The Gangster in the Casino

A man nervously made his way through the casino, wrapping his coat tighter around him. Whether that was from fear, or from the cold outside, he did not know. He knew that he should never had set foot within these walls, begging a stranger to please grant him his wish.

He was given a single task, and he failed miserably.

The money that was promised to him to last a lifetime, was the reason for his downfall. How this stranger knew that he had taken more than he should have, was something that baffled him to no end. Many employees in the casino had warned him about making deals with people like him, and he did not listen.

This stranger had eyes on the back of his head the whole time, and he refused to listen.

The man found what he was looking for. Two large double doors that would lead to the main lair of the stranger, the gangster that could make any wish of yours come true.

The stranger that was rumored to the wear the body of a human, to look 'normal' to society.

The man never believed that for a second. Now, he wasn't sure what to believe anymore. It took a single night for him, a couple of seconds to change his mind, to confirm that he was fucked.

He had woken to something in his room, and it had slithered away, right through his bedroom window.

But he had seen it.

It was an amalgamation, something that did not belong.

It was a thing of eyes, arms, and a single smile.

A smile that he had seen in the dark. Standing at the foot of his bed.

Leaning over to whisper in his ear before he had registered that he was not having a nightmare, that sent pinpricks of chills down his spine.

"You fucking dog."

These words echoed in his brain, as the man placed his hand on the doorknob. He wanted to run as fast as he could, but the stranger would catch him. It would catch him, and do whatever it wanted with him. The man took a deep breathe, and opened the door.

"Johnny. You're surprisingly early," the stranger said with perfect calmness.

He was sitting in front of his desk, a clean desk with only a glass of what Johnny believed was gin. He lifted it toward Johnny's direction, signaling with his other hand to close the door.

Johnny did so without hesitation. Something that he should have done before he had taken more than he should.

"Hey...boss."

"Come sit. Don't stand by the door like an idiot, Johnny. My mother taught me to always show respect to anyone that walks through my door. Even if they betray me."

Johnny sat down in the only chair in front of the desk, now feeling so stuffy in that room. It felt like the entire sun was in the room with them.

"Johnny, do you know why I called you in here, today?"

"Y - yes."

"Why did you do it? You know what I had already promised you, but you still took more. A measly fucking five grand, much less than what I had promised you."

"I'm not sure, sir. I - let greed get the best of me."

"Greed? Oh yes. I know what greed does to a person. It ruins you. But it feels so good when you give in. So, I do get it, Johnny. Hell, I lost count how many times I had done it myself."

He took a sip of the gin.

"Sometimes it can cost dearly. I learned my lesson from the first time."

He leaned over to Johnny, and showed him the huge scar across his neck. Johnny didn't know how to respond to this. He never had noticed that scar before. Or had no clue that someone like him could be hurt.

The gangster traced his own scar with a finger, mimicking how it felt when he first got sliced across the throat.

"It hurt like a son of a bitch. Fuck, it was worst pain I had ever felt in my years of being alive. You start to think you're invincible, and bam, someone comes over to prove that you are indeed not. And that hurt me much more than the pain did."

He leaned back in his chair, his expression now appearing far away, as if he was now back in that moment long ago.

"But even though they did that to me, I was sad when I left. I didn't have a choice at the time. I still think of them. Strange what family does to you, huh?"

Johnny said nothing.

"I considered you family, Johnny. Like a family pet, almost. One that knows only loyalty. But I guess even a fucking dog like yourself can turn their backs on others."

Johnny flinched at the familiar words that were spoken to him that night. The gangster noticed this reaction, and offered him a smile. The same one that he had shown him that same night. Johnny felt tears flow down his face, and he began to violently shiver beneath his coat, breathing heavily through his nose.

"I'm not going to kill you, Johnny. It was that one time. And it will only be that one time, right?"

Before Johnny could attempt to let out a word, the gangster waved a hand in front of his own face, exposing the thing Johnny had seen that night. Johnny screamed in horror and ran out of the room. He crashed into a table filled with an audience, interrupting the chances of winning that night. The anger from the crowd that was gathered around the table was quickly forgotten when they realized that Johnny was screaming.

He could not stop. He would never stop.

The gangster took a sip from his gin again, now back to what he showed to society. He walked over to the doors, and stood there, watching people try their best to calm down Johnny. He shut the doors.

The employees did not pay attention to the lingering shadow from the gangster they had seen countless times. If they had seen it one more time, they would have gone mad.

It was an amalgamation, something that did not belong.

It was a thing of eyes, arms, and a single smile.

A smile that they had all seen in the dark.

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Thank you for reading!

Emy Quinn