Lonely eyes

Chris was drunk out of his mind. He couldn't remember how long he had been in the bar, or how many drinks he had had. He had probably spent significantly more on drinks than he could afford. If he had any clarity in his mind, that thought would have terrified him. Maybe so much that he would have ordered another drink. Which wasn't very different from what he ended up doing anyway.

He barely even noticed the roaring flames that were his throat as the liquid fire poured down into his gut. A sudden rush of a need to urinate washed over him, and he pushed himself away from the bar to head to the bathroom, and found himself face first with the floor. There was a strange feeling coming from his nose that he couldn't quite name, and a different kind of liquid leaked down onto the top of his lip. Unsure of what it was, he reached towards it with his tongue, and the taste repulsed him. As he pushed himself up onto his knees, subsequently falling over on to his side, he wiped at his nose, and was surprised at how red and thick the liquid was.

"Alright, buddy, get off my floor," came a pounding voice from above him. It made his ears ring, it was so loud. He looked up to see a big man, swaying from side to side like he was on a ship at sea. The man did not look happy.

"You should find some solid ground," Chris slurred to the big man. "Might make you feel better."

The next thing he knew, Chris was being dragged by the collar out of the bar. He tried to protest, trying to explain that he really needed to go to the bathroom, but the big man wasn't listening. He violently tossed Chris out the front doors, calling out something about getting another drink. Chris wasn't too sure what it was he had said. His ears were ringing too much.

Chris staggered back on to his feet, having to lean heavily against the wall to keep himself upright, and felt a lurch in his stomach. Just then, a woman was walking to the bar. She looked at him glaringly, disgusted with his appearance, and brushed by.

But needing something to focus on, Chris had seen her eyes. Though it had lasted only a moment, that look into her eyes had felt like an eternity. He had seen a story. Seen the truth behind her life. Her eyes had been the loneliest eyes he had ever seen. She had been looking for something, but... He wasn't sure what it was. He wanted to be what those lonely eyes were looking for. He wanted to reach out to her, call to her, let her know that those lonely eyes didn't have to be alone anymore.

He reached for her. With the wrong hand. No longer having the wall to support him, he fell once more to the floor, where he puked up the liquid fire sitting in his stomach.