4th Wall Universe

Roosta Crow

#RoostaCrow
#AnExtremelyShortStory
#ByDannyJQuick
#4thWallUniverse

“I’ve never been afraid of another man mamma, but this Aceblade guy is going to be trouble, I just KNOW it!” Roosta’s voice begins to creak with passion but never approaches a disrespectful tone. “I wish you would come out here with me and leave Vegas City.” He presses the phone up to his ear and hopes his plea reaches his mother’s heart.
“I just took on a houseguest to help me out around here, and your brother lives right down the street. I will be fine Junior.” Mrs Hattie’s replies to her youngest son as she leans forward and tilts her head back to better see through the bottom of her bifocal lenses.
“A houseguest!?” Roosta’s voice teeters on the edge of forceful as his eye balls bulge out and shoot back from left to right. “You can’t be trusting those hoodlums in your house mama. Mrs Hattie chuckles a bit and then responds.
“You were the only hoodlum I ever took in Junior. And Roy ain’t even old enough to cause me no trouble son.” Mrs Hattie smiles and softens her voice like a freshly cleaned pillow. “I just want you to find a nice young lady and settle down. But not someone that will let you get away with everything, you hear?”
“Yes ma’am, I hear you. ” Roosta releases a huge sigh and decides to give up his plea. “I love you mamma. I start training in the morning, so I’ll call you when I can.”
“I love you too baby.” Cling. Roosta hangs up the payphone with his right hand and rests his head on his arm which is pressed up against the top of the phone booth. The cool breeze of the Arizona flatland whips around his coarse and perfectly trimmed hi-top fade. He takes a deep breath and says a quick thanks to the Man upstairs for sparing his life. If not for the call from Commander LeCrash he would still be a gun for hire. The mounds of money were the only thing that would allow him to trick himself into believing that killing could be good, especially since he’s so good at it. His uncanny ability to send bulletts flying into any target from any distance with any weapon has won him awards, platitudes, admirers, and respect in the military, but His adopted mother never approved. Her constant prayer and fasting may be the only reason he’s still alive. Memories flood in of dozens of situations that he shouldn’t have made it out from, the last being the run-in with Aceblade.  The Vegas Vigilante could have easily ended his life that day in Dr. Ockham’s office, Roost didn’t even have a pistol and had already lost to Aceblade in hand to hand combat a week prior to that. He decided to turn his life around that moment. He could see in Aceblade’s goggles a reflection of his entire life up to that point and he didn’t like what he saw. It was time to do what Mrs. Hattie had been begging him to do for years. ‘Be the good guy’.
“LET’S GOOOOO!!!!!!”  Roosta screamed out at the top of his lungs like a NBA star to keep the tears from flowing. He clenches his fists and spins towards the door where an older white male is waiting for him. His posture reminds him of an Army general and he has the bushy mustache to boot. The older man walks toward him with a sneaky smile on his face as he extends his hand toward Roosta and says.
“Roosta? I’m Commander LeCrash. Welcome to the SIC Squad.”