A Runner, a Hangedman, and a Thief

First chapter written, was not going to be the first but since it's the only one written at the moment I guess it will be.

Gale sped down the 95 heading north, a sign eaten by rust flew by.  Jupiter was apparently 25 miles away. All Gale saw was an endless wall of trees on either side of him. He flipped on the radio. Static, static, country, country, Spanish, country, static, oldies- they were playing Video Killed the Radio star. Good enough.  He lit a cigarette.

The sky on his left was burnt orange with highlights of pink and scarlet on the right it was a steel grey. The shadows of trees grew and grew till they enveloped the road.

A large cross stood off to the side of the road. Gale pulled off. Shutting off the engine, he hopped out and locked the door. His eyes darted back and forth between the unknown forest and the wild road. Each step he took with care, tip toeing his way to the cross.

There was more than just one cross. Around it was smaller crosses; some made of wood, others metal. The tall one was made from two street signs. All the crosses were decorated. With toys or emblems from cars. With well wishes or last words. With names. None of them were any that Gale knew, but Gale knew few people let alone anyone who would travel so far up here. All of the graves were sun bleached or rusted and the only flowers were the ones growing wild in the dirt. He went back to his car. He returned with a can of beer and an unopened pack of cigarettes. He placed them both in front of the street sign cross. Hopefully it would be enough. John had told him about those who do not respect the dead, he did not plan on becoming like them. He got back in and drove away.

The sky was a deep blue and dusted with stars. The moon was nowhere to be seen and in Gale’s head lights was a man strung up on the side of the road. He pulled off. The ground was gravel and crunched with each step Gale took, the man did not move.  He hung from an ancient road sign, a rope around his neck, his body pendulum.

“Poor b*****d.” Gale’s voice no more than a whisper.

“Huh who’s a b*****d?” the hanged man ask.

Gale fell a*s to ground, “Yo-you-you’re alive?” he could feel his heart in his throat.

“Huh. Oh yeah it looks like it.” The hangman rasps.

“Do you want me to get you down.” Gale walks back towards the man, he pulls hunting knife with a worn wooden handle from a holster on his hip.

“Um, hold on. How long have I been up here?” the hangman's eyes were bloodshot and bulged like balloons ready to burst, dark circles surrounded them and his face sagged.

“Don’t know man, I just found you.”

“What day is it?”

“Friday. I think.”

“Oh.” The man was silent for a moment. “Yeah I guess you should.” He sounded defeated.  

Gale jumped and grabbed ahold of the cross bar of the grave, pulled himself up and sawed away at the rope. The man tumbled down like a rag doll. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” The man pushes himself up, his arms are jelly and he falls back into the gravel.

“Oi, relax. You could die.” Gale swings down.

“It’s okay, just got the shakes. Haven’t had a drink in three days I think? Or four.”

“I have water, stay here.” Gale darts to his car.

“I’d rather have a beer.”

“Drink the water first.” Gale rummaged through the front seat then tossed a water bottle at the man. It bounced off his hands and rolled away, he was shaking like a leaf.

“Oooh sorry. Forgot bout that.” Gale grabbed the water bottle off the ground and handed it to the man.

“it’s cool.” He drank the water bottle dry.

Should have brought more water. “So, why were you up there? And for how long?”

“Probably three days. I made a move against a devil who hides out in this area, Jin or something. ANGL’s offering fifty-k for his head.” He rubs his throat, it’s lined with bruises. “I lost for now, but I’ll get that sucker.”

“So they kicked your a*s and left you to hang?”

“Yeah, but it’s gonna take a lot more than that to kill me.” He dusts himself offs, blood smudges on his shirt, his hands are bleeding cut by the gravel. “Just have to get my car back. And my guns. And some food. And beer. Beer first. Well nice meetin’ you.” He salutes and limps away.

“Get in.” Gale calls out to him. The man turns to him, he had moved two feet.

“Nice!”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s get going I’ve got places to be.” Gale offers the man a hand. “Gale.”

“No, my name isn’t Gale.” The man answers perplexed, “I’m Thor.” He smiles from ear to ear.

“Okay. Thor. I’m Gale. Right. Time to go.”

Thor had slept the entire time, which was not a bad thing. He was a bounty hunter and not a very good one by the look of things. The man was not a threat, each breath he took was ragged and every so often he would reach for his chest as if his heart would give.

It was another hour before Gale had seen any sign of civilization and the road became entrenched in thick fog. Gale squinted and tried to see anything that was not immediately in front of him instead all he found was darkness and fog. There was a glow, a deep and dull orange just over the horizon. Somewhere out east.

No, it’s too early for the sun, Gale thought. He rolled his window down, wind roared and swept through the car its touch cold and wet. Faintly, just faintly, was the scent of smoke on the wind. Gale drove on.

The town was more than Gale had expected, it had a gas station that was also a bar. That was it. Someone had knocked down the original sign ages ago and in its place was “The Filling Station”, beside it was a strange symbol that looked similar to a crude bull skull.

