By: Connor Pohlman
*In the finale of ADMIX, Moose and Buffalo continue their pursuit of their mysterious targets. As their disgruntled partnership continues to splinter, they are held together by one objective: finishing the job. As the New Mexico sun pelts their skin and the coarse road grinds their feet, they exercise their last efforts to do what they were brought here to do…
Moose’s feet were on their last life. He was barely able to feel his toes anymore because of how sore they had become. As he and Buffalo looked at the road ahead of them, the mirage of heat acted like a curtain, but one that was invisible. Moose could see with his own two eyes a building in the distance. Finally, something. Anything would’ve made him feel this elated.
As he turned to his right to signal Buffalo to it, he hesitated and returned his hands to his side. The grizzled man was already increasing his pace ahead of him.
The paved lot of the gas station was cracked and worn as the tired feet of Moose and Buffalo stomped across it. They found the nearest car to lean up against, which thankfully the owner wasn’t present for. Knowing this, they only spent a short amount of time doing so.
“I gotta go take a leak,” Moose said.
“Go ahead. I’ll be right up,” Buffalo told him, seeming to use the car for more support than he had originally thought he needed.
Moose pulled the door of the establishment open, a little bell ringing as he walked in. He did his best to ignore the bickering men that were loitering by the counter. He even made it harder for himself, since he walked in between them on his way to the bathroom.
“Why you gotta rip on my shoes, huh? They’re from my sister. My sister got ‘em for me, c’mon now,” the short man said.
Moose opened the creaky bathroom door, walking immediately over to one of the two sinks that stuck to the wall. He gracefully let his head fall down just above the drain as he turned the blue-tipped faucet handle. The chilling water burst onto his scalp, flowing down the lines of his wavy brown thick hair for only a moment. Moose pulled his head out of the sink quickly, running a hand through his hair, letting it fall back down onto his head. His head craned down for a prolonged amount of time. He finally looked at himself in the mirror, but only for a moment. As hard as he tried to forget Cobb, he couldn’t get the sterling man out of his head. Enough so that Moose retreated his gaze away from his reflection over to the small window that peered out to the back lot. In the spot directly in front of him, the pair of shining red eyes glared back at him, ones that had become all too familiar to him.
“You took my wallet, dammit! I know you did!” Red yelled. He towered over Green much closer now, raising his voice in the diner.
“What are you talkin’ about? I didn’t touch anything!” Green told him, taking a few steps back now.
“You’ve been eyeing it ever since we left. I’ve seen you, don’t lie to me!” Red yelled. “And then you lure me into here to take it, and I fell for it like a fish biting the hook. I’m sure you really wanted to treat me to a nice meal. That’s why we stopped here, right?” Red asked sarcastically.
“Buddy, seriously, listen to what you’re sayin! For all I know, you took something of mine!” Green spat back.
Gritting his teeth, Red reached behind himself, where he lifted up his suit to grab the item that was holstered in his pants.
Moose bolted through the bathroom door back out into the diner, his gaze darting towards the men near the front counter. He watched as the diner doors opened again, the bell ringing with its charm. He was too far removed to do anything now except observe helplessly.
Red felt a hand land on his right shoulder, turning his body immediately. He was met with a man with a deadpan face, holding something in his hand out to him.
“Hey pal, I think you dropped this back there,” Buffalo said to him, holding in his hand a shiny black wallet.