Awake Page 17

  “I know what you mean, I felt even more claustrophobic in the top deck than in the Statue of Liberty’s head,” Lee said.

  “Well I thought the top deck was awesome, but this is pretty cool too,” Ben said. After twenty minutes they headed back down to the ground floor.

  “Where are we going to go for dinner?” Ben asked as they exited the building. “I’m hungry.”

  “The cabbie recommended a place called Peche that he said we can get into without a reservation. It sounded pretty nice,” Lee said.

  “What kind of restaurant is it?” Stella asked.

  “He mentioned a lot of seafood. And lamb,” Lee said.

  “Ew, I’m not going to eat a baby sheep,” Stella said.

  “Then don’t. Like I said, they have seafood too. And I think all the restaurants here have vegetarian options. It is New York, after all,” Lee said.

  “It sounds good to me, let’s head over there,” Ivy said, waving down a cab.

  “Fine, but if anyone gets the lamb it’s going to really gross me out,” Stella said.

  As promised, the restaurant didn’t require reservations. After a short wait for a table to become available, Lee and the rest of the group were seated by a very clean-cut, courteous waiter. “What can I get you to drink?” he asked after handing them menus and filling their water glasses.

  “A bottle of your sparkling Sake would be great,” Lee said looking over to Ivy, who smiled and nodded.

  “And we’ll take a bottle of one of your moderately priced reds,” Ben said. “Surprise me.” The waiter thanked them and disappeared into the back to get the drinks.

  “What’s sparkling Sake?” Stella asked.

  “Don’t know, but it sounded good,” Lee said.

  “It sounds like carbonated Sake,” Ivy suggested.

  “Oh, that sounds really good,” Stella agreed. “Like Sake champagne. Why didn’t you get that for us, Ben?”

  “I’ll get some after we finish the wine, if you still want some then. I want to try it now too,” Ben said.

  “You guys can just try some of ours,” Lee offered.

  Continuing with his exceptional service, the waiter showed up with their two bottles, plus two wine and two Sake glasses. He opened the bottles and poured everyone’s drinks before turning to leave, saying “I’ll be back in a little bit to take your order. I’d recommend the striped bass if any of you are having trouble deciding. It’s very good, my favorite.”

  “Well I’m definitely going with that bass,” Lee said when the waiter had left, taking a sip of his Sake. “He probably eats here all the time, and it’s his favorite.”

  “I’m going with the duck, I can’t remember the last time I had duck,” Ben said.

  They discussed what they were all going to order for a few minutes more, and then the waiter came back. They put in their orders, and went back to talking and drinking.

  “So I was thinking that since we’re all probably going to have hangovers again in the morning, maybe we should take a break for a day tomorrow and just lounge around in the hotel,” Lee said.

  “Sounds good to me, I’ve been a little bit overwhelmed by all the tourist sites, it would be nice to not be around a ton of people for one day,” Ivy agreed, nodding over the rim of her glass..

  “I’m down, Stella and I were talking about taking a day off today, but the Statue of Liberty just sounded so fun,” Ben said.

  “Yeah, a recharge would be nice,” Stella added.

  The food showed up just as quickly as the drinks had, and everyone ate with relish. The food was very good; Lee didn’t think he’d ever had tastier bass.

  They finished their alcohol, and ordered another bottle of the sparkling Sake so Ben and Stella could try it. When they finished, Lee paid the bill, tipping the waiter even more than usual.

  “I’m just realizing, Stella and I were in this area last night, at like four in the morning, trying to catch a cab. I recognize that building,” Ben said when they stepped out into the night, pointing at a building down the block. “There are some good bars a few blocks away.”

  “Oh my god, I’d completely blacked that out!” Stella giggled.

  “Jesus, how did you guys end up all the way over here?” Lee asked.

  Ben laughed. “After the first couple of bars, we caught a cab and just told the cabbie to take us to a cool bar, and he brought us to this area.”

  “Good thing you guys didn’t get lost,” Lee said.

