Blood,Money,Tears in The Pub

Chapter 1:The PubThe crackling doors open and the windows shake as if they're about to fall off. Inside, the air is covered in smoke, ash of cigarettes everywhere the eye can see. AC/DC music is playing loudly, five snooker tables down and one table upstairs.A tall man wearing a pink shirt, in his late 30s and nearly balding, is playing fast, as lighting on the table in the left corner. Red, black, red, black; he's on a break of 96, not too far off from a maximum break of 147, before he misses the red on the cushion."Oh, too bad, mate," one of the watchers says. The onlookers, numbering five, are disappointed. They have never witnessed a live maximum break in their lives. One of the onlookers slowly takes out a cigarette, puts it to his lips, looks around for his lighter, then lights up the cigarette, inhales deeply, and puffs out the smoke. He slowly licks his lips, feeling the smoke of the tobacco before speaking, "You should've taken your time.""Oh, shut it, Lester," the man wearing a pink shirt replies. "I do not procrastinate; they don't call me Rex 'Rocket' Ryan for nothing!" Lester shrugs, almost as if he were in slow motion. Rex then begins setting up the balls for another frame. An elderly, short, chubby man with a gray ponytail and a long beard limps towards Rex."Come on, Rex, you've been here for 8 hours playing. Don't you think it's enough? You'll drive me customers away," says the owner of the bar, Angus 'Goat' McGregor."I can't stop, Goat. Once you've played snooker, you can never stop. It's worse than alcohol. Snooker is the greatest sport in the history of the world and the hardest. The 147 maximum, potting 15 reds and 15 blacks, then the colors: yellow, green, brown, blue, pink, and the final black. 36 shots. Nothing's harder, and I will achieve the maximum, you mark my words."The old man sips his beer. "Rex, I know you're obsessed with snooker. Hell, even I am when the championships arrive. But I'd say I enjoy football more."Rex scoffs, "Football? I don't consider it a real sport."Almost everyone heard him and turned their heads to Rex. "What do you mean?" one man said.Rex responded seriously, "In football, you run... run like a little bitch! But in snooker, you stand and FIGHT! There is no running from your problems; you face them head-on. Every mistake you make is on you, and every great thing you do, there is no one to assist you or to leech off your success. In snooker, it's you and the table, and that is why it is the best sport. And I, Rex 'Rocket' Ryan, am the greatest snooker player of all time!"They all clapped with joy. Rex always brought so much life into the old pub."Don't flatter yourself, Rex." Everyone went quiet when they saw who had arrived. The music was turned down; just silence remained. Some spilled their drinks and some even gulped at the sheer presence of this man. Even the Rocket started to scratch his neck. It was the man he despised the most.Chapter 2:The Sphinx"Make way, make way, everybody!" the short man with slicked-back black hair yelled as he pushed everyone aside. He adjusted his golden necklace and the jewelry on his fingers, then laid a red carpet on the floor and opened the door for the current number one snooker player in the world, Julian 'The Sphinx' Jackson.Julian slowly walked in, not blinking, scanning the building like a bird of prey. He then turned to the bartenders and said, "Clean the table, peasants." The table upstairs is his table, and only he is permitted to play there. The short man, his manager Mickey 'The Mouth' Davies, started cleaning Julian's boots as Julian drank a glass of milk.Julian always wears his golden waistcoat and keeps his ginger hair nicely kept. He is always serious, and it shows when he plays. They say beating him is like trying to solve an impossible riddle.Julian has won the world championships seven times, currently six in a row, and of the last 20 tournaments, he has won 18 of them. When he walks in, everyone looks away. The whole pub gets cleaned, and sometimes it must even be redecorated, and his snooker table gets brushed for exactly 30 minutes. Rex sits staring at him across the room, seething. Mickey orders five pints of beer for himself and pays half the price.Rex dashes towards them. "I'm sick and tired of you two plonkers acting so high and mighty. Who the fuck do you think you are to invade my place?! In here, I am a king!""And I'm God," replied Julian coldly and seriously as he stood up, towering over Rex."Oi, I'll handle this. You go upstairs and practice," said Mickey as he went in between them. Rex and Julian exchanged looks before Julian headed upstairs."Now, Rex, why don't I buy you a drink?""Piss off, Mouth.""Alright, more for me," he sipped his beer. "So, how's the missus?"Rex started to sweat."Oh, right, sorry mate. You got divorced after you beat her drunk. Now I feel bad for asking you for a drink, but you do still drink considering that there's your cue over there where that bloke Lester is, and beer right next to him, and that wanker only ever drinks tea."Rex pointed his finger at Mickey and leaned in. "Listen here, you little sausage, I'm going to be a world champion this year."Mickey laughed, "You said that last year and you lost to The Sphinx 13-1. You broke down, mate. You've been serving a 12-month ban; you must be rusty, eh? I doubt you'll even qualify this year."Rex grabbed him by his tie."Careful now, I could sue you for this."Rex's eyes twitched, but he had no choice but to let go."Good boy. Don't get all tough. You're balding at 39 and you wear a pink shirt. It's not intimidating; frankly, it's embarrassing." Mickey laughed as Rex stormed back to his table, cursing under his breath.His eyes always turned red when he saw Julian. Rex kept drinking to calm his nerves and kept a watchful eye on The Sphinx. The more he looked, the more horrified he got, as Julian hadn't missed a single ball for three hours straight.Chapter 3:Beer and TeaLester 'Turtle' Finch slowly walks around the table for the fourth time, eyeing the pink ball. He gets into the textbook snooker stance, goes down with his cue, not taking his eyes off the pink ball. He strokes five times before getting up and chalking his cue, then he goes again only to get up once more.Rex's blood is boiling. He usually deals with this type of situation by smoking cigarettes, but he's all out. Finally, Lester pots the pink ball and then eyes the frame-winning black ball. Rex sprints out of his chair and throws the black ball to the ground."I was about to pot that"Rex scoffed. "You damn slowpoke! If I knew you were gonna play like this, I would've shaved my head bald, as I knew it would grow right back by the end of the match."Lester put his cue down. "Well, since I've won 4-3, you owe me a cup of tea."Rex rolled his eyes. "You and tea. Drink beer, man. It's for men."Lester waves his hand. "Tea is relaxing; it helps me focus in a match.""Oh please, Lester, you don't need five minutes to decide which simple red you're gonna pot... and then you follow it up by missing the simple red. You gotta be quick on the table. That's why you haven't won as much.""I am a world champion and yo—""Oh, don't start it, Turtle!""Oi, thanks for the free extra drinks, blokes. We'll be off. See ya at the world championships," says Mickey as he opens the door for Julian, and they leave.Lester slowly smokes his cigarette and sips his tea. "Ah, Julian watching him play snooker is like seeing the majestic Sphinx.""What's so majestic about a bitch's head glued to a lion?""I meant Julian's strength as a player. He is truly remarkable.It's always nice to see him."Rex was getting annoyed but suddenly smirked. "I still can't believe you lost the world championship final to him last year.""Thanks for reminding me.""You were 13-8 up and lost 18-14. How is that possible?"Lester put his teacup down and wiped his lips with a handkerchief. "He didn't miss, that's how."Rex drank his beer before he spoke. "Whatever, I'll win this year.""You haven't played a professional match since you got banned for 12 months. You must be rusty."Rex waved dismissively. "Nah, I've been practicing regularly. I'm aching to play someone, and I'll win it this year.""You're reaching old age, Rex."Rex scoffs. "Oh please, age doesn't matter. I don't know what's with you, Lester. You should fancy yourself winning the championship every year like a true winner."Lester shrugs. "I go where the wind takes me. And I assume you really fancy yourself winning this year?"Rex laughed. "I fancy myself winning it every year."Rex drank the last of his beer and put the money on the table. "See ya around, Turtle. I gotta go write my name on the qualifiers list."Chapter 4:The ViperLong lines are the bane of Rex's existence; he despises them, but that is the life of an adult. Finally, when it's his turn, he signs his name and pays the fee. His ban from snooker ended yesterday, just in time for the world championships. Rex never was the number one player in the world; the most he managed was reaching the second spot during the 1982-1983 season. He had been runner-up four times, in 1974, 1980, 1982, and 1983, with losses of 18-17, 18-16, 18-15, and 18-6—the last one being a devastating loss to Julian. He has won the Masters and the UK Championship, two big events, several times, but the grand event of all has escaped his grasp multiple times. Not a single day passes without him thinking of it."Oh look, if it isn't the Rocket," Rex's blood began to boil again once he saw him: Cornelius 'The Viper' Thorncroft, the snooker tour organizer whom everyone must refer to as the big boss."I'm not in the mood for your comments."Thorncroft faked a hurt expression. "Is that any way to talk to an old friend?""Friend? You banned me for 12 months!"Cornelius chuckled. "You got drunk and beat up the referee after you lost to the Sphinx 13-1 last year, not to mention your gambling.""I bet on myself to win!"Cornelius laughed again. "And look how badly that turned out for you. Look, Rex, you should simply retire. You're old, and you won't be able to compete properly. The game's changed. Younger people are coming. It's the end of the '80s. Next year, it's the beginning of the '90s. There's no room for you dinosaurs anymore."Rex scoffed. "You're one to speak. You're 75 years old. What are you doing being an organizer? Go home, put your feet up, sit back, relax. You're here pretending you're a hot shot when you could have a stroke any minute!"Cornelius laughed at his remark. "I am the single greatest thing that has happened to the sport. I have improved it so much that it is thanks to me people get to watch snooker on TV."Rex lit up a smoke to calm himself from lashing out; he knew he would be banned for life if he even gently pushed Cornelius."Oh, and Rex, there will be no more smoking or