Bakwaas Bandh Karo

If it’s another ol’ man with torn bills in his pocket again, he'll lose it.

Smoke walked downstairs, Stack catching up and following behind him, Annie and Mary in view following along. As soon as he turned the corner, he saw three white people at the front door. This 'bout to get worse. He tapped Cornbread's back, who stepped aside and came face to face with the weird looking whites.

“You fellers must be the owners of this establishment” The middle man grinned and Smoke wanted to shut the door then and there. He needed to figure out first why the hell they were on his doorstep.

He took a drag of his cigarette, eyes scanning the goofy man at their threshold. The idiot started introducing him and his little friends while he then checked behind them for any signs of others lurking in the bushes. The middle man started sounding crazy when he began describing Sammie's voice, the other two agreeing. Odd situation.

This night started already with wrong steps. He didn’t want to risk the safety of their guests on the dance floor.

Smoke looked over his shoulder. Stack looked unfazed, Sammie repulsed, and Annie's eyes were watching the situation like a hawk.

He looked to the whites. "Y'all klan?"

The middle man, Remmick did he say? sounding offended was not what he was expecting. Still, Smoke couldn't care less about whatever was coming out of his mouth, about them wanting to play their music in his juke joint - until money was mentioned. The magic word ‘money’ sent cold, pleasant air through the twins' spines.

His pause allowed for Remmick to eagerly offer a demonstration of their so-called playing skills.

He didn't know what to make of it, the jingle with the strange lyrics. From the corner of his eye he saw Stack nodding his head, smile on his face.

The Irish and Italian were surely already on their tracks. And Stack wouldn’t sell enough asses to cover their debts—s***.

Smoke threw a stare at his brother, the one answered with an arching brow.

But the more he heard the lyrics, stared at them, the more his gut felt something was off. After he told them to stop and get back to where the white folk were, they tried to protest. Spouting about all being family. Once he reached for his gun, they stopped, they always do. slowly walking away.

He turned back towards everyone at the door.

Annie glanced to him and Stack. "They gave me the willies"

"Yeah well, crackers at night time will do that to you" He laughed, then looked to Mary, "You know what I mean" He added and stepped back when Mary tried to swat a hand to him.

"Wasn't just that" Annie finished, looking to Smoke again, worry in her eyes.

The three strangers walked back far enough from earshot and Smoke questioned Stack on the idea of them bringing company. He didn't see any, but the possibility was always there. Both of them were reminded at the same time that they'd forgotten to bring in their artillery from the trunk.

S***.

Mary highlighting that they didn't need it irked him, she wasn't planning ahead. But, if there were only three, he can deal with that on his own, no problem.

Stack tried selling him on another idea, as if he hasn’t seen all the f***** up events Smoke has. He knew he was thinking about the money, they both were, but this wasn't it.

"If they cause all of that s*** while inside? We gon' have a bigger problem than just a fight" Smoke almost snapped.

"Sure do" Cornbread chimed in.

"Don't let them in" He ordered him and gave a stern look to his younger brother before walking further back in.

They have to make money somehow to keep the juke afloat. They needed this as much as his community did. Watching people dancing to the music Slim was playing for everyone, smiles and laughter in the air, he had to sort this out one way or another. He saw Stack appear beside him, nudging his shoulder with his own.

"They were pretty good" He wiggled a brow.

"You f****** crazy" Smoke muttered, taking a longer drag of his cigarette. The more he thought about them lurking outside, the itch at the back of his mind and on the inside of his hands grew. "Knowing they just sitting outside is trouble, they ain't outright deny they were klan"

Stack nodded, finishing his own cigarette and stubbing it out on the floor. "You gonna get rid of 'em?"

Smoke looked to him, Stack waiting for his answer.

"Nah…." Smoke gave another look to the dancing crowd, and back to Stack. "Maybe…if they are klan"

His little brother laughed, slinging an arm over the back of his shoulders and swayed him side to side. "You need back up?"

"Me?" Smoke stubbed out his cigarette. "Hell naw, as if you'll tear yourself from Mary"

Stack moved away, dropping his arm and sucked his teeth. "Just shout if you need me" He gripped one of Smoke's shoulders and left him, weaving past the crowd towards his love.

