Final Chain

by Dumakey93

Hold Her Steady

John's eyes hardly closed thanks to the nightmare from last night. I have to make some coffee, to clear my head. He got up from the couch, and noticed a smell of burning bacon. He ran over to the kitchen, where Octavia and DJ Pon-3 were having an argument.

Octavia held a spatula in her hand, "No, bacon is too salty, he won't like that! Especially after the night he just had!"
Vinyl facepalmed, "I don't think he would care what he ate right now. He needs something in his system."
Their bickering went on for several minutes, while John laughed once in a while. He decided to walk in, right when Octavia threw a large skillet at Vinyl. Oh no...this is going to hurt... The skillet hit him square in the face, breaking his large nose. His eyes watered a little, enough to let out a single tear. He quickly wiped it away, wanting to preserve his manliness. He had hot grease on him from the bacon, but surprisingly enough, that didn't bother or burn him.

"Thank you ladies, for thinking about my well-being. I actually like bacon, but not on the floor. I prefer it on a plate, but it's fine...I was just coming in to make some brew, do you want anything?"

Octavia and Vinyl just stood in moderate shock, not being able to answer him. Vinyl suddenly burst out laughing, "Ha! Nice one Octavia, you really messed up big time!"
Octavia's face burst out in a bright red color, probably from embarrassment. "Well...at least I tried to cook, unlike someone I know!"
Vinyl's face suddenly turned into a blank stare, as she was quick to anger. "Well, EXCUSE ME, PRINCESS!! I DIDN'T KNOW YOU NEEDED...to point someone's flaws out so rashly!"

John decided to intervene, "Listen, ladies. I know that you two might have a butting feud with each other. How about we all go out tonight, and clear our heads. Does that sound good?"

They sighed in unison, "Yes John, that seems acceptable."
He smiled, "Good, I'm going off to work now, so try not to destroy my apartment space, or yourselves...and by the way, you owe me coffee."
He grabbed his jacket, and headed down the flights of stairs. He saw something out of the corner of his eye, it was a piece of parchment. What is this doing here? I might as well leave it alone, whoever dropped it might come for it later. He walked onward and out the apartment complex towards his workplace.

John made it, he was at his work, a culmination of his degree and training brought him here. A lone department store run by a strict man by the name of Mr. Yorks. He was a man not to be messed with. Having served in the Vietnam War, he was easily the meanest person John knew. That was John's boss at work, to keep up a hardened reputation for no-nonsense. After work, Yorks was a quiet man who was as cold as in the workplace. Until one day John saw him play with his supposed grand-kids after work. Yorks had said, "John, you better not mention this to anyone, got it? Or you might as well quit now." John knew that Yorks wouldn't fire him, because he heard of the incident the year before. It was a mutual understanding between the two men.

John clocked in at eight in the morning, exactly when he was supposed to at work. "Hey Johnny boy! You need to man the cash register while I'm gone. Don't you even THINK about taking and cash for a 'bonus', got it?"
"Yeah boss, I understand."
"Anyway, I'm off!"

Yorks left, leaving John the task of keeping up with the store.

A few hours went by, and not a single customer stopped by. John was tempted to light a cigarette, but it was against store policies. Stupid tobacco law...if only...nevermind. It's a good thing that it's restricted now, or I'd have died of lung cancer by now. The bells rang above the store door, "Hello! How can I hel...oh...you guys. I thought I told you to stay there."
"We wanted to see where you worked, because we're curious." Vinyl said.
"Vinyl forced me to come here. I knew that you set up rule for us, but SHE wouldn't listen." Octavia explained.
"That's not true, and you know it! We both were curious and wanted to see your lovely face!"

John blushed slightly, "Well, aren't we the aggressive one today! While you're here, buy something, anything. Business has been really slow..."
Octavia and Vinyl asked, "Well, why is business slow?"
"It's around the holiday season, and people are staying home with their..." John paused to produce a heavy sigh, "families."
"What happened to your family, John?"
"I...don't want to talk about it. You know what? I'll tell you tonight."

Just then, Yorks returned from his outting, "DO I PAY YOU TO SIT AND CHAT UP WOMEN?"
John quickly regained his composure, "No sir!"
"THEN WHY DO I SEE TWO WOMEN NOT BUYING ANYTHING??!!"
"Business is slow sir, and they have no money."
Yorks became silent. After a long pause, he started shouting again, "WELL, TELL THEM TO GET OUT!!"

Octavia grew tired of the old man's yelling, "JOHN RETRIEVED US FROM HOMELESSNESS!! HE IS A MAN WITH A KIND HEART, NOT THAT YOU'D CARE ABOUT THAT, OLD MAN!"
Yorks grew increasingly angry, "I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I SERVED IN A WAR! I SAW MY FRIENDS DIE BEFORE MY VERY EYES!! I CAN STILL HEAR THEIR SCREAMS AND CRIES OF AGONY EVERY NIGHT!! I CAN NO LONGER HAVE A HEART AFTER THE PAIN I'VE LIVED THROUGH!! NOW, GET OUT!!"

Octavia and Vinyl shut their mouths, and stared at the ground. "We're sorry sir...we just..." They walked away and out the store.

Yorks looked at John, "Listen, they have kind hearts, cherish them well. Take the advice from a man like me, who only killed because his country told him to. After this incident today, I'm giving you the rest of the day off. John, hold them as tight as Her, alright?"

John's eyes welled up, and he cracked a smile, "Thanks sir!"
Yorks smiled, "Now please go John, before I catch your joy too..."

John walked out the door with higher expectations than that morning. Looking at the clock, he saw that there was still some time left to get ready for the night's dinner. I'd best hurry to Octavia and Vinyl and calm them down. Then, we'll need to get ready for tonight...