Midnight Hunting

It was almost midnight on Josh Havers seventeenth night at Miskatonic University when he was hauled out of bed by his overeager roommate, Danny Trips, whom Josh had already pegged as a psychopath and hypersexual maniac, in order to go on a journey Josh really didn't want to go on. Josh had been asleep for about three hours because he was taking his coursework very seriously. Danny Trips was not. Danny Trips was out every night, engaged in some sort of clandestine activity that Josh preferred not to know about, but which must have been pretty exhausting, because Danny Trips spent most of his time in class asleep in the back.

Danny Trips was exactly the sort of person Josh didn't want to be. So when he woke at the ungodly hour of near-midnight to see Danny Trips's eager face grinning down at him, Josh felt only revulsion.

"Is the building burning down?" Josh asked.

"No," said Danny Trips. "Get up."

"No," said Josh.

Danny Trips siezed Josh by the ankles and dragged him onto the floor. Josh bellowed expletives.

"It's Friday," said Danny Trips. "Let's go. What, are you going to spend *every* night asleep?"

"Yes," said Josh. "Yes, I am. Go away."

He tried to climb back into bed. Danny Trips restrained him. "I have a moral obligation," said Danny Trips. "I can't let my roommate be the most boring concievable human. Let's go."

The altercation went on for some time, but the result was basically inevitable. Josh fumbled his way into some clothes and was dragged, miserable, into the streets. A throng of youths was waiting outside, all of them apparently known to Danny Trips. The sequence of greetings was interminable. Josh was introducing to a dizzying sequence of strangers, none of whom registered whatsoever in his brain, and then carried along by the crowd until he'd completely lost track of where he was.

"THE FAT MAN'S REVENGE"

"Hey, who are you?"

"What?" said Josh.

He was crammed into one corner of some bar called The Fat Man's Revenge. A combination of deafening music, blinding lights, and general malaise had relegated him to sullen silence. He had no idea where Danny Trips had gone. In fact he hadn't recognized a face in the crushing crowd for some time. He didn't recognize this girl either, although he sure didn't mind looking at her; she had big blonde hair and a welcoming smile and was wearing a tight black dress that barely reached the thigh.

"I said who are you?" she yelled.

"Josh," he yelled back.

"I'm Claire," she yelled. "Why don't you have a drink?"

It was because he was terrified of approaching the bar, which looked like a Ground Zero of bellowing alcoholics whose self-control was draining rapidly. He shrugged instead of explaining. She grabbed his hand. "Come on," she yelled, "let's go!"

He wasn't sure why he was getting such special attention - there were about a thousand other people available, and none of them crammed into an obscure corner - but he went along with it nonetheless. She dragged him through the throng towards the bar. He winced as the lights above the wall of liquor blasted him in the eyes. Claire got right up to the bar and yelled something at the bartender (a burly, tattoo-encased slab of a man), who produced two shot glasses and filled them with some suspicious blue liquid. Claire passed one to Josh. "Have a drink with me!" she yelled.

Josh drank. Up front the drink was gruesomely sweet; a moment later he felt like he'd just swallowed a tank of gasoline. He turned away so Claire wouldn't see him gagging. She laughed. "It's good, right?" she yelled.

"What?"

"It's good, right?!"

"Yeah!" Josh said, trying not to wince. Claire leaned over the counter to tap the bartender's shoulder; her skirt rode up her thighs, exposing just a hint of bare ass, which nearly threw Josh into convulsions. She held up two fingers. The bartender slid two more drinks across the counter. Josh took a deep breath.

"Cheers!" yelled Claire, holding up her glass. Josh drank and spent another ten seconds in a dizzy haze as the drink blasted through him. When he opened his eyes someone had grabbed Claire's arm - some dude in a white polo who was, inexplicably, wearing sunglasses indoors. He yelled something in her ear. She waved at Josh and giggled; the dude shot Josh a sneer and pulled Claire away from the bar.

Josh watched her go wistfully. What a weird experience, he thought, and started to return to his corner.

"There you are, man!" roared Danny Trips, so close that Josh jumped. "Where you been? Hey, you gotta meet someone!"

"What?" said Josh.

And was once again dragged through the crowd, this time by Danny Trips, who seemed to float perpetually in a crowd of raucous friends. Danny kicked open a door behind the bar, and Josh was relieved to find himself somewhere far less crowded and far less noisy.

The centrepiece of the dimly-lit room was a big mahogany table, littered with half-empty bottles, cigarettes, and playing cards. The table was occupied by six men with identical haircuts, all wearing impeccable black suits with loosened ties and jacket sleeves rolled up. Each of them had a half-empty glass of whiskey in front of him, a cigarette drooping from his lips, and a handful of playing cards. They all looked up silently as Danny Trips came in.

