Near Death in the Neon City

The thing about Vegas is that it’s not just one night; an eternity can pass between sunset and sunrise. I cannot tell say certainty that what I’m about to tell you is fact. I can only affirm it happened and let it serve as a warning to others who are foolish enough to venture into the night.
Seductive shimmering stars of neon light, up and down the boulevard drawing people into the boisterous opened mouthed casinos. Play Here, Win Big. Bewitching girls hint at untold hedonism to all who enter. The song of the slots a siren’s call, the scintillating color attracts the eye, a paradise or hell dependent on the roll of a single dice. Once inside, one of the menagerie of sensory stimulation a path twists through the vastness, never does it pass an exit.
Stale cigarette smoke permeates the low coin tables while the sweet cherry aroma of pipe tobacco separates the high limit tables. Angels in heels without wings rush by with plastic smiles, bringing nectars from the Gods to the brave seated at the tables. Large enforcers in suits watch over the room handpicking the visitors that will elevate to heaven or plunge down into the rings of hell.
Time does not pass here once you enter. No clocks to tick, no digital display, no windows to let you know the sun has risen to burn away your sins. Time passes differently in these walls than in the real world.
The masses that come here begging to have their everyday lives suspended for a few meager hours, will risk everything for the smallest of wins. Where else do people come and pay for the privilege of experiencing death, night after night, in all its stages. After the first big loss there is denial, the feeling of being alone and taken advantage of. Another roll of the dice brings on the anger at one’s self and the casino for tricking them into playing and losing. Another inferior hand and its time to make a deal with the Powers That Be. Another bad beat leads to depression and misery. Another pathetic hand and acceptance sinks in, with the idea to acquire more capital. But, in Vegas the final stage of death does not come, only the sun returns to save you from yourself.
In the night anything can happen, rising to the status of a God or sinking down to hell or falling further down where even the gut snakes and degenerates can no longer find you. If you’re lucky enough for the sun to rise and you are given a second chance, flee. Pack your bags and run because if night falls again you will never escape.