As the world falls down

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"Oh come on... You really expect me to believe that?" The young woman shook her head and continued to clean the glass she was holding. "So let me get this right, the guy smashed a fist clean through your window, while you were driving, and tried to take a chunk clean out of you?" She clarified, a dark eyebrow raised in amusement. "Seriously, Jackson, if that were even a little true, why are you here in my bar and not squealing to the cops like a good little citizen?"
"Cleo! Come on!" The man who had been addressed at Jackson wailed. "I'm in shock here! Some guy tries to chow down on me, and you're not even a little worried for my well being? That's cold... Even for you!"
Cleo smiled and gently set the glass down before leaning her elbows on the bar to come face to face with Jackson, the waves of her dyed silver hair slipping over her shoulders. The bar owner always wore matt red lipstick and lots of black eyeliner around her pale blue eyes. The hint of her natural hair colour was the slice of ebony in the side of her blunt cut bangs that stopped just above her eyebrows.
The young woman often did this, stared people down until they simply cracked and told her what she wanted to know. But Jackson wasn't changing his story, which bothered her more than it should.

Buster... Ben hadn't even thought what would happen to their beloved pet if they didn't get out of here soon. "You'll get back in time." He breathed. "They can't do anything without your prize winning lemonade."

Cleo didn't seem all that scared by this threat, like she was almost used to it. "I didn't steal your shit." She told Jacob wearily.

"Yeah. Good old Miss Haley." The tiny woman said softly. "Always so dependable and so gullible." She hadn't meant to add that last part in but it had slipped out on it's own. 
"I found a butcher knife." Shelly said from behind them, moving to stand on the other side of Haley. "You'll just have to stay in between us, Sunday School. Let the adults handle things." She purred. 

"Well somebody did! I'm not leaving until we find it! I need that goddamn money!" Jacob roared, kicking over his bike. "Damn it!"

Giving her little warning Ben suddenly shoved Shelly to the wall, holding her there by her wrists, knife and all. "If you don't have anything nice to say, whore, keep your dirty mouth shut." There it was again... that out of character burst of anger.

"For what?! Take a look around, Jacob, the world is crumbling around us!" Cleo hissed, regretting saying anything at all as the rain suddenly started to fall.

"Ben!" Haley was quick to try and pull him away. She'd never seen him react this way. It scared her. "What in the world is wrong with you?"
Even Shelly's eyes were wide. Ben had never been rough with her. "Get off me you fool." She snarled. "You're not scaring me." 

"Its mine!" Jacob shouted, feeling a bit irrational about it. "I'm dying for that shit. I need it. You wouldn't understand!"

"You're right... All I need to scare you is the offer of a good life." Ben sneered, finally allowing Haley to pull him away.

"Then try me!" Cleo challenged, reaching out to roughly grab Jacob's arm and force him to look at her. "How is money worth dying for?!"

Haley turned him to face her, staring at him for a long moment. I was as if she was asking him something but decided against it. "There's something bigger than angry people walking around." She warned him finally. This was enough there was nothing else to say.

For an odd second or two it seemed like Jacob'so dark eyes changed to a gentle blue. But this lasted no more than a second. "It won't matter to you. You got everything you ever wanted." He hissed, yanking his arm away.

"Something?" Ben echoed, glad of the distraction now. "How big? I don't want to risk you getting hurt out there, Haley."

"Oh sure, being stuck here is exactly how I wanted my life to end up." Cleo sneered.

"It was the size of an elephant but walked upright like a person." Haley said, watching Shelly out of the corner of her eye. The other woman didn't seem the least bit interested in what she was saying. She was rummaging through a bag filled with what looked like money.

"That's not what I meant and you know it." Jacob growled. "That's just great. I'm going to die hee and I have nothing to show for nothing. Doesn't feel like much has changed."

Ben heard the rustling and reached out, his thick fingers curling around Shelly's slender wrist. "Where did you get this?!" He demanded, snatching hold of the bag.

"Then what exactly did you mean?" Cleo asked thinly, folding her arms across her chest. "Because unlike you, I'm not a goddamn mind reader, apparently!"

"Geez Ben!" Shelly shouted, trying to yank her arm out of the iron grip. "I found it in the basement under the window! Finders keepers, dammit!"

"You made a life for yourself. Not everyone is so fucking lucky." Jacob snapped. "Screw you, Cleo." He moved away from her further, pacing. "What the hell happened to thus place? It look worse than..."

"And you don't think that's in the least bit suspicious?" Ben asked, in sheriff mode. "Shelly, it's probably something you don;t want to be involved in, Cleo shouldn't even be involved in it!" He added, clearly assuming it must have something to do with the other woman if it was in her bar.

"Worse than what? It was pretty much a shit hole when I won... bought it." Cleo snorted as she pushed her wet hair out of her eyes.

"Screw it. There's a lot of money here, Benny. And I don't see anyone trying to stop me." Shelly said proudly. "Unclaimed money and all that." 

"There are worse things. Some of us choose not to forget." Jacob said darkly. "What in the hell..." he was looking below them. The large monster was back and it was sniffing something out.

Ben groaned rather loudly, realising the burning building was not the place for this. "Come on..." He muttered, reaching for Haley's hand before he had even realised what he was doing.

"Again with a cryptic bullshit." Cleo muttered as she followed Jacob's gaze. The young woman then did something rather foolish. "HEY! OVER HERE!" She yelled at the top of her lungs and launched several rocks. She knew what that creature could smell, and didn't want it finding them.

Haley had been staring into the darkness of the building next door, sure she'd seen something else move. She jumped hard when Ben touched her and she looked up at him, giving him a sheepish laugh. 

