Under the Skin, v2

Under the Skin [[Begin]]

It's a strange story. Many beginnings, many endings, all splattering outward like blood from a bullet. What a strange story. A story that belongs to many, and to none of them. {(if: $julie1 is true)[[[Julie]]] (if: $julie is true)[[[Adam|Adam]]] (if: $Adam is true)[[[Ennard|Ennard]]] (if: $Ennard is true)[[[Morgan|Morgan]]]} (if: $morgan is true)[(if: $javier is true)[[[Javier|Javierpov]]]] {(if: $morgan is true)[[[Adam|Adam2]]] (if: $adam2 is true)[[[Julie|Julie2]]]}

''//Julie//'' The john doesn't seem interested in you. He sits on the far side of the hotel room. You stare at him. He fiddles with the lock on his briefcase. You roll your eyes. Must've gotten cold feet. "You still have to pay, you know." You say. He glances at you. "Even if we don't have sex. I still need money." "Yeah...I know. Uh..." You drum your fingers on your thigh. "Well?" The man gestures to the briefcase. "There's money, in here." [["I want to see the money first."|confront]] (set: $julie to true) (set: $julie1 to false)

He nods and enters the code. The suitcase flips open. You stand and walk across the room. Your eyes widen when you catch sight of the piles of money tucked into the briefcase. "You can have it." The man suddenly bursts to his feet. "You can have all of it." "What--" He practically runs from the room. You stare at the gaping door. And then you turn back to the suitcase. You dig your hand into the guts of the money. It's the most money you've ever seen at one time. [[Take the money.|take]] [[Leave the money.|leave]]

You close the suitcase, careful not to let the lock engage. You don't care how he got this money. Money is money is money. You hurry out of the hotel room. Teardrop will be happy with you. Maybe let you have a hit of the better dust. The suitcase slaps against your bare thigh as you walk. You step outside and snow swirls around you. The cold air nips at your skin. As you exhale, a cloud of steam swirls past your lips. You hurry down the sidewalk. Your heels are loud on the pavement. "Hey, baby--" A man comes forward to accost you. You swerve around him. "Shop's closed. Find someone else." "But I want to play with you, baby." A hard hand closes around your arm. You whip around. "Hey, let me go--" "I'm sorry, do you even get to say no in your line of work?" [["You heard the lady. Let her go."|intro]]

You don't want dirty money. You know the kind of shit gangs get up to. You don't want to put yourself in the middle of that. You leave the suitcaste on the table. You step outside and snow swirls around you. The cold air nips at your skin. As you exhale, a cloud of steam swirls past your lips. You hurry down the sidewalk. Your heels are loud on the pavement. "Hey, baby--" A man comes forward to accost you. You swerve around him. "Shop's closed. Find someone else." "But I want to play with you, baby." A hard hand closes around your arm. You whip around. "Hey, let me go--" "I'm sorry, do you even get to say no in your line of work?" [["You heard the lady. Let her go."|intro2]]

"Stay out of this, asshole." Your assailant yanks you against his chest. He reeks of weed, barbeque sauce, and unwashed skin. You gag. "No means no, even for prostitutes." You turn your head. A man in a black coat stands a few feet away. His hands are stuffed in his pockets. His jet black hair is brushed away from his bold features. He's not quite handsome, but he's got the kind of face you won't forget. Even for someone like you, who's more likely to look at the ceiling than in the faces of the men you have sex with. "Go fuck yourself." The man pulls out a pack of cigarettes. He taps a cigarette loose and tucks it in the corner of his mouth. He lights the cigarette. "You have ten seconds, friend." He smiles around his cigarette. You clench your hand into a fist. [["Ten, nine, eight..."|figt back]] "What the fuck is wrong with you--?" [["Seven, six, five..."|wait]]

"Seven, six, five..." You reel back and crunch your fist into your attacker's jaw. He stumbles away from you, clutching his face, more surprised than hurt. "You fucking bitch--" There's a loud popping sound. All of the sudden, his body crumples in front of you. Blood sprays from the back of his head. The man in black stands in front of you, smoke twirling from the end of his cigarette. You didn't even see the gun. "I don't want any trouble--" You start. "I'm not going to hurt you." He nods to the suitcase. "Where did you get that from?" "A-a john." You clutch the suitcase to your stomach. "He gave it to me. Fair's fair." "Everything happens for a reason," the man smiles. It reminds you of a shark. You take a small step back. In the distance, you hear laughter and screaming and glass shattering. "Do you want to play a game? See if fate's at play here." [["Sure, I guess. If you'll let me go."|play]] [["N-no, thank you. I really have to go."|flee]]

"Four, three, two, one..." He sings the last four numbers. "Time's up, honey." "Fucking fag--" The asshole holding you captive whips out a gun and aims it at the man. But in the time it takes him to draw the gun, the man in black already has the barrel of a pistol pressed in the middle of his forehead. He pulls the trigger. Blood and bone and brain spray everywhere. You gasp and jump out of the dead man's grasp. "Don't get your thong in a twist, baby," the man in black says. He has already put the gun away. "I don't want any trouble--" You start. "I'm not going to hurt you." He nods to the suitcase. "Where did you get that from?" "A-a john." You clutch the suitcase to your stomach. "He gave it to me. Fair's fair." "Everything happens for a reason," the man smiles. It reminds you of a shark. You take a small step back. In the distance, you hear laughter and screaming and glass shattering. "Do you want to play a game? See if fate's at play here." [["Sure, I guess. If you'll let me go."|play]] [["N-no, thank you. I really have to go."|flee]]

The man pulls a coin from his pocket. "We'll determine it with a coin toss," he twirls the coin through his thick knuckles. His hands are big and scarred. Hands used for hurting people. "Determine what?" "Whether or not you keep the money, of course." There's more. But you have to play his game now. "Ready to play?" You stare at him, wide-eyed. Flakes of snow like sugar catch in his inky dark hair. A cold gust breathes over your bare legs. He flips the coin in the air. The toothy edge of the coin catches the light of a nearby streetlamp. He catches it and flips it onto the back of his hand. He looks up at you with eyes so dark that they seem to absorb the light. He isn't a large man, but he seems to take up a lot of space. Like the space molds around him. You shrink into your coat. "Call it." [["Heads."|win]] [["Tails."|lose]]

You try to walk past him. His hand closes gently around your arm. His grip isn't bruising. But the threat is implicit. You freeze. "That's not how this works." He says. "Don't spoil my fun. We are going to play a little game." You stumble back, almost tripping over your pumps. You cling to the suitcase like a teddy bear. The man pulls a coin from his pocket. "Ready to play?" You stare at him, wide-eyed. Flakes of snow like sugar catch in his inky dark hair. A cold gust breathes over your bare legs. He flips the coin in the air. The toothy edge of the coin catches the light of a nearby streetlamp. He catches it and flips it onto the back of his hand. He looks up at you with eyes so dark that they seem to absorb the light. He isn't a large man, but he seems to take up a lot of space. Like the space molds around him. You shrink into your coat. "Call it." [["Heads."|win]] [["Tails."|lose]]

He smiles and lifts his hand away. You practically lunge forward to see what way the coin is facing. Heads. A small sigh escapes you. He stuffs the coin back in his pocket. "Today's your lucky day, honey." He finishes his cigarette. A crown of smoke frames his head. He drops the cigarette to the ground and stomps it out with his foot. "Do you want to know where that money came from?" [["Does it matter?"|sass]] [["Do you know what happened?"|curious]]

He smiles and lifts his hand away. You practically lunge forward to see what way the coin is facing. Heads. You feel your heart drop straight through your ribcage, all the way down to your feet. You look up into his face. "Sorry, baby. I guess today isn't your lucky day." "Please--" He pulls his gun too fast for you to even follow the movement. [[He shoots you in the head.|Morgan2]] (set: $juliedead to true)

The man laughs. It's a harsh, grating sound, like he's crunching on glass. "You've got spunk. I like that. Your hair is pretty, too. A lovely shade of strawberry blonde," he stuffs his hands in his pockets. "You know what? Keep the money. You seem smart enough to stay out of trouble. Not like the dumbass who had that suitcase before you." "He's still alive. He can't be that dumb." He flashes the sharp edge of his brillant white teeth. "That's a temporary state of being." He reaches out and caresses your cheek. "I hope that money is worth it." He turns and walks away. [[You stand clutching the suitcase.|Begin]]

"That money was stolen. From a very powerful man." He is still wearing that terrible smile, like a hyena laughing at you before it rips into your chest. "Are you sure you want to keep it?" [["You can have it back. I don't want dirty money."|giveback]] [["Money is money is money."|sass]]

"I thought you had bigger balls than that," the man shrugs and takes the suitcase from your shaking hand. "But you're smarter than the last dumbass that had this suitcase." You were just talking to that dumbass a few minutes ago. His hand snaps out and closes around your chin and jaw. He squeezes your face. Hard. "Forget about everything you saw here." He's still smiling. "Just go back to your miserable, shitty little life. And be glad that fate was kind enough to let you survive a brush with death today." He releases you and walks away. You stare down the sidewalk, [[snow swirling in his wake.|Morgan2]]

(if: $juliedead is true)[How sad. The little prostitute was cute too. Lovely shade of strawberry blonde hair.] You take the suitcase and walk away, whistling. You aren't sure about the name of the song. [[You think it's a Christmas song.|Begin]]

"Stay out of this, asshole." Your assailant yanks you against his chest. He reeks of weed, barbeque sauce, and unwashed skin. You gag. "No means no, even for prostitutes." You turn your head. A man in a black coat stands a few feet away. His hands are stuffed in his pockets. His jet black hair is brushed away from his bold features. He's not quite handsome, but he's got the kind of face you won't forget. Even for someone like you, who's more likely to look at the ceiling than in the faces of the men you have sex with. "Go fuck yourself." The man pulls out a pack of cigarettes. He taps a cigarette loose and tucks it in the corner of his mouth. He lights the cigarette. "I don't feel like playing games right now. I have more important shit to deal with." "What the fuck--" [[There's a loud pop.|justice]]

Blood and bone and brain spray everywhere. You gasp and jump out of the dead man's grasp. He slumps to the pavement. "Don't get your thong in a twist, baby," the man in black says. He has already put the gun away. "I don't want any trouble--" You start. "I'm not looking for trouble," he assesses you briefly. "Where would I be able to find you? If I want your services, of course." "I'm...I'm normally at the Pit. Or I'm at a corner in Teardrop's territory." He taps the side of his nose. His eyes are so dark. They seem to absorb the light. He fills the space around him, takes up more than his fair share. You feel like you don't have any breathing room. "I'll remember that. You're cute." He takes a step forward and runs his hand through your hair. You go still, like prey scented by a much larger predator. "You have such beautiful hair. A pretty shade. Strawberry blonde, I'd say." You hold your breath. He smiles and pats your cheek. "Have a good night, baby." You stare after the man. You feel like you [[just brushed shoulders with the devil.|Begin]]

(set: $julie1 to true)