  “I wasn’t worried about it. I figured out that every cab driver in the city knows where the New Yorker Hotel is, so it’s always easy to get a ride back.”

  “Good thinking. I hadn’t really thought about it,” Lee said.

  “I think having a philosophy degree helps,” Ben said jokingly.

  “Well, at least it’s good for something.”

  Ben led them to a bar called Whiskey Trader. Lee liked the name, and he liked the interior of the bar even better. It was an old-fashioned place, the type of establishment that one thought of nowadays when they thought of a bar.

  The place wasn’t too busy, but busy enough that the only seats they could get were at the bar, which was fine by Lee. It certainly makes it easier to get drinks, he thought. The few tables that the place had were a bit small for a group of four anyway.

  “Hey guy, you feeling better today? You were pretty drunk last night,” the bartender said to Ben when they sat down, apparently recognizing him from the night before.

  “Er, yeah, I slept it off pretty well,” Ben said. embarrassed, clearly not remembering the bartender.

  “Well that’s good to hear. What can I get you guys?”

  Ben leaned over to Lee and said, “I’ll get the first round,” then turned to the bartender and said “I’ll take a pitcher of Old Portsmouth, and whatever these girls want.”

  “I’ll take a mango margarita,” Stella said.

  “A raspberry mojito for me,” Ivy said.

  Lee felt better the drunker he got. He still couldn’t shake the dark version of Manhattan he had seen from the Statue of Liberty, but the alcohol helped him keep his mind off of it. He was afraid that if he thought about his visions too much that they’d manifest, as if summoned. It had been a while since he’d seen the demon, and he hoped to never see it again.

  There was some talk of going to a club after they had a proper buzz going, but as the drinks flowed they forgot that idea and settled into the bar as it started to fill up. A few guys tried to hit on Stella, despite her clearly being with Ben, but she blew them off each time. Ben’s really figured her out, Lee thought. Though she looked ravishing, Ivy didn’t have the same problem. Lee thought it was because he threw off a vibe that he would fight over such an insult, which he indeed would.

  “This is the best-priced bar I’ve been to so far in New York. The prices aren’t much different than Seattle,” Lee said after the bartender brought over a fresh round.

  “I know, that’s what I loved about it last night, I remember. I’m not a huge fan of thirty dollar pitchers and fifteen buck mixed drinks,” Ben said as he poured himself another beer.

  “It really turns us girls on to hear guys talk about how cheap they are,” Stella said.

  “I don’t mind it at all, it’s smart to try and save money,” Ivy said, and put her arm around Lee’s waist.

  “Yeah Stella, almost all rich people try and find deals,” Ben said. “Just ask Lee.”

  “I’m not rich, just decently well off,” Lee protested.

  “Yeah right, with what, four books and two movies out?” Stella said.

  “Only one of those movies did halfway decent, the other was a big flop,” Lee said. “Not that it would have made me any more money if it had done well, what with the shitty agreement my publisher gave me on the movie rights that I stupidly signed off on. My publisher is actually here in New York, come to think of it. I should visit them sometime. I’ve never actually been to their office.”

  “The one that flopped wasn’
t so bad. Critics can be such idiots sometimes. You know what they say: ‘Those who can’t create, criticize,’” Ivy said.

  “Actually, Ebert did make a movie once. It was a piece of shit, but he did make one movie,” Lee said.

  “He was one of the ones who gave your movie a bad review?” Ivy asked.

  “Yeah, a big thumbs down. Sad thing is that it was one of the nicer reviews. I didn’t take it too hard though, I had almost nothing to do with making the movie,” Lee said. Normally he hated talking about this kind of stuff with anyone, but the alcohol had loosened his lips.

  “You made a movie?” another patron who’d overheard asked, a young drunk man with a thick New York accent.

  “Kind of, I wrote a book called Trapped and they made a movie based on it. Loosely based on it,” Lee said, emphasizing loosely.

