PART 1
Looking at the numbers.
My eyes never leaving the numbers.
0 0 0 0 0 0
NO!
What is this?
Where are the numbers?
Watching the numbers - watching the numbers...
Time to take a break!
I will make some coffee.
I will look out of the window:
There they are again, that old damn tramp. He's always sat under the railway bridge...
Watching the numbers - watching the numbers
CAN'T TAKE A BREAK!
That old tramp never moves! Crouching in his dirty patchwork clothes, warming his raw fingers over a fire bin. He is the living dead...
0 0 0 0 0 0
NO!
Why are there no numbers?
Yes. You are right. I am talking to myself. But it is not madness, I swear.
It's just the numbers, that's all...
It's all I have.
And I used to have everything...
Someone was knocking on the door.
'It's open!'
It was my old compatriot Rees! What adventures we have had in the days gone by. We built an empire, he and I. I would be nothing without him. He took me out of the streets, built me up, put me on the right road. He was an old man now, fat and tired after doing everything right.
I should have listened to him.
I could have retired.
Instead I was just sitting in my chair, looking at the numbers.
BUT with his help things could change...
They had to change! He was the one to help me.
Rees. I need you.
'Things are not looking good,' was the first thing he said when he walked into the living room.
He poured himself a brandy and then sat in the chair beside the screen and watched the numbers with me.
'You are sinking fast,' he continued. 'I can't bail you out of this one. I want to, but the risk is too much. And quite frank, I wouldn't touch you with a barge poll, not these days. NO offence, old friend. We won the world together back in the day, you and I, and it should have stayed that way. But you were never content. You had to keep pushing things. And here we are. Or, to put it more rightly, here YOU are. You should have listened to me...'
'I don't wan to hear this,' I returned. 'I just want to see the numbers. You can help me get the numbers, right? You are the man for the job. That's why I hired you?'
'You haven't hired me, I am here as old friend,' said Rees.
0 0 0 0 0 0
'Look at this mess,' said Rees shaking his head. 'This is down to you! I warned you. But you never took heed despite my years of experience. You are a hot head, a gambler. And gamblers are fools as far as I am concerned. Tisk! You were never content. Always chasing the clouds, looking for the end of the rainbow - but there is always another rainbow. One pot of gold is never enough for a man like you.'
0 0 0 0 0 0
The numbers were still not changing!
Those dreadful abhorrent numbers!
I curse them! Let them Change!
Please.
Let them save me!
There is nothing else except the numbers.
There is nothing else except the numbers.
0 0 0 0 0 0
'There has got to be something you can do to help me, Rees?
'I tried to help you six months ago. I gave you the best slice of advice a friend could give a friend: stay away from the Gustav Deal. I told you. I told you so many times. This deal was too much of a risk. It could kill you. You couldn't tackle it by yourself. The reward was not going to be worth - the injuries you were going to endure in the meantime would last forever. I was right. Men did no tackle mammoths by themselves back in the day - they needed a good loyal team. You didn't have that. You have always been a solo force and you have done a lot of amazing things working that way for over twenty years. I'd like to say i admire you, O definitely used to. but now all i can say is good - I would not want to be you right now. You are going to have to fix your own problems by yourself from now on - I am out of this mess. Goodnight.'
Yeah...
Goodnight and get lost - loser!
PART 2
Every time I look out of the window I see shadowy shapes in the mist.
I don't see their eyes.
But I know they are watching me.
I dread every minute that slides into infinity.
Every minute. Every second. With each drop of time the shadows draw ever closer.
0 0 0 0 0 0
Why do those cursed numbers never change?
EVERYTHING CHANES
Except:
0 0 0 0 0 0
'It's not going to change. Now is the time to give up...'
NO I CAN NEVER GIVE UP.
A grave looking man in a suit had allowed himself into the apartment. He was sitting in a corner on a chair and pouring himself a glass of the last reserve of the whiskey.
