About Heroes

A Dark Shot In The Sun
Entry #50, Jan 14th
By Cast-Iron Chris
www.grimlandstories.com

"Glenn, let's play a game," said Simon sitting at the end of the bar.

"Sure," said Glenn the Damsel Strip club's bartender as he cut a lime.

"Let's see how drunk I can get before I die."

"You mean over the course of your life or just today?"

"It's all the same to me, Glenn," said Simon as he took a pint glass and began to fill it with equal parts Jack Daniel's, Jim Beam, Johnny Walker Black, and Jameson. "Cheers, Glenn." Simon opened his throat and swallowed the drink in one gulp. When he sat the pint glass back on the bar something in the concoction hit his brain immediately. He felt a combination of mild euphoria and heartache.

Simon looked at Glenn to make sure he was still on Earth. Glenn was making a Bombay Sapphire martini. He walked over to Simon and stuck out the drink. Simon began to mumble the word "no" when a blurry hand reached out next to him and took the drink. Simon turned at the speed of light to see Lee "The Lotus Wolf" Fook.

Fook took a long sip of his drink and placed it back on the bar. He wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his heavy cloth Judo uniform.

"Hello, Simon."

"Hey, Lee."

Fook took another drink. Simon got Glenn's attention for another drink but was denied.

"The funeral was very nice, don't you think?" asked Lee.

"It was what it was, wasn't it?" said Simon his speech started to slur.

"Hold it together, friend."

"Did Kitten really kill herself?"

"What do you mean?"

"Either she really did overdose on drugs, or you killed her, Lee."

"I do not kill innocent people," replied Lee, slightly angered.

"Kitten wasn't innocent. She helped me frame Congressman Vasquez. She killed herself because she couldn't take the guilt...I just thought that if you did it than maybe some of the guilt would be lifted off of me."

"You did what was ordered of you by Mr. Gillingham. And besides, I heard you cleared Vasquez of the charges."

Simon rubbed his head aggressively, "I did that after I found Kitten dead! I finally pulled my head out of my ass and did something I believed in. It just so happened that what I believe in is morally right. Go figure. I just wanted to balance out the world. I wanted to do something right. You taught me that."

Lee smiled and took another sip. "I merely pointed you in the right direction. I am sorry Kitten died. We all deal with things in our own way."

Simon rubbed his head then his face. He pulled his skin down making it look like it was melting off and turned toward Lee. "Why are you here, Fook?"

"You know why I'm here," said Lee Fook, as he drained the remains of his Bombay Sapphire martini.

Simon stood up from the bar and stretched then stumbled. Lee was there to grab him so he wouldn't fall. Simon leaned on Lee as they headed into a private room. The strippers knew not to follow. After a few minutes past three gun shots rang out from the room. A few people screamed, a few more people pretended to scream, but everyone else pretended nothing happened.