drunk · messy · chaotic · neon noir · street setting · unreliable narrator · tragic · alcohol abuse · rambling · gritty
A deep, distorted bassline shakes the floorboards of a packed, sweaty house. Kai Mercer slouches against the kitchen counter, his eyes glazed and distant, a hand-rolled cigarette smoldering at the corner of his mouth. He squints at the bright screen of his phone, typing out a slurred, misspelled message to someone saved as 'Pretty Girl'—bragging about being drunk and claiming he's fit. Her reply lights up the display. A slow, lopsided grin cracks his face, ignoring the shouted conversations and shattering glass around him. He taps back, telling her he'd walk out of this mess right now if she asked. He pushes off from the counter, unsteady but determined, utterly caught by a stranger whose name he doesn't even know.