《Born In Ash》


 Prologue: Death by those you fed

    Los Angeles, California


    Sirens cried in the streets of Los Angeles on this dark summer night. A police chase was underway as cars weaved past businesses and homes. Blue and white streaks lit up the pitch-black night, causing a brief refuge of light before it all blackened again. Blood and gunpowder flooded the warm summer air from the various shots that scattered through the air, mixing into a disgusting yet comfortable smell. In a small street not far from the lights and gunfire from the police, rushed footsteps could be heard throughout the streets. Sounding stressed, it was clear these footsteps were looking for something or someone.


    Limping through the streets, blood pouring out of his side, a young man struggled to escape. He wore designer clothes that were ruined and mangled. Dark red blood poured onto these clothes, acting as a sponge, attempting to contain all that he was losing. The injured man continued to run until his exhausted body gave out, proceeding to collapse onto the ground and crawl, gripping the cold asphalt and shattering his once neat nails, just to go an inch farther. However, his body could not keep up, for although his resolve had far outlived his body, he could not move what was already dying; he had been shot too deep. Without immediate medical attention, it would be hard to ascertain whether he would live.


    Ceasing for a moment to catch his breath, the man¡¯s vision scattered as his eyes blurred. Slowly, he lost himself and imagined times better, of when he was unstoppable. He sluggishly sat up and leaned his bloody body against the cold, hard wall as he delved into the deepest parts of his memories, murmuring to himself as though someone were facing him. Speaking softly, the man talked to the nonexistent figure facing him, speaking through his cracked lips his innermost thoughts. This is what he said.


    ¡°Maybe I should have left when I had the chance. Time after time, I had the opportunity, yet I ignored it. I ignored everything that was happening. You¡¯d be disappointed if you saw me now¡­ It¡¯s just a shame I¡¯ll never see you again.¡±


    Those same rushed steps that were once reverberating off the alley walls were now closer, snapping the young man back into reality. Knowing those after him, it was clear that if caught, he would die. What he needed now was time¡ªto organize and kill those who threatened his existence. And to gain back what was rightfully his. However, he had known these people most of his life. It was his people who were after him. They were always loyal, and even the man doubted whether they would betray him like this. Even now, the young man attempted to use every excuse he had, but it was all for naught.


    Family¡ªthat was what they always were, but now it matters nothing to them. Reminding himself of the current danger, he attempted to pick himself up one last time; however, his stinging body had the weight of a thousand bulls, causing him to again collapse onto the cold asphalt. With no gun on him, he could not defend himself from the man coming after him. There was nothing to do except leave himself to their mercy.


    ¡®I gotta get up! Fuck!¡±


    ¡®I have to move; I have to leave!! But it won¡¯t move!!! Why can¡¯t I move!?''


    Death had grasped onto the man¡¯s neck more times than he could process; slowly, with time, he had gotten used to it. However, this time, he knew it was different; death clenched onto his neck harder than ever. Any singular moment of vulnerability could mean death, but his body weakened with every passing moment, and his resolve further crumbled. Defeat slowly inched into the man¡¯s mind, plaguing his resolve. And as more time passed, his resolve would grow weaker.


    The approaching steps finally arrived, stopping right next to the man. Audible gasps of air could be heard as the one in front of him seemed exhausted. But by this point, too much blood had left his body, and he could no longer look up to check. Chills stung all over as he felt the warmth leave his wound and the cold summer air penetrate in. He had already accepted death and waited to meet those he knew in hell. In front of the young man was a youth who arrived; he stared down at the man briefly before pulling out a gun and aiming it at the man¡¯s forehead. Yet he did not fire. Tears rolled down the youth¡¯s cheeks as memories flooded his exhausted head. Hesitation flashed over his face as he gently spoke to the man.


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.¡°Dios mio jefe, mira lo que paso (God, boss, look what happened). It all went to hell.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°You could have stopped this! You could¡¯ve¡­why?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Just kill me; I don¡¯t have to explain sh*t to you.¡±


    The young man finally built the strength to inch his head up towards the youth, and sensing the youth¡¯s hesitancy, living seemed plausible. However, by this point, he had long lost his will. For behind all the confusion, exhaustion, and anger, he now knew he wanted to be honest at least once. After every lie, not only to himself but to others, regret finally poured in. If at least now he could be honest, that would be enough before facing those he once lied to. What the young man wanted to get off his chest was something he had wanted to say for so long. That He-


    ¡®Hate this life. I didn¡¯t want to keep slinging crack onto the streets so they kill me? I just wanted to try and enjoy the fruits of my labor. but it seems I can¡¯t even do that. Man, do I really hate this life. I¡¯m ready to go¡­¡¯


    ¡®I am so tired¡­ Just get it over with.¡¯


    It was only a matter of time before this happened, and he most definitely noticed, choosing to ignore it. Less money coming in and continually losing territory left a sour taste in everyone¡¯s mouth. They all gradually lost respect, which, in the end, caused his downfall. A man who couldn¡¯t fight for his people¡¯s needs was useless, and no amount of loyalty could change that. Eventually, a new man stood out¡ªa man who fought for his people. He was not weak, fighting no matter how many died. That was the type of person fit to be their leader, not this pathetic man they once called boss. But for this youth, he still cared about him and called him boss despite how weak he now was; the little amount of loyalty he had left caused hesitation. But in the end, the old has to be thrown out for the new, no matter how attached one is.


    ¡°Ay jefe, lo siento¡­ Adios. (ay boss, I¡¯m sorry¡­ Goodbye.)¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    An eternity passed gradually. A cold wind blew through where they were as the moon gently displaced the lifeless clouds blocking its hollow light. Gleaming moonlight then shone down on the two of them, and there, under the soft light, he could see the boss and all his imperfections. Something else was visible, though: the boss¡¯s soft smile that blended with the moonlight. It shone as if the boss had been at peace. Now not a single ounce of hate, rage, or revenge stood in the boss¡¯s way. He was now ready to pass on and face the consequences of his life. The old boss was gone, and the youth slowly came to terms with that. The boss had lost his ambition¡ªthat fire¡ªlong ago. Now, only the ashes remained of what he once was.


    The youth continued to struggle internally. Even though it had only been a couple of years since he joined high school, he was close with everyone. They gave him a family when he didn¡¯t have one. So could he do it? Could he kill family? Time passed slowly as the youth steeled himself¡­ and finally fired the gun!


    BANG!!


    Gunpowder flooded the air, mixing with the hot scent of blood, creating a disgusting yet magnificent concoction that flooded the senses. The shot rang deep into the alleys, and not a moment later, more came in a distraught and sorrowful fashion.


    BANG!!


    BANG!!


    BANG!!!!


    End of Prologue.

 Chapter 1: Life after

    Three months later, Houston, Texas¡­


    Sunlight beamed down on the world during this late summer evening. A week of hard work had finally ended for many. And with exhaustion seeping into every working person¡¯s bones, many sought to relax in the comfort of their homes. Hundreds walked in an exhausted yet fulfilled manner down below on the streets, hoping to see an extra set of numbers in their bank account. And when looked at from above, all traveled like that of an ant colony, navigating towards the ant hill to feed their queen.


    Miles away from the center of these exhausted individuals, in a part of the city where graffiti and trash became the norm, was a run-down building not too different from those around it. In this one building, there were multiple apartments inside where the sun hardly penetrated. One specific apartment in this run-down building was especially bare, with nothing worth noticing except for one person. In the middle of this confined, moldy apartment, a homeless man sprawled across the floor, snoring. At first glance, it would be clear to steer away from him. His tattered clothes and  beard repelled everyone with a toxic animosity, especially in the unconditional way he slept on the floor. But with no mattress, it made sense why the homeless man decided to sleep on the floor while trash lay nearby. Around the man, bottles of beer and clear bags with a flour-like look and texture lay. As well as several fast food wrappers and bags.


    In the only window the apartment offered, warm evening sunlight slowly paced around the room, eventually shining on the man. Feeling the warmth of the evening sun, the homeless man awoke and proceeded to twitch and shuffle around to escape the warming sun. Once away from the gaze of the sun, he attempted to once again fall asleep; however, the man¡¯s phone unfortunately rang at that moment. Opening his eyes and leaning towards his phone, he gazed at it for a moment expressionlessly before laying down once again and proceeding with his attempt for rest. For several minutes, call after call came with no answer. It was not until minutes after that that the calls stopped, and the homeless man had the opportunity to fall asleep. And it was not until several hours had passed that he would finally answer.


    Hours had passed by this point as the moon came to linger. The sun had long since set, and nothing but darkness enveloped the old room. But it was here that the man felt most comfortable speaking to his caller.


    ¡° What, Alejandro?¡±


    ¡°, you finally answered. I thought something bad had happened.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine. I won¡¯t kill myself, so there¡¯s no need for you to call every day.¡±


    Speaking to Alejandro so many times in the last couple of weeks enlightened him and made him realize why he called every day. It was for assurance. Alejandro did not want the man dead.


    ¡°Yea but¡­ Actually, there¡¯s another reason why I called today.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°You told me your shot had healed last week, so I wanted to ask how much longer you were planning on staying in Texas?¡±


    Even though months had passed since the man left California, he had never given much thought to the future. Right now, he was content with where and what he was doing. Was there any real need to leave?


    ¡°I haven¡¯t given it much thought; why?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that money¡¯s been tight recently, and the apartment has really been taking a chunk out of my savings.¡±


    For only a brief moment did anger surface on the man¡¯s face. The man knew exactly how much Alejandro earned and knew he was far from broke. But even though he knew this, he did not have the energy to confront Alejandro about his lie. But the situation concerned the man greatly, and years of dealing with annoying situations such as this caused solutions to influx into the man¡¯s head. However, in his current state, nothing seemed more important than ingesting cocaine.


    ¡°¡­ When do you need me out of here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like you to be gone in a couple of weeks.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll try to be out of here as soon as I can.¡±


    ¡°Wait! I also have one more question.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to become head again?¡±


    ¡°¡­No, I¡¯ve done my time.¡±


    Hanging up at that moment, the man dropped his phone and gazed outside the only window in this cramped apartment to see nothing but black. Gradually, the phone slipped out of his fingers, clattering onto the plastic tiled floor, stained with unknown marks. A sudden desire crumbled every previous thought the man had as he grasped his head and leaned down. A cold sweat eventually formed as he looked around the room desperately, fixating on his desire when he saw it. He ran to the object of his desire with a crazed glare, placing it on the small island in the kitchen and opening it roughly. Then, with shaking hands, he grabbed a spoonful of his desire, its flour-like look becoming the object of his glare. Finally, in an act of near craziness, the white powder flowed into the man¡¯s body through his nostril, relaxing him. His previously heated glare and heavy breathing were now gone, replaced with dilated eyes and an empty mind. He then sprawled out onto the ground as if he had lost all common sense, and in a boggling act, he drifted into another deep slumber. One where he would not wake until the next morning.


    Hours passed as the man slept, yet for the man, it felt as if only minutes had passed before he finally awoke. Slowly opening his dark black eyes, the man stared up at the ceiling for what felt like an eternity with nothing on his mind. It would not be until minutes later that he would sit up. Sleeping throughout the day inadvertently caused a scrambled sleep schedule, disrupting his circadian rhythm. But he preferred to wake up at weird times anyway, although he was not always like this. As head, he exuded a confident yet grounded aura, backed by his actions. However, he now seemed nothing like the man who once stood tall, facing problems as though they were nothing. For now, only a portion of his former self remains.


    Standing up from the floor laggardly, the man¡¯s body leaned left to right in an unreadable motion as he wiped the drool off his mouth. Then, in a stumbling manner, he stepped into the compact kitchen the apartment held. Pulling the fridge handle open and seeing what was inside. Yet he already knew it was completely empty except for condiments from when the man would eat fast food. Seeing the absolute emptiness the fridge held and hearing the resolute protests from his stomach, the man decided to go to the store. Not only could he stock up on food essentials, but he had run out of beer as the homeless man had already ingested everything he had. Although he would prefer fast food for convenience, the man was dead broke, and digging through his pockets for his wallet would prove this fact. Opening it and calling it empty would be an understatement; his wallet was so bare that flies escaped when opened, as though they were in relief to leave the empty wallet. But as bare as it was, there was at least twenty dollars, the absolute last of the money he had. Knowing he now had twenty dollars left to his name, he decided to journey to the supermarket.


    Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    While walking to his local supermarket, he contemplated the conversation with Alejandro. Questioning what was said earlier.


    ¡®It¡¯s obviously not about the money. Even if I were sucking all his cash away, the bond of the family wouldn¡¯t die out so quickly. But although I don¡¯t know why he lied to me, it¡¯s easy to guess. The new head, Vicente, must be putting pressure on Alejandro and those still loyal to me. Right now, there are only three scenarios he would believe. Either I died, ran away, or I am in hiding, trying to build up a force. It¡¯s an idiotic thought to me, but for him, it¡¯s a sad reality he believes he¡¯ll face. Right now, at this moment, he should be looking for any traces of my presence. He knows that if I were to return and try to reclaim what¡¯s rightfully mine, the forces I could pull would be substantial. In his eyes, I could be increasing my forces this very second. Not only that but finding me and killing me would stabilize those still loyal to me. Knowing him, if he were to find me, my head being hanged would be the least of my worries. I should expect to be tortured and decapitated in front of everyone if I were found. Fortunately for me, being a full state away keeps me out of his sphere of influence. However, he would definitely send people to try and get me if he were to find where I am. So me and Alejandro should have the same goal: to distance ourselves from each other. Not only could he betray me, but he knows exactly where I am and my current state of being. Even if he still sees me in a positive light, the threat of death would make that pussy fold. It would be better to completely cut myself off from him, but it¡¯s not worth it considering the downsides. The biggest one is that I¡¯d be cut off from information. But there¡¯s no way in hell I would put enough trust in him to believe everything he tells me in the first place. It¡¯s unfortunate for Vicente, though; I¡¯m a huge pain in the ass and a constant source of stress for that motherfucker. Although I¡¯m happy about that fact, this also means he is probably looking really hard for any trace, and the pressure is definitely a lot on those loyal to me. Alejandro, as the actual culprit, must be feeling it harder, whether externally or internally, considering his less-than-tactful actions earlier. And the more Vicente looks into this, the more suspicious  look. And if he were to rat me out, knowing the new boss, Alejandro¡¯s head would be right next to mine when hanged.¡¯


    Snapping out of thought after arriving and entering the supermarket, the man walked through the automatically opening doors and went toward the alcohol section of the store to get some Corona beers. The constant thinking had made him crave it even more. Then after, the man proceeded to get a 12-pack of eggs.


    Going to the store checkout, the clerk there asked for the man¡¯s ID. Looking at him now, one would assume he was at least 35. So, slightly surprised, he pulled it out and gazed at it. It had been months since he last looked at it and saw just how different he was now. Having taken the photo years earlier, while he was still young and naive, you could see the ambition and passion that permeated through his body language in the photo. Seeing it now, the man scoffed lightly at the photo before passing it to the clerk.


    Soon after, he left the store and walked back to his apartment. Stepping slowly and steadily, he stared down at the ground as he walked. However, in an act of randomness, he looked up towards the sky and witnessed the sun rise slowly. The huge orange globe lit up the sky as it rose above all else. A light orange hue slowly lit the surrounding buildings, approaching the man and the asphalt at a snail¡¯s pace. For the man, it had felt like years since he last experienced the calmness of a sunrise. He gazed at the bright orange sun briefly before continuing his walk, feeling slightly better. The warming wind blew towards him, rustling his unkempt hair, while cars passing by became more frequent. Through all this, the man thought about what to do to distance himself from Alejandro.


    ¡®As much as I would love to get rid of that clown, I¡¯m still in desperate need of money. Everything I once had is gone¡ªall the money, the influence¡ªshit, I don¡¯t even have a gun right now. With no money, getting a house or apartment financially separate from Alejandro is impossible. And asking for more money is stupid as well; although I doubt he would sell me out over some dollars, it¡¯s better to not try. So, what can I do? Should I try and get a job?¡¯


    Immediately after that thought entered the man¡¯s mind, he laughed at himself for thinking of something so foolish. He was rich just months ago, but now he was living in a mold-infested apartment with nothing saved. If this were months ago, the man¡¯s pride would have been cut deep. But now, it was nothing more than an afterthought.


