Ruby now sits in the car of Bartholomew Batt as they pass each twisted building of central downtown Netherworld. The buildings are much taller than any seen in the Living Realm. In one specific building, it looks like a monorail track going through the archway of the building, but instead of expecting a train, it is a long line of white collared civil service workers being dragged into the building by the ropes around their necks.
Ruby swallows a lump in her thoat in staring wide eyedly at the sight.
The car suddenly stopped. "Sit in the driver's seat for a moment, I'll be right back." Barth said as he stepped out the car.
Ruby wasn't sure why he asked, but did as requested. She looked around the car, everything is so classic, it has genuine leather seats, shiny oak wood panels and silver chrome lining, an old style radio, and a long clutch, and why not, after all the car is a nineteen thirty Buick sedan.
The building the car is parked in front of is large stone structure, statues of giant human skulls posted on each side of the twelve steps, leading to four tall gold doors with two pillars posted on each side.
***Rat…tat…tat…tat…** The sound of a machine gun came from of nowhere.
Ruby shot a look to the man holding the firing gun. The ghostly man is wearing a black ski mask, a black baggy suit, black gloves and shoes. He has a smoking cigar in his mouth, with five full bags of money in one hand, and a blazing machine gun in the other. Her womanly instinct recognized the man. "Scuzzo ?" she awed in surprise.
Then the passenger side door open and shut. "Drive damn it, drive !" Commanded Barth.
The startle of his yell, snapped Ruby from staring at Scuzzo.
"Step on it !" Barth commanded.
In nervousness Ruby stepped on the gas, as Barth controlled the wheel and the shifting of the clutch. She then took quick notice of the black ski mask on his face, a machine gun leaning on the side, and three full money bags on his lap.
They raced throughout downtown, then in an alley and into a tunnel, it looked like the inside of a large pluming pipe, which led outside to another alley on the other side of town.
***************
"Bart…" Ruby called with a worried moan to her voice, gaining his attention. "where are we ?" She awed in driving pass several large mansions on the block.
"Quad-billionaire's Row." He replied, then pointed her to a mansion on top of a hill on the far end of the street. "That's my place."
Ruby steered along the curbed hill to Barths mansion. It was nerve wrecking to drive along such a narrow raodway so far up.
The driveway of the mansion has a long green field of perfectly trimmed square bushes with fully bloomed black, white, and red roses. The water fountain in the middle of it all, is made of white marble with a statue of a naked mermaid pouring water from a bowl in the shape of a seashell.
The mansion itself, has a white and dark blue checker board design, and white doors with a gold frame. Inside is cherry wood wall panels with beautiful paintings of landscape, soft velvet green carpet, and expensive vases filled with the roses seen from the field.
"Follow me." Barth said in escorting Ruby to the lounge area of the mansion. The lounge area has a table with two chairs and large opened door which leads to an outdoor balcony on one section of the room, and a large love sofa and record player on the other. "Please…" he looked to Ruby. "make yourself comfortable." then he left the room.
To Ruby, the large love sofa looked like a bed, and since she didn't want to send the wrong message, just took seat on a chair next to the table. The music from the record player started playing all by itself, it wasn't make out music, but just the mellow instrumental notes from a piano.
"Would you like something to eat my dear ?" Barth asked from the other room.
Ruby is hungry, but didn't trust him enough to eat what he was making. "No thanks."
Barth emerged from the other room, holding a plate of fettuccine alfredo and two empty wine glasses. He placed the plate on the table across where Ruby sat, and gave her a glass, then stepped away to look inside a cupboard. "Perhaps something to drink then." in holding a bottle of white wine for her to see.
Ruby adjusted her glasses to get a better look. The bottle has a picture of a full bodied skeleton, dressed as ship captain, holding a sword. "No thanks, but I'll take some water."
Barth used his ghostly powers to fill her empty glass with cold water, the began to eat. The pasta looked so cheesy and the smell harmed her heart in smelling oh so good, Ruby even began to drool in watching each spoon full of noodles he ate. "Are you sure you didn't want any ?" he asked.
"No, it's ok." She replied with a nervous smile in knowing that he noticed her stare.
