by CJ Davis
“What’s going on over there?” Reese said. He pointed toward the waving red silk curtains.
“Everybody always wants to know about that room first,” Marquis replied. He smirked. “We call it the pleasure room.”
“You’re kidding.” Reese said, surely he must’ve misheard him.
“It’s were the magic happens,” Marquis said. “Without any sexual transmitted diseases or pregnancies to worry about in the Afterlife it’s a very popular room, especially at parties like this. We can go check it out after Michael Jackson if you want to partake.”
Reese leaned over a bit to follow a particularly pretty girl with his eyes.
"Easy boy," Marquis chuckled.
"You better hold me back," Reese said, although he’d never been much for playing the field.
"Look over there," Marquis said. He pointed at an attractive couple dancing by the one of the galorim fountains.
"That's my wife," He grumbled.
Reese shook his head, but didn't know what to say. They stood there watching them a little longer than they should have.
"I need a tall glass of galorim," Marquis finally said.
Reese let out an internal sigh.
A large cheer by the stage could be heard over the loud music. Reese was unable to see what they’re cheering at but many in the crowd faced the stage now and stopped dancing. When the music shut off he saw him.
A low droning sound filled the hall. It took him a second but Reese realized the noise was coming from the Reds and Red pledges chanting ohm at a low pitch. Shivers tingled down Reese’s spine.
A bearded man plated with platinum armor and draped with a Red cape took big swift steps across the stage. The stage lights glistened off his slicked, jet-black hair. He stopped abruptly in the center of the stage, facing the crowd.
He swiftly waved his arm horizontally out in front of him, and the humming immediately stopped. Not a soul stirred as the man examined the crowd. For several long moments there was no sound in the hall.
Reese gave Marquis a questioning look.
“It’s Morkel,” he whispered.
Some of the Greens in the crowd took steps back, and others leaned forward.
“Who’s having an amazing time?” Morkel yelled, suddenly breaking into a warm and welcoming smile.
The crowd cheered.
“I feel bad for those of you who did not scream emphatically just then,” Morkel added. He scanned the crowd. “Look around you. The possibilities for fun and adventure are endless. So are you dead, or are you alive?”
The crowd cheered louder this time.
“You can do anything your soul desires here in the Afterlife, especially as a Red. If you’re not indulging yourselves, and living life to its absolute fullest, than what are you waiting for?”
Like most around him, Reese leaned forward. There was something about Morkel that pulled you in.
"Let me boil it down for you in the simplest form I can,” Morkel added. “If you don’t want to be a Red, and pursue the greatest powers of our universe, I would prefer you to end your life right now. Do yourself, and all of us a favor, and stop wasting your time. Kill yourselves right away because you're just wasting space, especially if you’re a Blue trying to help everybody around you achieve happiness. I mean come on!"
Morkel nodded and as if on cue, the Reds filled the arena with ohms. Morkel’s command of the crowd was admirable, but his message made Reese squirm.
“It really is a simple universe, and we need to keep it simple,” Morkel continued. “Now do you want to join me unlock the greatest secrets of the universe, this century, all while indulging in the greatest pleasures our Universe has ever known? Or do you want to join the sappy love for everyone Blue approach, that could take another thousand years before we learn anything worthwhile? It's your choice. I’m talking to you, ‘ongoing Greens’."
With this statement Morkel clinched both hands in a fist out in front of him and the ohms again filled the arena. Morkel turned decisively and left the stage. A bright fanfare filled the room and the crowd went wild.
“What did you think of that?” Marquis yelled.
“Impressive,” Reese replied.
Two dancers bumped into Reese, their sweat rubbed on his left arm. The buzz in the air was electric.
“Hey a few of my friends are over by the dance floor,” Marquis said. He pulled Reese toward them.
Reese got bumped into a few times by some overexcited dancers as they walked over to them. When they arrived by the group, a beautiful girl hugged Marquis. Reese recognized her and several other Red pledges from the playhouse.
