On the wall behind the bar, there was a mirror with a bunch of shelves attached to it (the shelves were lined with bottles and jugs - some were probably genuine, others were probably just for decoration), but even with all the stuff in the way, Tiffany could still see enough of her new reflection to know that she now looked like a stocky middle-aged guy - with a mustache, no less.
The guy still sitting next to her made a few disturbing noises and more uncontrolled movements. It was enough for Tiffany to hop off her bar stool, just like the two guys did earlier.
She had thought about leaving the bar, but she didn't know where to go. If this is what she looked like now, no one she knew would believe it was her. Even if they did know about this whole body swapping thing that was happening all over town.
She took a seat at one of the tables and thought about what to do.
A short time later, the door to the bar flung open and a woman dressed in guy's clothes (which looked a little baggy on her) walked in. She looked around. "Where the hell is everyone?" she asked. Then she shook her head and walked further into the room and then stopped at the far-end wall. Tiffany looked around and saw her knock four times on a rickety-looking door. A moment later, the door opened.
"Who the fuck are you?" she heard a high-pitched voice ask. It didn't sound like a woman, but it was high-pitched.
"I'm Joe McCarty, kid," the woman said. "Is Eddie around?"
Then Tiffany watched as the woman entered the other room and the door was shut behind her.
Joe sped into the bar's parking lot and parked, making sure he was as close to the building as possible (in case he had to make a quick getaway), and then he got out and headed into the bar.
Much to his surprise, the bar was nearly empty. The last time he was there, the place was bustling with people and noise. But now, there were only two people. Some retarded guy at the bar and a guy at one of the tables.
"Where the hell is everyone?" he asked. But no one gave him an answer. He shook his head and then crossed the room to the far-end wall. He knocked on the door that was there, and a moment later, it opened.
He looked down and saw a boy that couldn't have been older than five years old. "Who the fuck are you?" the kid asked. Maybe he was Eddie's kid. He had been locked up in prison so long, he had no idea if the guy had kids or not. Although, it was hard to imagine Eddie having children. It just wasn't his thing.
"I'm Joe McCarty, kid," he said. "Is Eddie around?" he asked, as he walked into the room. The boy closed the door behind him.
"I am Eddie," the boy said. "And it looks like you ended up getting swapped just like me."
"You mean this is happening to other people?"
"From what I heard, a couple thousand," the boy said, sitting down at the table that was in the room. "Now, what can I do for you?"
It was hard to take this kid seriously, even if he said that he was Eddie. But Joe knew full well what it was like to be perceived as someone he wasn't. And with that, he sat down at the table with him.
"I need some guns," Joe said. "Good ones."
The boy smiled. "Then I've got some good news for you."
