Well this NaNoWriMo was a dud. Lots of stuff got in the way and I'd rather tank the year rather than force progress. Still, I got the story established, so I'll close out the year with what I pounded out, the little that there was...
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[Vampires of Pittsburgh - Crisis]
James Blake was never the type to
easily lose his cool, but today the desire was a bit overwhelming. He was
staring almost slack jawed at the clerk in a remote part of town, struggling to
make sense of what the young man just said to him. "Are you sure you
looked?" he asked "Cuz you were pretty quick to say you were out of
them."
"Dude," the clerk said in a dismissive tone "We haven't had those cigarettes stocked in a long ass time. I'm pretty sure they stopped making them. I can sell you regular Salems if you like."
"When is your shipment day?" Blake asked.
"Dude, you're holding up my line."
"Your line is two people long, including me."
"Move your ass!" a cranky old lady yelled from behind.
"What do you want from me, dude?" the clerk asked.
"Just find my cigarettes," Blake pleaded.
"We don't sell them, sorry dude. Perhaps some Marlboros?"
"Do I look like an animal?!"
"Dude," the clerk said in a dismissive tone "We haven't had those cigarettes stocked in a long ass time. I'm pretty sure they stopped making them. I can sell you regular Salems if you like."
"When is your shipment day?" Blake asked.
"Dude, you're holding up my line."
"Your line is two people long, including me."
"Move your ass!" a cranky old lady yelled from behind.
"What do you want from me, dude?" the clerk asked.
"Just find my cigarettes," Blake pleaded.
"We don't sell them, sorry dude. Perhaps some Marlboros?"
"Do I look like an animal?!"
Blake returned to the car outside
with John waiting in the driver's seat. "Oh no, still no luck?" he
said sarcastically as Blake entered with an annoyed look on his face.
"Maybe you should face the fact that they don't make Salem Blacks anymore."
Blake pulled out a non-Salem Black cigarette. "It's not fair," he
said as he lit up.
"You rarely smoke them anyway, I don't see the big deal," John said as he fired up the car's engine. "They're a special treat," Blake said "I like them." John chuckled as he started driving "Fuck menthol, you're not even black." Blake rolled down his window. "Racist," he said with a grin as he blew smoke.
They drove for a while until they reached an apartment complex on the outskirts of the downtown area. Blake got out while John stayed inside with the engine running. They had no intention of paying a meter, so if a meter maid rolled by, John could simply pull out and circle the block a couple times while Blake was busy. "I won't be long," Blake said, eliciting an unenthused grunt from John.
This part of downtown had an old feel that Blake always felt was quaint. Brick buildings with old advertisements for the city and graffiti were on every office building nearby. The city leaves the look under the idea that the city appreciates and gets character from the retro look, as opposed to Blake's idea that they'll never pony up the money needed to modernize the area.
Blake walked up the short steps of the apartment and buzzed the room he needed. "H'lo?" a voiced said through the static. "Dom, It's me," Blake said. The door made a loud click and Blake pulled it open and proceeded up to Dominic's room on the third floor. The hallway he walked down had an old wooden floor that creaked with every step and the once white walls were stained yellow. The elevator he just rode up on gave an obnoxious mechanical whirl sound that announced every time someone anywhere in the building had called for it. Some of the lights in the hall were burnt out and in need of replacements, but one light in particular Blake would notice near Dominic's door that stayed off but would flicker every time he approached.
The door was left unlocked and Blake walked right in. "Pay day!" he announced as he walked towards the kitchen where Dominic was sitting. Dominic had a lanky figure with black hair that seemed matted to his forehead. He was wearing a striped polo and khakis, which juxtaposed against the fact that he worked at home for Blake and hadn't stepped foot in an office in quite some time. He had been hunched over a laptop set up on his table, an empty plate and a glass of milk nearby.
"Yes, you have money to collect," Dominic said with a tired strain in his voice "Both business and business-business related."
"Finally, some good news today," Blake said as he helped himself to a seat. Dominic shrugged and got up to retrieve a shoe box from under his sink. "Speaking of which," Blake continued "I wouldn't happen to have ever left any cigarettes here, would I?"
"I thought I told you never to smoke in here," Dominic quickly chided "I have a very strict agreement on my security deposit."
