Beautiful Strangers
A 1974 Datsun Z sits outside room 6 at the Travellin’ Light Motel just outside of Deepwell. The dead night carries no wind, only a cold fog. Across the street in the parking lot of the Clean Yourself Off Laundromat, sits a 1974 Lincoln Continental. Inside the Continental sits Mac who finds the coincidence funny, the first time he’s laughed in a long, long time. But the laughter stops shortly after remembering why he’s looking for the people who are in room 6.
3 Days Ago…
Kenny Morvin’s a small fry, a thug with a good standing, reliable. He always keeps his mouth shut and gets what he’s given, and this time was no different. He was brought in for a simple ‘disposal’ job, a lowlife who didn’t pay their dues. Kenny finds himself in the smoky backrooms of Shiny Shiny Jewelry, a front for the Flynns. Enzo Flynn was as Irish as he was Italian, he felt he was a king, THE KING, in reality he was a loan shark praying on the fatal fault of others gambling and drug addictions to build his throne higher and higher.
Our boy Kenny, he had no such problems working for a man like Enzo, he had his own ambitions like anyone in this business. And like anyone in this business he’s seen a lot, enough to make a person think they’ve seen everything, but sometimes it’s the simplest things we don’t look at that scares us. I think that’s what Kenny saw when they brought out the most gorgeous woman he’s probably ever seen in his life. He was only 22 at the time, he got in the game early.
‘It was clear to see why he did what he did’
2 Days ago…
‘I mean, you should have seen her Enzo, even I felt bad about scratchin’ her off, but you know it’s just the business when it comes to these things.’ Dennis explains to Enzo who sits across from him at his desk puffing a cigar, ‘Guess he couldn’t handle the brass tax.’
‘Who was this broad?’ Enzo askes before another puff,
‘Everyone calls her Angel. Lives near the ports and works at Honky Dory’s as entertainment.’ Dennis answers with all the details to make this matter so much worse.
1 Day Ago…
‘No way are you actually thinking of hiring Mac Drury! That nut is a fucking loose canon, and what kind of idiot hitter gives himself the name of “The Wolf”? The absolute balls on-’ Dennis get cut off by a subtle couch from Enzo, code for shut your mouth before I shut it for you,
‘Our other hitters are mixed up in that Leo business, you should know this Dennis. Mac’s the only one left on our payroll who’s actually fucking competent at doing jack or shit, you telling me you want to send Marky to do this?’ Enzo puts Dennis into his place, ‘Get Mac to do it, or do it yourself you stupid prick,’ he says before going back to his drink.
Now…
Mac lights a cigarette, grabs his piece from the glove box and gets out of the car. Puts his piece into the back of his pants and begins to cross the road as they take the cigarette out as smoke blows out of his mouth. Mac checks for any cars coming, but even he knows that out here, the only people here are as dead as the night.
Room 6 is the only room with the light still on, and loud music, surprised everyone is asleep, but when you’re at the Travellin Light, sleep is about the last thing you’re here for. Mac looks in the windows of the car, before trying to shimmy the boot of the car open to no luck. He looks around for something to use as leverage, which he did have luck with, seeming as the motel has been around for decades it was falling apart he grabbed a somewhat loose metal bar from a hand railing.
With a slight pull it comes out, and within no time Mac was into the back of the car to see what he was told he was going to find, money, of course it was money. When wasn’t about money in this business, he grabbed the bag and the metal bar and slammed it into the front left window of the car to activate its alarm. Mac then throws the bar through the room’s window and within seconds Kenny opens the door before Mac puts his piece in his face.
They back away from Mac towards the bed, surprised no one’s come to check up this room with all the noise and screaming, another Travellin’ Light quality. Kenny reaches the bed and is now screaming Angel’s name to wake her up, heavy sleeper or drugs? Until she finally wakes up dazed and confused.
‘W-who… who are you man?’ Angel askes with a gun in her face,
‘I’m the idiot who has to clean up your mess.’ Mac’s tone is that of disappoint at the situation,
‘What mess? I got rid of the girl, so what if I got rid of her with offin’ her?’ Kenny yells at Mac who doesn’t change expressions,
‘She hasn’t told you where she got the money, did she?’ Mac looks to Angel who is looking away from both men. Mac still holds the gun aimed at the star-crossed lovers as he moves around the motel room and searches for a gun or anything else they use to defend themselves, he must be carrying his gun on him.
‘Gun. Now.’ Mac demanded before Kenny grabs the gun from under the pillow on his side and tosses it over to Mac, ‘Now I only have one other question that’s going through my mind, where the hell did you think you were gonna go with Enzo Flynn’s money? Or his favourite call girl?’
‘What are you talking about? I wouldn’t do any of that!’ Kenny is confused,
‘Ask her, not me.’ Mac watches as Kenny turns to Angel who watches the floor herself, ‘First mistake was believing her lie, second mistake was going here. You should know better than anyone that this isn’t the safe haven everyone thinks it is.’
Kenny grabs Angel on the cheeks to get her eye contact, sadness in her eyes. ‘Angel, tell me he’s lying! Tell me this fucker is just some prick tryna rob our honeymoon! Angel tell me!’ Kenny pleads with her.
‘I’m Sorry’ is what she could have said if Mac didn’t shoot her in the head, as Kenny looks over to Mac he’s already fired the next shot and hits him in the eye and the force of the bullet throws him back onto the bed. Mac throws Kenny’s gun onto the bed, grabs the bottle of alcohol atop the bedside table and pours it on the two before throwing his lit cigarette on the bed.
He grabs the bag of cash and walks out, still surprised to see the behaviour of the lost souls of the Travellin’ Light Motel, only coming out to see the commotion now. Mac quickly gets back to his car before pulling away with his lights on to avoid people seeing his car. And drives off into the last dark before he hits the lights of Deepwell.
Mac looks into his rearview mirror as the fire spread outward from the room, and feels… pity. Pity that they weren’t cut out for this life. This life in the underbelly of the city of Deepwell.
‘Get rid of her Kenny, that’s your one job. I don’t care how, just show her that there are no more deals.’ Dennis demands as Kenny rests on a table watching this broken, hurting yet beautiful woman beg for her life over and over again. Kenny has been lucky enough to only have to get rid of real scumbags in the past, scammers, gamblers, drinkers and cheaters but never a woman.
Sometimes we’re just too young to make the right decisions. Kenny thinks this to himself in the last few seconds before he dies along with the memories of 3 days with the love of his life, till death do they part, am I right?