Fourth Ward Polls: A Short Story

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The door slams shut. A dry breeze follows me into Ryan’s Fourth Ward Polls as I escape the cold October night. An eerie group of men eye me up and down as I walk to the bar for my evening dose of cognac. As I shake their stares off, an old bartender greets me.We indulge in some light conversation about the upcoming Election Day as he pours me my smooth glass of cognac. Thanking the Sir, I grab my glass and sit down to relax but find myself in a slight state of paranoia. A muffled scream is heard and I see some silhouettes dragging a figure towards a room. Thinking nothing of it, I return to peace taking slow sips of my drink. That peace is broken as I feel two strong men grab me, and someone else covers my mouth with some sort of fabric. Before I can even struggle, I feel my heart ache in pain and my body gives up drifting into a state of sleep. I wake up in a room full of liquor and 3 buff looking men. The worst thoughts go through my head and I realize where I am. …show more content…

They fill me with booze and tell me I will be voting for a Whigs politician. At first I refuse, but with one punch to the stomach I immediately agree. These men dress me in a straw hat, some torn pants, and a snug jacket. Another glass of cognac was given to me as a reward and right away we exit Ryan’s Fourth Ward Polls into Lombard Street. From poll to poll we go around to different parts of the city, and I am getting more intoxicated by the second. I feel my heart starting to give out but these men don’t care. I refuse to vote at this point, but that was a colossal mistake. They take me out of the cage and into an alleyway where they began to beat me again until I agreed to finish voting. When done voting they drop me back at Ryan’s Fourth Ward Polls and there I lay feeling as if death was staring me in my