The Grime

[Alcofribas]

i jam a memorex into my walkman and throw on my trench before heading out around 11:30. the strange orange glow of the incessant california fires clashed with the crisp coolness of the air. the night was young, anything could happen. i walked swiftly out of my gang-dommed neighborhood, dodging the fierce glances always seeming to me right on the edge of a violent outburst. still, the gangs had been simmering lately and that was better than the boilings over that kept me locked in my basement earlier in the summer. i made my way to the strip, keeping my headphones on but turning down the volume as i sauntered into the realm of the cruising night owls just getting things started. the first familiar face i saw was Cummy Bear, a skin worker who perpetually looked like it was his first night on the job: nervous, skittish, awkward.

"what's up cummy?" i said as a tucked the foam-covered headphone behind my right ear.

"uh hey man, i uh...you seen Chantal lately?"

hmm, interesting.

"nah you?"

Cummy just kind of sunk under the shadow of a hanging neon sign, like he was hoping none of the johns would notice him tonight.

"nah, i was hoping you had.."

indeed i hadn't seen Chantal almost a week. in fact, i was on a mission to find her tonight. something seemed amiss. it was mid-week, maybe she was ghosting me but usually Cummy would've seen her by now. i told Cummy i'd link up with him later. i slipped the headphone back on and slid the volume back up. massive attack's "risingson" fit the mood tonight. i could tell something was gonna go wrong. there was dread in the air like a rank perfume. i walked to Spike's Bar to see if i could stir up any intel on Chantal. her people would be out there getting high by now. as i approached i met eyes with Montel and i knew the news would be bad.

"yo Alco, what's good?"

i put up a finger to hold him off for a bit, a few more seconds left on the track. i stood at the curb staring blankly into the distance as the rapid rides seemed like they were nudging me into the bad news i didn't want to hear. i pressed STOP. i tugged the phones down around the back of my neck where they sat fashionably like a plastic a collar.

"yo lemme talk to you"

Montel said as he slung his thin arm around my shoulder and gently guided me away from the crew who were all eyeballing me like i had risen from the dead or something.

"yo Alco, i been meaning to let you know..."

"lemme know what man?"

"Chantal...she uh, well i saw her this weekend over at The Spot..."

i nodded, feeling the blow about to land in my gut.

"she was with Bez."

Bez. fucking Bez. fuck Bez. this is the worst news i could've got. honestly, i couldn't even tell if i woulda felt better if he told me she was fucking dead.

"Bez?"

"yeah man, fucking Bez."

Montel gracefully removed his arm from my shoulder and dipped it into his sequined purse, pulling out a cig, lighting it with a match and flicking the burning stick behind him into the gutter as he drew a quick drag and exhaled elegantly upward so that the smoke didn't fly right in my face. instinctively, i appreciated the gesture. he knew i hated cigs. despite the torturous moment i happened to think he looked beautiful in the jaundiced light of the street lamp.

"what are you telling me, Monti?"

"i wish it weren't true, luv, i really do."

Bez owned half of the city by now, the only half worth anything that is. Chantal hated Bez, we all hated Bez, and i knew the only reason she'd ever be caught with Bez is if she was in trouble. and i knew what trouble it would have to be: the trouble would have to be me. you see, Bez and i had history. before everything, Bez and i used to run crimes together in the Cabrerras, a dingy little network of neighborhoods where with both grew up. little things, petty hustles, nothing we couldn't walk away from if the heat turned up. but the thing is, we got in over our heads in one of these hustles and Bez got something on me. something big. something bad. i got out, Bez got deeper in. when he came out the other end he was the most powerful man in the city. and i knew it was just a matter of time before Bez played this ace and i had a serious hunch about a month ago that when he met Chantal he finally saw the perfect game for it. fucking bastard.

Montel stood there smoking silently, shifting his gaze all around my head without ever looking into my eyes. he knew it was my fault, he knew i knew. hard to say if he blamed me. we all had something hanging over us, some bad call we had to make just to survive here. because that's what we were all trying desperately to hold onto in this city: our pathetic survival. Montel, for instance - well, i happened to know he was the one who stole cash from Carlos in the notorious deal that killed Bevy and landed Carlos in a cell for the rest of his life. Funny thing is, i never did learn what Monti did with all that bread. he was out on the streets every night scrounging like all us rats ever since. maybe he was still laying low, keeping up appearances, waiting for the right moment to bounce.