    During his time as boss, he trusted them too deeply. All of his bank accounts were known to his ¡®family¡¯. Taking out any sum of money would not only verify that he was still alive, but it would also reveal his location. It seemed as though he was blocked at all sides, with the only viable option being to get a job and live as a normal man. But he was not determined enough to do that, not to mention the lack of time he had before he needed to leave.


    Arriving at the entrance of his apartment unit, he stood in front of the door and stared at everything around him. It was unit 21. Around this golden number, multiple cracks and holes penetrated deep into the door. This truly made him realize his dire situation. Now he was only slightly more well-off than a bum. However, continuing like this would surely lead to homelessness and, eventually, death. But he had gotten too lazy; the man had lost all motivation to try and better himself on that day. What he needed right now was a new place to stay and rot. Farther from California and unknown to Alejandro. Although the man no longer valued his life, he did not want to go through the trouble of killing himself.


    Finished staring at the poor excuse of an apartment he had, the man entered and popped a bottle of Corona open while frying some eggs. Even though cooking had never piqued the man¡¯s interest, he still knew how to make basic foods. He had learned from his mother years ago, as he and his sister would be taught side-by-side while their mother would watch diligently. Usually, it was during this time of day that his father would be out working. Thinking of his actual family, the man felt unfamiliar yet close feelings. His heart hurt as he reminisced about times long gone. Both his mother and sister had left his life years ago in different ways. However, thinking of his actual family led him to a sudden realization. Seconds passed in this sudden moment of enlightenment as he paused, checking his eggs. Pulling his phone out of his pocket as soon as this enlightenment was processed, he dialed a number he was told years ago. However, he hesitated, truly calling. Multiple doubts and disturbing thoughts entered his mind as he questioned whether this was a good choice. But this was the only choice he had. In his sorry state, asking for help from his true family was the only solution. Internally knowing this, the man gradually grew the resolve to call. Multiple rings went through before it was answered, and he heard the voice of his sister. A voice not too different from that of his memories, a voice of someone now much older. And through the phone, he could finally hear it one more time.


    ¡°Hello? Who is this?¡±


    ¡°  (Hey sis), this is Francisco.¡±

 Chapter 2: New World Part 1

    8 years ago. Los Angeles, California¡­


    ¡°What the hell do you mean!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving¡­ I don¡¯t want to be a part of this anymore. You have always talked about freedom, and I finally understand. I will be free.¡±


    Rage. Nothing except rage flooded young Francisco¡¯s head, to a degree he had never experienced before. The young man could have never processed such a thing happening. He would have never thought he would be abandoned again.


    ¡°Free!? We¡¯re already free! We can get whatever we want whenever we want it.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That is why we did this¡ªto be free. Without money, we are only slaves to those gringos.¡±


    ¡° (Brother), please stop¡­¡±


    ¡°If you leave now, you¡¯ll lose everything we worked for. You¡¯ll live the rest of your life under someone¡¯s thumb; is that what you want? To be nothing more than a slave!¡±


    ¡°That would be better than what I am now.¡±


    ¡°-!?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen you! The disgusting thing you¡¯ve become!! I know¡­


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡° I know the longer I stay with you, the more likely I am to be you.¡±


    The words spoken flew around Francisco¡¯s young mind at a rapid pace as he attempted to process what his sister said. But at the current moment, he could never understand the point of view his sister came from.


    After a short moment, his sister continued, not caring for Francisco¡¯s understanding.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want that; I want to live like I¡¯m normal. Like I haven¡¯t killed.¡±


    ¡°We have both killed! Do not deny what we have done to stand where we are right now!


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to deny it. Me and you¡­ We have killed plenty. I understand why I did it back then, and I still understand now. But just because I have killed in the past doesn¡¯t mean I have to kill today and in the future. I am out, Francisco.


    ¡°So you¡¯re gonna leave me!! We are family! Are you going to abandon family!?¡±


    ¡°No. You will always be my little brother.¡±


    ¡°Marcia!! Think about this!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve done nothing but think about this.¡±


    Marcia¡¯s mind was set. No matter how long she had tried denying it before, she knew. Death after death, money flowed in all the same, but she had stopped caring about the money long ago. For people she cared about, loved, and valued, they all died fighting for it. The desperate desire for it entrapped everyone, and she only now realized it. Time after time, she questioned herself about her desires and needs. Did-


    ¡®-I want this?¡¯


    Marcia had gotten so much money. Enough to survive several lifetimes, yet she was not satisfied. No, satisfied would not be the right word. She hated it. The things she did to get these pieces of paper and the lives it cost to get it.


    She stared at Francisco, her determined eyes reflecting a hint of sadness. They had always been together, looking after one another in difficult times. But now Marcia realizes just how poisoned she has become. Leaving was the only option for reformation. Time after time, she tried convincing her little brother; however, he was stubborn. Francisco ignored the consequences and focused on the benefits. To some degree, he loved the power, money, and women he got with it all. Ignoring the bodies of people it took to get there, even if it would eventually kill him. But she still loved her brother despite their differences, which is why¡­


    ¡°Here, Francisco¡­¡±


    Marcia pulled out a card and wrote a phone number on it.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t contact me unless you are ready to abandon this life¡­ I will help you then.¡±


    She tried to hand it to Francisco but realized just how enraged he still was. She then placed the card on the luxury wooden desk that separated the two of them. Then, turning around, she left the luxurious office they were both arguing in. And Francisco, in a last-ditch effort, yelled whatever he could think, in a sorry attempt to keep what he had.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you fucking dare show your face in front of me again!!! You are nothing!! Let¡¯s see what you can accomplish with what little you have!¡±


    But Marcia did not respond back. She continued to walk away toward a new future that she would never turn back from.


    Present time, near Tuscaloosa, Alabama¡­


    As loud as a truck and as fast as one plowing through the forest, a train ran through this relatively undeveloped area. Through the train window, forests filled with vast amounts of life extended as far as the eye could see. Yet only a portion of this life could be felt, as if the window separated it from those inside.


    Francisco stared out this train window, looking on as blurs of trees flashed by and wildlife stared. He had left Houston nearly a day ago and bought tickets just in time to catch this train. However, he had to ask Alejandro for money to acquire it, which was something he absolutely did not want to do before. But it would be better to ask for money than request a train ticket that would bring about questions, especially when he did not trust Alejandro. However, Francisco slowly stopped thinking about it, choosing to stare out the window, admiring the nature of it all.


    If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    It was the first time Francisco had ever been on a train, and even though it was not luxurious, he still felt comfortable. But next to him was a source of discomfort. White hair protruded from his relatively bald head, and wrinkles scattered his face, confirming he was at least sixty years old. It was an old man who bothered him. Usually, Francisco would not care about the people next to him, but this old man snored loudly, being a disturbance to many. To some degree, Francisco felt like waking this man up, but he could not be bothered, instead choosing to ignore the snores. That is until the old man¡¯s shiny head leaned onto Francisco¡¯s shoulder. Trying to not have to interact with him, he continued to ignore it. That is until he began to drool all over Francisco¡¯s shirt. Although it was old and raggedy, Francisco had finally washed it after months, so it annoyed him even more that the old man was dirtying it up, finally pushing him over the edge.


    Grabbing his head and pushing it away, Francisco thought he might be able to get out of this without having to talk. However, the old man woke up, scratched his head, and spoke to Francisco.


    ¡°That¡¯s my fault for sleeping on you, young man.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just that this pain in my side is making it quite hard to sleep. But your shoulder was the perfect cushion.¡±


    ¡°I said you¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°, you¡¯re quite an unsocial one.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, young man.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it to you.¡±


    ¡°, come on, don¡¯t be like that.¡±


    At that moment, the old man reached over and  Francisco¡¯s hair, pushing it down with a crazy force. Wanting to punch the old man, Francisco struggled to contain his desires as he grabbed his hand and moved it away from his unkempt hair.


    ¡°What struggles you must have gone through, young man.¡±


    ¡°!¡±


    Francisco looked at the old man for the first time. He saw the old man¡¯s bright yet aged smile. Francisco had never thought any one person could be so happy.


    ¡°Your face looks like a grumpy old skunk, and that¡¯s coming from me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°So. Can I have the honor of knowing your name.¡±


    ¡°¡­It¡¯s Francisco.¡±


    ¡°Francisco huh¡­ What about your last name.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The old man smiled and responded to Francisco¡¯s silence.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay; your first name is plenty. Thank you for sharing it with me.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°So, Francisco, where do you come from.¡±


    ¡°California.¡±


    ¡°Wow, California, huh. How is it there? I¡¯ve never been.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that it gets really hot over there. Luckily, it can get quite hot down south as well. So you¡¯ll feel at home.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°, yeah. I¡¯ve lived in Georgia my whole life; could never ask for anything better.¡±


    ¡°How is Georgia?¡±


    ¡°Real unpredictable, just like this little life we all have.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°One day it¡¯s 100; the next it will be ¡¯ at a low 30.


    ¡°I doubt that.¡±


    ¡°, I¡¯m exaggerating a bit, but it is quite unpredictable. Are you planning on ¡¯?¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure yet.¡±


    ¡°, you planning on visiting a woman down here? Watch out, though; they can get real feisty.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m visiting my sister. It¡¯s been years since I¡¯ve seen her.¡±


    ¡°Where does she live?¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright, stop bothering me.¡±


    ¡°Ah? Oh, come on, just tell me. I¡¯ll stop ¡¯ you if you tell me.¡±


    ¡°¡­Dalton Georgia.¡±


    ¡°Dalton? The place isn¡¯t half bad, but your sister should have chosen better. Let her know South Georgia¡¯s a real beaut. Nature till the eye can see.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yup, my family lives down south; I just came up towards Alabama to go to my mother¡¯s funeral.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°, my apologies for ¡¯ the mood. If it makes you feel better, she went off peacefully; I had told her everything was in good hands.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really care.¡±


    Hearing about the death of the old man¡¯s mother brought unwanted memories to the surface of Francisco¡¯s mind. His mother had also died long ago, but Francisco did not visit her in her last moments at the hospital. Whether she went off peacefully or with regrets, Francisco did not know. And he did not have the courage at the time to ask his sister. Thinking about it, Francisco felt the sudden urge to ingest to get his mind off his mother. But before he could leave to do so, the old man began talking to him again.


    ¡°I had told her five years ago to pursue what she wanted. She had spent most o¡¯ her whole life looking after me and my brothers; it was the least I could do.¡±


    ¡°¡­Did she agree.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but not without a good fight. , I swear, I must have aged 20 years after those 2 months of trying to persuade her.¡±


    ¡°What did your mother do?¡±


    ¡°Quite curious now, ain¡¯t we?¡±


    ¡°Never mind.¡±


    ¡°, now now. I was only kidding. I had tried persuading her to visit the world and see what it had to offer, but even I had doubts about her feeling well on a plane.¡±


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So me and my brothers drove her around the country.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I saw that she was the happiest she had ever been during that period of time. Spending time with family traveling all around, ¡¯ ¡¯ life had to offer.¡±


    ¡°She handled being driven for so long?¡±


    ¡°My mother was always as strong as an ox.¡± ¡¯ may have been too much, but driving she could handle.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°So what about you? How¡¯s your mother doing.¡±


    ¡°She died years ago.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? I¡¯m sorry for your loss.¡±


    Seeing the old man¡¯s sorrow, Francisco slowly lost the urge he had.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    ¡°Did she go peacefully, at least?¡±


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t know; I was not there when she died.¡±


    ¡°Huh!? What type of son are you!?¡±


    The old man grew enraged and hit Francisco on the head. Surprised, Francisco sat there, not knowing how to respond to the old man¡¯s hit. Only staring at him blankly, feeling a mix of shock and confusion.


    ¡°Not even being there for your mother! There¡¯s no way she went peacefully without her child there.¡±


    ¡°She had my sister¡­ She did more than I ever could.¡±


    ¡°And who says that!? A mother loves and needs each one of her children. You only say that to push any responsibility away.¡±


    ¡°What the hell would you know.¡±


    ¡°Ha! I don¡¯t know much, but I do know this! What mother would not want her son with her on her deathbed.¡±


    ¡°My mother!¡±


    ¡°Quit ¡¯ like a child! I¡¯m sure your mother would have loved you there. You are her flesh and blood. A part of her sits in you, and a part of you sits in her.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°At least acknowledge your wrongdoings, son. Maybe then you can get closure.¡±


    ¡°What the hell are you ¡¯, old man.¡±


    ¡°Acknowledge and accept that you should have been there for her. Maybe then you can move on, live, and be free.¡±


    ¡°Be free?¡±


    ¡°Yes, come on, son. It¡¯s obvious how everything aged you. Look in the mirror and see; you shouldn¡¯t ignore it. The consequences later on will be ¡¯.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Look at you; you look as if you haven¡¯t slept well in years. How could you with everything? So even if you don¡¯t want to acknowledge it now, Just remember, you will have to eventually.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Looking smug, the old man stared at Francisco and saw how confused he looked.


    ¡°*Yawn* Well¡­ I¡¯m still real tired; is it alright if I sleep on your comfy shoulder.¡±


    ¡°¡­Sure¡±


    ¡°Well, thank you.¡±


    The man then proceeded to rest on Francisco¡¯s shoulder for the rest of the train ride. Where they arrived in Atlanta, Georgia, the  of the South.

 Chapter 3.5: New World Part 2

    Hours passed slowly yet meaningfully as Francisco stared out the window. Landscapes changed as different worlds revealed themselves. People''s livelihoods, businesses, homes displayed themselves yet disappeared as he passed by, allowing for only a slim glimpse into it all. People¡¯s habits, thoughts, beliefs, and tendencies were shown through the way their world was organized. On the outside, people perfected their mannerisms and actions, making sure not to reveal too much about themselves. Yet the inside revealed who they truly were in essence, although nearly impossible to see in the natural world. Just like everything, with enough observation and experimentation, you can come up with a hypothesis. The focal point of this observation was their home; the way people decorated and presented it cast a glimpse into what they were inside or what they were trying to hide.


    Inside the train, everything was peaceful. Soothing jazz music played off the intercoms as everyone relaxed in their comfortable seats. He finally had the moment to rest and not worry about anything. What felt like eons of working and managing had made this foreign. What once was millions all dissipated on that fateful day. And even at the time he did have that money, he could not use it for himself. Not for entertainment, trips abroad, or for simple fun. The material of his work did not allow for a single moment of that. Solace could only be found in the embrace of others. But with all that change, maybe he could gain what he lost. Maybe he could gain something more.


