The Pecking Order

Tumbleweed

The blood stained streets reeked of guts and bile. Nowadays New Orleans isn't as happy and full of clubs and parties as it used to be. It may be the lack of people or the fact that people couldn't believe what they had done. John Maverick struggled with this, the old life he used to live changed into a brutal man who murdered anyone who got into his way. He woke from another one of his nightmares at 8:56am to the screams of a desperate mother. She stumbled into Johns office a blubbering mess of tears and fear. Her jeans were ripped and her shirt was shredded. John turned around his hat pulled slightly over his left eye, a beard shaggy and unwashed hung loosely off his face. His jacket nasty and covered in a grime that had been there since he found it. His eyes were a dirty brown and distant, they seemed to be glass. His teeth were yellow and his gums were a dirty shade of red. His nose was slim and long, cheekbones sunken into his face. His lips thin and eyebrows bushy, his body was void of nutrition, his boots were covered in mud and blood. A revolver hung lazily off his belt while ammo splashed around in his pockets. The woman looked at him with a spark in her eyes that John hadn't seen on anyone in years, but it slowly dripped out of her eyes and into a stream of tears that cleaned her dirty cheeks.
"My daughter... she's... she gone." She whispered, John sat back in his chair and let out a deep breath.
"She's dead." John whispered. The woman raised her voice.
"She is alive, I can feel it. The Willows, they took her, I know it." She cried. John looked at her and let out a sigh.
"I'll see what I can do." He said, reluctance flooding his tone. The woman let out a laugh and clasped her hands over her mouth. John nodded and lit a cigarette.
"Please, what is your name?" She asked. John looked at her as he let out a puff of his cigarette. He pulled it out of his mouth.
"Maverick, John Maverick, Private Investigator." He held out his hand. "You...?" The woman smiled.
"Meredith... pleased to meet you John." John cocked his head as he put the cigarette back into his mouth and pushed all the paper off his desk. He pulled out a piece of paper and gave Meredith a look.
"Name?" John asked.
"Meredith." She replied, confused. John shook his head and tapped the piece of paper.
"No, your daughters name." John said, exhausted. Meredith shook her head.
"Wynona." Meredith smiled "Wynona is my daughter."