Nate Kelly (somedaymaybe) wrote in shadows_rpg, @ 2018-03-28 19:31:00 |
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Entry tags: | #october 2017, nate |
Who: Nate and Jack
When: Friday, October 13th, 12:05am
Where: Dragonfly
Warnings: Language
Status: Complete
It had been a good night, but Nate was still glad when the clock struck midnight, ushering Thursday into Friday. The bar began to clear out, most everyone knowing it was closing time, but Nate was in no hurry to kick anyone out. Those that remained were regulars and, to him, regulars were friends. Plus, anyone that had been there all evening was running off the high of Dragonfly and usually didn’t realize how late it was, happy to sit and chat for as long as he’d let them.
Sliding down the bar, he came to a stop in front of Jack and offered him a smile. He hadn’t finished his drink, so he’d let him stay a little longer while he cleaned up, especially since they hadn’t had a chance to catch up yet. “How’s it going? Haven’t seen you around much lately.”
Jack liked to keep himself busy. If not, things tended to go awry. That wasn’t exactly a bad thing, but it did tend to cause chaos that he might not have wanted or needed; like jail was definitely something he didn’t need. He worked late hours, slept during the day, practiced whatever set he needed to on the drums, and continued on with life as best as he knew how.
Tonight, everyone was busy doing their own things and he was off from work. He went to spend time with his aunt, uncle and cousin and then afterwards made his way to the Dragonfly where he knew there was a cute bartender/owner. Nate was a few years older than him and though Jack always flirted just a little, that was all it ever seemed to be. Friendly flirting. He would say that he considered Nate a friend, though it wasn’t often that they spent time together unless Jack was visiting Dragonfly.
“Oh, you know,” Jack shrugged. “There is still air to breathe and drinks to drink, so it’s not all bad,” he smiled and then finished off the last of his drink. He knew that it was closing time and Nate probably wanted to get out of there. “I’d give some great excuse about me having found some wonderful person to keep me busy, but really I’ve got nothing. Just been around,” he chuckled. “How’s things?”
“Nothing wrong with being single,” Nate pointed out. “You’ve got the freedom to do what you want, no one telling you what to do or where to be. And you get to play the field.” Not that Nate was much of a player. He dated on and off, and right now was an off, but it didn’t really bother him. He’d find someone when it felt right, and until then he’d be just fine living his life. Maybe Reagan would actually find someone she wanted to set him up with and he’d give it a shot, but he wasn’t counting on it. Even if she did, the chances of him really liking whomever she chose seemed slim. “Things are pretty good. Ramping up to Halloween, which should be fun. I’m planning a big party, maybe have a costume contest, that kind of thing.”
“Nah, nothing wrong with it,” Jack said. “I don’t mind being single at all, man.” He didn’t mind it. In fact he enjoyed being single. It meant that he didn’t have anyone tying him down, he could do what he wanted, see who he wanted, and no worries about someone getting pissed at him when he did. “Playing the field is always nice.”
“I haven’t made plans for Halloween yet,” he stated. “I think we have a gig, and then we’ll party after that, but right now I think it’s all still up in the air. I’ll make sure to stop by here, though, if you’re having a party.” He’d come, it’d be fun. He’d even wear a costume. “Not sure what I’ll dress up as, but there will definitely be a costume.”
“It’s too big an event night not to have a party. Plus, I love Halloween,” Nate smiled, picking up Jack’s empty glass and adding it to the rack of glasses to be cleaned. He tried to keep things moving throughout the night so that all he had to do after the doors closed was a bit of basic pickup. He’d already shut down the register after last call. “How’s the band thing going? I keep meaning to come hear you guys, but it never lines up with my schedule.” Owning a bar definitely made it hard to get out on a Friday or Saturday night, usually the biggest nights for live music.
Jack nodded. In this town, creepy as it was, Halloween was pretty big. “Bands doing alright,” he answered, running a hand through his shaggy hair, pushing it back from his face. “We get a few gigs that pay well, and we have fun with it.” He didn’t know if they would ever be found by the right people, to make albums and become rockstars, but for him what the did was enough for him. “Maybe you should hire us one night to play here,” he wagged his brows. “Maybe Halloween night, say? Talk with Mike. That will get two birds with one stone, you can hear us play and I can be here for your party,” he grinned.