    A pure state of silence embodied the relaxed train as everyone participated in this time of quiet. Most conversations ceased as people admired what the world had to offer or slept. Some also chose to use their phones and indulge themselves. Time seemed frozen in this short period of solitude, but the end came shortly after. Screeches rang throughout the train as the carts jumped and shifted. The mountainous momentum the train once had diminished. Intercoms, once playing music, now bear the conductor''s voice, announcing the nearing of their destination, solidifying most people¡¯s thoughts. Spikes in conversations ensued once they all realized the eventual ending of their ride. Many prepared by gathering their belongings, while others discussed the long journey they had recently lived through. Others woke up after hearing the chatter and eventually entertained themselves with more chatter. Everyone, including the old man who just a moment ago had his eyes twitch as he slowly gained consciousness, made it clear that his old body had far outlived its prime and was no longer handling long journeys the same way it once did. Stretching the old man¡¯s bones caused an audible, uncomfortable sound. They popped and shuffled around to their respective positions as the old man groaned heavily. For Francisco, although he had been on the train for far longer, his body remained relatively the same; only a few sores bothered him. Not needing to prepare for the eventual departure, Francisco indulged himself by staring out the window one last time before this journey¡¯s end. Outside, buildings as tall as towers revealed themselves as they pierced above the light blue sky, dominating over the remaining buildings. Dark blue light reflected off the windows of the majority of these high-rise towers, blinding those foolish enough to stare. Only those with proper jobs could ever imagine themselves standing at the peak of these towers. As for those without, they could only hope. For under these towers was the real world, the world most lived in. In this world, many people struggled, fought, and worked to teeter on the edge between homelessness and prosperity. Yet many lost this battle, succumbing to the worthlessness and disappointment that approached after defeat. They plunged themselves deep into depression and addiction, ingesting and killing themselves with drugs and alcohol. They did this only to cope, to dream of times better, no matter how much of a fantasy these dreams were. For this was all they could do; the world swallowed them and spit them back out, deeming them unworthy to inhabit the peaks the world had to offer. Now hope was all they had, for God never answered their prayers, as if to affirm the world¡¯s thoughts that they were worthless everywhere. Was this meant to happen? Did God want this? Many would never know the answer, for they would kill themselves before its answer could be shown through the naturals of the world. Francisco understood well what it meant to succumb to the failure of prosperity. For although Francisco had once stood at the peaks of these high-rise towers gazing down, he was born on the frost-driven asphalt of all below. Francisco had experienced both worlds and witnessed what they had to offer. Neither world could satisfy his desires, for he had always wanted something more. But now that something had left Francisco¡¯s eyes, all that he had left was his expressionless face, which experienced most of what these worlds had to offer. And in those dark, vague eyes of his, it was clear to see hope had never inhabited it, for hope could never have satisfied his desires, only action. But now Francisco had lost even that unexplainable glint. Now only the cold shell of his former being remains, locked away in his dim, unreadable eyes. This is why Francisco did not care whether he got addicted to these drugs. What point was there in caring when he no longer had anything to look forward to? He was now addicted to the relaxing sensation, the delusions, and the love the drugs and alcohol brought. He could no longer maintain himself without them. Maybe for a singular moment, he could abstain, yet the same pounding desire to ingest came no different after. And the moment he loses the meager amount of cocaine he has left, his fragile state of mind will collapse. Now he was little to no different from the world he first came from. No, Francisco was different. He never had hope; he had nothing to look forward to or people to meet. What Francisco was doing now is only staying alive, for he is not living.


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

 Chapter 3.5: New World Part 2.5

    Screeches rang throughout the train cabins as it slowed to a complete stop. After stopping, the conductor announced instructions for departing. A moment after his instructions, many had begun standing up and walking into the aisles to leave. Francisco was situated on the inner seat of their pair, so the only option was to wait for the man to go into the aisle and depart. While waiting, he thought about what to do after departing as it was vague.


    ¡®I don¡¯t have much, but getting a taxi to take me should not be out of the question. Although if I really wanted to save money, taking a bus would be a good idea. Although I¡¯ll have to find one to take me to Dalton otherwise It¡¯d be a pain in the ass getting to it.¡¯


    Atlanta was not much of a large city; only a portion of it held the monumental skyscrapers that stood out, while the rest was allocated for residential apartments and houses towards the outskirts. Of course, this could be said for every city.


    Although he had never been to Atlanta, Francisco knew it would not be much different from California. And even if they were different now, they would eventually become the same.


    Finally gathering himself, the man stood up at a snail¡¯s pace as he stretched his back and twisted it. More crackling and popping commenced as it became clear the ride took a heavy toll on his elderly body. In accordance with the man standing up, Francisco also stood up and prepared to leave before the old man stopped him. Speaking to him one final time before they separated.


    ¡°Hey. Wait a second.¡±


    ¡°What.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act so shy with me; I slept with ya¡¯ after all.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just messin'' with ya. We¡¯ll probably never see each other again after this, so I just wanted to say¡­ You gotta lighten up, young man. Life¡¯s too short to get caught up in the past.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I know I gave you all that shit for not seeing your mother, but I was hoping you¡¯d understand how fucked up that is.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your name.¡±


    ¡°Huh? It¡¯s Earl Ingram.¡±


    ¡°Listen, Earl, don¡¯t try to lecture me on sh*t I already knew. I don¡¯t care how fucked up it sounds to you. You don¡¯t know my life; you don¡¯t know shit about me. What gives you the right to try and lecture me on shit you couldn¡¯t even have a slight clue about.¡±


    ¡°Young man-¡±


    ¡°Earl, I¡¯m sure our lives were much different from each other¡¯s. We are not the same; don¡¯t try to connect our lives. We were raised differently, loved differently, and conditioned differently. You and I will never understand each other.¡±


    ¡°I might not understand you now, but when you need a shoulder to lean on, someone to listen. I¡¯ll-¡­¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    Earl stopped talking and dug into his trouser pocket to pull out a notepad. Then, with a pen, he proceeded to write something on it and pass it to Francisco. Hesitating for a moment, Francisco grabbed it and stared at it.


    ¡°It¡¯s my property address. Whether you want to talk or simply visit, I¡¯d be happy to listen.¡±


    ¡°What if I come and rob you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have my rifle for you then.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re a good person, whether you believe it or not. I got at least 40 years on you. My eyes are more accustomed than yours. Although they can¡¯t see much now.¡±


    Francisco stared down at the address Earl handed him and saw that it also included a phone number on it.


    ¡°I also gave you my home phone if you want to just chat.¡±


    Then, taking Francisco by surprise, Earl gave him a heavy hug.


    ¡°Aye, bring it in!¡±


    Although the man was old, he had a significant force in him. Nearly suffocating Francisco in his grip. Then, after a minute or two, Earl finally let him go and stared at him, once again affirming his thoughts.


    ¡°¡­There¡¯s also another reason I gave you that. My grandson once looked like you as well.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is, but you two seem similar. Maybe not in situations, but in emotions.¡±


    ¡°I doubt-¡±


    ¡°Not to be heavy again, but he killed himself.¡±


    ¡°!¡±


    ¡°I remember the day before he did it. He looked nearly identical to you; I could see it in his eyes. The emptiness. At the time I didn¡¯t realize it, but seeing you now brought about those memories. And I can see it now. Your demeanor and eyes. It was in the eyes.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Haha, sorry again. I just don¡¯t want to see you on the news, alright.¡±


    Turning away from Francisco, he stepped on the aisle and departed the train. While Francisco stood next to his seat for a moment processing what the man said. Although he would never do it, he had also once thought about ending it during those months in the apartment. Even now, the eventual thought comes into his head. But he had never expected Earl to have gone through something like that.


    After his moment of thought, Francisco proceeded to step onto the aisle and walk out of the train. Outside, the now evening sun beamed down, causing sweat to form on Francisco¡¯s head and for him to use his hand to cover the sun to gather his surroundings. Around him, crowds of people walked around and left. Some were talking to family members or random strangers, while others simply left. Through the crowd, Francisco looked for Earl to say his goodbyes. Although he was a pain in the ass, he was a good man. Someone Francisco could appreciate, no matter how different they were.


    Tens of feet away, Earl could be seen talking to a group of people that seemed to be his family. Smiles were spread across each one of their faces as a happy aura exuded from all of them. Seeing him speaking to his family, Francisco hesitated to approach him, not wanting to interrupt their moment. However, Francisco had something he wanted to say to Earl. He thought Earl might have wanted to hear this, at least.


    Approaching Earl with soft yet resounding steps, the evening sun lowered with every passing second as birds chirped and people chattered. Francisco arrived right behind Earl and spoke in a resounding yet mellow voice that permeated the surroundings.


    ¡°Earl.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    Staring at Francisco, Earl stared past him and saw someone. A youth he only sees now in his memories. A boy who had left his life bizarrely and incredulously. That was who he saw¡ªhis grandson. Francisco had disappeared, and in his place was the boy whom his daughter had birthed in a deep struggle. His grandson stood with determined and bright eyes, contrary to what he looked like on the day he died. And as soon as Francisco had spoken, he imagined his grandson saying that. Affirming to him that he would be okay. No matter whether that place was heaven or hell. Or if it was neither of those, he would be okay.


    ¡°See ya, Earl.¡±


    With tears in his eyes and sorrowful laughs pouring out of his mouth, Earl stepped over and gave another big hug to Francisco while patting him on the back.


    ¡°Hahahaha! I¡¯ll see ya too, Francisco! Live the best life you can.¡±


    Francisco separated from Earl and left; meanwhile, everyone from Earl¡¯s family looked confused, wondering what they had just witnessed. Specifically, Earl¡¯s third daughter asked confused.


    ¡°Who was that dad?¡±


    ¡°A new friend.¡±

 Chapter 4: New World Part 3

    Orange-hued streetlights shone down on Francisco as he walked on a cracked sidewalk. It had been hours since the sun had set and the high skyscrapers vanished. He was in a small to medium-sized city with nothing significant to see. Only in the background could he faintly see the highlighted shadow of the Appalachian mountains. He had left Atlanta and had only just recently arrived in Dalton. Not wanting to spend any more money, Francisco decided to walk the rest of the way to his sister''s house. Nevertheless, it would still take over an hour to arrive from where he was.


    It was a cloudy night; the once bright moon could hardly pierce the looming overcast sky. Around Francisco, buildings and shops spanning two to three floors surrounded him. During the day, these buildings would have a comfortable atmosphere and vibrate with life, but in the darkness of night, they looked haunted and isolated. During this time, a child would be frightened at the sight of these buildings, but Francisco hardly noticed them. What Francisco was focused on right now was the future.


    To say Francisco was not nervous and hesitant would be a lie. It had been years since he had last seen his sister. In their final moments together, Francisco yelled profanity at her and abandoned her. Francisco found it a surprise that she had told him her address despite all that he had done. But that was simply who she was. Even as children, she had always protected him and forgave him for all that he did. She had done more as a parent than their actual parents ever had. And when Francisco became a gang member, although she hated it, she eventually accepted it and joined him to not abandon him. Together, they killed those who attempted to stop them and built an empire in Los Angeles. However, that was never in her nature. She deserved to live a normal life, for this life of killing, death, and loss never suited her. But when she did leave, instead of accepting her decision, he slandered and cast her out in a fit of rage. To some degree, Francisco did not know how to face her. Could he simply intrude on her life and act as though nothing had happened? But what frightened him the most was dragging her back into that life. She had left it years ago, even leaving her brother because of how much she despised it. For Francisco, bringing that same chaos and death here, where she finally found peace, would be the worst thing he could do for her. That is what caused this hesitation¡ªthe fear of pushing her back into hell.


    Towards the outskirts of the city, Francisco continued to walk slowly towards his place of concern. Since it was past twelve, Francisco expected to not see anyone during this walk; however, about one hundred feet away from where he currently stood was a hooded figure slumped down on the ground, leaning onto a dead streetlight. The darkness masked who it was and blended them into the night. Although the average person would stray away, Francisco walked straight towards them. From how they were positioned, it was clear the person in the hood was passed out. This was the only way to reach his destination. He could have walked onto the other side of the street; however, that side was mud and grass with no sidewalk. Not wanting to dirty his shoes or clothes, Francisco walked with no fear towards the hooded figure.


    Every step Francisco took inched him closer and closer to the hooded figure. Near the hooded figure, Francisco looked deeply at them, attempting to understand whether they were truly passed out or acting. It was curiosity and wariness that led Francisco to examine the hooded figure. However, this simple curiosity had its consequences.  Five feet away from them, even in the dark, Francisco could see the arm of the figure slumping out of one of its sleeves. And there, he could see a small trail of blood slowly drip down the sidewalk. At its source, various cuts and bruises could be seen slightly below the wrist of the figure. Whether they were dying or were already dead, Francisco did not want to find out. Step by step, each one getting lighter than its predecessor, Francisco walked straight past the hooded figure without waking them. But Francisco looked back. Most people would either help or call 911, but he did neither, choosing to only stare.


    ¡®I should leave. It¡¯s none of my business.¡¯


    Although he thought this, he continued to gaze at the bleeding figure. In California, this was a common sight for him, so this begged the question. Why would he linger for so long? After a minute, he finally regained himself and turned to leave. But just as he did, the street light flickered on and off. In between the two states of light and darkness, the hooded figure twitched ever so slightly. Then, a moment later, it looked up and toward Francisco, just as Francisco looked back towards them. The moment they both gazed at each other, the flickering stopped and the streetlight stayed off, plunging the two into darkness. And from this darkness, a weak and worn-out voice could be heard coming from the direction of the hooded figure.


    ¡°Baby?¡±


    Francisco stood still and stayed silent, despite their words. Because of how weak and shrill the voice of the figure was, it was difficult to determine whether they were male or female.


    ¡°Baby, please.¡±


    Again, the hooded figure spoke, this time in a soft plea. And just like before, Francisco did not respond. Instead turning around and attempting to walk away once again. But before he could, the hooded figure stood up in a staggered manner and made its way towards Francisco. At first, the hooded figure increased its speed from a soft walk to a light jog. Then, from a light jog, it again increased its speed to a haggard run in an attempt to grasp onto Francisco.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.Hearing the rushed steps, Francisco turned around, ready to fight, but before he could even get into position, the hooded figure reached him and jumped into his embrace.


    At that moment, the hood on the figure''s jacket flew back as dim blond hair flew out and fluttered in the air. And in the shock of the moment, Francisco heard her utter something in a low whisper.


    ¡°Thank you; I thought you had left¡­ I thought you were gone forever.¡±


    Hearing this and smelling the strong scent of weed, Francisco was certain they were high.


    ¡°Get the hell off me.¡±


    Speaking directly to the blonde-headed woman for the first time, Francisco attempted to pull her off himself, grabbing her arms and pushing them. But her grip strengthened even further around Francisco¡¯s body. And during the struggle, in a strong, strained voice, she screamed.


    ¡°No! I will not let you go again! Please don¡¯t leave me again.¡±


    In the struggle between the two, the blood that once oozed from the wrist of the woman now smeared itself onto Francisco¡¯s clothes, staining them.


    ¡®What the hell! Why is she doing this?¡¯


    During this interaction between the two, the headlight of a car could be seen coming around past a building towards them. It would only be a short time before they arrived next to the two, but this woman¡¯s strength could not be underestimated.


    With no other options, Francisco decided to try and lie.


    ¡°I won¡¯t leave, so let go.¡±


    ¡°NO!! I know how much of a liar you are!¡±


    ¡°Then what can I do?¡±


    ¡°¡­Nothing. Just let me hold you.¡±


    Time was up. The once hardly visible headlights now blasted the two of them. Highlighting and revealing their positions.


    It was here that the two could see each other and all their flaws. In this brief moment, the woman looked up from Francisco¡¯s chest and looked at his face for the first time, as Francisco did the same. There, in the cool white gleam of the headlights, they could both see what the other looked like.


    The first thing one would notice was the long eyelashes she had, guarding her dark, blue dilated eyes. Every second Francisco stared, he could seemingly find something new and unique to distract himself. And under these eyes were dark circles that emphasized how unwell she was, all equaled out by her pale face and chapped lips, which solidified her well-being.


    Staring at Francisco, the woman noticed the dark brown eyes he had. As well as the same dark circles under his eyes, as though he were also struggling. Coupled with his heavy, messy hair and lengthy beard, confirmed it. This man was, in fact, not her boyfriend. He had never been.


    ¡°Who¡­ Who are you?¡±


    Before Francisco could answer, a man came out of the car and screamed at him.


    ¡°Get the fuck off of her!!¡±


    Both of them, who were caught in surprise, looked towards the man and saw him sprint towards the two of them. The women, eyes open and mouth slightly agape, saw how a fist tore through the air, aiming towards Francisco, shredding his chin, and forcefully knocking the two of them over onto the grass past the light post and sidewalk. They both rolled down the small hill, still in each other¡¯s embrace and landed at the bottom with both their clothes covered in bugs and mud.


    Francisco, now dizzy from the hit, attempted to get away from the woman to face his adversary. It wasn''t until that moment that she finally let go and detached herself from him. Attempting to get up and steady himself, Francisco could feel his brain knocking back and forth in his head, as well as the burning pain on his chin. And by the time he finally did steady himself, the imposing man loomed over him and punched him again. A sudden pain emerged in his stomach as the big man grabbed Francisco¡¯s shoulders and struck his knee into his stomach. Consequently, an audible gasp escaped from Francisco¡¯s mouth as he walked back and grasped his stomach.