“Everybody this is Reese,” Marquis yelled. The bass of the music shook Reese to the core.
Reese waved at the group. One of them, a very pretty girl with shoulder length dark hair and soft features, smiled at Reese and brushed up next to him. She smelled of honeysuckle. Reese edged closer to her.
“So, you’re the noob?” She asked.
“Yeah, I guess I am,” he replied. “This is a crazy party!”
“It sure is,” She had a wide smile that made her eyes crinkle. “I saw you checking out the pleasure room when you first got here.”
Reese held his right hand up.
“I swear I had no idea what that room was,” Reese stammered over his words.
An awkward pause filled Reese with embarrassment, before she finally laughed.
“I’m just messing with you,” the girl said. “My name’s Valerie, do you like to dance?”
“Yeah, sure,” Reese replied. He rubbed his sweaty hands on his green pants, and hoped she couldn’t hear his heart beating intensely.
Without warning, the room went dark, and the music stopped. For a long minute, all that could be heard was the sound of people breathing. Then a brilliant spotlight illuminated a small patch of the stage near the front of the room. Michael Jackson, a young Michael Jackson leapt into the light, wearing his classic red suit, hat and silver glove.
The crowd went insane.
"Reese, let's go up to the front of the stage,” Marquis yelled over the roar of the crowd. “My arm band gives us access to a special spot right up front."
Marquis, Reese, Valerie and a couple others quickly pushed their way through the tight crowd to a spot in the front of the hall, where a couple other large men wearing armbands let them pass. Right when they arrived to their special section Michael Jackson started singing.
As Reese heard the lyrics, ‘Billie Jean is not my lover,' the hairs on the back of his neck rose. Jackson had never been one of his favorites but he had to admit this was good.
He danced with Valerie, and was surprising himself with how well he moved.
Three or four songs later, Reese noticed a couple of men in Red robes with their hoods drawn over their heads, staring at him from a balcony above the crowd. Another hooded figure in Green peered at him from the dance floor on the other side of the hall.
At first Reese thought that perhaps he was paranoid and the hooded figures were looking at something past him, but after awhile he had no doubt that they were all staring directly at him.
"I think were being watched." Reese nodded toward the hooded figures. Marquis replied but his answer was lost in the roar of the crowd when Jackson performs his famous moon walk.
Just as quickly as they appeared, the men in the robes disappeared into the shadows.
Valerie continued to brush up against Reese as they danced. After a few more songs Reese’s worries melted away.
A girl with a red armband appeared out of the crowd and tugged at Marquis’s armband. “Come with me now,” She demanded. Marquis’s eyes grew wide, and he glanced at Reese.
“He needs to come too,” said the girl.
Seeing the surprise on Marquis’s face tightened Reese’s chest. He let go of Valerie’s hand, who stood in disbelief as Reese walked away from her.
Reese and Marquis followed the woman up a long flight of stairs to a balcony overlooking the h
all. Reese peered down from the landing. The party raged on. Overhead, the cars on the roller coaster rattled by only a few feet from where they were standing.
Inexplicably, Reese found himself on high alert. He checked the people around him. They all had armbands. Perhaps it was part of the initiation for Marquis, but as they drew closer to a dark alcove near a back corner, Reese’s mouth went dry. He felt the tension in the air. The two Red hooded figures from before were waiting for them in the corner.
"Are you enjoying the concert?" One of the men asked Marquis in a smooth, dark voice. The man sat at a round oak table with several of his friends.
“Yes, Kublai.” Marquis’s eyes were downcast, but Reese could see him clenching and unclenching his fists. This was the wife-stealing bastard that had taken his wife from Marquis. He was also, unfortunately, a skilled warrior.
Their judging eyes peered into Marquis.
“Aren’t you going to ask us to sit down?” Marquis asked.
Instead of responding Kublai tapped his fingers on the table.
