Year Zero
Chapter Four
February 15th 2007
8:55pm
So far the idea of the Nine Inch Nails concert was going well.
Tony and Michelle had got to the venue by taxi, despite the high rip-off fare which they did pay after some heated words, the two youths were there.
The hustle and bustle of the fans pushing by them to get a better view of a stage was interesting to Michelle. Never had she been to a concert before, the people rushing to the front were either tall or had big hair so why they wanted front seats was beyond her. Probably to obstruct small people from seeing the band probably, tall people liked to taunt you like that.
“I didn’t think it’d be this busy”
Michelle yelled into Tony’s ear trying to get her voice higher than the hundreds of people talking at once. Tony did that sort of lopsided smile he often did whenever he smiled at her. It only made Michelle think with a grin: dork.
“We’re at a concert Chelle it’s meant to be busy and besides, the band are going to be on in five minutes so everyone is getting ready”
Michelle sort of nodded.
She was happy to be there no doubt but something just seemed off.
All evening Michelle had been getting cramps in her stomach which felt like someone was tying her insides in knots, and if it wasn’t the cramps which were bothering her it was the sudden chills she’d get. Her mother had told it was called: ‘somebody walking over her grave’. However it has never occurred this regularly. She hadn’t mentioned it to Tony; he’d probably panic and take her home missing the show for both of them.
Not only that she’d found a rash on his right wrist, an itchy, irritating rash which refused to halt its attack on her despite all the ointment she had used.
“Which reminds me, I’ve got to hit the John. Wait outside the men’s for me alright?”
Tony uttered loudly as he grabbed Michelle by her irritant wrist and dragged her to the men’s lavatory door. Letting go off her wrist he offered her another smile before entering.
She smiled back until the door closed.
Frowning now, her fingernails scratched at her wrist brutally.
xxxx
It was the pungent smell of urine and male body odour which made your nose twitch.
The lights shun brightly down at the dirty, grey tiled floor which had sticky stains on it making each person who stood on those certain points stop, look at the bottom of their shoe then carry on.
Six urinals were lined up neatly in a row at the bottom of the toilets; to the left on the other wall were six dirty, toilet paper plugged sinks which had black stains round the bowels and moulding taps. So hygiene was clearly not the strong point here, well then again it was a Nine Inch Nails concert. These toilets were probably clean before.
Opposite the sinks were the toilet cubicles.
The doors were wooden, written on with black permanent ink with phases such as: ‘Bryan’s gay’ or ‘Kirk had Lucy here 05’. So perhaps the toilets were exactly clean the previous night. Then again marker pen didn’t rub off wood very easily did it?
Tony stood outside one of the cubicles.
His thumb began to rub cautiously against his index finger; his fingers were clenched in a fist, as he dared himself to into the cubicle. Tony wasn’t a clean freak but he had some standards, this place was the shits.
“Are you going to go or not man?” An angry voice hissed behind him, “There is a queue y’know”
Tony didn’t dare look back and saw his chances with the grungy toilet more reasonable.
Pushing open the toilet door the young man stepped in and slammed it shut behind him locking it tight.
It smelt worse in there then it did out there.
The toilet was clogged with toilet paper and round the bowel was a whole different story. Thick stains of brown donned it, Tony was tempted to push the seat down to stop himself from looking but the toilet seat was just as much a mess.
“This is ridiculous”
Tony grunted to himself knowing going for a pee behind a bush was more hygienic than this place.
Making his decision not to use the public lavatories Tony turned to unlock the door but stopped suddenly.
Something had glinted in the corner of his eye as he had turned round. He turned back round, his eyes glued to the floor searching for that prior shine.
There!
Crouching down to the floor Tony’s head tilted to the left, underneath some toilet roll was a shine of something metal. Money he hoped.
Using his thumb and index finger Tony lifted up the toilet paper and slung it into the open toilet.
He raised an eyebrow in confusion.
