Thursday, July 26, 2012

The Boy Named Nod: Walkabout Part 4

Meeting Yourself

It was a little uncomfortable sitting in the middle of a jazz tornado. I had never been exposed to much in the way of jazz and the way it slides over you like you’re a strawberry being dipped in chocolate. Don’t get me wrong, the music was nice and the smoke had a nice cherry tobacco scent to it. However… it just seemed wrong for a place to be this laid back.

Miss Molly had run to the ladies room to freshen up a bit after our encounter in the alleyways. I slowly sucked at a random bottle the bartender had recommended. It was okay. I wasn’t overly impressed with how watered down beer always seemed to be, but it did the job I suppose. It wasn’t like I ever actually got drunk. I just knew when I should be getting drunk and acted appropriately.

“Hey, bartender. I’ve got a question foah ya if ya’ve got a minute.”

The gaunt, black-haired bartender sauntered over, wiping out a glass with a hand towel. He didn’t look like much but he had a killer tattoo on his neck and eyes like Nod’s. They were eyes that were damned tired and would never be able to get enough sleep.

“I’ve got more minutes than I know what to do with. Fire away.”

“First, might I say, nice ink. Who did it?”

“God.”

“Which one?”

He shrugged and flipped the glass into the air, catching it behind his back before setting it back on the rack. He picked up another from the back counter and started wiping it down.

“Well, doesn’t matter anyway. The real question is a little moah complex. Might sound a bit crazy, but I figure, around here you probably hear weird things all the time.”

“Sure do. I’ve even got a guy renting out the basement doing nothing but writing about weird things. Shoot with your question.”

“Well, it’s like this. Would it be so terribly bad if you realized one day that you weren’t real?”

“Not real?”

“Well, yeah. I mean, say you can do things that are definitely beyond what’s real. Not just impressive stuff but things that blatantly break the rules that nature set down.”

“Nature doesn’t really follow any rules, but I can tell you this. If you go looking for your limitations, you’ll find them. Most people spend their life trying to figure out how to overcome the limitations they know they have.”

I took another gulp of beer into my mouth and let it swirl around for a minute before swallowing it down.

“I ‘spose. Nod always seems to be looking in that direction.”

The bartender raised an eyebrow.

“Who?”

“My boss, Nod. His name’s Michael but he calls himself Nod.”

“Any reason?”

“His brother tried to kill him under his father’s orders. He came up with the idea that if Cain wouldn’t go to Nod, Nod would come for Cain.”

The bartender was leaning real close now. The letters tattooed on his neck seemed to be shining.

“Well, he and his brother and sister ended up making amends. They ended up facing down their father and killed him.”

“They killed him?”

I nodded.

“And that was the end of Adam 2.0.”

The bartender leaned against the back counter, eyes wide. He set the glass and his drying rag down and just stood there, looking at me.

“I can’t believe he’s dead. He’s been sending his Disciples to wreck my bar for years and I’ve had to keep driving them off. Always refused to come to grips with the fact that I knew he was a farce. I’m just… shocked.”

A shrug made its way up to my shoulders.

“It’s the way ‘a things though. Just think about it. It isn’t that much different than the story they were basing it on.”

He started to open his mouth and make a response when Miss Molly reappeared from out of the bathroom.

“There ya are! I was startin’ to think ya’d fallen in.”

Molly’s eyes met the bartender’s and she started to smirk a little.

“How are you Cain?”

Cain? Was I missing something here?

“What are you doing here Lilith?”

“Causing trouble. This nice gentleman was kind enough to get rid of The Relentless for me.”

“You let it out again?”

“Uh huh. Almost got me this time too.”

He shook his head and turned to look at me.

“You should’ve let it eat her.”

“I couldn’t let a lady languish in trouble, even if she’s the one that brought it upon herself. That’s not what a gentleman does.”

The bartender started laughing.

“You’re one of the last ones I’ve actual seen in this damn city. If that’s the way you want to go about it, then let me ask you a question. What are you doing here?”

“I’m on walkabout, figured I’d see if I could get an answer to that question I asked you earlier. An answer that I could swallow that is.”

“Walkabout eh? Been on plenty of them myself. I’ve got a word of advice as far as walkabouts go.”

“What’s that?”

“When you find yourself, it’s just starting to get interesting.”

I raised an eyebrow as Miss Molly/Lillith grabbed a seat at the stool next to me.

“Cain, can I get a highball with a twist?”

“Coming right up.”

She turned to look at me, her elbow on the bar, head resting on her hand.

“So there Miss Molly, ya prefer the name ya gave me or the name yoah friend there called you by?”

“These days, I prefer Molly. Too many bad things associated with that other name.”

“So Miss Molly, what are you doing tonight?”

“I had actually been planning on meeting some friends here after dealing with ugly out there in the alley. Looks like I might’ve missed them though.”

“Who were you expecting?”

“U.s”

The door slammed open, pushed that way by the slender hand of woman composed mainly of wires and gears. She would’ve classified as being nude, I wager. Except her naughty bits had been replaced by some sort of alloy. Behind her were four wheeled Preachers, humans whose legs had been exchanged for a motor and wheels. Each one of them was toting a flamethrower. I could see the vague shapes of other Disciples standing on the street behind her. There were several White Guard and Seraphim waiting for the signal so they could barge their way in.

“My dear Una! How is Adam 2.0’s favorite whore?”

“Shut your mouth. Our Lord is dead. You will not speak of him as such.”

Miss Molly’s face went pale.

“Dead? Who killed him?”

“Abraham and his putrid excommunicated brother.”

I stood and drew the twins from where they were hiding under my coat. My fur sprouted, face shifting, a snarl crossing my lips.

“You’ll take that back right now. I may not be interested in hitting ladies, but I’ll be more than glad to cut down every one of your guards unless you apologize for what you said about Nod.”

Miss Molly looked at me sideways.

“You know Adam’s son?”

“He made me.”

“You are FAR more interesting than I had ever imagined. What was your name again?”

“Trevor. Trevor Wulf.”

“Trevor. You know what Trevor? I think you’re right. I think an apology’s owed.”

The machine woman flipped her silicon dreadlocks in disgust and curled her plastic lips in anger.

“Foolish bitch. You’ll both die. We’re going to burn this place down and build a new church here in our Lord’s name.”

Miss Molly spread her fingers wide and twilight tattoos that hadn’t been visible on those slender, sweet little fingers rose to the surface. Her fingers extended into claws, her bright white skin fading to gray. She smiled and her teeth split apart as new fangs grew in. Her eyes ignited into a flaming red from their peaceful green. Black bat wings sprouted from her back, stretching wide. A little reptilian tail dug its way free from underneath her too tight jeans and wiggled excitedly. Only her red hair remained the same. I grinned approvingly, looking her up and down.

“I have to say Miss Molly, that’s one excellent look for you.”

“The same likewise Trevor. “

In the moment before I pulled the twins’ triggers, the bartender came over the bar and landed between us. He was spinning a the halves of a beautiful two-piece pool cue in his hands like a pair of tonfa.

“I think you heard these two Una. Get outta my bar before this gets ugly.”

Miss Molly piped up in agreement.

“I concur Cain. Mr. Wulf, shall we commence to dispensing carnage?”

“Most definitely my deah.”

The twins roared with joy. It was going to be a good night.

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