"Relax," Blake assured "Just asking if I've happened to ever leave unsmoked cigarettes behind." Dominic sat down a little more calm. "You would never leave a cigarette behind, even accidentally," he said, then opened the show box and searched through for a couple wads of cash, each with a rubber band securing them.
"First your personal business," Dominic said as he tossed the first wad of bills to Blake "Two of your three pending jobs paid up, even though that old lady in Ithaca shouldn't have paid you."
"She was a nice lady," Blake mused "Thought her basement was haunted."
"Her dryer was on the fritz."
"And I fixed it. Technically I performed a service either way."
"That's one expensive repair job."
"The peace of mind I gave her to know her house wasn't haunted was reason enough for payment. Her words."
"Just seems fraudulent."
"Hey, my other jobs are legitimate. Speaking of, who is the third that hasn't paid? Don't tell me it's the Cato guy."
"Yeah, it's the guy from Cato," Dominic explained.
"It's almost two months!"
"He said he's hard up for cash. Gave up some as a show of good faith. I'm holding onto it though until he pays in full; I know how confused you and John get with partial payments."
"We should break his legs," Blake said as he flipped through his money.
"Don't talk like your boss," Dominic said.
"And while we're on THAT subject," Blake said as he pocketed his cash.
"Right..." Dominic said as he handed over the much larger wad of cash to Blake.
"You know the deal with this cash, right?" Blake asked.
"I don't ask questions, and you don't want answers," Dominic said, rehearsed.
"My man," Blake said approvingly.
"What does Sallome think about me?"
"What?" Blake asked.
"Ya know," Dominic said with a shrug "He does some dirty things, but he knows I'm just a numbers guy, right?"
"Relax," Blake said "you're a very legitimate private accountant that deals with...certain 'investments' on behalf of my boss."
"I don't want a mob hit on me," Dominic said after a brief pause.
"Jeeze, relax," Blake said with a grin "Stop watching gangster movies."
"That's a lot of money," Dominic reasoned.
"Drop in the bucket," Blake said "Besides, the only mob activity that ever happens anymore is in Washington whenever a Republican gets nominated for the Supreme Court."
"And what does your boss think of your little side hustle career?"
"He doesn't know the truth," Blake said with a laugh "No one would believe what I do. Sallome just thinks I funnel sports betting through you."
"And what will you tell him when New York legalizes sports betting?"
"Easy, I tell him old habits die hard. Speaking of which..." Blake pocketed the large wad of cash and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "See ya later, Blake," Dominic said while rolling his eyes. Blake stood up and started to leave. "By the way," he asked as he patted the part of his coat where he put the first wad of cash "You already took your cut from my payments, right?"
"Yeah," Dominic responded as he reached for his milk "But feel free to leave a tip." Blake laughed "We're not even close to Christmas." Dominic flipped Blake off.
"You rarely smoke them anyway, I don't see the big deal," John said as he fired up the car's engine. "They're a special treat," Blake said "I like them." John chuckled as he started driving "Fuck menthol, you're not even black." Blake rolled down his window. "Racist," he said with a grin as he blew smoke.
They drove for a while until they reached an apartment complex on the outskirts of the downtown area. Blake got out while John stayed inside with the engine running. They had no intention of paying a meter, so if a meter maid rolled by, John could simply pull out and circle the block a couple times while Blake was busy. "I won't be long," Blake said, eliciting an unenthused grunt from John.
This part of downtown had an old feel that Blake always felt was quaint. Brick buildings with old advertisements for the city and graffiti were on every office building nearby. The city leaves the look under the idea that the city appreciates and gets character from the retro look, as opposed to Blake's idea that they'll never pony up the money needed to modernize the area.
Blake walked up the short steps of the apartment and buzzed the room he needed. "H'lo?" a voiced said through the static. "Dom, It's me," Blake said. The door made a loud click and Blake pulled it open and proceeded up to Dominic's room on the third floor. The hallway he walked down had an old wooden floor that creaked with every step and the once white walls were stained yellow. The elevator he just rode up on gave an obnoxious mechanical whirl sound that announced every time someone anywhere in the building had called for it. Some of the lights in the hall were burnt out and in need of replacements, but one light in particular Blake would notice near Dominic's door that stayed off but would flicker every time he approached.