"Do you know who your friend is?" The second man said. His red robe was new. Reese could see the creases from where it had been folded. He is of Latin descent, with black hair that tumbled to his shoulders.
Marquis’s jaw hung open. He tried to mutter something but is distracted by a cough. He looked behind him. Several Reds stood with their arms crossed over their chest glaring at him.
“Now, Marquis, don’t be rude. Answer Hector and tell us who you have brought to the party tonight,” Kublai demanded.
Hector looked into Reese’s eyes and Reese nearly took a step backwards. The face was familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it. A feeling of sorrow and loss washed over him.
"His name is Reese,” Marquis finally replied. “I met him in one of the portals a couple of days ago after he just arrived in the Afterlife. I’m recruiting him."
Reese swallowed hard. He looked behind him and several of the large men looked like they wanted to seriously harm him.
"Is that all you know about him?" Hector asked.
"Yes," Marquis said. “I swear.”
"Hmmm," Kublai replied. He continued to tap his fingers on the table.
"Well, Marquis is unaware of who this man really is,” Kublai said. “How should we continue?"
Marquis glanced at Reese. His eyes were filled with panic.
"The way I see it,” Kublai said evenly, “Whether he knows it or not, if a pledge ever brings a Blue into the Red temple, the punishment is death."
“Whoa, whoa, whoa... a Blue? What do you mean? There’s no way Reese is a Blue.” Marquis said with absolute panic in his voice. “He arrived at a Green portal. It’s impossible.”
Suddenly, the two Reds surged to their feet, brandishing curved swords that flicker in the dim light. Reese stumbled backwards, but Marquis was their target.
“I didn’t know,” Marquis cried. “You have to believe me. Please.” His voice cracked with fear. He looked behind him, but he had nowhere to run.
“Stop, stop, please!” Marquis backed up against a railing. Hector and Kublai stood over him.
The two Reds swung their formidable blades at the same time slicing at the neck of Marquis. His head was separated from his body and fell to the dance floor below. Blood spilled out of his headless body, before falling to the floor and disappeared with a flash.
Reese turned to flee, running directly into the sturdy body of one of the Reds behind him. He stumbled to the floor, flinging his arms protectively over his head, but the two henchmen just sheathed their swords and marched past him.
“Handle this Blue,” Kublai ordered to one of the Red pledges as he walked away.
Before Reese could get to his feet, he was grabbed by a couple of heavyset men with Red armbands. They dragged him down the stairs and back towards the hall, where everybody danced.
The men pulled Reese to the center of the hall and threw him on the ground. Several shaded figures backed away from him, leaving a circle of empty space around him.
The music suddenly stopped and a spotlight drifted off the stage and focused on Reese. Everybody was motionless and stared at Reese.
"Party people we have a very special announcement for you today!" The DJ announced.
The crowd cheered.
"We just found out that a Blue has infiltrated one of our parties," the DJ continued.
Dull murmuring turned into ugly growls. The circle tightened. Many in the crowd booed and threw their hard cups at Reese. He was holding his arms over his head trying to protect his face from being pelted. Reese spotted Valerie in the crowd. The look of disgust on her face surprised him. He ducked unsuccessfully as she threw her cup at his unprotected face, sending a sharp pain up his nose. Reese completely succumbed to the fact that he was officially alone and in great danger.
"Now we all know the rules from the treaty of the 400 Year War,” the DJ said. “A Red and a Blue must not harm each other outside of the Centennial. A key point to this treaty that applies to our current predicament is that the verbiage doesn’t include Red pledges."
The crowd murmured angrily. A couple of the roughest looking men eyed Reese with intensity. They were smashing their fists into the palms of their hands. The galorim made them restless, eager for action.
"Before any of you pansies out there decide they’re not strong enough to fight a Blue, I have some interesting news for you,” the DJ added. “This Blue just arrived in the Afterlife. So, he hasn’t developed any powers yet. Now, who wants to destroy a Blue and get an automatic promotion from a pledge to a full blown Red?"
