The latest in the life of Em De Mone...
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Manny’s Old Town Saloon and Gambling Hall
A cool breeze hung in the air, banishing November's uncommon yet lingering heat. The sliver of moon smiled in the eastern sky as the horizon darkened. I took a deep breath and walked toward Manny’s Old Town Saloon and Gambling Hall with my current partner in recon, Violet.
The Las Vegas saloon, modeled after the Wild West, had been on this corner of Tropicana for decades. In 2002, the building was worn out and run down, looking like it had been constructed during the actual westward expansion of the late 1800s.
I pulled the door open and followed Violet inside. A painful realization struck me upside the head. There was no way we weren’t going to stand out. I tower over Violet by nearly a foot, most of it legs, which I had on display in my shortest jean skirt. Tonight, Violet rocked a stunning pencil skirt and closed the height gap with spiked heels. We made quite a pair, a pair that didn’t belong here.
She immediately slowed and linked her arm to mine. “Um, this place…I can’t put my finger on it, but it’s …”
“Uh-huh,” I replied taking it all in. There was dirt and dust all over. I’m not sure if that was by design or lack of cleanliness, but this saloon certainly wasn’t the ritzy place it once was. Now it had a super sleazy dark-din vibe to it.
The paint peeled back on the walls, and there was the distinct smell of stale smoke with a hint of urine in the air. I could feel the ickiness seep into my skin. The clientele looked like they’d been sitting here rotting along with the building. All walks of life came to drown their sorrows in this dump. The misery of it all yanked at my soul.
“I need a drink,” I said, steering us toward a bar.
“Hmmm… not sure I was to touch the drinkware. What if it’s skeevy too?” Violet forced a fake smile and gripped my arm a bit tighter.
“It’ll look weirder if we don’t. Plus they open beers in front of us,” I whispered, more for her than me. I grew up in the foster care system and also happened to be a half-witch half-demon. Not much unnerved me anymore.
When we got to the bar, I ordered two Coronas and declined the lime. Violet and I exchanged weary half-smiles and toasted. My drink was long and cold. It tasted good and took the edge off. I made eye contact with the bartender and ordered two more, then leaned over to whisper in Violet’s ear, “Anything standing out to you? Aside from us.”
“There’s a lot that’s off…this place is ripe with anguish and agony,” She scanned the horizon of the room, “and I’m having a hard time sifting through the evil vs down-and-out.”
“That’s worrisome,” I said. Taking a sip, I glanced around the room and stiffened slightly. Growing up, I was a weirdo, which taught me to handle unwanted attention. Now, tall and thin with chiseled features and short spiked hair, I attracted a different kind of unwanted attention, especially in Vegas. Forcing my shoulders to relax and my jaw to soften, I leaned closer to Violet, “We’re being watched. They’re supernatural.”
“I know. I can feel it, but I can’t see them,” Violet said, “Where are they?”
“Around the perimeter of the gaming tables.”
“Hmmm, how many do you think there are?” Violet said looking around, her heels giving her an advantage tonight.
I hoped there was no running in our future and chuckled like we were having a fun engaging conversation, “At least two on the floor, but there are more lurking.”
“What should we do?” she asked, hiding her lips while taking a sip of her beer.
Resisting the urge to run screaming from the building, I finished my Corona and smiled through my unease, “I was going to ask you the same thing.”
“Honestly, I think we should get out of here. Now.” Violet set her beer down and locked her gaze with mine.
“I can get behind that plan,” I tossed a few bucks on the bar for a tip. Just as we turned to leave, I heard it.
“Rose! Rose!” My Granny’s voice bellowed from somewhere in the middle of the casino, “Rosie, pull yourself together!”
My eyes widened, “Was that…?” Then there was more.
“No! No! No! I just can’t let go,” This time, it was Rose’s voice echoing over the clanging of the slot machines, “He was the love of my life! How could he cheat on me?!? And with that tramp over there!”
“Yes, yes, that’s them. ” Violet said, worry etching itself all over her face, “What’s going on?”
Without another word, we bolted toward the noise. I zigged and zagged through the outskirts of the dingy casino, avoiding the demon pit bosses and zoned-out regulars. Violet’s short-heeled steps shuffled closely behind me. At the bingo hall, we stopped in our tracks. Pure spectacle unfolded before us.
Our grannies, Letti and Rose, dressed in matching gold lame tracksuits, stood drunk and tottering on the outskirts of a bunch of elderly people playing bingo. It was weird, like a scene out of an alien science fiction movie. Everyone looked strung out but also worried, as they all glanced around trying to figure things out.
What in the hell was going on? We were supposed to be keeping a low profile. And the Saloon was me and Violet’s gig. The grannies were supposed to be tracking down a missing fortune teller. But here they were drunk and ridiculous in this seedy saloon.
Violet and I rushed toward the women at the same time. She grabbed her granny by the arm and dragged her away. I tried to usher mine toward the door, but she refused.
“I’m not going. I need another drink,” Granny folded her arms and stuck out her bottom lip in a pout.
I grabbed her elbow and whispered in her ear, “We need to get out of here. Now.”
“No!”
I could feel the eyes on the back of my neck. We were attracting attention from beings that may have killed a demon, and we are demons. “Woman,” I seethed, “We have to go. NOW.”
“No!”
