NIGHT 4 RESULTS250B plagued my every thought, even while I slept all I could dream about was the combination of numbers and letters. What could it mean? Every time my mind seemed to be on the brink of figuring it all out I would jolt awake or be met with nothingness. Visions of Ella and Peggy kept me awake as well - Ella beautiful but anguished, Peggy cold and certain. The lights from the street lamps outside leaked in from the worn out curtains, every sound from the streets seemed amplified in the night, every car running over a pit hole sounded out like a gunshot. . I knew that sleep was out of the question tonight. As I sat up and buttoned my shirt a tight, constricting feeling flooded my chest with foreboding. This town was going to put me into an early grave if things didn't settle soon.
I was at the door, my usual vice in my hand waiting to be lit when the phone rang. There was nothing decent about a phone call at midnight. I let it ring and walked out to Lou's bar. The walk through the central park seemed a little quiet, like the town of Sencity had returned to a sleepy state. It didn't do a thing to help my nerves. By the time I got to Lou's things picked up a little but nothing outside of the usual nightlife of Sencity. I sat at the bar and waited for Lou to come over. "What'll it be tonight?"
"Just the usual, Lou," I said, keeping a close eye on those around me. The ones I perceived to be the regulars seemed to be giving me a weary eye. Well, let them. I would be doing the same thing if the roles were reversed. "Heard anything interesting lately Lou?"
At first he just gave me a look, one that said he knew no more than I did. "Lots of strange customers these days, always want the booth in the back," he handed me my drink and looked at the door, "doesn't look like that'll be the case tonight," he said just loud enough for me to hear. And then added a bit louder, "gentlemen, what can I do for you tonight?" Shady characters sat near me at the bar. I looked at them just long enough to see they were up to no good, no more and no less. One of them mumbled a drink order to Lou, who diligently made their drinks before moving on to his next customer. The shady characters seemed to be doing their best to keep their voices down until one of them drained his beer and slammed it down on the counter.
"That's crazy, don't you know. This city is locked down tighter than-"
"Enough out of you, alright? You're hear for one job and one job only - and you know what that is. Now is the...package secured?" One of them hissed back, piquing my interest.
"Yes yes, at the warehouse. We can go there tonight if you want."
"Maybe a little later," one of them said, "I don't have a good feeling about some of the folks around here."
For the rest of the night I did my best to keep my wits about me while trying to blend in with the regulars. In between sips of scotch I found myself commenting on a football game rerun Lou had playing on the bar tv. It was only minutes before midnight when the shady characters finally decided enough stalling was enough and slipped out the back of the bar. I gave them a few minutes of lead time before following them.
I kept a safe distance the full way. They led me to the industrial district of Sencity - or what there was of it. A few dilapidated buildings and a poorly maintained road led up to the Roy Heavy Industries plant, a tyrannical place that only the lowest of the low seek employment at. They disappeared into an alley and I almost lost them. Luckily for me one of them was dumb enough to turn on the lights to a nearby warehouse - warehouse 250B to be precise. "Ah shit, is this him?" One of them yelled, adding more vulgarities as they went. I sneaked in the doorway and hid behind some boxes, trying to keep a good view of the characters. Fortunately for me I had brought a little camera, and I knew I was going to need it for what came next.
"It
was him," one of them said, a man that was kneeling, "he's dead." My view was obstructed, I couldn't see who "he" was. "What the hell did you do to him to cause this?"
"All I did was break his nose, he was trying to get himself free!" One of them said, backing up defensively. I pointed my camera and clicked a picture of the men and what I could now see was another man tied to a pillar. Unfortunately for me, I had left the flash on.
"What the fuck was that?" One of them said, drawing a pistol and turning my direction. The others pulled their weapons of choice as well. That's when I did something bold. I stood up, shot another picture and bolted for the door. I was almost out when one of them laid a shot into me, right in my arm. "Get him!" he yelled. I heard the men hot on my trail as I weaved in and out of the warehouses and buildings, finally losing them as I hit the main road back to Lou's bar. I slowed my pace, doing my best to blend with the nightly stranglers despite the blood pouring down my arm.
Car lights were on me and a horn honked; I must have stumbled onto the street in my delusion. The driver slammed the brakes and got out of the car at just the right time, "What the hell do you think you're doing?" She asked.
"Peggy, what're you doing out here? Don't you know it's a bad night to be out alone?" I said. It was the best I could muster before I slipped and grabbed the hood of her car for support. She ran to the pasenger side of her car and opened the door.
"I'll take you to my doctor but you need to tell me what you're doing, and why you're bleeding." She said. I pulled out my camera to review what photographs I could, "and if you don't mind please don't get blood on my car. I don't need this looking like a murder scene do I?"
"Sweetheart it'll only look like a murder scene if you kill me personally." The images flashed before me - five in all, three of which were blurry. I zoomed in on the picture of the man chained to a pillar. "Do any of these men look like yours?"
In between glances at the road, she looked at my camera. "No, but the one chained up looks like a man named Positively."
"Was," I corrected, "
Positively is positively dead by now."
END NIGHT 4
BEGIN DAY 4
DAY 4 VOTES DUE AT 10:00 PM MST 8/6
