Life Struggles (Life Stories Book 1) Read Online Free Page A
Author: Mark Treble
some more beer. Can't talk when my throat's so dry. Ya know?” Shorty lit a cigarette and leaned back. Patience, Ethan. Journalism 101. Shit, Life 101. Patience.
I came back with more beer and “accidentally” dropped another twenty on the ground.
“I think you dropped this.” I picked up the twenty and handed it to him. He grinned and put it in his pocket. This was going to be one of Shorty's better days if I could just keep him sober long enough.
“So, I was tellin' ya I gotta agent. Big ugly motherfucker, Japanese or something. Barfus or Doofus maybe.” How Shorty could remember programming commands when he couldn't remember his own name most days stumped me. But, it wasn't relevant here.
“Rufus?” I knew who Rufus Yardley was. For the first time I hoped I was wasting my efforts in talking to Shorty. I knew who Rufus was. I knew what Rufus was. And who and what Rufus was scared the crap out of me.
“Yeah, that's it! Rufus.” Shorty was beaming as if he'd thought of this all by himself.
“So, Rufus brings you jobs for underage online fuck games. Is that it?” Please let it be yes or no, just not ‘I can't remember.’ If it was yes, then deadly Rufus wasn't part of this. If it was no, then maybe I hadn't been wasting my time. If he couldn't remember I'd have to follow the lead a different way, and I wasn't looking forward to that.
“A coupla months ago I made a maze for some fuckin' video game. It had a triple log-in and two failures froze the whole thing. If someone got in there was a maze to follow before you could really see anything. I made it too complicated, though.” Shorty paused and reached for his mug. I let him take it.
“What do you mean too complicated? I thought the more complicated the better it was to secure something.” I showed my ignorance immediately.
Shorty asked me to pour more beer. I let him have half a mug out of the pitcher. Never stupid, just drunk, he realized I wasn't going to let him inebriate himself before I got what I came for.
“Yeah, the lady said that she couldn't never get through that shit. So she had me put in a back door where she could go in and fix things.” Shorty guzzled the beer. “Dumb cunt had me put the same back door into the rankings and the photos. Even I know how stupid that is, but that's what the animal wanted.” He was dismissive of less technology-savvy people than himself.
“Who was the lady?” The mention of photos and rankings had piqued my interest. I wasn't sure the lady was the next step in the chain, but wasn't about to pass her up. And an animal is a creature.
“Doan know, some Chinese or Japanese woman. Rufus brought her to me, said she was one dangerous animal. Now, gimme some more fuckin' beer, OK?” I half-filled his mug again; it was empty in seconds.
“Do you remember the back doors?” I needed some information yet, and needed to prioritize.
“Yeah, they was all the same.” He asked me for pen and paper, which I immediately supplied.
“Here it is.” I read the code.
‘tnucbmudamai321’
“Read it backwards,” he said. I already had.
‘123 i am a dumb cunt’
“She must really have been stupid,” I observed.
“Yeah, and so was her video game. All people hittin' and killin' each other, stabbin' and knocking down and kickin' and shit.” Shorty held up the mug, and I gave him another half. He now had enough alcohol in him that our productive time together was approaching its end.
“Shorty, another twenty if you tell me the video game website and the addresses for the photos and rankings, and another twenty if you tell me how to get ahold of Rufus.” Those were all the pieces I figured I could get from him. And he gave them to me.
“Rufus ain't nobody. He does enforcement for somebody, don't remember who. His last name starts with a Y. He's Oriental. He's gotta office at the Pussy Willow. That's all I know.” I gave Shorty another forty and poured the rest of the beer for him.
“Be safe, and
I came back with more beer and “accidentally” dropped another twenty on the ground.
“I think you dropped this.” I picked up the twenty and handed it to him. He grinned and put it in his pocket. This was going to be one of Shorty's better days if I could just keep him sober long enough.
“So, I was tellin' ya I gotta agent. Big ugly motherfucker, Japanese or something. Barfus or Doofus maybe.” How Shorty could remember programming commands when he couldn't remember his own name most days stumped me. But, it wasn't relevant here.
“Rufus?” I knew who Rufus Yardley was. For the first time I hoped I was wasting my efforts in talking to Shorty. I knew who Rufus was. I knew what Rufus was. And who and what Rufus was scared the crap out of me.
“Yeah, that's it! Rufus.” Shorty was beaming as if he'd thought of this all by himself.
“So, Rufus brings you jobs for underage online fuck games. Is that it?” Please let it be yes or no, just not ‘I can't remember.’ If it was yes, then deadly Rufus wasn't part of this. If it was no, then maybe I hadn't been wasting my time. If he couldn't remember I'd have to follow the lead a different way, and I wasn't looking forward to that.
“A coupla months ago I made a maze for some fuckin' video game. It had a triple log-in and two failures froze the whole thing. If someone got in there was a maze to follow before you could really see anything. I made it too complicated, though.” Shorty paused and reached for his mug. I let him take it.
“What do you mean too complicated? I thought the more complicated the better it was to secure something.” I showed my ignorance immediately.
Shorty asked me to pour more beer. I let him have half a mug out of the pitcher. Never stupid, just drunk, he realized I wasn't going to let him inebriate himself before I got what I came for.
“Yeah, the lady said that she couldn't never get through that shit. So she had me put in a back door where she could go in and fix things.” Shorty guzzled the beer. “Dumb cunt had me put the same back door into the rankings and the photos. Even I know how stupid that is, but that's what the animal wanted.” He was dismissive of less technology-savvy people than himself.
“Who was the lady?” The mention of photos and rankings had piqued my interest. I wasn't sure the lady was the next step in the chain, but wasn't about to pass her up. And an animal is a creature.
“Doan know, some Chinese or Japanese woman. Rufus brought her to me, said she was one dangerous animal. Now, gimme some more fuckin' beer, OK?” I half-filled his mug again; it was empty in seconds.
“Do you remember the back doors?” I needed some information yet, and needed to prioritize.
“Yeah, they was all the same.” He asked me for pen and paper, which I immediately supplied.
“Here it is.” I read the code.
‘tnucbmudamai321’
“Read it backwards,” he said. I already had.
‘123 i am a dumb cunt’
“She must really have been stupid,” I observed.
“Yeah, and so was her video game. All people hittin' and killin' each other, stabbin' and knocking down and kickin' and shit.” Shorty held up the mug, and I gave him another half. He now had enough alcohol in him that our productive time together was approaching its end.
“Shorty, another twenty if you tell me the video game website and the addresses for the photos and rankings, and another twenty if you tell me how to get ahold of Rufus.” Those were all the pieces I figured I could get from him. And he gave them to me.
“Rufus ain't nobody. He does enforcement for somebody, don't remember who. His last name starts with a Y. He's Oriental. He's gotta office at the Pussy Willow. That's all I know.” I gave Shorty another forty and poured the rest of the beer for him.
“Be safe, and
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