The door was left unlocked and Blake walked right in. "Pay day!" he announced as he walked towards the kitchen where Dominic was sitting. Dominic had a lanky figure with black hair that seemed matted to his forehead. He was wearing a striped polo and khakis, which juxtaposed against the fact that he worked at home for Blake and hadn't stepped foot in an office in quite some time. He had been hunched over a laptop set up on his table, an empty plate and a glass of milk nearby.
"Yes, you have money to collect," Dominic said with a tired strain in his voice "Both business and business-business related."
"Finally, some good news today," Blake said as he helped himself to a seat. Dominic shrugged and got up to retrieve a shoe box from under his sink. "Speaking of which," Blake continued "I wouldn't happen to have ever left any cigarettes here, would I?"
"I thought I told you never to smoke in here," Dominic quickly chided "I have a very strict agreement on my security deposit."
"Relax," Blake assured "Just asking if I've happened to ever leave unsmoked cigarettes behind." Dominic sat down a little more calm. "You would never leave a cigarette behind, even accidentally," he said, then opened the show box and searched through for a couple wads of cash, each with a rubber band securing them.
"First your personal business," Dominic said as he tossed the first wad of bills to Blake "Two of your three pending jobs paid up, even though that old lady in Ithaca shouldn't have paid you."
"She was a nice lady," Blake mused "Thought her basement was haunted."
"Her dryer was on the fritz."
"And I fixed it. Technically I performed a service either way."
"That's one expensive repair job."
"The peace of mind I gave her to know her house wasn't haunted was reason enough for payment. Her words."
"Just seems fraudulent."
"Hey, my other jobs are legitimate. Speaking of, who is the third that hasn't paid? Don't tell me it's the Cato guy."
"Yeah, it's the guy from Cato," Dominic explained.
"It's almost two months!"
"He said he's hard up for cash. Gave up some as a show of good faith. I'm holding onto it though until he pays in full; I know how confused you and John get with partial payments."
"We should break his legs," Blake said as he flipped through his money.
"Don't talk like your boss," Dominic said.
"And while we're on THAT subject," Blake said as he pocketed his cash.
"Right..." Dominic said as he handed over the much larger wad of cash to Blake.
"You know the deal with this cash, right?" Blake asked.
"I don't ask questions, and you don't want answers," Dominic said, rehearsed.
"My man," Blake said approvingly.
"What does Sallome think about me?"
"What?" Blake asked.
"Ya know," Dominic said with a shrug "He does some dirty things, but he knows I'm just a numbers guy, right?"
"Relax," Blake said "you're a very legitimate private accountant that deals with...certain 'investments' on behalf of my boss."
"I don't want a mob hit on me," Dominic said after a brief pause.
"Jeeze, relax," Blake said with a grin "Stop watching gangster movies."
"That's a lot of money," Dominic reasoned.
"Drop in the bucket," Blake said "Besides, the only mob activity that ever happens anymore is in Washington whenever a Republican gets nominated for the Supreme Court."
"And what does your boss think of your little side hustle career?"
"He doesn't know the truth," Blake said with a laugh "No one would believe what I do. Sallome just thinks I funnel sports betting through you."
"And what will you tell him when New York legalizes sports betting?"
"Easy, I tell him old habits die hard. Speaking of which..." Blake pocketed the large wad of cash and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "See ya later, Blake," Dominic said while rolling his eyes. Blake stood up and started to leave. "By the way," he asked as he patted the part of his coat where he put the first wad of cash "You already took your cut from my payments, right?"
"Yeah," Dominic responded as he reached for his milk "But feel free to leave a tip." Blake laughed "We're not even close to Christmas." Dominic flipped Blake off.
"We're eating tonight!"
Blake proclaimed as he got in the car and John drove off. "Well we've been
set for rent," John said "So I guess getting food too is considered a
luxury."
"Oh did I say food?" Blake asked "Because what I meant was we now have the cash for a liquor run."
"Pretty sure food is more important."
"Ok fine, I'll cut you $10 for a pizza."
"We already have plenty of booze."
"No such thing as too much."
"Some of it is still unopened."
"Lies."
"That skull bottle vodka you keep in the freezer from way back is still waiting to be opened."
"That doesn't count. I still need a sharper drill to open it."
"Whatever, look, I'm just saying it might be a good idea to maybe save some of our money instead of smoking and drinking it."
"Or we could swing by Sallome so I can drop off his ill gotten gains and I can get paid some more!"
"Or we could do that..." John said annoyed.
