#skint

“Kid, hey kid!”  The medium toned voice faded into your mind, a finger snap shook you back to opening your eyes.  A Lady, long Maroon hair dangled down into your vision, her very pale skin seemed to glare in the sunlight.  She ran a hand along her side of shaven hair on her head,  “Hey, good to see ya coming too, was tempted to try my best nordic accent, but...you don’t look so good…”  you feel the world rock beneath you, but you hadn’t even tried to move.  Her firm but light touch grounding you by the contact.

  Suddenly you remembered you needed to breathe, you suck in a deep lungful of air, only to hack it up choking on it.  She helped you sit upright, her face now coming into focus, she was maybe late twenties, wearing a long since new button down shirt.  It looked rough but felt soft as you fell into her chest as she tried to steady you.  “Ok kiddo, I am not sure who, where, or how you ended up on my street, but let’s get you inside huh?” you weren’t the lightest human being, but she somehow managed to scoop you up bridal style.  Cradling you as she started towards the wavering mirage like building in the distance, crossing a never ending stretch of asphalt that faded out into the bright sunlight.

  A cool breeze blasted over your face, the bright light faded into a dark vaguely fluorescent atmosphere.  It smelled like food, and leather, everything was hurting now, you scrambled inside your head to remember what happened.  You feel a jolt from the squeak of wood as she kicked a table to the side a bit, resting in a corner of what appeared to be a booth.  Her hand was cool compared to the skin of your forehead as she pressed to check your temp.  “Well, you def look like a glass of water is in order, or four…”

  After twenty minutes or so and a couple pitchers of water, you finally felt cognitive enough to think on how you arrived at this spot.  You sipped another glass of water, the bruised pain in your throat wasn’t going away.  The strong yet kind lady wandered back over with a fresh pitcher of water, ice clinked about in it as condensation rolled in heavy beads down the sides.

  “Okay there stranger, so…” she drummed her fingers on the tablet, sliding to sit on the corner of the booths other bench, “you seem more about your wits, however i feel i should let you know not to try and talk too much ok?”  you winced as you reflexively tried to utter a inquiry, your hand reached up to your throat, feeling bandages.  Your eyes wide shot to hers, she motioned to settle, “listen i just patched you up before i got you awake, it’s super bruised and very angry.  Like you clotheslined yourself on something at a high speed, tom and jerry style.”  she glanced you over, “honestly i have seen similar, but not on living folk, motorcycle accidents...few have happened out here.  If i was to be specific, one would say the kind where you lose your head.” she pointed to your sore bandaged throat, “you are lucky you can even breathe, and i would get you to a hospital, but closest one is miles out and they do not chopper for cheap out here.” She sighed, looking guiltily at the floor, “and The Cops refuse to come out here, let alone emergency services, haven’t for a long while.  Bunch of rumors about this stretch of road being cursed or some ridiculous stuff, but i tell ya what, if you want”  she procured a phone, gently easing it across the table, “if you want to try and call someone to come get you i get pristine service out here, most don’t.”  you eyed the phone for a bit, bit pushed it back, with a look of frustration.  “Huh, no one to call or can’t remember the numbers?” she raised an eyebrow in concern, but you looked down at the table, frowning, you weren’t quite sure why or who you’d know to call.  “Well you seem alright, no red flags from my gut” she stretched out her hand to you, “Name is Maalony, but you can call me Mal.” you hesitantly grab her hand, she gives a friendly and comforting shake, then motions to the bar they were sitting in.  “This is My place, got it so long ago and under circumstances i have now long repressed into forgetting.  It’s called the Rattle Ridge Roadhouse, don’t worry, not because of the snakes...mostly... here.” she hopped up, helping to get you standing on your feet, her smile beaming warmly at you. “Let’s get you upstairs, I can set you up in my guest room, it doesn’t see much use...since ever really.  I mostly use it as a backup storage room for overstock, the regulars tend to clean me out before the next shipment if I don't hoard stuff up.”  Maalony helped you up the stairs, each step felt like agony, maybe you were in a wreck.

  After what felt like an hour long trek up stairs and about the balcony area lining the back top wall of the bar.  Maalony opened a door and eased you over to a slightly dirty but overall unused bed, it’s long faded quilt comforter the most inviting thing you’d seen in a long while.  The moment you lay out on the soft surface, you blink off into sleep.

The sound of Hearty Laughter, Maalony’s voice raising indescriptly and clinking glasses muffled from beneath the boards of the floor woke you.  Achy but feeling significantly better you immediately glance around for a bathroom, a long curtain adorns the back wall of the room, you pull it back only to gaze out into the nighttime scenery of the dry dusty place.  Stars sparkled brightly above the dark mountainous yet desert looking landscape. Your body swiftly reminded you about your urge to go, you shuffled around glancing at another door in the gloom.  It was nestled behind some stacked boxes, after praying while precariously wedging past the boxes you squeeze into the room past the door; it was a tight fit as the door was only able to open a bit due to space.

