"Callin' the Shots" Prelude

Prelude
“Monotony”

I sat at the usual table where the other four come together to play cards. The same man deals the cards and I, knowing the game would get rigged every time a newcomer comes into the game. I too had a trick under my sleeve, knowing the dealer would always get an Ace of Hearts in his hand, showing the same grin whenever I come in.

“Call?” he says.

“Call,” I said in return.

I placed in the twenty-dollars and checked my hand, the five and three of clubs, same as before.

“I raise fifty,” I said, slamming the money onto the table. The dealer gives a wider grin than before and flips the three cards up. Again, it was the ace of spades, a seven, and a two.

The guy on the left laughs maniacally and raises it another twenty. The rest of us call to it, another card, a five, and another round of betting. As the last card is placed, I snap my fingers as the dealer plays another ace. Everyone ‘checks’ and shows their hands, I won with an Ace of Hearts and a five, a full house. The dealer is surprised and checks his cards and sees that he only has a three of clubs and a six. Once again, I win the first round, lose some, and win some more. I would always leave with four times the amount I had before.

The sky was as dark as ever in this small town, hoping it would one day change, whether for the better or for the worse. Everything is always the same. The same thing happens over and over again, the same music comes from the radio… always the same.

As I walked towards the crosswalk at June and July, the door at the nearby pub burst open with a man tossed out by the owner.

“And stay out!” he yells and slams the door behind him.

Nobody stops to help one another. I would just walk by this stranger and cross the street, leaving the poor drunkard on the pavement, rotting in the night. As I step onto the other side of the crosswalk, the police sirens can be heard from the distance, becoming louder with every step that I take. The two police cars stop on the other side of the road. Several officers come out of the cars and break into the restaurant. Right before I turned the corner on Pinewood, the officers drag out three gang members, all pleading innocence. Nothing changed.

My apartment was only two blocks further. I feel my cell phone vibrate in my right pocket and I take it out to check to see who called. It was Billy, my landlord, guess he called me for another drink or two. I didn’t bother picking it up and put it back into my pocket.

I walked up the flight of stairs up to my apartment room “3”. I pulled out the keys from my trench coat pockets and inserted it into the multiple locks on my door. I opened the door and shut it behind me. I locked it up again, threw my coat aside, and fall onto the bed, trying to retrace my steps from this morning.

“Maybe… I should take a break from work tomorrow…”

My phone vibrates again, this time when I checked it, it was a voicemail. There was no sender, no email address, nothing. I opened it anyway; curious to know what contents it may hold.

“…Lucifer, this is you right?”

I paused for a moment. The voice was of someone I didn’t know.

“Meet me at ‘The Dawn’ tomorrow, 10:00 AM, until then.”

Tossing the phone aside, I thought about my job as a “Hit-man”. The “Organization” would probably let me off a day… it is rare for me to do so anyway. I then turn off the lights and try to sleep.