Hours soon passed by in a blur of drinking, the jovial kind for the others and the wanting-to-forget kind for myself. I tried to join in on the conversations happening around me, tried to laugh at the jokes said and tried to get excited at the fights in the pit full of passion and bloodlust. Yet I just couldn't. Not as if it made even the tiniest difference to the others, mind you, who besides Alice didn't even seem to notice my abysmally low mood.
It was then, after a few fights had taken place and I was feeling slightly tipsy, that I planned on calling it an early night, wanting nothing more than to just close my eyes. However, before I could do so, a mumbled voice coming from Cindy echoed across the table. A voice that was completely incomprehensible with her face planted onto the table.
"What did you say?" Lewis piped up from her left-hand side.
Suddenly, as quick as a flash, she sat back up with a jump. "I said I'm bored!"
Instantly, half the bar's patrons drew their attention towards us, causing Cindy to turn a bright red in embarrassment. It was only after everyone stopped paying attention that Cindy continued, her voice far more subdued but no less agitated. "All we ever do lately are the exact same things! We either drink here or go to Underworld's. Maybe we hang out in a park or throw rocks at other people's windows and cars, but still, we haven't done anything truly exciting in months!"
The moment she finished, the atmosphere around the others swiftly changed, with Jamie, Lewis and Clark all looking at one another in an exchange of glances and stares, as if they were silently communicating with one another. Throughout it all, as I received a few wary glances, I found myself starting to get intrigued, wondering why they were suddenly acting so suspicious. For the past month that I had known them, I had never seen them all look so unsure and cautious.
Eventually, the silence was broken by Clark. "Cindy's got a point," He remarked while still shooting me an unsure look. "We haven't done anything fucking crazy in a while. We should do something wild like we used to tonight."
Again, more glances were shared, and I soon started to realise why. For some reason the others seemed to be scared to involve me into whatever crazy shit they had planned, something that only got me even more interested. For the entire time I had known them, they were all but fearless in nature, never once showing either caution or fear in anything they did. I still remembered a couple weeks ago when we had almost gotten into a fight with what seemed to be a group of ten gang members inside Underworld. Each one packed full of muscles with prominent scars on full display. Even then, the only one who looked even the slightest bit afraid was Clark, and he still held his ground as he tightened his grip on his drink, ready to use it as a weapon. Thankfully, some bouncers, including Jamie's uncle, arrived in time and were able to throw the others out before anything could happen, to my extreme relief and the others' disappointment.
"I'm down. What exactly did you have in mind?" I asked, interested in what they had planned.
For a moment, the others stayed silent before they slowly turned their attention to Jamie "Alright, you know what, let's do this. I've got just the perfect place in mind." A massive grin spread across his face that sent a small chill down my spine when directed towards me.
To such a statement, the reaction of the table seemed to differ slightly. Both Lewis, Clark and Cindy all started to show a predatory smile, matching Jamie's own. Clark meanwhile seemed completely impassive while Alice appeared more resigned, letting out a small sigh as she focused back on her drink.
As question upon question raced through my mind, wondering what activity could possibly get them acting as strange as they were now, my intrigue slowly started to turn into worry. A worry that only seemed to grow stronger as we exited Sharky's, and instead of heading back towards the more populated areas of town as we usually did, we instead headed towards an alley only a few minutes away that was all but hidden to the naked eye.
"So what exactly is this fucking crazy idea you got planned?" I asked in a faux calm tone, no longer able to hold back the mountain of questions I had built up in the small amount of time that had passed.
The others all looked back to Jamie, who hadn't stopped displaying a frightening smile during the whole walk to the alley. Seeing that all attention was on him, Jamie turned to face me, making me feel as if I was facing a predator about to strike. A feeling that was all too common when with Jamie and his incredibly short fuse.
"I'm glad you asked," He said as we slowly started to head into the dark, narrow alley. "You see, you haven't been around long enough to know, but sometimes we like to do certain… activities."
"Activities?" I questioned. "What kind of activities?"
"Nothing too serious. Just sometimes, we like to break into places. You know, maybe throw some shit around, break a few things, steal a bit of money. Like I said, nothing too serious. No one gets hurt or anything."
"Not yet at least." I heard Lewis snicker to himself from behind me.
"Anyway," Jamie continued, shooting a glare past my shoulder. "What do you say Adam? You down?"
I stood there frozen, unsure of what to say. At first, I thought maybe it was a joke and that they were just messing with me. Yet such a thought swiftly disappeared as I looked into Jamie's narrowed eyes that held not a trace of humour or mirth. No, they were serious, and I was suddenly stuck between a rock and a hard place. The last thing I wanted to do was rob someone and spend the last few remaining months I still had left in a fucking prison cell. Yet as I saw the manic grins the majority were wearing, I doubted I would be able to decline without consequences.
'Maybe I can make a run for it.' I thought as I looked for a way to escape. However, I quickly noticed how I had nowhere to go in the dingy alley, my retreat blocked off by the others who stood directly behind me. Something that I doubted was a coincidence.
I wasn't sure why, but it was at that point I remembered the argument I had had with Sam a month prior and what he had said regarding the rumours about these guys. At the time I thought it was complete bullshit, yet as I looked around at the others, it was looking more and more likely that he was right, that these guys were dangerous.
