Daniel stood, wiping down the bar with a damp cloth, and whistling the tune of an old song. Its name wouldn’t come to mind, but it was a relic of his childhood, that he was sure of.
“Oi, Dan!” a familiar voice called. He looked up and smiled. It was Connor, the barman.
“Yeah?” Dan asked, throwing the cloth over his shoulder.
“Table six needs these drinks. You wanna take ‘em over?”
“Yeah, cool,” Dan said. He walked over to the trays of drinks.
“I’ve got to go ask Richie something. Make sure you get the drinks over to them real fast. They’re businessmen or some shit.”
“Pricks?”
Connor nodded. “Pricks. You remember the ones we had last time.”
Dan rolled his eyes. He remembered. The businessmen had threatened their business, stormed out because a meal had been cold, and told them to expect a visit from a health inspector. That had been a month ago. As of yet, no inspectors had materialised. “Yeah, I remember.”
“Okay. Just hurry it up, will you?” Connor wandered back through the kitchen’s double doors.
Dan watched him go, and then turned back to the drinks. There were two trays, and ten drinks on each. Right, Dan thought. Time for another game.He pulled several sealed packets from his pocket. They were small, so that he could conceal them in a hurry if interrupted, which had happened several times before. The substance in the packets was potent enough so that a fifth of its contents would be enough to finish the job. He wouldn’t need all of it tonight, though, so he put two of the packets back into his pocket.
Dan opened the packet, beginning to hum again as he did, and being careful not to let any of the powder spill. Once more, he looked over the drinks. There were so many possibilities, so many choices. And who could tell what the end result would be? That was the most delicious part of it all.
After some thought, Dan poured a quarter of the powder into a glass of bourbon, two quarters in a couple of beers, and one quarter in a glass of wine. A single glass on one tray received this treatment, three on the other. There was no particular method to his selections, but they seemed right in his mind. After he was finished, he folded the packet so the powder wouldn't spill and placed it back in his pocket.
He picked up a spoon from beside the glasses and stirred them until the powder had dissolved, leaving no traces. Then he picked up one of the trays and carried it to the table which the businessmen were crowded around.
“What took you so long?” one of the men demanded. He was a small man with a bald head, and a thick moustache. His face seemed to turn purple under the lights of the bar.
“I’m sorry, sir,” Dan said in his politest voice, trying to appease the man. “It won’t happen again.”
“I’m sure it won’t. Because if it does, my colleagues and I won’t be paying you one cent. And that would be a shame, wouldn’t it?” Dan rolled his eyes. What an original speech, he thought. The man caught the motion. “Are you rolling your eyes at me? I don’t have to take that from people like you! Did you even finish your first year of high school?” The rest of the men at the table barely disguised their snickers.
Dan looked up from the man and saw a painting on the wall behind them which depicted the Devil judging the sinners in Hell. He sent it a conspirator’s wink, and then looked back to the tiny man, whose eyes were now bulging . It looked as if his heart might explode any minute.
“I’m sorry,” he repeated. “Is this drink yours?” He indicated the bourbon in the middle of the first tray.
The man looked up at him. “Yes,” he said. “How did you know?”
“No reason. You just look like a bourbon sort of man. Enjoy your drinks.”
Dan walked back to the bar and picked up the second tray, carrying it back to the table. He set it down and slipped away after a fleeting glance at the man who had been rude to him. He was already drinking his bourbon, but the effects wouldn’t take hold for another few hours.
He walked back to the bar as Connor emerged from the kitchen. “You give ‘em their drinks?” he asked nodded. “Good. Any trouble?”
“Yeah. One of them says that they aren’t paying.”
“Oh well. Hopefully that’s the one whose drink I spat in.” Connor began to laugh, and after Dan stared at him for a moment, he began to laugh as well. When he stopped, he said, “They’ve been in here before. One of ‘em made a pass at a waitress.”
“We don’t have any waitresses,” Dan said. Connor cocked an eyebrow. “Oh.”
“Yeah. Well, this is the end of your shift, isn’t it?”
