PART 6
Two hours later the three were still watching Archie's dramatic, Peabody worthy, coverage, when Ron got a text message on his phone from Naked Pablo, letting him know he saw Louise with two men and a rooster down at the Beauty Parlor. He sent Ron a quick thanks in reply then told Phoenix the news. Without hesitation, Phoenix was off the couch, out the door, running down the hall.
Ron followed Phoenix's trailing voice down the street, to the docks on the east side of the port. Ron stopped twenty feet from their destination to catch his breath while Phoenix rushed with full force until he reached the door of a bar called The Beauty Parlor, which is where all the sailors and pirates came to drink. The place is famous for having the strongest drinks and the most violent brawls in the state. And out back is the wildest whore house on face of the earth. It makes the biker bars in town look like tea parties.
Phoenix opened the front door and stepped inside with Ron following a few moments later. All along the bar was a group of Portuguese sailors while the tables were filled with merchant sailors and pirates.
Phoenix searched the bar while Ron kept his eyes on the sailors at the bar because they appeared agitated. Sitting at a table tucked away in the back corner of the bar were Louise, Arnie, Luke the Astronaut and Teddy King.
Everyone in the place new Luke was a famous astronaut and the Teddy used to be king of his own island nation until several ships of sailors and missionaries ran him and his people off the island and into the sea. Teddy was the only survivor.
Ron knew this was not a good place for them to be, and just as Phoenix and he took a few steps towards the back of the bar where the group was sitting, a beer glass flew just over the heads, smashing into hundreds of pieces after it collided with the wall. Phoenix drew his sword and charged while Ron followed close behind with his eyes closed, convinced it would be an instant slaughter.
Somehow they make it through the bedlam, to the back of the bar, to Louise and her companions. Phoenix approached and Louise clutched Arnie tighter to her breast and began to shake. Seeing the reaction Louise had to Phoenix's presence made Luke angry and got up and stepped between the approaching Phoenix, and Louise.
“We don't want any trouble with you, the lady just wants you to leave her alone,” Luke said to Phoenix in a calm and controlled voice, which struck both Ron and Phoenix as odd, given the extreme violence that was going on in this bar and throughout the city at this moment. When Phoenix didn't step back or give any kind of sign that he was going to leave the bar peacefully, Teddy got out of his chair and stood next to Luke sniffing the air. He seemed to be getting excited by the smell of blood and liquor that filled the air. Before Phoenix is aware of what is about to happen, Teddy lunged at him.
Instinctively, Johnny pulled his sword and plunged it into Teddy's gut, withdrew, then pushed the groaning and bleeding Teddy into the table which turns over causing beer glasses to go flying and Louise to scream. When she jumped up from her chair, she dropped Arnie who was now running wildly around. In the chaos, Luke attacked Johnny but before he could reach him he slipped on a puddle of beer and crashed to the floor, landing on top of Arnie, who shouted out before dying, “Existence is sorrow!”
Phoenix quickly put is blade into the back of Luke's neck, Ron saw Louise get up and run out of the bar but decided not to say anything to Phoenix. Ron had always been found of Louise and knew she would be better off without Phoenix, and right now, it was more likely Phoenix would kill her instead of trying to reconcile. While Phoenix was busy vanquishing his foe, Ron saw his opportunity to escape the bar unscathed. He picked up one of the chairs and tossed in through the window and climbed out. Phoenix on the other hand elected to fight to his way out.
Once outside, Ron saw Louise run aboard a ship that was docked at the end of one of the piers. For a flickering moment, he thought about going after her, hiding aboard the ship, and starting a new life just like she was, perhaps even they could do it together. Before he knew it, he found himself walking swiftly down the dock, towards the pier. Then the voice of Phoenix shouted out, “Ron, have you seen Louise.”
Ron thought about not turning around, pretending to ignore Phoenix and just keep going, to another ship, or somewhere else, anywhere but where he was at. But he couldn't, Phoenix would follow, so he turned and said back to Phoenix. “I saw her, she's aboard that ship!” Phoenix extended his arm towards the horizon to a ship that was sailing away, and not the docked ship that Louise was actually hiding on.
Phoenix ran towards Ron, who had stopped walking, having given up on his own dream to escape.
“My ship isn't far from here, we must hurry,” Phoenix said.
“You know I hate the sea, I think this is where you and I party ways.”
“Alright then friend, but come with me to my ship so that I might compensate you for your help.”
“Yeah, sure.”
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