 You sighed in relief as your finger found the light switch, now illuminated before you sat a toilet.

  You wedged your way back out, at least there had been hand sanitizer in there.  The boards beneath your feet shook as rocacious clatter and laughter echoed up. Against better judgement you decided to take a peak out at the wild scene obviously happening below.  Being as quiet as possible always seemed louder when you definitely didn’t want to be found, ducking out the door seemed to make the hinges scream.  You knelt down, hands on the bars of the railing to see down below, and what a sight, like nothing you’d seen before.

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“Hey hey, c’mon sweetie, gimme a freebie, I’ll give you a personal freebie in the back.” Skint flailed his tongue between his fingers at Maalony.  Her expression stayed steady as she leaned in closer to him,

  “You have no credit Skint and I am pretty sure I can do fine on my own in that department, don’t push me tonight.” she swiped up an empty glass and started to clean it, the tall and yellowed skeleton looked at her languidly.  Right eye sagged shut from lack of function, sharp toothed smile as he rolled a toothpick about the fangs. He was sharply outfitted in leather and what appeared to be purple metal accents. His one illuminating Violet Purple Eyelight following her every movement,  she glanced past the pool table at the farside of the building.  “Wild, can you please reign your brother in?”

  A short stock skeleton, in a chair reclined against the wall, feet propped up on the pool table edge.  He lowered his magazine on Motorcycle assembly, two oddly startling shaped Brighter Violet eyelights looked up to her, then to Skint.  He sighed going back to his reading, leather jacket complaining as he settled back,

  “I WOULD BUT I AM BUSY…” Maalony sighed as the Taller one jokingly made a grab at her arm,

  “Skint, you really like living up to that god awful reputation of yours…” he snaked a finger in a circle on the counter, eyeing her with his permanent grin.  He reached as she turned to place a glass, only for a knife to bury itself into the counter through Skints sleeve.  It sunk in deep, between his radius and ulna, mounting him in place by the forearm to the counter.  Maalony turned round at the sound,

  “G’Damnit Hazard, not the counter again, i just fixed it from last time…”  A grin sharp as its victims, but accented with two gold canines shined at her.

  “Got Anxious Darlin’, He doesn't stop sometimes, Better to keep him in place.” His voice was gravely and low, but almost timid.  His rusty orange eyelights peaked out from the hood of his leather duster coat.  Skint tugged fruitlessly at the hilt of the blade,

 “you Idiot, what if we gotta roll out! Now i can’t go outside to smoke!”  Hazard scoffed at the complaint,

  “You don’t go outside to smoke anyway you assh-”  he was cut off as a much more delicate but fiercely dressed skeleton raised a hand at Hazard.  Sneering his sharp teeth as starry crimson eyes glared at the hooded figure,

  “STOP GROWLING SO LOUDLY YOU MANGY DOG!” its tone was scathing, he gently shook his empty martini glass at Maal. “PITY YOU ARE SUCH AN AFFLICTION TO OUR GENEROUS HOST.”  he smiled composed at Maalony, then gave her a stern look.  She produced a shaker, refilling the glass with a very bright cocktail. He eyed the beverage, then glanced up to her, she bowed with a flourish.

  “This one is the royal flush of mixes I make, enjoy at leisure dear Nitros.”  she flung her towel over her shoulder and quickly blew him a kiss as she proceeded down the line at the bar. He puffed up with pride at the attention as he sipped it, eyes widening in pleasant surprise at it’s taste. The next seat down the line held seated a tall and spiked red metal accent riddled skeleton, as sharp in body as he was in attire.  His massive scarred left eye watched her work as she refilled his glass,  “And for BigBoss I have fireyTomata, specially mixed.”  his massive sharp teeth curved into a grin, then swiftly evaporated.  He picked up the glass delicately and swigged a portion, then started into thought, gently swirling his beverage. Hazard and Skint bickered quietly now as they both worked to remove the knife with minimal damages.  They ripped it free, with a holler of victory, Maalony slid them down a beer and a glass of bourbon and BBQ sauce.  Then she rounded to the far end, past big boss, to a hunched up figure, skeletal fingers drumming on the countertop.  Red piercing eyelights bored into the surface of the wood, smile punctuated by a solid gold fang amidst the other sharp teeth.  She mixed vodka and mustard, then set it down infront of him, his hand tapped it’s way onto hers before it left the glass.

