Rise [Bruno Mars]

Chapter twenty-nine

Chapter twenty-nine

The speakeasy slid open, revealing only eyes in the rectangular hole.  “Password.” 

The tough voice behind the door was too pretentious to be believable, disrupting the whole secrecy air emitting from the stone building. Green filth crawled up the jagged edges, disappearing when it got to the flattened roof. In the silent night, the building seemed out of place in the middle of the forest, as if it fell haphazardly from the sky. Joseph was the one to lead the group, at first. Until Bruno wanted to take a sharp right into the trees. The result was, uneasily, getting off track and after hours of seemingly useless walking, we arrived here. A crooked wooden sign stuck up out front. The chipped red paint read The Manor.

And underneath it

Welcome to Canada

Ryan cleared his throat, leaning to meet the man's eyes. “Erm, we don't have a password.”

“No password. No entry.” The speakeasy slid shut.

Ryan shrugged apologetically. “Well, I tried.” 

I stole a glance at Bruno, who stared at the door in quiet thought. He lifted his fist, then knocked, once, twice. The speakeasy opened again. “Password.”

I wondered what would happen if I stuck my fingers in the slit and poked his—

Bruno gave me a small nudge, drawing me out of my imagination. “You try,” he said. Now I wondered why Bruno wanted to get into this place so badly. We had no idea what it held, and it reeked. Of shit. But if he trusted his sixth sense, I would, too.

“Um,” I said aloud, then whispered to Bruno, “I don't know!”

“Try.”

I looked into the eyes of the man waiting for the password. Oh, damn him. Now I really wanted to poke his irises. I took a deep breath, thinking. The horrid smell filled my nostrils and my breath came out in a shapeless form above my scarf. “Nullus est.”

A beat of silence.

“Entry granted.”

I was dimly aware of the sound of about a hundred bolts unlocking, too shocked at myself. I could feel the others, too. Staring as though I'd spoken another language. And I had, hadn't I? My fingertips touched my lips. Where had the words come from?

My arm was grabbed. Ris' eyes were round. “Linguamne Latinam loqueris?”

I didn't understand her. The door swung open, swiveling our attention to it. The man who asked for our password looked smug. “Please, hand me any weapons you may have on your person.”

I looked to Bruno again. He handed over his gun that had been found in Stephanie's shed. I followed his lead, the second gun discovered at Stephanie's. I immediately felt vulnerable without it. Ryan gave up his kitchen knife and so did Ris. I watched as Joseph brought a hand to his waist, and quickly looked away before I could see the glint of metal.

Now that we were inside the Manor, I heard it: music. Lyricless, loud, bumping bass. So out of place it was comical. Leading out of the foyer waited a thick wall of hot air.

It was wild. Arms in the air, bodies curving and shaking. Light bulbs dangled dangerously on strings from the ceiling, threatening to crash on an unsuspecting head in moments. And it looked like some already had. Several of the strings were missing lights.

The whole building was alive and pounding. A heart attack. People in rags drunkenly laughed, holding up grimy mugs of something brown and strong. Though I couldn't see a bartender. Ryan swore as alcohol sloshed on his coat from a flung mug. Men and women alike puffed rings of smoke to the ceiling. It was difficult to breathe, to see.