In The Woods

Chapter 17

I tell my mom I'm going to the mall with Julia and Ashley. She believes me but wants me to take Avery. I can't bring Avery with me obviously. Avery doesn't want to come though. I don't think I've ever been more grateful when the phone rings. Avery's best friend, Erica, invites Avery for a sleepover! By now, I'm already fifteen minutes late, so I bolt to Julia's house.
"What took so long?" Julia asks. "My sister. My mom wanted me to bring her with," I reply. Julia nods. With two older brothers and a little brother, she understands. Ashley comes out of the house and pulls on a light sweatshirt. In Michigan, sometimes even summer nights can be cold. But not freezing.
As I ride my longboard to Hangers, the thought hits me. Will we even be allowed in there? Will we get kicked out? Also, won't it be scary in a small area with a bunch of criminals? I start to freak out in my head.
As we put our longboards against the back wall, I take in the features of this place. Usually, I try to avoid it and walk by as quickly as possible. But now, I look it over.
The doors look like they're going to fall off their hinges at any moment. The dark, brick walls look slimy and greasy. The sign that reads "Hangers Bar" is coated in a thick layer of dust.
I open the door slowly and a tiny bell rings. I take a few steps in and Ashley and Julia follow my lead.
On my right, there are a few tables and chairs. Everything smells disgusting and old. There are tiny TVs in the corner and a football game is on. To my left, there's the bar. It looks like a regular bar. A counter area with a whole bunch of seats lined up by it. The bartender nods politely at us when we walk in. He doesn't even notice we are 12? Seriously?
But I only get to look around for a split second. I then notice two huge, tattooed men fighting and others cheering them on. The man punches and kicks the other. The other man is trying to fight back, but is put in a headlock. When he turns slightly, I see his face is covered in blood and bruises. Then, with one hard punch to his temple, I see the man go limp. He's unconscious. Several people watching give money to each other. In the first two minutes we've been in here, I can see why people say this place is extremely violent. It was supposed to close at one point a few years ago, but they kept it open for who knows why.
I turn around to see what Julia and Ashley think about this. Ashley turns on her heel and starts to walk out, but Julia grabs her arm. "Come on Ash. We have to stay here and you know that." Ashley reluctantly turns around and walks up to the bar with us. The bartender looks up. "What can I get you?" He asks politely. He does not fit in with this crowd. "Three waters please," Julia says. He fills up three grimy glasses and hands them to us. "Don't worry, we don't charge you for water here," he says with a smile. We make our way to a corner on the opposite side of the fight. I look around. I don't mean to judge, but I feel like the people here definitely all have a prison record. Most people are up at the bar. But one large group of guys sit in a circle at a table near the fight.
So far I don't see Igor. Julia taps on my arm and points. I follow her gaze and see a man look up from the circle. Julia puts her hand down immediately so the guy won't see her pointing. We would probably get killed if he saw that. But I take a long look at him. He's bald with a little bit of black hair on each side of his head. He's got tattoos up and down his arms and an ear piercing. It takes me a second to realize why Julia pointed at him. This is Igor.
I know what we have to do. As much as I want to get out of here, I know we will have to go up and talk to him. We need answers. I pray that he'll give them away. I get up and slide my chair away slowly. Julia and Ashley do the same. I gulp as I approach Igor Simon.

I've already done a few chapters today. VOMMENT! Follow me! Thanks everyone for the reads! I hoped you liked this chapter and for the thousandth time HAPPY EASTER! Byeeee