Smoke checked his guns one at a time, stepping to the side to inspect the barrels and the clips when his wife appeared behind him, her hands on his shoulders, lightly massaging them. "You good?"

The tension in his shoulders ebbed away from her gentle hands, but not enough to shake most of it. "Mhmm" He turned his head slightly and she kissed his cheek.

"You not gonna go out there are you?" She checked his guns out, eyes narrowed.

He shook his head. He wasn't sure what he was going to do exactly, still making up his mind, and a small lie couldn't hurt. He'd tell her the truth shortly after.

"I heard about the till, we'll make it work somehow" She smiled to him, but his worries piled on top of each other. He needed to provide. Seven years away to get this f****** money in the first place was too long.

“Ya better got some wild idea to make us gain real-ass dollars, woman” He turned to her fully, guns back in his holsters and folding his arms.

"I might, but I'll tell you after you dance with me" She smirked, hand out to him.

God he missed her.

…

They're still out there. The artillery is still out there.

"Lemme check on Cornbread, I'll find you soon" He kissed the back of her hand, she was annoyed but the wide smile on her face that she tried to hide made him smile briefly before he left her and turned the corner.

If they klan, he'll dispose of them. If not? He'll scare them away. Either way, they need to get off his damn land.

He bribed Cornbread to keep his mouth shut if Annie came questioning and closed the door behind him. His plan shouldn't take longer than ten minutes. Either option. The three were further down from the juke, Remmick sitting down with his banjo chatting away until he noticed his approaching.

"Had a change of heart?" He had that strange grin again.

"No, y'all need to get" Smoke took out his gun and pointed it at him.

Remmick stood slowly, hands in the air. "Sir, we-we just wanted to play, I can tell you got a lot of hurt in your hear-"

"I said go"

He gingerly looked to the other two, and back to him. "Alright, you missing out I assure you" He smiled again, nervous laugh accompanying it and his teeth at the sides sharper than usual. Probably poor hygiene.

Smoke kept the gun pointed at them until they turned around and started walking down the road. He exhaled loudly, shaking his head and watched them while he turned to head to the truck.

As soon as his eyes left them, it felt like a second before he heard it next to his ear.

"Really think we could all be family"

Twenty minutes had gone by and Smoke was nowhere in sight.

"You missing your man?" Stack teased her, his arms encircled around Mary, holding her back to him and chin on her shoulder. She shushed him with a stern look and patted Annie's arm.

Annie rolled her eyes, swatting Stack's leg as she stood. "He better not of gone out there" She mumbled, scanning the juke and moved further away from them. She heard Stack comment that his brother wouldn't leave without telling him.

Annie figured both predictions were plausible.

Not finding him amongst the crowd, nor the gambling room or the office, she headed towards the front door, a nagging feeling in her bones.

As she turned the corner, she saw the door was open, Cornbread sitting on the stool by the door and looking up to Smoke - who was standing just outside. He looked calm, relaxed even. She stepped closer, hearing their conversation.

"Let me in Cornbread" Smoke cooly said, one hand resting on the door frame, other hand gesturing with a flick of his wrist to inside the juke. His gaze raised up and met hers and Annie felt an unease wash over her. Why was she starting to panic? Feeling uneasy by her own husband?

"Why you out there alone?" Annie said quieter than she had meant to, moving closer to them. She broke their eye contact to look at Cornbread, who looked shocked by Smoke, brows knitted together and scoffed, looking down to the ground. "It's your own damn Juke Smoke, 'course you can come in, I ain't stopping you" Cornbread muttered.

Annie met Smoke's gaze again, which she realised hadn't left her and he stood straighter. She thought he was about to argue with the tall man, but he slid his hands in his pants pockets and strolled into the Juke, towards her at a leisurely pace. His eyes were different, leaning on predatory. She knew the gaze from his fights in his younger years, his shooting practices and just as he was watching the white people around an hour ago.

Why was it pointed at her?

The longer she kept eye contact, she saw it was mixed in with a stronger emotion. Subconsciously, she stepped backwards on his approach.