"What the..." Jacob turned to glare at her. "Are you a special kind of stupid?" He hissed. He grabbed her arm and gave her a shake.

She didn't pull away, that's a good sign, Ben thought silently. "As soon as we get tot he car, we can't wait around. I'm getting you two out of town, then if Cleo didn't meet us there, I'll come back for her."

"What? I thought you were angry I didn't care for anyone but myself?" Cleo sneered as she felt the ground shake the closer the large creature got. "I wont let that thing find Shelly."

Neither woman said anything. The smallest only because she was praying that Cleo made it there to meet them. Shelly slapped her hard on the back. "No prayers, Sunday School. There's nobody listening to you. Haven't you figured that out yet?" She asked in a cruel tone. 

"I don't. I know you just pointed that thing right at us both. And screw Shelly. She never cared for anyone else either. Makes sense you two would make such a great pair." Jacob added, watching as the beast lumbered around and headed back in their direction.

"Shelly, stop that." Ben chastised. "Just because you don't believe, doesn't mean it's pointless."

Cleo was narrowing her eyes at Jacob all over again. "Sounds like you're just bitter because Shelly probably turned you down or something." She remarked, though was already backing down the street as the creature got closer.

"Coe on, Benny. You know she's full of shit. Don't tell me you're still trying to get in her pants." Shelly sted. 

"I would never touch that whore." Jacob snapped. "you two should never have been allowed to hang oit together."

Ben's shoulders slumped wearily, though Haley would feel his grip on her hand tighten. "Shelly... This isn't the time." He breathed.

Cleo would have had quite a bit more to say on the matter, if the monster she had yelled at didn't toss a mailbox in their direction.

Shelly snorted at his words, tapping the butcher knife against her thigh. "You don't get it. "I don't think you ever will. The world isn't happy and no amount of lovely houses or pretend marriages are going to change things." 

Jacob yanked Cleo against him, mumbling under his breath as he did it. The enormous monster was making his day so much worse. He wanted to hit something and certainly would if he weren't walking dead himself.

"It's thought like that, that make the world that kind of place." Ben replied sadly. "If you can't see any good, then why live at all?"

Cleo was surprised to find herself pressed against Jacob as the two of them hit the ground to avoid the heavy object that had just swung in their direction. The silver haired woman hadn't thought he cared whether she lived or died, judging from the things he had said.

"I've wondered that myself plenty of times." Shelly muttered, glancing at the pious Haley. She all but dared the woman to say something. She just knew she wanted to open that perfect little mouth and tell her everything would be fine in the end. She would remind the little bitch that it would be. After all, she'd gotten back the sheriff.

Jacob got to his feet, mumbling about the blood on her shirt. He was trying to tell himself this was the reason he'd kept her from being hurt. He was trying to make her a target so that in the end he could get away. But deep down, he knew better.

Ben didn't stall by saying any more. He knew Shelly didn't agree, she simply had never understood how he could see the good in people when others would say there was none. The sheriff led both women outside, though gestured for them to linger close to the doorway while he checked their route to the car.

Cleo glanced down and wiped at the front of her black tank top, blood hardly mattered when it was raining so hard anyway. At least with this thing chasing them, she knew Shelly was safe. "Come on... We need to get far from here." She finally told Jacob.

Ben wouldn't know about the terrible poison that Shelly had whispered to Haley while he was scouting ahead. He would only see the young woman's wavering smile when he did return. It was beginning to hurt the innocent woman, no matter how much she fought it. 

"You think we're going to get away from this?" Jacob asked her as he struggled with each step. "Hell, I'm willing to bet as far as everyone else is concerned we are already dead."

Ben came running back no more than five minutes later, actually smiling. "So the good news is that the car is still there, the bad news... It's just us three." He informed the women.

Cleo sighed heavily and pulled one of Jacob's powerful arms around her slender shoulders as she helped him struggle along the street. "Who cares what anyone else thinks? Don't you wanna survive and find your precious money, jackass?"

Haley sat on a stairwell, her arms wrapped around her knees. She didn't look up when Ben arrived but Shelly was once again smiling like the cat who'd gotten the cream.

"I don't have anything. That cop probably has it. No way I'm going back for it now." Jacob grumbled.

Ben didn't need to ask. "Haley, the way to your car is clear. I'll be out there in just a minute." He told her gently, though his eyes were narrowed at Shelly.

"So what's all your pointless whining for then?" Cleo growled."You don't want to go back for your money... you miss your money... make your mind up!"

Haley nodded, pushing to her feet. She was sure that he just wanted to be alone with Shelly. Not that she blamed him. The other woman was perfectly wicked. She held nothing back. She had nothing to be afraid of. 

"Shut up and find your friend."  Jacob growled, hearing the heavy footsteps. "I don't owe you answers for anything. Not ever."

"Cut your bullshit now!" Ben hissed, again slamming Shelly against the wall. "Haley has done nothing to you! She doesn't deserve your venom!"

"Funny, but if I just let go now... that thing would squish you like a teeny tiny bug." Cleo remarked rather thinly.

Shelly couldn't help but smile. "Benny..." She purred. "When did you get so rough? I don't remember you ever liking it so..." She paused, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't realize getting an overdose of sugar in your veins would set you off like this. Maybe I should have been nicer to you." 

"You're talking like you're some bad ass bitch." Jacob muttered, knowing he was more than slowing them down at this point. "You always did think that. But when it comes right down to it, you run just like everyone else. I've got no use for it. Just...get it over with. Save yourself. You're good at it."