It was a USB drive.
Picking it up using the same fingers Tony raised it to his face for a closer look.
Who would leave a USB drive in a shit hole like this? Tony thought while he lifted himself up so he now stood up straight.
“Hurry up!”
The same, horrid voice boomed loudly behind the door.
A pound then made the door shudder and the rest of the cubicle shake from impact.
Pocketing the USB drive he unlocked the door and left as fast as he could.
He was a lover, not a fighter.
xxxx
“What took you so long?”
Michelle snapped annoyed as she tapped her watch.
Nine Inch Nails were now on stage, no wonder that guy was in such a rush to use the John.
“I’m sorry but I found this-“
“No time!” She cut him off before grabbing his arm and pulling him in the direction of the vigorous crowd.
The atmosphere was electric.
Fans were all around them, their mouths opened wide as they sung along to the first song Wish. Feet tapped the floor making it shake silently and almost unnoticeable beneath them. The air was hot and sticky, making it hard for everyone to breath but it didn’t matter. The heavy guitar, the heavy people pushing each other in vain attempts to start a mosh pit was stimulating. The familiar vocals of Trent Reznor screeched through their ears, he was no Neil Diamond when it came to singing but it didn’t matter not to any of these fans. It was the raw emotion that man put into each of his songs, the undeniable truth which poured from your stereo speakers which only certain people could hear past the gritty sounds.
Tony’s eyes lifted to the stage past the Mohawks and tall people of course.
The band stood in all their glory. Trent Reznor’s nose against the microphone as he ‘sang’, Aaron North running around the stage with his Gibson, Jeordie White doing nothing but stand there and play his bass, Alessandro singing backup vocals as he shook his head to the music and, Josh Freese however was out of view.
Tony looked to his right surprised by the sight.
Michelle had really gotten into it; she bounced on her heels yelling along to the words along with the rest of the hundreds in the room.
Watching her enjoying herself had done it for Tony; he joined her in her bounce and song.
If you can’t beat them then you may as well join them.
8:55pm
So far the idea of the Nine Inch Nails concert was going well.
Tony and Michelle had got to the venue by taxi, despite the high rip-off fare which they did pay after some heated words, the two youths were there.
The hustle and bustle of the fans pushing by them to get a better view of a stage was interesting to Michelle. Never had she been to a concert before, the people rushing to the front were either tall or had big hair so why they wanted front seats was beyond her. Probably to obstruct small people from seeing the band probably, tall people liked to taunt you like that.
“I didn’t think it’d be this busy”
Michelle yelled into Tony’s ear trying to get her voice higher than the hundreds of people talking at once. Tony did that sort of lopsided smile he often did whenever he smiled at her. It only made Michelle think with a grin: dork.
“We’re at a concert Chelle it’s meant to be busy and besides, the band are going to be on in five minutes so everyone is getting ready”
Michelle sort of nodded.
She was happy to be there no doubt but something just seemed off.
All evening Michelle had been getting cramps in her stomach which felt like someone was tying her insides in knots, and if it wasn’t the cramps which were bothering her it was the sudden chills she’d get. Her mother had told it was called: ‘somebody walking over her grave’. However it has never occurred this regularly. She hadn’t mentioned it to Tony; he’d probably panic and take her home missing the show for both of them.
Not only that she’d found a rash on his right wrist, an itchy, irritating rash which refused to halt its attack on her despite all the ointment she had used.
“Which reminds me, I’ve got to hit the John. Wait outside the men’s for me alright?”
Tony uttered loudly as he grabbed Michelle by her irritant wrist and dragged her to the men’s lavatory door. Letting go off her wrist he offered her another smile before entering.
She smiled back until the door closed.
Frowning now, her fingernails scratched at her wrist brutally.
xxxx
It was the pungent smell of urine and male body odour which made your nose twitch.
The lights shun brightly down at the dirty, grey tiled floor which had sticky stains on it making each person who stood on those certain points stop, look at the bottom of their shoe then carry on.