"What were you doing out there?" She had a hand brushing alongside the wooden beams to keep her steady with her eyes locked on his.

The corner of his mouth twitched, smile ghosting his lips. "Handled things"

Her brows furrowed slightly, eyes widening. "What things?"

He ignored her, his gaze traveling down her frame, before bringing it back up to her eyes.

The music in the juke raised in volume, feet hitting the floor in rhythm to the song that Pearline was singing to, the vibration hitting Annie's chest and her heart rate increasing the closer Smoke got. "You hurt 'em?" She asked, barely hearing herself.

"No" He simply said.

"Well what di-" She cut off her next question when her back hit the wall behind, surprised by it and Smoke stood in front of her, stepping into her personal space and gazed upon her. Annie couldn't for the life of her tell while her soul was screaming out to her to run. Run from Elijah. Why would she run? What was wrong?!

A whistle on the dance floor diverted her attention for a second and in the next, Elijah's right hand grasped her right, the absence of body heat making her body jump from it and she snapped her gaze back to him. "Why you so co-" She tried to say but he turned her fast to face away from him, letting go of her hand only to instead cover her mouth with his right hand, bringing her back against his chest and his left hand gripped over her left upper arm.

She grabbed the hand over her mouth with both hands but it didn’t yield, eyes wide when he moved her back with him quickly, her muffled protest not loud enough for him to hear. He brought them into the room next to where they stood earlier and trapped them in, turning her around to face him and pinned her to the door.

"What's wrong baby?" He asked her, one brow raised, hand still over her mouth. "Why you tryna run away from me?"

Her breathing was faster, heart pumping at the rushed movements into the room and his piercing stare. She felt disoriented despite standing still. He smelt different, something was definitely wrong but her mind was conflicted with her heart. The hand over her mouth was colder than normal. It wasn't cold outside, definitely not inside the juke.

But his skin appeared cool.

Her hands clutched the front of his waistcoat, fingers digging into the fabric to ground herself in her resolve to figure out this uneasiness but his gaze was clouding her judgement.

"Talk to me" His hand moved from her mouth finally, with hesitance, his eyes checking her like he was expecting her to scream or shout.

She might. From what exactly, she didn't know.

"Why you so cold?" She managed to say.

He held her hands to the sides of his neck, pressing her hands to his skin for her to feel the temperature. "Ain't all of me cold"

She noticed he was mostly right, but further down towards the crook of his neck the area was colder. Her hands lingering over it, searching her mind to find out why bells were ringing in her head at the fact.

He dipped his head to catch her wandering gaze, locking eyes with her again and she could have sworn she saw a glimpse of light shine across them. When he leaned closer, she was ready to kiss him, eyes closing but she felt the coolness of his breath at her ear. "Any more questions?" His voice was low.

A shiver ran down her spine, heart beat fast in her chest and throat. She gulped down the panicked thoughts in her mind to address the unease. Whatever was wrong, she'll find out later. Her need to be in the moment outweighs her need for answers.

She shook her head quickly as a reply.

As soon as she did, he gave her a searing kiss.

"Good" The tone of his voice rough, he sounded well pleased.

“What if someone walks in?!” She whispered, holding him back.

"Door's locked" He mumbled.

The doors didn't have locks. She knew that during the preparation for the juke opening.

She tried to voice his lie "No locks on thes-" but he interrupted her with another kiss, holding her tight to him.

She broke the kiss again, catching her breath.

"You trust me?" He asked quietly, leaning close to her ear again, holding the sides of her neck.

An obvious answer. Why was he asking?

“I do” She whispered, despite her gut feeling begging her to distinguish what her eyes can see

He whispered an apology, and the surge of pain in her neck shocked her body, tensing her muscles all the way to her fingertips.

And she couldn't breathe.

Smoke's mind was twisted. Thoughts that weren't his own making him angry, dizzy, frustrated. The cracker was trying to speak to him in his mind but he didn't give an absolute damn. He used all coherent brain processing to block him out, that monster doesn't deserve any of this.

He loved her. Loved her whole being. Needed her. Couldn't get enough.

