Jimmy Earl Hardin
Player: Josh Drury
Background: Smoke crawled from the fire’s flames, dancing and drifting slowly, spreading it’s aromic flavor across the air. The fire expanded, trying to consume the desired materials just out of it’s reach. With a bright glow the embers sparked, the fire leapt with life and joyously devoured the materials upon it’s fringes, while a quick burst of air was pulled through it. Like a calvary charge rolling down the mountain, smoke and ash spread into the air, creating a screen between two killers. Each killer intent on each other, watching each other’s move, as a silence hung in the air, competing for attention over the smoke.
A sharp green ring surrounded by pale white, which made up the eye starring hard through the smoke, focused on the brown eye opposed to it and froze. Small drops of sweat began to roll down the forehead just above the brown eye, and the owner of the green eye knew that soon the killing blow would land.
The fire leapt again, spewing forth smoke and ash into the air, creating the cover the brown eyed man needed. With a quick, deliberate and well coordinated action, the brown eyed man made his move. Two hard snick noises resounded as the brown eyed man placed his hand on the table and mocked the green eyed man openly. One black simple number, 8, starred challenging up at the green eyed man, while laying beside the black 8 it’ partner, a red vexing 8, dared him to move.
The fire squirmed and squealed as two nimble fingers pinched it out, then put an end to it, laying the cigarette in the ash tray, with all the others. "They never last long enough." The green eyed man said, letting the last of cigarette’s smoke drift from his lungs.
"Play yer cards." The brown eyed man replied, as a slight hush was heard across the room.
Like children fighting over candy, people of different races and occupations, crammed around to see the card game in progress. The previous two players lay in a small puddle of their own blood, still slowly creeping along, as if this game could be won by whose blood owned the most table area.
"Better not be rushing. Let me play the game too." The green eyed man replied easily, leaning back in his chair and folding his cards slowly against his chest.
"Play yer cards igit. I don’t have time fer stupid remarks." The brown eyed man replied, letting his left hand slide down to his belt holstered side arm. A woman squealed and there they were, plain as day, four six’s, two red, two black, laying pressed on the table, so everyone could see. Anger boiled inside the brown eyed man, as the four cards taunted him, sneering their ugly round numbers in his face. Like a ugly monster released from it’s pen, his pistol flew through the air expertly coming to rest with it’s cavernous mouth ready to take the life of the green eyed man. It stretched, jerked and silently screamed, it’s owner never released it’s deadly ammunition. With a resounding clank, the pistol hit the table, pulled down by the dead meaty hand and fingers that griped it. Laying there on the table like a wounded beast, it lay there, dreaming of what could have been.
A slight murmur flowed through the crowd, as people tried to see what had happened and pressed forward closer to the now dead brown eyed man. A puddle of dark thick blood, slowly began it’s slow progress across the table, even thinking in advance, by moving to the floor for more room. The green eyed man, lay his cracked lips upon a little gold derringer and gave it a lovely tender kiss, then winked at those who noticed him draw a gun. Placing the small deadly device in his leather vest pocket, the green eyed man rose and collected his money. Smiling, he picked up his cowboy hat, placed it on his head and walked for the door.
The glaring sun light cut through the hazy poisonous smoke that filled the bar room, as the green eyed man pulled another cigarette from his pocket and placed it on his lips.
"They never last long enough." He says, and steps out into the day.