, picking up a glass mug and beginning to clean it, “you should consider one night with me to experience some real magic.”

  “No thanks,” said Charlie, wanting to sound disgusted, but at the same time afraid of upsetting a demon.

  “Suit yourself. But there’s no other bed like the one you share with Red.”

  “Can I ask you something? If you’re a demon, then why are you here of all places and running a nightclub? If hell’s real, then why aren’t you there torturing and tormenting the damned?”

  “Baby, take a look around. After spending millennia listening to people burn in a lake of fire, would you rather keep listening to that or go to where the real actions takes place? Take a good look at those two girls just going at it! And how about that guy in the corner, eh? He thinks he’s just here waiting for a friend, but has no idea a group of college kids are about to ask him to join in an orgy in an attempt to make some cash off some porn site. And then there are those two drunks who are waiting for closing to beat the crap out of each other in the alley. I mean, come on. Cries of suffering and agony are sweet, but the crazy shit that happens in this fine establishment is hard to beat. So what do you say? You’re an honored guest in my castle, so why don’t you have a drink? How about a Bloody Mary, eh? I’ll even make it a virgin for the pretty virgin.”

  “Sorry, I think I’ll pass,” said Charlie, wondering how much longer Rowan was going to take. “I’m not much of a drinker.”

  “Baby, please, I insist,” said Red, reaching for a glass regardless of Charlie’s refusal and filling it up anyway. “It’s on the house.”

  Red slid the glass toward her, grinning and waiting expectantly for her to accept it. Charlie didn’t know what to do. She didn’t want to drink whatever liquor he had given her, because she knew he probably lied about not putting anything in it, but he just keep staring and grinning at her without any indication that he was going to give up unless she drank it. So, feeling unable to stand her ground against the will of a nightclub-owning demon, Charlie gave up and took the glass into her hand. It was a thick red drink, ironically, with a celery stick and straw sticking out of it. Red nodded his head and continued grinning like a chef awaiting feedback for a wonderful meal he just concocted. Then, feeling apprehensive and hoping for Rowan to hurry back, she brought the cool glass to her mouth and drank from its spicy contents.

  “See?” said Red. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”

  Actually, thought Charlie, it wasn’t as bad as she was expecting. It wasn’t a drink she’d care to ever have again, since the taste of liquor Red had sneaked in there had never been one she liked, but she liked the flavor of the tomato juice and that certain something else she couldn’t put her finger on. She explored the inside of her mouth with her tongue in an attempt to figure out that mystery flavor, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find a word for it. Just exactly what was it?

  Suddenly, Charlie began to feel lightheaded and her vision started to blur. She put her glass of liquor on the bar and raised her hand up to hold her head. What was happening? Everything started feeling like they were much farther away. Was it something from her drink?

  “What did you put in that?” asked Charlie, continually feeling her grip on reality slipping away. “Rowan… Where’s Rowan?”

  “Shh, shh, shh…” whispered Red. “You don’t want some tree-loving excuse for a man to be the one to take that pretty little flower away from you, do you? Don’t worry, good ol’ Red’s going to take nice care of you.” He paused, looked at three women standing close by and snapped his fingers. “Girls! Take this delicate rose up to the V.I.P. lounge. She’s in for some special treatment tonight! Now hurry before that jokester comes looking for her.”

  Charlie had just enough sense to lift her head to be able to get a better look at the women coming to abduct her. She recognized them as the women from outside who were making a fuss about her and Rowan skipping ahead of the line. As they reached for her arms, Charlie cursed and tried to fight them off but she was too disoriented until finally she collapsed in their arms. She couldn’t understand why anyone wasn’t helping her? Couldn’t they see that she was in trouble? And why was Rowan not coming to her rescue?

  Then, right before the lull of unconsciousness took her, she looked into the eyes of her captors. Their irises were glowing red.