100 CHAPTER 99 INSIDE THE DEN

"Hello guys," Chris said and smiled warmly at the man. The smiles came naturally to him and easily. Matt had tried copying the smiles once, but they weren't as natural as the way Chris made them. It was a charming smile, but despite their appeal, it seemed to have no effect on the man at the door. He only stared ahead, with a bleak expression and eyes hiding behind those dark shades. The muscular arms that crossed his chest were tattooed, almost with the color of the badge on his breast pocket. His round head was also shaved to the skin, but he had a goatee which he held together with a white hairband.

"ID," His hoarse voice echoed, blending with his hefty features that stood, covering the entrance of the doorway. 

"Ah," Chris laughed and rested his hands on Pinna's shoulders as though they were in some intimate relationship. The girl did not object, nor did she approve, for she had set her elbow towards her stomach, so as to keep Chris's body from touching hers. Chris tried to remove the hands, but Pinna would not have any of it.

"Ladies," Chris chuckled, with his smiles growing wide on his face. 

Matt looked away from them. Somewhere in the night, he could hear the rustling of his favorite music. It sounded like 'Kiss the Sun' but he could not tell for sure. 'Kiss the Sun' had the same beat as 'Boom Jack in Floyer.' Only the lyrics differentiated the two. Just the lyrics and they reminded him of all those lonely times in the academy. Those days when he had lost Jeff, Ema, and Sandra. He would play the songs repeatedly until his eyes would run dry of tears.

"Okay," Chris said. He was nodding his head now to the tone of the music which seemed to be coming from the pub. The boy knew how to differentiate which of the two was playing, even without hearing the lyrics. Matt was the one that had introduced Chris to 'Kiss the Sun' and Boom Jack In Floyer.' But Chris sings it better now. The boy always perfects anything he does. 

"Satisfied?" Chris said and waved the green glowing card, using his fingers to cover the end of the card where the expiring date was. It was a VIP card, which he had stolen from his uncle, two years ago. The card had been useless to him until today. 

"Welcome to the Gluts-Hunter's Den, sir." The guard said as if tired. He shifted reluctantly from the door, not bothering to hide the frown and the disapproval.

Pinna beat Chris's hands away and walked towards the door. Matt also followed behind, but he cursed when he saw Chris looking back at the guard. What was he doing? 

"Are you okay?" Chris was saying to the man. The way he rested his hands on the man's shoulders made Matt want to scream. That they had passed through with an expired ID should be enough miracle for the boy not to push his luck. What on earth was he doing?

"What do you care, sir?" The guard said. If he was offended by Chris's hands which rested on his shoulders, he didn��t show. His round face was bare of emotions or expressions. The only thing that seemed to distinguish him from a butcher was his dark glasses and a white T-hat.

"Hey, come on. Talk to me, buddy." Chris patted the man's shoulders, urging him to step away from the door towards the street. The crease on the man's face was getting deep, and Matt could guess that he had followed Chris, not out of what Chris was saying, but just because, he thought Chris to be some kind of rich kid who had come to employ the Glut-Hunters to do his bidding. The VIP invitation card was not given with a greasy hand. It was only issued to two types of people, a friend of the Hunters and to a government official. 

"What is he doing? Is that part of the plan?" Pinna whispered behind Matt. She was as confused as he was. Chris might just be a genius in trying to perfect the act or might as well be acting like a fool at the moment. One wrong step and these guys would discover the act. One silly move and they would be dead. Matt tucked his hands into this jacket, even though he was not cold. The other two men on the doorway continued to stare ahead, but Matt could see them, observing him from the corner of their eyes. These men had been trained to kill, and they would do so for the right price.

Some hoarse laughter filled the air, and Matt lifted his head just in time to see Chris walking back towards the Pub with his hands still relaxing on the guard's shoulders. The man's face had brightened up a bit and was laughing at Chris's dry joke. Matt couldn't say for sure what had transpired between the two, but whatever it was, he didn't want any part of it. All he wanted to do at the moment was to get into the room and grab the general by the nape until he gives him a clue on how to rescue Ham.

"Thanks again," The guard chuckled and bowed gently at Chris. His fellow guards were looking at his direction now, and it was as if they were dying to ask him questions on how he had gotten so fortunate to meet with a young and rich lad.

"This way," Chris said and opened the door. The guise that lines the edges of his face said that he was not ready to explain himself. Not until their mission was complete, though.

The wooden door cracked silently as they opened and walked into the Pub. True to Matt's guess, it was the beat of 'Kiss the Sun' and 'Boom Jack In Floyer' that was playing, but from the lyrics, it became obvious that 'Kiss the Sun' was the song instead. Disco lights showered on the people with their colored grace as they danced to the tone of the music. There were men and ladies of different sizes and shapes, each jumping and screaming. Beside the far side, just where the red light beamed. Some men sat, smoking, and on their laps were some half-naked women, sprawling around them in their orgies and lust. The vent on the ceiling was doing a poor job of keeping the stuffy air cool. Too many people. Just too many people.

"Please stick to the plan," Chris shouted so that his voice could be heard over the music, "Allow me to do the talking. This will not be difficult if we work according to the plan."

Pinna grunted and said something about bridges and people who crossed them and then broke them. Matt could not place a meaning to the words, but he could guess that they had something to do with what Chris was saying. He followed behind Pinna as they trailed their way through the ocean of bodies. The stench of sweat was evident, but none of the people seemed to notice. The frenzy and the glee were too alluring for them to notice the way they now smelled.

"Official business," Chris shouted and flashed the smile at the girl behind the counter. Her hair was dyed blue, with a shade of red running across the right side of her hair. The two gold rings on her nose, contrasted with the color of her hair, but they were a perfect match to the glowing eyes which seemed to be weighing them. 

"ID," She said and popped the gum she was chewing. She also had a match stick on her lips, with beautiful tattoos covering the area on her skin where her red singlet failed to cover.

"Too many crowds here today," Chris said and handed the card to her, without looking at her direction.

"You must be new," She said, as she looked down on the green card. The expression on her face changed however and looked at them with the upper edge of her eyes.

"Expired ID," 

"What—th—can't be" Chris stammered, and for the first time that night, Matt saw him lose his composure. He was a fool. He had been too carried away by the presence of the crowd that he had forgotten the ID he had was an expired one.

"Check it very well. There must be a mistake somewhere," Chris said, but the girl was no longer looking at him. Her gaze was fixed on Matt, blinking as though she knew everything about him.

"What do you have to say about this?" She asked. It took Matt sometime for him to realize that the question was directed to him. He swallowed.

"There must be a mistake somewhere." Matt smiled, "The playboy must have let one of those girls sleep a fake ID into his pocket" The girl laughed at Matt's words. Chris was grunting irritably but tried to hide it. Pinna on the other hand seemed to be enjoying his chat with the waitress.

"I guess so," The girl's face glowed, and she tucked the red streak of her hair in her ears, "Here." She slides something on the table.

Matt's smile broadens as he took the card and hid them somewhere behind his back pocket.

"The red door," The girl said.

"But hey, this is cheating," Chris shouted, but Pinna and Matt ignored him as they made their way to the door, resting behind the couch where the men they had seen initially were.