I needed a way out of town, I couldn’t risk being caught by the police. There was only one person I knew here with no ties to the Desert Vultures, Arnie, the man who had invited me into the restaurant.

I had hoped that since they were playing cards they would be up this late, back when I was trapped at Edgar’s he would invite his friend’s over and they’d play cards until the early hours of the morning. Sometimes he would make me dress up for them and serve them drinks like I was their waitress, just the thought of it made me furious.

I checked over my shoulder again and again to make sure Axel or any of the Vultures weren’t following me. I wasn’t afraid they would hurt me, I just didn’t have the emotional strength to tell Axel goodbye to his face.

I finally saw the restaurant down the street and immediately felt some relief, I was hoping that Arnie could maybe get me a cab to the closest city or even give me a ride for a couple hundred bucks. The thought of spending what little money I had was already stressing me out.

It had taken me hours to find the place. After hiding from the cops by that apartment building I had to retrace my steps, I had gotten lost several times before finally finding my way. This whole town just looked different at night, even with the streetlights on it was just unsettling.

I saw a man leaning beside the door and I actually smiled a little bit when I saw it was Arnie. He seemed friendly enough when I met him even though he sounded disappointed when his friend made a joke about me dating a Desert Vulture. I was hoping he still had some kindness left in him to help me out even if I had to pay him.

I walked up to him but before I could even say anything he blurted out “oh wow look who it is, did you come back to embarass me in front of my friends some more?”

I was taken back for a moment and then the stench hit me, he was drunk, not just a little drunk too, he was so drunk it looked like he was just half a shot away from spending the night on the pavement.

He was smoking a cigarette, or at least he was trying to, whenever he took it from his mouth to exhale he struggled to get it back in between his lips, poking it around his face before finally finding his mouth.

“I… I didn’t mean to embarrass you” I said trying to defuse the tension. “I was just wondering if you could get me a ride out of town.”

“Just because I let you into the restaurant while there was a shootout going on outside doesn’t mean I’m your damn chauffeur” he spat out. When I met him early he seemed kind and gentle, now he was bitter and angry. I should have turned around and walked away but this was my only option if I wanted to leave.

“It won’t be out of kindness” I said reaching into my duffel bag and pulling out $200. “I’ll pay you for it, I promise, well once you sober up of course. I’ll even cover the cost of gas.”

His eyes lit up when he saw the money in my fingers.

He reached out with his hand and I pulled the money away, problem was he wasn’t reaching for the money in my hand, he was reaching for my bag.

I tried to hold onto the bag but he was too strong for me. He ripped the shoulder strap and tore the whole bag from my hands. He opened it up and tossed my clothes out onto the ground as he dug through the bag. After a few seconds of searching he finally found the wad of cash I had, greedily taking it out and counting it in his palms. I could see his eyes light up with each hundred dollar bill that passed through his cigarette stained fingers, I couldn’t just let him take it like this.

I tried to get it back from him but he pushed me away hard, causing me to stumble but catch myself on a parked car nearby.

“Don’t you try that shit with me” he said smirking. “YOU came to me for help, if you want me to take you somewhere then it’s gonna cost you. My time is valuable.”

Before I could even respond he walked back into the resturaunt. I quickly followed him, fruitlessly reaching for the money gripped firmly in his hands.

The chef and the bartender were still playing cards, although they looked like they were just about ready to pack it in. The whole place was dark with only the light of a nearby lamp and a single bulb on overhead to cut through the night. The place smelled like old food, guess the chef didn’t bother to clean up the kitchen after they were done working, or maybe I just didn’t notice that greasy stench the first time I was here.

“I thought I told you to leave” the bartender said to Arnie. “You’re too drunk to play and you’re all out of fucking money, nobody is gonna bet you when you never pay us back.”

“And what’s the fucking broad doing back here?” the chef said angrily, I could tell just from his tone that he was drunk too. “Did you really invite her back after the bullshit she said in here?”

Arnie flashed them the money and continued to walk over.

“Give me back my money!” I cried out in desperation as I tried one last time to grab it.

Arnie’s face turned to anger as he raised his palm and backhanded me hard across my cheek, causing me to stumble and fall down onto the cigarette burned rug of the restaurant.

“Whoa Arnie, when did you grow some fucking balls” the bartender said smiling.

“That’s not his money” I called out. “That’s mine, he stole it from me!”

“Looks like it’s his fucking money now sweetheart” the chef said snickering.

I felt so humiliated, I should have known Arnie was like the other men here, why else would he hang out with them. Maybe when he was sober he was a tolerable man but alcohol brought out the real him.