Six urinals were lined up neatly in a row at the bottom of the toilets; to the left on the other wall were six dirty, toilet paper plugged sinks which had black stains round the bowels and moulding taps. So hygiene was clearly not the strong point here, well then again it was a Nine Inch Nails concert. These toilets were probably clean before.
Opposite the sinks were the toilet cubicles.
The doors were wooden, written on with black permanent ink with phases such as: ‘Bryan’s gay’ or ‘Kirk had Lucy here 05’. So perhaps the toilets were exactly clean the previous night. Then again marker pen didn’t rub off wood very easily did it?
Tony stood outside one of the cubicles.
His thumb began to rub cautiously against his index finger; his fingers were clenched in a fist, as he dared himself to into the cubicle. Tony wasn’t a clean freak but he had some standards, this place was the shits.
“Are you going to go or not man?” An angry voice hissed behind him, “There is a queue y’know”
Tony didn’t dare look back and saw his chances with the grungy toilet more reasonable.
Pushing open the toilet door the young man stepped in and slammed it shut behind him locking it tight.
It smelt worse in there then it did out there.
The toilet was clogged with toilet paper and round the bowel was a whole different story. Thick stains of brown donned it, Tony was tempted to push the seat down to stop himself from looking but the toilet seat was just as much a mess.
“This is ridiculous”
Tony grunted to himself knowing going for a pee behind a bush was more hygienic than this place.
Making his decision not to use the public lavatories Tony turned to unlock the door but stopped suddenly.
Something had glinted in the corner of his eye as he had turned round. He turned back round, his eyes glued to the floor searching for that prior shine.
There!
Crouching down to the floor Tony’s head tilted to the left, underneath some toilet roll was a shine of something metal. Money he hoped.
Using his thumb and index finger Tony lifted up the toilet paper and slung it into the open toilet.
He raised an eyebrow in confusion.
It was a USB drive.
Picking it up using the same fingers Tony raised it to his face for a closer look.
Who would leave a USB drive in a shit hole like this? Tony thought while he lifted himself up so he now stood up straight.
“Hurry up!”
The same, horrid voice boomed loudly behind the door.
A pound then made the door shudder and the rest of the cubicle shake from impact.
Pocketing the USB drive he unlocked the door and left as fast as he could.
He was a lover, not a fighter.
xxxx
“What took you so long?”
Michelle snapped annoyed as she tapped her watch.
Nine Inch Nails were now on stage, no wonder that guy was in such a rush to use the John.
“I’m sorry but I found this-“
“No time!” She cut him off before grabbing his arm and pulling him in the direction of the vigorous crowd.
The atmosphere was electric.
Fans were all around them, their mouths opened wide as they sung along to the first song Wish. Feet tapped the floor making it shake silently and almost unnoticeable beneath them. The air was hot and sticky, making it hard for everyone to breath but it didn’t matter. The heavy guitar, the heavy people pushing each other in vain attempts to start a mosh pit was stimulating. The familiar vocals of Trent Reznor screeched through their ears, he was no Neil Diamond when it came to singing but it didn’t matter not to any of these fans. It was the raw emotion that man put into each of his songs, the undeniable truth which poured from your stereo speakers which only certain people could hear past the gritty sounds.
Tony’s eyes lifted to the stage past the Mohawks and tall people of course.
The band stood in all their glory. Trent Reznor’s nose against the microphone as he ‘sang’, Aaron North running around the stage with his Gibson, Jeordie White doing nothing but stand there and play his bass, Alessandro singing backup vocals as he shook his head to the music and, Josh Freese however was out of view.
Tony looked to his right surprised by the sight.
Michelle had really gotten into it; she bounced on her heels yelling along to the words along with the rest of the hundreds in the room.
Watching her enjoying herself had done it for Tony; he joined her in her bounce and song.
If you can’t beat them then you may as well join them.