  “Oh, I hated that movie, no offense. I wouldn’t bring it up too often if I were you: every New Yorker is a movie critic,” the man said, clearly drunk. “The book was alright though. At least the first half - I still need to get around to finishing it.”

  “Well that’s fucking rude,” Stella said.

  “It’s cool, like I said I didn’t like the movie either,” Lee said. “What’s your name buddy? Let me buy you a beer.”

  “Ted, and thanks man, I’ll take it. I don’t mean to be rude or anything, I’m just a little drunk. It’s really cool to meet you,” he said, and held out his hand.

  Lee shook the man’s hand, and then ordered a beer for the guy. Ted stayed for a few minutes and downed the beer quickly, but then said he had to meet some friends at a different bar and headed out.

  “That guy was a dick,” Ben said when he’d left.

  “Nah, he’s alright. Everyone has the right to their opinion. I just hate the professional critics that make money by doing it for a living, instead of creating something themselves.”

  A few more drinks later and starting to feel extremely drunk, Lee noticed that the bar had changed somehow. He couldn’t figure out exactly what, but he was certain that something had.

  After pondering it for a while, he finally realized what it was. The bathroom doors had been on the right side of the bar when they’d come in, he was certain of it. Now they were on the left side.

  It unsettled him deeply, though he didn’t dare mention it, for fear that the others would tell him that the bathrooms had always been that way and that he was losing his mind. “I think that I’d better get heading back to the hotel soon, I’m not feeling so great,” he whispered to Ivy.

  “Alright, should we see if Stella and Ben want to come along?” Ivy whispered back.

  “Sure, but they look like they want to party some more,” Lee said. He turned to Ben. “Hey Ben, we’re going to head out. Do you guys want to come along and save on the cab ride?”

  “I want go to a dance club,” Stella said before Ben could answer.

  “I guess we’re going to stay out for a while longer, if you guys don’t mind,” Ben said, shrugging.

  “All good. You guys have a good night,” Lee said, standing up with Ivy. He paid his tab, and they left.

  There weren’t any cabs in the immediate area, so they walked down to a busier street to flag one down, as calling for one on the phone seemed a bit silly in New York.

  They found a cab quickly. “So how was the day for you? I had a lot of fun,” Ivy said as they sat and watched the city go by.

  “Pretty good, just got nauseous back there,” Lee said.

  “Well I hope you’re not planning on straight to sleep,” she said, squeezing his thigh.

  “I couldn’t even if I tried.”

  As soon as they were back in their room Ivy pounced on him like a ravenous cheetah capturing a gazelle. He went along enthusiastically; he found that he never tired of making love to her.

  “So what’s the plan anyway?” she asked afterwards, as they lay together on the bed covered in sweat.

  “Dunno. I was thinking we could work our way up the coast when we’re done here. Or maybe down it, I’m not sure. It’s up to everyone,” Lee said.

  “That’s not what I meant. What’s the plan with us?”

  “I hadn’t really thought about it,” he said. “I love you, I know that. Considering the circumstances I hadn’t really been making any long-term plans.”

  “And you’re sure there’s no cure?” she asked, for what felt like the hundredth time.

  “Yes, no one has ever survived this,” he said, struggling to get the words out. Acknowledging his own mortality had always been hard, even before he found out he had a terminal illness.

  “But you seem so much better at times.”

  “I feel better sometimes, but I don’t think it can go on forever.”

  “Maybe it can. Doctors don’t know all there is to know about everything,” she said, sounding almost like she blamed all doctors for Lee’s condition.

  “Maybe. But in the meantime I know how we can make the best use of the time we have right now,” he said, and started kissing her again. They made love a second time, even more passionately than before, as though if they did it just right, they’d stay interlocked together forever.

  “I love you,” she said afterwards.

  “I love you too,” he said, and kissed the tip of her nose.

  They talked a little more, but Ivy was exhausted and fell asleep after apologizing for being so drowsy. When she was out he got up and took his pills, then lay back down next to her.

  He did his usual routine of rolling around and chasing sleep for a few hours. He finally passed out at around five in the morning, an hour after he’d heard Stella and Ben loudly and drunkenly stumble into their room.

