Roughneck’s Arrival
For a Tuesday night, the crowd at Leland’s Place was larger than usual. After three days of unrelenting snow and wind, the snowplows were finally able to clear the roads allowing the regulars to escape their homes for some much-needed debauchery. Behind the bar, Terry hustles to keep up with drink orders from two dozen borderline, and not-so-borderline, small-town alcoholics. Both of his waitresses called out of work saying their cars were stuck in the snow, but he knew they were at Sidewinders, a few blocks up Main Street, getting drunk themselves. Alex perches on a wobbly stool with dozens of chips in the light oak veneer, staring at the wooden bartop and wondering who the hell Austin and Jenny from “Austin + Jenny” with a heart carved around it could be. Are either of them in the bar tonight?
“Hey T, pour me a shot of Patron. Screw it. Make that a double.” A man yells across the bar as he takes the equally wobbly stool next to Alex. “It’s been a good week.”
“Good week? How the hell can anyone have a good week? This weather is shit.” Alex blurted out, instantly regretting drawing this man’s attention. One look at the scarred face of the black-bearded man next to him told Alex this man was one of this small town’s fighting drunks. The type he needed to avoid at all cost.
The man looked at Alex and let out a raspy cackling laugh, not because he thought…