    ¡°You can really tank a shot, huh, you dirty motherfucker!¡±


    Saying this, the man dashed towards Francisco with a raw look of hate in his eyes. However, this time, Francisco was prepared as he unwrapped his arms from his stomach and prepared himself for the next hit in a boxer-like defensive position. But at the next moment, from the bottom of the hill, the woman spoke.


    ¡°Dad! Stop, let¡¯s just go.¡±


    It was said in a small, shattered voice as her lips quivered and her eyes stared aimlessly.


    ¡®She must finally be sober.¡¯


    ¡°Honey, just wait for a second; I gotta kill this motherfucker!¡±


    ¡°Just get the hell out of my face. I didn¡¯t do shit to her.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a lying sack o¡¯ shit. I saw you grabbin¡¯ all up on her.¡±


    ¡°She grabbed me.¡±


    ¡°How about I beat the truth out of you, huh!?¡±


    Not listening to reason, the big-bellied man prepared to assault Francisco one last time. With a bloodthirsty look, he nearly launched himself at Francisco before his daughter spoke to him.


    ¡°He¡¯s right¡­ I grabbed onto him¡­ I thought. I thought it was¡­"


    Before she could utter her next words, tears flowed out of her bloodshot eyes as she hiccuped. Wiping her tears away, she attempted to stop the downpour. Nevertheless, they continued as her father went to comfort her.


    "Honey, it¡¯s okay. Let¡¯s get you home alright.¡±


    With a broken look and shivering hands, the man grasped onto the arms of his daughter and, in a caring manner, brought her up the hill into the convertible car the man had. All before departing and leaving Francisco at the bottom of the hill.


    With them finally gone, Francisco let his guard down and winced as he held his stomach. While holding it, a slight amount of blood poured out of his mouth down to his chin.


    There, under the guise of the black night, covered in mud and bugs, Francisco stood there with no one by his side, in absolute solitude, gripping onto his wounds.


    ¡°Ahhh, fuck does it hurt.¡±

 Chapter 5: New World Finale

    ¡°What are you thinking!!? Sneaking out at night while high!¡±


    ¡°Why does it matter?¡±


    Streetlights flashed in and out of the car the two were in. Inside, a slight smell of cigarettes lingered in the still air of the convertible.


    ¡°Just let me do what I want. I¡¯m a grown adult.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me started with that sh*t! Grown adult, my ass.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t seem like a grown adult while dropping out of college!!¡±


    ¡°<mark>Tch</mark>!¡±


    ¡°I had a good life set for you. the hours I worked just to provide, and this is how you repay me!?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Getting high every day and <mark>cuttin</mark>¡¯ your damn hand for pity? That isn¡¯t the type of daughter I raised!¡±


    ¡°Raise? Exactly what part of me did you raise? In my earliest memories, you were never there.¡±


    ¡°I was working my ass providing for you and you¡¯re mother! That¡¯s where I was!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always the same excuse.¡±


    ¡°Just be quiet! Don¡¯t talk anymore.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The two sat in silence for minutes as they drove through a suburban neighborhood. Grabbing and rubbing his head, the big-bellied man sighed deeply as he continued to stare at the road. Then, a moment later, they pulled into a relatively normal house toward a <mark>cul-de-sac</mark>. The driveway had deep set cracks that grass and weeds crawled out of. The house had one garage door that opened, showing a relatively clean garage. Slowing down, the convertible car parked inside the garage and shut off just as the garage doors closed. They were blocked from the world, isolated in this miserable place they called home.


    Stepping out, the woman¡¯s eyes looked lifeless as she closed the convertible¡¯s door and walked towards a passage way leading to the inside of the house. However, before she could reach this, her father stopped her in a cold voice.


    The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°Next week¡­ I¡¯m sending you to a rehabilitation center.¡±


    ¡°What!?¡±


    The woman¡¯s eyes widened as she turned back to look at her father. Seeing his look confirmed all that she needed to know. He was serious.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting out of hand. I don¡¯t even know what to do with you anymore. This is all I can think of.¡±


    ¡°Dad. I don¡¯t need to-¡±


    ¡°Yes, you do! Look at you; you¡¯re obviously addicted to that sh*t! I¡¯ve done all I can with you.¡±


    He shut the convertible¡¯s driver door and walked towards the woman. Not without hearing her retaliation, though.


    ¡°Dad. I¡¯m not gonna go!¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are! It¡¯s either that or you¡¯re on the streets. I just can¡¯t deal with you anymore.¡±


    The big-bellied man looked exhausted. Deep-set wrinkles scattered around his eyes and forehead. One could even see small bald spots on his head which anyone would notice at a glance. It was certain the woman noticed it as well; she only chose to ignore it.


    At that moment, although her closest family member was right next to her, she felt absolutely alone. It was as though everyone had turned their backs on her. Her mother, father, friends, and boyfriend had all now left her. She had always thought she could count on her father, that he would be there for her no matter what. Now he wanted to send her away as though she were a psychopath?


    ¡°They¡¯ll help you more¡­ I¡¯ll pay for everything; all you need to do is stay there. Maybe then-¡±


    ¡°Just what the hell do you think I am, some fucking murderer!? You want to send me away to some mental asylum!?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that! They¡¯ll help you.¡±


    ¡°With what!! There¡¯s nothing wrong with me!! I¡¯m completely fine! It¡¯s not my fault I was kicked out of college!¡±


    ¡°Everything is wrong with you! Look in the mirror; I can barely recognize who you are anymore. That shit¡­¡±


    Tears flowed out of the man¡¯s eyes as he covered his face in an attempt to hide it. Yet they continued. Seeing her father cry, the woman took a step back in disbelief. There was only one other time that she had seen him cry, and after that, she prayed to never see it again. Not even in her wildest imagination did she believe she could eventually become the cause. Pushed by the situation occurring, an ounce of common sense finally infested her mind. She processed thing¡¯s at a sober level and realized how much pain she had caused her father. She hated this outcome, rather dying than having this occur, but maybe. Maybe for her father¡­ she could go.


    ¡°Alright¡­ I¡¯ll go. I¡¯m sorry for causing this, Father.¡±


    Looking up, the big-bellied man gazed at her daughter with a face full of tears. Her eyes were lifeless as she smiled softly and stepped to comfort her father. Her face moved and acted as though a puppeteer stringed all her muscles together and manually moved them. Her father did not seem to notice, he never did. Together, they walked into the home they had lived in for all their lives.


    The same home that had seen the two at their worst and, consequently, their best. This was a new low, one in which the two would have to navigate together. Unknowing whether they would come out of it.

 Chapter 5.5: New World Finale Section 2

    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Gripping onto the grassy mud and climbing up the hill towards the light pole, Francisco struggled. His punched gut ached and burned, with it only getting worse. There was also a screaming headache he had, jumbling his thoughts. He would not have expected to get punched this deep in the South. And although he could tank plenty of hits before, the man had a seemingly otherworldly strength that nearly broke Francisco¡¯s bones.


    At the top of the hill, Francisco looked down at his hand and saw how muddy it was. It was always dirty; now it was messy in the physical sense as well. While staring, a slight vibration could be felt in Francisco¡¯s pants. Without even wiping his hands, he reached into his pocket, pulled out his phone in muddy hands, and saw who texted.


    <I left you a key under the mat at the front door. Use that to get in.>


    It was reasonable to conclude that she was about to go to sleep. It was past twelve, and the working person would begin the nine-to-five grind all over again in a couple of hours.


    <>


    Without looking back, Francisco placed the phone in his pocket and continued to walk with a slight limp. His leg hurt after the fall earlier, not allowing him to put weight on it. With the chalky moon now free of clouds, he continued his trek towards his sister¡¯s house. Continuing in a slow, messy manner, he did not experience any more problems.


    One hour later, he entered a suburban neighborhood named Sweet Creak Rock. On the mostly wooden sign, a small stream was painted as illustrated rocks directed it. Around it, bushes and small trees crowded the sign, adding to the  look.


    Francisco walked past the sign and traveled through houses, looking at each mailbox, attempting to find the correct house. It was a largely middle-class neighborhood. Each house looked different than the next, whether it be the way it was structured, painted, or decorated; no two houses were the same. Walking through the neighborhood, Francisco realized it. He realized just how much effort each person put into decorating and transforming their home into their pictured dream.


    After several more minutes of walking, Francisco arrived at the house listed in the messages sent back and forth between the two siblings. It was positioned on a steep hill that housed two cars. Francisco walked up the hill and towards the door. Looking down, he saw the mat his sister was speaking about. On it were the words (Welcome Home).


    Bending down and lifting the mat, Francisco saw a small golden key. Grabbing it, he placed the mat down and unlocked the door.


    The door creaked open as everything inside was pitch black. Francisco stepped in and closed the door, all before looking for a place to rest. Not wanting to potentially wake anyone up, he walked around aimlessly in the dark, all before feeling the soft touch of a couch. Placing his bag down, he slowly zipped it open and pulled out a bag of white powder. Staring at it deeply, he was reminded of what the woman was like while high. She was more animal than human in those moments. Eventually, he opened the bag and pulled out a small spoonful of the powder, keeping it in his hands. Then he leaned forward as his messy hair covered his hand. Finally, his nose touched and he pulled it in, all the way up his head. In one inhale, all the powder disappeared, and Francisco¡¯s mood grew. After that, he placed it in the deepest portion of his bag, hoping no one would find it. He then zipped the bag up and dropped it right next to him. Sitting on the couch, Francisco slowly attempted to lie down. His injured stomach made it difficult, as every inch he moved, a needle seemingly poked his wound. Finally, he laid down and attempted to get some shut-eye, falling asleep after several minutes in his mud-stained clothes.


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    The sun slowly rose as the morning birds chirped in a  fashion. Sunlight slowly pierced the room Francisco was in. Around him, everything revealed itself with the rising sun. Many portraits and pictures sat on shelves and on the walls surrounding Francisco. Each one showed a loving family, vacations, and generally great times.


    From the kitchen across the house, sizzling could be heard, followed by a strong smell of food.


    The rising sun pooled into the room and gathered on Francisco. His once muddy outfit was now filled with dirt.


    In the darkness, Francisco slowly opened his eyes to see the beautiful living room before him. He glanced around the room before finding someone staring straight at him from five feet away.


    They locked eyes for a second before the little girl turned and rushed out of the living room, screaming.


    ¡°Mama!! Papa!! He woke up!¡±


    Confused, Francisco sat up, not before feeling a sharp pain in his stomach. He gripped it and looked in the direction the little girl ran before seeing three individuals peeking around the corner of the wall, staring at him.


    ¡°Is that really your brother? He looks like a hobo.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s him, I think?¡±


    ¡°How can you not recognize him?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been years; he might¡¯ve just let himself go.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the man; get your ass out there and make sure it¡¯s him.¡±


    The woman peeking around the corner smacked the man on the buttocks before pushing him towards the living room, where Francisco was.


    ¡°Good luck, papa!¡±


    He walked towards Francisco, choosing to sit down at a seat next to where Francisco was lying. He was a tall man, six feet three, and very bulky with what seemed to be big muscles. He had a groomed beard that had some white hairs poking out. On the top of his head was nothing; he was bald.


    Francisco and the man stared at each other for a second before the man decided to speak first.


    ¡°¡­Are you Francisco?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and you are?¡±


    ¡°Ah! I¡¯m Marcia¡¯s husband. My name¡¯s Matthew. Nice to meet you, brother.¡±


    ¡°Husband? Then¡­¡±


    Both Marcia and the little girl came out from peeking at them and sat in chairs parallel to where Matthew was. Francisco stared at the little girl in utter shock.


    ¡°That¡¯s right, this is my baby Elena. Come, Elena, come to Papa.¡±


    The little girl named Elena ran from the chair into her father¡¯s arms. The little girl had shiny black curly hair and bright eyes. However, those bright eyes looked confused as she asked.


    ¡°Papa¡­ Is that really my uncle?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it sure is. Now say hello to your uncle.¡±


    Elena looked from Matthew to Francisco as she stared at him with a hint of suspicion. All before conceding and greeting Francisco.¡±


    ¡°Good morning,  (Uncle) Francisco.¡±


    ¡°¡­ Good morning.¡±


    Still shocked, Francisco looked from Elena to Marcia, the only person he had not spoken to. She also looked at him with a soft, meaningful smile.


    ¡°Good morning, Francisco. I would hug you, but you¡¯re covered in dirt.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    She continued to stare at him as tears filled her brown eyes. She then disregarded her previous statement and ran into her brother¡¯s arms, staining her once-clean clothes.


    ¡°It really is good to see you, Francisco.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you too, Marcia.¡±


    ¡°But you really need to take a shower; you smell like shit.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    From the sidelines, Elena noticed what her mother said and showed a surprised face.


    ¡°Papa, she said a bad word again!!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright; today¡¯s a special occasion. The next time she does it, make sure to scold her.¡±


    ¡°Of course! I¡¯m always hearing.¡±


    Marcia got off of Francisco as she looked at her now dirty clothes.


    ¡°I guess we both need to change now, huh?¡±


    ¡°, yeah.¡±


    Marcia turned and looked at Elena, who was still resting on Mathew¡¯s lap.


    ¡°Elena, show your  where the shower is.¡±


    She then turned back to Francisco.


    ¡°I¡¯ll pick some of Matthew¡¯s clothes out for you, so go take a shower.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Francisco stood up just as Elena did; she then proceeded to take him to the bathroom, where the shower was.

 Chapter 6: Their Worlds

    ¡°Alejandro.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Alejandro!¡±


    ¡°Si ? Lo ,  (I¡¯m sorry, I was)¡­¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking of, Alejandro.¡±


    ¡°Nothing, ; I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°No, no, no, it¡¯s okay. Everything is perfectly fine, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is ¡­ I mean, we fucked those guys up north. That¡¯s what I was worried about.¡±


    Vicente stood up from a luxurious desk. His well-groomed hair and clean-shaven face made it look like he was a high-tier businessman.


    Up close, he was intimidating. Muscles bulged through the black and white suit he was wearing as his fierce black eyes analyzed his enemies. He slowly stepped towards Alejandro, towering over him.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, we completely fucked them up, didn¡¯t we.¡±


    ¡°Yeah¡­ So, there really isn¡¯t anything to worry about.¡±


    ¡°No. That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong, Alejandro, you see¡­¡±


    Vicente walked around Alejandro while speaking, all before standing right in front of him. Then, leaning on the front of his desk, he stared into Alejandro¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°There¡¯s always something to worry about.¡±


    He smiled at Alejandro, crossing his arms and motioning for Alejandro to stare out a large window towards the end of the office.


    They both walked towards it and looked out. There, children could be seen playing as faint trails of smoke came out of every adult.


    ¡°Take my territory, for example. I¡¯m always anxious, worried that something or someone could take it all from the very palm of my hand.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are trying to say.¡±


    ¡°You could say that¡¯s a flaw of mine, many of my foes would say that¡­ However!¡±


    The two stared at his palm as he closed it and  it up, causing visible veins to pop out of his arms and hands.


    ¡°I would say that gives me the edge. An unnatural suspicion of everything. Even you.¡±


    ¡°What!? , I would never.¡±


    ¡°Alejandro. I will be frank with you. Did you have anything to do with Francisco¡¯s escape?¡±


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    ¡°H-His escape? I thought he was killed?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, you don¡¯t have to act stupid in front of me. He¡¯s alive. I¡¯ve always known that son of a bitch to be tenacious.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I am asking this. Because even this has me stumped¡­ Just how could he escape so seamlessly.¡±


    ¡°Well, , how would I know.¡±


    ¡°Ha. Don¡¯t you see it? It was obvious one of my own men helped him escape.¡±


    ¡°Then, are you saying I did it?¡±


    ¡°No¡­ In all honesty, I have no clue who did it.¡±


    ¡°Then why am I here, .¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say¡­ It¡¯s a sixth sense. That is why, Alejandro, I will ask you again. Did, you, have anything. Anything¡­ to do with his escape.¡±


    ¡°No! Absolutely not, . Why would I be such a dumb ass to help him.¡±


    Vicente did not say anything for minutes as the two sat in silence. The evening sun shone down on the two of them through the window as they both stared at the surrounding buildings and apartments. Then, Vicente patted Alejandro on the back before saying.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re right. Alright, you¡¯re free to leave Alejandro.¡±


    ¡°Yes, of course, . I know you have suspicions, but I certainly would have never done such a thing.¡±


    Vicente looked at Alejandro deeply before stating.