  He had a dream that he was standing in the middle of Times Square at night, only instead of the usual 24/7 hustle, noise, and packed crowds, it was completely silent and empty, save himself. The electricity was still running, and he was blinded by the bright lights of all the advertisements.

  Suddenly, he noticed that the advertisements weren’t the usual ones for movies and shampoos that he’d seen before. They were replaced by advertisements for rusty, crooked knives, yogurt covered locusts, home abortion kits, cuts of meat that looked suspiciously human, and more.

  Something tapped him on the shoulder. He wanted to run away, but instead turned around slowly, his body no longer under his control.

  All he could see was an enormous, hideous mouth full of brown, jagged teeth. With lightning speed the mouth closed around him as he screamed.

  17

  Lee’s screaming woke both he and Ivy up. “You’re fine, you’re here with me in New York,” she said as he sat up shaking, rubbing her hand along his back.

  It took him a moment or two to compose himself, but eventually he said “Sorry, I had a bad dream.”

  “I figured. What was it about?”

  “All I remember is teeth,” Lee said, the memory suddenly disappearing in the blink of an eye.

  “Do you want something to eat? We can order breakfast from the room service,” Ivy said.

  He looked over and saw that it was half past eight in the morning. He had a terrible headache from the drinks. “Sounds good to me. I don’t think I’m going to get any more sleep after that dream.”

  “Aw, you should try and take a nap later. It’s our relaxation day,” Ivy said, picking up the room service menu and leafing through it. “Do you think Stella and Ben will want to get up and eat with us?”

  “No way, I heard them come in at four. They sounded really drunk. They’ll probably be out until the early afternoon, at the very least. Besides, it’d be pretty cramped, us all eating in here,” he said, sweeping his arm out over the small room.

  “Well if they got in that late we won’t bother, but we wouldn’t all have to be in our room. We could just open up that door between the rooms and semi hang out,” Ivy said, pointing to a door by the microwave that Lee hadn’t paid much attention to before.

  “That goes to their room? Shit, I thought
it was a closet.”

  “Well why didn’t you put your suitcase in it then?” Ivy asked, chuckling and pointing to Lee’s suitcase, which was sitting by the side of the bed.

  “I never use closets in hotels. Just don’t think of it. Why didn’t you tell me about the door all those times I went out to the hallway to get them out of their room?” he asked.

  “I figured that maybe you knew something I didn’t,” Ivy said, and went back to looking at the room service menu. “I think I’m going to order a cheese omelet, what do you want?” she asked, leaning over so that he could look at the menu with her.

  “Just scrambled eggs and bacon,” Lee said after looking briefly over the menu. “A glass of orange juice too. For eight dollars it must be amazing, right?”

  Ivy called the room service and put in the order. “They said it’s going to be a half hour or so,” she said, hanging up the phone. She picked up the remote and turned the TV on to the local news, which seemed to always be on one channel or another.

  The news was all about a man who, thought to be drugged up on something serious, had decided that for a midnight snack he’d tackle one of his friends and eat as much of his face as he could while the victim was alive and kicking. Officers had shown up almost immediately, and had put seven bullets into the cannibal to get him off of his friend. The attacker had died, and the victim had somehow survived. Though with his cheeks, nose, lips and one eye in his dead friend’s stomach, Lee wondered if the victim was happy he did.

  “Well this isn’t very appetizing, is it?” Lee asked after two minutes of detailed description by an announcer who seemed to be trying his hardest not to smirk.

  “No, it sure isn’t. Go ahead and change it,” Ivy said, and handed him the remote.

  He surfed through the channels and found a mindless sitcom about two bachelors raising a boy and settled on it, figuring something unchallenging would be the best way to start out their day off.

  They watched and made fun of the show until it was almost over, when a knock on the door signaled that their food had arrived. Ivy insisted on getting it, and came back a moment later carrying the meals and drinks on a giant tray. She set it down on the table.