str8huggin

So here's the beginning of a story I started like 2 1/2 years ago and never finished. I though some of you might like it. Would not let me post it in Creative Writing for some reason "Buddha once said, 'No one can save us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.'" Renan placed his half-full water bottle on the pavement, readjusting the cigarette that was currently burrowing into a street thugs forehead. "I'll ask you again; Where is your boss stashing his supply crates? I've checked each and every one of these shipping containers and I've come up with zilch." Renan exhaled deeply with his eyes closed, easing up on the pressure applied to the thugs forehead, flashing a maniacal smile. "Right now you are walking a path of foolish pride and that, I can assure you, is not a path that is going to save you." The street thug violently trembled, his eyes darting between his paralyzed comrades, that were only a few feet away along the dock's loading area, and the cigarette that was attempting to syringe itself into his brain. "I-I-I I told you. I ain't sayin' nothin'. You ain't nothin' but a lowlife thief who caught us off guard. We'll jus' move locations. You gon' die before you find it." Renan had a suprised look on his face, eyebrows cocked with a hand to his chest as if he was offended, "Me? Die? No, no, no, no, no. I don't think you understand how this works," Renan removed the cigarette from the thugs forehead, it being nothing more than a filter at this point and took a quick puff with his eyes closed. During that time, the thug lunged at Renan, ready to land a brass-knuckled right hook. Renan lazily opened his eyes, his attention landing on the fist. Crushing the cigarette filter in his right hand, Renan delivered a rapid jab to the thugs throat causing the ill-prepared man to fall onto his back, left to his coughing fit. In a swift motion, Renan landed on the gangster's chest with his right knee and used his left foot to stomp on the right wrist of his attacker. "This. All of this," Renan extended his arms out wide, "This is all my stage and you are a stepping stone, nay, a crack in the road to much larger prey." Renan placed his hands around the thugs neck, the poison touch taking affect much quicker due to the thugs already poor physical condition. "I must thank you though," Renan watched as the light brown eyes quickly started to lose their color as death introduced herself. "Hey, hey stay with me," Renan slapped the thugs cheeks as if you wake a sleeping man, "Don't die yet. I'm having a heart to heart with you. I really do appreciate all you've done. You gave me enough information to know that the supplies are at this dock. Sleep well. It's curtain call for you." The thug's resistance was gone, his limbs gone limp. Renan stood up, combed his hair with the comb from his back pocket. Turning around, he noticed the two thugs he had left paralyzed. Once he made eye contact with them, in unison, the two released grunts and groans nonstop. "Relax. I got what I needed. I'm sure someone will find you two. For now, just lie down and take it easy." Renan had strolled down a few blocks from the show he put on at the docks, stepping into a bustling coffee shop. Renan had looted the few bills the thugs jointly had among them, for a total of $216. He removed one of the cleaner $5 bills from the crumpled ball and handed it to the cashier without looking, "A medium green tea and one croissant." When he noticed the money was not being taken from him he looked up. 'Oh shit.' What he saw before him was a ginger headed girl with a pinch of freckles scattered across her cheeks. Her lipstick was a dark red and her complexion was flawless. She stood at a height of 5'7" so Renan had to look down at her. The cashier's face said it all. "You are late a-*****-gain. It's 11:09. You were supposed to be here at 11 exactly." The redhead had used her eyebrows to censor the word 'fucking'. "I got in an... argument." She squinted her eyes as if trying to see the word liar written across his face. "Fine. I'll have it ready in three." The cashier had associated herself with Renan a few months back when she had caught onto his schedule and typical order. He considered her a friend but nothing more. Renan was lost in thought when he heard the screeching of the chair legs beside him. "Shouldn't you be working?" Beth, the cashier had plopped his order down in front of him, sitting in her chair backwards so she could rest her arms on the backrest of the chair. "I'm on break. Black, why are you so mysterious? I mean, I know nothing about you." Renan took a sip of his tea. confused by the question, "You never bothered to ask. Besides you know that I like green tea and croissant's, isn't that enough? What if I was a psychopath? Would you still want to know me?" The cashier eagerly nodded. "Something's wrong with you, Beth."