drinking in tournaments anymore."Rex's eyes widened. "What the fuck!?""You heard me. We are going to make snooker a real sport. We're attracting young people to the sport, and it won't get the bad reputation of before. No more drunkards playing the game. From now on, there will be only professional, sophisticated men. No more temper tantrums, spilling alcohol, and dimming the whole arena in smoke."Rex was disgusted. "Then what the hell are we gonna drink, then? Tea!?""No, just water, as in any real sport," Cornelius smirked. He was loving this interaction."You're insane, you snake. We're still being sponsored by a cigarette company, but we're not allowed to smoke!? You're ruining the culture of the game! God knows what else you've changed.""We also got rid of the abysmal flowers in the arena.""You son of a bitch!"Cornelius laughed hysterically."Damn you, snake. You just want money. You're making all these changes just so you can get money from some businessmen. If this was all to benefit snooker, I would bite the bullet. But you're only doing this so you can get more money. Why else is the prize money exactly the same as last year, huh!?" Cornelius grinned.Rex was shaking with rage. "Of course, there it is, the Viper.""Damn right. I'm the top dog here, and I get all the money for myself.""You greedy bastard, you don't give two shits about us players, all the work we put in. You don't care. We're just slaves. Julian is the only one you care about because he makes you money! And he only makes money because you keep shoving him down everyone's throats!"Cornelius leaned towards Rex. "No, Rocket, he is a winner. You're a sore loser. He doesn't miss a black off its spot for months, while the day you don't miss a black off the spot means you probably didn't play snooker. And your kind is about to go extinct. Your sloppy hitting-the-balls approach won't work. I have an army of young, skilled, talented players that will gut you. Soon, there will be an army of Julian-quality players that will make me rich, and you, my dear Rocket, will be penniless." Cornelius patted Rex on the shoulder. "You won't even qualify. Mark my words." And he left.Rex stormed off and headed to the practice room where many rookies were. Rex took a cola since drinking had been prohibited, and he was able to calm himself. He observed the rookies. "Let's see who I'm up against." He carefully eyed their skills. After having a family of snooker players and playing since he was five, Rex developed an eye for talent, and what he saw shook him. In practice matches, the newbies were clearing up the table in one go, barely missing.Chapter 5: QualificationRex arrived at the qualifying venue and was immediately disgusted. The venue was old, filled with cobwebs. The tables were slow and dirty, and the whole place was dimly lit and smelled of decaying fish. The only audience members were a man and his dog, a far cry from the usual 900 people watching Rex.He sat on the chair uncomfortably, feeling as if it could break at any moment. Regardless of the uncomfortable surroundings, Rex radiated confidence. He and his young, inexperienced opponent shook hands. Rex gave a firm grip and a mocking grin. "Good luck," he said.During the match, Rex played his usual style. He ran around the table, potting the balls without ever lining up the shot or staying still. He regularly slapped the table and threw his cue when things went wrong, and arguing with the referee was always expected. Despite his antics, Rex 'Rocket' Ryan won his match 10-2. He usually celebrated by jumping in the air and fist-pumping, a far cry from the usual professional approach of simply waving to the crowd and leaving. However, Rex didn't show his usual dramatics because by the time the match finished, no one was watching.At the top of the venue, there was a room that looked like a palace. A man with slicked-back, greasy blonde hair and a dirty buttoned shirt stuffed his face with donuts. His name was Clive 'Crumbs' Cunningham, a snooker commentator who treated every match like a football game. They say the only reason he was employed was because he was the cheapest. He reportedly slept in the commentary box and had a diet of only donuts and coffee. Clive spoke fast in his commentary, 'Oh God, oh God! What an awful shot! Ohhhhhh my goooooooooooood! He must not have a good time with his wife since he's missing so much! Ah, there he is, Kyren Eggplant Roy! Ah, the man who looks like if Monday were a person! What a shot by Robertson! Oh, where's the cue ball going? Well, one is playing safe, the other is refusing a pot. I mean, how do you expect to ever score a girl with that mentality?'Lester 'Turtle' Finch hated Clive as much as anyone, but he was only there to see how Rex was doing and needed information on the score of Rex's final qualifying match. He opened the door and was greeted with Clive's giggles. 'Oh my, oh my, it's a turtle, turtle, the turtle! I can't believe it!' Clive hopped towards Lester to hug him; however, Lester showed up with a cup of tea. Clive was immediately offended. 'You and your tea,' he grumbled. 'Who's playing now?' Lester asked.Clive rolled his eyes. "It's the Rocket." Lester nodded."How's he doing? I overslept, so I missed a lot.""Oh, trouble with the missus?" Clive grinned.Suddenly, a woman with long, muscular legs walked in. "You won't take long, will you Lester darling?""Oh, don't worry, 10 minutes at most."Clive's eyes nearly fell out of his sockets. He wanted to change the subject right away. "A-anyway, let's look at Rex. He's playing a newcomer."They both sat down. Lester slowly sipped his tea letting it remain in his mouth a bit before swalloling, then spoke. "Is he good?""Oh yeah, he's giving the rusty Rocket trouble. It was 2-0 for Rex, then it became 2-2. Rex went ahead 5-2, but the kid equaled it. Then Rex jumped up 8-5, then it was 8-8. Rex pushed to 9-8, but the kid forced a decider, and they're playing the final frame now."They both watched the final frame. Rex stood there, unable to believe he had to play a decider while his opponent was nervous. He broke off, but it was a poor and left Rex a chance with a long red. Lester set his tea aside and put his hands on his lap, gripping his pants as he spoke. "Easy, Rex, just take your time. No need to rush things." Within 8 seconds, Rex played the shot and missed. "No, Rex, no" Lester was dissapointed and started to worry. The kid made a break of 64 but missed the frame ball."He bottled it!" yelled Clive. Lester's heart sped up. He knew Rex needed to make a good safety shot since there was no pot available. Rex always avoided safeties like the plague – he was never good at them. However, to everyone's surprise, Rex took his time and made a decent safety. But their hopes were crushed when his opponent hid the cue ball behind the green, making a lethal snooker.Rex stood there, contemplating every bad decision he'd made in the match. He thought, 'How the hell is this possible? How can I be losing to a newbie? I'm not that rusty, dammit!' Rex knew every snooker player had a specialty – speed, scoring, long balls, slow play, safeties, or break building. To Rex's schock his opponent excelled at everything. He scored heavily, had incredible safeties, and was unbelievably fast. Rex's average thinking time was 18 seconds, while his opponent managed 15. Despite being faster, the kid was still more precise, scored better, and made vastly superior safeties.Rex's hands started to shake. Only Julian had ever made him this scared. Rex played the shot and fouled, failing to make contact with the red. He only had one more shot. Missing it would mean losing his tour card due to insufficient points to stay in the top 64. His 12-month ban had hurt him this badly.Rex laid down his cue, wiped sweat from his forehead, took a glass of water, returned to the table, gripped the cue, went down for the shot, and... made contact with the red. He returned to his seat feeling proud and thinking, 'That's right, Rex! Beat that fucking sausage! What will you do now, punk, huh?! You'll choke, that's right, you will!'His opponent had a difficult pot option in the middle right pocket. Rex grinned, begging his opponent to play it, knowing he would miss and leave an easy shot. The kid went down, took the shot... and potted it, clearing the table.Rex stood expressionless, a ringing in his ears. His legs didn't feel like his own. When he shook his opponent's hand, he wanted to say congratulations, but nothing came out. Lester looked down, unable to watch after the first pot. Clive was shaking the table in joy."The Rocket has been eliminated! He loses his tour card! The rusty Rocket has now exploded! The newcomer destroyed his career! He's the veteran crusher! Oh, poor Rex. He'll have to enter Q School and play with the rookies to get his tour card back, but I think permanent retirement is better for him! Ahahaha!"Lester saw Rex leave the venue. He wanted to go to him but knew it was best to leave Rex alone for the time being.Chapter 6:World ChampionshipA raging thunderstorm rumbled outside. Rex 'Rocket' Ryan went down to his basement where his snooker table was located. Traditionally, the cloth of the table is green, but Rex preferred a fiery red. Rex played on the table religiously, trying to make a maximum break but struggled to get past 32. He moved on to the line practice routine but failed to reach a break of 50. In frustration, he slammed the cue on the table, yelled, and repeatedly hit his shoulder. "WHY AREN'T YOU POTTING THE FUCKING BALLS? WHY, WHY!?"Deciding to keep it simple, he attempted to pot the black off its spot, but his mind was gone. By the end of the night, he had potted only 12 out of 100 blacks. He snapped his cue in half, threw all the balls on the ground, and trashed the furniture. Rex was screaming and crying, breaking everything until he suddenly stopped. He saw a picture frame of him and his ex-wife on the ground with the glass shattered. Rex knelt and cried until he fell asleep in his basement.In the morning, Rex paced back and forth impatiently. He awaited 9 AM for the World Championships to start. He felt sick to his stomach seeing others play at the great Crucible Theatre venue while he was forced to watch from the TV.The Crucible Theatre was lively with a crowd of 975; the venue was sparkling clean, and the table was in the best condition. Rex never cared for the players outside the elite 16 who had to qualify for every tournament, but after witnessing the horrifying double standard, he realized how awful it all was.Rex was rooting for his friend Lester to win; he was the only man that Rex could stand lifting the trophy. Rex dreaded Julian picking up the title again. Rex knew that Lester was the only one with a chance of beating Julian, and the two met in the quarter-final.Julian 'The Sphinx' Jackson