The entity was looking at the witch. 

It wasn’t the first time it saw her.  

Every time it saw her, it could see the hundred other versions of herself it met before, in her past lifes.  

She was always very different. But it recognized her soul each time. No matter what she was.

 

The last version of her, was in the prohibition era. She also was at that time, a very passionate and resourceful woman.  

It remembered very precisely.  

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It was in the most lucrative clandestine bar from Chicago. 

​

Death was looking for the Push, the code’s name for the tenant, today was he’s day.  

The Push was really well known in the industry, it was not a surprise that he was to die young.

​

Death opened the bar's door, hidden as an old pawnshop. At the back of the shop, behind the shelfs full of, useless old decorations and cutlery, was a the flair of stairs. 

​

Death went down.  

Opened an other wooden door and make it's way into the bar, starting to wonder what he could order to drink before the events. 

​

The lady at the bar turned around and the shock hit him. 

Nothing could prepare it to see her again, every time, even after thousands of times.  

​

She was standing there, behind the bar in the back of the main room he had just reached. 

Wearing a very sparkly skinny red dress.

 

It was even more a shock for it, because the last time it saw her, she was a male monk.

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Wasn’t doing anything except meditate for hours and eat a lot.

It had been one of her longest life so far. She lived as a monk for 102 years.  

It was, it thought, the most boring version of her it had ever met.

But, the monk felt like a good little holiday, compare to the feisty woman, standing there washing glasses used to sell illegal alcohol. 

​

It was a curse for it. To recognize her every time. And to meet her, in every single one of her reincarnations.  

It never knew when it was gonna meet her again. It just went on with it’s normal duty, until the knife stroke it’s heart once again.  

Every time. 

The surprise was the most painful part.

The rest, it grew used to. It would just go on with the game. Act like nothing was. Like it did not care. And after a while, it almost started believing it itself.  

But not in the first half a second. 

Than half a second was always still vividly painful. 

​

It glanced at the bar, the pain was dreadful.

It shoved it back inside himself.

No one could have noticed a thing. 

The shock passed, the pain slightly diminished. 

It went to the bar and sat on one of the red leather benches. 

-I need to see the Push.  

She smiled at him. If it had a heart, it would had bounced a double time in that moment.  

-As everyone, always.  

-It’s important. He’s time has come.  

She served him a glass of gin. 

The ice cubes made a clickety sound as she pushed the glass towards it.  

 -Well than better get comfortable. We didn’t see the Push here in more than 2 weeks.  

-He's gonna show up.  

-How come?  

-I am here to collect him.  

-To collect him... you are not helping yourself.  

She washed a glass.  

-If you are the police, you are not getting out of here alive.  

-I am not the police.  

-So who are you than?  

He drank his gin in a sip.  

-It’s better if you don’t know. You're only a waitress here. Leave right now, and let me deal this with the Push. 

She laughed.  

-No rest for the wicked my friend. No days off in here.  

-You tell me.  

He pushed his glass towards her.  

-I need a refill.  

Instead of taking it’s glass, she grabbed a new one from the shelf.  

-You look more like a whiskey type of guy.  

She turned around to get a specific old looking bottle from the cabinet. It was made out of old brown glass. Looked like it had served many purposes.   

-Are you trying to poison me?  

-No, there is way funnier ways to kill a man, I wouldn’t go for poison. 

She filled up two glasses and passed one to Death.  

-This is my homemade.  

It joined it’s glass to hers, then tasted.  

-Oh! Wow! I see why you keep that one hidden! 

The door exploded. Ten men entered in the place, shooting everything at range. 

Death stayed there, enjoying it’s glass and watching the show.  

-Oh! They arrived already! I guess to Push will not be too long.  

The barmaid just had time to dive behind the bar to get away for the rain of bullets coming her way.  

The man in charge commanded its troop to cease fire and took down the little handkerchief he was using to cover his face.  

-I am not gonna say this twice. I want the Push, and I want him now.  

Death thought the little past to be monk would be shaking on the floor crying by now. But the waitress was well in control of her senses.  

-Don't shoot! You’ll never be able to find the Push without me. So I am gonna get out. And I will bring you to his quarters in the back.  

-Oh! So the Push was here all along! 

She looked at Death from the corner of her eye.  

-The one on the far right is gonna shoot at you.  

She acknowledged. 

Handkerchief man pressured her. 

-Ok, get out from behind the bar, slowly, and we’ll follow you.  

-Yes. Understood, I am getting up.  

She slowly got on her knee, turned around and shot the guy on the far right with a pistol. 

Death himself screamed in amazement.  

-Wow! Damn! You did him good!  

She was already back on her knees behind the bar. While the bullets where shouting in her direction. 

-I will tell you one last time! You cannot find the Push without me. So, it’s either you listen to me, or it’s adios to your money!

Her screams were followed by a few seconds of silence. The fire ceased.

Death was still enjoying it’s whiskey.   

-If I were you, I would listen to the lady. I am pretty sure she could take every single one of you down.  

Handkerchief in charge looked at death, he didn’t like the feeling around him, something about his energy. But in the same time, this feeling had something... reassuring.   

-Ok. Ok.  

Death took the last sip from his whiskey. It posed back the glass. 

-Put all of your guns down and I bring you to the Push.  

-Out of the question!  

The guys tensed up even more. The barmaid was ready to fire a second time, and Death was getting annoyed.  

-Ah god! Are we going to be at it for long? I have a schedule to follow! You! Put your guns down and you, show us where the Push is!  

In a complete confusion, all the men bend down to leave their firearms on the floor. The man in charge looked at death.  

-Who are you?  

-None of your business. Now, bring us to the Push.  

The barmaid got up and made her way to the other side of the bar.