Breathe in. Yes. One deep, deep breath. Clear your mind of fear, of worry, of doubt. Feel the power tingling in your fingertips, your toes, your third eye. Bring all thoughts back to the centre. Back to the centre, deep in the core. Hold the breath in, yes, hold it in. Relax every muscle, every tendon, every sinew. Slow the flow of your blood to a leisurely crawl. Feel the power of the universe sustaining your spirit. Remember, this vessel is but a temporary structure. What it houses is immortal, is beyond the boundaries of space and time. What—
‘Fuck, I’m tired. Hungover as fuck as well.’
A harsh voice speaking Thai jolted Ranomi out of her meditative trance and into the discomfort of the immediate present.
‘Ha! What’s the matter, you had two beers last night instead of one?’ another rough voice chuckled in response.
‘Fuck you, asshole. Two six-packs. And I still banged two whores at the massage place after that.’
‘Yeah, at that spot you like to visit, I hear half of ‘em are men with their cocks tucked between their thighs. So maybe they banged you, huh?’
‘Piss off! Ha, well your prick is so small you wouldn’t even need to tuck it anywhere to pretend you’re a bitch.’
The second man roared with laughter at this jibe. Another voice then interrupted them, but this one was a lot smoother, carrying in its tone an air of cool sophistication.
‘Excuse me you two, but could I have the papers please? I need to sign off this shipment and get back into the club. We’re busy as all hell tonight.’
‘Here you go,’ one of the deliverymen grunted. ‘Sign here, here and here.’
Through the sides of the crate came the sound of the hasty scratching of a pen on paper.
‘All right, you two clowns know where to take this crate, right? Up the stairs, to the right, first door when you reach the second floor.’
‘Got it.’
Ranomi heard curt footsteps clopping away. After the man had left, the deliverymen resumed their grumbling.
‘What a stuck-up little bitch.’
‘Yeah. That cunt has a real “punch-me-in-the-face” kinda look, doesn’t he?’
‘I wish I could. I’d snap his pencil-neck like a twig. Best Muay Thai fighter in my village I was, back when I was seventeen. I can still throw a killer punch and leg kick combo, you better believe it.’
‘Yeah yeah, not that it matters much now, killer. Come on, we gotta load this booze crate. You know how the cocksuckers at this club get if we take our time.’
Ranomi inhaled deeply and focused on remaining still and silent as the two workers positioned themselves on either side of the liquor crate. Any movement or sound now could give her away and doom the mission to failure.
‘All right asshole, you ready?’ the first one gnarled.
‘I’m ready, don’t know if my fuckin’ back is though! Fuck it, let’s go. On three. One, two, three, up!’
The deliverymen lifted up the crate, and inside it Ranomi remained completely motionless as they grunted and heaved, hauling the heavy item up the stairs. With one final bout of gasping and cursing they reached the storeroom behind the bar and deposited the crate there, grumbling as they left. Their voices were quickly drowned out, though, by the miasma of other noises that comprised the soundscape of this room; the wall-shaking bass beats emanating from the dancefloor, the tinkling of glasses at the bar, the undulating, ceaseless roar of thousands of voices shouting, talking and laughing all at once.
Time was of the essence; Ranomi had to act immediately. She pulled on the string that would open the specially constructed side of the crate, out of which she would be able to slither. With a creaky pop and a rushing in of smoky air the crate opened outwards, and Ranomi hauled herself out, a surge of soothing relief spreading like a warm elixir through her aching limbs as soon as she was able to stretch and flex them.
This respite was short-lived though; a sucker punch of panic decked her as the door handle suddenly turned. With a slickness of speed that would have impressed any feline, she darted across the room to the far side of a towering fridge and pressed herself up against the side of it.
The noise of the club came charging in the instant the door opened.
‘Thank goodness,’ a high-pitched female voice exclaimed in Thai above the din. ‘They’ve finally brought in more vodka. I thought we were gonna run out at the bar.’
‘I’ll take three bottles to my side of the bar, and you take two to your side, darling,’ an effeminate male voice responded. ‘They’re animals out there tonight! Oh my!’
Ranomi kept herself statue-still, listening intently.
‘All right dear, I’ve got my bottles, you got yours?’ the man continued. ‘Yes? Fantastic! Hurry, back to the bar, those two new fake-titted floozies can’t handle it on their own!’
Ranomi breathed out a sigh of relief as she heard the two bartenders leaving the room – and then sucked the air straight back in again as the man abruptly turned on his heels and headed back into the room.
‘Oh! I almost forgot, darling, that the fridge at the north end of the bar is almost entirely out of soda water, so I’ll grab a case from the fridge.’
Ranomi kept herself pressed up
