Welcome to Las Vegas. At 131 Square Miles and a population of over 500,000 in the city proper (over 1,000,000 in the Metro Area), it’s a close knit town. Well, sorta.
Still, Las Vegas is America’s party town. People come here to do the kinds of things that you can do in just about any major city, but we won’t look down on you for it. Hell, it's how we all make a living. If you like to party, booze it up, get your freak on, or get it on with a freak, LV (America’s Armpit) is the place to go.
While the Strip is the place most folks talk about, it isn’t really my scene. To me, the Strip is like dinner at a fancy restaurant - don’t bother if you aren’t wearing a jacket and don’t like to look down on the little people.
No thanks.
Fremont Street is wear I run. It has the atmosphere of a college keg party, and for pure entertainment value, the Strip doesn’t touch it.
Free concerts almost every night? Yup. Talented entertainers that don’t cost an arm and a leg? Bingo. Booze that’s dirt cheap? Hell yes.
But Halloween is a special time on Fremont Street. Sure, on any given day you can see folks in costume. But nearing the 31st, it becomes a dream for people who love All Hallows Eve.
That’s right folks, we’ve got it all. From zombies (shit tons of them, given a boost by the zombie walk on the strip) to girls in hot costumes and dudes wearing dresses, there’s a little bit here for everyone. Ninja turtles seemed popular, and for some damn reason I saw a LOT of panda bears. Seriously. WTFs with that?
But what I noticed the most were the couples. While Halloween has traditionally been a holiday for the kids, filled with ghost stories and lots of sweets, it seems to me that it’s become a tradition for people in love.
So many of the costumes went together. Kings had their queens, Lucy had her Ricky (in black n white, of course), and Red Riding Hood had her Big Bad Wolf. Smiles were a plenty and there was lots of kissing and PDA. Can’t fault people in love.
Some highlights of the night were sexy storm troopers showing bare midriffs and wonderful curves (Lucas, why didn’t you think of this), the gingerbread man, and an adorable little gal dressed as Belle from Beauty and the Beast (she got her picture taken with some soldiers - seeing little Belle with a huge gun was super cute). Why was this kid out a 00:45? Oh, and the remote control Jigsaw riding the tricycle was pretty damn sweet.
The fun and cuteness just seemed to emphasize something that’s been nagging at me. I don’t belong here. Kids? Cute, but I miss Caleb and hate that I can't get him out here sooner. Couples? Hah. I’m alone here, at least until someone gets off her ass and comes out to me. Costumes? I don't think so, Tim.
And while I don’t feel so great about that, given what I saw here tonight, it may not be a bad thing. Not having someone that I'm attached to here could potentially save my life.
You see, all fun and cuteness aside, it seems that the college atmosphere of Fremont Street may have gotten out of hand tonight. At least, I hope that’s all it was. Because tonight, I may have been witness to the start of one of the greatest fears of my generation - the zombie apocalypse.
We’ve all thought about it. The possibility of some sort of virus that drives people mad and turns vegans into flesh eating psychos is there on the fringes of our minds. But what if it’s not just a fear? What if it isn’t just some silly notion?
Case in point, the gentleman I met tonight. We’ll call him Bryant in order to maintain his anonymity. Hopefully, my respect for his privacy won’t doom us all.
I met Bryant in the bathroom of the Fitzgerald while I was washing my hands. He stumbles in, pain and confusion etched on his face. His hand is covered in blood.
“Holy shit man,” I said. “What happened?”
“This crazy bitch just grabbed my hand and bit me!”
Isn’t that how it always starts in the movies?
Bryant’s story was a bit out of the norm on fair Fremont Street. There are plenty of whorish girls, traipsing about is short skirts looking to get their mouth on something. There are plenty inebriated men and women making out and nibbling each other’s necks. But a full on bite? Near Halloween no less?
Hmmm.
I turned on the water for him and told him to get it cleaned up. It was swollen and a bit purple where she had bit him. Hopefully, all it will do is leave a nasty scar.
“Why the hell she bite you?”
Bryant took a moment to answer. “I don’t know,” he finally said. “I was drinking my beer and she went to grab it. I pulled my hand away. Then she just grabbed my wrist and bit down!”
I’m hoping that this ghoul was just a very drunk chica. However, I would question the likelyhood of a person chomping down on a guys hand because he didn’t give her his beer. I wonder if somehow, she caught the virus and that it was starting to get to her.
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| Sorry for the poor image quality and total lack of blood. It didn't occur to me to get a picture until after it took the picture. That big purple blotch on his hand is the bite, right by his vein, and it was f'ing deep. There was a lot of blood and I apologize for my lack of foresight. |
That being said, Las Vegas is not a physically large town. Like sardines is the way we’re packed in this little valley. If there is going to be an outbreak, what a great place for it to start. Awful convenient, I’d say.
So, if you find that a great, unmentionable disaster afflicts the 702 over the next few days, you heard it here first. If Sin City is placed under quarantine for an unknown reason, you’ll know why.
Hopefully, this is just an isolated incident. Hopefully, nothing will come of it. Hopefully, all of you who love Halloween will get to come out here and experience it for yourselves. I can promise you, there isn’t anything like it in the USA.
Then again...we may not be here next year. If the mystery girl who chowed on Bryant’s hand is patient zero, well, hopefully the slogan will be right. Hopefully, what happens in Vegas will stay in Vegas.
Happy Halloween everyone.
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