“Maybe,” Nate said, looking around the room. “We’re not really made for live music. I’m not sure where I’d put you. But I’ll think about it.” He didn’t want to turn Jack down, but at the same time he wasn’t sure it was a good fit. They’d probably be better to perform at The Back Porch than Dragonfly. Looking around the bar, he was surprised to see how quickly it had cleared out. Some nights he had to practically escort people to the door. Then again, it was Thursday. Or, well, Friday now, technically. “What kind of music do you guys play?”
Jack took a look around the room and then nodded. “Yeah, probably right.” It would be difficult for a small band and the group that would come to see them. “It was worth a shot, though,” he smiled. He had noticed that everyone had cleared out and it was only him. “We play a lot of rock,” he stated. “Not that screaming rock, where you can’t understand a thing, but actual rock. Maybe some rock/pop…” he looked around the room. “You probably need me to leave so you can lock up, huh?” Not that he didn’t mind being alone with the cute bartender, but the guy probably wanted to go home.
“Hey, it never hurts to try,” Nate agreed. “I know they’re technically the competition, but you should check with the Lucas’s at The Back Porch. They’ve got a little bit different layout that might work better for it.” They’d definitely be better for hosting a rock band. “No rush,” he said, moving to stack up the last of the glasses. “Give me a second and I’ll walk out with you.” Things seemed pretty much in order and whatever he didn’t get to tonight, he could pick up in the morning when he wasn’t exhausted.
“Yeah, sure,” Jack nodded and leaned against the counter. He had no issue with waiting for the guy to be walked out. Not that he couldn’t walk out on his own, even if he were maybe a little tipsy. Company was always nice. “So what do you do after you shut down? Go crash? Or do you have to unwind?” For him, he always had to unwind. Do something to shut his mind and body down before he could finally sleep.
“Depends on the night,” Nate called out as he finished locking everything up. It was one of those nights where he was ready to get out of there, so as long as the last load of dishes was running, he was good to go. He flicked off the back lights, then the bar lights, leaving just the overhead mood lighting on for them to get to the door. “Some nights I crash hard. Go home and crawl in bed,” he said, nodding towards the door. “Others I go home, have a drink, maybe put a movie on, or music. I have to get my brain to slow down, you know?”
Jack was on his feet and moving towards the door when it was indicated that Nate was ready to go. He played with the zipper of his hoodie jacket as he walked. “Yeah, most of the time, when I get off work from the club, it takes a minute for my body to adjust,” he explained. Jack worked at one of the strip clubs in town. If he could, a good romp in the sheets could tire him out, but most of the time he found something else to do. “You doing anything special here since tomorrow is Friday the 13th?” He asked.
Nate followed Jack out the door, stopping to turn and lock the deadbolt behind him. As he slid the key out, he paused, Jack’s question registering. “Tomorrow’s the 13th?” he asked, his mind correcting him instantly. Today was the thirteenth, technically. “I hadn’t really thought about it. Probably not.” Not that Jack would know, anyways. He’d definitely do a fresh round of charms in the morning. He’d always found there to be more problems with the day than people realized. He could feel it in the air, like static waiting to zap him. Nate took a deep breath and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket. “I’ll probably watch the movie sometime tomorrow. It feels appropriate,” he said with a little smile. “They do anything at the club?”
“Well, technically, today,” Jack answered, looking at his phone to see the time. He wasn’t so big on Friday the 13th, not believing in all the superstitions. For the years he had been in Pleasant Point, nothing had actually happened to him to make him believe. Sure, strange things happened here, but Friday the 13th didn’t make anything more weird. “Nah, nothing special going at the club,” he answered as they walked, his hands sliding into the pockets of his jeans. “I’ll be working, but it will be just a normal night. I told them they should do some sort of theme like from the movies Friday the 13th, but they didn’t want to put in the effort.”
