The Failure by James Greer

an unsafe speed up the treacherous curves of Larkin Heights.
    -Well, that’s just fine, he said to no one. -That’s just fucking fine.
    He began scooping up the scattered bills Guy had flung willy-nilly into the brush. A small shower of rocks fell from an outcropping directly above Billy, hitting him on the head.
    -Ow! he exclaimed, peering to the heavens. -Haven’t you done enough for one day?
    Which is when he saw the mountain lion, standing on the outcropping not ten feet above, eyeing him with more than casual interest, and growling ominously.
    -I guess not, murmured Billy.
    The mountain lion crouched, then jumped, and landed directly on top of Billy. Snarls from the animal and high-pitched yelps from Billy ensued, along with a fair amount of desperate flailing of limbs.
    At that moment, higher on the hill, a pair of backpackers paused in their climb to stare at the commotion below. One of them whipped out a camcorder.
    -Shouldn’t we, you know, try to help? asked the nonfilming hiker.
    -After I get this. We can throw rocks at him, scare him away. Looks like he’s just toying with the guy anyway.
    Billy fought with the mountain lion for what seemed to him like an eternity. He could see blood dripping down one of his arms. Billy had always been scared at the sight of blood, but he was now past the point of phobia. He was fighting for his life. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw one of the rocks that had tumbled down from the outcropping as the mountain lion approached. He stretched his bloody arm to its limit, and grabbed hold of the rock. With all his remaining strength, he bashed the mountain lion on the nose with it. The mountain lion was neither fazed nor amused, and furthermore Billy’s balance had been affected by bashing the mountain lion with the rock. He fell backwards, and landed headfirst with a considerable thud.
    -Huh, said Billy, still holding the rock, still dripping with blood, just before crumpling to the ground and losing consciousness.
    The two backpackers came scrambling down the hill.
    -Hey, man, are you okay? said the nonfilming one.
    -You’re in the frame! said the one with the camcorder. -Move!
    Billy stirred into consciousness. -What happened? he asked.
    -I don’t know. The mountain lion just sort of pawed and sniffed at you and then went away. Maybe he figured you were dead.
    -I think I need to go to a hospital, said Billy, now in a state of shock, covered in scratches, bruises, and bleeding from several open wounds.
    -Can you walk? asked the nonfilming backpacker.
    -I don’t know.
    -We’ll help you. It’s not far to Larkin General.
    -Sweet! said the backpacker with the camcorder. -Put your arm around him and help him up the hill. I’m gonna get the whole thing. Dude, you’re gonna be a YouTube star!
    -Okay, said Billy.

27. WHAT VIOLET SAID TO CHARLIE, FOUR DAYS BEFORE THE CHECK-CASHING FIASCO, IN THE BACK ROOM OF THE KOREAN CHECK-CASHING PLACE, AFTER HOURS

    Y ou understand this is just a one-time thing, Charlie. -I understand.
    -And that I’m not actually attracted to you or anything. Strictly speaking, this is a bargain. I fuck you, and you fuck Guy and Billy. The first fuck is meant literally, the second metaphorically.
    -I understand.
    -We’re not going to see each other ever again after this. Or probably not anyway. Life is strange.
    -I understand.
    -Don’t you even want to know why I want to screw up Guy’s plan to rob your store?
    -No.
    -And you don’t care about losing your share of the money?
    -No.
    Violet considered Charlie’s answers for a moment.
    -Not good enough, she finally replied.
    -What’s not good enough?
    -Why don’t you want to know anything about my motivations? It suggests to me that you don’t have any intention of following through with Guy’s plan, and that for me to fuck you would just be … superfluous.
    -I don’t know what that means.
    -It means you’re a creep. But that’s not important. I figured you for a creep. I didn’t figure you