had won his matches 10-0 and 13-0, while Lester 'Turtle' Finch won his matches 10-6 and 13-12, beating the same qualifier that defeated Rex. The match was set; the crowd was pumped by the announcer, and first came Julian with his walk-on music that differed from the rest. The usual walk-on music was a rock song, but with Julian, it was Mozart's Requiem. Julian came on stage dressed as a king wearing a crown; his manager Mickey "The Mouth" Davies threw flowers on the ground that Julian walked on. It was like this in every single one of Julian's matches. "Fucking clown," Rex muttered.Lester came out slowly, strolling like an old man. He looked relaxed and not at all intimidated. Rex sat and watched the match that spanned three sessions. Rex did not blink at all; every time Lester was playing, Rex shouted, "POT THE BALL, POT ALL THE BALLS!"However he would keep getting frustrated due to Lester's slow style of play. Every now and then, Lester would take his time, such as waiting five minutes before he decided which simple red he was going to play, or waiting three minutes to simply break off. Sometimes it would even take him 20 minutes to make a frame-winning break when the average is eight minutes. "GOD DAMMIT, MOVE YOUR ASS, TURTLE!" Rex's heart was pounding out of his chest every time Lester was on the table and he sweated while every time Julian played, he shouted, "MISS, MISS, FUCKING MISS!"The crowd was awestruck as both players played a high-quality match with big breaks almost every frame. Usually, the crowd would smoke, cough endlessly, and even move slightly during matches, but at the World Championships, no one would dare move. This year, cigarette smoking was banned, though the tournament was still sponsored by a tobacco company. Both players were evenly matched: Julian would win a frame, and Lester would win the next frame right away.As the match progressed, something strange happened. The average thinking time for Julian was 23 seconds, which is the average for most players.Lesters longest ever average thinking time per shot was 50 seconds; his usual range is between 30-40 seconds. His previous best was 28 seconds, but now it was 20 seconds—a lightning speed compared to his usual.It was the third and final session, the score 9-9. Julian potted a long red but didn't get position, so he played a safety shot which wasn't good and gave Lester an opportunity. He is now 40-1 in front."Come on, Turtle, come on, you got this! You'll lead for the first time in this match!" Lester lined up the black off the spot, went down, and missed it.Julian then cleared the table and won the next frames. Lester was too tired; he couldn't keep up his form and lost 9-13. Clive 'Crumbs' Cunningham, the snooker commentator, was livid: "THE TURTLE LOSES, THE HARE OUTRAN THE TURTLE! OH YEAHHHH! LESTER, OLD BOY, WILL BE JOINING HIS FRIEND, THE RUSTY ROCKET, AS ANOTHER REGULAR PUNCHING BAG OF THE SPHINX!"Julian would win his semi-final and final 16-7 and 18-3, winning the title. Once he lifted the trophy, Rex threw his remote at the TV, smashing it, and stared blankly at the wall for hours.Chapter 7:Turnover at the PubAngus 'Goat' McGregor and Lester 'Turtle' Finch entered the house of Rex 'Rocket' Ryan and found him on the ground with several beer bottles next to him. They rushed right away, pulling him to a chair, and Angus splashed water on Rex's face."Ugh, what the—" Lester slapped him."What the hell, Turtle!?""My apologies, it appears I hit a bit too hard," Lester said.Rex groaned. "What are you two dipsticks doing here?""To see how you're doing," Angus said.Rex turned to Lester. "How did you lose to that pale biscuit cunt?"Lester paused before he spoke. "Oh, you mean Julian. He was incredible.""Tch, that bastard. How could he have won? You played the best snooker in your life. Someone must've put something in your tea.""Now that you mention it, I did feel fuzzy and suddenly tired. My tea did not taste good. But, ah well. It's definitely nothing. Anyway, would you mind if I used your bathroom for a bit?""Go ahead," Rex said.Lester went to the bathroom while Angus brought cans of beer and tea. Rex was about to take a beer can, but Angus slapped his hand. "I think you've had enough, son."As Lester was washing his hands in the bathroom, he discovered something weird. "Rex... why do you have a towel with Julian's face on it?""...Oh, I use it to wipe my ass."The three of them ate a piece of cake that Lester's wife had made. Rex spoke, "Lester, I honestly don't know how you can take losing so well."Lester slowly shrugged. "It makes no difference. Losing is a simple reminder that you must be better next time."Rex didn't believe him. "Was there any match that you got upset over losing?""No."Angus was tapping his foot impatiently as he waited for Lester to finish sipping his tea. "Come on, man. I can't leave my pub unattended for too long. Come on, let's go."Lester finished his tea, and they began to head to the pub. Rex was nervous about showing his face there. He knew everyone would make fun of him for losing his place on tour, but with his friends there, he was more relaxed. Once he entered the pub and smelled the alcohol and cigarettes, all his worries disappeared.At the pub, Angus smoked his pipe, Rex had sparkling water (as drinking alcohol would make him sick), while Lester had tea."Dammit, Turtle, why are you obsessed with tea?"Lester slowly sipped his tea and said, "To me, it is liquid gold. It is what oxygen is to others," Lester said it nonchalantly as if it were a completely normal thing to say.Angus said, "I only ever drink tea when I'm ill."Then, screams were heard as children played around. This annoyed Rex. "God, how much I hate kids."Angus was upset; he loved kids. "How can you hate kids? You were a kid once too, Rex."Rex scoffed at this. "I was a great kid. You could bring me to the ends of the earth, and I wouldn't say a word!"Angus couldn't believe it. "Lester, mate, what do you think?"Lester couldn't say anything as then Julian, Mickey, and Cornelius walked into the pub. Mickey laughed and put his arm over Rex. "Oi, how are you, mate? Did you have a nice viewing of the World Championships, or did you muster any courage to even watch?" he grinned as Rex started to sweat. The whole pub went silent. Julian looked at everyone as if they were ants. He held his recently won trophy and came with a new expensive car. Mickey had new, more expensive jewelry on his hands while Cornelius began to speak."Out," Cornelius said, looking at Angus."E-excuse me, sir?""You heard me, old man. This is not your place anymore; it is mine." Cornelius put papers on the counter. Angus was horrified."B-but sir—""No buts. Get out!"Rex had to stand up like everyone else. He was utterly shocked. "What is going on here?"Cornelius chuckled. "It's simple. The old man isn't qualified to run this place. He got it by bribing the landlord with free alcohol. He turned what used to be the number one pub in the country into a pigsty. But I will change it. It will be cleaned, the walls repainted, and the prices will go up. There will be no more hustling, and as for the main snooker tour, players that lost their tour card won't be able to go to Q School to regain their tour card for 20 months. Oh, and you're forever banned from my pub."Rex gulped. "How the hell do you expect us to make ends meet!?""Not my problem, Rocket."Lester slowly sipped his tea and spoke. "Honestly, Cornelius, this is unfair. The only difference you need to make is to raise the prize money. At this rate, only Julian will ever get any decent money, and that's because he constantly gets promoted. Even winning all tournaments may not be enough to sustain living decently for anyone who isn't Julian."Cornelius laughed. "Oh, Turtle, even if you never missed a shot in your entire life, no one would ever watch you. The only matches you've ever won were by putting your opponent to sleep while you decide which simple red you'll pot."Angus stepped in, limping. "You can't insult people like that, and you can't just fire me even with this paperwork.""Oh, and why is that?" Cornelius sneered."Because I'm a goat."Cornelius burst out laughing."I-I mean greatest of all time.""At what?""Er..."Then Mickey jumped in. "At having a goat-like beard, hahaha."Lester slammed his hand on the counter, shattering his tea cup, and stood up. Mickey hid behind Julian, who was almost surprised at this, but Cornelius didn't move a muscle. Then, a tall, robust policeman entered."Any problems?"Some of the tavern patrons ignored the situation going on, but the few that did turned their heads right away once they saw the nearly 2-meter tall policeman. His name was George Steele, a mean-looking man who was 50 years old, had been on the force for over 20 years, and had a scorpion tattoo on his left forearm and the head of a lion on his right forearm. The pub used to be notorious for its fights and loud music playing at 2 a.m. when it should've been closed at 11 p.m. No police officer wanted to deal with the pub, but Steele did, and he knocked out anyone who was drunk. He especially gave Rex several beatings. He looked at Rex and George was almost shaking with rage. He looked like he wanted to strangle him.Cornelius spoke."No trouble. These three gentlemen were just leaving right now."Lester, Angus, and Rex were outside, looking at the pub as Cornelius barked orders inside, with the policeman by his side. No one would dare say anything to Cornelius now.Chapter 8:What now?The three of them sat at the kitchen table at Rex's house, feeling defeated. They all drank beer except for Lester, who drank tea. Angus had slept at the pub since it was his home, but now he lived with Rex. Lester stood up and walked towards the TV."I can't believe I lost my cool like that," he said as he sat on the couch and saw the smashed TV. "Rex, you need to fix the TV.""Oh, shut it, Turtle."Lester continued, "The country is going through a recession."Rex shook his head "We stole from the whole world. How can we be in a recession?""It is how it is. At this rate, it will be impossible to find jobs. I'll try to help you two the best I can, but I can't guarantee anything," Lester said.Rex stood up. "All of you, pack your bags. We're going to China."Lester was dumbfounded. "What on earth are we to do in China?""We're going to poach pandas!"Angus woke from his drunken slumber and said, "I ain't going to no communist country."Lester slowly smoked his cigarette and replied, "Angus, you're always the first to visit Chinese shops.""A shop is a shop."Rex deeply inhaled his cigarette, sipped his beer, and said, "Relax, Goat. In a year or two, communism will fall, and China will be called the Democratic Republic of China. It will be as democratic as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, but one thing will not change: