Scene II: Limbo

Having seen no one for hours, Dante now begins to notice the shapes of people slipping in and out of the shadows as they walk on in the darkness. He's not sure if it's his eyes and tiredness - maybe they're imagined. There are no faces, only shapes, even when they notice Dante and jerk their necks to briefly stare and glance shiftily, before falling back into the shadows.

They keep moving.

Looming out of the darkness like a vertical Titanic, a vast tower block emerges in front of them, how the fuck did he not see that earlier, its sheer sides disappearing upwards into the black cloud of night.

They reach a locked gate with a battered touchpad and it buzzes open, seemingly aware of their arrival.

By the battered and graphed silver doors of the lift, shadow figures swirl in the dark stairwell and the growling snarls of huge dogs circle around them from all sides. A terrible scraping metallic rasp screams from the lift shaft as the doors shudder open and a shadow of the biggest dog he's ever seen pours out of the garish, harsh chrome light of the lift. Everything swirls into white noise, he claps his hands to his ears, spinning round and it's Virgil's placid face he sees last before he blacks out.

Dante wakes slumped on a couch in a warm living room, surrounded by people on all sides, chatting and listening to tunes, no one smiling but no one miserable either.

Next to him two girls look down, he asks who they are and they explain, nameless, how they always wanted to get to this party, always wanted to finish college, always wanted to get a job, nearly got off their arses to do something but just couldn't seem to be bothered, no drive, no direction, no faith in themselves or nothing, innit. So they're always here at this party, they've never left, and they can't be bothered to see who else is even here so they just sit and stare, enjoying to a degree but never really engaging with anything.

Others in the room seem to briefly take notice of what the girls are saying before returning, bored, to stare at the person they're with. It seems like things register for a moment then slip back into a thousand yard stare. He looks back at the girls and they're frozen where they sit.

Virgil emerges from the crowd with two beers and beckons Dante to rise. The two men make to move out of the flat, past rooms and rooms and rooms of similar people and scenes, all frozen stares and no expressions.

As they reach the door, a guy with a bland expression passes a joint to Dante who, relieved for some interaction and the prospect of a good smoke, reaches eagerly for the outstretched hand. But before he can grasp the smouldering cone Virgil grabs his wrist and motions to Dante to stare back at the bland, lifeless party, whispering "bad weed man".

Dante turns back and stares into the expressionless eyes of the guy still holding out the joint, nods in appreciation and declines, following Virgil out of the flat, round and up into the dark stairwell.