''//Sheriff's Deputy Adam Holland//'' There were two bodies. Out in the middle of the desert. The stench was terrible, you'll never forget it. They'd been there for a few days, baking under the hot New Mexico sun until they were extra crispy. You stare down at the laminated photos of the crime scene. One of the dead men was a known drug dealer. The second dead man was the estranged son of a wealthy local business owner. Also a known drug dealer. "You're gonna go blind if you keep staring at those pictures," Sheriff Talent stands next to your desk. You glance up at him. [["It was a drug deal gone wrong. Just sad that Jeb's boy was involved in it."|blunt]] [["I think there's something more to this case."|uncertain]] (set: $Adam to true) (set: $julie1 to false) (set: $julie to false)

"You won't catch me shedding any tears, that kid was a hellion," Sheriff Talent takes an enormous, wet bite of his apple. You wince as he chews loudly, apple juices dappling his thick mustache. "Entitled brat. Got in all kinds of trouble and Jeb kept bailing him out, until he found out that the boy was selling drugs for one of the big cartels. I can't believe he didn't end up dead in a ditch sooner." He shakes his head to himself as he walks away. [[You agree with Sheriff Talent.|abandon]] [[Thinking back on the crime scene makes you uneasy. Something hadn't seemed right that day...|challenge]]

"Boy, there ain't more to this case," Sheriff Talent chuckles to himself and pats your back. You try not to grind your teeth into dust. You resist the urge to shrug his hand away. "It was just a drug deal gone wrong. Yeah, Jeb's boy being there makes it complicated. But life is messy sometimes, boy." You hate that he still calls you boy. It makes your skin sit hot and rough on your bones. "I don't know. I just have a feeling in my gut." "Can't pursue a gut feeling." The sheriff takes a huge chomp on his apple. You don't imagine the dots of apple juice spraying across the picture. Your knuckles turn white from clenching your hand into such a tight fist. "What makes you think there's more to this case? Seems open and shut to me." [["I don't know."|concede]] [[Think about the crime scene. What did you see that day that is making you hesitate?|challenge]]

"That's right, you don't know." The sheriff taps his chest with a fist. "You don't have the experience I do. You've only been here for a year. Don't get too big for your britches this early on, boy. You still have a lot to learn." You take a measured breath. "Nice try, though, kid." Sheriff Talent smiles at you through his thick mustache. "Your day will come. You'll get that big case." Sheriff Talent walks away. You stare down at the photo. [[Just let it go.|abandon]] [[It suddenly feels very important that you prove Sheriff Talent wrong.|challenge]]

You stare quietly at the picture. The harsh New Mexico landscape couldn't quite be captured in a photograph--you needed to be out in that desert to really know the land--but it still transports you back to seeing the crime scene for the first time. The sun pounding down on top of your head, making your scalp boil with sweat. The hard blue sky rolling over the landscape, crunching into the jagged orange horizon, like shattered pieces of two different plates sliding against each other on the kitchen floor. They didn't fit together, and they almost seemed to be fighting each other, the sky and the land. Seemed like a decent enough place for a gun fight, for a drug deal gone wrong. You mentally picture the [[two bodies,|clue1]] sprawled under the hot New Mexico sun. [[Two cars|clue2]] had been parked nearby. You remembered tracing over [[two sets of footsteps|clue3]] in the loose sand. Coming across a [[gym bag full of drugs.|clue5]] There had been an [[empty gym bag|clue4]] discarded behind a rock. You might want to think back on the scene a few times. One glance at the information might not be helpful. [[You've thought about this for long enough.|truth]]

It wasn't the first time you'd seen a dead body. You remember seeing your grandpa in his coffin at his funeral, his bony brown hands folded neatly over his stomach. He had smelled weirdly sweet. But this was different. Both of these men had died violently. They had both been shot multiple times in the stomach. Money and drugs were on the line. They weren't going to be skimpy with bullets. They probably hadn't died right away, cooking under the sun, flies feasting on their skin while they were staring up at the sky waiting for death. You frown. [[There was nothing out of the oridinary about the bodies that you could remember.|challenge]]

Two cars, one belonging to the [[drug dealer,|clue2I]] the other to [[Jeb's boy.|clue2II]] [[You were done thinking about the cars.|challenge]]

You had wandered through the desert, following the different sets of footsteps. One had come from the drug dealer's car, another from Jeb's boy's car. Neither had returned. You stare down at the picture. You peer intently at a strange smudge in the corner. It looks like--you can't quite tell. You reach for a magnifying glass. It's another set of footsteps. You frown. You hadn't noticed that the first time. The pictures were taken before you and the other officers went onto the scene. If you had seen those footsteps afterwards, you had probably just figured it was another officer or one of the people from the coroner's office. Your stomach clenches. A third set of footsteps. [[Had someone else been at the crime scene before your people got there?|challenge]]

No one had thought much of the empty gym bag. It had probably had either money or drugs in it. Sheriff Talent had shrugged and said the contents had probably ended up in one of the three gym bags that had been found in the trunks of the cars. But that didn't make sense to you. It hadn't then, and it [[didn't now.|challenge]] (set: $clue4 to true)

Just a drug deal gone wrong. You push the file away. You push the case from your head. [[Just a drug deal gone wrong.|Begin]]

''//Ennard//'' The hot New Mexico hammers on the top of your skull. You feel almost dizzy out here in the middle of the desert, the orange land pushing against the blue sky like two fists coming together. Beads of sweat drip down your temples, seeping into your beard. The smell of heat and sand makes your nose and mouth feel like it's full of cotton. Every breath, you feel the desert sinking into your lungs. You didn't hear gunshots. They must have been dead for a few days. You stare down at the carnage, clutching the straps of your backpack. What happened here? Did it matter? Orange sand whispers over your scuffed boots as you circle the two bodies. There are two cars nearby. You see a gym bag next to one of the bodies. You crouch and extend your arm as far as you can, nudging the bag open. Baggies of white powder are visible between the zipper teeth. Drug deal gone wrong. Your heart pounds. Maybe there's money nearby. You climb to your feet, head cranking around desperately. One man's misfortune is another man's fortune. A loud, wet cough sounds like a gunshot at your feet. You whip around. One of the two men is writhing on the ground. He squints up at you. Raises one bloody hand. "Help...me." [[Go and help him.|help]] [[He's dead anyway.|donthelp]] (set: $Ennard to true) (set: $Adam to false)

You picture the drug dealer's car. The seats had been ripped and sticky from sitting in the sun for so long. The AC was broken. Must've been hell on earth. The control panel was felted with dust. A photo of some model had been dangling from the rearview mirror. Fast food wrappers and empty water bottles had populated the backseat, along with a box of dirty magazines. Chip bags and beer cans had been piled on the passenger seat. There were two gym bags full of money in the trunk. It wasn't Jeb's boy who had come to the scene with money. Something about the gym bags [[seems important.|clue2]] (if: $clue5 is true)[The bag of drugs had been near Jeb. The empty gym bag must have had money it. So where had it gone?]

Jeb's boy had kept his car pretty clean for a drug dealer. Some dust on the control panel, a few fast food wrappers, but nothing horrible. It had been a nice car. There had been [[one gym bag packed with drugs|clue2]] in the trunk.

A gym bag of drugs had been near Jeb's boy. Probably in the middle of trading it off when they'd gotten into a disagreement about--something, probably the money--and started firing. [[Just a drug deal gone wrong in the middle of the desert.|challenge]] (if: $clue4 is true)[But that didn't make sense. What about the empty gym bag? There must have been money in that bag if they were in the middle of the trade off.]

You put the laminated photo down and force yourself back to the present. (if: $clue4 is true)[[[You think you have enough evidence to go the chief.|chief]]] [[You're chasing shadows. You don't have anything concrete enough to make a case to the chief.|abandon]]

You knock on Chief Donaldson's door. "What is it?" He's not a friendly man. You step into the office, holding the folder in front of you. It smells like coffee and cologne. He glances up at you through his beetled eyebrows. He's scribbling out notes in a different file. "What do you want, son?" "I wanted to talk to you about the drug case." "The one with Jeb's boy?" He drums his pen on his desk. "Make it quick." [["There was a third person."|threeppl]] [["Money was stolen from the crime scene."|money]]

"I found a third set of footprints in the photograph." You hand the photo to the chief. He squints at the spot you point to. "These photos were taken before we went onto the scene." The chief shrugs. "A jogger found the bodies. It's probably just their footsteps." [[You feel like an ass for wasting the chief's time.|apologize]] [["I also think that there was money taken from the crime scene."|money]]

"Now, what makes you say that?" He asks. "The empty gym bag. Jeb's boy never even gave the drugs to the other dealer. The drugs were still by him, and he came to the scene with the drugs. The empty gym bag belonged to the other dealer. They both died on the scene. So where did the money go? There was a third person at the crime scene. And I think he killed the other two dealers and ran off." The chief leans back in his chair and thinks for a long moment. "Who knows what kind of scavengers wander around the desert?" The chief spears you with a look. You stand up taller. "You've got a good head on your shoulders, son. But here's some advice for you. Dumb yourself down sometimes." You stiffen. He's telling you to look the other way. You meet his hard grey eyes. [["I understand, sir."|giveup]] [["What happened to justice, sir?"|confront2]]

"That makes sense," you say. "I'm sorry for wasting your time, chief." "Use your brain next time." He hands the photo back to you. [[You leave his office.|abandon]]

"Good." The chief nods. You turn and walk out of the office. "What were you talking to the chief about?" Sheriff Talent asks. "Nothing important." Sheriff Talent notices that you're holding the photograph. "Let it go, kid. It's [[just a drug deal gone wrong."|Begin]]

"Justice is for old westerns." The chief leans forward and rests his elbows on the desk. "Don't put a white hat on, son. It'll just put a target on your back." "Then what's the point of us even being here?" "We aren't big time city cops. This is a small community. We need to protect it. And sometimes, well, that means looking the other way." Your chest burns. You think back to the day you were sworn in. You feel like a liar. "That money is dirty. Whoever has it now will get what's coming to them. Justice doesn't always need to come from people like us." The chief picks up his pen. You have been dismissed. You turn and walk out of the chief's office. As you put the file away, you find yourself thinking. But it was just a [[drug deal gone wrong.|Begin]]

The back of your shirt sticks to your body, saturated with sweat. You kneel down and hesitantly extend your hand towards the dying man. "Help...get...help..." Blood bubbles over his lips. He coughs again, spraying blood over the sand. You scramble back. His chest heaves, up and down. Barely alive. He's already dead. [[Find the money.|findmoney1]] (set: $blood to true)

You stare down at him briefly. You feel a twinge in your chest. "Help...me...help..." He coughs again, a sick, wet sound that makes your skin crawl. Blood sprays from his mouth and dampens the hem of your jeans. You stumble back. "Asshole," you mutter. Now...[[where's the money?|findmoney1]]

There's another gym bag nearby. The blood is rushing so fast through your veins that you think your skin must be vibrating. You unzip the bag. Green, so much green. You run a hand over your face. You slide your backpack off and hastily transfer the money into your bag. You toss the empty gym bag aside. As you pull your backpack on, the money is a comforting weight on your lower back. This is fate. You stare towards the horizon, the blue, blue horizon. [[Go north.|north]] [[Go south.|south]]

