Yeah, buddy!

Sorry, but sometimes I just need a little lift me up to celebrate the small milestones. It worked so well on the last huge project, that I'm giving it another go. Here's a tiny snap shot of my newest work, "Glory". (tentatively titled, of course.)

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The backdoor to the restaurant closest to Gerald slipped open. They each watched hungrily, as the restaurant worker in a stained white apron heaved a black trash bag into the slightly rusted green dumpster, and then slowly pulled a cigarette from his pants pocket. They impatiently waited for the kitchen hand to finish the cigarette dangling between his fingers. As soon as the metal door closes behind him, it’s going to be war when the men brawl over who will get to eat now, and which two will have to continue waiting through the night.

After the six long minutes, the cigarette slowly spun into an old Folger’s coffee can at the base of the stairs. All three men sprint towards the dumpster in the night, with just the light from a single exposed bulb hanging over the restaurants backdoor to see. Theo and Ron prepared to fight with fists and feet, but Gerald hasn’t eaten in two days, and he wasn’t about to make it three. He reached the dumpster first. His frozen fingers wrapped around the bottle neck that he stashed there this morning, and he smashed it against the side of the dumpster.

Gerald held the jagged end out towards them. “Back off! Back off!” he yelled. Ron swatted at him, and the jagged bottle met his cheek. The squealing of pain echoed down the alley as his flesh ripped open. Warm blood oozed from the three gashes in the side of his face, a shard of glass stuck in the skin near his lip. He retreated down the alley and disappeared around the corner to lick his wounds.

“How about you, huh?” Gerald bantered to Theo in a crouching position, ready to fight. “You want some of this, too?” Slowly, Theo backed away with his hands up. He didn’t need a degree in psychology to diagnose the unstable state Gerald was in. He reclaimed his place next to the stairs, and watched Gerald climbed into the dumpster. Seconds later out popped the trash bag. Gerald gave one last warning glare to Theo, threw the bottle against the back of the restaurant building, and then held the bag tightly to his chest running the opposite way of bloodied Ron, and also disappeared into the night.
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