the Chinese obsession with snooker. Their tournaments are the only ones where players get to earn good money. We will go there, play some snooker, play some pool, hustle some poor bastards, and maybe along the way... poach some pandas."Lester shook his head. "It simply won't work, Rex. The expenses, not to mention we could get into trouble with the law. It's suspicious of you suddenly wanting to go to China when you said you would never go there in the past. And then there's the flight from the UK, the hotels, and not many people speak English. We'll need a translator. We simply won't reap any benefits."Rex paced back and forth. "We'll figure something out.""No, Rex."Rex sat down, gripping his hair. Lester smoked his cigarette and spoke. "Cornelius really is greedy. When I won the world title in 1979, I earned 10,000 pounds, while the golf world champion earned 60,000 pounds. Now, in 1989, the snooker champion earned 10,000 pounds while the golf champion earned 100,000 pounds. The first-round earners in 1979 were 500 pounds; in 1989, they were 250. This is simply ridiculous. Even Julian himself would have an average lifestyle as a winner, but he constantly gets promotions and is the only player that gets that."Rex sipped his beer and spoke. "I can't believe how that Cornelius got so much money. He looks like a rat, and his name is so pretentious. That's not his real name; that egotistical prick gave it to himself. That old cunt must've backstabbed every single person he ever laid eyes on. He and his damn icy blue eyes. Fucking wanker."Angus coughed and said, "I have a plan...but you won't like it."Rex was intrigued, so he leaned in. "Go ahead.""Well...we rob Cornelius."Lester spilled his tea while Rex said, "Interesting.""You can't be seriously thinking of this, Rex! We can't do this!"Rex raised his hands to calm Lester. "No, no, wait. I know Cornelius has a safe in his office at the Crucible Theatre."Lester stood up and backed away. "I want no part in this with you two, and how do you even know he has money there?""Oh, come on, Turtle. Cornelius is a money whore. He has money everywhere, and it probably won't even be much by his standards, but enough for us to bear the recession."Lester shook his head. "First the plan of poaching pandas, now robbing the snooker tour organizer? You two must share a single brain cell. I'm leaving."Rex grabbed Lester by the arm. "Listen, Lester, we won't rob him right away. We'll just check out the situation, see who's guarding it, and then we'll decide if we'll go through with it or not. I mean, we probably won't, but who knows."Angus joined in. "Don't worry, son. I'm good at cracking safes. All I require is a distraction."Lester deeply inhaled his cigarette. "Alright...but we will just check who's guarding it. Just check, only check. If we decide to rob it, then I demand a calculated plan. But right now, we will just peek at who the guard is, okay? And if IF it turns out to be Steele, I'm going the other way."Both Rex and Angus nodded. "Alright," said Lester as he inhaled his cigarette one more time.Chapter 9:The CrucibleLester parked his car outside the Crucible Theatre. The three of them got out slowly and walked towards the building. Lester had a key that gave him access inside."How the hell did you get that key?" asked Rex."I'm friends with the janitor. We usually come here right before the world championships, sit at the top, watch the empty arena, drink tea, and talk."Rex couldn't believe it. "Seriously? What is wrong with you?""Shush, you two. Keep your voices down," Angus whispered loudly.After almost getting lost, they found Cornelius's office. It was guarded by one guard who wasn't George Steele. Rex gave a sigh of relief. "Thank God it's only one fatass. We can take him."Lester grabbed him by the arm. "Are you crazy? We only came here to see. We're going out," he said, immediately dragging both of them outside.Rex lit a cigarette in the back and spoke, "This should be easy."Lester shook his head. "This was a terrible idea. I can't believe we did this."Rex leaned in. "Listen, Lester, this is easy money.""No, Rex, you're doing the extreme. Why commit a crime you know will backfire? There are still plenty of jobs you can get—being a cleaner, a garbage man, a janitor."Rex was livid. "Are you fucking with me!?""Rex, I think it's time you swallowed your pride. I can help you out with a little cash, but sooner or later, you're going to have to find any job you can. Robbing Cornelius will only result in pain for all of us. I'm going, and it's best we stay out of each other's hair for a few days."Lester left, and both Rex and Angus went home. Angus slept on Rex's couch and snored loudly. Rex couldn't sleep, so he played snooker all night. In the morning, Angus was drinking coffee and asked, "So what are we gonna do now?""What do you mean? We're doing it. We're going to take Lester's key, observe the fat guard for a whole week, get to know his schedule, and we're gonna get that safe."They waited for pitch black, 2 AM. Angus was driving without lights and slowly parked across from Lester's house. Angus inhaled and exhaled deeply."Calm down, old man. You're just the getaway driver."Angus smoked a cigarette. "I think I should go. If anything bad happens, it should be me that gets the blame."Rex scoffed. "You won't be able to do anything with that limb of yours. Relax, old man. I know Lester's house inside and out. There was a time when I would visit him twice a day for a whole week just because his missus makes the best biscuits, and she's not too hard on the eyes either, ahaha."Angus felt relieved. He breathed slowly and his heart calmed, but then his eyes widened at what he saw. Rex pulled out ham from his pocket."What are you doing, Rex? Are you going to rob Lester or have an early breakfast with him!?""Oh, shut it, Goat. The house fosters a vile beast of a dog. I need it not to bark."Angus wiped the sweat off his forehead and spoke. "Just get on with it. My old heart can't take this much stress."Rex exited the car and ran to the house. Angus nearly bit his tongue and was saying to himself, "Run slowly, you idiot. Look left and right." Rex reached the front door and began to pick the lock. Five minutes had passed, and he was still at it. Angus sat in the car, covered in sweat, frantically looking at all sides, hoping no one saw Rex. Angus began to bite his nails and even accidentally bit his fingers on numerous occasions. Rex was struggling with lockpicking the door. Sweat dripped down to the ground, and his heart was racing. Nothing he did worked. He tried the doorknob in desperation and then realized it—the door wasn't locked in the first place.He entered Lester's house and heard him and his wife. They were still awake. Right next to the door was a mirror, shoes, and clothes hanging. Rex knew that Lester kept the majority of his keys under the drawer. He opened it, lifted the phonebook, and under it were a lot of keys. Rex looked at each one carefully, scanning his eyes."Dammit, where is it? All these keys are too damn big." He wiped his sweat, his heart racing so much. Rex knew if the key wasn't in this drawer, then it was in the drawer of Lester's room. Rex took a deep breath, trying to calm himself, when he felt a sharp pain in his rear end. He turned over and saw the Chihuahua biting him several times. Then it let go, backed away, and started barking. Rex panicked. He looked all over his pockets, trying to find the ham while the barking got louder. Finally, he found it but couldn't open the pack. Footsteps started to be heard. Rex tore the pack and threw it near the dog, but the Chihuahua ran away."Stupid dog," Rex muttered. He looked to his right and saw no one, nor did he hear anything. He grabbed the ham and tried to lure the dog back. "Come on, come to Mister Rex. I just want to strangle you." The dog began to bark, and Rex threw the ham at it but slightly farther away this time. The dog began to eat it, and next to him, Rex tossed the rest of the ham. He crawled his way to Lester's room and could make out what he and his wife were saying. He heard, "Yes, dear, yes!" It was Lester's voice. Rex peeked and saw them in bed, his wife having her strong legs wrapped around Lester's waist, and she squeezed him."I'm gonna tear you like a sausage," she said in a low, seductive voice and began squeezing him harder. Lester laid back, enjoying it."The rumors were indeed true. Lester is as slow in bed as he is at the table," Rex said quietly to himself, struggling not to laugh. Rex continued to crawl just out of sight, but he knew when he reached the drawer, he would be in the open. So he waited for them to start making out.They started, and Rex quickly but slowly went to the drawer, opened it, and immediately saw the key. He grabbed it and crawled out of there unnoticed.'Lester was so useless in bed his wife had to do everything!' Rex thought to himself and smiled widely. He exited the house and went to the car."They don't call me Rex 'Rocket' Ryan just because I'm fast at the table."Angus began to start the car, but it refused to start up. Rex's heart sank. "Dammit, Angus, you had one job!""It's not my fault, man," Angus then started repeatedly stomping on the car until it finally started. They drove back to the house. Rex was excited."That's the adrenaline. Oh man, I should've been sneaking into peoples houses way earlier." Then a police siren was heard, and the lights flickered aggressively. Rex bit his cheeks, and Angus struggled not to cry."We're fucked," Angus said.The Rocket grabbed his shoulder. "Calm yourself. We can't possibly be busted. It's probably a bullshit inspection thing."Angus gripped the wheel. A shadow of a tall man was all they could see, but when the man came closer, they saw the officer was young, in his mid-20s, and cleanly shaven. Angus rolled down the window, and the officer spoke."Quite late, isn't it, mates?"Rex didn't dare look in the officer's direction. He always had a terrible relationship with cops since he was a child. Angus spoke, "Y-yeah, well...bored being in the house, so, uh...why not drive a little?" He forced a chuckle.The officer suspected something. "Why didn't you turn on the lights?" Both of their hearts sank. Angus gulped before forcing a smile."Oh, m-my bad. I must've forgotten. Silly me.""Sir...I need you to blow this for me to see if you've been drinking." Angus slightly licked his lips. Sweat had reached them. He leaned in and blew it. The young officer examined it and didn't look happy. He looked at Angus, piercing the poor old man's soul with an angry glare. The officer leaned in, shined a light at Rex, and then backed away before speaking."License and registration, please." Angus gave it to him, and the officer examined it and made a scowl. He looked back at Angus, staring right into his