"Who's this?" said the man at the head of the table, to whom the others appeared to silently defer.

"This is the guy I was telling you about," said Danny Trips. "Josh Havers. Right?"

"Yeah." There was a brief silence as the man stared at Josh. Danny Trips interjected: "Josh, dude, this is my pal Mr John Avis, and these are, uh, Mr Blonde, Mr Sack, Mr Durmonde, Mr Clearford, and Mr Taft."

"Uh, pleased to meet you," said Josh. "I'm, um, not sure what I'm doing here?"

"Don't worry about it," said Mr Avis. "Why don't you kids pull up some chairs, make yourselves comfortable, and I'll explain the whole deal to you, Josh. How's that sound?"

"Deal?" said Josh. He looked at Danny Trips. "I think you might be -"

"One second," said Danny Trips, grabbing Josh by the arm and hauling him back outside. Once again deafened by the noise of the bar, Josh strained to hear as Danny hissed in his ear: "Look, dude, the only reason I didn't explain everything up front is that I KNEW you'd chicken out if I did, so just stick with me for ONE NIGHT and then you can totally bail if you want, okay?"

"Um," said Josh, as Danny hauled him back into the room. The men shuffled their chairs to leave spaces on either side of Mr Avis. Danny hauled two chairs into position and shoved Josh into one.

"Cool, fellows," said Danny, grinning. "Didn't interrupt your game, did we?"

Mr Avis extinguished his cigarette. "Why don't you and Mr Havers have a drink while we finish," he said. "Where's Emma? Emma!"

A door in the back opened and a girl came in. Josh spent a moment staring at her. She was a pretty brunette with long legs wearing tiny black hot pants, high heels and a tight halter top with no bra. "Two beers, Emma," said Mr Avis. "You boys drink beer, right?"

"Sure," said Danny. Dry-mouthed, Josh said nothing. Emma nodded and turned to go; Mr Avis slapped her on the rump, provoking a yelp of surprise. She scurried out of the room. Mr Avis picked up his hand of cards. "Let's finish the round, boys," he said.

Josh was too distracted to pay much attention to what game was being played. A few minutes later Emma returned with two beers, and he tried not to stare too openly as she leaned forward to set them on the table, causing her breasts to nearly spill out of her top.

Mr Avis was watching Josh with an expression of mild amusement on his face. "You like Emma, hey?" he said. "What's your name again, kiddo?"

Josh stammered for a moment. "He's Josh," said Danny Trips helpfully. Mr Avis assumed a paternal smile. "Joshua," he said, "I think we're going to get along just fine. Emma, come here."

Emma stood obediently beside Mr Avis, her hands clasped behind her back. "Emma," said Mr Avis, "how about you take that shirt off."

Emma stripped off her top, and Josh blinked rapidly, staring at her bare, pert breasts. Mr Avis smiled. "Emma," said Mr Avis, "why don't you show Joshua what you can do? It's time he and I talked business."

Emma promptly dropped to her knees and started to unbuckle Josh's pants. Josh allowed a muffled screech to escape his lips. "Joshua," said Mr Avis, "a week ago I made an offer to your friend Daniel here. He did a simple job for me - easy work, the sort of thing you might even enjoy. In return I gave him a handsome reward. Is that right, Daniel?"

"All true," said Danny Trips, grinning. Emma opened Josh's pants and his dick sprang out, vehemently erect. She touched the tip lightly with her tongue. Josh squealed. "Enjoying Emma?" said Mr Avis. "I thought you would. But make sure you pay attention, Joshua, because I'm about to make you the same offer I made Daniel. In two days, I need you to visit an exclusive club downtown. It's called the Hangman. Do you know it?"

"Mrg," said Josh, as Emma ran her tongue from the base of his shaft to the tip.

"Good," said Mr Avis. "I think you'll like the Hangman, Josh, and don't worry about getting in - we'll be giving you and your friend Daniel special VIP passes. If you don't own an appropriate outfit for the occassion, we'll provide one of those too. Once you're in the Hangman, Joshua, I want you to have some fun - get some drinks, get to know the place. It won't take long for you to notice that a lot of beautiful girls visit the Hangman, Joshua."

"Urk," said Josh, as Emma took the tip of his cock into her mouth.