"Alright, I'm up for it." I eventually lied, seeing no other way out of this situation, at least not one that didn't involve getting the absolute shit kicked out of me. I decided to simply go along with what they wanted before making a run for it when possible, or at least my best attempt at a run anyway.
The tension that had slowly been building around us seemed to drop in an instant once I agreed, causing me to let out a long breath of air I hadn't realised I was holding. "Perfect! Let's fucking do this!" Jamie exclaimed, back to his usual jovial attitude.
"It's about fucking time. I've been telling you guys for weeks now that we should do another robbery." Said Lewis eagerly
"And we've been telling you that it was far too risky to do another one so soon after the last." Cindy sneered.
"The last thing we want is to draw unneeded attention." Clark stated.
I just stared blankly at the conversation taking place between them, realising how truly little I knew of these supposed friends of mine. I wondered how I had seen no sign of this kind of behaviour in the last month I had known them. However, I realised that the majority of the time I spent with them, I was usually tipsy at best and black out drunk at worst. A condition that typically wasn't great for figuring things out.
"Alright, so where exactly did you have in mind for this robbery exactly?" Lewis excitedly asked.
"A place where we don't even need to break in to rob them." Jamie said cryptically, before looking back at me once more, making the hairs along the back of my neck snap up at attention and leaving me in a state of confusion as I tried to figure out what he could possibly be hinting at.
It was then that he leaned his head in as the others and I nudged closer. "Top's Cafe." He whispered.
"Ohhh! Thats fucking perfect man. Didn't Adam here say that the old crone who runs the place gave him the code to open the front doors?" Lewis exclaimed in excitement as he looked back towards me.
"That's right. With Adam's code, this will be the easiest money we've ever stolen!"
The others proceeded to chatter in excitement, Cindy and Lewis in awe at the genius plan Jamie had thought up, while I simply stood frozen in shock, waiting for the moment I would wake up from this sudden nightmare.
The idea of robbing the cafe, and in turn Eileen, made me sick to my stomach. After all the help she had given me, not only in giving me a job but also always making sure to look out for me, I knew I couldn't let this happen. I knew I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I betrayed her trust in such a way. Especially after how I treated the only other people who had ever cared about me beforehand. No, this time, I was going to do the right thing.
"No." Instantly, the conversations taking place stilled as they all looked back towards me in confusion, most not understanding what I said, simply pausing due to the seriousness in my tone.
"What did you say mate?" Asked Clark, having clearly not picked up on the sudden tension forming around us. Yet before I could answer, Jamie quickly responded.
"What I think our dear friend just said is that he won't be helping us with the robbery. Is that right Adam?" Jamie asked, his voice soft and friendly, the complete opposite of how he currently appeared with his fists clenched by his sides and his body leant forward as if preparing to attack. A manic grin on his face that got scarier with every passing second, with even his menacing snake tattoo looking to be staring directly at me with its fangs bared.
Immediately, I wanted to vehemently deny what I had just said. To say that I was joking and I was more than happy to go along with his plan. But just as I was about to, the image of Eileen and all the times she had helped and supported me popped into my mind. And so, with a heavy sigh, I steeled my nerves, stood up straight and locked eyes with Jamie.
"That's right. If you think I'm going to help you rob Eileen then you can go fuck yourself."
At my confession, the others all instantly erupted in annoyance and anger - that is, everyone but Clark and Alice, who both seemed slightly worried. "Come on man, this isn't the time for jokes like that." Clark laughed awkwardly, it being the first time I had ever seen him look so uncomfortable as he tried and failed to diffuse the tension.
"Do you even see the situation you're in?" Cindy mocked with a smile.
"Maybe he needs some convincing," Lewis said with glee as his gigantic but still skinny frame loomed above me in a domineering fashion from the side.
As I saw how they were all acting, acting as if I was a stranger and not someone who had been hanging out with them constantly the entire past month, I wondered if maybe they suffered from some sort of personality disorder. I just couldn't understand how they could suddenly be acting so crazy compared to their normal selves. Unless this had always been their true personality, and I had just never bothered to pay attention, being too focused on myself than on the people around me.
'Story of my life.' I sighed.
"At the moment, you've got two choices, Adam," Jamie spoke as he took a step towards me. "Either you come help us with this robbery, and we forget all about this. Or you get the absolute shit kicked out of you. The choice is yours."
As if they had choreographed it beforehand, all the blokes began to fan out and encircle me while the girls took a few steps back. Jamie stood to my direct front and blocked the exit of the alleyway while Clark and Lewis began to take their place to my left and right, respectively. I looked to Clark for support, seeing he was the only one who looked even the tiniest bit shaky at what was happening. Yet, as I watched him flash me a sad smile before taking his place in the circle, I knew the chance of any help was well and truly dashed.
I let out a deep sigh, seeing no way out of my current situation. Even if I was somehow able to break through their little encirclement, with the state of my lungs, I knew I wouldn't have been able to make it more than a hundred metres before I collapsed into a heaving mess, and they caught me. I was well and truly fucked.
'Well,' I thought bitterly. 'If I'm going to get the shit kicked out of me no matter what, I might as well take down at least one of these fuckers first.'