The Silver Snake was an aging roadhouse set against the endless west Texas desert. A large neon sigh sat atop the roadhouse's roof with the name of the strip club set in red neon with the two S made from hissing serpents.
Once you passed the bouncer and made it into the interior of the strip club you found it looked a great deal like most other small time hard luck strip clubs. One side was the bar, brass rails and spittoons ran along the floor, the bar thought it was still in the Wild West. The other side was dominated by a stage that sat three feet off the ground with a large metal pole at one end running from stage to ceiling. Chairs and a few rickety tables filled the space in between the stage and the bar. In the back was a small room whose doorway was draped with fraying purple curtains, that was the VIP Room where customers could get up close and personal with the ladies. The interior was dark, reeking of acrid cigarette smoke, stale beer, and spent sexual frustration. The air was filled with loud rocking music for the girls to dance to, the club was too small to have a full time DJ so with the exceptions of the weekends the girls themselves set their CDs in a large stereo system that sat in the corner on the stage, either shitty 80s hair metal anthems or jovial Mexican tunes with too much accordion.
Tonight was Tuesday, the worst night of the week. The bartender was occupying himself cleaning glasses with a filthy grey rag that once, many years ago, was pristine white. The two women on stage were tired old strippers well passed their prime. They didn't have the pick of stage times and had to make due. The bar was filled with a scant 7 patrons, all but two were regulars, guys whose daily routine wouldn't be complete without coming to the Silver Snake. The two new comers were teens from the nearby town that walked past the bouncer outside with homemade fake IDs. They'd never see naked women before and even two burned out overweight strippers made their eyes sparkle and their pants tighten with excitement.
The five regulars were Burt the portly postman who was in the private dance area getting his twenty bucks worth, Wally the burned out used car salesman who was on the run from a couple ex-wives, Pete the peeper who had glasses thicker than the bottom of coke bottles, and Tony the dealer who made sure the strippers and the customers had what they needed. The trio was sitting close to the stage watching as Jasmine and Candy showed their 40ish bodies to them. All three were hoping for a runaway or a regular girl doing a little overtime but tonight were stuck with Candy and Jasmine. The last patron of the bar was fast asleep at the far end of the bar surrounded by a forest of Champion Beer bottles, up ended shot glasses and an overflowing large amber ash tray full of spent Coyote Cigarettes. Ordinarily he would have been written off as just another down and out bum trying to drown his sorrow in beer, tequila and cigarettes if it wasn't for his red leather luchadore mask emblazed with a fierce black skull.

He was the Red Skull, once he was the greatest of all the luchadores, king of the square circle. His enemies feared him and the senoritas swooned over him. His career was ended when his biggest rival X Misterioso struck him in the head with steel folding chair during a match in Juarez. X Misterioso was always an underhanded cheater and knew he could never beat Red Skull in a fair fight. The blow to his skull had unsettled Red Skull, he would never be able to return to the square circle again. Now he drifted looking for a reason why, something to answer the questions that raced about his mind. He still proudly wore his red leather mask with the black skull, they may take the luchadore from the ring, but you can never take the ring away from a true luchadore.

Red Skull lifted his head from the bar as he heard four large, obnoxious Harley Davidson motorcycle engine roaring over the drone of the music. The door to the Silver Snake burst open and four black leather clad bikers strode in.
Their vests were emblazed with a burning pentagram, the symbol for the Brotherhood of Bhaal motorcycle gang. They swaggered into the club and looked around the bar. Red Skull saw immediately this was going to be trouble. They weren't regular bikers, they were demons.
The chair strike during that match in Juarez had knocked Red Skull out cold. When he came to, he found that he could see thing other people couldn't. He could see that there were certain people that weren't people at all, but rather horrible monsters. Everyone around him only saw normal people where Red Skull saw monsters. It was this that exiled Red Skull for wrestling, no manager would promote a luchadore he thought was truly crazy.