"hey listen, i'm gonna need to borrow a little dough...to get into the city."

"haha, dough? Alco honey, where is little old Monti supposed to get this ingredient for your little recipe? and besides, you ain't going into The Grime, not even over my dead body."

he didn't know i knew he took Carlos' cash. i was gonna have to break the news to him, but not right now.

"monti, you'll think of something. i'll swing back here in an hour."

"Alco wait, i'm serious. it's too dangerous."

Montel tossed his cigarette in a harsh gesture that indicated his genuine anxiety.

"see you in an hour,"

i said as i hurried up the strip to The Pawn Shop where i knew Danny would be working. there was still time to stay on this side of violence, to not cross the threshold, to let Chantal go. but that would never happen, so with each passing second i could feel the walls closing in, i could feel my fate sealing up tightly around me, i could feel the danger of The Grime spreading through my veins. i flipped the tape over and fast forwarded to "group four." i wondered if Montel would give me the cash, if he'd let me in on his secret. would he come through or turn his back like the rest of them?

[aencre]

I wish members' profile pages would have a pull-down menu to indicate if they are vampires.

[Extralife]

Great read. 10/10

[Braintree]

[usagi]

Burning Chrome 2: The Burnening Burninating

Edited March 3, 2021 by usagi

[dr lopez]

[Joyrex]

WATMMClassics Volume 28

[Alcofribas]

The Pawn Shop would be dead. things didn’t get kicking off there for a couple more hours. the Pawn was a mainstay back in my shadier days. all told about a million dollars went in and out of my hands there. mostly out. Danny was the only guy i could possibly trust bc Danny ran things straight - you pay what you owe when it’s owed and Danny will keep his side of the bargain. thing is i didn’t have any money tonight and i wasn’t sure Danny thought highly enough of our time together to spot me. but i needed protection and this was the only place i could go to get it. and i knew Danny was number 2 on the list of those who Bez fucked the hardest, after yours truly.

Danny recognized me right away.

“Alco? to what do i owe the pleasure of seeing your rare visage tonight?”

“you alone, Danny?”

his face closed somewhat. but that was only natural.

“alone?”

“Danny, i need a favor…”

“i’m not in the favor business, Alco.”

“i know, man. i know. but you know i wouldn’t be here asking if it wasn’t serious.” 

he walked behind his desk, pulled a bottle and a pair of smudged glasses out from a drawer and gestured for me to take a seat as he poured us some Amber. i could tell he was thinking, planning out how he was gonna tell me no, probably.

we sat for a moment drinking quietly. this felt like a real respite, a calm before the storm, and i was grateful for the warm spirits that were beginning to inspire my courage a little further.

“this is about Chantal?”

i was surprised. i didn’t know he had an ear to any of that. i didn’t even know he knew who she was.

i raised my eyebrows in reply, allowing him to go on.

“i heard she got mixed up with Bez.”

“she wouldn’t get mixed up with Bez, Bez got her mixed up with him.”

“as he does…” 

he swiveled somewhat away from me in his chair as he said this, and took a very slow sip of Amber, squinting into some obscure space before him.

“so Bez’s got your girl and you wanna get her back?”

“i guess you could say that”

he swiveled swiftly back to face me

“Alco, you know you of all people can’t get into The Grime, even with my help…even supposing i would be crazy enough to help you.”

i knew Danny hated Bez, i knew he’d want me to get into The Grime and take something off Bez’s plate just as much as anyone. he was gonna help me.

“Danny, i need clearance VIDs, prints, everything. and a weapon.”

he sat very still for a minute. inscrutable. shaking off his impenetrable mask somewhat he rose and paced a bit behind his chair.

“these things cost money. a lot of money.”

“which you know i don’t have.”

he looked a bit surprised, perhaps my frankness was unexpected.

“Alco, this is all a bit over your head, don’t you think?”

he poured another drink for us. this was a good sign. the look he gave me while pouring was ineffable, almost sensual.