“Whoa Arnie this is a lot of dough” the bartender said counting up my money. “Doesn’t that girl have Vulture ties? What if someone comes looking for this, I don’t want to be carrying around stolen gang money once she goes to squeal.”

“Who says she’s gonna squeal?” the chef said as he stood up and grabbed the power cord from a nearby coffee machine.

He walked over to me and grabbed my wrist, I fought back but he was too strong for me. He dragged me over to a bar stool that was bolted into the ground and tied my arms with the power cord so I couldn’t escape.

I was already having flashbacks to when I was sold off to Edgar, the men who bound my legs and wrists together and threw me into the back of a van to be delivered like I was a goddamn package. I felt humiliated, I had come here for help and now even if they did let me go I would have no money. It was my first test for being back in the real world and I already failed spectacularly.

“So what we’re just gonna keep her in the restaurant forever?” the bartender said laughing as he looked at me struggling to free myself on the floor.

“We can do whatever the fuck we want to do with her” the chef said taking a seat. “I can see it on her face, if we let her go she’ll be too embarrassed to tell anyone anything.” He grabbed his crotch and looked right at me “isn’t that right?”

“Fuck you!” I called out, pulling hard on the cord that bound my arms to the stool leaving my wrists chafed and bruised.

I hated to admit it but they were right, I couldn’t go back to Axel after losing all that money in one night, I was far too embarrassed. I had only been on my own for maybe 3 hours and already I showed that I couldn’t survive on my own yet. Some start to a new beginning.

“Why should we even give her a chance to tell someone?” Arnie said as he poured himself another shot and struggled to even bring it to his mouth. “Fucking bitch disrespected all of us by defending those Vulture faggots.”

“What are you suggesting?” the bartender asked.

“I’m suggesting that I get to keep the 5 large, and in exchange I’ll let you both use the girl for a few hours back at my place. My debts to you two get paid, you get some fun with that cutie over there, and I get richer. That’s a fucking win-win to me.”

“Whoa whoa whoa who said she belongs to you?” the chef asked. “I was the one that tied her up, what makes her yours?”

“I don’t belong to anyone!” I cried out as I desperately tried to free myself.

“I lured her in here, I saw her first, I’m the one that knocked her to the ground. I call claims on her.”

The chef looked over to me, eyeing me up and down. He walked over to me and grabbed my face by my chin, trying to get a good look at me.

I cried out and kicked him in his beer gut as hard as I could, causing him to fall to the ground in pain.

“You fucking whore!” he yelled out, getting back on his feet and slapping me hard across the face.

“Hey watch the goods!” Arnie said grabbing him and pulling him away from me.

“You know what Arnie? You got a deal, after that shit she just pulled I’m gonna make her regret it. Besides, I haven’t gotten off in god knows how long, this place fucking works me too hard and I need to relieve some stress.”

“I can get in on that” the bartender said. “What do we do with her after? All of our apartments are too small to just keep her locked up in there and we can’t just let her go after doing it.”

“We drive her out a couple of miles into the desert and leave her there” the Chef said looking at me straight in the eyes. “It’s the middle of summer, she’ll pass out in a day and be dead in two, three tops.”

“So we got a deal then?” Arnie said with a smile.

“Oh you better fucking believe we got a deal” the chef replied.

I heard the front door swing open and immediately the chef got pissed off.

“Jesus Christ Arnie did you not lock the door after you came in here? You know homeless people try to get in so they can eat whatever leftover food we have in the kitchen.”

They blocked my line of sight so I couldn’t see who it was but I did see two pairs of legs standing just in front of the doorway.

“Hey buddy, if you want something to eat you’ll come back when we open in 6 hours like everyone else.”

I heard the unmistakeable racking of a shotgun and the three men in front of me froze and put their arms up.

“There are some familiar clothes and a very familiar duffel bag laying on the street corner outside, would you fellas know anything about where they might have come from?” the man in the doorway said.

“Axel? Axel is that you?” a combination of relief and embarrassment washed over me.

“Hannah where are you?” I heard Axel call out.

“They tied me to a barstool, I’m right behind the one in the chef uniform.”

The chef moved out of the way and I saw Wyatt and Axel standing in the doorway with guns aimed right at my captors. Wyatt was holding a shotgun while Axel held a revolver aimed straight for the bartender.

“You, untie her” he said staring the bartender down.

He grumbled something but came around the bar brandishing a knife, it was a big silver butcher’s knife that looked like it had never even been used.

“Drop it, now” Axel said cocking his revolver.