eyes."You're all good, lads. Just be careful at night. There are lots of drunkards and thieves.""Y-yeah, yes, officer. Thank you. Good night," uttered Angus. They drove home without any more fuss.Upon entering, Angus limped angrily. "Now I'm going to get drunk!" He poured wine into a glass. Rex played snooker while Angus sat and watched him."I never knew you had a table at home.""Yeah, well, I love the pub atmosphere, but I practice my weaknesses here," Rex replied.Angus drank a whole glass of wine in one go. "Why don't you go to another pub? You know my ex-pub isn't the only one.""I went to your pub almost every day since I was nine. Not to mention, the other pubs are shit.They lack that classic snooker macho atmosphere." Rex played at an average speed. The game had calmed his nerves. Tomorrow, Angus and Rex would come up with the next step of their plan.Chapter 10:The Robbery planThey waited until it was pitch black before they went outside. Rex sat behind the wheel."Son, I don't think you should drive. You have a history of drunk driving,"Rex rolled his eyes. "Oh, shut it. I didn't even taste alcohol this time.""You drank two whole bottles!""I'm not a lightweight, damn you!" After their dispute, they eventually reached the Crucible Theater. Angus inhaled and exhaled deeply. "Okay, how are we going to do this?"Rex sipped some beer."Rex!""What, old man?""You're drinking, Rex. This is no time to celebrate; we haven't even begun yet."Rex wiped his lips. "Simple, you'll be the one going in and monitoring the guard."Angus was shocked. "Me!? Why do I have to be first!?"Rex smirked. "Elders have the advantage.""Oh no, no, no. The youngsters have the advantage. After you, I insist,"Rex lift his looked up and shook his head and showed his teeth in frustration. "You just have to go in there, look at him for a few hours. He won't notice you; he'll be too busy watching the football game. Come on, Goat, it's simple."Angus looked at the building and then back at Rex. "Give me the key."Rex smiled and gave him the key. "Alright, and here's some coffee to keep you awake. I'll be doing this tomorrow.""W-what, cold coffee!? Rex, I can't drink this.""Goddamn it, Goat, I'll pull you by your beard. Coffee is coffee!"Angus immediately went inside. "Disrespectful brat. Once you piss me off enough, I'll take all the money for myself," he muttered, slamming the door and going inside quietly.Angus felt the temperature drop inside. He tiptoed to Cornelius's office and saw the guard. Angus made sure to stay hidden in the shadows and watched the guard. Hours passed, and the guard did nothing for the most part. Now, he started playing a game of cards with himself. It was getting late, and Angus had no choice but to drink the coffee. Five minutes remained before the end of the guard's shift, and Angus decided it was the right time to flee.In the following days, Rex and Angus would switchbe tween the spying of the guard. Every day was the same. Rex and Angus sat in the kitchen, and Rex was going over everything they knew."Tomorrow is Sunday. The guard will be all alone, not a single janitor will be there, and the man always takes a scheduled bathroom break that lasts a full three minutes. That is when we will go up there. It will take us about 15 seconds, give or take, to get into the office. With your limp, let's say 20 seconds, and about 20 seconds ideally to crack the safe, but let's make a modest assumption of 30 seconds. Then we take the money, make sure the safe is like it was before we showed up, so let's say it will all take about...70 seconds." Rex explained. He then sipped some beer.Angus said, "Rex... you're a genius.""Haha, I'm not just known for my cunning on the snooker table. Ahaha,""Can't wait to get my hands on that money. I'll go and live in Olympic Beach. I don't care if I end up being homeless, at least I'll be surrounded by the beautiful ocean."Rex put his beer down. "You won't be starting another pub?""Oh no, Rex, I'm too old for it. Me and the old lady had a good run, but it's time to do something else.""Oh... I, uh... I'm just gonna take a leak and then we'll be off, alright?""Yeah, sure, Rex."Rex headed to the bathroom, closed the door, walked back and forth slightly, his hand covering his lips, as he held back tears.Chapter 11:HeistThe drive through the dark was quiet. They parked right at the exit and slowly walked inside the Crucible Theater."Shit, it's dark," said Angus.They walked through the pitch black until they saw the light. Rex looked at his watch. It was exactly 12 AM."Any minute now."The guard sat up, walked downstairs, and headed toward the bathroom. Rex and Angus rushed up as soon as he was out of sight. They entered inside. Angus was panting.He barely managed to limp his way in."Hey, hey, look at me. We don't have time for this. Get to the safe," Rex whispered loudly.Angus swallowed, knelt down as much as his old bones allowed him, and began working on the safe. Rex stared for any signs of the guard, scanning his eyes and listening carefully... Nothing. He checked his timer and saw a full minute had passed."Goat, hurry, we're running out of time. The guard will be here any second.""I-I need more time. I'm not even halfway there.""What the hell, Angus!?" Rex immediately covered his mouth, realizing he had raised his voice too much. He slowly turned around, but there was nothing. Both sighed in relief."Go on, Angus, finish it.""I'm doing my best. I'm just a little rusty." Angus carefully tried to crack the safe. He did it slowly, sweating so much that his hands became sticky. If he rushed, he would mess everything up and have to start over. Rex struggled to stay still. The adrenaline was pumping so much he wanted to jump around. He looked at the time and his eyes widened—110 seconds had passed."Angus, it's now or never.""I-I need just 30 more seconds.""I'm begging you, do anything to get that fucking safe open," Rex made a pleading expression on his face he was desperate.Angus kept messing up, thinking to himself, 'God, no, no, I don't want to go to prison again.' Tears filled his eyes, making it hard to see."Ang-," then they heard loud clapping heels—the sound of the guard approaching. Rex leaned in and saw his silhouette."Oh God, Rex, oh God, we're done.""Shut the fuck up and let me think," Rex frantically started looking around the room. The guard's coughing and the sound of him zipping his pants were heard."Oh God, Rex, we're going to be in eternal darkness for the remainder of our lives," Angus began to weep.Rex almsot started to cry but then a thought occured. 'The light, yes!' He grabbed the light bulb with his hand, biting his cheeks as his hands almost burned, but he managed to take it off and crush it under his foot. The room was covered in darkness. Rex grabbed Angus by the arm, and they hid next to the safe. He then put on his brass knuckles.The guard rushed inside. "The fuck is this, the light's out again? You gotta be kidding," he muttered. He went for his flashlight but dropped it. Rex's muscles twitched; this was the perfect time to pounce, but his body refused to listen. The guard shined his light."What is this?" he shined the light on the broken glass. Angus covered his face and went into a fetal position. Rex's face looked like that of an animal. The guard, seeing the broken glass, approached it. He gulped and frantically shined his light toward the door."W-who's there?" Rex rushed at him and punched his head. The guard turned and instinctively grabbed Rex by the shoulders. The two men began to tussle. The guard pushed him to the wall."WHO ARE YOU? WHO ARE YOU?" the guard yelled. The brass knuckles slipped from Rex's hand, and the guard punched Rex hard on the cheek. Angus screamed, "Stop! Stop, please!" This startled the guard, and Rex punched him twice in the chin, knocking him out cold.Angus was even more horrified. "Oh, what have we done?"Rex grabbed his shoulders. "Angus, it's now or never. Do you understand me? Get the safe now!"Angus nodded and went to the safe. After 30 seconds, he barely managed to get it open. Rex was relieved."Oh, finally, sweet sw—what is this? What is this!?" The safe was empty. Rex hailed the only thing inside: a pair of baby shoes. He slammed them and threw them to the gorund."FUCKING SHIT!""W-wait, Rex." Under the shoes were documents. "Oh, let it go, Angus. It's probably some useless shit."Angus opened them and scanned his eyes through the papers. They were full of people's names, the dates they arrived, the cash and diamonds that were exchanged, and people that were to be snuffed out."Rex... you gotta see this."Rex covered his mouth and began to bite his nails. "Y-you don't mean that..."Angus wiped his sweat. "Cornelius is a gangster."The guard began to moan. "That's our cue to get the fuck out," said Rex.The two of them quickly covered their tracks, making sure they didn't leave any fingerprints, and ran like hell. They rode in the car full of anxiety, taking the short ride home and reaching the kindergarten where cars can't go more than 20 km/h."Easy, Goat. Drive slowly, just to be on the safe side. Agh," Rex gripped his hand. It was swollen, and his cheek hurt like hell."Y-you alright, Rex?""Don't worry about me, just drive slowly." A police car popped up behind them."R-Rex.""Relax, they won't bother us.... I think." The lights flashed, and the siren rang."OH GOD, NO, NO, NO, GET AWAY," Angus yelled and spat all over the windshield as the police car was right next to them. Rex looked down at his feet."We're done."The police car sped away. A sigh of relief washed over Rex as he leaned back, closing his eyes but felt an odd feeling in the car. He turned to see Angus, who had lost control of the wheel and was heading for a collision with a tree."AHHHHHH," they screamed. Rex grabbed the wheel, but Angus was so stiff. He looked at the tree, knowing what would happen if he didn't turn, but his body refused to follow instructions."ANGUS!" Rex stomped his foot on Angus's, and the car narrowly stopped a mere centimeter away from the tree."I-I'll drive, okay, Angus?"As soon as they got to the house, they locked all the doors, barricaded them with chairs and sofas, and pulled the curtains. Rex sat on the floor."Where are the brass knuckles?"Chapter 12:LesterIn the early hours. The shine shined, but inside the house it was dark.Angus was panicking. "Rex, how could you have left the brass knuckles?""I-I don't dammit, it was dark... fuck!"Angus chugged an entire beer can. "We must go to the police.""Are you crazy, Angus? No, we mustn't! Look!" He showed Angus the paper which had several people listed. Right next to them, it read 'Police Officer.' There were 53 of them. Angus looked away disgusted and struggled to hold back tears."Look, Angus, in this shitty world, money talks. Do we have money? Of course not. And Cornelius, I mean... God