This World of Love and Strife by Shawn Mackey

Author:Shawn Mackey [Mackey, Shawn]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: DX Varos Publishing, Inc.
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

The Last Grunge was packed more than usual on a Thursday night. Mephisto had the misfortune of arriving in the middle of a live performance by one of the local bands. The lead singer had a voice like a banshee and he couldn’t tell from a brief glance whether it was a man or woman.

All he needed was to see Absalom. Mephisto walked around the bar, making his way to the back lounge. The walls were covered in three Rs: the symbol of Riff Raff Revolt. The thought of it made him sick. Once upon a time, he not only counted himself among that insufferable lot, but was proud of the fact. During a particularly brutal bender, he nearly got the letters tattooed on his forehead. That was when he was vocalist in a band just as bad as the one playing that night.

The bouncer stopped him at the lounge entrance. The brawny man was brand new, or at the very least, replaced the previous guy since Mephisto had been at The Last Grunge half a year ago.

“They’re not expecting anyone,” the man said, arms folded. He curled his lips in disgust. “Definitely not anyone with a grill like yours.”

“What is this, a gentleman’s club all of a sudden? Tell Absalom that Mephisto is here to see him.”

“Okay,” the bouncer said with a shrug. He walked into the room, then stepped out less than a minute later. “He says to come later.”

“Tell him I’ve got his money,” Mephisto said. The bouncer shrugged again before going back inside the lounge. This time, he returned almost immediately.

“You’re good,” he said, opening the door. Mephisto stepped inside, and mercifully, the music was muted the moment the door closed behind him.

He expected a large crowd, only to find Absalom and a raven-haired woman. She was well dressed and certainly didn’t fit in with the group outside. She flashed a smile, but the moment Mephisto reciprocated the gesture, it faded.

“It’s been too long,” Absalom said, motioning to a chair next to the woman. “Charmaine, meet Warren.”

“A pleasure,” Mephisto said, shaking the woman’s hand. He couldn’t help feeling a tinge of embarrassment upon hearing his real name. Not that he was ashamed of it. On the contrary, he was sick of his moniker.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Absalom said with a sly smile. “How could a man fill his mouth with that tacky garbage? Why don’t you tell her, Warren?”

“The real reason or the one I usually tell people?” Mephisto asked with a laugh. When Absalom didn’t reply, he went on to tell the story: “I’m sure you’re familiar with the tooth fairy. Her name’s Shaylee. She’s not as cute as her name. I made the mistake of invoking her around three years back. In this very room, actually. Put a curse on my teeth. They started rotting, one at a time. It’s more unpleasant than you can imagine. I got sick of waiting for the inevitable and had them all pulled. Planned on getting implants, but at the last minute realized she’d just ruin those too.

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