John Blaze; The Ghost Rider (johnblaze) wrote in ageofmarvels, @ 2016-03-31 22:20:00 |
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"You have got to be kidding me", John lamented as he leaned back on his bar stool, searching first the inside of his cut and then the pockets of his blue jeans for the couple of dollars he would need to buy the drink he had come in for tonight. He had never been a rich man but while he had been stunt riding money had never been all that much of a problem for him. And it really would have all but grown on trees if he had accepted the gig out in Hollywood had fate and what had been an admittedly foolish deal with the devil damned him for eternity. Instead of making it big he sat in a run down bar with apparently not a dollar to his name which would also make it great when he had to fill up his gas tank or for that matter get a bite to eat. "Don't suppose you can put it on a tab?" The bartender slowly shook his head in response and, upon realizing that John would not be a paying customer began to walk away until he was stopped short by the hand on his forearm. "You know why they call it a shot glass, right?" The tender looked about as curious in the answer as he was sympathetic to John's plight but he listened regardless. "You see in the Old West, the cost of a bullet was equal to the amount of a small serving of whiskey. When down and out, a cowboy would trade a bullet for a bit of a whiskey... which became known as a shot." John stood a 9mm round on the counter before him. "What do you say?" "I say if you don't pick up that piece a lead I might well take it as a threat", the tender replied. "No, no, no, it's not like that really.. I'm just looking to catch a break you see and...", John tried to explain. "That guy givin' you trouble, Marv?" John turned to see the speaker, a tall, heavy set man walking toward him flanked by four other guys who looked just as friendly. "Guy put a bullet in front of me, either threaten' me or just trying to beggar a drink", Marv replied. "Either way I want him out." "Oh come on, there's really no need for this", John replied but by then he was being dragged and otherwise escorted from the bar which was bad enough until he realized he was being taken to the alley. "Alright, I didn't want to have to do this but uh..." John struggled for the words to release the Rider. "Flame on!" The men around him arched their brows and in the face of their confusion he cursed. "...Guess that don't work for everyone....", John muttered as he was held by his arms and the ring leader doubled him over with a punch to the abdomen. |