The Bartender

Chapter 9: Work at a Bar

 He threw down the cloth in his hands. In an attempt to avoid the eyes that were resting on him and their mocking smiles, he kept his head down. Resting his elbows on the counter, he stared at his reflection and cursed under his breath. "Shit!"

Next to him, the barista placed a hand on his shoulder. Eyes appearing to be forlorn and eyebrows furrowed, she asked, "What's going to happen now?" This was the first time that she had seen the bartender's plan fail. Never before—never in the weeks that she's been with him—has she seen his tactic fail him. He was rather knowledgeable in his craft and generally and a good talker and due to it, unlike plenty of others in his field, he had yet to do the other part of his job. Although it pained her to think about, she didn't know what he'd do if the hostess succeeded let alone failed.

Glancing at her, he only sighed. "You'll see in a moment." There was a stressed and forced pleasant smile on his face as he hung his head in embarrassment.

Immediately, a scream echoed in the bar. Everyone in the club jumped up, standing up for the rare occasion. Some of the men in the room, who were completely oblivious, remained seated and only turned their heads in the direction of the screech. The people who knew what was going to happen were shaking. Trembling. Soon, the room was filled with murmurs and anxious looks.

Suddenly, one of the hostesses started screaming. The man next to her, who she had been occupying, turned to her. In an effort to console her, he reached out to her. "Angelica, what's—" Before he could finish, she started to desperately run away, knocking into people and things as she made her way out of the club.

She ran past the bar. Already, the two had fallen into a fetal position and remained hidden behind the bar. Watching her in their hidden position, they watched as a light came down from the night sky and penetrated her body. A gold substance flung out from her body and stained the streets. She fell to her knees and coughed up more gold. Then, within seconds, she crumbled to dust. The stains disappeared. Nothing was left behind. Before anyone could say anything, they heard footsteps.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Soon, the hostess emerged from the backroom, where she had led him. Her lipstick was smudged. Her eyes were rolled back. Only the whites were visible. Her clothes were tattered in scratches, tattered in tears, and a gold substance stained her clothes. Once her body was in the limelight, it fell and like the other woman, disappeared. Then, it emerged.

It had the shape of a man, yet the body of an extraterrestrial being. Its body was completely engulfed in flames. It held a crimson red color and a tint of gold—the same color of what stained her clothes. The eyes of the creature were pitch black, black like the dark room where he emerged from. But then, its eyes widened and a single white dot could be seen in the center of its eyes. The iris shifted all over the room, scanning it. Then, landing on the woman that had approached it before, they sharpened. The bartender immediately drew the barista's hands to her ears and he did the same for his own.

It shrieked a penetrating scream. Everyone else did, too.

Without another word, it began to wreak havoc in the bar. Going from person to person, it launched a part of itself on every man that it saw, engulfing them in its flames. They screamed bloody murder as their skin quickly charred, going from a shade of brown to a shade that matched its eyes. Some stood in shock as they stared at their fingers, which were falling too quick, black ashes below them until they dissipated into the room, fueling the creature's fire. Soon, it had gathered enough ashes to become twice—no, thrice—its size, and it had grown to almost reach the top of the room.

Then, it began to attack the women. It attacked the women who hadn't already taken cover within the mere minutes that it had begun its onslaught. As they stared, petrified, it took clawed at their bodies, which quickly caused gold to drip from their bodies. And even then, they only stared at their wounds, eyes wide, mouth agape. That moment of silence was enough for it to end them—end their careers, end hope for going back home. Their bodies faded back into nothingness. The last thing they did on Earth was scream. More dust. It became even bigger.

Eyeing some of the women who had taken cover, the barista asked softly with an air voice, "Why is no one doing anything?!"

"There's nothing they can do," the bartender responded as he meddled with some drinks and chemicals that he had kept hidden underneath the bar. "They're not experienced enough. We can't blame them."

Noticing what he was doing, she whispered furiously, "Why aren't you doing anything? Don't you have experience with things like this?!"

Growling a little, he stated, "I am doing something right now—can't you see?" Finally, his concoction was finished and he showed it to her.

"What's that?"

"Try it."

"But what is it?"

He pushed it onto her. "It releases you so that you can use your ability freely."

Eyebrows raised, she inquired, "Is that legal?"

"It's legal in these situations," he pushed it to her, "now, drink quickly."

She chugged half of the drink. Immediately, she felt her back loosen up and her body felt lighter. She could feel her power rushing back into her veins. However, before she completely loosened up, he grabbed her shoulder and shook his head. The overflowing power dissipated until it was controllable; enough for her body as it was to manage.

He did the same and felt the same energy. Now that he thought about it, this was the first time in several years that he had to make this drink. Not that is a long time, but this had been a rather lengthy peaceful streak. He wasn't sure if it was because he was taking fewer risks now or because the world was more peaceful, but either way, he was thankful that he still remembered how to make the drink.

They stood up and looked at the golden world before them. The creature immediately sensed him and slowly, it turned around. Streaks of gold were revolving around it, yet its eyes were still sharp.

Within seconds, it had dashed towards them. However, the bartender had already opened the drinks and had made a barrier between the two of them. It clashed with it, desperately trying to break it. But it didn't work. The bartender, standing in front of the barista, only stared at it. Then, with a second hand, he released the barrier and rested his hand on it.

"Et ego exáudiam vos. Interim, culpa est tua." Then, he snapped. At that moment, a white barrier of symbols and mandalas sprung and separated the two. The monster shrieked once more. However, the bartender kept his face as cold as his drinks. Slowly, the monster's body began to shift back to who it was before. Yet as he rested in the air, his face nonchalant and his body exposed for the world to see, the bartender's eyes shifted to pity.

Quietly, he murmured, "I'm sorry, sir, but you're unsavable." Then, with a snap of his fingers, the man faded like the other women's. However, instead of fading into gold or white, it faded into a dark grey. Then, all that stood in the bar were the bartender and barista.

Turning to the barista, he ran a hand through his hair and shut his eyes. With a moan, he murmured, "I think I need a break." Then, he grabbed his belongings and without another word, left the bar.