he tried
anif he couldnt or didnthe always
held onto his want wantondesire
to fly above the fray fly like a hawk at
hunt above a creek bed
later feasting on its
unsuspecting denizens unsuspecting because from his boyhood he understood that people were few an far
between who thought to look up
and for those
childhood lessons his head was always on a swivelhe was always imagining what
could be or what might be he exercised the
violent possibilities that occurred to him fascinated by the possible fictions
which perturbed his sister when he shared it Why do you think like that?
Because theres something inside
me that doesthat wont let me rest
being awarepaying attention to
his fictions he imagined what he would he do if his worse
imaginingsif his genies lamp rubbed raw went south
an when he went south
he didnt just cross the
borderline
he went deep
then the holdup he bitched to Corporate
about happened
the same Corporate who tried to take his knife
from him
apparently the only knife he was
allowed was their safety razor knife with guard so an employee didnt cut themselves KahRIST Barking up the wrong tree he told them he submitted a signed dated document that if
he cut himself with his knife he wouldnt hold Corporate responsible hed pay his own medical bills Whered
these clowns come from
he was walking towards the back
of the store when three guys came in behind him
turning to greet them as was Corporate
mandated he sawrecognised their deliberation
maybe buying liquor was far from
their minds
they fanned out the wingmen forward of the apex man
it looked like a dance
hoodies
sunglasses at
night
their heads tucked like turtles
their mothers wouldnt know them
they held their hands inside the
pouches before their bellys
the pouches looked heavy
apex called to him Could you help us, please? polite
he couldnt see either wingmen now they
were obscured by the liquor shelvesthe upright bottles
he didnt move towards him
his coworker was to his right
stocking an endcap
he glanced at them casually
they had heard apexs call for
help
quietly he said to her You need to leave Go out the back door
she looked at him docilely
I
said go . .
. . Excuse me, can you help me? asked apex
the girl left
How can I help he asked he still hadnt moved forward he glanced left and right trying to locate where the wingmen had manoeuvered
Please, I have a question apex
said
Yes
still he didnt move forward
he anticipated they knew the
safe was forward
Yes
COMHERE GODDAMMIT! apex yelledpulling a
revolver from his pouch GET UP HERE! MOVE!
he dropped to the concrete
floorrolled then bellycrawled to the aisle immediately to his rightthe
endcap where the girl had been where she was stocking grain alcohol moonshine
YOU! HEY YOU!
his knife was out he torn in half the bandanna handkerchief
from his back pocket unscrewed two liters of Everclear stuffed the
halves into their necks upset the bottles and righted them again when the wicks
were wetted
he stood
as he walked forward he produced the cigarette
lighter his father left himthe only thing his father left him when he died
he stepped back into the center
aisle where apex had walked deeper into the store YOU! COMHERE!
he flipped the scarred metal lighter
open with his thumb
he had stabbed his knife through his
jean pocket used it as an impromptu holster
COMHERE! menacingly
Might wanna rethink this asshole
COMHERE FUCK!
with one Everclear tucked under his
arm he bent his elbow raising the other he held up the lighter in his opposite hand You should imagine youre standing in the
middle of a glut of flammable liquids he lit the lighter the wingmen emerged to either
side of him aisles away revolvers drawn YOU might imagine the inferno that will start with you
he didnt wait to hear what apex
had to say
he lit the wickdropped the lighterlit
the second Everclear off the first GAME TIME
apex reared back turned and
fled
DADDYS GONE BOYS
the smarter of the two turned up
an aisle and fled first
he gave them a moment and rushed after themwent through the
pneumaticsighing doors hurled the bottles into the empty parking lot
they made ecstatic exclamation marks on the tarmac
he imagined they had enough
imagination to go in three different directions
he burned his hands
Corporate was paying for that
1310, Thursday,
2 5. 19
1129, Sunday,
5 5. 19