“That cord is tied tight” the bartender said. “I’m not gonna be able to untie it, I’m gonna have to cut her free.”

“Do anything else and I won’t hesitate to put a bullet in you” Axel replied.

The bartender squatted down and began cutting away at the cord that bound me to the stool, I could feel the warmth of the air coming out of his nose as it hit the back of my neck. He was going to try something I could just feel it, these three were drunk enough to do something that stupid.

I looked into Axel’s eyes from across the room and all I could feel was shame, not even a day into me trying to be on my own and he had to come and save me. Why did he even come after me? He said he would let me walk out of his life if I truly wanted to so why was he here?

I felt the cord release and fall to the ground, I tried quickly to stand up and run to Axel but the bartender got a good handful of my hair and pulled me back. I cried out in pain as I tried to kick him from behind but his grip was too tight on me.

“You’re both gonna walk out of here” the bartender said putting the knife to my throat. “You’re gonna walk out of here and us three are gonna take this girl for a ride in our car, you let us go and we’ll let her walk away a couple blocks down the street.”

“They’re lying! They’re going to use me and take me away and kill me! They said so themselves, you can’t let them do it!” I cried out.

“Buddy you have 10 seconds to let her go and walk away or else I’ll put a bullet in you right here and right now” Axel growled, trying to get a better angle for a shot.

The bartender pressed the knife into my throat, just enough to break the skin but not enough to draw blood. I could feel him shaking as he held onto me, he was in over his head.

“Just let me go” I whispered to him. “You’re not a bad person, I know deep down inside you can’t really be like this. What do you have to gain from all of this?”

“Why the hell should I let you go? Why should I let the Vultures get their way again? My entire life I’ve watched them get what they want in this town and I’m finally starting to see them get a run for their money, maybe I want to be a part of something bigger than myself.”

“By assaulting me?” I asked. “By hurting someone who has never hurt you?”

I felt his breathing become calmer as I watched Axel trying to line up a clean shot, if the bartender was going to make his choice he better do it now.

He stopped pressing the blade of the knife into my throat and dropped it on the ground, he let go of my hair and stepped back.

“Just… just get out of here, take the money and get out of here” he said not even able to lift his head up.

“Fuck that!” Arnie cried out. “I need that fucking 5 grand I got bills to pay!”

Arnie grabbed the bottle of vodka they had on the counter and threw it as hard as he could at Wyatt who was just barely able to duck down in time.

Without missing a beat Axel turned to Arnie and pulled the trigger, planting a bullet right into him, but he didn’t stop after just one shot. I rushed over to Axel as he continued to pump bullet after bullet into Arnie’s chest as the chef and bartender ducked behind whatever they could find for cover.

“You mother FUCKER” Axel cried out as he pulled the trigger again and again.

“Axel stop please!” I yelled as I finally reached him and knocked the now empty gun from his hand onto the ground, I could feel my heart racing as I wrapped my arms around him and did everything I could to pull him outside. I turned around to see Arnie sitting on the floor leaning against the bar struggling to take the last breaths of his life, it was something I knew I could never forget.

I pulled Axel outside and Wyatt quickly followed after grabbing the money on the bar counter and the gun on the floor. I looked up at Axel I could see the same exact fire he had in his eyes when he saw Donnelly.

His hands were gripped into tight fists, his whole body was tense as he stood there staring at the door to the restaurant. I could hear the chef and bartender panicking inside as they rushed over to Arnie, god knows what was going on in their minds.

“I failed him” Axel said as I felt his body tense even harder. “I should have killed Donnelly and I fucking failed.”

I felt angry and helpless, with everything that was going on I didn’t know what to do.

Wyatt ran over to their car, the same one he had driven when they found Axel in the streets. He opened the door and got into the driver’s side and started it up.

“We gotta go now! Come on!” he called out.

I felt like I had no choice, at least for now, I quickly picked up my clothes from off the side of the road and stuffed them into the duffel bag.

Axel stood there for a few seconds, staring at the door until the unmistakeable sounds of sirens could be heard in the distance.

“Axel we gotta go now!” Wyatt called from the car, finally Axel grabbed my hand and ran across the street to where the car was parked, we both jumped into the back and Wyatt hit the gas.

As we sped down the street I looked back at the restaurant.

I just wanted a ride out of town, I just wanted to start my own life, and now a man was dead.

Was I just not meant to be independent? Was I just that inept and making my own decisions.

I turned away from Axel and stared out the window as a tear rolled down my cheek.

All I could feel was this pain deep down in my gut, a pain that I just wanted to get rid of, how do you make a normal life for yourself when you don’t even know what normal is?