"Some of these girls will probably take an interest in you and your friend, Joshua," said Mr Avis. "Maybe because of your natural charms. Maybe because of your VIP passes, and the tantalizing exclusive access they offer. Whatever the case, I encourage you to capitalize on their attentions. When you think the time is right, tell them you have a special ride waiting outside. Bring them out to the rear alley, where there will be a limousine waiting."

"Huh?" said Josh, spasming as his cock descended further into Emma's throat.

"Invite your lady friends, however many there may be," said Mr Avis, "and the more the merrier, Joshua - invite them to get into the limo. Feel free to join them on the ride. The driver will take you to a special location. When you reach that location, step out of the vehicle. Tell your lady friends you'll just be a moment. Another car will be waiting for you outside - get into that car, where one of my friends will be waiting with your reward."

"Ulg," said Josh, as Emma's nose brushed his pubic hair.

"That's all you need to do, Josh," said Mr Avis. "Mr Durmonde will give you more details on Sunday, when you'll be doing the job. Do you have any questions or concerns for me now, Josh?"

"Uuunngggh," said Josh, spasming as he came into Emma's mouth. She licked up cum off the end of his cock, let it slide of her mouth, and smiled at him as she swallowed.

"Good," said Mr Avis. "I look forward to a productive business relationship with you, Joshua."

Josh was in a daze for the next fifteen minutes. When he regained consciousness, it was to find himself walking home with Danny Trips down a quiet side-street.

"What was *that*," said Josh.

"Absolutely brilliant, isn't it?" said Danny, beaming. "That guy knows how to sell you on a deal, hey? And do you know what the reward is?"

"No," said Josh.

"Ten thousand dollars." Danny clapped him on the back. "I think I'm gonna buy a motorcycle after my next paycheck."

There were a million questions swimming in Josh's head, but he was too dumbfounded to ask any of them that night. He followed Danny Trips home, swimming in a vaguely post-coital haze. At one point he saw Claire, the girl in the black dress, walking with the guy wearing sunglasses. They were holding hands. Josh watched her for a while, but she never turned her head.

"A NIGHT AT THE HANGMAN"

Sunday night Josh climbed into the back of a black BMW with Danny Trips. The driver was an impassive stranger. Mr Durmonde was in the passenger seat.

"Hi," said Josh.

"Hey," said Danny Trips, beaming.

It had been a weird weekend for Josh. He'd meant to spend it studying; instead he spent it being fitted for a suit with Mr Clearford, another of Avis's intimidating friends. He was wearing that suit now (a deceptively casual outfit, perfectly fitted without looking too formal) and feeling deeply uncomfortable about the whole enterprise.

As they pulled away, Mr Durmonde began to speak in a slow, throaty drawl that would have threatened to put Josh to sleep if he hadn't been so riddled with anxiety. "Daniel has your special pass, Joshua," he said. "When you arrive at the Hangman, bypass the line and show it to the guards. They'll let you in. You can charge your drinks to the card, and don't worry about the price; it's all covered. When the time's right, bring at least one girl each to the limo in the alley. I hope I don't have to tell you this, but: the prettier the better, obviously. When the limo reaches its destination, it's very important that you both leave at the designated time, and that you don't return to the vehicle. Am I understood?"

"Absolutely," said Danny.

"Yeah," Josh mumbled.

"Good," said Mr Durmonde. "Here we are. Conduct yourselves well, boys."

They stepped out of the car. Danny handed Josh a jet-black card (pleasantly hefty) with the phrase HANGMAN VIP stamped on it in gold. The flashy neon of the Hangman caused Josh's head to swim momentarily; Danny Trips dragged him down the sidewalk, past the line that stretched all the way around the corner, directly to the main door, where a burly man in black glanced at their passes and waved them in.

The music washed over Josh immediately. He felt his heartbeat race to catch up. The crowd was overwhelming: a mass of young and beautiful people, perfectly coiffed, expensively dressed. Josh felt like he was about to throw up.

"Come on," Danny yelled, pulling Josh to the bar, where a miniature waterfall cascaded over rows of carefully curated liquor. Danny beckoned to the bartender and ordered something Josh couldn't quite hear.

"Danny," said Josh, "I don't know if I can do this."

Danny clapped him on the back. "You'll be fine," he said. "The first step is to get *viciously* drunk."

The bartender slid two drinks onto the counter. "Cheers," said Danny, and Josh shrugged and pounded it back. His vision blurred for a moment.

"Phew," he said.

"Feeling better already," said Danny. He held up two fingers to the bartender. "Dos mas, buddy," he yelled.

