Chapter 2: Chapter 1: Heaven Rouge (Part 1)
The Nightclub where I used to perform was called the Heaven Rouge, it was a particularly upscale nightclub in downtown Los Angeles just three blocks away from chinatown and it acted as a place where all of the up and coming musicians, poets and comedic talents to perform and get their bearings.
It was a full clear and beautiful fall night just before All hallows eve and the night was a beautiful one to go for a walk. There wasn't so much as a cloud in the sky and it had just drizzled a little bit enough to clear the atmosphere and make the air a pleasure to breath. It was a night that one would have been appy to be alive. I thought as I looked up to the autumn sky. You could see the stars fully as they illuminated the night sky.
It existed in a red stone building with a loud and obnoxious neon sign that said. "Heaven Rouge" The Red Heaven, I suppose they were trying to make it sound all fancy and eloquent striking up an exotic image of a heaven all drabbed up in the finest crimson curtains. You could definitely smell the cigarette smoke and the smell of cheap booze there from a mile away. Blue Moon alcohol and Guinness I thought going by my sense of smell, my sense of smell was something I had always trusted even back when I was human. The scent of cheap booze lingered as I walked in to the changing room in the back.
Now let me tell you one thing, I wasn't always a werewolf. Nope. I was human, pure human. back in those days I thought of myself as human and I acted human. Full of cowardice, devoid of confidence, not knowing who I was or what I was doing.
I wasn't always the specimen of a wolf I see before you. Once upon a time a long long time ago I was human and a time before that I was a child. Now, the Apocalypse was kind enough to wait until I was an adult to rear it's ugly head in the world.
The earth where I was from and I suppose I should be thankful that it waited that long and gave me the courtesy to grow up into a man before letting me see everything around me crumple up and fall apart as if it were nothing.
Although the void demons don't really have such a thing as individual sentience. It's much easier to think about them as mobs in video games that you battle only to kill and grind XP. Yet, us humans we're terribly afraid of them. At least I remember being terribly afraid, my stomach was in absolute knots but my wolf mind is better stronger than my cowardly and pathetic human one.
You know how you'll always remember where you were on the nights of particular awful things that happen in your life. Like for instance terrorist attacks. I'll always remember when I was how old I was and how I was feeling as I watched those twin towers crash down on 9/11. That was a particularly nasty little suicide bombing that a little known terrorist group had planned.
In my mind, I knew exactly where I stood at the end of the world and what a pathetic person I was. I was full of anxiety not for the end of the world mind you but for my performance for the party goers on this electric violin they had hired me to play. I mean it was nerdy in hindsight and still I loved playing that electric violin. I have loved playing it ever since I was a child. And on that particular night all my friends were gathered to hear me play.
I thought that I very much shouldn't disappoint them not if I had any shame left in my body and the pathetic human mind that I had My girlfriend, Michelle Dauphine and my best girlfriend Melanie Chang were there to see me perform not to mention three of my other friends Jacque Libertine, Alex Guavez and Monroe Sanderson.
The ones that I was most excited to impress were of course Michelle and Melanie but we had all known each other since childhood and we all had a kinship with one another almost like we were family and we are family. At least spiritually, we're literal spiritual brothers and sisters although at the time we didn't know that yet.
"Good luck Rein, we're all cheering for you. Remember that we'll be right here wishing you good luck and good fortune." Said Alex Guavez, he was always a cheeky little brat only eighteen years of age young enough to be my younger brother but he was extremely precocious already a junior in college in the chemistry department and about to earn himself a masters in chemistry.
He was a chipper young lad who didn't often take that he couldn't do something quite lightly. He had a full head of golden blonde hair short cropped but long enough that it stood out under his green baseball cap. He was always someone who could cheer up your day.
"We'll always be by your side and if anything goes wrong you have our numbers." The next of my friend group was Jacque Libertine a french-american exchange student who had spent most of his life overseas. He worked in the nearby casinos in Los Angeles.
He worked double time as both a dealer for poker and black jack and as the bus boy when times got busy. It was hard work, grueling even but damn if the pay wasn't good. He was dressed in his casino uniform probably because he rushed right over in the drizzling rain. He had flowing blonde hair that was curly, he was a bit heavier set than my other friends having grown up on a farm in South Carolina and moving away for college.
