I Sing Of Chaos And Eternal Night

1700

"Hit me," the man beside me said as he slammed his hand down on the table. With a nod, the croupier handed him another card from the pile, all while keeping it face down.

I narrowed my eyes at the pair of cards in my hand. No longer was there a bullet-sized hole in the middle of it, revealing a tangle of blue and red wires. Nor was there a flurry of sparks shooting out from where my fingers were. Tan skin now covered where the hole had been, and my fingers had been returned. But how—and when—I could not recall. Complete darkness laid between the showdown and waking up here, in the gambling hall.

I must have been staring at my hand for too long since the croupier asked, "Are you going to stand or hit?"

Hit.

"Hi—" I started to say before another voice cut in.

"She's going to stand." Peter's head appeared next to mine, nearly touching my shoulder with his chin.

"Alright. Let me see your cards." The croupier gestured for us to turn our cards over. As soon as I did, the man beside me let out a sigh, banging his fist against the green felt.

"Damn computers," he swore under his breath before storming off. I glanced down, seeing what had made him act like that. My pair of cards showed a queen of hearts and a queen of diamonds while his were an ace and a four of clubs. 

Snickering, Peter collected the chips off the table into his hands. "I can't believe you were going to ask for another hit! It's a good thing I came in when I did."

I started to walk with him as he headed towards the cashier's booth. He was with me until my vision went black. He was the last thing I had seen. How I arrived here, maybe he knew. "What happened after the showdown?" I asked as we maneuvered around crowded tables and slot machines. 

He came to an abrupt standstill, right in the middle between a row of glowing slot machines. Tilting his head slightly downward, he kept his back towards me; the curve of his spine upright and straight. After a few seconds, his body started moving again and did not stop until we reached the cashier. 

"Can you cash these in, please?" He smiled as he handed the chips over. "Thanks." 

He hadn't heard me. "What happened after the showdown—" I began to repeat the question before he suddenly spun around, interrupting me for the second time. 

"You—You went to get fixed. Where? I don't know." Peter's speech was quick, and his words stumbled over one another. 

"So you don't know how I ended up here?" 

He shook his head. "No, sorry. But you were probably brought here."

This only raised another question. Who brought me here? Yet, I did not ask as the question was soon gone once I saw the pile of cash handed to Peter through the window. 

He grinned at me. "Here, you earned it." Pushing my coat aside, he placed the wad of cash into my front pocket. "Not sure what you'll do with it though."

I glanced over at him as we headed for the entrance. "Ever heard of banks?" 

Peter burst out laughing. "Yeah, right. Like you'd deposit your cash in a bank."

For some reason, his laughter brought a smile to my face. "Of course not. They're bigger thieves than me."

"You got that right." He nodded, taking out a pack of cigarettes. "So while you were gone, I went back and got our horses." He paused to light the cigarette before blowing out a cloud of smoke. "They're around back." 

"Thanks." I turned the corner and started down the vacant alleyway. But as I passed between the narrow path, I heard his footsteps following right behind me. I stopped in my tracks, turning to him. "I reckon this is where we part ways."