  “Baby, you gonna be free at 2am? I am dying for some one on one action.” he growled it seductively at her.  She patted his grip with her free hand,

  “Gravel sweetheart, I am always free after 2am, the big question is if these other trouble makers will let me stay that way.” He dropped the tough act for a second, giving her the softest look one can manage as a very spiky and sharp clad biker.

  “Doll I’m serious here, i need this.” she sighed and nodded.

  “My room at 2:30 but be sly” she leaned in close, “Big Boss will have a conniption if he sees you at it again.” he nodded, chuckling as he released her hand for a drink of the beverage in front of him. 

  Suddenly the Jukebox in the corner by the main door roared to life, Loud Chiptune music blaring through, a cover of a metallica song from the sound of it.  A reserved yet leather clad and tall skeleton was on his way back to his seat, hood flipped up and shoulders hunched. At the table his companion was sipping a glass of red wine.  A shy brace wrapped smile flicked at Maalony as he raised his finger for a refill, The one sitting apart from him raised a brow, he had a very Steve McQueen look going for him.  The only one of the group wearing a savory red ascot, “GOODNESS YOU ALREADY HAD FIVE COFFEE WHIPS, YOU WANT ANOTHER?”  the taller reserved one, fidgeted as he waited, Maalony walked over, placing what one would think a rootbeer float down onto the table.  In fact it was a carbonated coffee drink with a mountain of whip cream atop it,

  “Oh let him enjoy himself Driver, you are.” she placed a freshly opened bottle of Merlot down, Driver shrugged as he smiled up an agreement.  She looked back to the shy skeleton, “and how are you enjoying the drinks, Slick?” he coyly flashed a happy smile as he started to swipe a finger of whipped cream off the top.

  She wandered back to the bar, setting the empty dirty glasses at the end, grimacing at the knife hole in the countertop.  She wandered over to Wildcard, “hey figured i’d check if you wanted another calcium shake.” he reached to his side, holding up a still partially full shake, straw lolling about the rim.  She nodded, “noted, also your brother is about to start playing darts again.”  he flapped the magazine down onto his lap, scowling at the dart board area, Skint was trying to talk Hazard into making a bet for the game.

  “C’mon big guy, this is easy, you got excellent aim and power, and well you aren’t allowed to play pool anymore due to the last incident.  Just a few gold pieces, nothing much.”

  “How much?”

  “Let's make it fun, and say...50?”

  “Well i suppose-”

  “Thousand?” he extended the handful of Hazards Darts to him.

  “Fuck that!” Hazard Snarled it out swatting the hand, darts flew up, one landing in the ceiling the other two in the upstairs railing.  Skint tsk’d at the show,

  “My my, very unsportsmanlike.”  Hazard Gave Maal an apologetic look, then started for the upstairs railing.

  Maalony glanced upstairs, then spied her latest house guest, and darted into Hazards path.

  “Y’know what i can go get em’ no biggie, everybody has their drinks.” Hazard puzzled at her remark,

  “Yeah...but, I can actually reach em darlin’ you aren’t that tall. Besides-” his words dropped off as he locked onto something upstairs.  He darted past Maal who cursed under her breath, she hollered up after him,

  “Hazard stop it! They-” she could hardly finish her explanation before it was drowned out.  Hazard had the Poor kid suspended by the collar in the air, growling deep and threateningly. The rest of the Skeletons shifted in mood quickly, all of them very bristled and a few even had produced bones aglow in hand with sharp points to match their eyelights.  The one that had been stoically silent stood from the bar, motioned for Hazard to bring them down.  Maalony stormed over to him, “BigBoss, I know it looks suspicious, but they are why I asked you guys if anyone had hit anybody recently and- Hazard will you PLEASE put them down!” the Tallest skeleton had made it down the stairs with them in tow, then abruptly dropped them to the ground. Maal walked swiftly towards the now coughing and very scared charge she had taken in earlier that day.  “They are who I found today out there, and this is more than a bad first impression.” BigBoss strode over, and knelt down to examine the crumpled thing beneath Maalony’s hands.

  You looked up to a very large and imposing face, sharp cheekbones sat beside piercing dark sockets with pinpoint fiery orange lights glowing from deep within them.  It seemed minutes before anybody moved or said anything, the first to do so was BigBoss.

  “GRAVEL!!! DID YOU DO THIS!?” he stood glaring at his brother, who now sweating was looking very perplexed.

  “How the heck would I have hit 'em? I ride right next to ya, you woulda seen if it was me fer stars sake!”

Your throat burned and thudded with your heartbeat, being hoisted up by the shirt collar looked less painful in movies and tv. Even you could remember that much as of the moment.