He heard her heart beat faster as soon as he laid his eyes on her after he turned. Had it always been like this? Always fast for him? Even with just a stare? He was going insane. He was already there. Her heart beat in his ears, hearing her blood pumping.

“I do” - That was it for him, he gave in to his urge.

She'll be with him forever.

He bit her neck.

Her whole body tensed under him, breath caught in her chest and he wasn't sure how much it hurt compared to how desperate he was to make her the same as him, to ensure she would stay with him forever.

She wasn't in danger. He'll be there for it all, protecting her forever.

"'Lijah...." She weakly said, barely breathing out.

He released his bite, holding her face, watching her as she appeared to be at her last few breaths, quiet, barely audible and her gaze shook.

"Why....." Was her last word and her eyelids heavy, life leaving her eyes and her eyelids shut, her body falling limp onto him and he caught her.

He lifted her temporary lifeless body to the chair in the room, resting her on it and supported her head against the wall behind her.

Seconds passed as he nervously waited, watching for any sign of her waking.

"It's all gon' be alright baby" He whispered, knowing her soul was on a journey he couldn't witness, but knew about, similar to his own. Suppressing the worry creeping that maybe he was tricked, maybe this was…wrong, after all.

The door opened suddenly.

"Damn, y’all lovebirds sneak off to-" He heard Stack's voice before he saw him, his hand on the edge of the door and his head slowly peeking into the room. He stopped talking when his eyes landed on both of them.

Smoke was still.

Stack had a wide grin on his face one second as he registered who he was looking at, and it dropped in the next when his eyes scanned them, likely seeing the blood on them and Annie unresponsive.

Smoke eyed his reaction in case he tried to shoot. Bullets don't work, he tried that.

But his brother looked up to his eyes.

"What the hell happened Smoke?!"

The older twin threw a stare at his youngster, wiping his mouth. He kissed his teeth then relocated his eyes on his wife.

Why she ain’t waking up yet? Panic rushed over him. He gently pinched her cheeks — no reaction. Pupils dilated, fangs clenching, he held her face again.

“Annie—“ he grunted pressing his hand on her neck “No—no, this ain’t supposed to be that way”

“Hey—Smoke tell me what’s goin’ on!”

He hissed, his lips parting, fangs showing. He aimed his predatory expression at Stack.

“Ain’t ya got eyeballs on yo face” Rage balanced with pain right through the veil of his eyes.

“Close the door”

Stack executed.

“So—what are you…?” his toothpick dropped and fell on the wooden floor.

A rusty cough interrupted his interrogation.

“Vampire…” Annie whispered weakly.

Smoke removed his palm from Annie's neck and brushed it on her feverish face, embracing her revitalising features with his fingers.

“Baby”

“ No—no, you’ve changed me Elijah.”

“But you’re here. We can be together — forever “

“What is a reunion without her?”

Silence fell. Their heavy hearts stopped communicating with each other, for an instance. Annie breathed, then stood, faster and easier than she expected.

“I did know in the end, what you’d become. Love was just too strong to swallow the truth”

“Annie—“ She heard his thoughts.

“What you gon’ do Elijah?”

For the first time since they met up again, Smoke bowed his head. He sure hadn’t thought about their baby and how Annie was happy going back to her.

Couldn’t they just have another child—bigger, stronger, immortal? Is this his thoughts all twisted up with that white monster?

“You’re here that’s all matter to me” he plunged his darkened irises in hers “let start all over again baby”

Starting new and fresh? How many times she thought about this outcome. She couldn’t believe it was possible. Especially not after he left her behind for so many years. Now the man’s different, a natural predator — she is too.

“Where? What are you going to do— to all these people Smoke?”

The sore voice in her head trying to pierce the valleys of her psyche was frying her mind. It wanted access.

“You hear him too.”

“Tss”

Dumbfounded, Stack stood here. Not totally horrified, neither in his purely sane brain.

“Sorry fam’. Can someone telling me the hell happening here ? Smoke is that you ?”

“No man, it’s Hogwood” Smoke shot Stack another glare.

“I can’t stay here” Annie stated. “You can’t stay here” She asserted, moving Smoke away from her. “This is wrong”.

