We arrived at a small town, under the pitch black night. The folks weren't exactly the friendly type either. I strolled around the street searching for an eatery or at least a snack-bar.
I found a bar and I went in. I was greeted with the silence the moment I got in. The bustling bar had turned into a graveyard.
"You lost fella?" the male bartender asked as he reached his hand below the counter.
"You need food or milk?" He asked again and that's when I knew something was up. I turned around and looked at the fear stricken men and women staring at me.
"Good Sir, is it liquor you want?" he asked again. I smelt gunpowder and I knew the bartender was holding a gun ready to shoot in case I turn out to be the bad guy.
He was a middle-aged bald man, he wasn't brawny, he seems to not have eaten for a year.
"Do you have steak? With lots of sauce. Oh yeah, I'll need that milk you mentioned earlier as well." I said. I still stood by the door.
"Pick a table Sir. I will get your orders ready." he said and was about to leave when I recalled something.
"How much will that be?" I asked and walked towards an empty table.
"That would be $12.17¢." He said and walked into the inner room.
I sat down as I waited for my meal, I was so hungry but I hadn't enough money to spare. Only a simple meal cost this much, I didn't dare think of how much a meal in the city will cost.
The steak arrived with a bottle of milk, but I didn't touch it just yet, I could smell fear from the bartender and I noticed the customers throwing curious and fearful glances at me, I needed to know why, so I called the bartender over.
"What's wrong with this town? And why were you so scared that you reached for you gun below the counter?" I asked with a straight face.
He wanted to refute what I had just said but then he exhaled and became gloomy.
"This town's a dead one, best to finish your meal and leave while ya still can." He said as he wiped his greasy hands with a dirty towel.
"And why's that?" I probed further.
"Its always been this way for the past twenty years. They just come in, take a few people and vanish. We called for help ya know, British Intelligence sent us Agents but none of 'em made it out of that dreaded tower." He looked at me but he saw I was listening attentively so he continued.
"We decided to ask for help from other countries, but guess what? Our very own government covered it as rumors and hoax. The folks and I had no choice but to live with it as them witches won't even let us leave. This is just another Salem I tell ya, just another Salem run by them evil witches." By the time he was through with his story, I was through with my steak.
"Who are these witches?" I asked as I reached for my bottle of milk.
"The Americans call them; The Red Blood Opposition or RBO for short. Our government call them; Versatile Dark Mages. But I say this sonny, whatever they're call, it ain't changing the fact that these witches are evil." He was quaking with anger, but I knew his anger came from helplessness and his inability to save even himself.
"So where's this dark tower you mentioned?" I asked casually but he still turned to me sharply like he's been pricked by a needle.
"You ain't thinking of heading there, right sonny? I tell ya, its all dead and ghosty in there."
"Nah, I'm not going there to play around, I'm actually here to kill them." I said grinning.
The moment I said that, the entire bar became dead silent, so silent one could hear a pin drop. A few seconds later, they burst into a hearty laughter.
"Did I say something funny?" I asked the bartender.
"We're just wondering how you plan to win. Think about it sonny, you ain't got no army, no guns, no armored truck and you plan to march off straight to the tower. Whatcha gonna do? Fight them with this fancy swords of yours? I tell ya kid, this ain't Legend of the Seeker." Then they all burst out laughing again.
"Just point me to the tower and I'll do the rest." I said frowning.
"Ya serious heh?, okay but its ya funeral. I'll give you direction alright, but I ain't going with ya." He said and walked back to his counter. I drank my milk in silence as I mulled over what he just said.
He came back a couple minute later with a piece of paper and tossed it on the table.
"Don't get ya self killed kid. Social media post ain't worth your life."
I took the paper, glance at it, pocketed it and stood up.
"Thanks for the advice but this isn't a live stream, I'm really going to kill them." I then turned and walked out the door. I could hear them murmuring their disapproval but I cared less, I'm here on mission.
"Let's go kill some witches." I said and merged with the darkness.