A Luna's heart

ANOTHER CONFRONTATION

GREY'S POV

The bar was hazy with cigarette smoke when I walked in. It hung in the air like a thick curtain, before it slowly dissipated. I stood at the doorstep and surveyed the place- as much of it as I could see anyway. There were a few people in here, but most were preoccupied with their drinks. It was mostly quiet and quietness was what I wanted. I smiled a little grimly at the thought that just about a year ago, seedy places like this were not my scene at all.

I went to the best places money could pay for. During my brief spell at home, my parents had tried to convince me to continue running the family business that I had been running so well before or to start up my own company with the millions of dollars I had saved. Now I was going places I had never thought to set foot in, because I didn't want the larger, moneyed part of society to have an inkling of what I had become. The thought started to fuel a spark of rage which I pushed aside immediately. This was my reality now and I had more or less accepted it.

I took a deep breath, walked to the bar and sat on a stool in front of the counter. I slapped some bills on the counter, drawing the attention of the tired looking barman who was cleaning some cups.

"What can I get you?" he asked, his words slightly incoherent because of the toothpick he held clenched between his teeth on one side of his mouth.

"Drinks," I replied. "Something that will knock me out."

He surveyed me for a few seconds more, nodded and went out of sight. He pushed a large tumbler full of some amber coloured liquid to me. I finished it in two long swallows. The drink burned going down. I grimaced, pushed the cup across to him, brought out some more bills, waved them in his face.

"More," I said.

His eyes growing round, he pushed another glass towards me, hesitated and plonked half a dozen bottles in front of me too. I began to drink in earnest. I knew that I probably wouldn't even get drunk anyway, no matter how much I drank. I just wished I somehow would.

I wanted to forget everything, even though it was for only a short while. I had been back in Lair Falls now for a couple of days and it still felt like I was loosing my mind. My problem was not only my condition. It was the woman- the woman I had seen close to the cafe. I thought about her so much that it felt like I was going crazy. I still remembered the glimpse I had caught of her smooth, creamy skin. A woman like was fragile and I had no business even wanting her. If i got into one of my manic episodes, I could break her. An freak like me didn't deserve to be with a beauty like that. The thought that I couldn't have her even if I found her, was pure torture.

Vaguely, I noticed that the bar had become considerably noisier. Men's voices were raised in hilarity. I frowned a little. I just wished they would shut up- whoever they were- and leave me to my thoughts. I cracked open another bottle and downed half it's contents in one gulp. Some part of me noticed that the bar had suddenly gone deathly quiet. A man with a deep voice said something in a tone of surprise. With a little effort, I closed my eyes briefly, calling forth the image of the woman's wild, silver hair. For just a moment, I allowed myself to imagine taking her in my arms, running my fingers through her hair as my other arm slipped around her waist and...

Something hit me with tremendous force in the back of my head. My head fell forward and rapped sharply on the counter. Warm liquid bathed my head, neck and trickled down my back. I saw stars for a moment. My head snapped back up. I clapped my hands to the back of my head and they came back bloody. The heavy tumbler thrown at me fell to the floor at my feet.

There was a loud, prolonged burst of laughter. I slowly turned in my seat. Thorn, Blaise and Doug stood in a loose semi- circle, laughing their heads off.

"Well, well, well," Thorn said, approaching. "We meet again, pretty boy. We looked everywhere for you this last week. Thought you had run out of town but here you are in Lair Falls. You should have run when you had the chance." He leaned his arm on the counter and purposely- I was sure- upset my drink so it sprayed on my shirt and into my lap. "Like I said the other time we met, you do have some guts. I'll give you that."

My voice choked with rage, I ground out, "You bastard! You broke my head... I'm bleeding."

Thorn let out another sharp bark of laughter. His goons followed suit.

"Can you believe this guy?" he said to them. "We promised to carve up his face the next time we met and all he is worried about is his freaking bleeding head."

Thorn gave a signal to the others. Before I knew what was happening, Doug yanked my hair back. The bar emptied of it's customers fast. The bar man, who uttered a few broken pleas to Thorn, quickly shut his mouth as Thorn glared at him. He hurriedly left the bar and went into what was probably a*****e room, locked himself in. A knife leaped into Blaise's hand as he prepared to s***h my face. Then, an almost comical look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Thorn, Doug," he said in a hushed whisper as his hands ran over my cheek. "No scar. How is that even possible?"

Doug and Thorn hurried over to see the cheek which they had flayed open about a week ago. There was no trace of the wound. Shaking off their grip, I sprang to my feet.

"You have had your fun, punks," I growled. "Now beat it before I hurt you. I am barely holding myself in as it is."

Blaise was the first to recover from his surprise. Moving like a flash he grabbed a barstool, smashed it on the floor, pulled free a jagged piece of wood and drove it straight at me. Without thinking, I grabbed it, squeezed it so hard, it crumbled to dust. I quickly picked up another jagged piece of wood, jabbed it at Blaise's neck. A thin trickle of blood began to flow. I briefly saw surprise in their faces.

"I said beat it!" I yelled, trembling with rage.

Blaise and Doug began to close in. I felt sure that this was it, a fight to the death. These goons were probably going to kill me now. I tensed up, faced them fearlessly.

"Stop," Thorn ordered. The other two automatically fell back. "I have something permanent in mind for him."

I spat at his feet. "Bring it on."

He grinned, a cold chilling smile. Then he left with the others. I went to the restroom and cleaned up myself as much as I could. I remained in the bar for an hour more, drinking.

Neither the bartender nor the customers made an appearance again. I figured they were still too afraid of Thorn and his gang. When I finished the last bottle, I set off for my apartment.

It was a dark, chilly night and almost a quarter past 11. In the distance, I could see that my apartment block was in darkness again. Just a solitary, flickering streetlamp lit the path. Just as I began to cross the alley close to my apartment, the hairs on the back of my neck began to prickle. I got the feeling that I was being watched.

The alley was almost pitch black. I looked around and began to move backwards. They jumped me then. I was hit about the head and body with objects that could only be tyre irons. I fell to the floor, groaning. I was dragged deeper into the alley, close to some trash bins.

Thorn's voice floated through the darkness.

"Say your last prayers, pretty boy. You're dead."

The others laughed and continued booting me. Thorn stood over me and slammed the piece of iron repeatedly over my face. I gasped for breath, leaned forward and spat out a tooth. I tried to get up. Three of them hit me simultaneously, stretching me flat on my back. Tiny dots floated at the edge of my vision and I felt myself drifting away as they kept on pummeling my unresisting body.

I must have lost consciousness. When I came to, I was lying in a pool of my own blood. I faintly heard their laughter and retreating footsteps. A while later, I heard a rustle, then light, approaching, footsteps.

"Hello? Is- is anyone there?" called a hushed feminine voice which tinkled like a bell.

If not for the fact that my body hurt like hell, the sound of that voice would have made me think I was hearing the voice of an angel. I had probably really gone crazy now as I was thinking of the voice of a woman while I was probably dying.

The woman or girl came closer. I wanted to tell her to stay away, as Thorn and his gang were probably still in the area. What I could utter was only a groan.

"Hey," she whispered again. "Who's there? Are you hurt?"

I struggled to at least get to my knees. My outstretched arm accidentally bumped a trashcan. Through my puffy eyes, I saw a silhouette of what looked like a heavy brick wobble on the very edge of the trashcan. I tried to move away, so the brick wouldn't fall on any part of my already abused body. My clumsy movements jostled the trash can again. The brick toppled over the edge, came crashing down on my upturned face and then the world went black.