"If you need us just holler we'll be sitting right next to Michelle Dauphine downstage." The last of my friends was black haired unlike the rest of my friend group. He made his way as a psychologist and none of us really bothered to ask how old he was but our estimate was around 35 years old considering the amount of stuff he talked about that he would have no way of knowing unless he really was that old.
"So this is where you work Rein, I love it. I love the lights the atmosphere, it reminds me of a real jazz club that some of the old musicians used to play at. In short, I could get used to tis." Melanie Chang says teasing me a little with her finger tips before I have to on stage.
"Stop, we're not like that, not anymore." I told her a little embarassed "Although, I can't say I don't enjoy having you around" I told her.
"I know Rein, honey I just came to hear you perform. It's not everyday that I get to come to this part of town and I know that Michelle is waiting to hear you just downstage."
"I know she is and I don't want to disappoint her." I said as Melanie was helping me get dressed and button up my coat.
"Do I look okay?" I said to her in a wide gesture, posturing myself for everyone to see.
"You look absolutely perfect." She said snapping her fingers with an attitude that reminded you of some ghetto hairdresser from the inner city.
"Now tonight I would like to dedicate this song to a very special girl. Someone wo means the world to me. My darling and quite a charmer." I said before I began playing the piece ignoring the butterflies in my stomach I had hoped this line would land on her and judging by the expression of longing in those emerald green eyes of hers it absolutely hit the mark.
Outside the skies were darkening un-naturally against a vibrant orange sky and a black moon that hung overhead. It seemed like something right out of a Halloween movie and yet the unnatural stagnation of the air meant that something was coming, something horrible.
Yet, this didn't bother me any as I was all wrapped up in perform my Ballad Waltz of Blood Red Roses I had written for my girlfriend Michelle Dauphine. Before the show she was downstage waving at me and making kiss-y eyes. Now she stood there in wrapped attention imagining te world of victorian vampire romance I was transporting her to with my music.
She had known I had written this piece for her having fancied herself a witch in her youth and now working in the exciting field of marketing both Michelle and Melanie were women of the next generation they were people who could do anything and had a certain confidence in themselves that made them stand out amongst the crowd however, through my music talent I could make them listless high school girls again.
We used to play witch and werewolf many different times when we were younger and we enjoyed roleplaying the different parts. She would always call me her "big strong ,wolf man." I wasn't actually a wolf but I had been interested in werewolves ever since I was younger and Michelle had a proclivity for witches. I would usually respond with a howl even when I was human. I took great pride in my howl in the way that it sounded exactly like a wolf's.
"That was simply... stunning... you know babe... That piece has made me fall for you all over again. It reminded me of when we started dating. Back then, I was your brother's girlfriend and not yours, and somehow with your gentleness your charisma and your tender loving you won me over. I remember how romantic you were back then and it stuck with me all this time." She reminesced and I could see the expression in her eyes as her mind went back in time to our early adolescent
years together. "I will always be your witch princess, my strong and brave wolf man."
I went off to see Melanie after the show but not before giving my girlfriend a quick kiss goodbye. "See you babe I'll see you after the after party." I told her planting a gentle peck on the cheek.
Melanie was my manager even though she also worked as a doctor. Both of which are professions that she dedicated equal time to. This chick was smart, really smart and charismatic and she was also one of the more responsible for us. We looked up to her like the big sister of the group.
"Wow, that was really something... you were really amazing Mr. Wiseman. You were like so... so... amazing" A white girl about Alex's age had said. From the looks of her badges and pins and get up she must have really loved music if not played herself.
"Can you write us a song for us just like you did for her? I want to have a song written about me and how I can really brighten up your day."
"My your music was marvelous an extravaganza! Truly Bravo!" A slender black woman with curly hair and a red dress said.
While I was drowning in and adoration of my would be fans. Outside the rain was coming down harder and then out of nowhere we heard what we thought was an earthquake. Little did we know it was the sounds of the void portals starting to open up into our world ready to add our earth onto the list of their next worlds they would assimilate into their own
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