The bikers sneered at the bartender who quickly decided it was best to go in the back and check his stock. The four burly bikers stalked down the length of the bar looking for their quarry. As they neared the end of the bar they found him. He was dressed in a black work shirt from Don Diego's Bail Bonds in El Paso, old blue jeans and ratty work boots. The dead giveaway was the red leather mask he was wearing over his face. " Hey" the first biker, judging by all his patches adoring his vest he was the leader, " you Red Skull."
" Qué?" Red Skull asked, looking at the four burly red demons in motorcycle leathers, their rough cherry skin adored in tattoos, the calling card of the Brotherhood of Bhaal.
They were Rage Demons, if Red Skull remembered right. Their flesh was red stretched tight with thick ropey muscles. Their mouths were dominated by four large tusks that grew from their mouths. Red Skull strained his brain to remember what he had read about Rage Demons in that book she had given him. They didn't have much supernatural power if he remembered right, they were strictly brawlers, their power came from fighting and anger.
" Shit" grumbled one of the other bikers with a heavy Texas accent, " Pancho don't speak the language."
" You talk to him then" the leader said.
The smallest of the four demons stepped forward, one of his long tusk that hung from his mouth was chipped and starting to turn black. " Let's see" he said, " está usted el Red Skull."
He knew he was going to have a fight on his hands, four against one was quiet a handicap match even for the great Red Skull. He was going to use his possum strategy he used against the fierce foursome, the Martillos Del Diablo, in Tijuana to win the number one contendership for the Baja Belt. He was going to get them off guard and then show them his mighty luchadore skills. "Qué?" he repeated, " está usted los vaqueros de cuero homosexuales?"
The fourth demon biker scowled, " Su madre de la puta coge burros" he snapped back.
" ¡Sí! Sí reina de la acto del burro de Tijuana" Red Skull replied knocking against the bar with his big fists, " ella hizo que todos los marineros animan y los burros sonreír."
The fourth looked puzzled and turned back to asked his boss if this really was the guy they'd rode all this way to kill. He wasn't a legendary demon slayer, he was drunk lunatic.
He was about to open his mouth when suddenly the Red Skull moved. In a flash of glittering amber the Red Skull smashed the massive amber ash tray over the fourth biker's skull sending up a great cloud of grey ash and a hail storm of crushed cigarette butts. Under the protective cloud of ash he grabbed two empty Champion beer bottles and charged. The bikers were still staring in shock at the speed of Red Skull's movements and were not ready for his next attack. He smashed the two bottles over the second biker demon's skull and wrapped him in a fierce bear hug. Two sharp head butts and Red Skull was able to sling his opponent over his shoulder. " Crack the whip!" he shouted before slamming the biker from his shoulder onto the floor with a thunderous crack.

By this point the entire strip club had realized what was going on and small scale panic ensued. Candy and Jasmine, veterans of many bar fights immediately dashed off stage as fast as their six inch high heels allowed them. Tony disappeared into the back of the club, he was use to police raids and had a dozen ways to escape unnoticed. Wally and Pete made a run for the front door and barely squeezed past the bouncer who had lumbered in from his stool outside. " What the fuck is going on?" he shouted.
The two standing bikers looked over at the bouncer and the leader nodded to the other. He stalked over to the bouncer and sized him up. " You starting trouble, boy?" he asked, folding his arms across his barrel chest.
" Us?" the third Rage Demon asked, " no."
He drove his hand straight into the bouncer's chest. A loud and wet crack filled the club. The demon removed his hand and held the bouncer's heart aloft. The demon ate the thick muscle as the bouncer collapsed on the floor. " Your fight is with me!" Red Skull announced, " you will not harm them."
" Really" said the leader.

