Charlie returns from work with an uneasy feeling. The town has changed. People who once were friends stare accusingly at each other through bloodshot eyes. The small shops along the strip, once cluttered and bustling with townsfolk were now mostly deserted or boarded up. Even Mary's Coffee Shop, once a lovely place to meet for a chat, was now a place (or so Charlie suspected) where unscroupulous characters met to plot thier evil schemes. Innocent people who had lived in AC all thier lives now found themselves the victim of paranoid slander. Charlie had seen this once before, in another town, not far from here. Finally home, he hurried up the drive and shot a careful glance backwards. Inside Charlie quickly bolted the door and drew the blinds. "What's wrong dear?", Charlie's wife asked. "It's the Mafia", he whispered as if to protect her from the coarseness of his words. "I think they're back."
