Entropy - Chapter 1, Part 2
CHAPTER 1, PART 2The sun has now fully disappeared over the horizon, and the last of its light for the day was choked out by the big, ugly, black rainclouds that had formed above town. Nightfall immediately began as a raining thunderstorm covered the sky above. It was amazing how the weather changed at a moment's notice out here in the prairies. Though at the rate Argyll has been growing, Windale's gonna become just another suburb of the big city.Windale... me and Joan moved here right after I got back from the military. Home sweet home... my ass. Alcohol and crystal meth were full-blown epidemics here in this small town. Folks have been moving here from Argyll getting so expensive nowadays, but they just ended up becoming drunks and junkies just like every other hick in this town. So much for bringing Carolina's so-called energy boom here.Bingo's... the staple of cheap, bargain-bin fast food in the civilized world. Kid's meal would be about 20 dollars in the current state of the economy, last time I checked. Looking at 80 dollars if I'm including me and Joan... of course she'll be mooching off of me. Easier for her to do that than get a fucking job, the lazy cow. And she had a job. She had herself one of those fancy college educations, and she had the job she wanted, up until she started taking the fast track down to rock bottom.She used to be such a kind and beautiful young woman. Maybe it's just the economy nowadays making everyone go crazy, but beyond that I can't think of any silver lining for the situation we're all in.I then unlocked the door, got out of my truck to hear the creature that was once my loving wife, complaining about the rain ruining her makeup. Chewing my ear out about Chris still being in the car."What the FUCK, Wayne!" she screeched. "You leave your own fucking kid in the truck? Why? Learn some fucking manners, Wayne. He's your own son, so let him out of the goddamn truck!"A bolt of lighting flashed in the distance, illuminating her angry, makeup-slathered face like some monster straight out of a horror movie."He's 9 you dumb bitch! It ain't about no fucking manners, he knows how to open the fucking door. I'm the one driving him back from school each day! He's not getting out because of you, screaming in my goddamn face, you think he wants that?!""Oh ha-ha, very funny, Wayne!" she snarked back. "You think Chris wants a father that's never fucking home, always on his lazy fucking-goddamn-ass construction job, DRINKING! You drink all the fucking time, asshole. How about you spend some goddamn time with him, and not smelling like goddamn whiskey all the fucking time? Oh yeah, and why not take a shower too?""My lazy fucking-goddamn-ass
construction job puts the food on the table, you dumb cunt!" I shouted back at her. "What the fuck do you do?!""I look after the house, you fucking hypocrite!" she replied.I was just about to smack her, if it weren't for Chris watching us fight."Shut up, I don't wanna hear any more outta you!" I snapped at her.I then stormed through the doors, entering the restaurant. Between the buzz of the fluorescent lights, already hearing Joan screeching at me through the doors... and that fucking smell coming out of the garbage can! And all the flies buzzing around it like some sort of insect frenzy. Either their toilets are broken, or someone needed to change their kid's diaper in a hurry. Either way, even for a Bingo's in a junky little town out in the prairie, this was a bit much.I could see the she-beast giving me a toxic glare through the doors to the restaurant. Gotta order Chris that meal quick.So I went up to the cashier, looked up at the menu... 34.99 for a fucking kid's meal?"35 dollars for a kid's meal! Where's the dollar menu?" I asked the clerk.The clerk, a pimply-faced teenage boy, ginger hair, normal and probably not used to us anthro-folk, spoke up in his wimpy adolescent voice."Uhh, sir? That is the dollar menu.""WHAT?!" I yelled."That... is the dollar menu, sir."The kid was obviously terrified at this point."Would you like to talk with my manager about it, sir?""Nah... just get me 1 kid's meal." I replied.The clerk then nodded and wrote down my order. Typed it into the computer. I watched those green letters and numbers, all that on the computer screen. Goddamnit, they probably got a robot flipping burgers, use that as an excuse for food being so expensive. "Maintenance costs" and all that shit... amazing what excuses the big companies will use for charging that much. Especially goddamn Bingo's. Holy fuck, I thought they couldn't sink any lower.I looked up at the menu. 100 dollars for a full meal. Bingo burger deluxe, fries, and a large pop. All that for 100 dollars... maybe it's just inflation, or one of those other academic concepts people claim to know about but didn't. Then again, I dropped out of high school, so what do I know? I'm just saying what I hear on the radio.But still would be nice to get a meal at Bingo's for 10 dollars like back in my childhood, rather than spend a month's earnings just to get my kid SOMETHING special for his birthday.And there comes the she-beast screaming into the
