The Life Bar
Compendium 2020 – Story 47
By Andrew Hawnt
Tina couldn't run much further. She had to get inside. The rain was making it harder to maintain distance from the Streeters, and her battered Converse were letting water in. Hell of a night to pick a fight with the worst gang in the city centre. Hell of a night to have them chasing you through backstreets in the dead of night with their knives out and ready.
She rounded a corner, fighting for breath and shaking rainwater out of her eyes. Salvation presented itself as she spotted somewhere was still open, gaudy pink and blue neon screaming THE LIFE BAR, the rain catching in the glowing light and making the air before it sparkle.
There was nowhere else. It could be a front for a brothel or a drug den for all she knew, but there had to be a phone in there. Hers was long lost, smashed by the Streeters' leader, Doe John, when she'd confronted them.
Going alone was a stupid idea. She cursed her own idiocy as she scrambled for the door of the place and yanked it open. She threw herself inside.
The six men inside the place all turned to stare at her. They were all in their forties and older. Five were sat on stools at vintage arcade game cabinets, while the sixth leaned against a counter that was laden with packs of snacks, a drinks fridge and an ancient spinner of old comic books. The place was lit sparsely, letting the light from the video games send brightly coloured lights around the place as though it was a disco for middle ages game geeks. The guy at the counter rushed over to her.
“Hey! Welcome to the Life Bar, where old video games go to be old. Are you ok?”
“I'm... being followed,” Tina gasped between breaths. “Streeters. Gang. I... tried to get them... to leave my sister alone. Is there a phone? I need... police.”
The owner gestured for her to follow him to the counter. “Quick, over here. We can help. I'm Stuart, by the way.”
He grabbed his hoodie from the hook behind the counter and gave it to Tina. “Here, get this on. You'll catch your death if you don't warm up. Do you need a drink or something? Tea?”
Tina was glancing worriedly at the door. “Please... they'll be here any second. They have knives. I thought I could get away, but...” her words trailed off as she showed them her soaking arm, a gash in her jacket sleeve revealing a fresh slash across her skin.
“Now listen,” Stuart said. “My pal Eric – the guy in the Hawaiian shirt – would be best to help you first. He's a pro. Okay? We'll get you warm and get that bandaged up, but Eric needs a look.”
Anger rose, balancing out her fear. “Listen! They're literally about five seconds away and they want to kill me! They'll go for you too! They don't care!”
Eric was by her side now, and reached out to touch her temple.
Without warning, the world around her collapsed into swirling squares of colour, arranging themselves into odd, blocky renditions of her actual memories.
Her sister's been harassed by these dickheads. She turned their leader down for a date and he got angry. Turned his cretins on her. Tina Spalding. She's clean. Good heart. Telling the truth. Pure. Alignment: Chaotic Good. Single Player. No Combo.
Eric pulled his hand away. “You get that upload, guys?”
Each of the men nodded. They got off their stools and joined Stuart in a row, fists clenched.
Tina was dazed. “You... were in my head. How? I don't... Oh God, I can hear them outside!”
“Get behind us,” Stuart ordered, his voice darker now.
“You don't understand! You'll get hurt! They mess people up real bad!”
“Behind us,” Stuart said again.
Tina figured she had no choice, and rushed behind the counter, waiting for the Streeters to arrive and slit the throats of these poor middle-aged guys with pot bellies and thinning hair. They were probably dads and uncles. They had no chance.
Doe John burst in, closely followed by the other Streeters. They caught their breath, staring at Tina's row of protectors with bare-faced amusement. They snorted with laughter and raised their knives, rain dripping from blades. Doe John spat on the carpet.
“Best you can do, Tina? Bunch of old bastards playing Tetris or some shit? Watch closely. We'll show you want happens when someone pisses us off. Come on, Streeters, get busy!”
“Welcome to the Life Bar, boys,” Sneered Stuart. “Where old video games go to be old!”
The gang of lanky, pale youths rushed at the older men, knives ready to strike ageing flesh.
FIGHT! Came a deafening voice from seemingly everywhere, echoing around the confines of the dingy little establishment. Pounding techno music burst forth from unseen speakers at a volume that could have made the walls bleed.
The Streeters skidded to a halt before making contact as they spotted green lights erupt into being over the heads of the six old gamers, solidifying as long rectangles. Within those rectangles were their names, blazing in white pixels. The gangers looked up and recognised them immediately, even though they were impossible, They were retro video game health bars.
The distraction caught them off guard, giving the gamers the perfect opportunity,. The six of them hurtled into battle with inhuman speed. They attacked the Streeters with vicious punches, roundhouse kicks, uppercuts, barges, body-blows and more. They span spheres of pixelated lightning in their hands and launched them at the thugs, the lightning exploding around them and flinging them back, screaming.
COMBO! Came the booming voice again.
The six men each leapt at the gang in a different way, all of their fists glowing with raging squares of luminescence. They pummelled the whole gang, breaking bones, smashing teeth and knocking every single one unconscious. The Streeters collapsed in a beaten, pulped heap. Atop them, Doe John was dazed but still awake.
Stuart raised a meaty fist, his fingers crackling with pixel lightning. “Game over, buddy,” he said before bringing the fist down and knocking Doe John out cold in a shower of sparks and fragmented teeth.
FLAWLESS! The voice declared, and all fell silent. The life bars and raucous music vanished.
Tina could only stare in bewilderment as the guys dragged the Streeters over to one side of the door and left them in a bleeding, broken pile.
Stuart put a hand in his pocket and pulled out some change, which he gave to Tina. “Here you go sweetie. Get sat at a machine. I'll get you a drink and something to nibble on and we'll get the police.”
Tina could now see the pixels that made up his eyes. She could see that his pores were perfectly square. She looked to the others and saw similar signs of their true nature. “Thank you... I had no idea. I'm sorry for barging. I... don't know what to say.”
“Games get old and obsolete, but we can still pack a punch, my dear. Here, why not play a beat-em-up? It's the one Eric was in. Forward-Up-A-and-B gives you his psychic sight. Comes in handy. It's a classic.”
Tina looked over to the broken form of Doe John by the door and allowed herself a smile. She sat at a game cabinet and popped in some coins. Her finger hovered over the button marked P1.
“Player one ready!” Stuart declared and went to fix her a drink.
© Andrew Hawnt 2020
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About Compendium 2020:
Compendium 2020 is a project from author Andrew Hawnt that consists of 52 original short stories, flash fiction stories and vignettes given away for FREE in 2020. Featuring science fiction, fantasy, horror and more, this began as a personal quest and due to the weirdness of 2020 has become an ambition to provide free distractions for anyone who needs them.
About Andrew Hawnt:
Andrew is based in Nottingham, England. Known for his music journalism career, comics writing and film critique work, Andrew is a prolific writer and is the author of a growing stack of books, including the cult hit VHS Ate My Brain. He made the movies The Demon And I and The Demon And I: Birthrite completely in lockdown with cast members filming their scenes remotely, and new films are coming.
Andrew is also the creator and presenter of the YouTube shows Planet Hex, Turn One Shock and the VHS Ate My Brain series as well as the video versions of the Compendium stories.
Follow Andrew: YouTube Mixcloud Facebook Instagram Twitter
© Andrew Hawnt 2020
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