The crowd was increasingly becoming more hostile. Many of the pledges were in a frenzy. Five of the most muscular men stepped forward like sharks that had smelled blood. Several seconds go by and the crowd was pressuring the men to attack Reese.
Reese smashed the jaw of a bulky Red standing between him and the exit, and shoved his way through to the lobby, only to find it packed with more Red pledges out for his blood. A moment later a fist that felt like a sledgehammer crashed into Reese’s left cheekbone. Reese spun around and received two more intense strikes on his chest and the back of his exposed neck. He stammered and almost fell to the floor. A firm hand grabbed him by the shoulder. He struggled to get away.
“With me, you fool,” the voice hissed. “Get behind me. Now!”
The first Red pledge ran to tackle the man, but before he got close enough to do any damage the Green cloaked figure quickly kicked low and broke his attacker’s leg almost in two. Without missing a beat several other pledges all lunged at the mystery man at once.
The hooded figure pulled the first assailant he could grab and picked her up over his head. Before the others could react he swung her around above his head like a rag doll. He moved at a lightning fast speed and then threw the woman who flew clear across the lobby and smashed into a wall.
The other attackers backed off in fear. The undulating growl that had been rippling through the crowd stopped suddenly, and no one came forward to replace his tormentors. Reese’s head was ringing and he had trouble focusing. The hooded figure threw Reese over his shoulder, and barreled his way through the crowd to the exit.
A surge of Red pledges swarmed out of the entrance, heading straight for them. Reese flinched, but his eyes opened wide when he felt the hooded man crouch down. Reese barely had time to grab a bit of green cloth before they shoved off, rising in the air to an unbelievable height.
They arrived on the roof of a nearby skyscraper and the man set Reese down.
"Reese, are you all right?” “Do you have any injuries?"
"I’m fine." The man’s face remained shaded under his hood.
"Who are you?" Reese asked. "What is happening? Were you just flying?"
The man removed his green hood. He had a thick beard.
"My name is Arshan and I’m your Blue guide,” he said.
“Arshan? The guy on the banner? You’ve got to be kidding.”
“We have b
een looking all over for you,” Arshan continued. “You somehow ended up in a Green transition portal. This has never happened before. The Reds must have discovered a new ability to disrupt our transitions in the Astral Plane."
"Why would they do that?" Reese asked.
“They’re probably trying to stop one of our greatest Centennial Warriors from competing in the upcoming Centennial," Arshan replied. "Regardless, you’re safe now, and we have no time to spare. We have to start your Centennial training."
"Whoa, slow down. You mean to tell me that I’m one of the five Blue Centennial warriors?" Reese sat up and shook his head.
“Yes, Reese,” Arshan replied, “You’re extremely important.”
“Yeah, right. You saw what an exceptional fighter I was in there with those thugs.”
“You’re in a transitional state called a Bardo State,” Arshan said. “All Blues and Reds are in this state upon entering the Afterlife. Your abilities are locked away within you. The only way to get to them is through intensive training, but first we have to get you to a hospital. We need to get you ready for tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow is the Afterlife Centennial opening ceremonies at the Great Coliseum,” Arshan replied. “We don’t have any time to spare. You must get your rest and heal up in an accelerated healing chamber for tomorrow’s event.”
Reese stared blankly for a minute. His head was throbbing intensely.
“Let me get this straight. You think I’m a Blue and I can be ready for the Centennial tomorrow? Sorry, but I think you’ve got the wrong guy.”
"I know it’s a lot to take in Reese, but we have to get you off this roof top, and get you to a healing room. I need you to put this green robe on, so we can disguise you."
Reese nodded his head. He sensed the urgency in Arshan's voice and pulled himself up to put it on.
“All right, I’m ready,” He mustered a smile. “And thanks for bailing me out back there.”
Arshan lifted Reese in his arms and flew high above the skyscrapers of Asgelot.