Red Skull grabbed the leader by the throat and picked him up. " Chokeslam!" he shouted.
The leader was slammed hard into the top of the oak bar, the entire bar shuddered but was too strong to break under the force. " What's goin' on?" asked Penny, the youngest stripper there at that night at 38, wiping her mouth.
The smallest of the demons was now back on his feet and saw Penny's big breasts, despite the fact that they were enhanced by really cheap implants that made the breasts more square than they should be. He let off a howl and rushed for her.
He made it halfway before he was stopped by a bar stool being smashed across his back. Red Skull pushed the girl back but was too late to save Burt. The second demon, the one he had struck down with beer bottles, tackled him and ripped his massive beer gut open. Burt howled as the demon began to root in his fresh intestines with his tusks devouring only the choices bits. " You can not win" said the leader rubbing his jaw, " you can't be all four of us."
Red Skull stomped his massive boot into the head of the fourth and smallest demon. The force of the strike smashed his skull hard into the concrete floor with a crack like that of a fresh melon. " It is only three now" he said.
Red Skull kicked the feasting demon hard in the face flipping him off the corpse of Burt and sending him crashing through several of the cheap tables between the VIP room and the stage. The third demon rushed him and drove his shoulder into Red Skull's stomach. Red Skull's massive abs deflected the impact of the blow. He wrapped his arms around the third demon's waist and lifted him up until his legs were resting on Red Skull's shoulders. " Powerbomb!" he shouted and threw the demon into the payphone which hung on the wall between the two bathrooms.
The payphone was shattered and a shower of coins hit the floor along with the third demon. " It is just you and me now" said the Red Skull.
The leader produced a ten inch blade from his boot. " Come on, come get me" the leader taunted.
Red Skull charged but instead of charging at the leader, he charged the bar. With grace he dove over the bar and rolled onto the floor. He rolled halfway down the bar and stopped. He kicked the bar and knocked a panel loose. Here was the bartender's good stock, not the crap he normally served. Red Skull grabbed a bottle and spun the cap off. He took a good swig and let off a burp. " I have you now" said the leader climbing over the bar with his big blade.
Red Skull took another long swig and produced his Zippo. He spit the booze at the open flame. The fireball hit the demon square in the face The leader stumbled and fell backwards. Red Skull knew this wasn't going to do any real good, but it bought him a moment or two to catch his breath.

The three demons got to their feet, the leader's face was now shiny red and his skin was starting to peel off in short ragged pieces, the second was picking quarters from his back, and the third was touching the broken end of one of his bottom tusks. Red Skull remembered why he didn't like Rage Demons, they really could take the abuse and wouldn't go down for the count. Red Skull cracked his knuckles and grinned through his red mask, " Let's go!"
The three demons charged as Red Skull charged. They met on top of the bar. Red Skull got there first and delivered a punishing boot of the face of the leader, a powerful chop to the chest of the second and grabbed the third. He head butted the third hard and threw him over the end of the bar so that he crashed into the ATM machine. Red Skull charged across the bar and leapt off the end.
The third demon was just getting to his feet when the Red Skull drove both of his massive boots into his chest. The third demon smashed back into the ATM this time the third demon howled as his skull smashed into the wall, his eyes bugging out of their sockets. He hung limp, impaled on the metal guts of the ATM machine. It was now down to two.
Before Red Skull could celebrate the second demon was on him. He drove two punishing blows into Red Skull's face and a hard knee to the gut. Red Skull managed to dodge the third punch and land a punch of his own before being hit again. The second demon grabbed a bar stool and swung it as Red Skull.

For a moment Red Skull flashed back to his match with X Misterioso, his blood boiled, he wasn't going to let him with this time.

Red Skull ducked the swing of the bar stool and swung around behind the second demon. His massive hands wrapped around his head and he twisted, shouting, " Atomic Tornado!"
The demon's neck snapped, this was no small feat for demons, especially Rage Demons were very muscular. Red Skull picked the limp corpse of the second demon and body slammed him into the ground just to make sure.
The leader was now just starting to realize that the stories of the Red Skull were all very true and he was up against a demon killing machine. Red Skull wasn't going to let him go, they had ruined his buzz.

Red Skull charged, covering the ground between the pair faster than a man of his size should have. He drove his fist into the leader's face knocking him back. The leader hit back with a table, smashing it against Red Skull's side.
That managed to stagger Red Skull long enough for the leader to deliver several strong body blows. Red Skull grabbed the leader in a strong bear hug and threw him onto the stage. He leapt up on the stage and dropped an elbow into the chest of the leader. He grabbed the leader's head and smashed it hard against the pole at the end of the T shaped stage. He repeated this messy process until he knew the leader was no more.

Red Skull climbed off the stage and looked around at the wreckage. It was then he saw the two teenage boys hiding on the opposite side of the stage. Judging by the smell they were going to need new pants, and probably new shoes but they'd be all right, all thing considered. He walked over to the bar and tipped his head under one of the beer taps. After a good long drink he found his half empty pack of Coyotes and exited through the front door. Demons, they always know how to spoil a good time.