“It’ll be fine, It-it’ll be alri-”

She yanked her hand away from him when he tried to reach for her. She couldn’t think clearly, her senses dull and heightened at the same time. She held her head, shaking it and when Smoke called for her, she heard the sore voice in her head again, making her sprint out the room, pushing past Stack who stood clueless by the door.

Smoke almost chased after her but Stack stood in his way, hand on Smoke’s chest. “You better explain right the hell now Smoke, everything”.

Smoke blinked hard, catching his breath at the situation unfolding and sifting through his own thoughts to start explaining. Stack watched, eyes focused elsewhere to listen carefully as his explanation came out. Once Smoke was done, he could tell Stack understood half the situation, fist clenched, trembling.

“So you just gon’ take off?!” His brother snapped.

Elijah stared at his brother, desperate to chase after Annie, mind splitting apart from the rush of thoughts and needs within his head, that he couldn’t land on a definitive answer to Stack’s question. So he pulled him into a cold embrace. Stack’s body tensed, arms hanging in the air for a beat before he hesitatingly hugged him back.

“I don’t have the answers lil’ brother” Smoke mumbled. “But I gotta leave, I have to go with her, y-you can stay, run the juk-”

“I can’t leave you.” He stated “what’s the point of not having you by my side. You’re my brother” Stack sucked his teeth “don’t let that witch get between us”

Smoke was crying at this point, he messed things up so beyond to the point he didn’t have any answers. He felt Stack crying over his shoulder, his breathing ragged.

Smoke wasn’t ready to let go of his younger brother, he had protected him all his life and was committed to doing it even after life.

“Turn me” Stack uttered and Smoke was not having it.

“What you sayin” the older disapproved “these voices in the head” he started tapping his temple “they neva leave, would ever”

“There is no me without you Smoke”

Smoke’s hands shook holding his brother. His mind reeling at the words and the nagging voice of Remmick twisting his thoughts. He heard the heart beat of his brother and the people outside, the voice telling him to turn everyone in the damn juke.

He pulled back from the hug, hiding the murderous urge, trying to block out how he did earlier but somehow he was weaker at doing so.

Stack rolled up his sleeve, offered his forearm to him.

Smoke held it with one hand. “It’s gon’ hurt like a b****”

Stack’s grin wide, tears still in his eyes. “Pain ain’t foreign to us-DAMN!” He shouted when Smoke’s teeth pierced the skin, clapping a hand on Smoke’s shoulder out of sheer pain and reflex, pushing his brother off of him and Smoke staggered back.

Stack held his forearm, eyes wide looking at the bite mark. He turned away, foot stomping on the ground and cursing.

He then planted a hand on the wall. “I don’t…I don’t feel great” He barely said, rubbing the back of his neck.

Smoke on the other hand, could hear the blood pumping in everyone outside the room.

He was losing control of himself.

Annie looked for something thick enough outside the room to cover her husband’s mark on her neck, then met face to face with Mary.

“Annie !” Mary said, running happily toward her, “I was searching for you ! Your meals were absolutely delicious and—”

Bump

Bump

Bump

Her breath hitched, her swollen eyes closed and opened, strictly following Mary’s heartbeat.

Huh ? Why— how could she hear Mary's heart ? And the smell too, not her usual perfume, more like something metallic, something acrid…blood.

Annie put a hand on her mouth, nauseous. She whispered gratitude words to the brunette and fled out, Cornbread calling out to her as she ran further away from the juke, swallowed by the glooming air and shadowing trees.

She wanted to vomit, the heartbeats in her ears fading once she stood by one of the trees, back to it and hiding herself from the view of others. The music from the juke was a quiet melody as she took deep breaths.

This is all wrong, she should have been stronger to resist her husband, but the pain to admit it, to register it in her mind was stronger, her need for him. He was still in there.

But his soul was trapped.

And so was she.

“Oh sweet, sweet Annie, we’re family now, no need to be sad” She heard the sickening voice in her head and at her ears, whipping her head to the side and looked over the side of the tree, Remmick appearing with his minions, who she finally knew from their memories were associated with the KKK by blood, following behind.

