It started out like any other day, I got up, ate breakfast, got ready for work, and headed uptown to the little café where I had been working the past year and a half. "Good morning, Boss!" I said with a smile as I poked my head into his office, he returned my smile and waved me off as he continued yelling at the person on the other end of the phone. I chuckled and walked into the back room to clock in and grab my apron; "Hey Leighton," a cheerful voice called turning around I saw Beth, my one friend at work, I walked over and hugged her before smiling as I quickly dashed out front to greet the first customers of the morning.
Shortly after the lunch rush I was sitting in an out of the way booth taking my break when I had this feeling like something horrible was about to happen. I had learned from an early age to listen to this feeling, it had never steered me wrong before, I calmly got up from the booth and proceeded towards the kitchen where the Boss and Beth were located. When I entered the kitchen they both turned towards me with smiles on their faces that soon disappeared when they saw the blank look on my face. "Leighton," Beth stepped towards me slowly "what's going on?" She asked in a shaky tone. I took a deep breath before answering her question. "Something bad is about to happen," I held up my hand to keep them from interrupting. "I don't know what is going to happen and I don't know an exact time, I just know it's going to happen in the next couple of hours." Our Boss looked very grim for a moment before smoothing his face back out. "Start quickly but calmly giving the customers their checks and slowly encourage them to pay their tabs and we'll close up early for the day." He told us with a smile that was slightly strained at the corners and didn't reach his eyes. Beth nodded with a slight smile before turning to follow through with his orders and I gave him a salute that would have made my brother proud before I turned to follow Beth out the door.
Beth and I made our rounds with the tickets we never let on that anything was amiss so that our customers could leave quickly but happily. As the last customers paid their bills and walked out of the door the feeling increased. I cursed under my breath as I locked the door and flipped the sign over, I grabbed Beth's arm as I turned and quickly pulled her into the Bosses office. Our Boss turned towards me as I shoved Beth into his arms he was about to protest when I started talking, "Get her out of here quickly, I'll hold them off as long as I can." I told him before turning and heading back the way I came. I knew that our Boss was non other than Sargent James 'Bucky' Barnes and he would make sure she got out of there safely I just had to buy them some time.
"And today was looking to be such a lovely day..." I muttered to myself as I threw on my long hooded coat and pulled out my collapsible scythe. I rolled my shoulders as I pulled up the hood that his everything except for my nose and mouth just in time for the door to be kicked in and some jackbooted thug wannabes walked in. They smirked as they closed ranks around me thinking that this was going to be easier than taking candy from a baby. Their leader stepped forward and gave me a condescending smile as he said, "Why don't you put down that little stick before you hurt yourself, ok sweetheart?" A slow crimson smile spread across my face at his words and I gave a small chuckle before I replied, "Oh sweetheart," I drawled. "I'm not the one who's going to be hurting." With those words I swung my 'Little Stick', as he had called it, releasing the blade from my scythe and attacking.