“I’ll be with you in a minute.” the bartender waved them off her face buried in a book. Gale and Thor sat at the bar, Gale’s stool rocked back and forth on uneven legs. The bar was empty except for the three of them. The bartender turned a page.  Thor nodded off. After ten minutes Gale coughed. The bartender finished three more pages.

“I just need some food and gas.” Gale finally spoke up.

“And beer.” Thor chirped and fell back to sleep.

“Gas? You got a car?” she perks up.

“Yeah, running a job for my boss.” Gale takes out a weathered wallet and from it a license.

“Wow a licensed devil, Don’t get many around these parts.” The bartender says astonished, “So what will the governor’s finest be having today?”

“Beer. Lots of it.” Thor broke his stupor.

“Coffee. Five sugars, no cream.” Gale answered.

“Coming right up.” She ducks down beneath the bar.

Gale drums his fingers on the wooden counter, “So, Thor, you’re fine with me dropping you off here?”

Thor turns his unfocused gaze towards Gale, he lets out a tired sigh. “Yeah, I guess. I don’t blame you, not wanting to travel with a stranger.”

“Yeah and I got a deadline to meet,” Gale is interrupted by the bartender darting up, in her hand is a worn french press and a bottle of Fat Tire. She whips out a mug, saucer, and sugar bowl. Then a glass beer glass and pours the bottle into the glass.

“Thanks.” Gale and Thor say in unison.

Gale drops five spoons of sugar into the coffee, Thor finishes the glass before the coffee is stirred.

“Where was I- oh, deadlines, always forgetting about them. Can’t help you get revenge or cash in on that bounty.” he sips the coffee which is perfectly warm, black as night and sweet as sin. Just a bit salty though. Woah.

Exhaustion washed over him in a wave, the image of Thor next to him blurred till it was nothing but a grey blob just like the rest of his vision.

S**t. The word never made it to his mouth, it just barely made it out of his brain before it all went black.

“Oi Gale, you got it?” John’s firm hand smacked the back of Gale’s head, it was not serious, just enough to get his attention.

“Yeah, deliver the cargo.” Gale replied his mind in a daze. Before him stood a car, all shiny and tricked.

John’s hand rest itself on Gale’s shoulder, “This isn’t just a gift, it’s a responsibility.”

Gale’s mind burned with a million questions.

“I know you’re excited but don’t worry. Remember what I told you, you’re like family, stick with us and you’ll go far, kid.”

Damn it looked like he got the brunt of it. Gale was passed out in the dirt, drool hanging from his lips. Thor tapped a steel toed boot against the unconscious man’s forehead. Nothing.

What had Jed always used to wake him up? The sun began to climb down from the sky staining the sky pink, orange and purple and the shadows began to grow longer.

Smelling salts! Too bad he did not have any. Gale might. Too bad Gale’s car was gone.

What’s smelling salts made out of? The sun was still setting when Thor remembered it was ammonia. The sun had not set when Thor realized where he could get ammonia very very quickly.

The sun had just ducked behind the tree line as Thor unzipped his fly.

The stench of ammonia hit Gale’s nose like a train. His eyes fluttered open and immediately regretted not dying in the dirt where he laid.

“F*****g hell.” he hissed as he threw himself as far away from Thor’s piss.

“Haha, your welcome.”

“F**k you.” Gale dust himself off, there was quite a few things missing. He felt himself up again, checking every pocket twice. His keys, wallet, and knife were gone. The parking spot with his car was empty too.

“Yup.” Gale nodde at Thor, his eyes began to flood and soon enough they would overflow and he would be in bum f**k nowhere crying in front of a man he met yesterday.

“Yup.” Thor nodded back.

Gale darted into the bar.

“Find anything?” Thor sticks his head in, bar stools and pool tables have been flung all across the room. A mini fridge flies over the bar. It smashes into the floor breaking the door off.

“Just an empty building with nothing but a locked door and no key.”Gale calls out as he stands up behind the bar and gestures to a thick wooden door.  “Couldn’t find a clue or any cash.” Gale collapses onto the bar, his head in his hands. “F**k. John is going to kill me.” He whines.

“Hold on I’ll take care of those locks.” Thor pats Gale on the shoulder. Thor’s skin shimmers and darkens to a dull grey, the blood in his eyes envelop the white till they are only red. He raises a fist, there is a crash, and passes his fist through the wood. He opens the now unlocked door.

“I knew that sign outside looked familiar. It’s that guy I’m hunting, what’s his name.” he grabs a six-pack and one by one empties it. “Well I can’t remember, but it looks like you and me are on the same road now.” He grabs a large bottle of something Gale does not recognize in a minute it shatters on the floor empty.

“Even so, I owe you for saving my life, so I’m not gonna let some bullshit like this fly brother.” Thor hoist a keg over his head. He punches a hole through it and shotguns the keg. The blood runs from his eyes in bloody tears. They are white and normal again. His metal skin peels revealing weak human skin beneath. The bar smells of metal shavings.

“Ok. I’m ready. Let’s get our s**t back.