Rage boiled inside of her, searching around her for wood on the ground.

“Thinking your hoodoo will help you here? I know all the secrets now” He stepped closer, the other two giggling. “Let me call on your husband you was kiss-”

He stopped talking when she ripped off a piece of bark from the tree and threw it to him at a quick speed. She’ll use it against him.

Her hoodoo will protect her. He wouldn’t understand the half of it.

His expression was cautious, holding out his arms to keep the other two back.

“This is where you die, for good” She warned, and ripped off another piece of the bark, bigger enough to not miss this time.

Stack was sweating, clutching his chest and sunk down by the wall, weakly calling for Smoke when he started moving towards the door of the room in a trance. All that was on his mind was turning everyone in the juke.

He was about to leave when Stack held his arm, holding him back. “Smoke-shi…” He struggled, his grip loosening. “Can’t bring everyone else..into this mess”

He looked down to his brother, he’ll pass out soon, Smoke will do this quick, free the rest in the juke an-

His head rang with a high pitched noise and Smoke dropped to his knees, the pain surging through his mind until it was quiet inside. Barely any more voices. Thoughts that he recognised barely but something was different to before. He didn’t have the dangerous urge in him no-more.

Then he sensed her.

Crying.

“Come on we gotta get out front” He grabbed Stack by the shoulders, hauling him up to his feet with him. His brother groaning in pain, eyes closing and his feet stumbling along the floor with him as he held Stack’s side to him.

The twins made it further down, bypassing others as nonchalantly as possible, waiting for Cornbread to leave his post at the door and rushed outside, Smoke’s eyes searching the area for his wife.

“Smoke I-I nee.. t.. lay… own” Stack slurred out.

“In a minute” He mumbled, moving away from the juke and into the woods. His heart was tugging him along to a specific area, deeper within, under the cover of the tall trees.

Coming into his view was the aftermath of a deadly fight.

“Annie…did this?!” Stack huffed out, his legs shaking and Smoke lowered him down to the ground, his back supported by the trunk of a tree.

Remmick and his minions extinguished explained why he couldn’t hear them anymore. Their sick and twisted desires no longer corrupting his own.

But where was his wife?

He focused in his mind, but it remained quiet, Her scent was in the air yet it only went so far. Like it suddenly cut off.

Like she did it on purpose.

His chest felt tight, his mind whispering to him that she was gone, and didn’t want to be found.

He looked back and saw his brother had passed out, his body slumped, chin to his chest.

He moved to him, sat down by his body and waited. Elijah sniffed, hands over his face, breathing unstable. Stack’ll be back, he knew that.

After a short while, mentally going around in circles in his own head, he heard Stack inhale sharply, coughing and hitting his chest. Elijah didn’t look at him, couldn’t.

“Man that’s – some bull-” Stack coughed in between his words “What happened while I was out?” He turned to him. “Smoke? Hey–” His hand on his shoulder shook him a little.

“We gotta tell everyone to go the hell home” Smoke sniffed again. “Need to lock up, search for her, find out how to deal with” He gestured his hands over both of them and the area around them. “All of this”

Stack nodded, standing to his feet and paused. “This how you feel? The energy-” He jumped a few times, testing his agility. “This is ama-” He stopped when Smoke glared to him.

“Okay, alright”

“Annie’s shack’ll have information on what’s going on with us, she might be there too” Smoke was praying she was there.

Stack hummed, busying himself with scattering twigs and broken branches over the evidence. “We can deal with the crackers later” He mumbled. “Let’s go” He brought Smoke to his feet.

Both twins walked slowly up to the Juke’s entrance, Stack hiding the damp patch of blood on his sleeve and Smoke making sure there wasn’t any more blood on his face. He locked eyes with Cornbread at the door.

“Everyone gotta leave” Smoke stared into his eyes.

Cornbread’s smile faltered. “What you mea-”

“Now” Stack warned.

The tall man looked between the two, eyes darting from Smoke’s face to Stack’s arm. He pointed a finger out to both areas. “Y’all get in a fight?”

“Yeah” Both twins said in unison.

