The Prophet Club: Human Conditions

[John]

The Prophet Club: Human Conditions Season 1 Episode 1

John hit the power button on the remote to the TV across the bar. With that bleep and then lingering electrical hiss the TV faded out to black. John looked out at the very sparsely populated bar. He knew every face in the place Harry the bar fly sat at his normal table watching everyone but the strippers on the pole. Hannah danced on the pole with no one to dance for but then she usually put on her best shows when no one was around.

Across the bar sat Riley sipping her usual dry cheap Canadian whiskey. She almost protested John's abrupt end to the CSI show she was sort of getting into. In the end she just shrugged it off because it was just more mass produced garbage the media shoved down the zombie consumer’s mouth. After John finished his visual scan of the bar he turned to Riley with those normal sad eyes.

"TV is shit not even the news is worth watching these days. You really don't want to hear about the latest celebrity relapse or the war that should have ended four years ago."

[Riley]

Riley spun her half empty glass on the bar top staring at the brown liquid slosh around. She didn't look up at John as he spoke he was just on another one of his the world sucks rants. She let out little scoff at his remark about celebrity sobriety relapses.

"You know if you weren't so damned depressing and you know all hating on things most normal humans enjoyed, you might have girlfriend or whatever you’re into."

Her voice was husky as she spoke more to her glass then to John. Her eyes finally looked up from the glass first to John then to the clock behind his head. It was half past midnight not that it mattered it wasn't like she had any place important to be. She gave John a light smile as she looked back at her glass and then slammed what left in the next instant.

She squinted and gave one of those faces people give when they finish drinking something dreadful. Then she got up from her seat grabbing her leather jacket off the back. She put an arm into one of the sleeves as she grabbed cash with her other hand from her pants pocket.

"I got go John as enlighting as this conversations is going to be." She put her cash on the bar. "That should cover my tab."