    ¡°I certainly hope so, Alejandro. You know the saying¡­ An eye for an eye. Don¡¯t you agree with that?. When someone does something, they should expect an equal and opposite return.¡±


    ¡°Of course, . If I ever decided to betray you, which I would never do, any punishment would be fine. , I just hope you don¡¯t go after my family.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I would never stoop so low.¡±


    ¡°, that¡¯s good to hear. I¡¯m gonna head out now, .¡±


    ¡°All right, make sure to keep good guard over your portion.¡±


    ¡°Of course, .¡±


    Vicente then motioned for Alejandro to leave before continuing to stare out the window.


    A moment later, a light knock could be heard at a door on the other side of the office before it opened.


    A man walked in and stood behind Vicente as he continued to stare out the window. Seconds later, he turned around and faced the man who walked in.


    ¡°How did it go?¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s unstable right now. A fucking fight nearly broke out because of it all.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you to handle it?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that easy. They¡¯re calling bullshit on our excuses. They¡¯re finding out it¡¯s all a sham.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Their loyalty to him falls deep; it¡¯s something that will take time.¡±


    ¡°Do you think we have that?¡±


    Vicente walked past him and sat down at his desk before motioning for the man to do the same.


    ¡°We¡¯re having fights break out north, it¡¯s only a matter of time before Emilio goes all in.¡±


    ¡°Vicente. We can¡¯t have it all break down now.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ Hell, I¡¯m the one who knows that the most.¡±


    ¡°What you need to do now is gain loyalty.¡±


    ¡°You already know there¡¯s no more time. We¡¯ll have to go in like this.¡±


    ¡°Fuck. I wouldn¡¯t have done this if I knew.¡±


    Vicente looked at the man in front of him, gazing deeply into his eyes.


    ¡°Javier. Remember this: without me, this entire family falls apart. Right now, I am the only one that can still keep this together.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Javier, go get ready. We¡¯ll kill them before they can kill us.¡±


    ¡°!!¡±


    ¡°Get everybody ready; although I don¡¯t want anyone to die, this has to be done. For this family. Now go¡±


    ¡°¡­Alright.¡±


    Javier stood up and walked out, leaving Vicente alone to grasp the meaning of this war.


    Not only have they changed heads, but they are the most disorganized they can be. Rumors being mixed in by all sides are not making things easier.


    Being this unorganized, abandoning territory, or coming to an agreement may have been wiser. But for Vicente, he has to prove that he has what it takes to be headstrong. And that means fighting and winning this territorial dispute. Every single one of his members is watching, waiting for a single moment of weakness. His men do not want someone who cowers in the face of the strong. They want someone who acts. Someone who will win and make them prosperous. Here, there is no room to talk anymore; now, there is only time for action.

 Chapter 6.5: Their Worlds Portion two

    Steam flooded the bathroom, fogging the mirror every couple of seconds. Francisco was in it topless, looking at his now pathetic physique. Before, he had well-formed muscles that solidified his muscles and state of mind. Now, most of his muscles had deteriorated, and his stomach had grown. Coupled with the deep purple bruise on the lower side of his stomach caused him to look weak and pathetic. Touching the bruise, an excruciating pain surged throughout his body that he could hardly handle. It would take weeks for this bruise to properly heal, maybe longer if he had fractured or broken any bones in the area of the hit. But right now, he could do nothing except wait for it to heal naturally.


    Francisco then took the rest of his dirty clothes off and entered the shower.


    15 minutes later, the hot water stopped running as Francisco stepped out of the shower. He reached into the middle of the bathroom to grab a soft white towel. After drying his body, he stepped out and opened the bathroom door with the towel covering his privates.


    Outside on the hallway floor, a pair of clothes sat neatly folded in a stack. He grabbed them and entered the bathroom once again to change.


    Minutes later, he exited and walked toward the living room, where he assumed they would be. But seeing no one there, he looked towards the kitchen to see Marcia diligently cooking while Elena sat on a dining room chair, drawing something. Elena was the first person to notice him standing in the living room silently. She analyzed him up and down before critiquing him.


    ¡°Ehhhh, you look a little better now.¡±


    Marcia turned around to see him as well before chipping in with her own critique.


    ¡°It¡¯s the beard and hair, Elena. He looks like a homeless man with it like that.¡±


    ¡°Hmmmmmm, maybe.¡±


    Marcia then pulled out multiple plates and portioned food onto each of them; before bringing them to the dining room table and placing them down.


    ¡°Francisco, come sit and eat.¡±


    Hearing her words, Francisco walked into the dining room and sat down at one of the three chairs the table had.


    ¡°Won¡¯t I be taking Matthew¡¯s chair?¡±


    ¡°He already went to work; you¡¯re fine.¡±


    ¡°All right.¡±


    Marcia then sat in the last available chair and put her hands together to thank God for the food. Shocked, Francisco did not know what to do as he sat there awkwardly, waiting for the two to finish.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s eat!¡±


    The three then ate as the mother and daughter chatted between themselves while Francisco ate.


    It was a nostalgic meal. Scrambled eggs with sausage took one side of the plate, while the other took a Mexican dish called chilaquiles. Back then, years ago, she used to make this meal for the two of them before they went to school.


    Francisco reminisced on his memories as he bit the food she had prepared. Although it could not be considered high-class food, it was absolutely delicious in Francisco¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Francisco. So, do you want to?¡±


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    Mesmerized and zoned out by the food, Francisco did not hear their question.


    ¡°I said, Do you want to come with us to get school supplies for Elena.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s beginning school?¡±


    Before Marcia could respond, Elena bragged in a smug tone.


    ¡°Yup!! I¡¯m about to start kindergarten on Wednesday!¡±


    ¡°I might cry; my little girl is growing up right before my eyes!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mama, I¡¯ll still love you the same!¡±


    The, the two hugged each other as Marcia held back tears. Feeling like a third wheel, Francisco watched the two have their moment in silence.


    ¡°Anyway, do you want to come?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you¡¯re coming.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    An hour later, they pulled out of the driveway and hit the road. Along the way, the two talked while Francisco stared out the window. It was a sunny day, and many walked out along the city sidewalks, entering various shops and restaurants. Beautiful would be a great word to describe it; it was a huge change of pace compared to Los Angeles. However, before he could admire and embrace this change of pace, Francisco had to confess something to Marcia. She needed to know why he was here. Although she had not asked yet, she was most definitely curious as to why Francisco decided to come to her. And even if she was not, Francisco at least owed an explanation to her.


    ¡°Francisco, we¡¯re here.¡±


    Francisco looked up to see an arts-and-crafts store. It was not a main chain, so it was likely a local business. It was towards the outskirts of the city, so it more than likely did not get much foot traffic. But it was a nicely decorated building that showed personality.


    Upon entering, the smell of asphalt and paint immediately flooded the senses. Being small, it was unexpected that there would be so many products sitting on the shelves.


    From the front of the store, an old lady in her 50s approached the three. From behind, Elena ran past Francisco and Marcia to go and hug the old lady in pure excitement.


    ¡°Mrs. Williams!!!¡±


    ¡°Ohhh, well, hello there, baby.¡±


    ¡°Look look! It¡¯s a drawing I made.¡±


    ¡°Awww, it looks absolutely incredible. Should I put this on the wall?¡±


    ¡°Yes!!¡±


    ¡°Hahaha, alright, alright.¡±


    She then turned and walked to her front desk with all three of them following. After pinning it to a wall with multiple drawings, she turned and spoke with Marcia.


    ¡°So what brings you lovely folks here today.¡±


    ¡°Elena needs some school supplies. She¡¯s starting school in two days.¡±


    ¡°Ah, alright. Elena, baby, there are some beautiful notebooks over here.¡±


    Elena¡¯s eyes brightened as she followed Mrs. Williams to a corner of the shop. Now alone, Marcia motioned for Francisco to follow her outside with a tense face.


    Francisco followed as they both exited the small store to see the sun at the highest it could be. A hot late summer wind blew and fluttered Marcia¡¯s shoulder-length straight black hair. All before she asked Francisco a question that had been on her mind since the morning.


    ¡°Francisco, why do you have cocaine.¡±

 Chapter 7: Reason?

    ¡°, ?    tan ? (Dad, why are you leaving so late?)¡±


    A high-pitched voice came from behind the man, tying his shoes. Hearing it, he turned to see his young son rubbing his eyes in dinosaur pajamas. Love filled his light brown eyes as he spoke to the young boy in a warm, calming voice.


    ¡°   a  , mi . ( I need to take care of our land, my son.)¡±


    Usually, the man would leave in the early morning and return mid-day. However, the situation was now different; at any moment, complete chaos could erupt from a rival gang in the south. This means everyone would have to be even more wary of unwanted visitors at all times of the day. Luckily, the man was assigned to guard at night, meaning there was an unlikely chance they would try and attack.


    ¡°Oh¡­ .¡±


    The boy was highly disappointed in his father¡¯s answer. They would all usually sleep together, and he slept with them.


    ¡° a    yo no . (Take care of your mother while I¡¯m gone.¡±


    ¡° papa! (Absolutely Dad!)¡±


    Smiling gently at the boys¡¯ response, the man leaned forward and gave his son a big hug. No matter what happens in the future, he only hopes his son will live a fantastic life. One where he would not have to kill.


    He slowly let go of his son and turned to open the door. The man looked back one more time and smiled at his young boy before leaving.


    The young boy stood looking at the closed door with droopy eyes for minutes, hoping his father had forgotten something. And maybe, with a stroke of luck, he did. Minutes later, his mother walked into the room with a cooler full of food and drinks.


    ¡°Mi ? Miguel,  padre ya  ? (My love? Miguel, has your father already left?¡±


    ¡°Si. He left minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°I see, he left his lunch.¡±


    ¡°! Let¡¯s go take it to him!¡±


    The boy had a natural respect and admiration for his father. In his eyes, he was an incredible figure who taught him everything. Although he may occasionally scold him, in the end, he only wants the best. So to see him again was an honor that needed to be done.


    Hearing this, the mother put a cozy jacket on the boy and herself before leaving their cozy home and venturing into the cold night to search for his father.


    Slowly yet steadily, they drove, looking for his indistinguishable car. The pair already knew where he would be; however, it would still be quite difficult to find him in the dark of the night.


    Pulling the windows down for better vision, a cold summer wind passed through the inside of the car. Goosebumps formed on the young boy¡¯s skin as he slowly rubbed his arms. However, he was too immersed in the search, hoping for only one more moment with his father.


    His dream would come true. Under the solid yellowish hue of a streetlight lay a familiar car. A vehicle the boy and his father would usually use to drive around the state.


    ¡°There!!¡±


    His mother turned and saw the same car. Then, she braked slightly before turning the steering wheel and parking the car next to the familiar car.


    Under the streetlight, a yellow hue shone down on them as the man stepped out of his car, confused.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong, mi ?¡±


    ¡°You forgot your food.¡±


    ¡°Oh. I¡¯m sorry for making you come out here so late in the night.¡±


    ¡°No, mi , it¡¯s okay¡­ Here.¡±


    She handed him the cooler as the two continued talking  themselves. Meanwhile, Miguel stood by the side, listening to their talk, hoping to be included. Eventually, his father expressed his desire and spoke directly to him.


    ¡°Mi , I¡¯m sorry for making you come out here as well.¡±


    ¡°No! It¡¯s okay, papa.¡±


    Smiling at him, the father patted the young boy¡¯s head in a caring manner.


    ¡°Alright, you two should go home. It¡¯s real cold out today.¡±


    ¡°, wait, papa.¡±


    Bang!!


    Before he could even finish his sentence, a heavy shot fired near them, and the young boy¡¯s ears rang. Shocked, he looked around for the source, seeing nothing but darkness. This only occurred for a split moment before his father grabbed him and ran behind the car he used.


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    A moment later, multiple more shots fired towards the couple, raining down onto the car they were hiding behind.


    Bullets entered the once clean-looking car as the windshield shattered and shards of glass gushed down onto the two.


    Closing his eyes, the boy attempted to grasp the situation in front of him. However, never in his wildest imagination could he have expected something like this. It was a foreign feeling that filled his chest. Fear, shock, and desperation mixed and turned in his head before the boy grasped his surroundings and pushed these emotions deep into his heart.


    Bullets rang, and the boy looked around, realizing his mother was missing. The boy¡¯s heart sank as he turned to his father and asked in desperation.


    ¡°Papa!! Mi mama!? (Dad!! My mom!?)¡±


    The man had wide, bloodshot eyes as he grasped his gun with shaking hands. He tried hard to deny the facts; however, they were next to him for all to see.


    ¡°La-La ¡­ (They- they killed her¡­)¡±


    The boy heard his father¡¯s words and froze.  turning his head to the right to see his mother¡¯s head poking out towards them. Relief flooded his head as he moved towards her. However, the closer he got, the more real the situation became. Her long, curly hair scattered along the floor as a gaping hole in her head poured warm, hot blood onto the cold pavement.


    The boy¡¯s eyes widened as he realized his mother was dead. He reached out to her with shivering hands, his eyes filling with tears, before his father tugged the boy back behind the car, safe from fire.


    ¡°Don¡¯t move!!¡±


    The man¡¯s eyes were bloodshot as he stood up slightly and leaned over the car to fire his handgun!


    Bang!


    Bang!


    Bang!


    ¡°I¡¯ll fucking kill you all!!!¡±


    Bang!!


    Bang!!


    Bang!!


    He leaned down, reloaded his handgun, and continued opening fire.


    This continued for minutes. The boy¡¯s eyes looked lifeless as he shivered and held his hands to his ears to try and forget it all. His mother¡¯s gaping head, his father¡¯s crazed gaze, the dark red blood, and the ear-shattering gunshot sounds.


    However, no matter how much he tried to deny it or forget it, he was living it.


    In his father¡¯s situation, there was a standstill. As it stayed, both sides could only wait until the other emptied their ammo, and from what it seemed, the opposing side would last longer. However, the opposing forces did not have time to wait for the man to run out of bullets.


    So at the next moment, a light red flame fluttered through the sky. Attached to this dim flame was a piece of cloth. And attached to that was a bottle of alcohol. It was a Molotov.


    Before the man and boy could even react, it landed directly on the car, scattering flames everywhere.


    They were both pushed back. Paint melted as metal charred. The now blazing flame attached itself to all, even the boy¡¯s father.


    At first, it was his shirt, then his pants, and that was all that burned. He swiftly patted it down until the flame died.


    However, even he could not have stopped this.


    At the next moment, a light gas sound  in the ears of the two as the vehicle exploded! Flames pushed out farther, assaulting the boy¡¯s father¡­


    ¡°!!!!!¡±


    He screamed as his flesh, hair, eyes, and body burned. Faint sizzling could be heard from his boiling skin. And all the boy could do was watch. Watch his father die, scorching, right in front of his youthful eyes. There was nothing he could do except witness.


    The man rolled and slapped himself in a sorrowful manner, attempting to stop the consuming flames as they ate him. Although that did not last long, seconds passed as he screamed. Even more followed after that. However, after 30 seconds, the man stopped as he took his final breath. He had died right in front of the boy.


    Behind the flame, in front of the car, multiple steps cautiously walked towards the boy. Guns revealed themselves behind the car as they slowly encompassed the boy. Behind those guns were men in gang uniforms, all with various outfits and haircuts. Lowering their guns at the boy, they loosened their guard, seeing only him left.


    A man, who seemed like the boss, walked forward and spoke to his crew.


    ¡°You fucking idiots! Why would you aim at the woman!?¡±


    They all stood in silence, choosing not to respond to the hateful words from their boss.


    The boy sat there, staring at his father without even acknowledging their presence, fixing his gaze on the burned corpse that was his father.


    From the group of people, one man came out from the back and stared at the boy before talking.