Barth finished and cleaned up, then placed a large red colored bong with five different ports on the middle of the table. He removed a clear sandwich bag, filled with a green leafy substance from his pocket, placed the substance in the opening of the bong, and closed the opening. Smoke filled the bong as he attached a small hose to one of the ports, the smell began to surface as he took his first drag, afterwards he now looks oh so relaxed. "Would you like some marijuana my dear ?"
Ruby was taken aback. "I don't do illegal drugs."
Barth took another drag. "In the Netherworld it's not illegal, they have special shops where anyone can buy it, and or you can buy from a street vender."
Ruby did notice something that looked like a hotdog cart parked outside the bank, the cart had a green canopy with a picture of a marijuana leave posted on it, but still. "No thanks, I don't want any."
"Very well." Barth shrugged his shoulders in taking another drag. "more for me." and then formed a toothy grin to her. "Meh…I liked how you handled yourself today, very nice, no coppers." licking his lips lustfully. "You know, I was looking for a partner in crime....Interested ?"
Ruby didn't know what to think, she liked reading stories of cops and robbers, and even grew a fondness to the tale of Bonnie and Clyde, but anything outside of fantasy in doing something like that was too much. "I'm not a thief, I don't want to steal from others to get rich like you." She stated. "It's wrong."
"To get rich ?" Barth repeat the last fraise taken aback with an insulted look. "My dear, I have you know that I, Bartholomew was born into great lines wealth, and that I perform bank robberies just for the sport of it."
"That's not the point." Ruby replied.
Barth then stood face to face to her. "I like you." now exposing his eyes from the thick glasses, the irises are pure white with a normal black middle.
She is taken aback…way aback, the sight of his eyes kind of freaked her out. "Ummm…." in staring. "Nice." smiling nervously.
Barth leaned in for a kiss.
Ruby is so distracted by his freaky white eyes, she didn't notice the soft kiss now in action.
He leaned in once more.
She blinked into reality, then removed a mini flash light from her lab coat pocket, and shined the brightness of the light in his eyes.
"Aaaaggghhh !!!…My eyes !" He yelled in pain, then began stumbling around while shielding his eyes.
Ruby ran outside onto the balcony in panic. She grabbed a hang-glider that stood leaning on the mansion, when it opened, the wind just took her off in mid-air. "Aaaaahhhhh !!!"
***********
The glider swung through the clouds, and as Ruby held on for dear life, she just realized that she had know why of knowing how to fly the thing. The glider climbed further and further upward until a light humming sound could be heard in the distance.
"What's that ?" Ruby turned her head to look, but didn't anything, or at least not at first until….a cloudy sight of a large flying thing, coming straight for her. "Oh. My. God !" the image now in full recognizable view, it's an airplane. "Aaaahhhh !!!"
The front of the airplane flew past Ruby, but the strap of her shoe got caught in the grove of the wing. She looked to a window who has a passenger staring oddly at her. Then a ghostly female flight attendant fazed herself halfway through the plane. "Miss, are you ok ?"
What a question to ask a living realm girl who's holding to a hang-glider, while being stuck on the outside wing of an airplane that's soaring at least sixty thousand feet above ground level.
The flight attendant noticed the problem and removed a pair of scissors from her apron pocket. "I'm going to cut this ?" pointing to Ruby's snagged shoe strap.
"And put me inside the plane right ?" Ruby asked in hope.
"Not without a ticket I won't." said the attendant, then cut the strap loose.
Ruby flew off. "Aaaaaaaaaahhhhh !!!!!" flying more upward, and with the bathroom she needed but didn't get a chance to use, was now used in mid-air. "Aaaaaahhhhh !!!!….Shiiiiit !!!!!" then blew quickly downward. "Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god…Aaaaaahhhh !!!" brushing pass tree limbs. "Aaahhh…Ooooghfff !!!" and landed into a deep vat of very cold mud. "Ooooo….."
She rested for a moment to catch her breath, then got up in noticing a subway train station, the departed to return to the BJ's Roadhouse.
*************
And there you have it Ladies and Gents....It's all about Ruby.
Please read her wrighting talent on screen name: Ruby Desires
Next Chapter: So...how was your date ?