It was in my dreams that I first saw the man with violet eyes. When I first met him, he called out to me. I was special, he said, a god among ants, a master among slaves. It was then, as the earth took her last few breaths that I saw him face to face.
It was a slow night at Fat Eddie's. The regulars sipped their drinks, shot pool, and watched dismally as underpopulated football teams kicked off. Few spoke, and fewer smiled. The windows of the bar overlooked a red sea and sky as the sun set upon the Gulf of Mexico.
"Hey Olley, can I get another painkiller?" James, one of the regulars said.
"Comin' up brother," I said. I knew he needed it. Last month not only did his daughter catch the deep sleep, but his wife caught it while driving, causing her to crash at full speed into a tree. My painkillers were particularly good at helping poor sods like James forget about the present and remember the way things used to be. Two ounces rum, five ounces of pineapple juice, cream of coconut, a dash of mango puree, and a tab of the good stuff. As I mixed his drink, I popped a tab myself, for the nerves.
As James sipped his drink, one of the pool players slumped over across the pool table. Great, another one victim of the deep sleep. James grimaced as he heard the thud.
"Don't turn around if it's going to upset you" I said as I moved from behind the bar.
"I'll take him to the hospital at the end of my shift. It's best if y'all say goodbye now" I said to the group playing pool as I hoisted the man up and began moving him to the back room away from the patrons.
The epidemic of coma victims began the prior year, though despite the ample amount of time given to the medical professionals of the world, not only was there no known cure, there was no known cause for the many victims. The spread of deep sleep simply happened to random people for no known reason. A few would eventually wake up, but most simply starved to death when not given intravenous nourishment. In the wealthy nations of the world, the epidemic didn't cause as many deaths, though, in the third world massive numbers of deaths have since created anarchy in history's greatest humanitarian nightmare.
I opened the eyes of the latest victim to be sure it wasn't merely the alcohol that knocked him out but was dismayed to find the tell-tale sign of deep sleep. The man's eyes had turned a vibrant shade of purple.
As I returned to the bar from the back room, I found a new guest waiting for me.
"Sorry brother, I was tied up in the back. What can I get for you?" I said to the man.
"I'll have an old-fashioned Olley" the man replied. I did a double take as I heard him say my name.
"Oh, do I know you, sir?" I asked, though upon closer inspection the man was indeed familiar, though I couldn't place where I'd met him before.
"Damn Olley, you don't remember me? I've known you since you were this tall" he said, raising his hand a few feet above the bar.
"You knew my parents then?" I asked.
"Well, I knew of them. You and I share a stronger bond than that. Have you forgotten the dozens of meetings we've had?"
I gazed upon him. The man wore an expensive looking leather jacket, brown slacks, and dress shoes. His trimmed goatee extended an inch from his chin, and his sharp features granted him the aura of someone dangerous. But it was his dark, violet eyes that really caught my attention. It looked as if a man inflicted with deep sleep had sat at my bar with perfect lucidity. They were indeed eyes I'd seen before.
"Wait, we haven't met, or at least, not here," I said, trying not to sound like a madman to a man I'd only seen in dreams. Truthfully, I'd had dreams of this man for the better part of a decade growing up, though I'd assumed he was merely a figment of my imagination.
"Right you are Olley," the man said in a European accent I couldn't place. "I'm sorry to hear about what happened to Will, by the way, terrible luck. And good old Freddy back there" the man said, pointing toward the back room. And Will, how would he know about him? "Its too bad all of the hospitals in the area are at max capacity. If he'd taken ill just a few months prior, they'd be able to keep him alive through the sleep. They'll just have to let him starve at this rate."
"You've been to the hospitals recently then?" I said.
"Oh, I'm there as we speak. I'm in all hospitals across this great planet, yet here I am as well".
"What's that supposed to mean? You barhopping or something?"
"No my friend, I am completely sober. I simply know things. I have a connection if you will. Speaking of which, how is Will? I know you bought medical supplies, though I heard IV solution is quite expensive. How are you affording it working at a dirty place like this?" Again, he mentioned Will. My best friend, my companion had also fallen into the deep sleep. His beautiful dark eyes had changed into that terrible violet shade.
"I make due." Truthfully, I hadn't been able to afford the supplies to keep Will alive for long. It was with my special recipe that I afforded the one thing keeping him alive.
"I can show you, but it's going to cost extra" I said.
"Ah, you've paid for the expenses with those little tablets in your pocket have you?" the man said, chuckling. "No, I have no need of such things. The old-fashioned will do". I placed his drink in front of him. "Ah, that's more like it" the man said.
"So how do you know about Will?" I asked.
The man sipped his drink. "It is my job to know these things. You've peaked my interests, what kind of man would I be to not know about your life?"
"What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" I said.
"I know you because you're special. I've known since the day you took your first breath that you're destined for greatness. It is sad that you've wound up in a dive like this, but I'll be rectifying that soon. Say, how about we make a deal? You'll be able to do much more than simply feed the one you care about" the man said. "But first, let me repay you for a wonderful drink."
The violet-eyed man snapped his fingers, and I began to hear rustling from the backroom. After a few seconds of silence, the pool playing victim from earlier walked out of the backroom holding his head. His friends rushed to him, in shock he was standing before them.
"You know how rare it is that a deep sleeper awakens. What if I could call out to our friend Will and give him the courage he needs to open his eyes once again?" the violet-eyed man said. "You've already done me a service in providing this wonderful drink, and for that, I've given Freddy over there a second chance to live his life and play his favorite game." the man said motioning to the group of pool players.
" For another service, I can extend that to Will as well."
I stood in shock. The pool playing man was definitely in deep sleep just a few minutes ago, and yet here he was, hugging his friends and shaking with excitement. I turned back to the mysterious man. His eyes pierced me. He was indeed not someone to fuck with. "What do you need me to do?"
"There's someone I need you to find. His name is Alexander Richards. I know he is in the greater Houston area, but I cannot find him myself. You will find him for me." the man said. He opened his jacket and pulled a gun out. "He is a dangerous man and leads a band of vagrants. You would do well to not interact with him. Under normal circumstances I would be content to simply send a few, less special, associates of mine to do the job, however currently you are best suited for it. Kill Mr. Richards."
"You want me to kill someone!" I exclaimed in a hushed tone.
"You want me to wake your lover up, do you not?" the man said. "That is not something that can be done for free, and this is the only payment I will expect from someone of your stature."
"What does that even mean? I'm not special. I'm just a bartender." I said
"Oh, when you come to understand your true destiny, you will wish you were just a bartender."
The man left the pistol on the bartop, got up, and left without another word. I quickly hid the gun beneath the counter.
"Hey Olley, another painkiller please" James called to me from the other side of the bar.
"Yeah, sure thing James," I said, my heart racing. Could I really kill a man? As I passed James his drink, I looked upon his face. A glazed look was plastered upon his face. He was in a much happier place, though another 'special' painkiller would be dangerous. I thought about withholding the drink but decided against it. I wasn't in the mindset to throw out someone for drinking too much.
Maybe death isn't the worst thing in the world. If I was going to kill this Richards fellow, that was a fact of life I would have to acquaint myself with.
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