    ¡°Javier¡­ What are we going to do with the boy.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, Alejandro?¡±


    Javier looked towards the boy and Alejandro, respectively, before smiling subtly and speaking.


    ¡°We¡¯re obviously going to kill him.¡±


    Before Alejandro could respond, Javier aimed his handgun at the young boy¡¯s head, preparing to fire.


    ¡°Wait!!¡±


    Javier looked at Alejandro as he shouted at him.


    ¡°Let him go; he¡¯s a child, Javier.¡±


    ¡°And? He could tell Emilio about our assault. Not only that, he has also seen our faces. We¡¯ll all be hunted if this fails and he snitches on us.¡±


    ¡°, he¡¯s a child, Javier!¡±


    From the cold, bloody pavement, the boy heard the men who killed his father argue. What he needed to do was redeem his father. Answer his calling, but he would do that after he killed those who murdered his father.


    ¡°Move out of the way, Alejandro, or I¡¯ll kill you too.¡±


    Javier then aimed his gun at Alejandro, threatening him with death. However, he stood firm.


    Unknown to the two of them, the boy slowly crawled towards his father¡¯s dead body.  past the blood and fire, he reached down to his father¡¯s hand and stealthily grabbed his handgun.


    He gripped it tightly with tearful eyes before suddenly turning and aiming it towards the two of them.


    Noticing this, both Javier and Alejandro moved to the side as Javier and the boy aimed at each other.


    ¡°Calm down, boy¡­ I won¡¯t kill you.¡±


    The boy glared at Javier with a deep hatred in his eyes. However, could he fire? These men had killed both his mother and father, so could he still let them live?


    ¡°If you really want to kill me, do it.¡±


    Javier slightly lowered his gun, testing the young boy.


    With shaking hands, the boy continued to aim without firing. Eventually giving in to the pressure.


    The boy began to cry as he lowered his gun, dropping it right next to his father before speaking to Javier.


    ¡°Okay, I want to-¡±


    ¡°Wait!!¡±


    Bang!


    Javier had pulled his gun up and fired directly into the boy¡¯s chest.


    He collapsed onto the ground as hot blood came out.


    The boy screamed helplessly as pain ripped through his body.


    ¡°!!¡±


    ¡°Why!??¡±


    Javier stood and looked at the boy with absolute disgust in his eyes.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He let the gun go!!! What reason did you have to shoot him!!?¡±


    ¡°Reason? . Alejandro, do I need a reason?¡±


    At the next moment, he aimed further down and fired once again.


    Bang!


    Bang!


    Bang!


    ¡°!!!¡±


    Javier shot the boy three more times before reloading his gun and placing it in his pocket.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s continue. Emilio will die by dawn.¡±


    On the ground, the boy struggled to breathe as blood poured from his mouth. Screams stopped coming from his mouth as he suffocated from the blood. Slowly, life left his small body as he closed his eyes one final time, hearing Alejandro speak to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯m sorry¡­¡±


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

 Chapter 8: Expression Of Self.

    ¡°So, why in the hell do you have cocaine, Francisco.¡±


    Marcia stared daggers at Francisco as she squeezed her fist, ready to punch him if his answer did not satisfy her.


    She had always been good at hiding her emotions. Especially in front of Francisco, who was clueless about her feelings until now.


    ¡°So you looked through my stuff, huh. Are you that  of me?¡±


    Francisco turned away from Marcia and looked toward the distant town.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m joking?¡±


    Marcia grabbed Francisco¡¯s shoulder and forcefully turned him toward her.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s what I think it is¡­ I¡¯m going to need you to leave.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°This place¡­ My home. It won¡¯t end up like Los Angeles.¡±


    ¡°Just what is it that you want?¡±


    ¡°I want to know why there is cocaine in that god-forsaken bag!¡±


    ¡°Does there need to be a reason, Marcia?¡±


    ¡°Ha¡­¡±


    Marcia then pushed past Francisco and walked towards the door to enter the arts and crafts store before looking back at Francisco one last time.


    ¡°In the end, you never changed.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°I had thought the years would have made you different¡­ but you¡¯re still the same person you were back then. I only wonder. Just what is it that is holding you back?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Francisco was silent and turned away from Marcia in an attempt to not see her facial expression.


    ¡°Alright¡­ I want you gone by tonight.¡±


    ¡°!¡±


    Marcia then opened the door and entered.


    Left alone, Francisco sat on the hot pavement and gripped his head, squeezing it with force.


    Just why could he not tell her?


    Did he not steel himself, promising to reveal all that had happened? So why?


    Francisco slowly took his hands off his head and pulled them down for him to see.


    With these same hands, he had killed, strangled, and loved.


    Were these truly the same hands he had used back then? Or was there something, anything, different now?


    Back then, he had done whatever he could to prosper and live, even if it meant dirtying his hands. Is he the same now?


    Francisco had always believed in Charles Darwin¡¯s theory of evolution. That those who are more adapted are more likely to survive. That without due change in harsh environments, one will perish.


    He had always agreed and used it to justify himself, his existence, and his meaning. That he was the harsh environment, and that if one could not adapt, they would die.


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    However, this very same theory killed him. He could not adapt and change. His lighthouse was swept away by the waves of time because of his defiance in maintaining it.


    No. He was still alive, still flesh, blood, and soul, no matter how much he attempted to deny it.


    So what was it? What exactly held him back, not allowing him to adapt?


    No, more importantly, what was stopping him now.


    Was he scared? Scared of the judgment confessing would bring?


    In the end, he was still alive. He still had his pride, no matter how much he attempted to discard it.


    Sweat formed on his forehead as the reoccurring desire that had plagued his life for the past year resurfaced.


    He twitched slightly before suppressing the desire in the back of his head for the time being.


    Then, next to him, the shop door opened as both Marcia and Elena walked out with Mrs. Williams speaking behind them.


    ¡°I hope to see y¡¯all again soon. And Elena, baby, have a great first day of school.¡±


    ¡°I will!¡±


    Marcia glanced at him before speaking to him just as usual.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Francisco stood up and followed her.


    The rest of the day was a blur.


    His head pounded as the three traveled back. And when they did get there, Francisco was excluded from their conversations.


    Marcia especially acted as though he was not there, as though he were invisible.


    Time passed as day turned to night, and it was time for Francisco to leave.


    At around ten, Marcia walked down the stairs and spoke to Francisco.


    ¡°She¡¯s asleep; are you ready.¡±


    Without responding, Francisco stood up, grabbed his bag, and walked towards the door.


    They both stepped outside as a warm night wind blew through them, rustling their clothes.


    Francisco looked back at Marcia as they stood in the driveway. He hoped he could remember her face and see her once again after time passed.


    ¡°Marcia¡­ Maybe we¡¯ll see each other again one day.¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    He turned and began walking down the driveway as multiple thoughts and emotions flooded his head.


    Is this how it would end between the two, leaving each other once again?


    ¡®This is how it is meant to be between me and her. At least it was nice seeing just how well she¡¯s doing.¡¯


    Back then, he was obsessed. With money, authority, and power. He had wanted to use it all. Back then, he longed to throw away his humanity to become the best he could be. But now, he did not know what he wanted, only that he did not want to remain as he currently was. He wanted to change and become human once again. And the only way was to open himself up and learn.


    He thought about the short time he was here and how peaceful it was compared to the past eight years of his life. He thoroughly enjoyed it. And he thought that this was the place where he could change.


    He then turned back and spoke to Marcia.


    ¡°Marcia, I just want you to know¡­ I was never going to sell cocaine here.¡±


    But he needed her approval to stay here, although that was improbable.


    He then turned back around and continued walking before her voice came from behind.


    ¡°Then tell me. Just tell me¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    She walked towards him as the moon shone down on the two of them. It was a clear night, making it easy to see the expressions they had.


    Marcia stared at Francisco, her eyes focused on his answer.


    Francisco looked down, finding the will to confess.


    Then, after seconds of this silence, he finally responded.


    ¡°I¡¯m addicted to that shit, Marcia.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Her eyes widened as she stepped back, looking aimlessly at him.


    ¡°It¡¯s been about two years since I first got addicted to it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just¡­ shit.¡±


    She placed her hand on her forehead as she developed a headache.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I have it¡­ I can¡¯t live without it anymore.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Because of this addiction, I ran our gang horribly. It nearly collapsed at one point while I was high messing with bitches.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re telling me¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah, someone else rose up and tried to kill me.¡±


    Her headache grew worse as she walked to her front porch and sat down on a chair that had cushions on it.


    Behind her, Francisco followed as he also sat down next to her.


    ¡°Then how are you here?¡±


    ¡°Someone on the inside still respected me as his. It was foolish, really, to respect me so much. He¡¯s a naive man who hasn¡¯t seen what people can do.¡±


    ¡°Does he know you¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°No, I only told him I needed money. He doesn¡¯t know anything other than that.¡±


    Marcia rubbed her forehead with her fingers as she processed it all.


    Francisco stared out at the suburban neighborhood they were in. He saw how calm and beautiful it looked in the guise of the night before continuing.


    ¡°So you should be fine; they won¡¯t come-¡±


    ¡°Francisco. Are you okay?¡±


    He was surprised at her question, but answered it according to what he thought she wanted to hear.


    ¡°I guess I am.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me.¡±


    She then turned and looked at him with her dark brown eyes. While he hesitated once again before responding truthfully.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not okay. I¡¯m at the lowest point of my life. I¡¯m a drug addict with nothing to show¡­ It feels like I spent all my life working, for it to come out as nothing. All I have left are some pounds of cocaine that are slowly killing me every time I ingest them.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°So¡­ Marcia, I am not okay. I haven¡¯t been okay in years.¡±

 Chapter 9: First Step

    What could she say? It¡¯s okay? It¡¯ll be alright? None of it could replicate her true feelings. The best option was to stay here, together. Sit here and be with him, taking on some of his burden in any way she can.


    Minutes passed as they sat under the starry sky, in utter silence. Francisco slowly relaxed as his sister sat next to him.


    Every breeze that passed through them took a small portion of his weight away.


    His once-heavy shoulders were now manageable. However, he was still burdened.


    Although he had confessed, his past still remained.


    Those he killed and their grieving families still existed. No matter how much he tried to forget it, he was still a cold murderer.


    Before he could ponder it further, headlights shone from the opposite side of the street. It approached the house and turned into the driveway, stopping in front of the garage. Then, the headlights ceased as the roaring engine quieted to a stop. Moments later, Matthew stepped out and approached the two with his truck locked behind him.


    ¡°What are you two doing out here?¡±


    ¡°We were just chatting. How was the shop today.¡±


    Matthew walked past the two to the door and opened it, responding to Marcia.


    ¡°Same as always, nothing different happening these days with my work.¡±


    "At least you''re used to it; let¡¯s head inside; I¡¯ll prepare your dinner.¡±


    ¡°Alright, is Elena asleep already?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s got school tomorrow, after all.¡±


    Matthew entered as Marcia stayed behind and spoke to Francisco.


    ¡°Come in.¡±


    Francisco¡¯s eyes widened slightly before standing and walking inside with the two of them.


    They then ate and slept.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    ¡°Javier, is he dead?¡±


    Vicente spoke to Javier in an unidentified warehouse; both were heavily exhausted. Dried sweat stuck to the two¡¯s foreheads as blood stained their clothes. Fortunately, the blood was not theirs; rather, it was the blood of their enemies.


    ¡°No, he fled.¡±


    ¡°Haha.¡±


    Javier looked at Vicente and saw his beaming eyes while he laughed mockingly. Chills crept down his spine as he kept his distance.


    ¡°Then that means we just have to hunt down that coward.¡±


    ¡° It won¡¯t be so easy.¡±


    Vicente began walking but stopped hearing Javier¡¯s statement. He turned and spoke to him with a clear, concise tone.


    ¡°Javier, this isn¡¯t a discussion. Gather all those we have left; we¡¯re killing Emilio no matter what.¡±


    ¡°Vicente, we lost many good men in this fight. We can¡¯t afford to¡­¡±


    Vicente smiled widely at Javier as he finally understood. This feud served two meanings: cementing his power, and disposing of those who disagreed. Although it was impossible to perform perfectly, Vicente was satisfied with the results. It could have been better, but it also could have been worse. The gang had not been completely cleansed, but there was not much more he could do currently. Now all that was left was to eat Emilio and grow, feeding off his nutrient-dense body.


    Vicente turned again and proceeded to walk out of the large gate that signaled the entrance to the warehouse. While Javier stood behind, frightened at the man''s despicable nature, It reminded him of someone to a lesser degree, someone who once led the same people who were just killed.


    A car started as an engine roared briefly before dying out due to increasing distance compared to the warehouse.


    A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.In Vicente¡¯s car, a Dodge Charger, while his personal driver drove out onto a small road, leading back towards the city, Vicente made a call. After multiple rings, it was answered, by a rough, exhausted voice came out through the phone.


    ¡°What do you need?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s he hiding out?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Vicente frowned lightly before regaining his composure.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do this now¡­ We¡¯re close. This is the final stretch, and both me and you can finally end him. Is that not what you wanted?


    ¡°He¡¯s¡­ in Modoc County, specifically at¡­¡±


    Every word the man uttered caused Vicente¡¯s smile to widen.


    ¡°Thank you; I¡¯ll see you after he¡¯s dealt with.¡±


    He then hung up and spoke to the driver about the specific location, as he stared out the window, looking forward to the near future. His first step towards his peak.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    Sunlight peaked into Francisco¡¯s room. Slowly, as time passed, it crept towards him and stopped directly on his bearded face. Feeling its warmth, he opened his eyes to look at the source. Outside his window, the sun beamed as a chunky tree shielded Francisco from its penetrating gaze. Yet a portion of it still reached, no matter the tree''s effort.


    Francisco sat up as he rubbed his dry eyes, yawning.


    Last night, Marcia gave Francisco a proper room to sleep, leagues superior to the couch he slept on his first day here.


    It was originally a storage room, filled with miscellaneous items; however, it is now Francisco¡¯s room. Currently, multiple items still occupy the room, but it is now a livable area.


    Francisco stood up from his bed in a loose shirt with shorts. This had also been provided yesterday due to Francisco¡¯s poor excuse of a wardrobe. Marcia had noticed his lack of clothes when he searched through his things.


    Now, he was getting old clothes from Matthew, although they were slightly big on his body. Matthew was inches taller and much wider than Francisco, likely because of his regular trip to the gym every couple of days.


    Francisco walked at a soft pace towards the other side of the room, where his bag was. He zipped it open and took a deep gaze at it. Twitching, he reached in and grabbed something, before pulling it out.


    Minutes later, he walked out of the room in a calm, relaxed manner, slightly different from those minutes ago. He had not ingested much, just enough to ward off the desire, for now, anyway.


    Downstairs, multiple vague voices could be heard through the wall. Francisco walked down and saw Marcia and Matthew rushing around the house, looking for certain materials and finishing tasks.


    They were both dressed nicely, as though it were an important day. Matthew was dressed in a black and dark blue suit, while Marcia was dressed in a dark blue dress that reached her calf.


    In the living room, Elena sat on one of the sofas with a tense, angry face, unsuited for her age. She was dressed in an adorable light blue dress that sat under a denim jacket. She crossed her arms, glaring at her parents, before noticing Francisco.


    ¡°Tio!! Can you believe it!?!?¡±


    Francisco walked towards her and sat on a sofa opposite hers.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Elena tried to hold in her rage but finally exploded as she yelled.


    ¡°They overslept!! And now I¡¯m late!"

 Chapter 9: First Step; Portion two

    Francisco stayed silent, not knowing how to respond, while Marcia and Matthew apologized from behind.


    ¡°We¡¯re really sorry, honey; we slept past our alarms.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, how about some McDonald¡¯s after? To show how sorry we are.¡±


    Both tried to calm Elena; nevertheless, with every passing moment, she continued to ramp up.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want McDonald¡¯s!! I want to be at school!!!¡±


    Elena continued to yell before breaking down into tears and sobbing.


    Her bright eyes watered as droplets streamed down her cheeks, landing on her dark blue dress, and staining it.


    Francisco was horrified, not knowing how to respond to her. Her parents were too busy getting ready and searching to come and comfort her.