You came from the south. You want to keep going forward. North, it is. You cast a nervous glance over your shoulder as you walk. The dying man twitches, his bloody fingers clutching at nothing. You shiver and turn away. Money is money is money. You step around creosote bushes and cacti, climb over rocky outcroppings, and dodge around nests of snakes. Trying to put as much distance as possible between yourself and the dead men. The loud grumble of a car makes you freeze. You look up. See a car driving through the desert. [[Try to get their attention and hitch a ride.|hitch]] [[Hide.|hide]]

You came from the south. You decide to retrace your steps, maybe hitch a ride from the gas station you had been to earlier today. You start walking. You refuse to glance over your shoulder at the dying man. Money is money is money. You swerve around creosote bushes and feel sweat rolling down your temples like rain. As you walk, you see a car in the distance. [[Keep walking. Act like nothing is wrong.|subtle]] [[Try to hide.|hide2]]

You just need to get out of the sun. You wave your arms. The car slows down. "Hey, would you fellas be able to give me a ride to the nearest town?" You ask. The driver stares at you. He's a skinny Mexican kid. "Si," the man nods. "Get in." You open the back car door and sit down. You don't take the backpack off. "How'd you get all the way out here, gringo?" [["I'm a drifter. It's what I do."|honest]] [["Was out hiking. Got a little turned around."|lie]]

You throw yourself down behind a rock. As you sit and wait for the car to pass, the desert heat seems to punch you in the face. You're swimming in sweat. The car grows louder. It passes by the rock. Doesn't slow down. You release a slow, shaky breath. You climb to your feet and start walking. You don't know how long you walk. The sun begins to sink towards the horizon, like it's grown lethargic from the desert heat. The world seems to waver and warp in front of you. You reach a small town. You hurry through the steaming streets, looking for a grocery store. The car you saw in the desert is sitting outside [[the grocery store.|store]]

Just play it cool. Don't act like you have a couple thousand dollars in your backpack. It's a nice car. You swallow the lump in your throat. Two men sit in the front seat. One of them looks like a drug dealer. The car slows down. Shit. [[Run.|run]] [[Stop.|stop]]

You throw yourself down behind a rock. As you sit and wait for the car to pass, the desert heat seems to punch you in the face. You're swimming in sweat. The car grows louder. It passes by the rock. Doesn't slow down. You release a slow, shaky breath. You climb to your feet and start walking. You quickly come to the gas station. You buy a bottle of water. The car that passed through the desert pulls into the gas station. Two Mexican men get out of the car and come into the gas station. They go to the aisle with chips. "Hombre," a voice calls. You freeze. [[Turn and acknowledge them.|interact2]] [[Ignore them and leave.|ignore2]]

You dash the other way. There's a rocky outcropping in the distance. If you can jump down onto that, the car won't be able to follow you. An obstacle course of cacti is between you and the outcropping. That'll just slow them down. Tires crunch over sand and stone. You glance over your shoulder. A cloud of gold dust billows behind the car as it races towards you. It mows through cacti and creosote. You whip around and push yourself. You call on your days in the army and push yourself to just fucking run. [[Jump.|jump]]

You come to a halt. No point in running, it'll just get you the wrong kind of attention. The driver rolls his window down. "Hey, gringo," the skinny Mexican man eyes you with dark eyes. "You see a man walking around out here. Skinny gringo like you, wearing a hoodie?" That sounds just like the dying man. You offer a brittle smile. "Uh, no, no, sir." The man stares at you. The passenger says something in rapid Spanish. [["I'll just be on my way."|caught]] [[Stay silent.|silence]]

"Hey now, we didn't say we were done with you, hombre." The man makes a laconic gesture towards your backpack. "What's in the bag?" Your mouth flaps open and closes. [[Run!|run]]

The passenger says something else in the ensuing silence. You try to look innocent. The driver nods at something he says. Without another word, the car takes off into the desert. You breathe a sigh of relief. You keep walking until you get to a small town. For the first time in a long time, you get to stay in a hotel. The next day, you buy a car from a local dealer. You haven't owned a car in a while. Your ex-wife took the car when she left you for her pretty little boyfriend. Maybe you'll pay them a visit. Or send someone to pay them a visit, anyway. [[Money is money is money.|Begin]] (set: $ennard2 to true)

You throw yourself forward, pitching over the small cliff onto an orange fist of rock. The way down is steeper than you thought. You slip on the surprisingly smooth surface of rock. Your scream is swallowed by the desert as you tumble ass over tea kettle down the outcropping. [[Your head slams onto a rock.|Javier]]

''//Javier//'' "Think that's Casey's money?" Eduardo asks. You stare down at the dead drifter. His backpack split open and vomitted money everywhere when he fell. You shrug. "Probably." "We need to get it back to the chief." Your hand wanders to the gun in your waistband. Out in the desert, anything can happen. And you aren't scared of the chief. Eduardo doesn't even see it coming. You pull the gun and shoot him in the head. Blood sprays onto the orange desert sand. You stoop down and take the money. [[Money is money is money.|Begin]] (set: $javier to true)

"How'd you end up driftin'?" "I'm a vet. Not much room left for me in the world." "You fought in the war?" "I was in 'Nam, yeah." The man nods in silent approval. "Name's Javier, this is Eduardo." The man in the passenger seat waves. The rest of the drive is silent. Your shoulders are soaked in sweat. You chew at your chapped lips. Pray to god that the men don't ask to see what's in the bag. They pull up to the edge of a small, dusty town. "This okay, gringo?" You nod and get out of the car. "Thanks, fellas." [[Give them some money for their troubles.|confrontation]] [[Walk away.|survive]]

You watch the eyes of the men. They look at each other. You turn away, tugging nervously at your beard. The rest of the drive is silent. Your shoulders are soaked in sweat. You chew at your chapped lips. Pray to god that the men don't ask to see what's in the bag. They pull into a small, dusty town. "This okay, gringo?" You nod and get out of the car. "Thanks, fellas." [[Get out of the car.|out]]

You pull some singles out of your backpack and try to hand it to the driver. His eyes glitter like the edge of a knife. "Where'd you get that money, gringo?" He asks as he accepts the money. He runs his fingers over it. You shrug. He pulls a gun from his waistband. "Give me the backpack, hombre." You stare at him. [[Give him the backpack.|survive2]] [[Refuse.|die]]

You nod silently to the men. Without another word, the car takes off into the desert. You breathe a sigh of relief. You turn and wander into the small town. For the first time in a long time, you get to stay in a hotel. The next day, you buy a car from a local dealer. You haven't owned a car in a while. Your ex-wife took the car when she left you for her pretty little boyfriend. Maybe you'll pay them a visit. Or send someone to pay them a visit, anyway. [[Money is money is money.|Begin]] (set: $ennard2 to true)

"No." You stammer. "Fuck you." You turn and start running. But the bullet [[chases you into the back of your skull.|javier3]]

You stomach clenches like a fist. You slowly take the backpack off. "Put it in the backseat." The man says. You do. "Don't look so sad, gringo. Be glad you even got to keep your life." The car revs and drives away. You stare after it and feel another small part of yourself [[die.|javier2]]

''//Javier//'' You stare at the horizon as you drive. Plumes of gold sand billow out behind the car. The backpack full of money bounces around in the backseat. "Chief's gonna be happy with us," Eduardo comments as he munches on a bag of chips. "We got the money back. What do you think happened to Casey?" "Probably dead." "Think the drifter killed him?" "Nah, he didn't look like he had it in 'im." Your eyes slide towards the backpack. You push on the brake. "What, did you see something, bro?" Eduardo asks. You come to a halt. The desert seems to pound on the windows, trying to get in. You pull a gun. Eduardo stares at you. "Get out of the car." He does. You get out too. "Bro, what are you doing?" He sounds panicked. "Chief's gonna kill you if you take his money. Don't do this--" A gun shot echoes through the desert. You leave Eduaro's body in the dust as you drive away. [[You aren't scared of the Chief anymore.|Begin]] (set: $javier to true)

''//Javier//'' You stare at the horizon as you drive. Plumes of gold sand billow out behind the car. The backpack full of money bounces around in the backseat. "Chief's gonna be happy with us," Eduardo comments as he munches on a bag of chips. "We got the money back. What do you think happened to Casey?" "Probably dead." "Think the drifter killed him?" The drifter's body is in the trunk. "Nah, he didn't look like he had it in 'im." Your eyes slide towards the backpack. You push on the brake. "What, did you see something, bro?" Eduardo asks. You come to a halt. The desert seems to pound on the windows, trying to get in. You pull a gun. Eduardo stares at you. "Get out of the car." He does. You get out too. "Bro, what are you doing?" He sounds panicked. "Chief's gonna kill you if you take his money. Don't do this--" A gun shot echoes through the desert. You leave Eduaro's body in the dust as you drive away. [[You aren't scared of the Chief anymore.|Begin]] (set: $javier to true)

"Wait," the driver calls. You hesitantly turn and face him. "When you were out hiking, did you see or hear...anything strange?" [["No, I didn't."|lie2]] [["I think I may have heard gunshots."|truth2]] (set: $truth to true)

(if: $truth is true)["Gunshots?" He repeats. "Where did you hear gunshots?"](if: $lie is true)["Where did you hear them?"] "To the south." The man nods to his companion. "Gracias," he says. Without another word, the car takes off into the desert. You breathe a sigh of relief. You turn and wander into the small town. For the first time in a long time, you get to stay in a hotel. The next day, you buy a car from a local dealer. You haven't owned a car in a while. Your ex-wife took the car when she left you for her pretty little boyfriend. Maybe you'll pay them a visit. Or send someone to pay them a visit, anyway. [[Money is money is money.|Begin]] (set: $ennard2 to true)

"You sure about that, hombre?" "Yeah, I'm sure." "A'ight. See, because me and my friend heard gunshots when we were out there. Surprised you didn't." [["You must be mistaken."|lie3]] [["I think I might've heard something."|truth2]] (set: $lie to true)

"Hard to mistake the sound of gunshots." The man pulls his shirt up, revealing a gun in his waistband. "What's in your backpack?" You stutter but stay silent. "Give me the backpack, hombre." You stare at him. [[Give him the backpack.|survive2]] [[Refuse.|die]]

There's a teenaged girl behind the counter. You nod to her as you walk through the aisles. Bright white cooler cases line the back wall. You see bottles of water. You feel like your entire body is squelching as you practically run to the back of the store. You pass two Mexican men who are perusing shelves of chips. They glance at you, give you a look, but otherwise ignore you. You release the breath you didn't know you were holding. You grab a bottle of water and pay for it at the counter. "Hombre," a voice calls. You freeze. [[Turn and acknowledge them.|interact]] [[Ignore them and leave.|ignore]]

"Uh, hi, yeah, what do you need?" You turn and face the man. He's skinny with a shaven hand and a gold chain around his throat. "You got a single I could borrow? Don't have quite enough." He says in thickly accented English. [[Give him a single.|reveal]] [[Refuse him.|refuse]]

You pretend that you don't hear them and walk out of the store. That night, for the first time in a long time, you get to stay in a hotel. The next day, you buy a car from a local dealer. You haven't owned a car in a while. Your ex-wife took the car when she left you for her pretty little boyfriend. Maybe you'll pay them a visit. Or send someone to pay them a visit, anyway. [[Money is money is money.|Begin]] (set: $ennard2 to true)