“I think I’d feel a little strange about strippers in hockey masks,” Nate said with a snicker. It wouldn’t be hard to work with the movie a horror movie theme, but it would definitely be a little weird. Nate slipped his keys out of his pocket and spun them around on a finger, catching them then flipping them again. A cat cried out and Nate turned to look at it, surprised to see not one, but two black cats staring back at him. “Hey kitties,” he said with a little smile. He’d always liked cats, but never had one himself. They seemed pretty chill. He took a step towards the cats, then another came around the corner, joining them. For some reason a third gave him pause. He looked over at Jack. “That seems odd.” Right? It seemed odd to him.
Jack looked over at the sound of a cat, more out of that it was just a sound that caught his attention than one of worry. He started to turn away, not really giving one thought about them when another showed up and then somewhere in the back a meow sounded that sent a chill down his spin. “Three black cats…” he murmured. “Isn’t there some kind of bad omen about black cats and Friday the 13th?”
“They’re both supposed to be bad luck,” Nate said. “Which is mostly bullshit, but…” But this was Point Pleasant, which meant anything was possible. Sure, weird shit happened all over the world, but some places had a higher volume than others. Nate had always thought it would be interesting to study those spots and find a commonality between them, but he’d never gone through the effort. At times like this, he wished he understood more, instead of just accepting it as the norm. “It’s nothing,” he said, then turned around, only to be faced with at least ten more cats. They all cried out at once, a shrill noise that made the hair on his arms raise in alarm. “Oh fuck.”
“Just a glitch in the matrix,” Jack added. Nate would probably only understand if he had ever watched the Matrix. He scratched at his brow and then turned to move away, thinking the faster they could get to the vehicle, the better. The cats in view weren’t what bothered him, it was the howling of one that couldn’t be seen that did. “Jesus fuck!” He exclaimed when ten cats came into view and made an ungodly noise. “What...in the hell is going on?” He looked over at Nate. “Where’s your car?” He wanted to get out of there, and his was parked on the other side of the parking lot.
If he’d been alone, Nate would have contemplated using magic out in the open, just to keep the cats away. Fire maybe, even if the thought of burning fur sounded disgusting and he’d never purposefully spit fire at another living creature before. It was lazy magic, manipulation of one of the four basic elements, but it would do. Except Jack was there and creating fire out of nothing would be an even bigger scene than the ten cats-- fifteen? How the fuck were there fifteen cats now?! “The black Camaro,” Nate said, nodding towards the car in the front row. He clicked unlock and the lights flashed. When more cats seemed to start coming out of the woodwork, Nate decided not to wait a second later. “Run.”
Jack’s eyes hit the camaro in question and when the word ‘run’ came, he was off. He didn’t know what was going on, but that gut instinct to run was strong within him and he was listening to it for a change. He was halfway to the car when one of the kittens from hell zipped in front of him, catching his foot and making him trip. “Fuck!” He got out as he fell into a roll to keep from face planting. He was on his way back to his feet when he was surrounded by cats, all of them black, identical cats. One jumped at him and he was able to knock it to the side, but when more of them came at him he knew he was in trouble. “Nate!” He yelled as he surged to his feet, trying to kick at the fleabags, one cat sinking his teeth into his shin. “Ow! Fuck! Better not have rabies, you bitch!”
Nate took off as soon as he spoke, knowing by instinct that they needed to get away from the cats as fast as possible. Weird things in point pleasant were usually bad news. He was almost to the car when Jack called out his name and he spun, coming to a stop before swinging back for Jack. He wasn’t entirely sure he’d make it back to his feet if one of those cats attached itself to his face. Lucky for Jack, he got out of there before he got completely covered by cats. Unfortunately, the delay gave them a chance to catch up to Nate. One pounced, crawling up his back, it’s claws in his jacket. “Shit,” he cursed under his breath and reached back to try and pull it off. “Mother fucker!” The thing sunk it’s teeth into the soft part of his hand between his first finger and thumb. Nate practically threw the thing across the parking lot, his hand throbbing, blood dripping from the would. “Car! Now!” he barked, kicking another cat that dared to come too close. Normally he’d never hurt an animal, but these things seemed possessed.
Jack was kicking cats as he ran, not caring about Peta or whoever the fuck might give a damn; they were attacking them, he was fighting back. He ran for the car, the yeowls of the cats behind him spurring him faster. His leg hurt where he’d been bitten, but he ignored the pain for now. Once at the car, he was yanking open the door and diving inside, slamming it closed behind him.