    Francisco was horrible with children, which is part of the reason he never had any of his own. But now he had to deal with his sister¡¯s child. Francisco racked his brain before attempting to comfort her.


    ¡°Hey¡­ it¡¯ll be okay.¡±


    It was a pitiful attempt. Francisco was not used to consoling people, let alone children, so with his best effort, he attempted to do what he never did.


    She stopped for a second, looking at Francisco disappointingly, before continuing even more powerfully.


    With every passing second, Francisco became more and more uncomfortable sitting near Elena, witnessing her breakdown.


    Luckily, Marcia and Matthew finished what they were doing, so they came to the rescue, comforting their child.


    Minutes later, Elena calmed down, yet she was now in a sad state. Her eyes were red while her eyelids puffed, and she pouted as her face reddened to a dark cherry color.


    There was nothing they could do about it currently though, as they needed to rush to the school before class began.


    However, before they could leave, Matthew pulled out a stand and went into a different room to grab something.


    Coming out, all of them gathered together in the living room, squishing together, ready. Francisco, confused, asked what they were doing.


    ¡°What are we doing?¡±


    Matthew responded with a professional camera in his hands.


    ¡°It¡¯s a tradition of ours. For every big event or occasion, we snap a photo to remember it.


    " I see...¡±


    Matthew smiled lightly before pulling the camera up for everyone to see and bragging about it.


    ¡°This old thing can take absolutely beautiful photos! Eon¡¯s better than the one we had before.¡±


    He then placed the camera on a stand and set a timer. Running over, he stepped in between Marcia and Elena, while Francisco stood on the side next to them. Marcia and Matthew smiled while Elena pouted, looking away from the camera. Francisco attempted to lift his lips to a smile, but it appeared more like a cry than a smile.


    After a couple of seconds, a quick flash fluttered in the room before disappearing. Matthew went over to check on the photo and smiled, seeing how marvelous it was.


    ¡°I would print it out now, but we gotta hurry to your first day!¡±


    Matthew placed the camera to the side as the family rushed out of the house and into the car.


    However, Francisco stayed behind in the house. This was not his occasion to attend.


    ¡®It¡¯d be better to stay and let them go together as a family.¡¯


    But just as Francisco was going to close the door and sit, he heard his sister yelling his name.


    ¡°Hurry up, Francisco!¡±


    He then turned to see them all waiting for him inside Marcia¡¯s SUV. Francisco stood still for a moment, staring, before walking to them, although he only had slippers on. Inside, they pulled out of the driveway before heading to Elena¡¯s elementary school.


    It was not a long drive, taking at most five minutes in the car to arrive. However, in this situation, it took them only one minute and forty seconds to reach their destination.


    Both Matthew and Francisco were shocked at Marcia¡¯s rough, speedy driving. Matthew specifically grabbed onto whatever was sturdy, preparing for a life-ending crash.


    At the school, all four of them exited the SUV as Francisco looked at the school. It was a one-story building, yet it was wide, stretching out for more than an acre. Built from bricks that had experienced time, it seemed to be an ancient artifact. Looked at from afar, one would not deem it as that of a wealthy school, but rather that of an average school. However, one thing to note is how decorated and brimming it was with life. This school most definitely had creative administrators and teachers that transformed the school into what the group witnessed today.


    Both Marcia and Francisco had lived through a school like this, although the one they went to was much older and not as brim as this one.


    Just from its outside look, Francisco could determine this would be a great school, not just for learning but for meeting new people and experiencing new things. It was a great first step in Elena¡¯s education.


    The family rushed towards the school as morning announcements sounded through the intercom.


    They were cheerful, as the woman speaking seemed excited about the new year''s prospects.


    If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.The group pushed through heavy reinforced doors that were needed just in case of any scenario that could occur at the school.


    Inside, it was a beautiful school with a sky roof that allowed the sun to shine down on the students and the school emblem painted on the marble-looking floor. Not to mention the various posters and student-made artistry that gave the school even more personality. Where they were, there were multiple hallways leading to different grade sections in the school. Since Elena was in kindergarten, they headed towards the kindergarten section of the school. Even at this time, multiple parents and children were wandering around the school, searching for their child¡¯s classroom. However, for Marcia¡¯s family, that was not the case. Fortunately for them, they had attended the open house a week earlier, learning where their child¡¯s classes would be held and who their teacher was.


    They rushed down the hallway like multiple parents before entering the kindergarten section, labeled on the walls near it.


    Here, it was a daunting place with many doors and numbers, making it hard to navigate for anyone who came here for the first time.


    However, Marcia walked with skill and precision to a decorated door before knocking on it.


    Moments later, a child opened it, revealing a heavily decorated inside that had multiple windows, allowing the sun to shine into every crevice of the classroom. On one portion of the classroom, the ABCs and grammar tips were laminated and attached to the wall, while on another section, multiple math-related pieces of knowledge were also planted on the wall. While the teacher¡¯s desk was covered in student drawings and other education-related materials, In the front of the classroom, next to the Promethean board, was a teacher who wore a brightly colored dress that seemed to reflect her personality. She looked over and saw who was at the door, recognizing them from the other day at the open house.


    ¡°Ahhh, parents, come, hurry; we were just about to begin!¡±


    Marcia and Matthew walked in with Elena in tow, while the teacher looked down at Elena with a smile on her face.


    ¡°Little one, why do you seem so upset? Did you not want to come?¡±


    Elena looked at the teacher briefly before ratting her parents out.


    ¡°They both slept in, so I¡¯m late now!!¡±


    Matthew and Marcia both blushed in embarrassment as their mistake was revealed, while the teacher responded.


    ¡°Ah, is that so? Well, you arrived just in time; we were about to begin!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, so why don¡¯t we turn that frown into a smile? I can see that you have an absolutely gorgeous dress; a smile would fit it even more.¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡±


    Elena seemed to calm down as the teacher led her to her seat while the three stood awkwardly in the classroom.


    Moments later, the teacher came back as Marcia spoke to her.


    ¡°We¡¯re really sorry about being late.¡±


    "Oh, don¡¯t worry, plenty are late the first day! What matters is not being late after that.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    They stood there awkwardly for a moment before the teacher asked them to leave.


    ¡°Well, get on now; I have a class to teach.¡±


    Marcia was stunned as she asked.


    ¡°Can we not stay and watch her on her first day?¡±


    The teacher laughed heartedly before responding to the cherry-faced Marcia.


    ¡°Oh, what a good one. You see, a school is a place for children to be independent from their parents, and that begins in kindergarten. How could they gain independence if you are always behind their back? So I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯d prefer if it were only students learning in my class.¡±


    ¡°Oh, of course... We¡¯ll leave now, then.¡±


    ¡°Have a great day. You¡¯ll see Elena at three!¡±


    The trio prepared to leave before Elena caught their attention.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later, mama!!¡±


    Marcia turned back to see her daughter talking and playing with other children wholeheartedly. Marcia stared for seconds before tears welled up in her eyes and a smile surfaced on her face, in absolute pride.


    She and the rest walked out, but not before Marcia responded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you later too, honey.¡±


    Outside the classroom, tears continued to fall on Marcia¡¯s face before she regained herself.


    They walked out of the kindergarten section to the general hallway before arriving back at the emblem on the ground with the sun shining on it. All before they exited the school into the parking lot. They then walked back to the SUV and entered.


    Seeing how sad Marcia still was, Matthew comforted him as he held hands with her.


    ¡°Baby, it¡¯s okay. Our little girl will be alright.¡±


    ¡°I know¡­ It¡¯s just hard to see her growing up right before my eyes. I mean, I still remember when she could barely walk. Yet now she¡¯s meeting new people and becoming an independent person. I just wonder how much longer she¡¯s going to stay, my little girl.¡±


    ¡°Baby, we''ll just have to see. In the end, she¡¯ll always be our little girl, no matter how much she grows.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, thank you.¡±

 Chapter 10: A look in

    It was the same morning as any other for her. Closed blinds allowed no light to enter the unknown room, entrapping it in complete darkness. Cold air flowed in from the vents scattered across her room as she snuggled deeply into the blanket''s warmth, for it was the only warmth she had felt for years. On her bed, small piles of clothes and wrappers fell onto the floor with her every move, connecting with the other heaps of clothes on the floor that filled her room, similar to an aquarium, where she was the lone fish that entertained its captive.


    Time passed slowly as she awoke, intoxicating herself with the strong smell of marijuana that always lingered in her room.


    She slowly opened her eyes as her dark, sea-like irises gazed upon her dirty room. Although much could not be seen from the darkness that enveloped the room.


    Sitting up from her bed, she moved her heavy blankets away as the warmth slowly left them from the ever-intrusive assault of the cold breeze.


    On her covers that gripped onto her mattress, multiple deep, dark blood stains could be seen dispersed from each other. However, they weren¡¯t recent; the bloodstains looked old and faded out, more than likely from multiple rounds in a washer as it attempted to wash away the past mistakes. Yet, no matter how much she washed it, they still remained, serving as a reminder and message to her.


    With her left hand, she slowly placed it on top of one of the multiple bloodstains before picking it up and staring at her bandaged wrist. Under the bandages, years of everlasting torture riddled her wrist with never-ending scars that would always remain.


    She forcefully averted her gaze from it as she calmed down, cold sweat drying off her forehead. She stood up and walked out of the room hurriedly, her mind spinning heavily.


    Outside her room, she walked down a hallway with multiple dusty family portraits before turning left and entering a bathroom. Inside, she vomited into the toilet, feeding it her insides.


    For seconds, she continuously vomited, all before she had emptied her stomach, leaving nothing to feed the toilet with.


    She stood next to the toilet before collapsing, sitting there for seconds before she stood up, flushed the toilet, and washed her hands diligently.


    Then, she stepped out of the bathroom and continued traversing the hallway before she found herself in a warped living room connected with the dining room and kitchen, all dirty.


    Various clothes and other miscellaneous items made themselves at home in her living room, becoming a part of the family.


    Everything was disorganized to the point where one could not even imagine how it once was.


    Not bothered by any of it, she continued to walk before sitting on the couch, filled with clothes and light trash.


    There, she sat and nodded off, nearly falling asleep before hearing her rumbling stomach.


    It was only natural; after all, she bird-fed the toilet all she ate, leaving none for herself. This was a weekly occurrence that would happen often. It had gone on for so long that her father stopped caring, only buying extra food to replenish what she lost. Because of this, she was unbelievably skinny, her appearance like that of a skeleton covered with skin. The loungewear she was wearing was large on her body because of this. She wore a baggy t-shirt coupled with shorts that sat slightly above the knee.


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.For days, she would only wear clothes similar to these, as she remained inside for multiple days. She had only left that one day because of an argument she had with her father. It was only a coincidence that she met Francisco, a very minimal one, and it was unlikely they would meet again.


    The only thing she remembers about Francisco now is his dark brown eyes, which reminded her of her previous boyfriend.


    The person she had believed to be the love of her life. Which, in reality, became only fleeting memories that she would dream of every night if she slept at all.


    But it was during those dreams that she was the most happy. All she wished for was to be with him once again, but he left her years ago. All because of her growing addiction. And for who she was currently, it was unlikely he would want to be with her, let alone see her again. She was now unrecognizable to who she once was, both in the physical sense and mental.


    Her rumbling stomach continued to cry as her instincts pounded her head, yelling for her to eat. Yet she had no appetite to eat. However, her instincts eventually ruled over her as she stood and walked into the dirty, unorganized kitchen, making something to eat.


    Her father was currently away working, so she was left alone, needing to fend for herself.


    Which was a stupid decision. Left to her own devices, who knew if she would even make it through the day? But her father had enough. It had been years of this constant behavior with no improvement. Because of this, he broke off other relationships to care for her.


    At this point, though, he had enough. Now, he only wishes for her to be out of his life. Even though it was cruel, he still wanted the best for her, so he is sending her away. He was hoping and praying that they could make her better. For he could do nothing except witness her become even more broken.


    Maybe, at least now, she can become better. An actual functioning human was his hope; however, he did not have much of it left.


    He worked and worked to the point of death, for nothing to improve within her as she clung to memories.


    She walked towards the dining room table and sat down. She then placed the bowl of cereal she had prepared down and slowly shoved mouthfuls of it into her mouth. Without it, she would most definitely faint. So, even though she had no appetite, she still ate. If only to stay alive one more second.


    She also clung to hope. She wholeheartedly hoped to be with him again. That was what kept her alive now. But who knew how much longer that could keep her in the physical world? With every passing day, she lost more and more of that hope. It was only a matter of time before it left her.

 Chapter 10: A Look In; Portion Two

    With each mouthful of cereal she ate, two contrasting feelings fought in her body. The first told her to continue, so the body could absorb all it could before it was poured into the toilet. While the other persuaded her to stop, to end it all. Maybe she could cut herself once again, coincidentally going too deep, causing her to bleed out. Or, she could go into the disordered garage and grab firm, uncomfortable ropes, and accidentally tie them to her neck before they somehow ended up on the ceiling fan. All before she took a random misstep and fell.


    In the end, her instinct to continue won, but not by a large degree.


    She continued to provide sustenance to her body before she finished the meal she had prepared.


    Then, she stood up and took it to a sink full of dishes and take-out containers, adding her bowl to the pile.


    Seconds later, she found herself on the couch again, passing the time by with dead eyes.


    Various channels flickered on the TV as her phone remained deadly silent next to her. After multiple channel changes, she finally stopped at a documentary about wildlife. She then spent the next thirty minutes sitting, attentively watching the documentary, before an ad break commenced on the screen.


    She mindlessly watched before her eyes wandered to a corner of the room.


    There, covered in thick dust, sat a piano that had not been used in years. The last time was when she had her now ex-boyfriend over for dinner, with her parents present. Staring at the old piano, she reminisced about that incredible day.


    It was a nicely prepared dinner where she introduced him to them. Just by his college major and looks, they were both impressed at how good of a catch their daughter made. On that day, after they all sat down, eating their specially made Italian dinner, her mother commented on their relationship.


    ¡°Jack¡­ I would not have assumed that you¡¯d take a child as scatterbrained as mine to be yours.¡±


    Surprised by the comment, he stopped eating before swallowing everything remaining in his mouth. After, he responded, perplexed.


    ¡°Mrs. Abram, I¡¯m sorry, but¡­ Yasmine is an absolutely brilliant-minded person.


    ¡°Don¡¯t flatter her; she¡¯ll become full of herself if you do.¡±


    Jack was left speechless; no matter what he said, it would sound disrespectful or cocky. But Yasmine came to his rescue.


    ¡°Stop, Mother; we¡¯re trying to have a nice dinner.


    Mrs. Abram stared at her for a moment before digging deeper.


    ¡°Hmph! Do not try and speak to me as though I am your equal; how ungrateful.¡±


    Yasmine did not respond, choosing to pull her head down and brace for the oncoming assault.


    This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    ¡°See! This is the exact reason why I wanted to name her something more intellectual. I hoped to bring at least some intelligence into her head.¡±


    She then looked to her left to see Mr. Abram eating the food she with a grin, completely tuning out her talk.


    Seeing this, Mrs. Abram began an attack on him as well.


    ¡°I would have named her something better, but this tub of lard decided for me! Choosing Yasmine, an absolutely meaningless name.¡±


    Mr. Abram was pushed back into reality and attempted to defend himself.


    ¡°Honey, calm down; we have company with us today.¡±


    Mrs. Abram looked back at Jack before calming down.


    ¡°Well, I suppose you¡¯re correct.¡±


    Mr. Abram sighed softly before speaking to Yasmine and Jack.


    Now, let us continue eating this delicious meal.¡±


    Jack smiled before nodding and continuing to eat. All four ate as an awkward atmosphere enveloped the clean dining room. Jack, feeling it even more than the others, attempted to lighten the mood. He looked around the room before noticing a spotless antique piano in the corner of the room. After a bit of contemplation, he inquired about it.


    ¡°Yasmine¡­ Do you know how to play the piano?¡±


    Yasmine looked up at him before looking towards the piano.


    ¡°Yeah, I stopped taking lessons though, so I¡¯m a little rusty.¡±


    Before Mrs. Abram could interrupt their conversation, Jack inquired further.