You hesitantly reach into your backpack and pull out a single. You pass it to him. His eyes are glittering. You grab your bottle of water and run from the store. You find a hotel to spend the night. You glance over our shoulder constantly as you are checking in at the desk. That night, you barricade the door. You sit in the armchair in the corner of the room and stare at the door all night. When morning finally comes, your head feels fuzzy and thick. You blink and scrub at your eyes as you sling your bag on and go to the local car dealership. The car dealer leaves you alone to figure out which car you want. You stare at the car, fiddling with the keys. You can feel yourself nodding off. For the moment, a world goes dark. "Hey, hombre, how you doin'?" The two Mexican men are suddenly there. [["What do you want from me?"|pathetic]] [["Leave me alone."|aggressive]]

"Sorry, I don't have any change." You turn and walk out of the store. That night, for the first time in a long time, you get to stay in a hotel. The next day, you buy a car from a local dealer. You haven't owned a car in a while. Your ex-wife took the car when she left you for her pretty little boyfriend. Maybe you'll pay them a visit. Or send someone to pay them a visit, anyway. [[Money is money is money.|Begin]] (set: $ennard2 to true)

"Were you out in the desert yesterday, gringo?" The man asks. "No, I don't know what you want from me." You start to back away. "Look, I'm just a vet. My wife ditched me for her boyfriend and I lost my job and I have no money left. Please, just leave me alone." "Javier," the bigger man reaches out and puts his hand on Javier's shoulder. He says something in rapid Spanish. Javier glares into your face. Silently, the two men turn and walk away. "Did you decide which car you want, sir?" The dealer approaches you from behind. You almost punch him in the face. But you manage to buy the car without resorting to violence. Barely forty five minutes later, you are peeling out of the small town. You stare at the backpack, bouncing around in the backseat. It's dirty money, for sure. But money is money is money. [[And that money might finally let you get revenge on all the people who crossed you.|Begin]] (set: $ennard2 to true)

"You got a problem, gringo?" The man practically snarls at you. "What's in the bag?" "That's none of your business. Get the fuck away from me." You turn away from the two men. "I'm just asking you a question." "I'm calling the police if you don't leave me alone--" A gun presses into your lower back. "You move, I shoot you. You're coming with us." [[Run.|flee2]] [[Follow their directions.|javier3]]

You whip around and punch the man in the face. He reels back, the gun flying from his hand. Before his friend can grab you, you climb into the car and lock the doors. The two men slam on the windows as you jam the keys into the ignition. The smaller of the two men tries running after you through the dealership lot. But he quickly gives up. You shoot out of town in your stolen vehicle, the backpack of money in the passenger seat. Jesus, this was some dirty money. But [[money is money is money.|Begin]] (set: $ennard2 to true)

You pretend that you don't hear them. You turn and walk out of the gas station, walking around the side of the building to set off into the desert. It isn't long before you hear them calling after you again. You dash the other way. There's a rocky outcropping in the distance. If you can jump down onto that, they might not follow you. You aren't in shape anymore, but you might be able to outrun them. There's shouting behind. You glance over your shoulder. The two men are pounding through the desert, chasing after you. You whip around and push yourself. You call on your days in the army and push yourself to just fucking run. [[Jump.|jump]]

You hesitantly reach into your backpack and pull out a single. You pass it to him. His eyes are glittering. "Looks like you've got a lot of money in there," the man says. "Hey, I don't want any trouble." The clerk says. "Where'd you get that money, gringo?" "Hey, what did I say--" The man pulls a gun and shoots the clerk. Blood sprays over the wall. You stare at the men as he levels the gun at you. "Give me the bag." [[Give him the backpack.|survive3]] [[Refuse.|die2]]

"Sorry, I don't have any change." You turn and walk out of the store. You don't know how long you walk. The sun begins to sink towards the horizon, like it's grown lethargic from the desert heat. The world seems to waver and warp in front of you. You reach a small town. That night, for the first time in a long time, you get to stay in a hotel. The next day, you buy a car from a local dealer. You haven't owned a car in a while. Your ex-wife took the car when she left you for her pretty little boyfriend. Maybe you'll pay them a visit. Or send someone to pay them a visit, anyway. [[Money is money is money.|Begin]] (set: $ennard2 to true)

You stomach clenches like a fist. You slowly take the backpack off. "Give it to me." The man says. You do. "Don't look so sad, gringo. Be glad you even got to keep your life. Unlike that poor bastard." He gestures to the dead clerk. The two men return to their car and drive away. You stare after it and feel another small part of yourself [[die.|javier2]]

"No." You stammer. "Fuck you." You turn and start running. But the bullet [[chases you into the back of your skull.|javier3]]

''//Morgan//'' This target has been more difficult to catch than you expected. You'd followed him across the country. And the prick just kept running. They had hired you to kill him and get back as much of the money as you could. You didn't care about the money. You never cared about the money. It was the chase. And he'd given you a decent chase. Not a great one, but you had your fun. And now it was over. [["Do you want to play a game with me?"|game]] (set: $morgan to true) (set: $Ennard to false)

He stares at you. "Aren't you going to kill me?" He seems resigned to it. No, no, no, that's not how you wanted this to go. "I don't know. Play my game and you'll find out." He stares at you. "What do you want from me?" "I want to have some fun." You smile. "You put up a good chase. Never gave up, that's for sure. Was it worth it? For the money?" He is silent. "I don't know." He sighs. He's already checked out. Your grip tightens on the gun. [["Play my game and I might let you live."|hope]] [["Do you want to die?"|question]]

He looks at you in disbelief. "They hired you to kill me." "They did." "Then why...?" You shrug. "You put up a good chase. I can respect that." "Won't they kill you for letting me go?" [["No one can kill me."|cocky]] [["Does it matter?"|lull]]

"I'm sick of running," he says. He even smiles a little. "I had my fun. But..." You hate the dead look in his eye. He looks at you and he doesn't seem afraid. [["I'll make it hurt."|anger]] [["Play a game with me. Maybe I'll let you go."|hope]]

He stares at the floor. "I don't care anymore." "Oh, you will care when I have you screaming." He flinches. You smile. "Look at me." He does. He looks afraid. That makes you happy. "I'll make it quick." [[You pull the trigger.|Begin]]

He narrows his eyes. "Just get it over with." You grind your teeth. Bastard. He's taking all of the fun out of it. But you don't feel like playing with your food much longer. [["Play my game."|game2]] [[Kill him.|trigger]]

"So if I play this game..." "There's a fifty-fifty chance you walk out of this room alive." He looks at you. His eyes sparkle with hope. "Okay...[[I'll play."|game2]]

You fish a coin out of your pocket. You flip the coin in the air. "Call it." "Heads." You lift your hand away. Heads. [[Kill him.|truetoword]] [[Let him live.|luckyday]]

"Well, now I have lost all respect for our chase," you say. "You took all the fun out of it." You lift the gun and [[pull the trigger.|Begin]]

The man looks up at you. He's relieved. Practically glowing with hope. You lift the gun and aim it at his forehead. All of the hope in his eyes dies. You laugh. You like the way he flinches. "Do I look like a man of my word?" You [[pull the trigger.|Begin]]

"Well, today is your lucky day." You climb to your feet. "A-are you serious?" "I am a man of my word." You say. You stuff the coin in your pocket. "Too bad you already threw the money away." As you leave, [[you start whistling.|Begin]]

''//Javier//'' Eduardo loudly munches on chips next to you. You feel like a swollen water balloon about to pop. It's taking every ounce of your self-control not to reel back and punch Eduardo in the face. Knock those damn chips out of his mouth and his hand. A hand touches your shoulder. You look up. A young woman is smiling at you. She leans forward so you can see straight down her shirt to her pierced belly button. There's lipstick on her teeth. "Not interested," you say. You turn away and stare down into the Pit. Two fighter grapple, their bodies slick with sweat in the dim orange light. Their muscles strain as they go at each other, again and again. A haze of cigarette smoke makes the fight club feel small and cramped. "Don't mind him, he's just a sulk." Eduardo says. The young woman releases a tinkling laugh. [["Shut the fuck up, Eduardo."|anger2]] [[Stay silent.|silence3]] (set: $javier to false)

You listen to Eduardo and the young woman flirt with each other. It makes you cringe. You watch the fight continue below you. The bigger of the two men brings his arm back and punches his opponent. It sends the other man flying, blood spraying from his nose. But he doesn't give up. Scrappy little bastard. "Javier," a familiar voice speaks up behind you. Your shoulders tighten. [[Turn and face him.|drugchief]] [[Pretend that you didn't hear him.|pretend]]

"Whoa, hombre, chill," Eduardo gives a belly laugh. Your head snaps around. People scream as the fight continues. "What'd you just fucking say to me?" Eduardo stares at you through squinted eyes. He has one arm lazily wrapped around the young woman. Her eyes dart back and forth between you two like nervous lizards. "Just enjoy your drink, mi amigo." He says. [[Let it go.|letgo]] [["Don't fucking talk to me like that, Eduardo."|confront3]]

''//Sheriff's Deputy Adam Holland//'' Snow buffets your cheeks as you walk. You needed to get away from your sister Jana. You like seeing her. You used to be much closer. But then she brought up your other sister and you couldn't stay in her neat, cozy little kitchen anymore. [[Think about your other sister.|badsis]] [[Keep walking.|walk]] (set: $adam2 to true) (set: $morgan to false)

You pick up your beer and take a hard swallow. Eduardo goes back to entertaining the whore. You look down at into the fight pits. You hate this lifestyle. It's your dad's fault that you have to work for the Chief. He got your entire family in debt and you and your sister had to shoulder it when he OD'd. Your heart feels hollow and dark when you think of Luisa. You force your eyes to stay on the fight, or you might rake your gaze through the crowd and try to find her. See her debasing herself as a whore to some greasy-fingered fuck. "Javier, Eduardo." You flinch. [[It's the Chief.|drugchief]]

"Whoa, Jesus, hombre, calm down," Eduardo holds up a placating hand. Your chest heaves as you glare at him. You're seeing red. Your hands clench and unclench. "Tell me to calm down again, I dare you." You're getting lightheaded. Just hit him. Get the anger out. It's the only way you know how-- "Is there a problem here, fellas?" An unfamiliar voice says. You turn. A gringo in all black stands behind you. You don't normally pay much attention to pale ass gringos, but something about him gives you pause. He's not big, but he sends out a vibe that makes you take a step back. [[The Chief is next to him.|drugchief2]]

You watch the fight. The small fighter managed to catch his opponent off guard. They're both on the ground now, dust clinging to their sweaty skin. The small fighter sits on top of the other man, bringing his fist down over and over, until blood and teeth are spraying everywhere. "Javier, Eduardo." The Chief puts some steel in his voice. You finally turn and face him. He looks like he could be someone's grandpa. And he looks pissed that you tried to ignore him. "Buenas noches, Chief." Eduardo gives a respectful head nod. After a small pause, you incline your head. "Look at me, Javier," The Chief says in a quiet voice. [[Look at him.|putinplace]] [[Refuse.|reject]]