knows how many officers are on his side. There's no way going to the cops will be a good idea.""But Rex, surely there must be some non-corrupt officers?" Rex paced back and forth, sweating profusely. "The only thing we can do... and it pains me to say this but... Lester... he's smarter than me. We need his help.""No, Rex, please don't involve him." Rex looked away, desperate for an idea, but a horrifying thought occurred to him. "Jesus, Angus...""W-what is it?""You know how the three of us were kicked out of the pub? Well, Cornelius probably sees us as working together on this." Angus was in disbelief."No, it can't be. Surely Cornelius knows that Lester wouldn't do something like that?""No, Angus, Cornelius doesn't give a shit. He sees us three as the same and probably sees Lester as the leader. He already thinks the two of us are idiots." Angus drank the last of the beer."But Lester wasn't banned from the pub, only you and I were." Rex shook his head."Lester never visits the pub during summer, and considering he's on the tour, Cornelius wouldn't kick him out. But Cornelius doesn't give a shit if Lester is just relaxing at home; he'll put him on this as well."Angus wiped his lips."But maybe he won't think it was us?""There's no one else who it could be, Angus. He most definitely thinks we did this, and he probably already sent someone... after Lester."Dead silence fell before Angus spoke. "Get in the car."Rex frantically drove to Lester's home. They saw Lester and his wife drive away, but a dark-hooded car followed them so closely they were nearly touching."Rex, I told you, you should've let me drive!""Oh, shut it, Goat. After last night's fiasco, you're not sitting behind a wheel.""Alright, alright, but what now?""We follow them."After a 10-minute drive, the black-hooded car was still close to Lester's. Lester was unaware, but he drove slowly; it was impossible to lose him. They had a full set of eyes on him... until a car blocked their view."Goddammit, move!" Rex honked several times. Angus grabbed him by the shoulder. "Relax, Rex. Now's the worst time to lose your cool."Rex tried to calm himself. "So, um... Rex, how's your hand and cheek?""Are you seriously asking me that now?"Angus looked back and forth and said, "Well, might as well ease the tension."As Rex looked in front of the road, neither the black car nor Lester's car were there."Shit!" Rex stopped his car, nearly creating a collision on the road. They both looked around frantically. "There!" Angus pointed, directing them toward the largest supermarket in town.They parked at the entrance and rushed outside."H-hey Rex, we need to pay the parking ticket!""You pay, I'll handle this!" Rex entered the supermarket, but Lester was nowhere to be seen. He searched everywhere, looking at every part of the supermarket, but there was no sign of Lester.Angus limped his way to Rex, out of breath."Any signs?"Rex looked everywhere, desperate, until he saw someone off to the side. "Look!""W-what... Rex, that's just some random man."Rex held onto Angus's shoulder. "That guy is wearing all black.""So? I see nothing strange.""Angus, he's wearing a black coat in the middle of a heatwave! What kind of an asshole does that!?""Rex, there are many weird people. This won't be enough to find Lester."Rex wiped his sweat. "It's a gamble I'm willing to take."Rex rushed up the escalator, pushing several people aside."Sorry, sorry, I'm sorry, it's urgent!"Finally, he reached the top. His face lit up as he saw Lester and his wife in the women's dresses section. But Rex froze when he saw the man with the black coat walking directly towards them.Rex froze again, his body refusing to move. The man was right next to Lester, mere centimeters away. He stopped, looked at them, went for his pockets... and walked away.Rex still didn't move but felt relieved. Being wrong for once felt good. Rex closed his eyes, took deep breaths, opened them, and saw a gun pointed towards Lester. A man in a Hawaiian shirt was pointing it."Lester! God, Lester!"Everyone looked. The gunman didn't care. He was a mere second away from killing until a toy car hit him in the head.Angus had climbed the escalators and grabbed a nearby child's toy. The two rushed towards Lester, who was dumbfounded."What is going on?"The two grabbed him by his arms. Rex took his wallet and gave it to his wife. "Buy yourself something nice, love, but make sure it isn't in this market."They pushed Lester to the elevator, gripping his arms. "Okay, what on earth is going on? Are you two okay? And who was that crazed man?"Rex was getting tired. "Listen, mate, we'll tell you everything as soon as we get out."The elevator stopped on the next floor. The doors opened, and the gunman was there. He pointed his gun at them. Rex instinctively raised his leg and kicked the gun away. The man went down to grab his gun, but the elevator doors retracted.The man pointed his gun again and fired. Everyone screamed, but the doors closed just in time to stop the bullet.As they reached the ground floor, they rushed towards their car, which was being towed."Angus!?""I-I'm sorry, I was worried about you, Rex."Rex gripped Lester harder, and they continued on foot. A minute later, Lester shook them off. "I'm not taking another step until you two tell me exactly what's going on!"Silence, but Rex found the courage to finally speak. "Well... you know how you told us we shouldn't rob Cornelius?"Lester's mouth was wide open. "You didn't."Rex laughed at their situation. "Well... Cornelius turned out to be one bad motherfucker."Lester turned around, trying to process this information. He was about to yell but at the nearby bar he made eye contact with George Steele.Chapter 13:The MouthThey were beyond shocked to see George Steele looking at them, but even more surprising was that the corrupt cop didn't bother with them. He turned and continued to drink. And things got even more bizarre."Hey, you three stooges, get over here," it was Mickey 'the Mouth' Davies."What the hell are you doing here?" Rex put his hands on his hips while Mickey continued."Did you rob Cornelius?""What's it to you?" Rex said angrily while Angus admitted, "We did.""Angus!?" Rex couldn't believe it.Mickey tried to shush them, "Listen, you plonkers, follow me. I have a solution.""You get the fuck out of here," Rex was having none of it."If you have the papers you stole, I can get you out, I swear," Mickey said, while Lester, who was completely dumfounded for the past several minutes, spoke, "At this point, I'm just along for the ride."Rex contemplated for a moment and finally agreed, but he was wary of Mickey. They entered a cold, empty building where even a whisper turned into a loud echo. Lester spoke, "Why on earth are we in a church?""Because no one would ever expect us to be here," Mickey said, annoyed.Rex crossed his arms, "Alright, Mouth, speak. What the hell do you know? And this better not be a set-up."Mickey rolled his eyes, "Oh, you plonker. If this was a set-up, you'd all be gone. Nevermind that, though. You three have no idea how pissed Cornelius is, and I was there to witness his wrath."Mickey began to tell them what happened. Cornelius was sitting in the office fuming. He looked at the guard, "How can you be such a fool?""I-I'm sorry. It all went dark, and suddenly they came.""Shut it. You're fired.""B-" the guard was yanked away by George Steele. Cornelius moved towards the empty safe. Mickey 'the Mouth' Davies was there with his champion, Julian 'the Sphinx' Jackson. Mickey was always near him, as long as Julian was there, he'd be safe."Well, mate, looks like you got quite the bust there," Mickey said jokingly.Cornelius gave him a dangerous glare, "Listen here, you fat twat, I've had enough of you. You've done nothing for me for years!"Mickey was taken aback, "Woah, woah, relax. You told me to get the best snooker player that I can, and lo and behold, I got Julian over here. I completed the assignment."Cornelius scoffed, "And what have you done since? You've munched off him. I know you've been taking extra money. How else would you have gotten so much jewelry, you damn leech? I want you out of my sight!""C-Cornelius, buddy, come on, you're stressed out. I'm sure that you'll find the pre-" he didn't get to finish as he was grabbed by Steele and about to be thrown out."If I see you and your mouth again, you'll be killed. And I already know who did it... it was Rex and his gang. Who else could it be? After all, these are the same brass knuckles Rex has used in his drunk fights several times before. Lester organized the robbery. He is the only one of the three that has any brains... he's also the most boring one, so I'll just hire a hitman to assassinate him with a bullet to the head. The other two," he chuckled, "I'll have fun with them."Julian watched it all and mustered up the courage to speak. He said sheepishly, "M-Mickey is a g-good manager. I-I can't-""Oh, shut up, kid. You know everything. Just do what you do and not a word of what you heard.""Y-yes, sir.""Good boy," he patted his head. "And the same goes for you, Mouth. I own the police, and if you say a word, I'll have you skinned alive. Now get out."At the present, Mickey told the story. Everyone felt even more anxious."What now?" asked Angus."I have a plan," Mickey said."Well, on with it, Father Hope," Rex tapped his foot impatiently."We meet up with a cop, give the papers, and expose that bastard."Rex shook his head, "Wait, you said he owned the police, so how is that guy trustworthy?""I have connections, Rex, and this cop is incorruptible."Lester's hand shook as he slowly put the cigarette in his mouth and lit it up, "How can you be sure?""Because she's a policewoman."Rex scoffed, "Doesn't mean much."Mickey smirked, "Well, my friends, my ass is not on the line; it's yours. If you don't want my help, well, goodbye." He began to walk away."No, wait! We'll take the deal!" Rex stood up and yelled.Mickey was enjoying this. They stood outside as Mickey made the phone call."I'm so sorry for doing this to you, Lester. I was a dumbass. I bit off more than I could chew.""It's okay, Rex. No use apologizing now. What's done is done. However, a good thing will come out of it, as Cornelius won't harm anyone. We just have to take our time in this execution."Rex smiled, "Ah, the same old turtle, I see."Mickey hung up, "It's all done. We'll meet her at a diner that's a five-minute walk from where we are.""Wait, wait, wait, Mouth, why can't we meet in an alleyway or something?" Mickey was astonished by Rex's stupidity."You dipstick, nothing screams set-up like an alley. We will meet up like real people in that diner."Rex waved dismissively, "Whatever. Here are the papers. You go meet her.""M-me?" Mickey gulped."Yes, you! You're the genius with the plan.""Your asses are on the line, not mine! Plus, I have heart problems. I can't be under so much stress."Rex raised his fist, "You're full of shit!"Lester stepped in between them, "Everyone calm down. We will accomplish nothing like this. We need to relax. I offer a solution of chance." Lester took out four cigarettes and pulled at three of them, each shorter than the last. "This is basically who gets the shortest cigarette loses."Rex pondered about it, "What do you think, Angus?""I don't know and don't care. Let's just do this. I don't know how I'm still standing."They all took a cigarette one by one. Lester spoke, "Now... reveal in 1... 