Free Fallen by James Somers

tankard.
    “Looks like business is going well, John”
Tom remarked.
    The barkeep acknowledged the comment
somewhat grudgingly. “You’ve just caught me on a good day,” he
said. “Hardly a soul has been in here all week before today.”
    Tom laughed before taking a deep drink of
beer. “John, John,” he said, chastising the man. “Don’t play me for
the fool. We do have eyes in every place, you see? We know what you
can do and not do for us in exchange for our services.”
    “I’m barely feeding my family as it is,”
John complained in hushed tones, hoping that his customers wouldn’t
hear.
    “Of course, if you feel you don’t need our
services anymore, that’s all fine and dandy,” Tom said. “But
accidents can happen when you least expect, taking a terrible
toll.”
    At that moment, a bottle of liquor fell from
the shelf behind John. When it smashed to pieces upon the ground at
his feet, it burst into flames, even catching John’s pant leg on
fire. The barkeep practically leaped out of his skin, beating the
flames with his damp rag. I grabbed my tankard from the bar and
heaved the beer onto the flames, snuffing them out instantly.
    Tom was already half way to the door with
Peter and Bill trailing lazily behind him. I had been transfixed by
the fire, not realizing they had gotten up.
    “It’s a cruel world to be taking chances
with your valuables,” Tom called back.
    John also hadn’t realized Tom was leaving.
“Wait!” he called.
    As Tom turned, John went through his till,
fishing out a wad of money which he offered to Bill. The boy took
the money, winking at the barkeep with a smile. “Nice doing
business with you, sir,” he offered condescendingly.
    “Come along, Brody,” Tom said as he turned
back to the door, heading out.
    I looked one last time at John the barkeep
as I turned from the bar. His eyes were shooting daggers into me. I
could only offer him an apologetic glance to atone for my
associated guilt.
    When I hit the streets with Tom and the
other boys again, I immediately confronted them.
    “You’re blackmailing these people!” I
shouted.
    Tom’s wan smile faded abruptly. “We do as
we’re told, which is something you had better learn quickly,” he
said. “Life is a hard road, Brody. I would think the last few days
might have taught you that already.”
    “Hard road?” I snapped. “You seemed to enjoy
yourself well enough, strutting around like a peacock. You were
happy to take the bread from that man’s table.”
    “If it puts bread on my own, sure,” he said.
“But what you don’t realize are the dangers lurking in this city
that his money will keep away. Sinister offers them
protection.”
    “Protection from what?” I protested.
    Tom drew very near to me then. His emerald
blue eyes flashed with anger. “Things you’ve yet to notice. Just
because your father died and you’ve been pinched and spent a night
in prison and dangled briefly from the rope don’t make you
knowledgeable about the real world.”
    I noticed that Peter and Bill were standing
behind Tom in a daze. Their eyes were glassy, their attention a
million miles away. I swallowed the lump in my throat and deferred
to them, hoping to change the subject.
    “What did you do to them?” I asked.
    “Who? Bill and Peter?” he asked, smiling.
“Just a bit of stupid to keep them occupied.”
    “They don’t know about the real world?” I quipped.
    “Are you joking?” he asked, incredulous.
“None of Sinister’s boys know anything about anything. They serve a
purpose for a while until they get pinched, or misbehave.”
    I wasn’t sure I really wanted to know the
answer, but I asked the question anyway. “What happens when they
misbehave.”
    Tom’s smile vanished. “Brody, you see things
others don’t for a reason. Somehow you’re one of us, a descendant
of the Fallen, and I can appreciate your curiosity. After all, you
clearly weren’t brought up with any knowing, but you ask too