He's your boss. You need to acknowledge him. The Chief is the top dog in this part of New Mexico. He only came on the scene a few years ago, but he's already made himself a nasty reputation. You'd never look at him. He looks like someone's grandpa. You started working for him a few years ago, just a small time enforcer who makes sure he gets his money. "Enjoying the fight, my friend?" The Chief takes a step forward. You and Eduardo slide off your bar stools and bend your heads to him. You notice a gringo standing next to him, pale with dark hair. You wouldn't think much of him, if he didn't look like he'd go off at any minute and kill everyone in sight. "Yes, sir," you both say. [["I have a job for you two."|listen2]]

"Javier and I were just having a, uh, discussion," Eduardo says. He pushes off his barstool, and the whore goes running. The gringo watches her in a way you don't like. Your jaw tightens. "Everything's cool." The gringo smiles. It sends a shiver down your spine. He's like a smiling shark. The Chief watches you. You get off the barstool and duck your head to him. "Please, gentleman, if I may introduce my friend, Morgan. He's in town for some business." the Chief pats the gringo's shoulder. "Now, I do have a job for you two." [[Listen to the Chief.|listen2]] [[Shake Morgan's hand.|shakehand]]

When you and Eduardo stay obediently silent, the Chief goes on. "A new dealer of mine, Casey, never came back last night. I need you two to track him down and bring him back." "Si," Eduardo bobbles his head like a whipped dog. The Chief relays some more information that you don't listen to and turns to walk away. You glance up at the Chief and his gringo friend. Morgan is watching you. Your eyes lock. Your neck stiffens. His eyes are dark. You refuse to drop your gaze first like a little bitch. "Is something wrong, Morgan?" The Chief pauses. "Nothing, my friend." Morgan's eyes narrow. "If you don't mind, I'm going to stay down here and watch the rest of the fight. It's a good view." "Of course." The Chief nods. "You know where to find me." He leaves. [["What's your deal, gringo?"|morganfight]] [[Gesture to Eduardo and get the hell away from the gringo.|walkaway]]

You extend your hand to Morgan. "Name's Javier," you say. Morgan doesn't even hesitate. He grasps your hand in a bruising grip. "Nice to meet you, Javier," the gringo smiles. You both stay locked in your handshake, eyes burning into each other. You refuse to look away first like a little bitch. "Pardon me, Javier, but I have a job for you." The Chief says. His voice is sharp enough to cut glass. You force yourself to release the gringo's hand and take a step back. "I need you and Eduardo to track down a new dealer of mine, Casey. He hasn't come back yet." "Si," Eduardo reaches out and touches your shoulder. You shrug his hand off. The gringo is watching you. [["You got a problem, gringo?"|morganfight2]] [[Stay silent.|silence6]]

"What's //my// deal?" The gringo tries to look innocent. It's like a coyote pretending he isn't about to dig his teeth into the rabbit pinned under his claws. "Why, I have no deal, my friend." [["I'm not your friend."|lashout]] [["Who are you?"|intro3]]

Double-click this passage to edit it.

"Don't get cute with me, Javier." The Chief has his hands folded primly over his stomach. You glare at his well-trimmed mustache. "You're lucky your sister isn't part of my personal harem yet." A red haze fogs your vision. The smell of alcohol and sweat and blood and cigarettes makes your head feel tight and overfull. You clench your jaw. "I have a job for the two of you." "Si," Eduardo bows his head like a whipped bitch. You barely stop yourself from glaring at him. "A new dealer of mine, Casey, was supposed to return with a package last night. He never did. I need you two to track him down." "Yes, sir." The Chief smiles. It's not as scary as the gringo's. You watch the two men walk away. "Jesus, Javier, don't poke the fucking bear." Eduardo says. [["Stay the fuck out of it, Eduardo."|snap]] [["He threatened Luisa."|anger4]]

Hard fingers close around your jaw and force your face up. You find yourself looking into the smirking face of an ugly gringo. He smiles at you, looking like a shark about to take a bite out of you. "This is my friend, Morgan. He likes disrespect as much as I do." The Chief comes forward. "Don't push me, Javier. I'll put your sister at the corner of Cactus Blossom and make sure her johns aren't as pretty as her." Your heart pounds. You hate hearing the Chief talk about Luisa. It's your dad's fault that you and Luisa have to work for the Chief. He put your entire family in debt with his drug use. You hate him. You thought you would never be able to hate anyone more than your father. But you think you hate the Chief more. [["Yes, sir."|ocncede2]]

The gringo gives your face an affectionate pat before withdrawing. You thought you were mad when Eduardo was munching his stupid chips in your ear. That's nothing compared to what you feel when you look at the gringo Morgan. "Now that we've settled that," the Chief folds his hands primly over his stomach. He has neat, smooth fingers. Never lifted his finger to work. "I have a job for you two gentlemen." "Si," Eduardo bows his head like a whipped bitch. You barely stop yourself from glaring at him. "A new dealer of mine, Casey, was supposed to return with a package last night. He never did. I need you two to track him down." "Yes, sir." The Chief smiles. It's not as scary as the gringo's. You watch the two men walk away. "Jesus, Javier, don't poke the fucking bear." Eduardo says. [["Stay the fuck out of it, Eduardo."|snap]] [["He threatened Luisa."|anger4]] (set: $concede to true)

Eduardo looks at you for a second. "We should probably get going. Find this gringo Casey." (if: $concede is true)[You stare down at the fighters. One of the men is dead. You see a glimpse of curly hair as the winner steps out of the ring. You don't focus on the young woman who wraps herself around the winner. It might not be Luisa. It might be Luisa.] If you just had the money... "Let's go, hombre." Eduardo says. (if: $concede is true)[You and Eduardo leave the fight club. The horizon cringes with yellow and orange light, on the cusp of dawn.] You walk in silence. "Guess he has a lot of money on him," Eduardo says. "He was going to pick up meth from a dealer for an up and coming kingpin..." You think for a moment. You check to make sure your gun is loaded before getting into the car with Eduardo. [[Drug deals gone wrong all the time.|Begin]]

"Hombre..." "She's my sister." You bury your head in your hands. The Chief has told you that you can work off your debt. But you know that's bullshit. You and Luisa are both going to work for him forever. Eduardo is silent. If you just had money... (if: $concede is true)["We should probably get going. Try to find Casey. Is that the gringo? It sounds like a gringo." He pauses.] "Guess he has a lot of money on him. He was going to pick up meth from a dealer for an up and coming kingpin..." You think for a moment. You check to make sure your gun is loaded before getting into the car with Eduardo. [[Drug deals go wrong all the time.|Begin]]

"Javier," the Chief says. Eduardo touches your elbow. You turn and shove him away. His long legs tangle with a bar stool and he tumbles to the ground. A noticeable silence infects the people standing immediately around you. "You have a lot of spunk, honey. I like that." Morgan spreads his arms. "Take a swing." [[Punch him.|punch1]] [[Stand down.|surrender]]

You stay silence, glaring at the gringo. Morgan is watching you. Your eyes lock. Your neck stiffens. His eyes are dark. You refuse to drop your gaze first like a little bitch. "Is something wrong, Morgan?" The Chief pauses. "Nothing, my friend." Morgan's eyes narrow. "If you don't mind, I'm going to stay down here and watch the rest of the fight. It's a good view." "Of course." The Chief nods. "You know where to find me." He leaves. [["What's your deal, gringo?"|morganfight]] [[Gesture to Eduardo and get the hell away from the gringo.|walkaway]]

You don't hold back. You cock back your arm and take a swing. The gringo isn't there anymore. You whip around. He danced out of the way so fast that you didn't even see him move. "Come on, I know you've got more fight in you than that." The gringo taunts. [[Take another swing.|punch2]] [[Stand down.|surrender2]]

You clench your fist until your knuckles turn white. "Really? Aw, come on, honey, I am disappointed." The gringo gets in your face, until you can feel his hot breath on your cheeks. He's whispering to you like you're a child. "Do you even have any balls? Or has the big bad Chief castrated you." [[Get the rage out of your system.|punch1]] [[Don't let him get to you.|taunts1]]

You reel back to take another swing. "Javier." It's the Chief. It takes every bit of effort in your body to drop your arm and take a step away from the gringo fucker. "Go. Now. We will talk about your indiscretions later." The Chief looks fucking pissed. "Hombre, let's go." Eduardo grabs your shoulder. You let him drag you from the fight club. The horizon cringes with yellow and orange light, on the cusp of dawn. "Jesus, Javier, don't poke the fucking bear." Eduardo says. [["Stay the fuck out of it, Eduardo."|snap]] [["He talked about Luisa."|anger4]]

No, this is what he wants. He's mocking you. "Javier!" Eduardo calls. You drop your hands to your sides. The gringo smiles at you. "You got pretty eyes for a boy, eyes that I think I have seen before." Morgan smiles. "Are you related to a little whore named Luisa?" [[No. No, he's not allowed to talk about your sister.|punch2]] [[Don't. Give. In.|taunts2]]

You refuse to give in to this gringo fuck. He stares at you. You lift your chin. Daring him. "You got pretty eyes for a boy, eyes that I think I have seen before." Morgan smiles. "Are you related to a little whore named Luisa?" [[No. No, he's not allowed to talk about your sister.|punch1]] [[Don't. Give. In.|taunts2]]

"You're adorable when you're mad," the gringo laughs. "You look like a little boy that didn't get his way. Go pull on some whore's pigtails." Morgan glances back at the Chief. "I have work to do. I'll talk to you later, my friend." The Chief inclines his head to his friend. Once the gringo is gone, you turn to the Chief and wait for the explosion. "Go. Now. We will talk about your indiscretions later." The Chief looks fucking pissed. "Hombre, let's go." Eduardo grabs your shoulder. You let him drag you from the fight club. The horizon cringes with yellow and orange light, on the cusp of dawn. "Jesus, Javier, don't poke the fucking bear." Eduardo says. [["Stay the fuck out of it, Eduardo."|snap]] [["He talked about Luisa."|anger4]]

''//Julie Holland//'' You lean against the wall and stare up at the snow swirling from the sky. It looks like powdered sugar drifting over a dark table cloth. Gretchen just got picked up. You're just waiting for you turn. You hold out a hand. The flakes catch in your fingers, delicate little white puffs. You blow into your palm and they scatter in front of you like a dozen shooting stars. You used to star gaze with your brother and sister. Thinking about them makes your heart hurt. You lock away the memories of them. They are precious to you now. You are careful when you think about them. You don't want their faces to fade away, like an old photograph. You smell him before you see him. You look up. A drunk man with a suitcase is coming towards you. His clothes are baggy and stained, and he looks, uh, a little rough. You straighten and pull your skirt down. You run your fingers through your long, strawberry blonde hair. You know that the johns love your hair. [[You take a step forward.|end]]

The gringo smiles and laughs. "No, I guess not," he says. "I did get to make a new friend last night though. Great piece of ass, fantastic tits. One of the Chief's pretty whores. What was her name again?" Morgan meets your gaze. "Her name was Luisa. You know, she had the exact same eyes as you." He's talking about your sister. Your sister. [[Hit him.|punch3]] [[Don't give in to his tricks.|backdown]]

Morgan flashes a brillant white smile. "I'm just a normal guy." He spreads his arms. "Totally normal and nonthreatening." You stare at him. He looks like the kind of guy who goes back on his word. There's an outcry as something happens in the fight pit. The gringo's eyes brighten. He brushes past you to lean over the railing and stare into the pit. You look down. The smaller man got the upper hand on his opponent. The big man is pinned down, the small man straddling his waist. His blood soaked knuckles shine in the light. You watch him beat the other man's face into raw meat. [["You like the fight pits?"|chat]] [[Stay silent.|observe]]