Cornbread froze, checking both of them once more and then nodded. “Don’t gotta tell me twice” He mumbled, eyeing them with wide eyes and turned away. “Going home to my beautiful wife” He continued mumbling as he walked further in, shouting over the crowd about the Juke’s night coming to a close.

“Don’t scold me?! I’ll deal with Mary later” Stack sucked his teeth. Smoke forgot Stack could hear his thoughts now too.

People had begun leaving the place, the twins by the door seeing them out, nodding to some and muttering comments to them as they received compliments and complaints. Smoke heard Stack’s internal panic on hearing the heart beats of people passing, his fingers pressing hard into his folded arms at Smoke warning him to keep calm.

Bo slung an arm around Smoke’s shoulders, grinning from ear to ear. “Let me know the plan gentlemen, gotta do this again real soon” He patted his chest and shook his hand, moved over to shake Stack’s hand. “Stop by the shop tomorrow I got an ide-” He stopped when he caught the blood on Stack’s sleeve seeping through. Holding Stack’s hand, he held it higher to look. “A fight?”

“Mhmm” Both the twins hummed.

Bo looked between them, brows knitted together when Cornbread clapped a hand on Bo’s shoulder. “Let’s go” He pulled him along with him. “Take your wife home”

The bouncer glanced back and gave a curt nod, the two returning it.

They could tell Cornbread knew something was strange, but not entirely what.

The last to leave was Mary, whose expression was full of worry. “Stack I can’t find Annie- Smoke do you know where she is?!”

Smoke and Stack locked eyes, a telepathic conversation ensued:,

‘What the hell I say?’ - Stack

‘Make something up!’ - Smoke

‘Annie’s your wife!’ - Stack

‘Mary’s your problem!’ - Smoke

“She ain’t feelin’ right, resting in the office” Stack blurted out.

‘Dumbass’ - Smoke

“I’ll go see her-” Mary offered but Stack held her arm.

“Nah she don’t wanna see anyone, come visit her tomorrow at her house” Stack added to the lie.

“Might be by nightfall you can stop by” Smoke interrupted. He remembered a foreign memory, not his own, of Remmick’s skin burning under daylight, and it wasn’t due to the cracker’s pale skin.

Mary relented, unhappy, but she gave up for now. “Will you take me home?” She smiled sweetly at Stack.

“I need to lock up the juke with Smoke” Stack denied. “Bo!” He shouted to their friend who popped his head out the driver side window. “Can you drop Mary home?!”

“Sure can!” He waved his hand and Stack ushered Mary towards his car, ignoring her complaints and shut the door.

They finished locking up the juke, Smoke almost silent the entire time, trying to block out Stack from hearing him think.

“I’m sure she’ll be out there somewhere Smoke”

The fact was true, but….

“That isn’t what i’m….I don’t think she wants me to find her” Smoke finally looked to his brother, tears welling in his eyes again.

" To Annie Lavery Moore,

I'm writing, hoping to see you again, catching a glimpse of you, the light that still shines in this universe, without me being able to get a hold on it. We can part this world together, return to our daughter.

The world has changed over the years, and we aren’t together to witness it. To celebrate, cry, grieve, I miss your voice Annie. Your touch, your smile, your mind. All of you.

I was a fool. I never got to explain to you how sorry I was for leaving. How truly wrong I was for ever abandoning you those seven years. Only to come back to you and cause you more pain.

I’m sorry.

I am so, so, sorry.

The night you left, Stack and I made a promise to check in with one another as I had ventured out to find you. Search the lands for signs. Your workplace still stands, protected by your practice, by my touch. Children in our community have grown, families have departed to other states, countries. The world is still cruel, but none of it rips me apart as much as you not being by my side.

Stack turned Mary, when she asked him to. He too, a fool in love. I have no right to tell him what to do.

The juke ran its course, passed on to the next generation. Most of our friends are either old or have passed on.

Annie I don’t even miss the sun anymore. I miss your entire being.

Decades without you feels like torture. Wherever I go the void in my heart doesn’t seem to fill up. I made my vow to search for you, my love, begging to your toes forgiveness and wishing your soul is still tied to mine.

Don’t die Annie, wait for me darling.

I love you.

-Elijah Moore”