Two or three drinks later, Josh's anxiety had been buried in a blurry haze of alcohol, and he felt about ready to go along with whatever Danny Trips had in mind. Danny boosted himself up onto the bar and surveyed the room. "Targets acquired," he said, grinning. "Can I get four Mai Tais, please?"

The target in question was a group of four girls gathered around a table at the bar. All four wore various flavours of miniskirts, fishnets, bodices, and high heels; Josh was far too intimidated to approach them, but Danny Trips was awash with confidence, and Josh was dragged along in his orbit.

Josh was never quite sure what happened next. Evidently Danny Trips engaged his mysterious charm, and the four girls were swept along by the fantasy, or maybe just by the prospect of endless free drinks. By the time Danny suggested they go to his limo, everyone was fully on board.

"Follow us, ladies," said Danny theatrically, throwing his arms around two of them. The other two looked expectantly at Josh, who shrugged. "Okay," he said, and clasped their waists. If he recalled correctly, their names were Trish and Lola. The six of them staggered out through the back door.

There really was a limo there - Josh had been harbouring a deeply-rooted fear that this was all a big trick. They clambered in. Danny yelled something exuberant to the driver. The limo started moving.

"Holy shit," said Trish, gaping. "This is incredible!"

Josh had to agree, though he did his best to play it cool: the inside of the limo was spectacular - a long coach looping around the outside, a glowing minibar against one wall, the lights of the city shining through the tinted windows. Danny went straight to the minibar. "Gin and tonic, everybody," he announced. "Watch me work!"

Josh sat on the couch, and Trish and Lola sat on either side of him, giggling, as Danny lined up six glasses and started to pour. The limo started moving. "Where are we going?" said Lola.

Josh was at a loss, but Danny turned and winked. "Somewhere *abundantly* cool," he said. "Don't worry about it!" Lola giggled and grabbed Josh's arm. He turned, taking in her bare arms and shoulders, her tight minidress, the fishnets on her legs. Trish brushed his leg with her hand. He turned to her, her lush black hair, her long bare legs, the cleavage spilling out of her shirt. The booze was swimming around in his brain. He couldn't believe what was happening. At the minibar, Danny Trips produced six olives and planted one in each glass with a flourish.

"Settle in, ladies," he said.

He distributed the drinks, sat between the other two girls, who immediately started giggling and groping at his shirt. Josh focused on his drink. Trish drained hers in one rapid gulp, dropped the glass. It shattered on the floor. "Oh!" she said.

"Don't worry about it," Josh said, doing his best not to slur. Trish giggled again. "Okay," she said. Her face was incredibly close to his; he could see the flecks of makeup on her eyes, smell her peach perfume. He kissed her. She kissed back, hard.

"What about me?" Lola pouted.

He turned and kissed her. She tasted like strawberries. Trish was stroking his arm, nibbling at his ear. He turned back to her, kissed her again. Lola's hand groped at his chest. He let his right hand fall on Trish's bare leg, felt a thrill course up his spine at the feeling of her smooth skin. He brought his other hand to her breast. She moaned, melted in his arms, as they kissed again. He could feel Lola's fingers fumbling with his pants.

Josh felt like he was going to explode. He slid his hand up Trish's skirt, sliding a finger past her tiny panties, felt the warm, moist curve of her pussy. She pressed her breasts against him, whimpered, as he pulled her panties down. She helped him pull them down to her ankles. Lola finished unbuckling his pants, slid to her knees on the floor, and opened her mouth.

"Oh grrrm," Josh gasped, as she licked the tip of his cock. Trish pulled her dress up to her hips and slid her leg over his lap, mounting him, letting his cock brush against her pussy. Josh leaned back in his chair, trembling, as she slid herself onto him.

"Oh god," she moaned, grinding against him, while Lola's little tongue flicked against his balls. Josh's eyes rolled back in his head. He groped blindly at Trish, pulling her dress off her shoulders, exposing her small, pert breasts. He kneaded them with his fingers, playing across her tiny nipples, while she squirmed on his cock, while Lola played her tongue across his balls and the base of his shaft where it entered the other girl's pussy. Fireworks went off in his head. He felt Trish's pussy contract as she came, and the pressure finally set him off; he exploded into her pussy, shuddering at the ecstasy of the release. She leaned against him, her bare breasts brushing his chin, panting.

"What about me?" said Lola plaintively from between his legs.

The limo stopped. Josh glanced over at Danny. He was balls-deep in one half-naked girl, whose face was buried in the pussy of the other half-naked girl, who was busy sucking Danny's face.

"We're here, Danny," said Josh.

"Whoa," said Danny, pulling out. "Sorry, girls! We'll be back in one second! Just wait here."