Already Dead Joe Pitt 1 - Already Dead Joe Pitt 1 - Already Dead I SMELL THEM BEFORE I SEE THEM. All the powders perfumes and oils the half-smart onessmear on themselves. The stupid ones just stumble around reeking. The really smart ones take aGoddamn shower. The water doesnt help them in the long run but the truth is nothingis gonna help them in the long run. In the long run theyre gonna die. Hell in the long runtheyre already dead. So this pack is half-smart. Theyve splashed themselves with Chanel No. 5 Old Spicewhatever. Most folks just think they have a heavy hand at the personal scent counter. I closemy eyes and inhale deeper because it could just be a group of bridge and tunnelers infrom Jersey or Long Island. But its not. I take that second breath and sure enough there itis underneath: the sweet subtle tang of something not quite dead. Something freshlyrotting. Im betting theyre the ones Im looking for. And why wouldnt they be Its not likethese things are thick on the ground. Not yet. I walk a little farther down Avenue Aand stop at the sidewalk window of Ninos the pizza joint on the corner of St. Marks.I rap on the counter with the ring on my middle finger and one of the Neapolitans comesover. --Yeah --Whats fresh He looks blank. --The pizza whats just out of the oven --Tomato and garlic. --No way no fucking garlic. How bout the broccoli it been out all day He shrugs. --Fine give me the broccoli. Not too hot I dont want to burn the roof of my mouth. He cuts a slice and slides it into the oven to warm up. I could eat the tomato and garlic if I wanted to. Its not like the garlic would hurt me or anything. I just dont like theshit. While I wait I lean on the counter and watch the customers inside the joint. The usualcrowd for a Friday night: couple drunk NYU kids couple drunk greasers a drunk squatter twodrunk yuppies on an East Village adventure a couple drunk hip-hoppers and the onesIm looking for. There are three of them standing around