You pull back and punch him. Your knuckles collide with his jaw. There's a meaty thud. Morgan stumbles back, blood dripping from his mouth. He gingerly touches his mouth, examining the puddle of crimson on the tip of his finger. He smiles. Eduardo grabs your arm. "Hombre, we need to leave." You struggle against him. You'll kill this sick fucker. But Eduardo is bigger than you. He wraps an arm around your middle and drags you away. You keep eye contact with Morgan. His smile turns predatory. You'll find him one day, and you'll kill him. Eduardo drags you [[outside.|outside]]

You fight against the tide of anger that rises inside of you. Don't let him get the better of you. You stare at the ground, your chest heaving. Morgan rolls his eyes. "And here I thought you'd be more fun to play with. You won't even stick up for your own sister." [[Hit him.|punch3]] [[No. Don't listen to him.|leave2]]

Eduardo throws you onto the sidewalk. You scramble to your feet. A crimson fog clings to your eyes. You are practically shaking with the need to hit something. "Jesus, Javier, don't poke the fucking bear." Eduardo says. [["Stay the fuck out of it, Eduardo."|snap]] [["He talked about Luisa."|anger4]]

Your head is pounding. But you won't let this gringo fuck get the better of you. You turn and gesture to Eduardo. He nods, and you silently walk away. "Little fucking bitch," Morgan calls after you. You refuse to turn around and look at him. You and Eduardo leave the fight club. "Good for you, not giving in." Eduardo says. You don't say anything. You're thinking of Luisa. The Chief has told you that you can work off your debt. But you know that's bullshit. You and Luisa are both going to work for him forever. If you just had money... "Let's just go find this gringo. Guess he up and vanished with a lot of money. Little fucker probably ran off with it..." You think for a moment. You check to make sure your gun is loaded before getting into the car with Eduardo. [[Drug deals went wrong all the time.|Begin]]

"I got my start in the fight pits," the gringo says. "Ah, I miss those days. So much less complicated. Just beat the fuck out of the person in front of you. The money and whores were just a perk." Morgan pushes away from the railing and assesses you. "You ever fight in the pits?" [["No."|chat2]] [[Don't answer him.|leave3]]

The big man is dead. The winner jumps off his corpse and there's a roar from the crowd. As he shuffles out of the pit, a petite whore with curly brown hair wraps herself around him. You look away. It might not be Luisa. It might be Luisa. She has to whore herself out. Because you weren't man enough to shoulder your dad's debt. You swallow hard and turn away from the fight pits. "What, can't handle the sight of a little blood?" The gringo says. [["Fuck off."|straightforward]] [[Ignore him.|evasion]]

"It's quite the rush, let me tell you. You can make fucking bank in those pits." The gringo smirks. "What's your profession, Javier? Enforcer, dealer...?" [["I'm just an enforcer."|chat3]] [[Don't answer.|leave3]]

You choose not to answer him. "What, cat got your tongue?" Morgan says. "I have to go deal with something," you say. You turn away from him. "Well, it was nice meeting you, Javier. Hopefully we can chat again some time soon." You ignore him, gesturing to Eduardo. He slinks out of a whore's hold and follows you outside. "That gringo gave me the creeps." Eduardo says. You silently agree. You hate thinking that men like that are even within a mile of your sister, Luisa. You think about what he said. He likes whores. Your sister had to become one of the Chief's prostitutes when you couldn't carry the burden of dad's debt alone. If you just had the money, you could get you and your sister out of this lifestyle. The Chief has told you that you can work off your debt. But you know that's bullshit. You and Luisa are both going to work for him forever. If you just had money... "Let's just go find this gringo. Guess he up and vanished with a lot of money. Little fucker probably ran off with it..." You think for a moment. You check to make sure your gun is loaded before getting into the car with Eduardo. [[Drug deals went wrong all the time.|Begin]]

"You ever think about rising through the ranks? I'm sure you could. You seem like a determined fucker." [["I hate this lifestyle."|chat4]] [[Don't answer him.|leave3]]

Morgan raises his eyebrows. "Honesty. That's not something you come across much in this world." The gringo rubs his jaw. "You're a naive bastard." Your hands tighten into fists. He looks at you, and his expression is oddly sincere. "Don't let people see you, honey. That's a weakness." You don't like hearing him call you weak, even if it's in a roundabout way. [["I'm not weak."|chat5]] [[You don't want to continue this conversation.|leave3]]

"I didn't call you weak, boy. I told you that you have a weakness. There's a difference." Morgan inclines his head. His dark eyes are shiny. You don't know why you're being so open with him. "If you hate this lifestyle so much, why are you here? Wait, no, I can guess. Family. Debt. Someone in your family got you in deep shit, and now have to work the debt off. But I know the Chief. Your debt will never go away. Interest rates go up, you know? You'd need to present the Chief a fucking suitcase full of hundreds to get him to let you go. Even then, he probably wouldn't let you go. He's not a generous man. Maybe you could use that metaphorical suitcase of money to get your ass out of dodge. Money is money is money, baby. That's the only thing that matters in this world. Money. And fucking, but that's another conversation. You got enough money, you can get anywhere in life. Literally and metaphorically." You are quiet through his entire rant. He glances at you. "Sorry, sometimes I go off on Shakespearean soliloquies. Don't mind me. I'm getting old. Speaking in cliches." [["Where do you find that kind of money?"|chat6]] [["I'm not much of a Shakespeare guy."|chat7]]

Morgan strokes his jaw. "You usually don't come by money like that clean." He looks at you. "You gotta get your hands dirty." You think about that for a minute. "Well, I've enjoyed our conversation, Javier. I hope we can chat again sometime soon." Morgan turns and walks away, whistling under his breath. "What a weird fucker." Eduardo says as he sidles up next to you. You aren't sure you agree. "Come on, let's go find this gringo Casey." Eduardo shakes his head as you walk from the club. "Guess this fucker ran off with a lot of money..." You head towards your car. Dawn cringes along the horizon, yellow and orange. You think of this gringo Casey, his "suitcase" full of money. You check to make sure your gun is loaded before you get in the car. [[Drug deals go wrong all the time.|Begin]]

The gringo startles you by laughing. "Oh, I knew there was something interesting about you." He pats your shoulder. You flinch out of his grip. He doesn't seem to mind. "Well, I've enjoyed our conversation, Javier. I hope we can chat again sometime soon." Morgan turns and walks away, whistling under his breath. "Jesus, that fucker is weird." Eduardo mutters behind you. You silently agree. "Come on, let's go find this gringo Casey." Eduardo shakes his head as you walk from the club. "Guess this fucker ran off with a lot of money..." //"Your debt will never go away."// You head towards your car. Dawn cringes along the horizon, yellow and orange. //"You get enough money, you can go anywhere in life."// You check to make sure your gun is loaded before you get in the car. [[Drug deals go wrong all the time.|Begin]]

"Hey, I was just making sure I wouldn't have to catch you if you fainted." Morgan laughs. You grit your teeth. [["Leave me alone."|lashback]] [[Don't let him know he gets to you.|surrender]]

You pretend that you didn't hear the gringo speak. You catch him smiling in your peripherals. Two more fighters enter the pit. One is covered in tattoos. The other has a long ponytail and three lip rings. Dust kicks up under their feet as they go at each other. It doesn't take long before blood is flowing. "I used to fight in the pits," Morgan goes on. "Made fucking bank. Got my pick of whores too. And man, did I love just fucking hurting people. It really gets the rage out of your system." You flinch. You like hurting people too. You don't want to think that you have anything in common with this freaky fuck. "You ever fight in the pits?" [["No."|chat2]] [[Don't answer him.|leave3]]

"Well, you have quite the attitude, young man," the gringo says. "It's rude to talk to your betters that way." He could go fuck himself. "I'm just trying to make some new friends." He goes on. [["I'm not your friend.|lashout]]

You started talking about your other sister because you noticed a picture of her on the wall. Why would Jana have hung up a picture of her? Your other sister is probably dead now. She got into the drug scene. She's been lost to you for years. Jana said she didn't know if she was still alive. But to you, Julie is already dead. [[Keep walking.|walk2]]

No, you won't think about her. A frigid gust rakes over your torso. You suck in a breath and duck your head. Little pellets of snow hiss against your overheated skin. You stuff your hands deeper into your pockets, staring down at slick patches of ice that shimmer like shards of glass on the sidewalk. You look up. Where are you? [[Keep walking.|walk2]] [[Turn back.|turnback1]]

You have no idea what part of town you've wandered into. You aren't very familiar with the city that Jana lives in. You never understood why Jana and your other sister moved to the midwest. It's always so cold and dark and cramped. Everything feels so tight and close up here. You miss the broad expanse of New Mexico. You decide to keep walking. You glance up at the derelict buildings, hunched over the snow-strewn street like arthritic old men gathered around a card table at the retirement home. Orange light from the street lamps lacquers frosty windows. You know this isn't a good area. Something crunches under your foot. You look down. There's a broken syringe under your boot. [[Keep walking.|walk3]] [[Turn back.|turnback2]]

You turn around and start heading back the way you came. The street lamps cast a fuzzy orange glow on the snow. You look up at sleepy houses, curtains shuttering the windows like half-lidded eyes. Were you being petty with Jana? Should you have said what you said about your other sister? Jana has a soft heart and big blue eyes. When she's happy, it fills the room like a light being turned on. And when she's upset, well, it's like the world has gone cold. You know you made Jana upset. She still loves your other sister. Even if you don't. You hear snow crunching ahead of you. You glance up. A man with dark hair in a dark coat is walking towards you. He catches your eye and smiles. He passes you, your shoulders barely touching. "Evening, friend," he drawls. And then he keeps walking. You feel your gut tighten. You don't like the look of this guy. You think of you training at the academy. //"Trust your gut, son."// You didn't trust your gut on the drug case either. [[Keep walking.|walk4]] [[Follow him.|follow1]]

You keep going. You pass the open door of a grimy bar. Yellow light spills over the threshold and splashes on the snow like piss stains. You dodge around a drunk couple that stumble onto the sidewalk. You peer into the bar. A haze of smoke wraps around loose, stumbling bodies. You hear the click of pool balls. People are screaming with hysterical laughter. [[Go inside.|bar]] [[Keep walking.|walk5]]

You turn and head back the way you came. But you stop when you hear a woman's laughter. You peer down an adjoining alleyway and see two women walking down the sidewalk. Before you know what you're doing, you are heading down the alleyway. You emerge on the other side. You watch the two women. One of them has long strawberry blonde hair. She's about the right height too. You follow them. They reach the end of the block and turn to cross the street. You see her profile. It's Julie. [[Follow her.|followher1]] [[Turn back.|turnback4]]

