The sound of the music pulsed through the nightclub. Located somewhere in the heart of downtown Atlanta, club Underground was the hottest new thing on the scene, if you could get in. Tom had never been one for this kind of music personally, but to each their own. Besides, he wasn't here for the music, he worked here.

The bike messenger ducked through the door to the management only area, carrying a package under his arm wrapped in brown paper and tied up with string. Julie Andrews would have been proud. He didn't know exactly what was in the package, he never did, they just paid him to go and pick them up, then bring them here and drop them off. Tom didn't ask, he needed the money and he was smarter than that. He knew that they were probably packages of this drug or that drug to be peddled off on the dance floor to those who had too much green to toss about.

Demi, as usual, wasn't in her office. Tom knocked politely three times, as he had been told to do, then left the package on the floor in front of the door. Demi would get it when she came in at about three or four in the morning. Hell, she was probably just down there partying with the patrons already. Demi was like that. Tom turned and headed back down the staircase to the dance floor. He wasn't interested in dancing, but maybe he would find a seat and have a drink. Nothing alcoholic, the Underground was strict about enforcing the drinking age, and there was no way he would be able to slip one past the bartenders, they all knew him already. He'd probably just have a coke and tell them to toss in some grenadine or something. Maybe if he was lucky she would show up before he headed back to the dorm for the night.

By the time he was through considering his drink order, he was already halfway to the bar, weaving and ducking between undulating bodies. He wasn't a particular fan of the music, but he did have to admit that it got people up and dancing. He even bobbed a bit to it himself. A hand caught at his shoulder just as he made it to the edge of the circle, and he turned to see a pair of big green eyes staring at him above a wide smile. "Oh, hay T." Tom said grinning back at her. Leave it to Taylor to show up before the drink, and not somewhere in the middle. He would get it later.

The girl's hand drifted down to Tom's arm and she giggled, "Dance with me," she called over the music, taking his arm and pulling him back into the crowd. Tom followed her with a grin, and it wasn't long before the two of them were moving to the beat in the middle of the crowd, bodies pressed against each other amidst dozens of others. He let himself get lost in the music, in the feel of her soft touches, in the murmur of her voice in his ear, telling him all the things she wanted him to do for her. His eyes widened and he muttered, "Wait what? Who?" She murmured into his ear again. "Squiv, but she's... She works here, she's a friend."

The girl backed away for a moment, then smiled. "A friend?" She said quietly. "Fair enough." Her smile got a bit wider, "Hey, let's go out back, all this dancing has me feeling a bit hot." Tom grinned back at her as she turned to lead him back through the club towards the back door. He was pretty sure she wasn't supposed to use the employee exit, but he wasn't about to stop her. The two of them stepped out into the alley beside the club, and came face to face with Demi.

"Oh, hey," Tom said, knowing that the two of them probably shouldn't be here, and that he was about to be in a lot of trouble. "I uh, I didn't know-" Demi cut him off with a glare and a curt "Shut it." She turned to Taylor. "He failed did he?" She asked. Taylor nodded. "Then dispose of him." Demi shoved past the two of them and went into the club. Tom turned to stare after her for a moment before turning back to Taylor and asking, "What was that all about?" Her reply was a right cross straight to Tom's jaw, sending him staggering backwards into the brick wall behind him and stumbling to the ground.

"The fuck?" Tom shouted. He started to get up but was knocked back to the ground by a swift kick to his ribs. Later he would discover that the noise he heard then was what cracking ribs sounded like. He hunched over on the concrete and coughed, blood splattering across the ground from where his teeth had cut his cheek open after that first cross. Another kick came, this time Tom rolled with it, letting it fling him farther down the alley away from her. "Tay, stop." He croaked, "Why?" His hands scrabbled at the wall next to him, finding a pipe jutting out and using it to leverage himself up.

He felt confusion welling up inside him. The spinning of his head didn't help that any. Under the confusion though, he felt anger. Taylor laughed at him. "That's what I like to see," she said. "A crushed little human being. That's where you belong. You know, they kept me from doing this for so long. You were useful you see? Bringing all those others for us." She smiled at him, "Cute little Thomas, just a bit of extra charm and you made such a good worm for the hook." She reached out and grabbed Tom's nose, shaking his head back and forth roughly. The anger inside him boiled a bit higher, rising as he listened to her words.

"So what, what do you mean?" He asked. Taylor sighed, then brought back her arm and slapped him full across the face, sending Tom spinning into the wall again. He held his grip on the pipe though, and managed to stay upright. "We used you, you idiot," Taylor yelled. "All of those people you brought us? We killed them. Every one. I ate them all up, and you're too much of an idiot to even realize it." She raised her arm to slap him again, but this time Tom's arm came up and blocked the blow. It still staggered him backwards, but not as badly this time.

His anger was taking over, bringing out the animal instinct in him. Tom's foot came up and lashed out, striking Taylor in the chest and knocking her backwards. She fell back onto the concrete and started laughing. "Oh," she said, "He's got some fight in him does he? Good, you know I like it rough Tommy." She picked herself back up to her feet. Tom wrenched at the pipe he had been hanging onto, the rusted connector holding it to the wall finally giving way to the elements and letting the pipe come free in Tom's hands. When Taylor lunged for him again, she caught the end of the pipe across the side of her head.

The fury was on Tom now, and he could see nothing but red as he brought the pipe down again towards the woman, not giving her time to get up again. Taylor screamed, "Tom, stop, wait!" She rolled on the ground, trying to escape the pipe before it came down a third time, splashing black blood across the concrete. "Tom it's me." She screamed. The pipe came down again and the scream turned into a rattling gurgle. Tom fell to his knees over her, pinning her on the ground as he raised the pipe and used it to continue pounding on the face until the body beneath him stopped struggling.

The rage slowly cleared from Tom's face as he stared down at the broken one beneath him. The image before him burned itself into his mind. The broken face of the woman he had been dating for the past six months. His hands and the concrete floor of the alley splattered with blood. His hands started to shake. He dropped the pipe with a clatter and stumbled backwards. The door opened, "Taylor what is taking you so lo-" Demi stopped and stared at the scene. "You... you killed her?" Demi said. It was the first time he had ever heard surprise in her voice.

Demi closed on Tom. Tom scrabbled backwards. There was the roar of an engine, and a car pulled into the alleyway. Demi turned and stared at the headlights, and then turned to flee. Doors opened and a pair of men in black suits with red ties came running towards Tom. One of them took off after Demi, and the other one took a knee next to Tom. "Alright kid, you're going to be fine. Come on, let's get you out of here."