Riddle Me This(Alex//Riddles)

Having finished a wonderful ham dinner, Alex retired to her bedroom to think things through. She needed to prepare herself for whatever lay ahead. Before turning on a light she crossed the room to one of the windows and peered out. Once more a brown rabbit was perched beneath the bush across the street but this time he wasn’t alone, an orange tabby cat was huddled next to him. “Odd couple,” She thought aloud while pulling the shade down. Opting for the softer lamp light, Alex began arranging her blankets on the floor. Kicking off her new boots she stretched out on the blanketed floor and allowed her mind to wander.

She hadn’t been asleep long when a knock on her door roused her from her dreams. Bleary eyed she fumbled her way to the door, “Who is it?” she croaked.

“It’s Ms. Nelly, dear.”

Alex rubbed the sleep from her eyes with one hand while opening the door with the other. Squinting into the hall light she recognized the short round form of Nelly.

“Sorry to bother you, dear, but Sam just brought this by. Thought you might want it in here as I don’t know how to use the things.” Flipping the light switch Nelly entered the room in order to place a worn green duffle bag onto the bed. She was about to leave when she spotted the blankets on the floor. “What on earth?! Don’t you like your bed, dear?” she asked, concern clouding her small brown eyes.

“It’s fine. I’m just not used to such luxuries; it will take a bit of gettin’ used to is all.”

Nelly shook her head sadly. “I’ve certainly got my work cut out in taking care of you.” And with that she bid good night and left the room.

After locking the door, Alex went directly to the large duffle bag. Unzipping it she sucked in her breath in awe as she carefully removed the first item, a 12 gauge double barrel shotgun. Caressing the weapon’s cold metal, she set it aside on the bed in order to retrieve the next item, a 30-30 Winchester. It was very similar to the one she used to have with only a few modifications, one being some sort of looking glass device that she would soon discover is used for sighting. Last but not least she pulled out a pair of six shooters, twirling them about in her hand she smiled at the choice of her weapons. Also inside were various boxes of ammo for each weapon. Meticulously, Alex studied each fire arm, cleaning it down and familiarizing herself with their mechanisms. Satisfied with the barrowed weapons she placed the items back into the bag and slid it under the bed. In the morning she would search out Will and see if he knew of a place where she could target practice.

Feeling confident now that she had some protections about, she quickly fell into a peaceful sleep.



* * * * * * * * * * *


Riddles approached the entrance to Red Lantern Ally wearily. Although he had changed into street clothes he knew that nobody would mistake him as a regular to this rat infested area. Patting the bulge under his left arm that contained his 9mm, he squared his shoulders confidently and entered the disgusting street.

He was glad that his destination didn’t require him to go too deeply into the abominable place for he wished to do his business and get out of there as quickly as possible. Refraining from covering his nose from the stench, he casually worked his way through the filth. Spotting the Crowing Rooster, Officer Riddle left the deplorable conditions of the street. Allowing his eyes to adjust to the dim light, he spotted his companion at a dirty table in the corner. Casually he strolled over to the bar and ordered a beer. Having received his beverage, he joined his shady looking friend.

“So Officer Riddles, what brings you to my part of the town?”

“I have a business proposition for ya.” Taking a swig of the stale drink he continued on “Me old neighborhood is rebellin’ against me. Seems they don’t want to pay up. They hired themselves a pretty little girl to protect them. I want you and your friends to teach them a lesson.”

“And what’s in it for me?” hissed the scruffy man while staring down his bottle of vodka.

“A handsome salary for starters. Plus you and your men can keep any booty that ya may acquire along the way – no questions asked.”

The bearded stranger looked Riddles in the eye, searching for some trace of a set-up. “I’ll do it but I want some cash up front.”

“Done.”

“Riddles, if I find out this is some scam and you take me and my men to the cleaners, you’ll never live long enough to regret your mistake.” Choking down the alcohol saturated worm, the man slammed down the bottle satisfied.

Riddles tried to hide his shaking hands as he reached for his own drink. “Meet me at the edge of the ally tomorrow evening and I’ll have your money for ya.” Rising from the rickety chair he exited the bar. “Thugs are so easy to hire,” he smirked with glee feeling braver now that he was out of the presence of the menacing character.