“Yep. I can stay on for longer if you want me to.”
“Why would you want to stay here?” Connor glanced around at the squalid surroundings of the dimly lit bar.
“Gotta support the wife and kid,” he said. “Living the dream.”
Connor shook his head. “You’re way too young to have a kid. You should have stayed in high school, you know that?”
“I know.”
“All right. See you tomorrow night, then.”
“See you.” Dan left the bar without glancing at the businessmen again. They would be on the news soon enough.
He walked home with his hands in his pockets, air puffing from his mouth and out into the world in a cold fog. The night was chill and crisp, perfect for an evening’s contemplation. As he walked, he thought about the men he had talked to tonight, and what they would see in the next life. Would they come back as humans next time? Dan didn’t think that it was likely.
He pulled the key from his pocket when he came to his apartment and unlocked the door, staying quiet as he slipped in. After locking the door behind him, he set the key down on the kitchen bench once more. It was all part of one never-ending routine.
He went into the baby’s room and looked at her. At only eight months old, she was the epitome of a cherub, with her rose red cheeks, and occasional gurgles of laughter. Dan leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.
Her smile widened, and Dan couldn’t help but to copy it. She always looked so much happier in sleep than she did in reality. An imaginary world was the best place for her.
He left the room and navigated the darkness of the apartment to his room. As soon as he entered, he could hear Dahlia’s soft breathing from nearby. He sighed once more, and after stripping to his underwear, got under the covers of his single bed. There was no fear of walking into anything, for the room was sparsely furnished. Two single beds close to each other and a wardrobe was the extent of their possessions. Their jobs wouldn’t pay enough for extravagant expenses.
There was no risk of any contact between the two of them. The beds were far enough separated so that they would never have contact, even if they wanted to. They shared Hannah, and a wardrobe, but that was it. Things had never been the same since Dahlia had announced her pregnancy. The magic had dissipated. Once again, it all came back to the probability. Like everything else, it was just another game, played against disaster.
Dan didn’t want to reflect on his situation. Thinking of the monotony always led to a spiral of depression, and that wasn’t something he was prepared to do. Not that night. So he emptied his mind, and soon fell into a dreamless sleep.
When he woke up in the morning, Dahlia had already left for work. He listened intently, he could hear a thin wail coming from Hannah’s cot, so, after a groan, he stood, and headed to her room.
Her face was screwed up in misery, but when the door opened, she stopped and turned her head toward him. She smiled, and once again he returned the expression. Leaning down, he lifted her from the cot, and swung her around in his arms. A peal of laughter escaped her, and he laughed too.
He took her to the couch and turned the television on, just in time for the beginning of the morning news. A substitute reporter was speaking, and Dan admired her beauty and diction as she spoke.
There were several murders last night, and police have already connected them with the spate of murders that has previously plagued the town. However, they still haven’t been able to locate the crucial evidence that will solve the case. The killer seems to be indiscriminate with his victims, as people of all ages, ethnicities and sexualities have been targeted.
Even so, they think they are drawing closer to identifying the killer, and have informed the media that they have discovered that a rare type of poison is being used to kill these people. It is slow working, taking several hours to take effect, but is still fatal.
The businessmen were part of a large group of associates, according to the other members, and they visited several local bars and dances on their night out. The police will soon begin investigating these establishments, but after so long without any answers, hope that the killer will be caught is dim.
The police have issued a warning for people to beware of anyone touching their food, and to stay in large groups if eating in public. Please, use extreme caution when out in public, even if you are with friends or family.
Dan turned the television off after the newsreader moved on to an overseas conflict, and smiled at Hannah. “It all comes down to luck, doesn’t it? Just one spin of the wheel of fate, and we know whether we live.” He began to laugh. “Or die.” Hannah laughed along with him, not at all aware of what she was laughing at. She followed his actions, and he was proud. Dan knew that one day she would be just like her father.
Now I'll just add some more description of the characters next time I edit. Got a heap of other stuff to do... Hopefully it won't be too long.