'You are in a dark dark place, a pit of the kind where these is no way out,' he said. 'And NO. I won't lend you anymore money. It isn't happening. You have messed up good and proper. You don't deserve help. you have done what you have done and that is where you are going to stay. You have dug this pit and now you can die in it. Because trust me you are going to die... There are people out there in the streets that want to get you. You owe a lot of people a lot of money. People can only take so much, and you have broken every promise you have ever made. And people in this town do have a breaking point. You have played a dangerous game with people rich and poor. Now the game is over. And everyone has lost. The poor people will want to get you because they can't feed their children... and the rich, ell, that is na whole different story. You have ripped off a lot of powerful people. Don't deny it! I can see it in your eyes. You want to fight me on this. But you can't. There is nothing to fight. Yes. Could help you. But are you going to help me? You can't even help yourself. NO. Our business is done. You are going to have to face the shadows all alone.'
After he made his speech he finished his whiskey and left.
I CAN'T GIVE UP! THE NUMBERS WILL CHANGE...
THEY HAVE GO CHANGE!
0 0 0 0 0 0
PART 3
There was somebody knocking on the door.
It was Jim.
Jim declined the offer for a drink and a smoke. He looked shifty and stressed. There might have been several specks of sweat on his brow. He walked the length of the room and pressed open the window blinds.
YOU BETTER HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR ME JIM.
'The streets are massing against you. It is not safe here,' Jim replied. 'My advice to you is to run, while you still can. Look, this is the situation. There is no situation. The money is gone. All of it. Maybe if I was a magician I could make more, but I am not and so I can't. Look. I don't want to be a part of this business anymore. I look at it like this:
'I cannot help you and you can't help me. We are done. A year ago we might have been able to help one another. I have my business, and you have yours. Yes. We could have worked something else. But you threw everything into Gustav Deal. I don't you not to do. And so did everyone else. What were you thinking? Were you mad? Were you drunk? And you burrowed all that money... You know what the people of this town are like? There are people out there perfectly willing to kill you. And me as well. That's why I want out. I wanted to do business with you. Like I said it could have worked. But not anymore. Take my advice and run.'
LOOK INSIDE THE DRAW OVER THERE.
Jim did so.
Jim sighed and shook his head when he saw what was inside.
There was a gun sitting at the bottom of the draw.
'And what is the point of this?' said Jim. 'I told you already! I am done with this. I don't want to be part of your business. I am done. NO! I am not shooting anybody form you. There was a time I would have helped you. Look at it from my point of view. I need money just as much as you do, but this is not the way to do it anymore. Look. That idiot you runs the shop has security cameras. I can't get to him. And I am not a robber. I am no the guy to do this. You need to get somebody else. Please, I beg of you to give up and run away! Don't drag me down in this madness! I know I owe you. You have helped me a lot in the past. I want to help but... But no. It's over. I am out.'
HE HAS MONEY - YOU KNOW THE COMBINATION... HE'S AN ENEMY. IT'S HIS FAULT THE GUSTAV DEAL TURNED OUT THE WAY IT DID. EVERYTHING I WORKED FOR IS IN ASHES BECAUSE OF THAT MAN... END IT NOW JIM. YOU OWE ME. TAKE THE JOB AND DO IT...
PART 4
The man in the suit sitting opposite him that morning was a detective.
He started to speak:
'Everything
WHAT WAS THE POINT IN THIS?
'This place is a bomb. The timer is ticking down. Soon it is going to go - and there is going to be an explosion here like no one has seen before in this town town.'
GET OUT OF MY HOME!
'We know things are going bad for you. You are at the top of the list. There are people out there who do not like you - powerful people. You should be careful. Call me if you need any help. There is a way out for you - but you cannot stay here. I can find a place for you to stay, for a few days, till you can straighten yourself out - but I can see that you are not interested. Fine. Well, listen to this:
'We found a dead body in the shop three days ago. They are saying you are involved - everyone is, not just the force, but most of the people who know you. They are saying you owed the victim a lot of money, and that they were threatening you. Now I don't believe you had anything to do with us. I know you from old. I think you have had a lot of bad luck lately, but I don't believe you are a murderer. I don't think you would have ordered it, either. I don't like tot think you would do that. But the clock is ticking Mr, and you are sitting on a bomb. You need to get up and walk away. I can see what you are doing. You are not listening to me, are you? Fine. I have said my piece. Now I will go. Those numbers are not going to change, sir - but that bomb is going to go, finally, and when it does it is going to go real bad for you and lot of other people involved in your business. Goodday sir.'
