Hell's Angel

Chapter Seven

Nyx's PoV:

"Here's your Fireball and a gin and tonic for your friend".
   I passed the drinks to the two men sitting at the bar, listening to their slurred thanks and grabbed the towel off my shoulder. Cleaning down the bar, I glanced at the time on my phone and sighed. 11:30 p.m. Just another half hour and I can head home. Almost there, Nyx. I've been here since 4 today and by the time 6 rolled around, I was walking around like a sleep-deprived zombie. The bar here gets really busy around that time because that's when all the sports come on. Everybody comes here for a bite to eat and a drink and watches their favorite sports team win or lose. I snorted, Not that any of our teams here ever win.
   Glancing around the bar, I took in what patrons were left. There was old man Jenkins, the town's librarian, in the darkest corner nursing the same Scotch I gave him over two hours ago, Mrs. Murray, the primary nurse over at the small hospital, by the door slinging back yet another whiskey, two freshmen girls from college giggling a little drunkenly while sipping on their fruity cocktails, and Marty and Roger, the town's Sheriff and the Judge, here at the bar.
I sighed inwardly, knowing that at least four of these guys weren't ready to go home yet. But, that wasn't going to be my problem after 12; have fun with those guys, Luke, I thought to myself. Luke was the cook and my boss; I've known him for awhile here, which is how I got this job serving at the bar without technically being the legal age. Not yet anyways. I was the youngest worker here, Luke being in his late 50s and the three other waitresses are all in their late 30s and 40s with children at home. We were all friends here, which made the job a bit more enjoyable.
   I checked my phone again after cleaning up all the dirty glasses and putting away the clean ones. 11:55. Finally! I mentally patted myself on the back for yet another day gone by without me slapping any of the drunk patrons. I took off my apron and walked to the back room, where Luke was finishing up inventory.
   At 6'2, with a buff figure, a bald head, and blemish free tatted dark skin, at first glance, people put him at only 30 something years of age. Mix that with an ex - military background, drunk or not, people don't mess with him. He's been the father figure in my life, which makes my life a little less harder as he easily takes care of any unwanted people in my life.
   "Hey, Luke, it's 12 and I'm heading home for the night" I tell him as I toss my black apron on a table in the corner. He looks back at me, a big smile on his face, and tosses me a wad of cash, my "paycheck" and tips for tonight, and catch it expertly. "Good, you need to catch some shut-eye anyhow. Can't always be workin' here, you know. You got school and a life, or at least you should have one."
   I laugh, shoving my earnings in my front Jean pocket and taking my jacket off the same table as my apron. "I have a life, it just currently revolves around here and school."
   "You know that's not a life. A young girl like you needs to hang around town with friends, go see some sights, have a few drinks, responsibly of course, and just be young for a change."
I shrug on my jacket and let my hair out of its bun before replying. "I can't afford to do that, Luke. Got too much on my plate with school and here. Besides, you know I'm not a social creature, or a people person for that matter."
   I grin as he laughs, a big belly laugh that suits him just fine, and he slaps his knee. "That's why I like you, Nyx, you got spunk and sass. Best part is you're not flimsy like some of the college girls around here. You're driven and you know what you want. You're gonna make a fine doctor when you graduate. Just know that you'll always have a place here, both at work and in my house, if you ever need it."
   I grab my headphones out of my pocket and smiled back at him before replying, "I know, Luke, and I thank you for that. I'll keep both those offers in mind."
I wave to him and go to turn when he suddenly says, "Who's left out there anyways, Nyx?" I turn back to him and list off the patrons, their drunken laughter echoing my response. Luke frowns and scratches the back of his head before saying, "Maybe we should call a cab for those two girls out there. The other four have their ways home but those two..."
   I sigh, knowing that I was gonna end up doing the same thing but, I was gonna pay instead. He takes out an old, leathery wallet from his back pocket and hands me a $20. I give him a look as I take it, knowing that I should be the one paying for those girls but, also knowing that arguing with Luke was like arguing with a brick wall: it wasn't going to get you anywhere.
   "The college ain't too far from here so that should cover it. You want a little extra to get yourself home, Nyx?"
   "Nah, I'm okay walking. I enjoy the late night scenery anyhow."
   He frowns a little deeper this time and gives me a look, a look that I knew meant that he was going to drudge up an age-old argument that we've had before.
   "You know I don't like it when you walk home in the dark, Nyx..."
   "And I promise you I'll be careful, Luke. I know how to defend myself properly and it's not too far of a walk from here anyhow."
   He sighs, but I can tell he's still not convinced completely. I reach into my inner jacket pocket and pull out a small military pocket knife.
   "See? I still carry the knife you gave me when I first started here. I never leave home without it."
He gives me a small smile, accepting defeat on this one, and motions with his hands for me to go.
"Aw, go on then. I trust that nothing bad is going to happen to you, not with my lucky knife with you. Just be careful, okay? I'll see you tomorrow."
   I grin, pocketing the knife once more and agree. Waving goodbye, I exit the back room and quickly take out my phone. Calling a cab, I sat on one of the stools and waited for the headlights to show up. Quickly checking for any notifications and seeing I had none, I shoved my phone back into my back pocket and observed the bar once more.
