Tape Worm: Piece A

Anita arrived home with 3 cardboard bags of groceries. She was planning to fix her boyfriend Scott a hearty soup, as he was unable to eat much through that tube of his. As this was the case he was also unable to speak for the most part but could say "yeah" or "ngh" when asked a yes or no question.

"Pumpkin or Leek?" she asked the man that had been wheeled in front of their Television. He did not respond. Perhaps the sound was too loud? She used the remote to turn it down and asked yet again while standing in front of him with one packet of each soup.

"Pumpkin?"

"Yeah" he groaned as he opened his eye that was less puffy. Scott had always been a picky eater, or perhaps he had just got used to eating the same old 'Steak and Eggs' for dinner. He prided himself as a tough guy but had one bad altercation in the Southside that had rendered him just about paralyzed.

"You're looking a lot better you know? Can't imagine the other guys looking any better."

There was of course a silence and she noticed Scott trying to move his head as to peer around her at the TV. She noticed and moved herself to the Kitchen, turned on their apartment's best stovetop element, and emptied the packaged pumpkin sludge into a Small pot.

Her phone began to vibrate in her pocket, she checked for the caller ID and found it to be Allister. She stirred the thick sludge to break it up partially before leaving for her balcony in order to take the call.

"Hey, I'm just dinner. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, Anita everything's alright. Is he still in that body cast?"

Anita took a quick look inside at her Boyfriend who had his eyes locked onto the TV, and then replied "Yeah he's still in the cast."

Her Boss didn't seem to be listening but was instead talking to someone, and the background noise would momentarily spike on different occasions. Perhaps he was in a nightclub, in the V.I.P section and people were coming and going from the room.

"Ok Anita, I need you to meet me at Alhambra's Night Club, we have a friend coming through in about half an hour."

'You gotta be kidding' she thought as she pondered on what she would really respond with.

"Alhambra's… that's that place out East right?"

"Yeah, that's right. So I'll be seeing you in 20 minutes then?"

Anita pinched the space between her eyebrows.

"Make it 25." And with that, she hung up her cellphone and returned back inside. Smoke had begun to emit from the top of the pot. She rushed over to the oven, grabbed a towel with one hand while removing the soup from the element with the other, then waving the smoke down.

"Just my luck."

She scooped what was savable onto a plate and scraped the charred bottom into their rubbish bin.

"I'll be back soon Scotty…" she pecked him softly on his cheek. "Don't go anywhere without me."

27 minutes later…

Anita entered the V.I.P room with not a second to spare. The room was full of 6 people: Joel, a henchman whose shaved head was coated in some cheap dragon tattoo. Chad, who was always with Joel and had only one eye, as he had been stabbed in his left eye socket during his 13 year run in Drillant Penitentiary. Celine, her boss's main girl, or Madame to his working girls. Allister, the crime syndicate's head as well as Anita's boss. And finally Frank, the mule that always had one eye on the money and one eye on the door, as could be expected with such a job description.

"Hey sorry I'm late Allister, it's just-"

"Sit."

She felt as though Allister was about to serve her divorce papers. Then Celine broke the tension with her signature laughter, the kind that Anita had grown to hate.

"Oh c'mon Babe, leave her be?"

Allister snatched the madam's Snuff bag and dug his large index finger into the bottom of it and scooped a dosage fit for three lines, before disposing of it through his right nostril.

Frank put the last ounce on Allister's Scale. "28 grams even, you happy with that sir?"

Allister snatched up the ounce. "Don't call me 'sir' I'm only 32 I'm not an old geezer yet."

Celine Unzipped her purse, before presenting a bundle of cash. Then said "I don't suppose you take credit do Ya?" followed by her own shrill signature laughter. No one joined in. Frank ripped the card band that bound the notes and began counting for all about 40 seconds.

"Alright, everything checks out. As always pleasure doing business with you."

Frank offered his hand to Allister who instead belched and stuck his switchblade into a random ounce and pried it open. Frank dropped his hand and made his way for the door.

Allister wracked up two lines, One for him and one for Celine. Their own signature protocol ensured the product that hit the street was of good quality.

Anita received a text at that moment, from the contact entitled 'Little Piggy number One'

"Notions downstairs, he needs his ounce." Celine looked to Allister "Well I suppose we give him this one? It's pretty good?"

Allister instead grabbed a random ounce and tossed it to Anita. "Notion delivers to our working girls they can get whatever."

"But-"

"Anita, go and meet him. Don't make him wait."

With that Anita left downstairs, spotted Notion in a corner becoming friendly with an over interested young woman. She looked over and noticed Anita walking towards them, then met her antagonizing gaze and promptly left Notions side.

"Sup 'Nita how about we go somewhere more private?"

"I was thinking the same thing come with me…"

Anita opened the Club's back entrance that opened into a dinghy alleyway lit by a single flickering bulb above the door. She scoped out the alley and once satisfied presented the bag of cocaine. "Here you go Notion." Notion took the bag and stuffed it into his waist bag. "I'll probably knock through this tonight, when can I get a re-up?"

Anita opened a pack of nicotine gum and sucked on a lozenge, "I guess we'll have to see. Allister's working on getting this new product from a band of brothers a state over. It takes a while to get here. Just message me and I'll keep you straight."

"Alright. Well, I'll be seeing you 'Nita have a good night yeah?" Notion walked over to a parked vehicle in the alley, unlocked it, hopped inside and stuffed the bag underneath his passenger seat. And drove to the end of the alley taking a right at the end. every moment she wasn't taking care of her broken boyfriend or getting barked orders by her boss.

Anita walked through the dancefloor that played that terrible EDM she had grown to hate ever more than Celine's hyena cackle, and briefly noticed Frank was having trouble lighting his Cigar in the wind. then she climbed the clubs staircase, heading towards one of three V.I.P rooms.

Anita joined the Group. Allister opened the final bag and wracked two lines onto the table and went to snort the final trial line, when Celine stopped him and snatched the rolled up bank note from him.

"My turn Allister."

He complied and sunk into the seat. Celine snorted a hefty line. Soon after she began clutching at her nose and groaning. Allister tried to help but she pushed him away and stood up, but she wouldn't stand for long. She fell face first into the glass table, shattering its infrastructure. Allister jumped to his feet and came to her aid.

"SHIT! CELINE? CELINE!!?"

His two henchman came to help. But Allister pushed one away. "Give her some room to breathe!" Celine began foaming at the mouth and bleeding out of her nostrils. She slumped backward and her body stopped pulsating.

"FUCK!" Allister exclaimed as he ripped her shirt open and began attempting to revive her. Anita tried to stop him but he wouldn't give up. Chads neck snapped towards the door and he peered out across the ground floor to the entrance. He spotted Frank finally leaving the entrance for his truck outside and signaled Joel to follow him in their chase. While Anita stayed with a now distraught and broken Allister.

There was silence between them for a moment. Then he began fishing through her handbag an produced her cellphone, "I want you to let our working girls know that we have some laced product on our hands. Then I want you to ring Notion to bring him back to my house and well sort this mess out. You got it?"

Anita nodded, took the phone and made her way for the door when she doubled back. "What are you going to do?" Allister grabbed his large revolver. "I'm shutting this club down so we can get some cleaners in here to give Celine a proper send-off." Anita nodded yet again then opened the club door.