PART 5
0 0 0 0 0 0
There we go again...
Bailiffs at the door!
Bailiffs at the door!
I hear them knocking.
I hear there threatening voices.
DON'T LET THEM IN!
0 0 0 0 0 0
PART 6
'I see you have stopped checking the numbers. Finally. Common sense has been achieved.'
Jim had let himself in through the back door. He was a rascal for doing that!
It was like he had keys to the building - but he did not.
He just knew how to get inside places - that's what made him good for certain tasks...
'I did what you wanted,' Jim started.
Jim walked around the room till he found the whiskey decanter, and then he freely started to pour himself a drink.
He took a seat.
He didn't care.
You could see it in his face, in his eyes. He was pale. He was broken. His eyes were full of darkness.
Once he had finished drinking he pulled out a gun.
What was he doing with that thing?
The police were everywhere!
Had the man gone mad?
Maybe he had...
Maybe they were both mad.
Maybe it was the end of the world for the both of them.
'It's been a long day,' Jim continued. 'Its like that at this time of year. Morning and night bend into one - with only a splash of day, but that is the way, this time of year. Forgive my mild attempt at forcing poetry. It just helps pass the time - help to keep the mind straight and on the task. We are all survivors in this world, no matter where we are, we are all trying to keep our heads above the waves. It is a hard business. My grandfather was a sailor, back in the day during the war. He had to weather every storm imaginable and I feel I am doing the same thing in my own way. The hardest route to take on the seas is the straight route. I tried to do it. I tried to avoid the rocks - and head straight for port. But I couldn't do it. You know what I want in my life? A quiet beach. I never found it. I am mostly to blame for my mistakes. I am stupid. I have done a lot of ridiculous things. I tried to be like my grandfather - it did not work out... PTSD and all that. It's real you know? It is not must something clever people in nice suits talk about. I see it nearly every day - the horrible things... we did. But well. Thank you for the whiskey! The drink helps keep it all at bay. As long as I can still drink I am sailing straight for the calm beach! And it is a most pleasant thing. This is a sad meeting. Like many people who have promised me that quiet beech, you burned the flag of my ship and you sunk my dreams beneath the waves. But it is my fault at the end of the day. I should not have listened to you. My dreams were nothing except paper boats, lost in the waves. There was nothin for them. Nothing for me. But well, sad as that all is, here we are. Now there was a time when you were the king, and I bowed my head and kissed the ring. It was the thing. My pockets were empty but yours were full. I was grateful to you, when the business began. You helped me a lot. I thought you were great. A fine king! I was proud to serve thee. But now it is over. Those buildings are empty. And the place where I used to live is empty. Now all I have left is the open road, and it is cold this time of year. How did it ever get to this? Maybe we will never know, not you not I. But here we are and this is what the situation is.
'Another man is dead because of me. I got him to open the vault before he died. Lies work so well when one has a weapon at hand and defenceless head behind it. You can be the nastiest man alive, but nothing backs down to the flame and to the steel. He did everything I told him to do. The money is in a suitcase. I can bring it over. But here is one thing you h ave to do first, and you have not done this yet. You have to pay me for my work.'
PLEASE. IT DOES NOT HAVE TO BE THIS WAY.
'Well that is a pity.' Ralph raised the gun. 'I wanted things to go well this evening, but I do not work for free, and I need money. Ah well. Goodnight fine fellow. I wish things could have been different. But sadly this is how it is. You had your chance - and you smoked and drank it all away. Long live the king. I hope you enjoyed it. I hope you had a good time.'
0 0 0 0 0 0
They 0 disappeared.
There was simply nothing left...
(Remember! All spelling errors and grammatical mistakes are intentional - the author 😆)
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