"Who was he?"

Big Joe didn't turn. Kept his gaze on the open eyes on the corpse on the floor. "Nobody."

Didn't look like nobody to James. But he didn't say shit. There was a sign on the wall.

Rule #1: Butch is always right.
Rule #2: When Butch is wrong, look at Rule...

Normal people didn't know what the inside of a bar looked like in daylight.  sun pouring through. Painting the floors and walls. Revealing dust floating in the air. You never noticed dust in the  dark . It was bright. And Quiet.

Darkness hid much.

With sound it was different Noise could...

He barely chewed. Chum filled his stomach. But it didn't satisfy him. James couldn't say that he was hungry. But definitely far from nourished.

Was he supposed to go a full day like this? No sleep either. Chad's death had sealed that fate. Not that he should be the one complaining....

No order. He wanted some order. The only place he could find it in were his memories. That burning hot  asphalt . Black tar. They had paved it fresh that summer he had worked there. While his best friends were at summer camp he was pushing carts around. Breathing fumes....

James was out of it. Only realized a minute into the ride that the  Uber driver was the same as before. The one Chad had ordered on his behalf. Funny how that worked. Chad orders James a ride home. James arrives there. And there Chad is tied up.

How did Big...

Big Joe kept his hand out. Black gun in his hand. James reached his hand out as slow as he could. Maybe if he moved slow enough then the inevitable would never happen. Maybe if he moved just slow enough... then he wouldn't need to shoot his high school friend....

The night before the big job, James went to a bar where nobody knew him.

Ordered a whiskey . More expensive than the  liquor store . But reasonably priced, all bars considered.

He traded remarks with the bartender. Had a chat with a few strangers who sat down alone by him.

The first...

It was the first cold morning of the fall. The summer must be over for good, thought Carol as she tugged her shirt trying to keep warm. Usually she got hot easily. Was the one trying to turn the thermostat lower. But today she had not anticipated this chill. Had...

"I might get some espresso myself. Not the sextuple deal of course. One might is enough for me."

"Oh dang. You know. I actually didn't end up drinking my quadruple espresso. I couldn't handle it. I threw it out just before I came here actually. Had I ran into you sooner,...

Jared couldn't drink all four espressos. He looked into the cup. Guessed that he had drunk perhaps half. Decided he was too nervous. Looked both way on the street to make sure nobody was watching him. And dumped it out.

He was already a nervous guy. Had he drunk the rest...