William

Black, polished shoes slapped against the sidewalk. One pair was a size thirteen, long and wide with a confident stride. The other pair only an ten, steps shorter, more of a shuffle.1

"This it?" the white one asked, biting his fingernails.2

"Yep," the black one answered," four ten Reservoir Way."3

The stairs up to the second level of the poorly cloned condos were red, like faded brick. The railing was loose.4

"Vinnie," the black one asked, pulling a toothpick from inside the breast pocket," why do they call you Z-grip?"5

"Why you askin?" Vinnie retorted, one step behind as they came to the top of the stairs," why they call you Mo Mo?"6

The sun was sitting over the only cloud in the sky. Lonely feller.7

"My first name is Montel, my last name is Maurice."8

Vinnie nodded. The doors all looked the same. Only the weather worn numbers were different. Some of them even hung upside down in disrepair. The courtyard yard was a dump.9

"Why they call you Z-grip?"10

Vinnie shrugged, pulling a large pistol from the holster under his armpit. There was a large "Z" scratched into the grip, as if someone had done it with a pocket knife.11

Mo Mo smiled, teeth a pearly white. Vinnie stepped over a plastic bag with what looked to be a cloth diaper in it. It was cheaper to wash and reuse. Mama had used cloth diapers on him. Never had no choice.12

421.13

They stood in front of the door. A baby cried somewhere on the other side of the courtyard. Vinnie sniffed, running a thin fingered hand over light brown stubble.14

"You ready? Bossman said he'd be tough..."15

I'm ready to roll," Mo Mo said, standing tall, a few inches above Vinnie.16

"Why do you let people call you Mo Mo?"17

"Don't know," the toothpick rolled around in his mouth as he chewed on it," figure I don't much care. Why?"18

"I just was wonderin. Cause you got your given name, the name you mother gives you. Ain't that doing the job what's needed? Why do you have to let them change what you get called?"19

"Maybe people just do it outta need for a sense of familiarity. You usually don't hear strangers, or newly made acquaintances calling each other by some nickname. Get enough people and you bound to have some nicknames come up. People just want to accept others, whether they know it or not."20

"Maybe they accept people because they think if they do then others will accept them. Kinda like trying to serve yourself by serving others. Is that a reason to do anything?"21

Mo Mo frowned. Vinnie sniffed, hawkish nose scrunching up.22

"Is it really the time for this?"23

"I was just thinking about it, just thinking."24

"Stop," Mo Mo held each of his pointer fingers up and off to the sides, bringing them slowly together in front of Vinnie's beak of a nose," focus. Focus. Get yourself into character Zee."25

Vinnie nodded slowly for a moment.26

"Wait, why did you call me Zee?"27

Mo Mo had been about to knock, his large brown hand held in a fist just above the numbers on the door. Pausing, he turned his head to the side for a moment.28

"Guess I just want to be accepted."29

Mo Mo laughed, shaking his head. Vinnie grinned. The knock on the door was heavy and quick. A pause. Mo Mo knocked again. When there was no answer Mo Mo turned to look at Vinnie, nodding and pulling out a large handgun. With a wink and nod the taller, darker man tested the door nob. Throwing the door open, Mo Mo raised his weapon and scanned the-30

With a metallic click and a wet thud, Vinnie watched his new partner drop to the floor like a sack of potatoes, or perhaps a puppet with its strings cut.31

"Come in."32

Vinnie still had his gun aimed at the floor. He'd frozen. He should be dead.33

"I said come in, and close the door if you don't mind."34

Vinnie nodded absently, closing the door. It wouldn't close. Mo Mo's head was in the way. Vinnie stared down at his partner. The tiny hole in that dark, broad forehead looked so harmless, so innocent.35

"I said close the door friend."36

Vinnie dropped his gun and pulled Mo Mo into the room, closing the door. His heart was racing. He should be just as dead as Mo Mo.37

"Do you know who Gonzo is?"38

"W-What?"39

"Gonzo, the fellow with the nose that curves like so," the voice was coming from the back of the room.40

With the lights out it was hard to see. The smell of cheap cigarettes wafted past him. What he wouldn't give for a square.41

"I assume you've seen the muppets before?" the was a pause that ended when Vinnie nodded hesitantly, eying his pistol on the floor," Gonzo, a purple freak. A loner amongst those who know where they're from. A homeless dreamer. But he didn't understand. Do you know what I'm talking about...what is your name?"42

Vinnie sniffed and glanced back down at Mo Mo.43

"Zee," Vinnie said, looking back to the barely defined shadow sitting in a chair on the other side of the bed," call me Zee."44

The man laughed, a cold, dry sound, a chuckle.45

"Well, anyway, the show wouldn't have had a place for a freak like Gonzo if none of the others on the show were puppets."46

Vinnie frowned. The bossman hadn't told them how weird this guy was going to be. But he had to be cold as ice to talk so casually just after gunning a man down who was trying to do the same to him.47

"Gonzo fit in, was at home with the others because they were all freaks."48

Vinnie's palms were sweaty. He didn't want to die. With a sigh the man in the shadows rose, stepping around the corner of the bed. The light from the windows played shadows across the middle of the room, light reflecting weakly off the TV.49

"Willy likes your calm kid. You not afraid to die?"50

"Real afraid," Vinnie said, frowning, Willy?51

"Don't be confused, sometimes Willy likes to speak in the third person when on business."52

Vinnie's confused look didn't change. Willy must have understood.53

"I am Willy, William being my given name. It was my birthday last week."54

"So Zee," Willy said, coming into the light," you ready to go?"55

Vinnie stared at the man, trying to rid himself of the ridiculous image of a stork dressed in a dark coat and baggy pants. The beard was the worst part, sticking out in any and every direction. Willy's hair hung down past his narrow shoulders. Willy unscrewed the silencer from his slender weapon and slid it smoothly into the depths of his coat.56

"Willy asked you if you were ready to go."57

Vinnie looked to his gun and then back at Willy.58

"Montel was the job Zee. He was skimming money off the top. The Bossman didn't like it. He asked Willy to take care of it."59

Cigarette smoke curled up and around Willy's odd eyes. They stared at each other for a moment, Vinnie still unwilling to trust the man.60

"We're all freaks, pick up your gun and lets get out of here. The cleaning lady will be up in a moment to make this all disappear."61

Vinnie nodded numbly, leaning over to pick up his weapon. Running his thumb over the "Z" carved into the grip, he considered shooting the man now grinding a cigarette butt into the carpet. Willy's gun was out and pointed right at Vinnie's face. The man hadn't even looked.62

"Don't friend. Willy doesn't like to kill for no reason."63

Vinnie holstered his weapon and put his hands up.64

"No worries Willy. Mo Mo had it coming."65

With a chuckle Willy walked out of the room, stepping over the body with a chilling nonchalance. Vinnie followed, pausing for a moment to look down at Mo Mo.66

"He's right Montel, we're all freaks," he sighed, the scratching sound of a lighter rasping from outside the door," see you someday Mo Mo."