18581002 22:00:02

18581002 22:00:02

PL-N-0400

"Jesse! Get your God damned pansy ass out here!"
Cook looked up from the table through the window to see Eugene Dobson standing in the middle of the gravel road. His inebriation was strong enough to make the sway of his body visible from that distance and through the dark of the night. He nodded to Tazewell with a smirk and received a shrug in response. With a sigh, he pushed his feet against the ground to give clearance from the table and arose to leave from the saloon. As he stepped out, he reflexively ran his fingers over the links of the metal chain which was wrapped around his waist. A cursory glance around the area as he stood at the outer door gave him a chance to see that a small ring of spectators had formed in the road around Eugene, one of whom stood nearly a foot taller than the rest without considering the large hat that he wore. This was Eugene's friend, and he stood opposite from him at the edge of the ring.
"There you are! Cmere you snake!" Eugene curled his entire arm towards himself while making the taunt.
Cook casually walked over and kept his stare upon Eugene as the other spectators gradually turned their heads towards his approach. The men gradually parted a path for Cook to walk into as he drew near, and he soon stood still in front of Eugene's friend.
"Awright now, you wanna fight me? You wanna be a big man? Let's fight now, son - but without your toy of yours. Drop that whatever the fuck that was, and stand up to me with your fists like a god damned man!"
"What toy?"
"Oh, now you're afraid eh? Now you deny it? That's it on your waist now, ain't it? You're nothing but a pile of shit unless you fight me without that thing on you. Drop it or be a coward!" After saying this, Eugene looked over to his friend standing behind Cook and waited for the snatch to happen.
"This? This belt? It's no toy. It's a belt. You want it so bad, here." Cook knew to expect his friend to steal it away from him on the ground, so he resolved to drop it directly into his hands instead, and did so with a contrite nod. The friend bobbled the heavy chains in his hands but quickly collected the links into his arms and frantically dug his fingers around the chain and attached bracelet loop in an attempt to get it to activate. He pressed onto indentations and grooves but found nothing which responded to his touch. The metal links remained intact.
Cook turned his back to Eugene and walked backwards to make himself closer as they joined the spectators in watching the man fumble with the chains. Eugene's mouth hung open in astonishment. It was the same chain that he had seen yesterday, there was no mistaking it - it had the same sheen and structure and carried the same resonance as the metal links collided with each other. It was the same chain - but in his hands, it did nothing. Once he stood close enough, Cook balled his left hand into a fist, pivoted upon his back foot, and suddenly swung his entire body around to strike Eugene directly in the mouth. The strike split his lips apart and the sound of the punch and his reactionary muffled yell echoed from the darkened buildings nearby. Cook turned to face Eugene as he fell to one knee and felt the blood run over his hand that he held against his mouth. Cook spread his right leg back slowly and prepared his right fist for the next punch, then asked a question in a single word.
"Surprised?"