Saturday, May 13, 2006

Ch.6: Enit's Cooler

Ch 6 Enit's cooler Rodd nudged Zeke. "Forget about him." he said. He turned around and yelled at the top of his lungs, "Alright! Party time! Let's go!" The guys all cheered and started to happily march outside. Zeke started to follow but stopped when he saw D at the end of the hall. He was leaning against the wall. He was staring out the window, at the imitation of a night sky. Rodd grabbed Zeke by the shoulder. "C'mon, man!" He was pulled out of the building and onto the bus stop where they all waited, conversation happening all around him. "He actually did it!" "That was so cool! The odds were against him and everything." "He did it so calmly! Like a pro!" "Best shot I've ever seen in the gallery!" The bus pulled up to the sidewalk and stopped. Like a brigade of monkeys, the men stampeded on the bus. When Zeke entered, they all called to him, asking him to sit next to them. "Quiet, people! He's with me!" Rodd yelled. Everyone silenced. Zeke stepped up to Rodd and sat down. The bus driver grumbled and drove off. "To Club E!" Rodd ordered the driver. Zeke noticed that it was the same man driving. Zeke received a huge pound to his back. "You're gonna' fit right in here!" Rodd praised. "Yeah, thanks." "You should be happy, Zeke! Cause of you, we're all going to the Club!" Zeke's back started to numb. He just looked down. "Is it D?" he asked Zeke. He looked at Rodd. He didn't want to say it but, it was. Why did he only bring Zeke down? It was a good shot. Zeke didn't answer. Rodd understood completely. "D's a strange one. He is. He was one of the first ones to join ES2. Very serious about his work." Zeke looked out the window as D did. "He was the only one to hit it at that speed. Commander's best man, D is." Was D just a little jealous? Zeke grinned. He didn't feel so bad about it now. It was just the shock of him actually hitting the dummy. "Last stop. Downtown." the driver grunted. The men marched off. "Let's go, Zeke." Rodd pulled him up and dragged him off the bus. They walked down a street until they came up to stairs that led down. They followed them and stopped at a metal door. Rodd knocked twice. A small aluminum cube floated from above them and swooped down. A camera jolted from the top and examined the group. It zoomed in on Zeke. He leaned back and almost fell. Rodd grabbed the cube and brought the camera to his face. He smiled large and said "Hey, Choo!" The door opened and the cube flew inside. They all ran in and Zeke was left behind. He walked in slowly. The place was brightly lit with neon and black lights. The walls glowed and there were tubes along the walls and floor that were filled with water that bubbled. Rodd and a few other guys sat at a lounge in the corner. The couches glowed purple and so did Rodd's hair. There was an arcade in the other corner, screens lit to the max, and in the center was a bar. Zeke inched towards the arcade. Would people make fun of him if he went in? None of the guys were looking so he jolted around the corner. The walls were lined with shooting, fighting, and RPG games. Zeke raced to the game in the far back and looked at the machine. Instead of a coin slot there was a scanner. Zeke thought for a moment and remembered his ID card. He slid it through and the game's start menu appeared. There was a rustling sound to the side of the system. Zeke poked his head to the side. His surprisement caused him to fall back. Sitting on the floor next to the arcade game was the man from the bus. Zeke stumbled and grabbed for the controls, pulling himself up. "Are you alright?" the man asked. Zeke stood up and patted himself down. "F, fine!" The man stood up from the side. He had the same scarf on. Same pants. His shirt was doubled though. One tight long sleeve black shirt and a baggy gray t-shirt on top. "What are you exactly doin' down here?" Zeke asked, wiping his face. "Nothing, just thinking." Zeke looked over at the game screen and his character died. Game over. Zeke frowned. Then he realized that the man was still there. "Do want a drink or something?" Zeke asked. The man put his hand behind his neck as if he was embarrassed. "Yeah, sure. I misplaced my card though." Zeke smiled playfully. "It's alright! I got it! Beer?" "Actually, I'll have a cooler." "Sure thing. Wait here." Zeke said as he walked out. "A cooler?" Zeke thought, "How wussy-like!" He stepped up to the barman and cleared his throat. "Ill have a beer and a... cooler." The barman reached under the counter and grabbed two glasses filled them up. He lifted the two drinks up and placed them next to Zeke. Then he gasped. "You're that Zeke guy, right?" he asked. Zeke cocked his head to the side and grabbed the drinks. "Yeah, I am. How much?" "It's on the house. Word is getting around this club fast about your gallery shooting. Everyone’s' talking about it." Zeke grew red. "Thanks, man!" He returned to the arcade room and handed the odd man his drink. Zeke looked around and realized that there was no one else in there. "Thank you. Um, what was your name again?" the man asked. Zeke stopped drinking. "Oh, well, I never told you my name. I'm Zeke. You?" The man lowered his head. He just sat there for about five seconds. Zeke grew uncomfortable. "I'm Enit." "So, I doubt you're a soldier, right?" Enit looked up. He was thinking. "No, I'm... in the medical facility" "Oh, so that's why I haven't seen you around." "Correct." Zeke took another gulp. This guy was alright but he did weird Zeke out a lot. Enit sipped daintily at his cooler. Zeke watched. "Zeke! THERE you are!" Rodd yelled from behind. Zeke flipped his drink up and it spilled on his pants. "Oops. Sorry!" Enit laughed but then quickly apologized. Zeke stood up. Zeke put his hand to his face. It looked like he pissed himself. "I, uh, just want to talk to ya'." Zeke walked out. "Be right back, Enit!" Enit looked away when he said his name. Rodd pulled Zeke around the corner. "Sorry, but I have to warn you!" Zeke, starting to get sore from all of Rodd's pulling, pushing, and grabbing, angrily jerked away. "About what?" he said. "You know how there's no girls down here?" "Yes, thanks for reminding me." Zeke said as he started to walk away. Rodd pulled Zeke back by his arm. "Because of that, some guys go, well, you know." Zeke backed up a little. "No. What?" "Gay." Zeke backed up even more. "Oh, Rodd, well, sorry but I don't do tha-" "NOT ME, STUPID! I'm talking about that guy that was with ya'. I've never seen him before, but you can never be too safe, ok?" "Thanks. I'll keep it in mind." Zeke said starting to get scared. He blushed in front of that guy. He stuttered in front of him and even felt weird when he saw Enit. Zeke started to panic. It wasn't Enit that was, it was him. "No!" thought Zeke, "I've had plenty of girlfriends and stuff. I'm not gay!" He went back to the barman and asked for another beer. Downed it in less than a minute. Asked for another and went back to the arcade. Enit was sitting there on the bar stool. "Look, I gotta' go." Enit tightened his scarf. "Me too." he said as he stood up. Zeke flinched back. "Oh." Zeke said, gulping even more of the crisp liquid. "Perhaps we can ride together." "Wha?" Zeke asked thinking of the wrong kind of "ride". "The bus." "Oh, yeah! Sure." He walked out with Enit behind him. Rodd gaped at him as he watched the two walk out. Zeke and Enit stood and waited. The wind blew at Zeke. His upper legs felt cold from the spilled beer. Enit just stared at the moon. The bus crept up and the door slid open. The driver took one look at Zeke, Enit, and the stain on Zeke's pants and shook his head. They got on and walked to the back. Drunkness setting in, Zeke stumbled a little. This was a bad idea.

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