You shake your head. You've gotten paranoid since you became a cop. You just need to get back to Jana's house. Eventually, her house comes into view. It's a nice house in a nice area. Her husband has done a lot of work on the exterior, and it looks good. You hurry inside and find Jana where you left her. She's sitting in the kitchen playing with the stem of an empty wine glass. She looks up when you walk in. "I'm sorry," you say. She smiles sadly and it makes your chest hurt. You love Jana. You miss seeing her. But the bond you used to have became strained when she married Todd and moved to the midwest. You wish you had someone, anyone to talk to about your fears. You wish you could just tell Jana. But something holds you back. "I'm sorry, too. I know how hard it is for you to talk about Julie." She hangs her head. [["I shouldn't have said such horrible things about Julie."|apologize2]] [[Stay silent. You would be lying if you said you take back those things you said about Julie.|honesty2]]

You walk until you reach the end of the block. Hopefully Wisconsin isn't completely backward in the configuration of its streets. You turn and sprint down the snowy sidewalk to the next street over. God, you hope no one calls the police on you. You don't exactly have jurisdiction up here. You get back up the parallel street in time to see the man striding across the street. You suck in a breath and slow your pace, keeping your head down. The man weaves through the residential district. You aren't sure what to expect. Is he going to attempt a break in? He looks like he's capable of--worse--than that. Eventually, you get back to the bad part of town. You come to a stop as he continues walking. [[Follow him.|follow2]] [[Go back to Jana's house. You don't have jurisdiction and he's heading into the bad part of town anyway.|walkaway2]]

This man gives you bad vibes. He doesn't seem like some run of the mill robber or creep. He seems like he's capable of a lot worse than that. A rapist. A murderer. You trust your gut. You follow him. He walks for a while, whistling some Christmas song under his breath. You follow him at a distance, head down. He stops suddenly in the middle of the sidewalk. You keep walking, swerving around him. "You have a problem, friend?" [[Ignore him.|follow3]] [["Just out for a late night stroll."|chitchat2]]

You turn and head back towards Jana's house. You aren't sure what you're going to say to her. But you have to make things better. You and Jana have been growing apart. Ever since she married Todd and moved to the midwest. You were never close to Julie. You always used to butt heads. And then she got into drugs and you hated her a little. You weren't a good brother. You aren't being a good brother now either, in how you're treating Jana. Julie is one thing. But it's not Jana's fault she has a big heart and still loves your sister. Eventually, Jana's house comes into view. It's a nice house in a nice area. Her husband has done a lot of work on the exterior, and it looks good. You hurry inside and find Jana where you left her. She's sitting in the kitchen playing with the stem of an empty wine glass. She looks up when you walk in. "I'm sorry," you say. She smiles sadly and it makes your chest hurt. You love Jana. You miss seeing her. You wish you had someone, anyone to talk to about your fears. You wish you could just tell Jana. But something holds you back. "I'm sorry, too. I know how hard it is for you to talk about Julie." She hangs her head. [["I shouldn't have said such horrible things about Julie."|apologize2]] [[Stay silent. You would be lying if you said you take back those things you said about Julie.|honesty2]]

Jana looks into your face. She's not pretty, in a traditional way. Her nose is a little big and she doesn't like wearing makeup. She's gained a little weight since she moved to the midwest. You overhead Todd make a comment about it this morning. You wanted to punch him. "I talked to Julie a few weeks ago." She says. You sit down across from her. "She's still working the streets. I asked her to come home. And she said she can't. She said she knows everyone else in the family hates her and she can't stand it." Your eyes are magnetically drawn to the picture of Julie on the wall. She looks so happy and healthy. But the last time you saw her, she was thin and small and her skin was grey. You still don't know how to fit her into your world. You aren't afraid to admit that you see the world in black and white. You're not a fan of grey area. People are one way or another. Julie was one way. And you couldn't tolerate it. A drug addict. Now a prostitute. She would get herself shot one day. Pick up the wrong man. There was nothing you or Jana could do. [[Julie was already dead to you.|Begin]]

"I know how you are, Adam. I know how you see the world." Jana says. "And I know Julie doesn't fit into your world. At least, not neatly. Just...if she ever does decide that she wants to come back, please, give her a chance." You think about the drug deal gone wrong. People did a lot of stupid things for drugs. For money. Your dad went the same way as Julie, ended up OD'ing in a motel room when you were young. Two men died over drugs and money. Your sister Julie wasn't any better than them. Was she? [[You hope Julie isn't dead.|Begin]]

Her heels click over the icy pavement. How does she walk so fast in those things? You slow your pace, keeping your head down in case she glances back and sees you. But she and her friend don't seem to be paying much attention to their surroundings. That makes you grind your teeth. Julie couldn't be that stupid. You follow them for several blocks. Where are they going? Should you go up and say something her? You haven't spoken to Julie in years. You can't believe she's this close to Jana. Julie wobbles slightly when her heel slides out of her pointy shoes. She stops and bends down. [[Just turn around and go back.|turnback4]] [[Keep following her.|followher2]]

You don't want to see some random creep pick up Julie. You turn and walk back towards Jana's house. Your boots crunch through the slush. You kick aside piles of grey snow that look like wet newspaper under your feet. A man walks towards you. He smiles, and it makes your skin crawl. You keep your head down. "Evening, friend," he says as he walks by. Will Julie get picked up by a man like that? You don't want to know. You walk back to Jana's house. She's sitting at the kitchen table. Her eyes look wet. You sit in the kitchen and stare at the photo of Julie on the wall. [[You aren't sure who you hate more. Julie or yourself, for being a coward.|Begin]]

She straightens and keeps walking. You follow her. You go deeper into the bad part of the city. You aren't sure what to do. Should you call out to her? The last time you spoke, it had been mostly shouting. You had found her stash of drugs. She was screaming and crying. You asked her why she was doing this to you and your family, after everything that happened with dad. She slapped you. You think of Jana. If Jana knew that Julie was this close, this whole time... Julie had run off before Jana moved into her current house. Did Julie even know how nearby Jana was? Two men pop out in front of you. You grind to a halt. You watch as Julie continues walking. "What's up, pretty boy?" The men flank either side. Julie and her friend disappear around the corner. "Give us your wallet and we won't carve up that pretty face." You feel a knife press into your side. Your entire neck feels like it's vibrating from the angry throb of your pulse. [["Please, gentlemen, there's no need to be rude."|intro5]]

You and your assailants turn as one to face a man walking up behind you. He has dark hair and dark eyes. He's smiling, and it makes your skin crawl. "There's no need to resort to violence." You notice the men shifting in your peripherals. You bring your hand down. You catch the wrist of the man holding the knife, squeezing until his fingers loosen. You pull back and punch him in the face. You punch him again. He falls to the ground. Blood spews from his mouth and nose, dribbling over the snow. What happened to his friend? You look around and see his friend lying on the ground, his stomach torn open. His guts spill over the slush. You stare at the gore. "I told them there was no need to resort to violence." The smiling man is suddenly standing next to you. You stumble back. He's holding a bloody knife. "You're in the wrong part of town, honey. You might want to get out of here before someone else threatens that pretty face." [["Who are you?"|intro6]] [[Get out of there and call the cops.|practical]]

"I'm just a good Samaritan." The man touches his chest. "A regular knight in shining armor. Now, if you'll excuse me, I am looking for some entertainment for the evening. And you may be pretty, but you aren't that pretty." The man turns and starts walking. Heading the same direction Julie went in. [[Just walk away.|practical3]] [["Wait!"|chitchat1]]

You turn and start speedwalking the other way. "A 'thank you' would be nice," the smiling man calls after you. "The pretty ones are always assholes." You don't acknowledge him. You keep walking. You wait until you've gotten back to the residential areas before you start running. You need to call the police. You keep glancing over your shoulder. You expect to see the smiling man looming behind you at every turn. You see the red guts spilled over the snow every time you blink. You see the warm glow of Jana's house. You dash up the steps and burst into the kitchen. "Jana!" You call. She's sitting in the kitchen where you left her, playing with the stem of an empty wine glass. She looks up wide-eyed when you come into the kitchen. "Adam? What is it?" [["I need to call the police."|Begin]]

The man slows. He looks over his shoulder at you. He is frowning slightly. "Come on, sweetheart, I have more important things to do." He pulls a cloth from his pocket and starts cleaning the knife. What do you say to him? [["Stay away from the girl with strawberry blonde hair."|threaten]] [[Don't say anything. You need to go and call the cops.|practical3]]

The man leans back slightly. He looks at you and smiles. "I do really fancy blondes." He says. He rubs his jaw and his eyes flit briefly to your close cropped blond hair. "Sorry, I don't make promises, sweetheart." He turns and walks away. [[You need to get to Jana's house and call the police.|practical3]]

You turn and start speedwalking the other direction. You need to get back to Jana's house and use her phone. Call the police. Before this sicko gets to Julie. You pick up into a sprint once you get out of the bad neighborhood. You keep glancing over your shoulder. You expect to see the smiling man looming behind you at every turn. You see the red guts spilled over the snow every time you blink. You see the warm glow of Jana's house. You dash up the steps and burst into the kitchen. "Jana!" You call. She's sitting in the kitchen where you left her, playing with the stem of an empty wine glass. She looks up wide-eyed when you come into the kitchen. "Adam? What is it?" [["I need to call the police."|Begin]]

You step into the clammy embrace of the bar. It's cold outside, but you instantly feel warm crammed between so many bodies. You stuff your hands into your pockets and work your way up to the bar. The bartender is a young black woman with a pretty face. She's dealing with a surly man. "You're cut off, honey," she says. "You can't cut me off," he slurs. You lean against the bar. "I have the money to pay for it. I can keep drinking." "Sorry, no thank you. Take your big old bag of money and go somewhere else." You aren't sure what you want. Probably just a beer. A hard object hits your lower back as you stare at the dirty beer glasses lined up behind the bar. You glance over the shoulder and see the surly man heading for the door. He's carrying a briefcase. "Goddamn psycho," the bartender says to the woman sitting on the stool next to you. "Comes in here with a briefcase full of money. He's gonna be lucky if he survives the night." A briefcase full of money? [[Follow the man.|followhim1]] [[Order a drink.|order]]

You keep walking. You don't even know where you're going. You turn a corner. A young woman leans against the wall a few feet away from you. She has long strawberry blonde hair. Judging by her outfit, she's a prostitute. A horrible suspicion lodges in your gut. She reaches out to catch the gently falling snow. She blows the snow into the air. A body slams into your from behind. You whip around. A drunk man carrying a briefcase ambles past you. Julie turns and looks at you. You meet her eyes. The man with the briefcase keeps walking, passing Julie without a second glance. [["Julie..."]]

