CHAPTER 3

Under the foot mat in front of the door, Keith suddenly remembered that about a week ago, he had hidden some cents there when Annie and her friends had come over. At that time, it was all he had left and he knew Annie would have wanted him to use it to buy snacks or drinks for her friends, so he hid it away and that day had ended in a pretty heated confrontation between him and her.

   He checked under the mat and to his relief, the cents were still there. He picked them up with watery eyes, jiggled them in his palm, then shoved them into his pocket. Keith was starving and his stomach kept grumbling, but his depressed mind pushed him to get a drink instead, rather than food. He wasn’t an alcoholic or anything of that sort. In fact, he had never ordered a beer before, this was going to be his first.

    “At least when I’m drunk,” He said to himself as he strolled into a bar at the end of the street, “I won’t be able to feel the pain anymore…even if it’s just for tonight.”

  He had no plans for the next day, he had no money to pick up the shattered pieces of his life. He had lost everyone and everything, what was left for him? Why not while away in his sea of despair with a glass of rum or a bottle of beer next to him?

    “I’ll have a bottle of beer,” He said timidly to the bar man as he reached the counter.

He glanced behind him as a cheer rose from the crowd, then he noticed the strippers that mounted the poles at the center of the crowded room. They wore only panties and their huge breasts jiggled as they moved seductively. Keith quickly averted his eyes and met the barman’s knowing gaze. The latter grinned and then chuckled.

   “Everyone tries to look away, mister,” The fat, bald man in an apron said, “But at the end of the day, you find yourself staring at those lovely creatures.”

  Keith didn’t reply, he sat down on a bar stool and kept his eyes glued to the counter.

 “You look like shit though,” The barman said bluntly, “I’d recommend a glass of whiskey, rather than a bottle of beer.”

   Keith hesitated, “How much is a glass of Whiskey?”

The barman assayed him with his eyes, then replied, “Two dollars.”

   Keith sighed dejectedly, “I only have a few cents,” He replied grimly.

The barman frowned, “That wouldn’t get you a bottle of beer either, mister.” He said sternly and Keith was already getting ready to leave when the barman stopped him, “Stay put, I’ll get you that glass. Like I said, you look like shit.”

   Keith nodded and mumbled, “Thank you, mister.”

For the next twenty minutes, Keith found himself staring at the strippers and sipping from the glass of whiskey occasionally. He hated the taste of it, it was his first time taking alcohol, but he loved the burning sensation down his throat. He had nothing else to do for the night anyway and, unlike before where he didn’t dare look at other women, he didn’t have Annie anymore, hence he didn’t feel guilty for watching the strippers.

   He got fed up of watching them and the boisterous air in the bar seemed to grow thicker as more people flocked in. It was when he dropped his glass on the counter that he realized that two men, dressed in black suits with dark sunshades were sitting next to him. 

  There was something sinister about their appearance that chilled his blood and before he even knew it, goosebumps had already started to form all over his arms.

    He thanked the barman and took a quick glance at them. A shudder ran through his spine when he noticed that they were looking at him and he quickly turned away. At first, he tried to be calm, breathing heavily as he strolled out of the bar. But as he go to the door, he increased his pace and started walking briskly until he was out of the bar.

   He heaved a sigh of relief but before he could catch his breath again, a loud, sharp bang rocked the tranquil night air. Keith’s heart stopped for a second or two.

   A gunshot!

This wasn’t just like the sound effects he heard in the movies he watched, it was real! The danger was alive, lurking around him in the convenience of the shadows the night provided. His bloodshot eyes looked around, he was breathing from his mouth now, the cold air parching his throat.

  And again, he heard another gunshot that made his eardrums vibrate. Screams from the bar filled his head and he glanced behind him quickly and noticed people scampering out of the bar. Without thinking, he started running. Where to? He had no idea, all he knew was that he had to run and keep running until he was out of the vicinity.

    He didn’t look back, his legs, surged with a newly found adrenaline, carrying him as far as they could. He couldn’t breathe anymore! He had to stop. He rested his hands on his kneecaps, panting heavily and sticking his tongue out.

    “What the hell was that?” He wondered, still struggling to catch his breath.

He felt a little bit safe now and he decided to investigate where he was. He looked around with a frown, unable to recognize this particular neighborhood he had dashed into. His face glistened with sweat. He had never been to this part of town, how long had he even been running for? His vision became blurry all of a sudden and it felt like his head was spinning. An ache was tugging at the back of his head and he groaned slightly.

    He staggered when he felt his knees wobble, he was losing his balance. Suddenly, a bright light flashed in his eyes, then another, and another until he heard the sound of screeching tires that made him wince. The headlights of about a dozen guards surrounded him and he felt even more dizzy when he tried to keep up with the cars that came to screeching stops.

    He gasped, his blurry vision still managing to pick out the dark figures that rushed out of the cars. They all wore black suits and dark glasses, just like…just like the men in the bar!

   “Holy shit!” He mumbled under his breath and then he felt himself falling to the ground.

The last thing he saw was a man in a white suit, standing over him and then, a cloak of darkness slowly covered his eyes until he passed out…