Chapter One
Old Friends, New Business
I remember the incident like it was last week; wait, it was last week. I was in Monstropolus on personal affairs having to do with my job. If you haven't guessed I'm a professional criminal, a "hired hand," if you will. Anyway, I'm straying from the story. I had just been released from state prison about a week before and I was going back to my old friend and employer Big Al Waternoose. He was a big guy, eight legs, and too many eyes to count. He wore cheap suits and smoked nasty cigars. He was an average everyday guy, cept' for the fact he organized robberies and had an illegal casino operation running about a mile away in an old drug store.
I parked in front of an older looking building that was begging to be torn down. Windows were busted out and bricks were missing out of the walls. The old wooden doors I walked through looked like termites holding hands. Inside old wallpaper hung on the walls and old fixtures hung from the ceiling. I had to climb three flights of stair before I got to Al's office; it was the only one there. Al owned the building. I stepped into his office. It still smelled of cheap cigars and the carpet still looked like some poor sap gagged all over it. Tacky art hung on the wall and one of the old ceiling fans was still broken. Three and a half years hadn't done much for the place. I could hear elevator music coming from his piece- of-junk radio, it didn't do much for me, I was a rocker at heart. As I walked the floorboards creaked from years of abuse and time. With that sound Al turned around in his huge Sleazy Boy armchair.
"Val, my boy," he started out," How you doing!"
"Oh, as fine as a guy like me can be after three and a half years in the Bighouse," I laughed. "You got anything new for me?"
He smiled'" That's what I like about you Val, always to the point. As a matter of fact, I'm planning a new job for you and a few friends," he said with a grin.
"What do you mean, friends?" I asked. Al usually let me go solo on jobs; I figured this one must be a big heist.
"I'm not letting you go in on your own, I'm hiring this city's best, guys with rap sheets so big they have their own drawers," Al chuckled, "you just go on to a nice hotel and let me take care of this, how does that sound?"
"Fine," I said, thinking what motel could I find that I could afford.
"Good, I'll call you." Al said. "Oh, and here's a hundred for that room."
"Thanks," I smiled. "I'll be back tomorrow, you know I like to screen the guys Al brought in. Sometimes he wasn't that good a judge of character.
"Sure thing Val. Take care of yourself, you here me." He had one of those smiles only fathers had; the weird part was, Al didn't have any kids. He hadn't ever gotten hitched; I thought it was kind of sad. I knew he looked at me like a son. I appreciated it, I never knew my father. My ma' had remarried when I was eight. The guy she married was pretty nice, he had two boys, and we got along pretty well. We became so close we looked at each other as actual brothers. I hadn't seen them in a good while; I didn't know where they were.
Without another thought, I took the cash and went to my car. It was somewhat new; I ripped it of some guy after I got released. It was a red Furroary if I recall correctly. Well, I drove around the city a little first. I went and got some dough out of my bank account and went to Al's casino. When I left I had at least twice as much money compared to when I went in. Then I went to a fast-food place and got a big burger, with fries and a shake. I sat in my car eating for about twenty minutes. After I was done, it was about seven. I was going to have to get up early next morning so I went on to a motel.
The scenery went by pretty fast, store here, apartment there, it was all the same. I had seen them all before. I didn't pay much attention, I must have run every red light I came to, my little car was pretty fast. After what I would guess was five minute and eighteen blocks later, I got to a motel. It was Tony's Grand Motel, I do believe. I pulled in and parked the car. It was a typical motel lot. The pavement was cracked and one of the light poles didn't work. As I got out of my car I looked up at a sign. "Forty bucks a night," I said to myself with a smirk. If Tony thought I was gonna' pay him that much for a nasty old room, he had another think coming.
I smiled as my switchblade popped out and in seconds the lock was picked and I was I was in the room. It was pretty nice. There was a jumbo bed, a bathroom big enough to hold Al, and a dry bar with a couple of different choices, other than that it was a typical room. The wallpaper job alone made Al's office look like a palace. There was a small sofa in front of the TV with a lamp behind it. I sat down and turned on the tube.
* And in further news the * "click" * Now for Monstropolus's favorite game show* "click" * You are watching the sci-fi double feature brought to you by Scream Flakes. * A smile spread across my face. I could do for a little sci-fi movie or two. After the movie I turned off the tube, had a small glass of Scotch, and hopped into the tub. When I got out the bedside clock read 10:00 pm, so I got into bed. It wasn't as comfortable as it had looked. It had lumps in the mattress and the sheets smelled like something had died in it. I don't know how I fell asleep, I had a bad feeling about the next few days. I couldn't help but think about it. Sometime around twelve I drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
I remember the incident like it was last week; wait, it was last week. I was in Monstropolus on personal affairs having to do with my job. If you haven't guessed I'm a professional criminal, a "hired hand," if you will. Anyway, I'm straying from the story. I had just been released from state prison about a week before and I was going back to my old friend and employer Big Al Waternoose. He was a big guy, eight legs, and too many eyes to count. He wore cheap suits and smoked nasty cigars. He was an average everyday guy, cept' for the fact he organized robberies and had an illegal casino operation running about a mile away in an old drug store.