Something about the man with the briefcase makes you suspicious. You trust your gut. You didn't trust it for that drug deal gone wrong, and you regret that. You won't ignore your gut again. You follow the man outside. He weaves down the street, stumbling over ice and slush. He falls to his knees, but he refuses to let the briefcase go. As he struggles to his feet, snow sliding off his jeans, you notice a dark figure lurking in the alleyway. You pull back. The man gets up and starts walking again. You hesitantly trail after him. He turns a corner. You follow him. A young woman with long blonde hair leans against the wall, her hand stretched out to catch the gently tumbling snowflakes. You watch her lean forward and blow the snowflakes into the air. She turns her head. It's your sister. It's Julie. You stumble to a halt. She shrugs off the wall and greets the man. You think you're going to be sick. You watch her loop her arm through his. [[Follow them and make sure Julie is safe.|julie4]] [[Walk away. You don't want to see this.|chanceencounter]]

"What do you want, sugar?" The bartender asks. You order a beer. You sit in the bar and drink quietly for a little while. You think about your sister. Was it your fault Julie wouldn't come home? Jana made it sound like you were the reason Julie stayed away. You stare down at the chipped bartop. The stool squeaks under your weight. Last time you saw Julie, she said she hated you. Where was she right now? Was she even still alive? You think of the drug deal gone wrong. People did crazy things for drugs and money. Was Julie any better than those men? You hate what Julie is, what she represents. Do you hate her, though? You can't stay in the bar. You pay for your beer and leave. As you walk outside, you hear a gunshot. God, this is a bad part of town. You turn and start walking back towards Jana's house. [[You ignore the twinge in your gut.|Begin]]

You keep your head down. The man smiles at you, but he does not try to stop you. You keep walking. This was a bad idea. But you have to know what this man is doing. You loop back around at the end of the block, cirlcing back through an alleyway. You catch a glimpse of him. This time, you stay much further back. You follow him further into the neighborhood. Finally, he seems to find where he wants to go. You watch him around the rough edge of a brick wall. He sits down on the steps of an apartment building. The light edges away from him, and his dark coat and dark hair give him a little bit of camoflauge. He watches the building across the street. Someone comes out of the building. You can't see who it is, but the dark haired man straightens and watches an unseen figure. Must be his mark. But he doesn't move to follow him. Someone else comes out of the building. A different expression sweeps over his face for a moment, before he shutters it away. He stands up. You lean back and hide yourself in the alleyway. Suddenly, there's shouting. [[You hear a familiar voice.|julie3]]

The man eyes you. He's smiling. You don't like it one bit. Orange light from the street lamps shimmers over his harsh features. "If you wanted to talk, you could have just asked to walk with me." The man comes forward and slings an arm around your shoulders. You try to peel out of his grasp, but he's stronger than he looks. He's uncomfortably close to you. "I'm not shy." You look into his face. His eyes are so dark that they seem to absorb the light. "Come on, walk with me, kid." He drags you forward. He makes a tsking sound, and you feel the cold press of a gun against your side. "I'm feeling chatty. Indulge an old man." He doesn't look that old. In his late thirties or early forties. [["Who are you?"|intro7]] [["Let me go."|resist]]

"You know, I get that question a lot." He taps the side of his nose as he drags you down the sidewalk. "Never 'what' or 'why' or 'how.' Always who. Does it really matter that much, who I am?" You stay silent. You feel a bead of sweat rolling down your temple. The gun presses more firmly into your side. "I guess you just want a name though. My name is Morgan. It's a pleasure to meet you." He smells of cigarette smoke and expensive cologne. "What brings you into this part of town? Drugs? Violence? Whores? You don't look like you struggle to get women to notice you. You're downright pretty." He frowns when you stay silent. "You're not much of a conversationalist. Well, I'll tell you what I'm doing here. A man ran off with a lot of money, stole it from a friend of mine. I'm getting it back." [["..."|silence7]] [["Is this man going to survive your encounter?"|chitchat4]]

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"Oh, lord, stop being so dramatic." Morgan jostles you. "Looking at me all stoic. You're not very fun. Or interesting." He steps away from you. You release a breath you didn't know you were holding. "Go back to where you came from, pretty boy. Boys like you don't do well in places like this." You glare after the man's retreating back. [[Leave while you can. Call the police.|practical5]] [[Stop him. He's going to kill someone.|impractical]]

"It depends on how lucky he is." The man slows. He puts the gun away and reaches into his pocket. "Do you ever think about how important luck is? Destiny, fate, serendipity, that's all bullshit. That's implying that there's some greater force that gives enough of a fuck about you that they're going to meddle in your lives. No, no, that's not how it works. Everything that happens to you is based on how lucky you are. Even you just breathing right now, it's all luck. You're lucky that your mom and dad fucked and you were the little sperm that got to the egg. You're lucky that you haven't been killed in a car accident or a plane dropped on your head. All of it, luck." He pulls out a quarter. He stares at it for a moment. It glints in the light like a staring eye. He looks at you. "Do you want to play a game with me?" [["Will you let me go if I do?"|game3]] [["I'm not in the mood for games."|resist3]]

Morgan cocks the gun. He presses it more firmly into your side. "Oh, I think you're in the mood for games, honey." [[Fine. You'll play his game.|game3]]

"Ready to play?" You stay silent. You don't know what's going on. He flips the coin in the air. The toothy edge of the coin catches the light of a nearby streetlamp. He catches it and flips it onto the back of his hand. He looks up at you with eyes so dark that they seem to absorb the light. He isn't a large man, but he seems to take up a lot of space. Like the space molds around him. "Call it." [["Heads."|heads]] [["Tails."|tails]]

The man lifts his hand away. Heads. You look up at him. He smiles and lets you go. "Well, isn't tonight your lucky night, son." He roughly pats your face. He runs a hand through your hair. "Get your pretty fucking face out of this neighborhood. You don't belong here." He starts walking. [[Leave while you can. Call the police.|practical5]] [[Stop him. He's going to kill someone.|impractical]]

The man lifts his hand away. Heads. You look up at him. He plants the gun on your forehead. "No hard feelings, eh, pretty boy?" [[He pulls the trigger.|todd]]

You turn and walk away. You aren't stupid. You know you just survived a brush with the devil himself. You need to get back to Jana's house and call the police. Before you get out of the bad neighborhood, you hear a gunshot. You turn and stare back down the street. You should call the police. You should go and find out what happened. [[There's a devil walking the streets tonight.|Begin]]

"Stop." The man--Morgan--keeps walking. You reach for your belt. But you aren't wearing your gun. You still have your badge though. "Stop!" He pauses and glances over his shoulder at you. "I'm not letting you go kill a man." You see the butt of the gun glinting at his waistband. He doesn't reach for it. "Well, aren't you a good Samaritan." He says. "Such a good off-duty cop." "Sir..." You take a step towards him. He still doesn't reach for the gun. Another step. Another. "I already flipped the coin." He glares around him. "You take another step towards me, pretty boy, and I'll kill your sister Jana." You freeze. "I know I'm being an asshole, but I need you to step off." He sounds genuinely irritated. "I like Jana. I don't want to kill her." How does he know Jana? How...? "Let it go, Adam." You're too shocked to stop him when he walks away. [[You need to get back to Jana.|jana]]

Jana is sitting at the kitchen table, where you left her. She looks sad, and that makes you hate yourself. Because you're the one who made her upset. But that's not important right now. How did Morgan know who Jana was? How did he know who you were? You've never seen him before. "Adam, are you okay?" She stares into your face like she's never seen you before. You must look like a spooked horse. "Jana, do you know someone named...Morgan?" Her brow furrows. "That's one of Todd's friends. He's really nice. Black hair and dark eyes, right? Why? Adam, what's wrong?" "Yeah, Adam, what's wrong?" You whip around. Todd stands in the threshold to the kitchen. [["Nothing's wrong." You lie.|Begin]]

''//Morgan//'' "You killed my brother-in-law?" Todd sounds genuinely irritated. "What the hell, man?" "He lost the coin toss." You're watching the motel across the street. Waiting for the little bitch to show himself. "God, this is gonna fucking kill Jana..." You feel a small twinge of guilt at that. You do like Jana. "Look, I'll talk to you later, man. Get back to your job. Jana's starting to freak the fuck out because Adam hasn't come back yet." "I didn't mean to hurt Jana..." "Whatever, man. We'll deal with it later. I'll get people out there to pick up the body." "No, call the police. Let the body be found. I don't want to hurt Jana more than I already have." "Jesus Christ, Morgan, you almost sound like you have a heart." The target comes running out of the motel. But he doesn't have the money. You frown. A few minutes later--Todd is saying something on the phone--a pretty young prostitute with long, strawberry blonde curls comes out of the motel. Carrying a suitcase. She looks around nervously, pulling at the hem of her short dress. She's young. Cute. Looks a helluva a lot like Jana and the pretty boy you just killed. You wouldn't mind fucking her. "My case just got interesting. I'll talk to you later Todd. Call the police." [[You hang up the phone.|Begin]]

There's a lot of devils walking the streets tonight. ''END'' [[Restart|Begin]] (set: $julie1 to true) (set: $adam2 to false)

"Hey, baby--" "Shop's closed. Find someone else." Julie. That's Julie. You crane your head around the side of the building. "But I want to play with you, baby." A man grabs your sister's arm. "Hey, let me go--" "I'm sorry, do you even get to say no in your line of work?" "You heard the lady. Let her go." The dark haired man intercedes. You watch him kill your sister's attacker. He turns his dark gaze to Julie. You step out of the alleyway. Julie looks over and sees you. Her eyes widen. The dark haired man turns. He frowns. "Um, this isn't how this is supposed to happen." He says, to no one in particular. "Adam, what are you doing here?" Julie asks. "Did you not hear me? This isn't how it's supposed to happen." Snow swirls around you. You look at Julie. [[She extends a hand to you.|Begin]]

You follow Julie and the man with the briefcase. They don't talk much. You watch them go into a rundown motel. You go across the street and hide in an alleyway. You frown when you notice a shadow rippling over the pavement. No, it's a man. He's just wearing dark clothes and has dark hair. He has harsh features, angry and gritty like he's made of violence rather than skin and bone. He doesn't see you. He leans againgst the wall right outside the motel. He doesn't go inside. The hairs on the back of your neck stand up like a bed of nails. You draw tighter into the syrupy shadows. Not even fifteen minutes pass before the drunk man is stumbling out of the motel. The dark haired man watches him. He doesn't have the suitcase anymore. The dark haired man doesn't move to follow him. Another man coming down the sidewalk collides with the drunk. Both men keep walking. Julie comes out of the motel a few moments later. [[You step forward to call out to her.|julie5]]

You can't watch Julie debase herself like this. You turn and walk away. There's a man walking towards you down the sidewalk. He smiles as you pass. "Evening, friend." He says, smiling. You shiver and keep walking. [[There's a lot of devils on the street tonight.|Begin]]

"Hey, baby--" The man coming down the sidewalk crowds her back. "Shop's closed. Find someone else." She snaps. "But I want to play with you, baby." A man grabs your sister's arm. "Hey, let me go--" "I'm sorry, do you even get to say no in your line of work?" Your vision goes red. You take a step forward. "You heard the lady. Let her go." The dark haired man intercedes. You watch him kill your sister's attacker. He turns his dark gaze to Julie. No. No, not Julie. Julie looks over and sees you. Her eyes widen. The dark haired man turns. He frowns. "Um, this isn't how this is supposed to happen." He says, to no one in particular. "Adam, what are you doing here?" Julie asks. "Did you not hear me? This isn't how it's supposed to happen." Snow swirls around you. You look at Julie. [[She extends a hand to you.|Begin]]

"What, are you here to cast more judgments?" Julie sneers. She crosses her arms and glares across the street at nothing in particular. The only other person on the street is a man in a black coat walking up the opposite sidewalk. He glances at you and Julie, smiles, and keeps walking. "Julie, can we at least talk?" You aren't sure how to feel. You hate her. But she's your sister. "I don't need your bullshit right now, Adam." She turns to walk away. Should you follow her? [[She's your sister.|Begin]]