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The diner's lights were dim against the blackness of the world outside, a persistent flickering of a nearby overhead was giving me a headache, but I simply ignored it and took a sip from my coffee cup, letting the warmth drizzle through me on this otherwise chilly, rainy night. I'd finished a plate of late night eggs and was on my third refill of coffee; as my eyes trailed from the black rim at the bottom of my cup to the ivory white plate on the counter, I could easily make out the mess of yellow yolk and a half eaten strip of bacon which was all that remained of my meal. The low volume sound of 50's era music was emanating from the jukebox in the corner of the place, that and the pleasant smile of my server Pam were all that separated this place from any other dive in town. Pam had been watching me etch away at my meal, the same she did every week when I came in. She didn't make much of a show of it, but I could tell she was just waiting for me, a wad of chewing gum in the back of her mouth she would occasionally nibble against. Aside from me, no one else was in the place, it was two in the morning. Too early for the morning commute, and too late for most of the graveyard shifters to come in. As I set my cup down, Pam came over, a swagger in her step as she adjusted her stance. She was like any other mouse, a small bodily proportion, lean arms, but deceptively sturdy looking legs. Her tail swayed as she came over, handling a jar of coffee as she passed the machine. I smiled a bit and raised my hand, stopping her from bringing the black gold over to me. "No thanks, Pam. My teeth are floating." I said with a chuckle before leaning off the counter and taking my round gray cap from it, placing it on my head expertly slipping my ears into the available holes before swiping my fingers across the black strap just above the brim. I stood with a yawn and straightened my back out, hearing it pop lightly as I did so. "That'll be seven fifty." Pam said smiling softly at me, I could make out a tinge of red flush across her cheeks as I looked at her. As I slung my gray trenchcoat into my arm, my hand caught the hidden holster of my gun inside, keeping it from swinging into view and I pulled my wallet from my back pocket and pulled a $10 from its contents. As I handed it to her she stepped to the cash register and rang me out. A ding popped the drawer open and she began to shuffle quarters and dollars into her hand. "Don't worry about it, Pam." I said politely. "Keep the change for yourself." This exchange wasn't completely new between us, but every time she gave a gasp of happiness and swiftly pushed the drawer closed. "Well thank you! You're just the sweetest cat I've ever met." I smiled, slipping my arms into the sleeves of my coat and pulling it tight over my torso. "Must not know many cats then." I answered before tipping my hat politely to the mouse. "Have a good night, Pam." "You too, sweetie." She responded, trying to make her voice sing as I turned and stepped through the door with a bell's ding. I pulled my coat tightly over myself, the rain had stopped, but it left an abrupt chill in the air. I sighed, seeing my breath escape my nose and mouth in a cloud of white. Fastening my coat's top two buttons I jutted my hands into my pockets and started down the dark street. Sure there were light posts every couple of feet, but only every third or fourth light actually worked. My ears folded low as I listened to my feet clap lightly against the solid sidewalk, the hard soles grinding into the pavement, and producing a rough scratching as my feet lifted. It was a couple blocks to my car, I liked to park away from the hustle and bustle of the city streets. But every night I would look around at the empty road and wonder why not just park outside of the diner? As the dimly lit restaurant faded out of sight behind me, my ears twitched, the sounds of new footsteps began to echo behind me. From the sound of it, I'd just gained two tails and from the sturdy clumps of their shoes striking the pavement, their intentions were far from innocent. I kept on, giving them every opportunity to go a different direction. But as I turned a corner, they did too. I crossed an intersection and I could still hear them behind me. It wasn't until I was in sight of my car that I noticed the pace of my pursuers increase. Cooly, I reached for the six barrel that was flapping against my chest, I wheeled around, sliding my gun from its holster. I gave half a blink and fired into the dark behind me. I watched a hat fly through the air and sail off into the blackness, leaving the dog on the right shivering, checking his skull for a hole. He probably had no idea I had missed intentionally as I trained my sights on the two of them. The skinny cat was also shivering from disbelief as the pair of them stared at me. "Now, I don't want any trouble." I said calmly. "But you force my hand, and I will guarantee the next one will knock off more than a hat. Got it?" I'd counted three seconds before the pair came to the realization that I wasn't bluffing and scrambled, first running into one another, then recovering and darting off the direction we had come from. As the scuffling died down, I reholstered my piece and flapped my coat over myself again. I sighed softly and completed my journey to my car. I think I'll park it a little closer from here on out. ~END~ |