2... 3, now."They opened their hands. Angus had the unscathed cigarette. Lester had the cigarette slightly smaller than his. Mickey and Rex were the only ones that didn't open their hands at the signal."I'm going to get the shortest one. It's basically destiny," said Rex as he opened his hand. The cigarette was so short.Mickey smirked, knowing he was saved. 'That plonker definitely got fucked. Mine is bigger.' He opened his hands, and the cigarette was the shortest of the four."You know, Davies, I actually feel bad for you... if only I didn't hate you so much, ahahaha.""Oh, shut it, you plonker."Chapter 14:The DinerMickey drove them to the diner. No one in a police uniform was there. Rex didn't like it. "I feel like this is a setup.""Oh, you plonker, I know what I'm doing!" Mickey was losing patience."Alright, do your thing then."Mickey sat at one table with a briefcase containing the papers. Across the diner, Rex and Lester sat together, and outside, Angus monitored the situation. Mickey was repeatedly coughing, and his clothes were drenched in sweat. They waited five minutes and nothing happened."I'm starting to get worried, Lester."Lester smoked a cigarette slowly. "Believe me, I just want this to be over so I can go back to my poor wife, but we must have patience.""You know what's new?""What is it?""I gotta piss."Lester wiped the sweat off his brow. "Go.""And take my time?" Rex smirked.Lester chuckled.Rex went to the bathroom, did his business, and quickly went to wash his hands. He exited the bathroom and saw a football game being played on the TV. He scoffed, "Look at that, he barely touched him and he went down crying like a little bitch. I would give him a yellow card for shit acting.""Indeed, Rocket," Cornelius was next to him."Y-you?"How have you been, Rex? You've been awfully quiet recently. Everything okay?"Rex swallowed heavily. "You know me. How have you been, you and your snooker empire?"Cornelius smiled. "I have some minor difficulties at the moment."Rex began to sweat profusely. "Which are?""Oh, just some loose ends that need to be cut. Simple business, really. I see all your friends are here. Lester sitting over there, Angus doing his best to hide from sight, and..." Cornelius began to walk over to Mickey and smiled, "You... little weasel."Police sirens were heard as three cars stopped right in front of the diner."OH GOD," Mickey screamed. He stood up, gasping for air, gripped the tablecloth, and collapsed to the ground. The onlookers were horrified. Cornelius chuckled and moved back. "Such a shame he died so harmlessly, but you three won't be so lucky, I swear it."Rex knew this was the end. The police came in, but Angus showed up behind one officer, gave him a low blow, took his gun, and held him hostage. Lester used this opportunity to throw a chair at them. He sprinted like an Olympic medalist, grabbed the briefcase, and took Mickey's keys."Damn it, Turtle, why don't you move like that when you play snooker!?"Lester grabbed him by the arm, and they went outside. "Wait, Lester, Mickey—""He's gone, Rex... I'm sorry."The two of them got inside Mickey's car. Angus tossed the policeman to the ground and got in as well. Cornelius was seething at the sight of this. "You incompetent fools, get them! God, where is George when I need him?"Rex was driving through red lights, nearly hitting several cars. Lester was urging him, "Rex, we're going to die if we continue like this!"One police car was hot on their tail, and with the ongoing traffic, it was now just a few centimeters away from them. The police car started shooting. The back windshield shattered, nearly hitting Angus in the head.Rex had an idea. He drove to the train tracks."Rex, you're not doing what I think you're doing," Lester said."Oh yes, I am."Angus felt sick. "In the wise words of Danny Glover... I'm too old for this shit."The police car continued to follow them. Rex steered to the right side, and from the corner, the train arrived, colliding with the police car. Lester and Angus were out of breath. The car ran out of fuel. Rex screamed and looked up at the sky, "God, why do you hate me!?""Look!" Lester pointed to an abandoned building.The three of them took shelter inside.Chapter 15:Ride or DieThey layed on the cold concrete, defeated."Is this how it ends?" asked Rex.Angus said "God, I really wish I could have one more beer. I know I shouldn't, but just one more drink would be good."He could barely swallow his saliva; he was as thirsty as a camel.Lester checked his pocket only to find that he had no more cigarettes left."What a pity."Angus said. "You know, I never knew how you two met."Rex began to tell the story. "I was his manager. You, Turtle, wouldn't be the 1979 world champion if it weren't for me."Lester spoke, "He forgot his chalk during a tournament, so he asked if he could borrow mine. Later, he lost his license to drunk driving, and I drove him around until he passed his driver's test again. I invited him frequently for tea and biscuits that my then-girlfriend, now wife, made, and Rex took me to your pub. The rest is history.""S-shut it, he doesn't need to know the whole story!" Rex covered his face, feeling embarrassed.Angus laughed and put his hand on Rex. "Oh son, I always knew you had a teddy bear inside your jaguar exterior.""W-whatever!" Lester spoke "You know, Rex, we don't know what will become of us, but it's best to let it all out. You asked me if there was any match I regret losing... At the UK Championship semi-final a few years ago, I was 8-2 against Dennis 'The Menace' Taylor... and lost 9-8. I was gutted, absolutely gutted."Rex understood this feeling all too well "I never took losses easy... Can't imagine what was going through your mind, the insecurities, hell, every time I lose I get an existential crisis."Angus joined in "Is this a bad time to say that Rex saw you and your wife make out while he was stealing the key?""Dammit, Angus!"Angus said "Oh, sorry, I really need a drink, I can't focus."Lester wipes his lips with his fingers. "I suspected as much. If I had the strength, I would strangle both of you." They all laughedSlowly, silence settled over them. They sat there until Rex spoke again. "I can't believe Mickey was killed... I never liked him, but... he didn't deserve that. Damn it, that bastard Cornelius!"Lester looked down. "I don't understand why the worst people thrive. If Cornelius didn't hold back, we would all be dead by now."Several police cars pulled up at their car. There were over 30 officers. Angus was horrified. Rex began to pull Angus. "We need to get out of here."Lester said, "What are we going to do, Rex? We need a plan. We need to avenge Mickey.""We'll figure something out. Right now, we need to get the police off our backs."Angus let go, grabbed Lester's briefcase, took out the document and gave it to Lester then headed directly toward the police who had spotted them.Rex panicked."What are you doing, Angus!?""You go on, I'll distract them."Lester was dumbfounded. "Don't be stupid, Angus, get over here!"Angus replied, "I've lived a life. Besides, with this limp, I can't take it anymore. You go on, I'll distract them."Rex went to Angus, but Lester held him back. "Angus, no!" Rex had tears in his eyes. "We need to save ourselves Rex."Angus marched toward the cops. "Mickey, if you can hear me, pour me a glass of whiskey, double. I'll be joining you soon."As Lester dragged Rex off, they were nearly hit by a raging Ferrari. The paper nearly flew out of Lester's hand. Rex had an idea."Let's take this car!"Lester said, "No, Rex, we can't.""Oh, come on, this driver is clearly shit. He shouldn't be behind a wheel."The doors opened, and it was Julian 'the Sphinx' Jackson."Get in."The three of them got in as the police started shooting, leaving five bullet holes in the car."Why are you here, Julian?" Lester asked."I know everything and want Cornelius out as much as you do."They saw Julian breaking down from nervousness—a sight no one had ever seen. Julian wasn't sweating, but his face was as pale as a ghost. Whenever he was in distress, he would show these signs. More alarmingly, Julian was following a police car.Lester asked, "Why are you following that car?""Inside is George Steele," Julian replied.Rex started to freak out. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?""R-relax, Rex. George isn't corrupt.""The hell he's not! He's the number one goon."Julian swallowed heavily. "At this hour, he always visits the hospital every single day. I believe Cornelius has some sort of leverage over him. I read the man's file. He was the best, most loyal cop, and he suddenly became corrupt. Something doesn't add up."Rex wiped the sweat off his forehead. "I doubt anyone can reason with that beast.""Believe me, he's your last resort."Silence fell. None of the three liked this idea. Rex said, "We'll find a way without your stupid plan.""Cornelius has cops all over the city, blocking all the exits out of town and the airport. There is no escape. There are a small number of good cops, but they need massive evidence to do anything. Those people gave up hope, but someone like Steele could bring them back. Trust me, you've got to somehow convince him."Julian parked the car right at the hospital. They saw the tall Scotsman enter the building. Lester spoke, "Might as well try it. We don't have plenty of options."Angus leaned in and kissed Julian's hand. "Thank you so much, Julian. I was so scared back there. God damn, you reminded me how good it is to be alive."Julian was perplexed. "Uh... t-thanks, I guess."Rex gave a deep sigh. "Might as well."They began to get out of the car. "W-wait, do you... what happened to Mickey? Is he alive?"A pause. Lester broke the silence. "He... I'm sorry... he was killed."Julian had a deadpan face for a few seconds before he broke down crying. Lester patted his shoulder but knew it was best to leave him be. They exited the vehicle."God, God, why Mickey? What will I do without you, Mickey?" Julian cried.Rex said, "Thank you, Julian... I... I always wanted to see you cry, but not like this. I'm so sorry. I know my words mean nothing, but truly I am. Mickey's gone. I... I can't believe it, but I do miss him. But Julian, remain strong. You can fight it. Never forget Mickey, but