“i need to get to Chantal.”

he walked over to a safe where he casually tapped several keys and after resting his finger in the printscan a door clicked open and he reached inside. while his face was obscured behind the door i looked around. if it came to it i could kill him. just bash his head in with any of the heavy items displayed on the shelves all around his office. maybe i should have, but i trusted he’d help me out if for no other reason than i knew that Bez was bleeding his income every month and had been for years. i couldn't pay in cash but if i hit Bez it'd be worth it in spades.

he returned to the desk where he placed a metal box and slowly took out several items. most of what i needed. VIDs - Virtual Identification - would be necessary for getting through the Portals. they scrambled the Recognition software and they were worth about $100k a piece. these particular ones I recognized - they belonged to Bez. he had them fabricated for the Bad Deal and seeing them again gave me a chill, like Fate had entered the room and was breathing ominously down my neck.

“Alco i’m gonna give you everything in this box. under one condition…”

…

“i want to jack off in front of you.”

this motherfucker was gonna CK me. unreal. of course i consented, the severity of the situation gave me no choice. but as such this was Nonconsensual Consent. he didn’t ask me to make eye contact or anything so i just kind of drifted my gaze vaguely around the room, resting here and there at various unspecific points. i blocked out the dull sound by trying to imagine different songs. he finished with a low grunt and held himself up with one arm on the desk while he zipped back up with the other. i noticed a gold chain hanging among the tufts of gray hair on his chest, a chain i recognized as part of some loot i robbed 10 years ago. i don’t know why but this detail really gave me the creeps. 

i grabbed the box riffled through its contents, filling my pockets, jamming shit down my pants. once it was empty i tipped the box over in disgust and tuned to leave.

“Alco…”

i shuddered.

“you’re not gonna….hashtag me too me?”

fucking pig. i sped out of there without replying. motherfucking Danny. i never would’ve expected this from him. but i guess i should’ve. he was no different from any other pathetic guy in this town - exhausting his limited ration of brain cells doing nothing but figuring out how to make money for himself, filling his fat face and sitting on his ass all day. this guy probably hadn’t had a single finger tip touch his flesh intimately in years. who would touch shit with a bare hand? other than Danny, that is.

but what’s done is done. i stopped at a corner a few blocks down, switched cassettes in my walkman and pressed play on “mushroom” by can. this gave my feelings a sense of consolidation as i made my way to the next dot on my map not without a sense of outrageous irony that the next stop was called Miramax.

 

 

[Alcofribas]

Miramax Club was where i would find Bishop, the only person outside of The Grime who knew precisely where Bez rested his fat head on any given night. if you wanted to brush shoulders with Bez and his ghoulish crew, you had one in: Bishop. about a block down from the Max i organized my stockpile and popped one of the Neurogels - these would both excite and subdue my braincells to the frequency required to get into the front door of the club. one problem: they get you extremely high, extremely quick. i put on "blue calx" to set the vibe as i approached. the bouncer i knew. he had kicked my ass on several occasions. but not tonight, tonight i was listening to "blue calx" which was in a back to back loop cassette with "stone in focus." i was serene. i was a bodhisattva poised midair in some kind of supreme asana. the gels were working.

i passed through the door with the regal ease befitting my stature as Knight of Chill, Archbishop of Leisure, wearer of the Cross of the Legion of Mellow. for those who have not had the pleasure of observing the contents of the Miramax all i can say is that it was like if the orgy scene in Eyes Wide Shut was in the movie Blade Runner. i sauntered somnolently passed couples in bizarre masks interrupting their relentless fucking only to check their social media notifications or take a swig from some noxious vessel. this was of no interest to me. the gels were like a crown upon my head elevating me in every way from the corporeal concerns of these creatures. 

Bishop would be holding court on his exclusive mezzanine - the Ghislaine Mezzanine - and as i made my way to that upper level it seemed to me as though i had not touched the ground in several minutes, that i was veritably floating to my destination.

i approached, a beatific smile languorously resting at the edges of my lips.

"Bish..."

Bishop laughed upon seeing me, as was only appropriate considering the ebullience of my very nature in that moment.

