'FIEND'S PHARMACEUTICALS'
FOR ALL THE UPS 'N' DOWNS YOU NEED!

The large neon sign above the floor-to-ceiling glass shop window could be clearly seen from a distance. As you neared the establishment, you noticed how it especially stood out of place compared to the other local businesses around it. This place had a futuristic feeling to it. It was brightly lit and sterile. As you pushed against the large glass door, you took a breath of the fresh lemon-clean smell. Your eyes widen taking in the bright-white walls and metallic decoration when a friendly welcome was heard from behind the counter. A young blonde lady sporting a name-tag marked 'Miss Molly' stood smiling innocently at you.

"How may I help you today?"

She waved her arm over a typed price-list found decorated across the surface of the glass unit she stood behind. As your eyes scan over the list, you notice a few of the more-popular drugs: 'Opium, Marijuana, Amps, Cocaine...'

Before you could continue searching the list for your favourite treats, a small bony-looking man appeared from the darker-lit back-room found halfway across the back wall,

"Oh, hey there. Did you have a prescription to-go? ..Or did you come for a proper look around the place?"

The man stood to one side, allowing entrance through the doorway where he stood.

Here he was. First stop in America. Detroit. And as luck would have it, a place he could get a fix of his own. He wasn't one to just dabble though. He usually went the full monty. It helped him tap into his own abilities. Intuition, some called it. And sometimes even he would think of it as a curse.

Constantine pushed through the clean as fuck doors. The smell smacked his nose hairs about. Not the one of the fresh maid like finish, but there was something else. And as soon as he smelt it he knew he'd come to the right place.

"Oh hello, sweetheart." He said as he gave Miss Molly a once over.

Before he could ask her any questions, another fellow was offering a better gander of the joint.

"Well, if you insist." Constantine said as he dug his hand into his pocket. He pulled out a cigarette packet, lucky strikes, and went about filling his lungs with some tobacco smoke as he awaited the stick figure to lead the way.

Goofy skipped his dandy way down to his local pharmaceutical store for his scripts. He had been out for nearly a month, and his eyes were beginning to pop out of his head. Needless to say, it was about to time for a refill, and a new spot had opened just in the nick of time. As he entered the store, his jaw immediately dropped all the way to the floor in astonishment. Not at the cleanliness and futuristic feel, not at the gorgeous blonde who sat behind the counter, but at the hunched over creep coming from the shadows to greet him. Perhaps it was the lack of medication, but the man looked like a cartoonish ghoul!

He physically picked his jaw off the floor before answering his question, "Gee! I just need my Abilify and Adderall mister! I go crazy without! HYUCK HYUCK HYUCK" 

Romeo had been making up for three years of captivity with constant travel. Moving from Chicago to Seattle and now to Detroit in less than 3 days on uncomfortable plane rides had caused his old wounds to flare up. The previously dormant bullet wound in his right thigh, worsening his limp as he walked into the place.

A whiff of the place caused him to frown. Expecting the familiar scent of medical facilities he was left intrigued by this curious smell. He gave the place a once over as he walked slowly to the counter. His face stoic as the pain shot up his leg. The carefully disguised and yet blatantly open sale of narcotics surprised him. Looking around him Romeo wondered just how much the world had aged since he went into the slammer. 

This joint certainly held potential for some long term business possibilities. But Romeo knew he would have to wait and see how things went back out west before he could explore these possibilities.

Looking at the young blonde woman , he flashed his trademark charming smile as he said "Buonasera Signora Molly. My leg is rife with dolore, pain. Could I get some painkillers ? Ones that mix well with Whiskey, for I am headed to a bar next. Grazie."

It hadn't been long since Solace arrived on the streets of Detroit before she found a place to settle and call home. "The Damned" seemed appropriate, given her recent string of bad luck; she'd barely made it out of her previous home alive after squandering the drugs she was supposed to be pushing on her own addictions one too many times. While her charm and sweet southern accent made her an excellent dealer, they could only get her out of so much trouble. She embraced the chance to impress a new boss, to wipe the slate clean and start over. 

