The big hand on the clock reached twelve and, the door slammed open, casting a crimson light that felt like an entrance to some other world. I blinked my eyes open and shakily reached for my beer.

“That’s enough for you, ain’t it, Tori?”

I whipped my head around to see Adam staring at me, his piercing blue eyes reflecting a mix of curiosity and concern. “Tori?”

A toothpick dangled from the corner of his mouth, and I suddenly realized I’d never seen him without one. I turned back toward the door and muttered something I can barely remember.

“It’s midnight.” At this point, my throat was drier than a desert, despite the copious amount of beers I had drunk. “Someone is lookin’ for me.”

Adam walked from behind the counter and shut the door. His voice was low and soft as he approached me, gently prying the beer from my trembling hands. “I told Tony I’d get ya home.” he said, “You need to—“

Before he could finish his sentence, the door slammed open again but, this time, someone walked in. I wanted to be surprised but I had called it just seconds before. Malachai had found me.

****

It was the summer, and the only thing I cared about was the pool being open. I had broke my wrist climbing a tree the week before so I could only put my lower body in the water.

I had only just gotten in when a sight caught my eye. Behind the gates, there stood a boy, his presence so subtle that it took me a while to notice him. His eyes were ones I’d never forget, empty yet full of pain.

“Hey!” I shouted out. “Do you want me to open the gate?”

But the boy stayed quiet.

****

“Tori?” Malachai’s voice was the same as I remembered and his eyes were too. “You still comin’ round to this bar?”

Adam moved in front of me and held his hands up. “Look, guy, we ain’t lookin’ for no trouble. Why don’t you let me walk ya out?”

Malachai’s gaze met mine. I felt frozen in fear and he could tell the way a small smile tugged on the corner of he lips. “You didn’t tell him about us, darlin’?”

I struggled to get words out. “I ain’t seen you for years.”

His smile dropped, replaced by a look of bitterness. “So, we’re strangers again? That’s how this is?”

****

In the fifth grade, there was this ongoing joke about a kid called ‘Shooter’ who supposedly didn’t have any parents. Like anyone else, I played into it, but truth be told, I had no idea who Shooter was and I surely didn’t think him not having parents was funny.

One day, I was rather lonely during recess and walked over to the only other kid that was alone. I didn’t have a chance to ask him anything because once he looked up at me, I saw those same empty eyes from the day at the pool.

A chill ran down my spine but my curiosity overpowered my fear. “What’s your name?” I asked.

“Shooter.” He replied.

“How’d you get that name?”

In response, he extended his thumb and index finger, forming the shape of a gun and aimed it straight at me. Pulling the trigger, he exclaimed, “Bang!”

That’s when I met Malachai.