When I first met Scorch, I was working as a shoeshine. I spent my days working thanklessly, working in a city where people didn't need shoeshines, I made about $20 a month. Best I ever made was $100. The only reason we stayed afloat was because we had an investor, our boss said it was a friend from "Michigan School." This was Scorch, I don't know what "Michigan School" means, neither of them lived in Michigan.
Scorch barged into our office one day, through the exit. He didn't seem to realize it was one until he tried to leave through the entrance and nearly asked Joan why it looked better. He said he came to get gasoline "cause it's me, know what I mean" but we don't have any. Obviously. He then saw our boss, Mitch, "you son of a b*tch!" They went over and hugged each other as soon as their eyes crossed.
I didn't get to hear their conversation, I was busy replacing our handkerchiefs, but by the time I was done Mitch abruptly told me to leave. He seemed distressed, I thought he was firing me or asking for space, but he made it quite clear after I almost cleared off my desk. He wanted me to drive all the way to Quintober Drive on the other side of town, and "do a job." I agreed, thinking this would be our regular job. Of course it would be, why wouldn't it?
I drove to the address, and didn't see anybody so I pulled over to the nearby alleyway. It was only when I got out and noticed a brick covered in blood, ants, and moss below a shattered, orange window that I realized the place was abandoned. Granted, this wasn't too uncommon in this town, so I stayed calm and looked around for the door to the next building. Maybe I just misheard the address.
It didn't take long for someone else to arrive, and wouldn't you know it, it was Scorch. Mother effing Scorch, driving up in a red convertible, and dropping a can of Lucky Buddha Beer on his way out. He greeted me, adjusting a soda tab necklace while chewing on something. I asked him a question, he punched me straight in the jaw, knocking my head right into the brick wall.
When I had awoken, I was inside a box, so concealed that I couldn't see anything. For a moment I was afraid I had died... but then I heard it. The song, the cheers, Scorch. Scorch was there, and he was talking. It took me fifteen minutes to realize he was hosting his show, I was in a box. I wailed for help, nobody came. I banged and I cried, nothing happened. Eventually, I had no choice but to slam as hard as I could, and I escaped.
In mere seconds, people working under Scorch circled me. I had no choice but to run and flee down the nearby hallway, running behind the show as it was being filmed. I made it all the way to the end, there was the PFG Fitness Fiend. He broke all the bones in my body with a golf club, but I prevailed, running and crawling as fast as I could. I made it to the exit, and there I saw Scorch, except he was also... supposed to be on the set, filming his show...
He glared at me, he growled. His eyes began to turn various colors, as his smile grew and became more insane. I began to cry. His eyes began to cry too, as flames surrounded us both, and his hands began to leak with blood. Hyper, realistic blood, as red as a robin. I screamed, he just remarked "you know what I mean?" We were both engulfed in the flames.
I resigned from the shoeshine business the following day, and never saw Scorch again. I think about him a lot.