Unfortunately for Solace, she may have overestimated her ability to keep her nose clean. After settling into her new home, she quickly became friends with a man referred to as Fiend. Their shared addictions forged a bond, or at least that's what it felt like after ingesting a ridiculous amount of uppers back at the headquarters. 

"Ughhhhh, what am I supposed to do," Solace whined. "I can't go back to Flash and tell him that I've lost the entire load of cocaine. He's going to think I'm awful. What if he kicks me out? Oh my god, what if he kills me?!" The panic in her voice was evident, almost screeching in quality, causing Fiend to grimace and cover his ears. "Ohh, please shut up," Fiend grunted in response. "You're going to do my head in. Just run down to my drug store and pick up another batch." He opened one eye and peered at her. "You might want to get some extras too."

And with that, Solace set out with nothing but a wad of cash in her pocket. It was convenient that Fiend's Pharmaceuticals was located just down the road from her headquarters, but probably not the best for an addict. The neon sign beckoned to her and made her want to vomit with the brightness all at the same time. She squinted as her dilated pupils struggled to acclimate, and pushed through the glass door. 

"Christ," she spat, annoyed with the brightness. The counters and walls shone with cleanliness, causing the light to bounce around the room even more. An angelic voice brought her out of her grumpy mood almost immediately. "I said, can I help you?" Molly flashed a smile and Solace about melted right into the floor. "Oh, goodness. I know that look," Molly said, turning to grab a glass and open a small refrigerator. She poured orange juice into the glass and passed it and a couple pills over the counter to Solace. "I'll add it to your tab. Don't worry," Molly continued, noticing Solace's hesitance at the pills. "They're just vitamins. They have magnesium, it'll help, trust me."

"You're an angel," Solace replied before listening to the kind woman and taking the tablets. She smiled back at Molly for the first time since entering the store. She shook off her daydream as she remembered her mission, and pulled the cash from her pocket. "Thank you," she managed, the sincerity in her voice apparent. Her eyes glazed over as she read the price list. "I just need to pick up a few things..."

Day I - Constantine

The two men chuckled as they rose from their seats, Fiend wiped a forming tear from the corner of his eye, "Remember.. Two of the blue ones for everyone occasion..." He repeated the punchline, causing the two to erupt into laughter once more. As they settled their laughter, Fiend addressed the man with a touch more sincerity,
"Seriously, though.. You know you can stop by again. Fiend's Pharma has got everything you need." The bony-man pushed his brand, excited to serve his first 'resting' customer - those that stuck around for a while, and didn't just grab their drugs and hurry out to continue rushing through life. Fiend was a firm believer in taking the time to find joy and comfort in his daily life.

"Miss Molly will settle your bill." He politely showed Constantine to the door, shaking his hand and smiling as they parted.

***

Day II - Goofy

Fiend arrived at the shop, gleefully skipping through the door and straight into the back to prepare his breakfast - two juicy lines and a cheeky bowl for afters. Miss Molly wandered in with the hot cup of already-prepared coffee and places it on the man's desk as he finishes snorting the last inch of his first line. His head raises from it's bowed position, his eyes widening as they re adapt to the light. One sharp snort before he speaks, "Morning, Molly. Thank you. Keep the door closed until after breakfast, please."
The man spoke firmly but gently. The two had a prearranged agreement and Fiend was simply acknowledging the time of day aloud. She exited and he started his second line. Just a few moments later, Fiend heard a startling "BZZ! BZZ!" from behind his desk. He was simple unable to avoid some of the unwanted faces that come through the door. After all, he was running an open door policy drug haven, completely safely under the nose of the 'authorities' - as far as some of these crackheads were concerned, this was like Heaven! They usually learned their soon lesson after Fiend showed his face through the door, though. With the buzzing continuing behind him, he slammed his tube against the desk and made his way towards the door, swinging it open as he reached it.

"Don't anyone fuckin' respect breakfast time around here, anymore?!" He barked, not even allowing time to assess the situation. Suddenly, the mood calmed, "Goofy, you fucking shovel-head motherfucker! What you doing here so early?"