My nerves were shot, and I was out of options. In one quick swoop, I picked up my 100 lbs granny and threw her over my shoulder. She howled, so I swatted her butt. This worked and she stopped wailing. I tried to play the whole off with an amused look and a shrug. I offered half-hearted apologies as I made a beeline for the exit.
Violet and Rose were already outside, walking toward Granny’s Cadillac.
“Lovie, put me down,” Granny, sounding lucid and sober, said as she squirmed over my shoulder, “Come on.”
Setting her down, I sized her up, “You not drunk?”
“Of course not,” she said, gripping my arm and leading us to her car.
“Do you care to explain?” I said through a clenched jaw, mentally reminding myself she was not only a little old woman but also my Granny, and it would be wrong to strangle her.
“I will,” she tossed me the keys. “Now be a good, concerned granddaughter and drive us out of here,” she said, “We need some space between us and this place with a quickness.”
I nodded and hopped in the front seat. An unusually quiet Violet slid into the passenger seat while the old women got into the back. Moments later, we were on the freeway heading north. I had no idea what to say, but Violet had something on her mind.
“What in the fuck was that all about Gram?” Violet’s voice was shrill and full of anger, “I thought this was recon,” she adjusted herself to face the woman in the back seat, “And first off, We, Em and I, were supposed to be here while you, Rose and Letti, were supposed to be looking for Miranda, the fortune teller. And secondly, we are always supposed to keep a LOW profile. What were you thinking?”
“Watch yourself, young lady,” Rose said quietly, “Obviously Vi, it was all a ruse.”
“Believe it or not, the missing fortune teller led directly to Manny. He’s her uncle. He’s holed up in that cesspool, and he’s in bad shape. Plus he’s being heavily watched, so we needed a cover,” Granny said.
“And drunk old ladies in a shitty Saloon was the best you could come up with?” I asked, not taking my eyes off the road.
“On a moment’s notice, yes, it was the best we could come up with,” Granny said.
“I just hope it was good enough,” Rose said.
“Good enough for what?”I asked.
“To make them believe we are two very old and very foolish women, and we in no way came to spy on them.”
“Who?” I asked.
“The demon hive,” the old women said in unison.
“A hive, huh?” I said as the hair on my arms stood up. I rolled up my window even though my chill had nothing to do with the outside temperature. “Let me guess, they aren’t friends of the family? Not following the Demon Peace Keeper ways?”
“No Lovie, they’re not. And they’re slowly sucking this part of the city dry. Tell me you got that vibe?”
“Well, yeah but…” I didn’t really know what to say.
“But what?” Granny said, her voice frosty, “Never mind, Emmie. This is very bad. That’s all.”
No one spoke the rest of the way home. I rolled my window back down, letting the wind wash over my skin and clear my mind. It was still cool but now there was a hint of dampness.
I exited off the freeway and headed toward Mystics and Mechanics. I pulled into the parking lot, and we all got out. Handing Granny her keys, I looked around and asked, “What’s next?”
“You go home and let us handle this. I’m going to talk to Paddy. We have a terrible demon infestation in the inner city. One we had no idea existed. One that should have never gained this much power. This is far too dangerous for you,” said Granny.
“That’s it? We just send Em away?” Violet shrieked.
“You too, darling,” Rose said with a gentle voice.
“Me? You’re sending me away? But you two are…” Violet didn’t finish.
“Old, yes, we know. And more experienced,” said Rose.
“And wise enough to know that we can’t do this alone. We need help, and we need to know what we’re dealing with,” Granny said digging into her purse, “Now Emmie, come by once a week for dinner, and I’ll fill you in on how this is going.”
Was she kidding? I stared. Stunned. “Granny?”
“Look, here’s some money,” she shoved a few hundred dollar bills into my hand. “It’s still early for you kids. Go out tonight. Let loose. Unwind. Come by and see me in a few days. Let me see how bad this is, okay?”
I nodded.
She pulled me into an awkward hug, “We just found you. I couldn’t handle it if something happened to you.”
I tried to smile. I wasn’t being left out. I was being protected. The old lady liked me. I squeezed her back, “Fair enough.”
She let go and looked at me, “You two need a ride? I can get one of the guys to take you wherever.”
I nodded, “That’d be great. Thanks.”
When she and Rose tottled off into the shop, I turned to Violet, “Wanna eat too much sushi, drink too much sake, and talk about our grandmas?”
“Absolutely,” she said.
To Be Continued
How awesomely you captured the atmosphere of a bar and the characters entrance into it! Love the chapter name and narrative events; hard calls and consequences ultimately help shape writing well!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I appreciate you stopping by and sharing your thoughts!
DeleteThis was so much fun to read. Thanks so much for sharing
ReplyDeleteI am thrilled you enjoyed it. Thank you so much for stopping by!
DeleteAh, the wonderful smell of urine in the air. I really hate going to the men's toilets because there's always a smell of urine in the air, but it's always worse in pubs and night clubs. So gross.
ReplyDeleteHow come she grew up in the foster care system? You might have mentioned it before, but I have poor memory recall. What happened to her grandparents and other extended family?
Glad the grossness came through! 😂 Her mother was an evil creature who dumped her in the middle of Central Park under a blood moon. It wasn't until she was much older that she learned about her demon family. Great questions! Thank you so much for stopping by!
DeleteThis was a lot of fun to read. Thanks so much for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for stopping by!
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