Beyond the City Lights

Chapter 3

Ice clanked against the old-fashioned glass as the man twirled it around and around, mesmerized by the golden-brown liquid he could still feel warming his belly.

He'd been sitting at the bar all night. Waiting. Watching. He didn't exactly know what for, but after the events of last night and the thrill he felt, he hoped a new situation would present itself and who better to take advantage of than the drunks at the bar?

He'd been nursing the same glass of whisky for the last hour. Trying to avoid too much of a mental fog. He wanted to be alert and ready. To keep the bartender from giving him the boot he would order the occasional cup of coffee and alternate it with a glass of water. This also helped with keeping the mental fog at bay. He would then tip a few crumpled bills and did his best to keep a depressed look on his face to avoid detection. Just another sad patron down on his luck.

Close to midnight a pretty brunette with stunning green eyes walked in, or more so wobbled in. A bar hopper trying to get her last few drinks paid for by desperate men seeking company. The man watched her closely with his peripherals.

She sat down at the bar and scanned the room over her shoulders. Searching for the next sorry sap to buy her a drink and receive nothing more than a flirtatious thank you.

The man decided this was his opportunity and therefore he had no problem playing that role.

He tossed back the dregs of whiskey left in his glass and made his move.

As he walked over she pretended not to notice him and turned away, but he could see the sly smile creeping up on the corner of her mouth.

The man pulled up the barstool next to her and sat down.

"What are we drinking tonight, sweetheart?" the man asked as he looked her up and down.

She wore a short reaching dress that revealed athletic legs. Legs that made a man's heart dance in his chest cavity. A forbidden fruit. Women of this caliber never did more than flirt. At least not with men they met at bars. The man knew the type. He was playing a different game tonight though, so he wasn't too worried. The anxiety he'd before felt in similar situations was now replaced with ironclad confidence.

"Are you offering to buy me a drink?" the woman asked. Her words were articulated better than the man anticipated. Maybe the wobbly walk coming in was all show.

"Indeed, I am," confirmed the man. "So what'll it be?"

The woman didn't hesitate, "Bailey's on the rocks."

"Interesting choice," said the man and he ordered two Bailey's on the rocks.

"What can I say? I'm in the mood for something a little creamy," the woman gave him a playful wink as she said this.

The man had to stifle a laugh at the cheesy comment, but didn't allow it to deter from the chemistry they were developing.

They shared a few more drinks over small talk. The man having one for every two she downed. Eventually the woman announced, "I've got to go. It's getting late."

To which the man replied, "Let me walk you out."

The woman objected, but the man remained persistent. Even offering to drive her home because of her current condition, but she stayed strong and argued his state of mind wasn't much better.

So, the man let the woman leave. Then waited a minute or two to follow her. Through the sodium lighting in the parking lot he watched her climb into her car. He continued to watch her as she turned out of the parking lot.

Quickly he jumped into his own vehicle and pursued her. As they drove the man used what few vehicles remained on the road as a shield. Keeping him just out of sight of her rearview mirror.

The man noted her driving was close to flawless, proving she wasn't as drunk as she'd originally portrayed herself. Completely unaware, she led the man right to her home on the outskirts of the city.

Parking just outside of where the neighbor's porch lights stretched, the man killed his engine and observed the woman's house.

The house was dark as the woman entered, then a light clicked on in the top left window. Bingo, thought the man. Her bedroom.

He waited awhile longer. Waiting for the night owls to find their nest before making a move. His heart thrumming in his chest became his anthem. His call to action. The indicator that a thrill fulfilled would soon follow.

When he'd waited for what he thought was enough time for the woman to fall asleep, he crept up to the house. It appeared the tipsy woman had forgotten to turn her porch lights on. Another sign of a good opportunity to take advantage of.

The man stepped onto a nicely groomed lawn and inched his way up to the house. He only took a couple of steps when a motion light flashed on and he noticed a camera nestled nicely at the corner of the front door. A couple warning signs that she probably had an alarm system as well.

"Shit," mumbled the man as he turned back to his truck and abandoned his plan.

Preparing for about a twenty minute drive back to the heart of the city the man decided to stop at a nearby gas station. A little mom-and-pop shop. A low-key place with only one car filling up.

The man pulled up next to the guy pumping gas and blared his horn. It startled the guy standing at the pump and caused him to almost fall over.

"What the hell is your problem?!" screamed the man pumping his gas as the other man began filling up his own tank.

The man didn't respond. Instead he pulled out a lighter and lit a cigarette.

"Did you hear me, dickhead? I asked what your problem was?" the man stepped closer to the man smoking.

The man dropped the cigarette and let the orange tip burn itself out on the cold pavement. Then a smile borrowed from the devil spread across his face. He pulled the gas nozzle from the tank and turned it toward the man shouting at him.

He soaked the angry man as best he could with the gas, then in one fluid motion he brought the flame from his lighter right up to the end of the nozzle.

It was just short of a flame thrower, engulfing the man in flames.