move forward."Julian wiped his tears and felt like something was in his throat. "R-rex... I know it's a bad time, but... I idolized you. I always wanted to be the best, like you. Without you, snooker would have never gotten popular, and I only put up a facade to be intimidating. Without Mickey, I-i would've been lost.""Julian, pick yourself up... and prepare to lose at the world championships next year because I will be there!""W-what? Rex, you son of a—I regret helping you!" Rex laughed and waved. Lester smirked."Couldn't let it go, could you?""I'm no good at giving heartfelt apologies. I meant every word I said to Julian, no matter how cheesy it was.""Especially the last part?""Especially the last part." Rex smirked but his smirk quickly faded.He looked down with a melancoly expression as they entered the hospital.Chapter 16:HospitalThey followed George, but just enough distance between them so he doesn't spot them until they were stopped by a doctor."Are you visiting someone?"Lester spoke. "Uh...yes, that man over there, George Steele. We're his friends, he's going through a tough time so he dashed away.""Oh, understandable," they resumed their chase."Lester, I didn't know you were such a liar," Rex smirked."Rex, please, it was for the greater good.""Where is he?" Angus said. They hurried in front, Angus barely managing to move due to his limp. George vanished.Rex kicked the garbage can. "Shit, we lost him! Fuck!"They looked left and right, he was nowhere. "He must've gotten upstairs," Rex said. "No, elderly people are there," said Lester, while an impatient Rex spoke. "So? Maybe his mom is ill.""If we go by what Julian said to us, I believe that it is probably the man's wife that is ill,"Angus scratched his beard. "But if what we heard was true, he wouldn't work for Cornelious unless..." It dawned on them, they knew where to look. They sprinted downstairs and looked at every patient there until they came close to the last room. They almost tiptoed there and saw it.George was sitting in a chair next to his 12-year-old comatose daughter. He was reading her 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.' Angus screamed, "NO, NO!" He grabbed his head and ran away crying.George was shocked, he threw the book to the table. He gritted his teeth and grabbed Rex's throat with both hands. "YOU! You fucking bastards, why did you follow me here? How moronic are you three?"Lester didn't know what to do. He was worried sick for whatever was happening to Angus but also for Rex, as his face turned purple. "G-George, please stop, we mean no harm. W-We, you're strangling Rex, please let go,"George eased his hands. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill all three of you," George stared at Rex's eyes with fire. Rex spoke, "I expected better from you, being Cornelious's lapdog." Lester panicked, "R-Rex!" "I'll be fine, Lester, just make sure Angus is okay." Lester was hesitant but went to Angus.Rex continued, "I know why you work for that rat, you didn't have the money for your daughter to continue living. So I assume the Viper came and offered you a deal. George, I'm no doctor, but your daughter is far from saving. I'm sorry, but you need to free yourself from his grip. He has papers that show him as the crook he is, you know that helps us."George was shaking with rage. "How...dare you. It's easy for you to say when you get drunk and beat your wife every night, you broke her."Rex looked down in shame. "I was a piece of shit, I deserved worse than the beating you gave me. I deserve to suffer for it but not death. I do regret it. I was a different person all those years ago, meeting Lester changed me. But, George, your daughter is already gone. Those...machines won't help her if they didn't save her already, they won't now. Cornelious is a liar, he's using you. He knows your daughter is gone, why go through this when you know the outcome?"George gripped his throat tightly, Rex unable to speak. "Shut your filthy mouth, you know nothing of what it's like to have a loving wife and a kid, to have the love of your life taken away by cancer, and then your child!" George held back tears as he threw Rex to the ground. "You have until the count of 3 to leave my sight," he gripped his gun. "one," the three ran outside the hospital, Angus being dragged by Lester. They went outside and were covered in sweat, their bodies sticky. Rex rubbed his throat finally able to breathe, he looked up and they were surrounded by cops.Chapter 17:BREAKPotato sacks were thrown onto their heads, and they were put into the trunk of a car separately. The ride lasted 8 minutes. They were dragged out, put inside the pub, tied with chains. They gasped for air once the sacks were taken off.They saw George moving to the side and were greeted by Cornelious, "Gentlemen...welcome," he smiled. Angus was shaking, looking away, too scared to make eye contact with him. Lester looked down, and Rex was filled with rage, "Chains? Seriously? Are we an Avengers type threat, you asshole?""You slipped through my fingers once, Rex. You're not slipping again.""Why? Why are you doing this? What have I ever done to you?"Cornelious laughed, "You banged my wife, insulted me non-stop before I became the snooker tour organizer, threw beer at me like a child. But it's all irrelevant. I simply treated you exactly how you were... an imbecile, an arrogant idiot, a fool, you were the dirt on my shoes, however... when you broke into my safe, oh, my veins bulged, Rex... you'll see why I'm called the viper. The day my wife cheated on me, you know why you never heard from her again?... I buried her alive."Rex's heart shook, "Torture me all you want, but leave Lester and Angus alone. Lester had nothing to do with the robbery, and I forced Angus."Cornelious chuckled, "Too late for that. Oh, this is a delightful sight, Rex, seeing you shake in your pants. But I'll give some mercy... Lester lad, I always liked you. So tell me what you want, and I'll grant it."Lester looked up, "There are three things I love... my wife... snooker... and tea... a cup of tea would be nice since it's the only thing I can have.""I knew it," Cornelious signaled his men, and they brought a tea mug... that was boiling.Lester's eyes widened, "NO! NO! I'm begging you, NO!" The boiling tea was poured onto his lips, drooling down his chin. Lester's screams were horrific. His skin red. Angus began to cry, still looking away with his eyes closed. Rex gritted his teeth, wanting badly to free himself from the chains. "WHY ARE YOU SUCH SCUM!?""I live in the real world, Rex, and money is the only thing that matters. If I didn't punish anyone who crossed me, I would've never risen to my high position. Besides, even a single act of kindness can be fatal. No one nice ever achieved anything," Cornelious said calmly and proceeded to walk towards Angus, grabbing his chin and forcing him to look into his eyes."Angus, your friend over here drove drunk...""No, please don't tell it! Please, I'm begging you, no!" Tears streamed down his face."Angus ended up killing his wife and his four-year-old son... you're no heroes." Cornelious let go and walked towards two wooden tables as his men began to take off the chains from Rex and Angus."Ironic, isn't it? You'll all die in the very same place you adored," he smiled. As Rex's hands were put on the wooden table, Cornelious grabbed a hammer.Cornelius walked towards Lester, who was crying out from the horrific burns. "By the way, turtle sleeping pills were put in your tea during your match with Julian." Lester, unable to speak, could only stare at Cornelius in horror. Cornelius chuckled and moved towards Rex."Now you'll never play snooker again," he smashed his thumb. Rex closed his eyes, the pain was incredible, but he refused to give Cornelious any satisfaction. "Stubborn, aren't we?" Cornelious viciously smashed all of Rex's fingers on his right hand. Rex couldn't help but scream; some fingers even had bones sticking out. Cornelious laughed, on the other side, Angus was thrown backside on the table, held as five beer bottles were drenched in his face. Rex was shaking with rage, "Damn you! Just tell me before I die... your name. It isn't Cornelious, I know it. What's your real name?""Wouldn't you like to know?" He smashed his left hand, George looked away in disgust. Angus was shaking and yelled loudly, somehow he managed to overpower the goons.He grabbed one of their guns, pointed it at Cornelious. Cornelious took his gun and... shot Angus through the heart.Both Lester and Rex yelled in terror, Lester fell to the ground and sobbed. Rex yelled, "YOU MONSTER! ANGUS, ANGUS!" He closed his eyes, tears fell.Cornelious touched his chest and took breaths. He turned to George angrily, "Dammit George, why were you so damn slow!?""I'm not following your orders anymore," George unbuttoned his shirt to reveal he was wearing a wire.Police stormed in, "Hands up!" Cornelious' mouth was wide open. They were all arrested. Cuffs slapped on Cornelious' wrists, "N-no! NO! You can't do this, no, no!" He was dragged away. The young recruits began to take off the chains on Lester. They called for an ambulance, they walked over to check Angus' body... no pulse. An officer covered Rex's damaged arms with a cloth as Rex said, "For once, I'm glad to see the cops," a sigh of relief and a small chuckle.Cuffs were placed on George. Rex was confused, "What are you doing?"A young blonde officer said, "He has committed many crimes working for Cornelious, and George himself told us to arrest him.""What will happen to his daughter?""She... will be unplugged from the machines," Rex attempted to stand up but fell down, his face slowly touched the cold floor. He whispered, "...no" as he closed his eyes,he had no more strenght left in him.Chapter 18:End of the RoadAn old car drove through the street. Rex and Lester sat. They saw how even the simple fields have changed. It is 1999. Rex retired from playing snooker years ago, and Lester retired in 1997. The snooker world they were used to changed; the standard rose heavily. All players from their generation have retired; only Julian remained. Even he is struggling to keep his spot in the top 16.The car stopped, and they walked forward, stopping at the grave of their friend Angus. Angus was buried next to his family. They stared at the grave in silence before Rex spoke, "been a while.""Yes... it indeed has." Rex had gone full bald, and his fingers have become crooked. Lester's hair started to turn gray, and he started wearing glasses.Lester touched the scars on his mouth and chin from the torture they endured a decade ago. "You alright Lester? Your scars.""Oh, it's okay Rex. I've... gotten used to them... the pain has disappeared..." Silence again before Rex pulled out a single rose and gently placed it on the grave. "Rest easy big man"