The Bar

Light laughter flowed through the old bar like music. People chattered endlessly over worn mahogany tables. The atmosphere was joyous and friendly.

"Hey Joe, wanna hear a joke?" asked large fat friendly looking bald man in a raspy boisterous voice as he took a sip of his beer.

"What the 'ell! Sure. Tell me H'enry" the bartender Joe, a large burly man, boomed in good spirit.

"What'd ya call a cow with no legs?" Henry asked as he slammed down his mug on the bar table.

"GROUND BEEF!" he exclaimed laughing loudly, giving Joe no time to react.

His laughter echoed off the walls of the bar. Henry stopped laughing when he noticed that Joe was not laughing. Joe was staring wide eyed at the bar door. The room had gone silent and the laughter died in Henry's throat.

A large cloaked stranger loomed at the doorway casting a long eerie shadow. His mere presence seemed to radiate malevolence. The stranger walked slowly towards the stool beside Henry. His heavy footsteps echoed through the room. Henry gave an involuntary shudder as the stranger sat on a stool beside him.

"C-can I g-et ya som'tin mate?," the bartender stammered. The bar's occupants waited for an answer in dreary anticipation.

The stranger pulled down his hood revealing a thick jawed man with a dark beard shadow. He had an old scar on the right side of his face.

"Juice," the stranger said in a high pitch feminine voice. "Orange Juice"

The whole bar took in his voice and words that extremely contradicted his appearance, and after a moment of silence, laughter broke out throughout the bar and its atmosphere returned to its former condition.

"What is your name champ? And what is a gruff lookin fellow like you doin ordering a ladies drink like orange juice" inquired Joe, with a light hardy grin, as he handed the stranger his orange juice.

The stranger sipped his orange juice slowly and answered, "Athyne" ignoring the later question.

"Never heard dat name before," Joe said before being beckoned by another customer.

"So ur name is Athyne eh?" said Henry enthusiastically, as Joe left to attend to another one of his customers.

"My name is Henry, nice to meet ya" Henry added as he held out his hand in polite greeting.

Athyne shook his head lightly as he reached for his orange juice once more, "I'd rather not"

"Pardon me?" replied Henry looking rather stunned. "Why don't ya wanna shake hands with me?"

Seconds passed, Athyne didn't answer

"Well answer me, that's the least you could do after being so rude" Henry whispered in an irritated undertone.

"Shut up" Athyne squealed with a smirk which quickly disappeared.

"Shut Up eh? What're ya gonna do ta stop me?"

Athyne looked up at Henry and gave him a hard stare. Henry countered by crinkling his eye brows and flaring his nostrils. Fumes from the alcohol he had been consuming appeared to emit from his breath.

"I'll tell you- a story," Athyne muttered ominously.

Henry stared back with a blank stare confused.

Athyne whispered his story into Henry's ear, making sure only Henry would hear what he had to say.

"Once upon a time there was a girlie man that liked to wear girl's underwear …

He picked a fight with a badass that was better than him …

And that badass beat him to death in an alleyway and ate his stupid face so that the world wouldn't be cursed with the idiot's presence anymore."

Henry said nothing, as he stared at Athyne's shadowed, barely visible face. His past argument was forgotten.

" 'enry?" Joe questioned uncertainly, as he returned from his previous customer.

"What the …" stammered Henry turning red as he faltered for a second, then continued more steadily. "Where the hell did that come from!?"

Athyne's lips lifted upwards into a malicious smirk. "Your thong is showing."

Henry pulled up his pants looking around nervously.

"Where'd you come up with such a stupid made up fairy tal-?" continued Henry suddenly regaining his previous composure.

"'enry. Don't start anything. Why ar you angry?" Joe said nervously.

"Piss Off!" Henry said loudly gesturing with his hand theatrically, he turned to Athyne and hissed.

"What the hell's wrong with you?! Coming into a bar, speakin like a woman and ordering orange juice. Talking bullocks to people you barely know! Are you mental? What kind of story was that? A threat!? Were you threatenin me!?"

"A story is what it is… whoever said I meant anything by it?," Athyne said laughing softly.

" 'enry… I think you've had a good to many beers" Joe intervened.

"Thanks for the drink," Athyne said lightly as he rose gulping down his orange juice in one shot. He said nothing more as he walked towards the exit.

"Oi!" Henry yelled "Where the hell do you think you're going?" He then proceeded to throw his empty beer bottle at him. It hit Athyne right on the back of his head.

Athyne stopped abruptly glancing over his shoulder briefly and said, "That wasn't nice" then he continued walking.

Henry looked angrily at the door that Athyne had left through. Henry growled, "Threaten me!?, How dare he?! Who does he think he is—"

His thoughts were interrupted as Joe said hotly, "'enry! Why'd you do that!?"

"Err-," said Henry surprised.

"Why were you rude?," said Joe without waiting for him to reply.

"H-," stammered Henry.

"I won't tolerate such behavior in my bar! You just drove a costumer out!," Joe bellowed without breaking his rhythm.

"Wha-"

"GET OUT!!" Joe bellowed. All eyes in the bar turned.

"Bu-"

"NOW!!"

Henry got up angrily and left. The eyes in the bar followed him out.

Henry stomped down the puddle ridden street away from the bar. He walked after Athyne who was barely visible in the distance.

"What the 'ell!? I thought that Joe knew me better than that. Then he takes the side of a stranger!!! I'll get that Athyne guy! I'll teach him manners," muttered Henry as he stormed down the street and into an alleyway he saw Athyne turn into. He felt as if he could smell Athyne.

The alley was dark from the shadow the buildings cast upon it. Garbage littered the floor and the walls were old and worn. Nothing stirred.

Henry walked on until he reached the end of the alleyway. Dead end.

And then everything went black. A soft high pitch voice whispered from the darkness, coated with hatred, and malevolence.

"Gotcha…," whispered the voice.

But Henry could hear nothing for he was dead.