It's all about the letter

Chapter 5

Chapter 5. 

He stared out through the window at the sky aflame, as the scarlet Sun almost sat on the horizon. There were much fewer people rushing here and forth on the streets, but few more cars and shop lights that started to turn on their lightning to avoid any unpleasant situations.

Late Fall and darkness, which it always brought with itself, tended to close in much quicker than ever before. Rainy days and chilly winds that seemed to be only fables even a few months ago, now were just a mere given in the reality. Despite all of this, Fall had remained his favorite season of the year since childhood, as it always brought the mysterious atmosphere of upcoming snowy months.

Was it a mere transition? Maybe. However, was our life not a movement through time from birth to death?

As he was deep in his ruminations, even though they were mostly faded due to half a dozen of various shots he had drained before; he noticed not a very legible silhouette flickering by the window and stopping just for a second to look deeply into his eyes.

The silhouette's face was obscure, even though with a few details that immediately rang a bell in his mind. It was Him, there was no other doubt, who had sent the letter this morning. If He was in the city...

"Wait!" He yelled unconsciously loud, but only a few closest visitors actually turned their head in surprise.

A feeling of hatred and fear rose up in him simultaneously, fighting for the right to take the reins of his further actions.

Almost thirty years of running.

Thirty years of being afraid.

He was not the same young boy who had fled away at a mere sign of His silhouette, not anymore. Not noticing anything around, his legs made the body stand up behind the table and sweep across the whole bar to the front door.

His heart was jumping on a trampoline inside the chest, eyes could see only half a foot in front, nothing but haze shrouded him. As he rushed through the front door and wound up in the middle of the crowd, which strolled here and forth, maybe not so intensively, though; it made his head spinning.

He was not around. There were only faceless figures that stared blankly into the void.

"Hey!" A hoarse voice thundered behind, making him snap back to reality and turn.

The same waitress, whom he had molested with his wicked hands all the day, stood there next to a bartender. The second's hands were folded on the chest, with a somber expression on his face and eagle-eyes that seemed to pierce through his soul.

"Wanted to get away without paying, buddy?" The bartender was massive, his stature reminded more a stature of an Olympic champion; in comparison to the bartender, he was a midge to crush against a palm.

"Nay, big fella. I just saw... a friend," his voice, no matter how drunk it was, sounded shaky as if he had seen a ghost, which he actually believed in.

"Every single day, each one of you see either gone friends who had died at war, or cheating wives, though y'all never been married," the bartender shook his head solemnly, and reached out with the hand to seize him.

The bartender looked angry, able to crush the bones if needed; however, he let him take hold of his hand, and followed the bartender back inside the bar, not taking his thoughts from the old ghost.

He even did not resist when the bartender took him with his coarse hands and shook like a puppy until his wallet fall out. There was not a lot of money, all he possessed, though; but the waitress bent stooped down and took all of it as compensation for everything.