"What are you so up on money all of a sudden for?"
"I just thing we've been pretty busy lately and getting paid pretty decently. Wouldn't be a bad idea to stash some away for when work dries up."
"What makes you think our work will taper off?"
"Seriously? We go from needing work to make last month's rent to actually being able to afford rent for a few months in advance, just as an example. You don't think that our sudden busy surge will revert back to the mean?"
"Or maybe our brand is expanding!" Blake said as he gestured his hands outward for emphasis.
"Our 'brand' has always been a couple of assholes people only turn to when they get desperate," John snarked.
"Nah," Blake replied "Our reputation precedes us, that's all."
John rolled his eyes and shook his head. Blake took the time to roll down his window and finally light up his cigarette. "Before we hit up your boss," John said "We need to stop by Matthew." Blake took a moment to take a drag from his cigarette before addressing John. "Why?" he asked. "He called before," John said "Back when you were not buying cigarettes. I figured you wouldn't care until after Dominic since we'd have to pass by him anyway."
"Matthew can wait. Go to No Name first, I was serious about the liquor run."
"I dunno," John reasoned "He sounded upset."
"Matthew's always upset," Blake dismissed.
"More so than usual. Something happened."
"Is it a job?"
"He didn't say."
"Then he can wait in line. No Name first, then Sallome, then if I feel like it we can go to Matthew. Otherwise he can wait until tomorrow."
"You realize Matthew is closer than both the liquor store and Sallome, right?"
"Your point?"
"Gas isn't cheap, bitch."
"Jeeze, again about money. You have your own side hustle too, ya know."
"Not a lot of time to find good paying private detective work since I'm helping you so much lately."
"So when our work dries up like you think it will, you can be a private eye again and still afford your non alcoholic food you crave so much."
"We're going to Matthew first."
"Ugh, fiiiiiiine."
"Oh did I say food?" Blake asked "Because what I meant was we now have the cash for a liquor run."
"Pretty sure food is more important."
"Ok fine, I'll cut you $10 for a pizza."
"We already have plenty of booze."
"No such thing as too much."
"Some of it is still unopened."
"Lies."
"That skull bottle vodka you keep in the freezer from way back is still waiting to be opened."
"That doesn't count. I still need a sharper drill to open it."
"Whatever, look, I'm just saying it might be a good idea to maybe save some of our money instead of smoking and drinking it."
"Or we could swing by Sallome so I can drop off his ill gotten gains and I can get paid some more!"
"Or we could do that..." John said annoyed.
"What are you so up on money all of a sudden for?"
"I just thing we've been pretty busy lately and getting paid pretty decently. Wouldn't be a bad idea to stash some away for when work dries up."
"What makes you think our work will taper off?"
"Seriously? We go from needing work to make last month's rent to actually being able to afford rent for a few months in advance, just as an example. You don't think that our sudden busy surge will revert back to the mean?"
"Or maybe our brand is expanding!" Blake said as he gestured his hands outward for emphasis.
"Our 'brand' has always been a couple of assholes people only turn to when they get desperate," John snarked.
"Nah," Blake replied "Our reputation precedes us, that's all."
John rolled his eyes and shook his head. Blake took the time to roll down his window and finally light up his cigarette. "Before we hit up your boss," John said "We need to stop by Matthew." Blake took a moment to take a drag from his cigarette before addressing John. "Why?" he asked. "He called before," John said "Back when you were not buying cigarettes. I figured you wouldn't care until after Dominic since we'd have to pass by him anyway."
"Matthew can wait. Go to No Name first, I was serious about the liquor run."
"I dunno," John reasoned "He sounded upset."
"Matthew's always upset," Blake dismissed.
"More so than usual. Something happened."
"Is it a job?"
"He didn't say."
"Then he can wait in line. No Name first, then Sallome, then if I feel like it we can go to Matthew. Otherwise he can wait until tomorrow."
"You realize Matthew is closer than both the liquor store and Sallome, right?"
"Your point?"
"Gas isn't cheap, bitch."
"Jeeze, again about money. You have your own side hustle too, ya know."
"Not a lot of time to find good paying private detective work since I'm helping you so much lately."
"So when our work dries up like you think it will, you can be a private eye again and still afford your non alcoholic food you crave so much."
"We're going to Matthew first."
"Ugh, fiiiiiiine."
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