A bad trip

Frankie Daniels wasn't a drug user, he had never been a bad boy who breaks the law and engages in substance abuse. Yet, he was curious. He knew friends who had taken speed, cocaine, marijuana and some even took heroin. They always told him how fun and relaxing getting high was, or how insane a crazy psychedelic trip could be. Reading this, you may even be curious about trying out one of these illegal substances for yourself. Well, this story will put you right off! You see, one day Frankie got a little too curious. He just had to try it, just one swallow, snort or inhale of the magic powder. That's all, only to experience what all the fuss was about. Frankie was a good guy, honest! He never hurt anybody, never stole or even exploited anyone for anything. Yet, finding drugs in the Bronx of New York was a little too easy. There was a guy he knew that his so-called friends always talked about, saying his name was Jay Park and that he sold "the best shit in town" that he could be trusted and was one cool, street alley cat. Frankie went to visit the mysterious, cool Jay one night, with a group of pals just for protection against the street thugs and muggers that went around acting tough, starting fights and stabbing folks. Always causing trouble in the neighborhood. New York wasn't always the safest place to be alone, unfortunately. Frankie and the gang met Jay Park, he was just as cool and chill as everyone said he was. Dressed like a rap god, big baggy hoodie and loose jeans of the top dollar label. Guy seemed to be on his own, but Frankie was sure Jay had protection nearby, out of sight so they don't cramp his style, you dig? Well, anyway; Jay suggested Frankie go to Hollywood (not literally) by trying the most trippy bag of shrooms one could get for a reasonable price of just $30. Frankie wasn't sure if his first drug used should be so extreme, but Jay assured him it's best to see the best of the best, then you won't be curious no more. Seemed like a reasonable argument. If Frankie did just get a little high, he'd only want more and more, until he became a full on junkie. He didn't want that, nobody did. That's why this shit was illegal in most states, it could drive you crazy. Frankie was super hesitant, but ultimately bit the bullet. He bought one small bag with his "friends" and returned home to his apartment building that very night.

Frankie was home alone when he decided to take the shrooms, a very bad idea, but none of his junkie "friends" cared to stand by as he took his first trip. The young man was a little too eager to experience his first high, eating the whole bag of shrooms in one go like they were a healthy snack you'd eat while watching TV. At first, nothing much happened, his head felt lighter, but then his vision began glitching, of course Frankie wasn't a robot, but that's the only words that could describe what he saw. Colours began to merge into new impossible shades of vivid reds and purples, the apartment lit up like a rainbow, sparkling all kinds of magical images that twisted and morphed into hideous abominations. His bedroom wall created the image of a five armed man with seven eyes of vibrant red, looking like some kind of bug humanoid monster. It stepped out of the wall and bowed like a butler.

"Hello Frankie..." The bug man said, waving all five of its hands that somehow had a million fingers on each hand. Frankie closed his eyes, but darkness did not meet him, instead he fell back onto his bed and fell into a sort of dream-like state. From his point of view; Frankie fell into a deep dark hole beneath earth, falling, falling, never landing, as the darkness turned a red, pile entering hell itself. Black stars shined in this hellish world, somehow the darkest shade on earth was blinding him. It was impossible. It was the shrooms fucking his mind, confusing bright whites with darkness. His perception was changing, not making sense. Frankie screamed himself awake, he was back in his bedroom but the walls were now rusty and crumbling away. As if travelling five million years into the future and only seeing rot and decay.

"Frankie..." The voice of the bug man called out to him from the living room. Frankie squirmed into a corner, damn near pissing himself in fear.

"Come to Hollywood, Frankie!" The monster laughed, before running into his bedroom on all seven of its limbs, looking more like some giant spider. Frankie was so terrified, he jumped through his bedroom window, smashing through the glass on the way outside. Fortunately he only lived on the bottom floor so didn't fall to his death, instead he found himself on the streets of the Bronx (where he lived) only nothing looked how it was supposed to. Gone was the grey and bleak look of a city like New York, instead every street corner was a bright purple, the colour was assaulting his eyes. Then he saw the people, they were all bug monsters, just like the one he saw in his bedroom. Instead of seeing cars; Frankie saw giant beetles crawling up and down the green coloured roads at impossible speeds. He saw the Empire State building, standing tall in the far distance, only it resembled a brown, giant praying mantis that towered over the city like some Japanese lizard monster! In fact, most of the skyscrapers resembled other hideous insects. Like centipedes and cockroaches. Soon they all began fighting each other, these god-like titans were having a rampage. Frankie screamed hysterically, it was like watching an epic monster movie in live action, only a thousand times more frightening than even the scariest horror movies ever put to the silver screen. Frankie ran out onto the busy road, getting run over by a giant zooming beetle at a speed of 70 miles per hour!

Police found Frankie's bloody and beaten body not long after, he had been hit by a speeding delivery truck. It wasn't the driver's fault, because Frankie had run out onto a speeding highway during rush hour traffic. If the truck hadn't killed him, another vehicle would have. Still the death of a young man like that, is never easy on anyone's conscience. When the forensics examined Frankie's corpse, they could detect that the man was incredibly high on shrooms when he was running out onto the road screaming. His neighbour had come to check up on Frankie, she said she saw him scream at her, before jumping through his shut bedroom window, smashing through it and then staring up at the skyscrapers in the distance, with a look of complete and utter horror upon his scared face. Then he spun and ran faster than she could keep up with him, killing himself instantly as the truck flattened him like a bug.