LORETTA

Atmosphere looked like an entirely different place at noon

Last night, the building had vibrated with music so loud I could feel it inside my ribs, neon lights had painted the pavement in brilliant blues, greens, and red, while hundreds of people moved in and out with their bodies smashing together

Today, it looked almost ordinary.

The enormous black sign still hung above the entrance, but without the darkness of night to make it pop out, it was simply a nightclub sign

The music was gone, and so was the rowdiness. I paid my taxi driver, climbed out, and stood on the sidewalk for a long moment.

This was...