Not to much out of the ordinary happened at the squat except for a couple incidences that a man might take note of. For starters there was a gutter punk looking kid named Teddy who had shot a cough syrup called Robutussin in his veins trying to get high. Teddy was kind of a heavy set guy who always had a real mean look in his eye, and was somewhat nasty towards the others in the squat. The night he shot the cough syrup in his veins he turned a pale shade of green freaking the other kids out. They led Teddy out of the squat by taking him for a walk then left him on his own. About a month went by, and there was no sign of Teddy, he was believed to be dead.
Then one sunny afternoon he greeted the others once again, while marching down Decatur street. He told them of how he nearly died the night he shot the cough syrup in his veins. For him it was a real eye opener. The way all the other kids left him for dead caused him to straighten up his act, go clean, and get out of the gutter. The other kids were quite impressed, and even took notice to his smile which he never had before.
Then there was Pontus Pilot a gutter punk out of Hollywood. He was known as a tough guy that practiced martial arts, and idolized Glenn Danzig, a vocal artist, and founder of a couple of known bands. Everybody knew not to mess with Pilot.
One night a new guy that went by the name Satan, showed up to the mansion, which was the part of the squat Pilot stayed in. They got to drinking together which led to a bit of a tussle. Long story short Satan got the better end of Pontus Pilot by raping his ass. Word of Pontus Pilots demise spread quick amongst all the street kids. They quickly came to his aid, and escorted Satan out of New Orleans for good.
There was a ton of partying going on in the squat. Kids had showed up from every neck of the woods. They traveled from the north, south, east, and west, to settle down in a couple abandoned buildings located in New Orleans. Buildings opened by two simple minded street kids looking for a place to rest their bones.
"Hay Stan, your not gonna believe what all went down my night away from you." "I met a sweet little Phillie that took a liking to me so I walked her home, and met her dad." "According to what one of her friends had told me, he may have ended up murdering the girl for associating with a guy like me." "I'm concerned for this poor little damsel, what do you say we take a walk over to where I left her last bringing your gun with us?" Luke said devastated that the news of the girl might just be true.
"No problem, we'll put the fear of God in the guy, if he did kill her we'll go ahead, and put a cap in him, then run." "How's that sound?" Stanley says happy to be able to help Luke out.
Together the two walked to where Luke had last seen the girl with her dad. It was an old beat up puke green house located right in the middle of a section of New Orleans known as Elysian Fields. They approached the house, knocked at the door, and out came the girls dad.
"I'm here to see your daughter, and make sure she's o.k." "A friend of hers says she's been missing, and you might know where she's at." Luke said, while Stanley stood back a short distance ready to shoot the guy if needed.
"She can't come out right now she's busy doing school work." "I'll tell her you stopped by." The girls Dad says trying to make the conversation short. Then Stanley budded in, making his pistol visible.
"My friend here would like to tell her he stopped by himself, so could you please go get your daughter sir, before things get ugly."
There was a moment of silence that seemed to last forever. For a second Luke had thought this guy really did kill his daughter for associating with him. He was just about to give Stanley the go ahead to pull the trigger, and cap the guy, when she stuck her head out of her bedroom window to call Luke over to her.
"Hay what are you doing here Luke?"
"I came to make sure your alright, rumor on the street is you've been missing in action." "I thought maybe your old man had offed yah for kicking it with a guy like me from the gutter." "I'm glad to see your alive."
"My dad might be mean at times, but he's not that mean." "He did ground me to my room for two weeks for hanging out with you though." "You showing up here with that black friend of yours over there don't make things any better." "You best be on your way." The girl said, sounding a little saddened by the actions her dad took over her associating with Luke. Luke, and Stanley then walked off into the night, but not without letting her know if her dad gave her any trouble his life would be in none other place but jeopardy.
