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Wungus
Mar 5, 2004

In even though I know I got zero free time over the next week

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Wungus
Mar 5, 2004

You gave me a song rife with geographic inconsistencies according to the aerial views Google Maps suggests this is some horseshit has John Denver even fuckin' been to West Virginia outside of that one wiggly dicktip of a section just by Maryland and Real Virginia where the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah River actually exist in West Virginia I swear to gently caress

Wungus
Mar 5, 2004

The Song's Stuck In My Head (And I Kind Of Like It Now) 1200 words Song

I pull into that gas station at five thirty. It's always five thirty, because out here, the road's empty at five thirty. The guy comes out like always and this time I open a cooler in my passenger seat and hand him a six pack. The guy looks surprised and asks what this is about, and I say it's because I work in a brewery and he's got a tough job. He turns his head sideways and looks like he's going to turn down the beer but it's hot, so he cracks one open and I see the grin stretch over his face and you know, this time, he looks so happy I get back in my truck and start the engine.

"Ma'am," he says into my window, "ain't you gonna fill'er up?" He nods to my gas tank and it's a shame he wants me to stay but it's why I take this road and stop here. I do what I gotta do, and slam my door open right into his face. He staggers back and I climb out of my truck and think about how I should pick up some eggs on my way home as I open his head up with a tire iron. He doesn't move after that. I wash the blood off my hands and arms with the bottle I keep in the back of my truck for this kind of thing and take that country road home, to Darryl and the girl.

*

Darryl's real quiet during breakfast. The girl laughs in the yard, pretending she doesn't have school in an hour, and I take a sip of my coffee when he tells me why I'm awful today.

"You were late home last night," he says, and puts his spoon down by his bowl like he's got to have his hands ready for a fight.

"Sorry. It's got real busy at work." I try to smile at him but I'm too busy thinking about the guy at the gas station and all I give him is a shrug with my cheeks.

His eyes get real suspicious and I don't think he knows he slid his chair back but I've gotten good at seeing that sort of thing. "Is there another man?"

"No." It doesn't feel like a lie, so it must be the truth. I continue. "I got new responsibilities."

"Last night, when you got in. Babe, your shirt smelled like beer and men's cologne. It wasn’t mine.”

I don't have an answer to that, so I take another sip of coffee. Darryl's jaw cracks and his temple bulges. I give him back the quiet he's throwing at me and Sue-Anne runs in from outside. She's nine and blonde, so Darryl won't hit her. My hair’s black as tarmac. Darryl breaks the stare and stands, lifting his daughter, his tattoos wrapping around her waist like guardians. "Come on, Sue-Anne," he says, then he says something else but I'm thinking about the gas station. I don't know when it happens, but they're gone from the kitchen by the time I stand up.

*

I want to get home earlier than usual for Darryl, and the girl, so I put the shotgun in my truck. Five thirty comes and I pull in to the gas station. The guy comes out. I pull the trigger but the first shot misses and I get out of the truck and before I know it, the sun's going down. I get back in the truck and leave the body where it lays. I’ll be better tomorrow, I think.

It's dark and quiet at home so I get in bed. It doesn't feel right and I realize I've still got my boots on. I pull the covers back and see the mud I've left on the sheets. Darryl comes in the room while I'm cleaning and I can tell he's mad, because he just stands in the doorway and watches. We look at each other and he turns around and slams the door. I know he wants me to follow. He wants us to yell, but I don't feel like I need to yell any more. I clean the sheets and get into bed and dream about gas stations.

*

"You didn't eat with us last night, Mommy," Sue-Anne says in the morning. She sips on some orange juice and looks just like Darryl's ex-wife. It hits me that I'm not bothered by that any more.

"Yeah, Mom. Where were you?" Darryl doesn't have his daughter's smile in his voice, so I don't look at him when I respond.

"I had some extra work to do. I picked up food from a gas station on my way back. I'll be home early tonight, I promise."

"It's Saturday." Darryl stares at me. "I've got an interview at the fire station today, so you're keeping Sue-Anne company. She's going to tell me all about it later." He buries his fists in his words, just deep enough so his daughter can't see. I remember and tell him so. We watch him leave, then I help Sue-Anne get in my truck and we go for a drive. I notice my gas is running low.

*

I never meant for Sue-Anne to see, but the guy tried to run away so what was I supposed to do? We head back and she's real quiet, so I tell her a story while I drive. I tell her all about the little girl with the fire inside, and the man with the dragon arms who can't get burned so he beats the fire back. Then I tell her all about the long country road, with the gas station at one end, and home at the other, but the road keeps switching up which end's which, and sometimes the little girl's the one who can’t be burned, only she’s too small, so she has to beat harder. I even tell her about the accident, the one I kept a secret from Darryl, where I found the man who never remembers yesterday because he's always getting dead. Sue-Anne just sits there quiet, and it isn't long before I join her. She cries a bit. I don't care.

Darryl beats us home, and Sue-Anne runs up and hugs him. I start to make dinner while they talk in another room, then she leaves with the dog on a leash. Darryl comes in and he's got this anger I've never seen. He doesn't aim it at me, just throws over the table and shouts things that aren't even words any more. I nod and keep making dinner. He tries to kiss me, then he slaps me. For a quarter of a second, he looks like when we met and I get my feelings back. They're gone faster than they came. I give him that shrug with my mouth and turn away to check on dinner. Eventually, he takes some suitcases out to the car. I won't see him again, and it's funny how I know I should feel something, but my brain's busy elsewhere. I'm thinking about how I never did fill up my truck. I know my gas is running low. Maybe I'll go for a drive tomorrow.

Wungus
Mar 5, 2004

In, and:

Ilana is an ex-IDF member who, upon completion of her tour of duty, hosed right off to Los Grano D'Oro and became a bartender. She has really short hair, is uncomfortable around strangers, and loves silver rings.

Wungus
Mar 5, 2004

Bad Seafood posted:



Adrian Stepwater has never been much of a people person.
Using Adrian, and

Fanky Malloons posted:

Xixi Fang:
17 years of age. Former child prostitute taken in by La Niñas when her pimp was found dead under suspicious circumstances (note: this is still an open, unsolved case). Usually seen in the company of the individual known as Honey, acting as an enforcer in her extortion scams. Does not appear to speak English, though it is suspected that this may be an act.

Taking Xixi. Does this mean I get to decide her fate?

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Wungus
Mar 5, 2004

Fanky Malloons posted:

No it does not, I will decide which poster gets to decide their gang member's fate after the sign up deadline. Also, I am going to veto you taking both of these characters, because that's somewhat unfair when the gang members can't be used by multiple posters. Therefore, you can have Adrian or Xixi, but not both.

I choose Xixi

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