restaurant."You let Chris soak out in the rain, you prick! Why not get him inside before you?" screamed Joan."How about giving him some goddamn free range, huh? Crawl out of my ass and let him do shit himself!" I replied."Yeah mom, shut it!" ordered Chris from behind Joan."You watch your fucking mouth, Chris!" she screamed at him.I was about to strangle her for saying that to our son, but Chris's meal was ready. I took it, thanked the cashier, who was trembling where he stood.I then went over to Chris, handed the tray over to him. Wanted to commend him for standing up to his mother for me, but no point in what I could see in how he was. He stood still, his eyes watering up with tears. He was terrified of what was going on between his mom and dad."Dad? I talked back to mom... I'm scared of her. She's not doing good.""I know, kiddo. Is she smoking, having any strange men over at the house?" I inquired."Yeah... she's having those scary guys over and smoking stuff she gets from them." replied Chris.I knew it. She was on the fucking pipe. That stupid bitch. That's why she's falling part so fast.I sighed in response to Chris. "Well... thank you for letting me know about mom Sit over there and enjoy your meal, alright? Happy birthday, kiddo."I then directed Chris over to a table to himself by the window. Poor kid... he has no friends, and his parents hate each other. He's gonna have to live with his grandparents. Joan's folks... fuck, it's gonna break their heart to see what's happened to her.I looked at him picking something out of his food. Something grey and mushy-looking... was that packaging that got mixed with the meat? Likely was, considering Bingo's. This was no picky kid, he ate what he got... he just had higher standards with what he gets to eat than an entire fucking fast food chain.Joan then started screaming, crying, and then left the restaurant. Usual Joan, doing what she did in the climax of her hysterical tantrums.Then there were two drunk rednecks laughing to themselves. I swear I saw these guys before. Two older men, in their late 40s or early 50s. One of them a beaver guy. He was packing some weight on, probably had Bingo's as the primary part of his diet. Had quite a bushy mustache too. Grey hair, sideburns. Trucker's hat, white wifebeater shirt with ketchup stains all over it, jeans that barely fit his fat ass. Yep, we've got a real rural bumpkin here.Reminded me that I got food stains over my own shirt too. Gotta stop using my t-shirt as a napkin. Not good hygiene to use my
white shirt as a napkin.The other guy just sat there, even more wasted. His eyes were barely open. Coyote guy, opposite sort of body shape, really scrawny looking fella. Grey hair too, balding. Wore same sort of red flannel jacket I was wearing right now. Yeah, these guys were drinking."That yer wife, eh?" the beaver guy mockingly boasted."Yeah... she is," I responded. Probably wasn't wise to respond to drunken hillbillies at Bingo's on a late evening. Just have them wanting more."Well she's a goddamn SKANK! Get yerself a new wife, asshole!" the beaver guy then burst out in laughter."I'm stuck with her for the time being." I tried to calmly tell him."Oh yeah? Well you're a goddamn pussy. You ain't no man. You a goddamn girl, and your wife's a goddamn fuckin' skank." the drunken beaver man gloated.He then laughed to his coyote companion, then turned back over to face Chris."Hey kid! You gonna grow up to be a dipshit like those stupid-ass folks you have?" the beaver man then continued laughing to his friend.That was it. That was the final fucking straw. I'm going to spill this asshole's blood.I then grabbed a chair and charged through the restaurant, knocking over tables to get to the guy. I then swung the metal chair as hard as I could, the corner of the chair striking the beaver guy's cheek and knocking him to the ground.The fat bastard's scrawny coyote friend then pulled a pocket knife out and prepared to swing at me, but then I grabbed the man's arm and broke his arm twisting his elbow back with a loud crack of his bones shattering. The man screamed in pain right before I swung my elbow into his face, knocking him out cold.As the coyote man fell to the floor, his pocket knife fell to the floor, right by the beaver guy. Went to go get it, as he was already waking up, grabbing for the knife.I then stood on the pocket knife and tried to grab it for myself, but then with a loud BANG, a bullet whizzed past my ear. I immediately turned back to see another coyote man armed with a pistol... which had got jammed with the empty bullet casing it just fired.And just as I looked over to go for the man with the gun, I then got hit over the head with a chair.I briefly blacked out from the strike, woke to see myself on the floor, looking up at the coyote guy with the gun aimed at me and the other beaver guy, his face bruised up, clutching his buddy's knife in his hand.My son Chris hid under a table, crying in fear."Eye for an eye, asshole!" the beaver guy shouted in my
face.Then right behind the coyote guy, a taller figure behind him then grabbed onto his arm and neck simultaneously. The coyote guy fired into the ceiling of the restaurant as he was knocked to the ground by the taller stranger behind him. The beaver followed suit with a fist to the face. The mystery ally then turned over to me to lend a hand, helping me up.Guy was a timberwolf, 6 foot 6 inches at least. He had messy dirty blonde hair, beady eyes, and yellowed piano teeth. He had a face like some sort of slasher movie killer that turned out to be friendly. I swear he looked vaguely familiar."Stay safe, Wayne," he said as he bolted off, right as I got back on my feet.Didn't even have time to explain himself, he just zoomed out of the restaurant. The fight was over, but things just got even crazier, it seems.I then went over to Chris. He was clearly traumatized by the whole incident. I then went to ask him if he was alright."DAD, LOOK OUT!" he then screamed as a window shattered and a canister bellowing thick smoke fell down into the restaurant. Within seconds, everything became hazy......my body grew heavy......too heavy......too tired......and then I passed out onto the floor.