Chapter Six     

I don't know how long I expected to go without getting caught. Two or three days maybe? I definitely didn't expect two weeks to go by without so much as a whisper from a hunter. Not that I was complaining or anything… well, I guess I was in a sense. I mean, how hard could it possibly be to catch a moron like me? Honestly, either bounty hunters were losing their touch or I was doing something right that I didn't know about. Both reasons worked for me.

            I also don't know what made me fear that green haired man so much. There was nothing impressive about him, except possibly the fact that he always seemed to be where I was. That might have been the fact that there was a limited amount of places a person could go on Neptune, however. But there was more about him to be feared. That lanky guy had an air of danger about him. I was constantly on my guard, watching for him, and I had done a good job, until I practically sat in his lap.

            "Look man, if you have no money, you can't stay here. I ain't going to be serving you water all day," the vulgar looking bartender told me roughly. I tried not to look too helpless as I glared at him.

            "It's not that I don't have money, it's just that water is all I have the stomach for right now," I replied, hoping I sounded more like a gruff street punk than a pathetic loser. I don't think I succeeded very well. Part of what I was saying was true, though. Water was all I could handle at the moment, for, after going so long without actual food, my stomach reacted violently anything with texture or flavor. The last thing I needed was to throw up all over the bar.

            "Well, find it somewhere else. I ain't got room in here for loitering." I sighed and started gathering up my things when a hand slapped some bills onto the bar.

            "Get the man a brandy. And get me a cowboy," a deadly smooth voice ordered. The barkeep made a slight face before moseying off to get the drinks. I looked at the person to whom the hand belonged and tried my best to act casual. It was the guy. The very guy I was avoiding. Oh, shit. He raised an eyebrow at my dumbfounded stare.

            "Uh, thanks," I said to shake off my stupidity. Not a very brilliant comment to shake of stupidity, but I had no idea what this guy was going to do to me. I'd been careless. Going out during the day wasn't as safe as I thought it was.

            "No problem." He sat down and lit up a cigarette. I was torn between running and sitting down with him. The result was me standing there like a fool.

            "There's no sense in running," he said in the midst of a puff of smoke. "I'm almost desperate enough to chase you."

            "Wha—what do you mean?"

            "You are Drake James." A statement, of course. This guy didn't look like the type to ask questions. "I know all about you. Probably more than you supposed friend knows." Now my feet were poised to run. My supposed friend is going to get a bullet in the brain if I ever see him again. A sudden cold feeling washed over me, and it wasn't because of the weather. He glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. He took one last drag of the cigarette then put it out.

            "I can see that logic is not your strong point," he yawed and stretched as the drinks were placed down in front of us. The guy can read my fucking thoughts! "All right then. I'll strike a deal with you. You can run after I finish my drink. I don't feel like dealing with snow sober." I wanted to run, I really did, but for some reason I was rooted in place, so I sat and let the brandy warm me up, praying that I wouldn't vomit. Damn, damn, damn! What the fuck am I doing? This man is about to turn me in and I'm sitting down having a drink with him. That's it. It's official. I am the dumbest person in the universe.

            "Do you always have drinks with your bounty heads?" I asked more calmly than I felt.

            "Only the ones that are a pain in the ass to catch."

            "Really." I swallowed my drink in one gulp and stood up. I couldn't stay there any longer; I had already stayed long enough. "I must be off. Apparently, I'm about to be chased." I made my way to the door, preparing myself to run for my life.

            "See you in a few."

*****

Okay, I realize that my chapters are incredibly short, but I don't like giving too much away at one time. If this annoys you, too bad. Thanks to my generous reviewers. The next chapter will be around someday.

shut up