The large snout bounced up and down, following the motion of the canine-cross-man's tireless legs. He wore the biggest grin, one eye popping out of his head slightly more than the other. How could Fiend remain in a bad mood around this guy? Fiend rushed towards Goofy, chucking his arms around him as they met in the centre of the room. The two make their way into Fiend's office, where they spent the large majority of the morning sharing stories and catching up. The two had met and stayed connected through drugs and their shared love for them. There was never a dull moment when there was Goofy, Fiend and uppers involved. Ready to start the day of business at a late 11:20, Fiend embraced the dog before his departure. Offering his apologies and asking him back for another visit soon, Fiend held the door open and waved him down the road, shuddering as the warm air escaped past him into the busy cold streets of Detroit.

***

Day 6 - Rudolf_Romeo_Riviera

Miss Molly stood shocked, a growing look of horror growing across her face as the unknown man hobbled up to the counter. She was used to seeing some of the world's rougher 'n' tougher men, but this guy looked to be in quite a state. She rushed to offer the man a chair and some water - her offering politely brushed off by the determined man. Fiend appears from the darkness of his office, nodding at Molly and then in the direction of the large drugs cabinet.

"Here, take these anytime you feel pain. They're special ones the boss gets in." She peered over Romeo's shoulder as she explained. The man looked behind him, noticing the skeleton-of-a-man stood leaning against the door-frame, cuddling his cooling coffee. The two shake hands and after a polite debate, Fiend finally convinces Romeo to accept the painkillers as a gift - on the house for a friend in need. Romeo seemed to leave the shop in a better place than when he'd entered and that's all Fiend desired from his shop: dem feelgood feelings.

***

Day 10 - Solace

Fiend scratched the darkening stubble slowly taking over his face. His numb hands scraping with all their weakening might to stop the annoyance. His comedown was imminent, tiredness was taking a toll and he'd already been waiting 20 minutes for the return of Solace. Where could she have got to?! She'd often joke about how terrible Fiend was for setting up a drug shop just doors down from an HQ housing Detroits most fiendish addicts - so how could she be taking so long? He cursed at his watch, flopping it back against the armrest. He rattles through the second drawer down, pulling out a large bottle of aged whisky. He places the whisky gently on the desk and rubs his hands together. He wasn't usually one for alcohol - there were many other substances he'd prefer to abuse. However, it did help to take the edge off from time-to-time and with that thought, he half-filled a large tumbler and raised it in the air before chucking it down his throat. Immediately, he gagged as he clenched the tiny muscles of his neck, forcing the burn down his throat, enroute to simmer the lining of his stomach. He bangs his clenched hand against his chest, allowing the liquid an easier time in settling. A sharp cough concludes his suffering and he begins to pour a second glass, this time returning the lid on the bottle and placing it to one side. The second was to sip - he wasn't an animal.

He took another brief look at his watch. Now it had been at least 21 minutes, this was getting ridiculous... 

Arapaho still feeling a bit dazed from his Riverwalk drunken coffee chat with The-Dubliner couldn't help but notice the brightly lit lights in the background, 'i've never seen such bright lights before?!' Arapaho thought to himself. Was is the drunken haze making it appear brighter than it was? Arapaho wasn't sure but had to investigate himself to his local surroundings.

As Arapaho got closer, he opened the door still unknowing what was inside, the fresh lemon smell hit him, he noticed the blonde assistant behind the counter, was it her perfume? Was it the goods on sale? Where was the lemon smell coming from? Arapaho glanced over as the attractive assistant, trying not to make a fool of himself and asked the assistant where this smell was coming from, it was overpowering, but in a good way!

'Welcome sir to Fiend's Pharmaceuticals - we provide all sorts of prescriptions, treatments, relaxations' Arapaho knew straight away he was in the right place, the perfect thing for him right now was a nice rolled up tobacco &marijuana lined cigarette. As Arapaho took his time, smoking away he could already feel his drunken hangover disappearing.

Feeling super relaxed, Arapaho tipped his hat to the lady, as was a customary sign of respect, tipped her $100 and promised to be back next time. 'In future I'll be sure to bring my drinking buddy The-Dubliner' Arapaho thought to himself. He exited the brightly lit, lemon scented store and carried on with his day.