Nate was only a second ahead of him, having to kick a cat out of the way in order to get the door closed. He refused to actually shut the door on the animal, even if he was sure it wasn’t a normal cat. While kicking it wasn’t all that much better, he wouldn’t have to deal with blood on the doors this way. The doors slammed shut and Nate looked over at Jack, breathing heavy, the wound on his hand dripping onto his jeans and the car. “You okay?” he asked. He could still hear them outside. When one suddenly jumped up on the hood, he started the car and began to drive, not caring where, so long as it was away from the cats. They shouldn’t be able to sink their claws into the car itself, so it was just a matter of time till they fell off. “This is fucking ridiculous,” he muttered.
“I’m...bitten,” Jack said, rolling up his pants leg to see blood pouring from the wound. Okay, maybe not exactly pouring, but there was blood and it was dripping and it was gross. “Jesus yeah, fucking ridiculous,” he looked over at Nate. Noticing the hand, he made a face and then ripped some fabric off of his shirt. “Here, let me wrap it,” he said. “Before your steering wheel gets covered in blood and you can’t drive.” That’s all they needed, some cat or something making him swerve and crash and kill them.
“Yeah, me too,” Nate said, glancing over to see Jack’s wound. It looked like it stung, the teeth having sunk in deep enough to leave puncture wounds. It was hard to believe a house cat had done it. It looked like something more akin to a wild animal bite. He blinked in surprise when Jack started ripping up his shirt, a move he’d only seen in action movies. “Thanks,” he said with a little laugh, pulling to a stop long enough to wrap up his hand. He was still going to have to clean up the blood, but at least it wouldn’t be too bad. “Damn,” he said, opening and closing his hand. It definitely stung. He looked at Jack’s wound again. “How bad do you think that is? You think you need stitches?”
“Probably not stitches,” Jack said, examining his wound. “I think I’m alright. I’ll go home and clean it, have my Aunt look at it if it gets worse,” he explained. “What about you? Think you’ll need a doctor or anything? And what the fuck is going on with those cats? Have you ever seen anything as fucked up like that?”
“No, I’m okay. Just stings. Sucky place to get bitten,” Nate said, flexing his hand. He’d heal it a little when he got home and then it wouldn’t be so bad. He’d have done Jack’s as well, but that would take telling him he was a witch, something he generally avoided. “I don’t know. It was fucking weird. I’ve seen some weird shit, but nothing like that.” He realized then that he was driving aimlessly and needed a destination. “Where do you live? Can you get your car in the morning?” He couldn’t imagine Jack wanting to go back to the parking lot right now.
“Seaview Village,” Jack answered. “Trailer park.” He wasn’t embarrassed to live at the trailer park, even if it seemed a little white trash-like. He had a place of his own and he could bang on his drums whenever he wanted...at least until someone complained. “I’ll get someone to give me a lift to go get my truck tomorrow, yeah,” he sighed. “Don’t want to go back tonight, definitely. You might want to call animal control, have them put out some traps or something.”
Nate nodded, turning towards Seaview Village. He wasn’t one to judge what someone did or where they lived. To each their own. Growing up in Overlook, he knew money was nice, but it didn’t equal happiness. “Yeah, I’m definitely going to have to do something about it. I’m going to lose business if people get attacked coming to or leaving the bar.” He just wanted to see if they were there in the AM. If Jack hadn’t been there with him, he wasn’t sure he’d even believe it happened. The whole thing was surreal. He glanced over at Jack. “You sure you’re okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jack nodded. He’d already pushed his pants leg back down and was sitting back in his seat. “I’ll clean it up at home, if I have any issues I’ll talk to my aunt,” he assured Nate. “Right now I just want to get home and crash.” He was feeling strangely tired and felt like he could sleep for the next two days straight.
“Seriously,” Nate said softly, and went quiet for the rest of the drive. He was eager to get home, to heal his hand and climb into bed. To pretend this crazy night never happened. Unfortunately, it was going to be hard to wind down tonight, no matter how tired he was. His mind kept replaying the incident over and over, wondering if there was something he’d missed.