Quantum Ghost.

10. Bums-Bums Night Club

Jason stopped at a local liquor store where he bought a fresh supply of beer and smoke and headed home.

He placed the beer in the refrigerator after downing one.

Jason usually moonlights as a bouncer at several of his favourite night clubs when ever they were short staffed. He had phoned George the manager of Bums-Bums Night Club, a rough and rowdy place in the bad side of town and offered to work every night that week. George was delighted to have his -as he put it best- "bouncer on duty every night." The Bums-Bums Night Club was the sort of place that would keep him very busy until the early hours of the morning and that was precisely what he was after.

Jason's plan was simply. He would keep himself so busy every night that he would fall into an exhausted dreamless sleep each night. Or so he had hoped.

He was not the sort of man that got frighten easily. He thought of the first time he had worked at the Bums-Bums Night Club and a fight had broken out. They were three bouncers that night against five trouble makers.

David was the smallest of them but a good street fighter. He was caught of guard by the main trouble maker's girlfriend with a full beer bottle. Jones a big body builder ended up with a nasty knife would in the guts, courtesy of two of the other trouble maker's.

Jason was out manned but didn't back off for a second. Everything happened so quickly, it was as if his instinct had taken over and guided him in the fight, and before he realized what had happened the trouble makers were all knocked out. He ended up standing with the ring leader's torn-off ponytail in his hand.

George was so impressed that he had offered Jason a permanent position immediately and with double the salary of a normal bouncer. Jason could not imagine himself not working at the sports shop; George had to settle for Jason working part time.

He smiled at the memory and walked into his bathroom. He got into the shower. The water was warm and refreshing just the way he likes it. With a towel still draped around his middle he walked over to the old basin and started to brush his teeth.

He was still deep in thought when he heard someone call his name. At first he told himself that he was imagining things again and continued to brush his teeth.

"Jason" he heard the male voice again clear as day. He ran into his bedroom toothbrush still in hand to search for the owner of the familiar voice.

The room was empty. He ran to the window and looked outside. He saw no one familiar outside that could have been calling to him. He felt his hart skip a beat. He wiped the sweat from his brow and felt the fear creeping into his heart.

"Is there someone here?" he knew the answer before he asked the question. He ran into his sitting room and then continued to the kitchen. Satisfied that there was on one else in the flat he went back in to his bathroom rinsed his mouth.

He decided that he must have imagined it after all and refused to linger on the idea any longer.

He quickly got dressed in a Black golf shirt with the words BOUNCER printed in white on the back of it and black denims.

Before leaving Jason stopped at the downstairs chemist and bought some pills that would help him to stay awake. After popping two in his mouth he pocketed the rest and drove off to the Bums-Bums Night Club in his red M.G. Spitfire.

© Cornél Ramsay 2009