Life's Fine Line
The beer was good. The whiskey was too, and it was a close call as to which was better. Sat at the bar, in a night-club in the center of town - load music, scantily dressed young women, a good atmosphere - the place had it all.
Yet it wasn`t quite enough for Davey.
For the truth was that the alcohol just wasn`t hitting the mark. He downed the whiskey and waved for the young girl behind the bar to fetch him another. She smiled at him sweetly, and he felt guilty when he smiled back. He turned and scanned the dance floor. Sure enough, Tracy was there, smiling and dancing, and God didn`t she look good! A short cropped top, a skirt so short it looked as though her legs went on forever - She was beautiful. He turned back and paid for the whiskey.
40% proof, smooth and expensive, yet it simply wasn`t hitting the spot. He knew it too, and what was worse, Tracy knew it. He turned and looked at her again, and as if reading his thoughts she slowly shook her head. Davey smiled grimly, and once again turned back to the bar. If anyone could get him through this it was Tracy, but that thought didn`t really help him now.
And yet the trouble with life was, just when you thought you were under pressure, when things couldn`t possibly get any worse, another temptation, another problem appeared. In Davey`s case his problem was two fold. The first part was about five foot ten and was obviously the boss, whilst the second part was well over six foot tall and sent a clear "don`t fuck with me!" message.
But it was the temptation they bore which was the most frightening.
"You`re Davey, right?" the boss asked, and he nodded dumbly in reply. "I`ve got some stuff you might be interested in then."
"I`ve quit!" The words rushed out, practised and automatic, but without conviction.
The boss gave a short laugh, a snort, and waved for some more drinks to be brought. Davey noticed how the big guy was only drinking iced water.
"Down the hatch then Davey," the boss said, and knocked the whiskey back in one. "Now correct me if I`m wrong Davey," he continued. "But this stuff just isn`t doing the trick is it? Now you say you`ve quit, and hey, that`s good! But it seems a shame to quit until you`ve tried the very best stuff. And that`s just what I`ve got - the very best."
Davey was weakening already, and they all knew it. Within five minutes it was he, Davey, who was doing the asking, and the boss happily led the way, the big guy brining up the rear. Tracy was still on the dance floor, her back to the bar, oblivious to the blatant lure that had now pulled Davey away from the lights, out a side door, and into the darkness of the alleyway.
When the door closed behind them the darkness crashed around them. As their eyes began to adjust to the new light level, Davey could see that there was a lean-to out here, the corrugated steel roof keeping the steady drizzle off them. He watched as the boss crossed to the far corner and hunkered down, reaching into his inside pocket as he did so. He pulled out a small parcel made of very thin paper, and Daveys heart quickened when he saw the pure white powder that nestled in the folds. The boss arranged the powder into a neat, fine line, drew a straw from his pocket and looked up at Davey.
"The trouble with pound coins is that you can`t roll them up," he joked as he held the straw up for Davey to see. He bent his head back to the powder and inhaled the line through the straw. His body visibly relaxed, a look of utter pleasure spreading across his face. "Now that`s good shit Davey!" he said.
"How much for a line?" he asked, impatient now to experience the same pleasure he saw the boss enjoying.
The other man, relaxed and calm now, took his time in the haggling. A price was decided upon - a higher one than Davey should have paid, but he was clearly impatient and was at their mercy. Again the boss reached into his pocket and extracted another paper parcel.
"I`ll even let you borrow my straw," he said.
Davey hurriedly arranged the line. His pulse was high with the anticipation of the drug, and he bent his head and inhaled. The feeling rushed over him.
"Wow, this is good..." But something wasn`t quite right. The initial rush quickly wore off, but Davey could feel his legs weakening. They could no longer hold him up, and he crashed to the floor, his legs useless in front of him. "What`s going on? What did you guys cut that shit with?" He felt a tremendous wave of lethargy sweep over him. He just wanted to sleep.
The big guy moved towards him, and Davey found he was powerless to stop him as he watched his wallet being emptied.
But once again Davey was to find that things could still get worse. As if in a nightmare he could not wake from, he saw the side door crash open. Tracy stood there, beautiful and sexy, vulnerable and alone. He watched as she struggled to see in the darkness, but before she could even call his name the big guy had her. She opened her mouth the scream, but a hard slap across the face knocked her half senseless.
"Bring her here," the boss said, and she was thrown to the floor in the far corner. As she sprawled in the dirt, Davey could see the tops of her stockings. He turned and saw that the boss was looking too.
"Don`t!" Davey said.
"You`re in no position to either ask, or do anything about it," the boss replied. Again Daveys heart quickened. The anger rose in him as he watched the man ravage her, but he was powerless, and could barely move his limbs. Tears rolled down his face as he watched the man tear her clothes away, forcing himself upon her.
Whether it was the drugs, the nervousness of the situation, or a combination of both, Davey would never know, but the boss was clearly not up to the task of raping Tracy, no matter how beautiful she looked. He re-buttoned his trousers and stepped away from the girl, somewhat embarrassed, and for a moment Davey believed that everything may be okay.
But then the girl spoke. Having overcome the initial shock, and now seeing the sheepish look on the boss` face, Tracy told him exactly what she thought. He silenced her with a vicious kick, and then he was leaning over her once again. Where the knife came from Davey didn`t know, but it glinted in the dark as it lashed downwards, but failed to glint when it was brought back up.
The boss stood up and surveyed the damage he had done. The girl was silent, a red stain pouring rapidly down the front of her short top, and her eyes were already closed. As he turned away the boss spoke to the big guy. "Best not to leave any witnesses eh?"
As Davey lay helpless on the floor, the big man moved towards him slowly. There was nothing he could do, nowhere he could go, and Davey`s last thought was when he realised that for once in his life things could simply not get any worse.