Ace Of Spades (Complete Raw First Draft, Unedited)

Two: Poison

It was almost three in the morning when we finally managed to drag Clyde away, literally. He and Bonnie lived in a two bedroom house, only a twenty minute walk from the pubs. We would always walk back together, and I'd crash at theirs, in the spare bedroom.

The neighbours must dread the weekends; we would always start off trying to be quiet and considerate, but we'd get caught up in drunken excitement and end up yelling and singing at the top of our lungs the whole way home.

Tonight, Clyde was piggybacking Bonnie while she shrieked with laughter, and I ran along beside them.

I knew the morning was going to be ugly, it always was. I quickly learnt about chugging as much water you I could to lessen the hangover in the morning, but I'd always forget, and I knew tonight wouldn't be any different. I decided to go with the next best option, a trick Marcus had taught me, to try and purge yourself of some of the poison.

"Hurry the fuck up, Ace," Clyde called back as the two of them raced ahead. "What are you doing?"

"Tactical spew," I yelled back, hearing Bonnie cry out in disgust and Clyde laughing at her reaction. "Gonna try to avoid the hangover."

There was a small lane way across the road, and I staggered across, not even checking for cars. There were never any this time of the night, anyway.

The lane way was dark and seedy, and I was hoping that I didn't come across some homeless junkie. I could hear Bonnie and Clyde talking across the road, which was reassuring, knowing they'd have my back if anything did happen.

Right as I was thinking this, I heard a scuffling sound down the end of the lane way, and I peered through the darkness, just barely making out the silhouettes of four people.

Assuming I had stumbled across a drug deal, I was about to turn around and go back the way I'd just come, but, then I heard the sound of their voices, recognising the higher pitched voice of a woman, panicking, begging the other three to leave her alone.

I wandered down the lane way, drawing closer to them. They were so absorbed in whatever was going on that none of them even notice me at first.

One of them grabbed the woman as she tried to dart around them, and shoved her toward the other two, who were laughing as they threw her to the ground. She cried out and tried to crawl away from them, but they were already on her again, and she screamed as one of them dragged her back up.

"Clyde!" I yelled over my shoulder, then, without even thinking about it, I threw myself at that asshole, pulling him off her and punched him in the jaw.

"Get the fuck away from her," I growled, putting my back to the wall.

The other two turned to me and started to advance, while the third guy quickly recovered, rubbing at his jaw, looking real pissed off.

"You're fucking dead," he muttered, spitting on the ground, and I cursed myself.

If you decide to take them on, Clyde had told me one night, after saving me from having my ass kicked, don't give them a chance to recover. Let them fucking have it, or they'll have you.

"Fuck," I swore as they cornered me. The first guy rushed me, and I managed to get a hit in before the other two followed. I tried to evade them, but the alcohol still in my system made me sluggish and clumsy, and they quickly got me on the ground.

One guy rammed his foot into my ribs and I cried out, curling up into a ball to try and fend off the worst of it as the others joined in.

Then, vaguely, I heard a yell, and the kicks finally stopped as the three left me on the ground and made their way toward the newcomer. I quickly got to my feet, looking around to where a fourth person had joined us. He was absolutely laying into one of them, and the other two held back, keeping a safe distance.