Stanley got a kick out of Luke's concern for the girl, and thought Luke should be the man in charge of all the street kids roaming the French Quarter, especially those squatting right next door to him. So one day while drunk on power, and toting his gun, Stanley went into the Squat to have some fun.
"You know The Duke, you little bastards?!" Stanley shouted at some of the kids in the squat, after barging through a sealed off entrance to the place. He then pulled out his gun and said, "Looks like I'm gonna have to ask again, do you know of the one they call the Duke?!" Only one of the kids in the place had enough courage to respond by saying, "Yeah I know the Duke, what kind of trouble did he get into now, if you don't mind me asking?" Stanley then said, "He didn't get into any trouble, The Dukes my right hand man, from now on he calls the shots up in here, if you got a problem with that your gonna have to answer to me." Just then Stanley shot off a couple rounds while pointing his pistol in the general direction of the kids staying in the squat.
Rumor had gotten to everybody fast, that a gun toting Blackman had entered the squat to crown The Duke as its leader. Giving him the authority to call all the shots that went on in the place. Everybody had heard the news except Luke. He couldn't figure out why all the street kids from other squats where walking up to him wanting to know who he was. Then his old friend joker clued him in.
"So how does it feel being a squat leader, and all?" "Knowing if anyone steps up to you their bound to get shot." Joker said while putting his arm around Luke.
"What in the world are you talking about Joker, I ain't no squat leader?"
"According to some old gunslinging black man you're now officially the leader of the squat, he claims your the only white boy fit to rule the spot, and from now on nothing goes on in the place without running it by you."
"Oh know Stan must have gotten power hungry, and invaded the squat, he's an old black fella that lives next door." Hate to say it but he ain't afraid to kill a man." "I hang out with the guy a lot, he was curious as to what all went on in the buildings we squat in, he must have taken things a little to far." "I'm not out to be no squat leader Joker, not at all."
"We'll Duke it looks like you don't have any choice in the matter, every street kid in New Orleans has heard of your friends ordeal, and they think messing with you might just get them shot." "A lot of the kids that squat with us are looking to squat elsewhere after being terrorized by the guy you say lives right next door." "The kids that were there for all the action say he even took a couple of shots at them, and missed." "I'm sure Stew and his girlfriend, Stinky, Dip, Trash, Skitz, Robo, and I are willing to stick things out with yah, I can't speak for the rest." "Sounds like a lot of kids are upset, and don't see you as fit to rule the spot like your gunslinging friend does." "Sorry to say it, but like always they want Stew to call the shots, not some hick like you out of Wisconsin." Joker said filling Luke in a little to what's been said amongst the other kids.
"Man, something has to be done Joker, I just can't figure out what." "There's no way Stan would give up his guard, and apologize for what he's done, by diss-arming me as squat leader." "I know he plans on sticking to his guns, and the simple fact he may have ulterior motives in play here." "By making me squat leader he'll feel as though he can come and go from the place whenever he wants; picking out new recruits to go out thieving with at night." "If the wrong kid screws up he just may end up dead, the guys unpredictable when it comes to his temper."
"There's only one thing you can do Duke."
"What's that?"
"Leave New Orleans, and pretend like all this never happened."
Luke did just that, he packed up what little belongings he had, and headed for Florida. He left so quick he didn't say goodbye to anyone. No longer would he be Stan's punk snot kid, doing all he demanded, and commanded by ruling over him with a gun. Luke could now only hope that due to his sudden disappearance Stan would leave the rest of the squatters next door to him alone, forgetting they were even there. His fear was Stan would just recruit another individual much like himself, only this fella would be willing to rule the squat on Esplanade boulevard by the help of a gun. Which ever the outcome Luke was content moving on.
Although while staying in New Orleans he was both a beggar, and a thief. He never lost so much control as to lose his soul, in the darkness haunting the place. He stayed away from the fortune tellers, and Voodoo priests after his experience with Bandit and Wolf. He stuck to hanging out with the gutter punk hippie kids, who were all stuck in a world of madness of their own.