   Ceiling lights hung from the top and gave off a slight glow off the lightly-colored wood panel walls, enough to illuminate the bar but not enough to cause discomfort to any hungover patrons. High definition tvs hung in each corner of the room, four in total with a small one hanging over the bar. The small mahogany - colored tables were spread out enough for guests to have either private conversations with themselves or could be put together for group fun. Four chairs with dark red cushions surrounded each table, with a menu placed neatly on the top.
   The bar itself was a beautiful black colored wood, and the stools were black but with gray cushions instead. A few lights hung from the ceiling directly above the bar but, they weren't distracting. The wall behind the bar, where all the different drinks were displayed was all mirror. I never understood why Luke put the mirror wall in. Maybe he wanted his frequent guests to see themselves in the mirror and realize that they need to go home and clean themselves up a bit. Or maybe he just liked it for decorative reasons, I'm not too sure.
   A pool table was tucked away in the back corner where Mr. Jenkins had now fallen asleep, his one glass of Scotch finally finished. A few paintings and pictures hung on the wall, some of the beautiful landscapes around here, some landmarks, and some kinda random, like the fishing boot and pole one.
   However, one picture in this place always stood out to me. A small painting, hidden in the darkest corner of the room, no bigger than a hard covered book, drew my attention. Two figures embracing were the main focus, a man and a woman. Or...a devil and an angel of sorts. The man had blond hair that flowed down his shoulders and a lean figure that any professional runner would kill for. Dressed in simple black slacks and shirt, he wore no shoes on his feet. His eyes were closed but, his face wore a look of hidden anger as held the woman close to him, in what appeared to be a protective manner.    The woman was breathtakingly beautiful, a literal angel. She was smaller than the man, only reaching up to just below his shoulders. Her auburn hair flowed down her back past her hips, giving off the appearance that her hair was actual fire. Her white long sleeved gown, loose enough to possibly billow in the wind but fitting enough to show off her petite form and gorgeous curves, went all the way to the floor, a golden belt hanging loosely around her waist. Like the man, she too wore no shoes.
   Her eyes, unlike the man's, were open, a beautiful gray flecked with silver stared up at him with what appeared to be both a mixture of love and fear. Her rose colored lips were slightly parted as a tear trailed down her pale cheek. However, it was not only the emotion and beauty of the painting that drew me in but, also, the wings.
   A pair of beautiful wings were on both embracing figures, white wings tipped with the colors of autumn on the woman, and steel gray with a few black feathers mixed in on the man. His wings were surrounding the woman, a gesture that confirmed my thoughts about him being protective of the woman. Her wings, however, were drooping, a few feathers floating to the floor even. Her wings, as magnificent as they still are, appear tattered and weathered, as if she went through a great storm or stress. A disease, or battle even, judging from the emotions in the painting.
   The background was unusual in itself, a mixture of both night and day. A lone tree was visible in the background, one half covered in daylight and the other bathed in moonlight. A weeping willow was my guess, judging from the branches. It, too, was beautiful.
   For a long time, I've tried to figure out who painted the magnificent picture but, there was no written name anywhere on the painting. Upon asking Luke, he only shrugged and said he found it in the attic when he bought the place. He liked it, hung it up, and named the bar after it. The Devil's Angel...quite fitting, if you ask me.
   Luke knows I'm drawn to the painting, so he refuses to sell it to anyone who tries to buy it. He tried to give it to me a couple of times but, as much as I would love to have it, A.) I have nowhere to put it, B.) Liara would hate it, and C.) It belongs here, in this bar. When he retires however, Luke told me he's giving me the painting but, that's not for many years.
   A pair of bright lights shatters my thoughts and I blink rapidly trying to get my bearings together. A faded yellow cab pulls up and waits on the curb. I sigh and slide off the stool and walk over to the two girls, who are both now in a drunken sleep. I shake their shoulders gently, waking them up, and telling them that there's a cab out front that's going to take them home. One girl groans, holding her head in her hands as she slowly stands and stumbles her way to the front. The other giggles and picks up their purses and follows suit. I roll my eyes slightly, knowing that both of them will be in for a rough morning with how much they had drank tonight.
   I open the door for the both of them and steady them as they teeter on their heels. I quickly walk up to the front door, hand the driver the $20 Luke gave me, and told him to take the girls to the college dorms. I walk back around and hold open the back door for the girls. The girl holding her head slides right in and leans her head against the glass window. The other girl puts a foot in, stops, and then turns back around to face me. She squints her ice blue eyes at me, eyes flashing as she scrutinizes my face and body all without saying a word. Then, she stepped back into the cab, throwing her purse and her friend's on the floor before turning back to me.
   "You know", she says, not an ounce of drunkenness inhibiting her speech, "You're really sweet for a daughter of Hell."
   I stared at her, wide-eyed and baffled, not sure what to even say to her. She stared at me for a second more and giggled once again before reaching into her purse and grabbing out a small bottle of gin. She smiled at me and pressed the bottle into my hands, laughing when I broke into an easy smile and taking the bottle from her. This girl must have had one too many if she thinks I'm some daughter of Hell or demoness or something.