"haha Alco. wow, the gels must've been quite a dosage."

he held me by both shoulders, assessing me, no doubt approving in a spirited fashion each fine detail of my attire and magisterial composure.

"Bish."

having said this, i felt i had ordained him with the sacred contact of my spirit, which traveled to his person on the wings of my voice.

"Alco, Alco. you're gelled to the extreme my man."

what truer words could have been possible?

they led me to they're candlelit table, sequestered in a little encouraging nook the walls of which were finely draped in crimson velvet. some individuals were seated around the table on cushions, no doubt anticipating my arrival with a sense of extraordinary awe and wonder. 

i found a yellow cushion, a sort of sunflower present to receive the weight of my body (0lbs, weightless). Bishop sat across from me and took a sip of some kind of purple cocktail. they asked me if i wanted a drink.

i smiled, knowing they would comprehend this expression and carry out my desires. they whispered something to one of the seated figures who swiftly alighted from the spot to conduct a quest for my own thirst quenching requirements. 

"Alco, i presume you're here bc of Bez. i was with him the other night when Chantal showed up and i've been expecting you ever since."

Bishop was a thin, tall figure with long, straight hair the color of fresh hay. their nose was positively aquiline. their demeanor consistently serene, often jovial. but they were feared almost as much as Bez himself. Bez. haha, what an implausibly villainous entity. i couldn't help but smile at the thought of him.

Bish laughed, seeing me laugh.

"what's so funny, Alco?"

just then my drink arrived. a concoction of i knew not what but certainly containing such spirits that could only elevate me higher into celestial echelons where i was welcome as in my own home. i took a sip, my suspicions were as usual on the mark: pure celestialism.

"Bish...you look like...Orlando..."

i trailed off thinking this mere handful of words was sufficiently meaningful. i did not know if i meant the Woolf creation or the Bloomian thespian, or even some sort of Floridian Resident. all possibilities seemed delightfully true.

Bishop laughed and held their glass up to me.

"Alco, let's talk shop in the morning. For now let's see what the rest of the night has in store for us."

we both took a drink and indeed i felt the night had several activities planned for me, in my honor. i rested my right eyelid in an entirely closed posture. this left me with one eye open to appraise my surroundings while the other could abscond to inner dimensions of the utmost importance. as one eye took in a tapestry of corporeal eroticisms, the other travelled through the various stages of enlightenment. my kundalini commuted easily through every chakra, opening my numerous robust reserves of divine energy. i could not say if it was this spiritual force which lifted me or simply my own two legs but in any case i arose and set out to find suitable ambrosia for this rattling of forces within me. perhaps it was a misnomer to invoke the hindu terminology for what was in some sense simply hunger of the most mundane kind. who can say? i followed my nose which had the expanded power of Scent and detected a brownie in one woman's purse. i set to eating this with great dedication and this, in fact, is the last thing i remember of that evening.

 

[usagi]

yer faither would be prewd.

[Extralife]

@Alcofribasnovel when?

[Alcofribas]

5 minutes ago, Extralife said:

@Alcofribasnovel when?

now itt

[Alcofribas]

3 hours ago, usagi said:

yer faither would be prewd.

On 8/11/2018 at 8:41 PM, Alcofribas said:

Today I learn my dad not real, no biology, only my mom boyfriend. she say my father englishman from Manchester by the sea. I go there. Walk the grey city streets look out for him my dad. mom say he skinny, wear of northface, jean too big. I see him, I think it him. he does computer all night long, no friend, never a woman. Does Skype with “rob” who only friend, a family man with child’s and with wife of own. Sean cry each time say goodbye to him. I cry too. That how I know it is him.

 

 

[Braintree]

Meanwhile at Miramax

[Alcofribas]

these images combine to make the cover of this book

[chenGOD]

I just biked in to approve of the sauntering in chapter 1.

*bikes out doing a wheelie*

 

[Joyrex]

Alco should do a blog on here...

[Alcofribas]

i just remembered this. i should keep going here, what's gonna happen in the grime?

[usagi]

yes, stuff should happen plaes

[Extralife]

Let’s go, Alco.