I parked in front of an older looking building that was begging to be torn down. Windows were busted out and bricks were missing out of the walls. The old wooden doors I walked through looked like termites holding hands. Inside old wallpaper hung on the walls and old fixtures hung from the ceiling. I had to climb three flights of stair before I got to Al's office; it was the only one there. Al owned the building. I stepped into his office. It still smelled of cheap cigars and the carpet still looked like some poor sap gagged all over it. Tacky art hung on the wall and one of the old ceiling fans was still broken. Three and a half years hadn't done much for the place. I could hear elevator music coming from his piece- of-junk radio, it didn't do much for me, I was a rocker at heart. As I walked the floorboards creaked from years of abuse and time. With that sound Al turned around in his huge Sleazy Boy armchair.
"Val, my boy," he started out," How you doing!"
"Oh, as fine as a guy like me can be after three and a half years in the Bighouse," I laughed. "You got anything new for me?"
He smiled'" That's what I like about you Val, always to the point. As a matter of fact, I'm planning a new job for you and a few friends," he said with a grin.
"What do you mean, friends?" I asked. Al usually let me go solo on jobs; I figured this one must be a big heist.
"I'm not letting you go in on your own, I'm hiring this city's best, guys with rap sheets so big they have their own drawers," Al chuckled, "you just go on to a nice hotel and let me take care of this, how does that sound?"
"Fine," I said, thinking what motel could I find that I could afford.
"Good, I'll call you." Al said. "Oh, and here's a hundred for that room."
"Thanks," I smiled. "I'll be back tomorrow, you know I like to screen the guys Al brought in. Sometimes he wasn't that good a judge of character.
"Sure thing Val. Take care of yourself, you here me." He had one of those smiles only fathers had; the weird part was, Al didn't have any kids. He hadn't ever gotten hitched; I thought it was kind of sad. I knew he looked at me like a son. I appreciated it, I never knew my father. My ma' had remarried when I was eight. The guy she married was pretty nice, he had two boys, and we got along pretty well. We became so close we looked at each other as actual brothers. I hadn't seen them in a good while; I didn't know where they were.
Without another thought, I took the cash and went to my car. It was somewhat new; I ripped it of some guy after I got released. It was a red Furroary if I recall correctly. Well, I drove around the city a little first. I went and got some dough out of my bank account and went to Al's casino. When I left I had at least twice as much money compared to when I went in. Then I went to a fast-food place and got a big burger, with fries and a shake. I sat in my car eating for about twenty minutes. After I was done, it was about seven. I was going to have to get up early next morning so I went on to a motel.
The scenery went by pretty fast, store here, apartment there, it was all the same. I had seen them all before. I didn't pay much attention, I must have run every red light I came to, my little car was pretty fast. After what I would guess was five minute and eighteen blocks later, I got to a motel. It was Tony's Grand Motel, I do believe. I pulled in and parked the car. It was a typical motel lot. The pavement was cracked and one of the light poles didn't work. As I got out of my car I looked up at a sign. "Forty bucks a night," I said to myself with a smirk. If Tony thought I was gonna' pay him that much for a nasty old room, he had another think coming.
I smiled as my switchblade popped out and in seconds the lock was picked and I was I was in the room. It was pretty nice. There was a jumbo bed, a bathroom big enough to hold Al, and a dry bar with a couple of different choices, other than that it was a typical room. The wallpaper job alone made Al's office look like a palace. There was a small sofa in front of the TV with a lamp behind it. I sat down and turned on the tube.
* And in further news the * "click" * Now for Monstropolus's favorite game show* "click" * You are watching the sci-fi double feature brought to you by Scream Flakes. * A smile spread across my face. I could do for a little sci-fi movie or two. After the movie I turned off the tube, had a small glass of Scotch, and hopped into the tub. When I got out the bedside clock read 10:00 pm, so I got into bed. It wasn't as comfortable as it had looked. It had lumps in the mattress and the sheets smelled like something had died in it. I don't know how I fell asleep, I had a bad feeling about the next few days. I couldn't help but think about it. Sometime around twelve I drifted off into an uneasy sleep.