    ¡°Really!? Could you play me something!¡±Yasmine noticed the gleam in his eyes in anticipation. Although she had not played in a while, she still knew some pieces that she had taken an interest in.


    Whether they would sit well with Jack, she did not know. They had only recently begun their relationship, after all.


    She stood up and walked towards the piano in her dress. Passing her clean living room, she arrived at the corner of the room before sitting down on the piano stool. The earrings she was wearing glistened as she moved, and in Jack¡¯s eyes, she looked like the perfect human when sitting on that stool. Her shoulder-level blonde hair shined ever so beautifully in his eyes as dark blue eyes focused on the piano. And in her dress, he was amazed and attracted to her all over again.


    With her soft hand, she moved down to the keys, getting into position. Seconds passed before she began pressing them softly yet firmly. Her hand moved with elegance as each note that played proceeded the last. A beautiful melody filled the room as she continued playing the piece. The song she was playing was something she enjoyed very deeply. Each note played moved her in a way no other piece could. It was a piece that spoke to her and comforted her.


    Jack stared in awe as he grew more attracted to her. From the sidelines, he cheered and wooed her on. Hearing this, she grew ever more confident and began playing the piece more naturally.


    Towards the end, he cheered her on even more. When it did end, he exclaimed in praise as he went towards her to hug her.


    ¡°That was incredible, Yasmine!! It was the best thing I¡¯ve ever heard!!¡±


    Smiling from ear to ear, she loved the praise he was giving her. She had longed for the love he gave, and she took it all without question. Hearing his steps, she turned and also got into a hugging position. Yet when she did turn, no one was there.


    She was back in the messy house she had grown accustomed to as the documentary finally began again. Anxiously, she turned to the dining room table to see the mess she had just eaten with.


    Her father, mother, and especially Jack, were gone.


    This was obvious, though. Everything was part of her memory, having happened in the past. Jack was also in the past, gone, scrubbed from the present.


    Tears welled up in her eyes as she sat on the piano stool before, from the kitchen door, Mr. Abram spoke.


    ¡°That was a nice song, honey.¡±


    With tears falling from her eyes, she turned to see her exhausted father, back from a hard day of work. He then placed a bag of fast food on the dining room table before coming closer.


    ¡°What is it called?¡±


    He spoke in a soft voice, attempting not to harm her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called¡­ Once upon a time.¡±


    He looked at her with his brown eyes before responding.


    ¡°It was beautiful.¡±


    Even more tears fell from her dark blue eyes before she looked up at him and spoke.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ it was.¡±

 Chapter 11: Appointment?

    Francisco stared at the two lovebirds awkwardly, increasingly feeling like he was a third wheel interrupting their moment. Nevertheless, he could go nowhere without alerting the two of his presence, so he sat there and tried to distract himself.


    The two interlocked their hands as they stared at each other lovingly. As time passed, their faces got closer before Francisco finally stepped in. After all, he could not just stand by and watch them make love to each other.


    With a light cough, the two awoke, noticing Francisco¡¯s presence. Marcia, especially, was embarrassed as she reprimanded Francisco.


    ¡°I forgot you were here; make yourself more noticeable!¡±


    ¡°??¡±


    Matthew coughed as he put his hand to his face, trying to hide his deep blush before putting the car in reverse and changing the subject. Discreetly, he asked. So, should I take you two home? I gotta head and open the shop today.


    Marcia looked back at Matthew before calming down and responding.


    ¡°I was thinking you could show Francisco your shop. Just so he can get familiar with where it is.¡±


    Francisco pulled his head back, thinking he must have misheard. He was not a child who needed to know where the closest adult was! For any other person, they would not think of it. However, Francisco knew she was doing this because of his addiction, treating him as a child. And although he was offended because of it, he did not talk back to her. It was true that it would be great to know where Matthew¡¯s shop was in case of any problems. One could never know what could happen after all.


    Matthew thought about it for a second before responding to her.


    ¡°Sure, why not? Francisco, you ready?"


    ¡°I guess.¡±


    Matthew smiled, looking back at him through the rearview mirror before driving out of the school¡¯s parking lot.


    In general, their house, the school, and Matthew¡¯s shop weren¡¯t too far from each other. It was within walking distance for anyone determined enough. And by car, each drive was about five to ten minutes. From the house, it would be ten minutes. From the school, it would be five minutes. In between these three locations, mostly forests and other neighborhoods inhabited everything. So walking was not a challenging task; rather, it was a tedious task that would take roughly thirty minutes.


    On the road, the three passed by more neighborhoods surrounded by tall pine trees. In the background, tall mountains made themselves present, slightly visible from the gaps between the trees.


    They passed by farms with laid-out fields growing different types of crops. Because it was early August, multiple rows of corn could be seen going as far as the eye could sense. While on other fields, cows ate piles of hay and horses ran along the entire length of their owner¡¯s property.


    Opening the window, the strong smell of manure would infiltrate the senses and make it seem as though you were in the countryside. Which, in reality, was not too far from the truth.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    After passing by multiple farms and large properties, the three arrived in the city, which was not much of a surprise to Francisco. If not in the city, where would he have his shop? Everywhere else was a rural area where not many shopped or passed by at all. At least in the city, he¡¯d have a better chance at getting customers.


    They traveled through the peak of the city with the largest number of people before heading towards a somewhat secluded portion of it. Here, their SUV pulled into a parking lot that could hold up to seven cars.


    Matthew parked the car before turning it off and stepping out. The rough engine stopped roaring as Francisco placed his foot down on the asphalt. Immediately, he noticed the many cracks that ran through the parking lot, with patches of grass sticking out. He turned to see the well-made, one-story building. It was painted white with a sign that stated:


    <Carpets and tiles>


    Francisco looked at it for only a moment before following the two toward the entrance of the store. Matthew fumbled through multiple keys before stopping at a specific one. Then he lifted it and unlocked the glass door, revealing the inside. Although much could already be seen from the large glass windows wrapping around the front of the store.


    The three entered as a strong new scent flooded their senses, although Marcia and Matthew were used to it.


    Six aisles occupied the store, all with varying carpets. Whether by design or length, not one was the same. On the back wall of the store, various marble tiles were hung from baskets nailed to the wall.


    Through the middle aisle, all three of them walked toward the back end of the store, where the cash register was.


    Next to it, a door stating <Emplyees Only> sat, leading to the back end of the store.


    Matthew went behind the register, sorting through many things before speaking to Francisco.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    Francisco took one last look around the store before responding to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s a nice store.¡±


    Matthew smiled lightly before also looking around with heavy emotion in his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯d hope so. It was one hell of a journey to get here, right, Marcia?¡±


    Marcia also smiled before locking arms with Matthew.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, it¡¯s incredible what you made.¡±


    She looked at the store with great pride before Francisco asked them a question.


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve been curious.¡±


    They looked away from the store and gave their attention to Francisco.


    ¡°How did you two meet?¡±


    They looked at him blankly before Matthew responded.


    ¡°That¡¯s the type of question Elena would ask!¡±


    He laughed lightly before questioning Francisco¡¯s intentions.


    ¡°Why do you want to know, Francisco?¡±


    Francisco stared at him briefly before revealing his full intentions.


    ¡°It¡¯s simple curiosity. I think you know this, but it¡¯s been eight years since I¡¯ve last seen or spoken to Marcia.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she told me a little about it.¡±


    Matthew was also curious as to why they had been separated for years, so he seized the moment to satisfy it.


    ¡°However, what exactly happened between the two of ya.¡±


    Francisco opened his mouth slightly, ready to respond, before Marcia spoke first.


    ¡°I told you, didn¡¯t I? It was a big argument we had.¡±


    Matthew looked down at Marcia before Francisco assured him.


    ¡°I had told her some things she didn¡¯t really like, so we stopped talking to each other.¡±


    Matthew put his hand on his forehead as he tried to process their dialogue.


    ¡°Really, all over an argument.¡±


    ¡°Mmhm. If you¡¯d like, we can go into the specifics?¡±


    ¡°Nah, it¡¯s all right. Wait, so you wanted to know how we met?¡±


    Francisco pulled his head down and tried to look at himself, well, as much as he could. He pulled his hands in the same way he had that day. There, on his palm, multiple old calluses were present. It gave him a stark reminder of what he had done and what he had not done.


    "I was just curious. I mean, I¡¯ve just been thinking¡­ About how much of our lives we don¡¯t know about. For eight years, I haven¡¯t been in her life, helping her in any way I could. So, I wanted to ask you about both of your pasts. And thank you properly for all that you helped her with.¡±

 Chapter 11: Appointment? Portion Two

    A small light sparked in Francisco¡¯s dark brown eyes, giving him indisputable confidence.


    On the side, Marcia looked at Francisco as many complex emotions surfaced on her face.


    Matthew gazed into his eyes, ready to respond, before noticing a small, near-insignificant spark that had not been in his eyes before. Because of this, he changed his response.


    ¡°Brother, you don¡¯t have to thank me for anything. Your sister helped me more than I could have ever helped her.¡±


    He paused for a moment before continuing.


    ¡°Ha¡­ Well, if you really want to know, our love started eight years ago as well.¡±


    Before he could continue, though, the shop door opened as a man entered. Outside, a dirty Ford truck could be seen occupying one of the seven parking spaces, likely the man¡¯s. From the mud, it would be hard to assume what color it was, but it was most likely white.


    After seeing who the man was, Matthew turned to Francisco to apologize. He looked straight into his eyes before realizing that small gleam he had noticed a second ago was gone, as though it were never there.


    ¡°My bad, Francisco. I need to deal with him first.¡±


    Francisco looked blankly at Matthew with no apparent impatience in his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright. Just tell me when you can.¡±


    Matthew walked out of the cash register to greet the customer while the man trudged straight down the middle aisle, stopping to meet Matthew.


    Before speaking to him, the man acknowledged Marcia and Francisco.


    ¡°Good morning to you two.¡±


    Marcia and Francisco responded back before the man focused his gaze on Matthew.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a good morning for you, huh Matthew, lazing around not working.¡±


    Matthew laughed before dapping the man up and hugging him.


    ¡°Good morning to you too, Nate."


    "I mean, where were you this morning? I thought you were gon¡¯ be closed the whole day, and I''m near damn shit myself because of it!¡±


    ¡°Ay, that¡¯s my bad, Nate. I opened a little late today because it¡¯s my girl''s first day of school.¡±


    Nate pulled his hat off before scratching his head.


    ¡°Ah, it is that time of the year, huh. Time passes so fast.¡±


    Matthew smiled at him before responding.


    ¡°I know right, especially with children. So, what can I do for ya?¡±


    Nate spoke to Matthew about his specific needs while Marcia and Francisco stood in the background.


    After a couple of seconds, Marcia placed her hand on Francisco¡¯s shoulder before pointing to the employee''s only door.


    ¡°How about I show you the back?¡±


    Francisco nodded lightly before the two walked into the back portion of the store.


    Inside, multiple boxes were stacked on top of each other as carpets scattered the area, all turned upright.


    A thin layer of dust covered most things as an air purifier fired off in the corner of the room.


    Towards the back of the room, lockers could be seen with a mirror in between them.


    Marcia walked towards the locker and opened it. Inside, clean uniforms and hats were hung on hangers. She lifted it and pulled it toward Francisco, measuring whether it would fit.


    ¡°Alright, I think this one fits. Here.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to stay in our house without doing any work.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Staring at her blankly, Francisco grabbed onto the uniform while she continued.


    ¡°You know what they say! You got to earn your keep!¡±


    ¡°Alright, is there a bathroom?¡±


    Marcia smiled lightly before pointing to a door on the other side of the room.


    Minutes later, Francisco walked out, changed. Marcia placed her hand on her chin and gazed deeply at him.


    ¡°We really have to get you a haircut.¡±


    Francisco grabbed onto his messy hair before pulling a portion up.


    ¡°I like how it looks.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    Marcia approached him before patting him on the back and handing him a clipboard.


    ¡°You may not look good enough to be in the front, but back here, you¡¯re fine.¡±


    She pointed to the clipboard in his hands before giving him directions.


    ¡°Just follow all that it says on the clipboard.¡±


    Francisco looked at what was printed while she continued.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to head up front with Matthew. Let one of us know if you have a question.¡±


    Francisco looked up from the clipboard before nodding.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Marcia walked away while Francisco looked back down at the clipboard, which had varying tasks. Some said to mop, broom, and clean. While other tasks asked him to sort different rugs and carpets, Because of his lack of knowledge about most of the things in the store, he chose to do the simpler tasks.


    You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.Outside, Marcia walked into the main portion of the store to see Matthew sending off Nate.


    ¡°See you, man. I¡¯ll hit you up when the shipment comes in.¡±


    Nate waved back as he entered his dirty truck.


    ¡°Of course, man, I trust ya to it.¡±


    He slammed his truck¡¯s door as it turned on. Engines roared as he pulled out of the parking lot and left.


    Matthew entered the store and saw Marcia.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Francisco?¡±


    "He¡¯s in the back doing work.¡±


    Matthew was slightly surprised as he asked her about it.


    ¡°He¡¯s been here for less than a week, and you¡¯re already making him work?¡±


    Marcia smiled as she walked towards the back. With a rag, she wiped every single marble tile piece as she responded.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t make him work now, when will he?¡±


    ¡°I guess¡­ But, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Also, it¡¯ll help him get his mind off of everything.¡±


    Matthew looked at her, perplexed.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Marcia stayed silent for a moment as she continuously wiped. After multiple seconds, she revealed all that she could to Matthew.


    ¡°Back in California, he had been struggling for a while. That¡¯s why he came down here in the first place.


    ¡°Ahh, really?¡±


    Marcia smiled at him and nodded.


    ¡°If that¡¯s the case, maybe it is best he gets his mind working.¡±


    The door opened as another man entered. The two looked back and saw the man wearing a dirty bandanna on his face with shades. He was a very round man, with his belly protruding out. He walked down the middle aisle and met Marcia and Matthew. Then he took off his shades to reveal exhausted, dead eyes. Dark circles lay under them as they melted down into his cheeks.


    "Morning."


    The man spoke softly yet powerfully, contrary to his eyes.


    ¡°Morning to you too, Everett.¡±


    Marcia moved away from Matthew and continued cleaning with the rag while the two continued their conversation.


    ¡°You were busy this morning?¡±


    Matthew sighed lightly before answering Everett¡¯s question.


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s my daughter¡¯s first day, so I went to see her off.¡±


    ¡°Oh¡­¡±


    Everett¡¯s eyes shook slightly before he regained his composure.


    ¡°Ah, shit. Sorry, I shouldn¡¯t have brought it up.¡±


    ¡°No. You can be proud of your daughter in front of me.¡±


    Matthew regretted bringing up the topic of his daughter, but he was in too deep.


    ¡°Speaking of it. How is she?¡±


    Everett sighed deeply before responding.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know. No matter what I do these days, she only seems to get worse.¡±


    ¡°Damn. That¡¯s unfortunate."


    ¡°Yeah. However, at least something good happened today.¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    Everett pulled his bandana down before smiling softly.


    ¡°She was at least somewhat sober today. And I saw her playing the piano.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It had been years. And in that moment, it felt like we were a family again.¡±


    Matthew patted Everett on the back as he continued.


    ¡°Hey, Matthew. You know, I took your advice."


    ¡°!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sending her away to a rehabilitation center.¡±


    At the back of the store, Marcia listened quietly.


    ¡°It must have been a tough decision.¡±


    ¡°Haha, I know my limits. I reached them a long time ago.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The two stood silent as Everett realized he had spoken too much.


    ¡°Anyway, I¡¯m here to get some tiles for a job I¡¯m doing.


    Before he could continue, though, Marcia inserted herself into the conversation.


    ¡°Excuse me, Everett, right?¡±


    Both Everett and Matthew looked back at her as she continued.


    ¡°Is your daughter suffering from a drug addiction?¡±


    Matthew widened his eyes as he jumped in.


    ¡°That¡¯s not something you should ask Marcia.¡±


    Everett stood silently before responding.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Matthew; near damn everyone knows at this point.¡±


    He turned to look at her and answered.


    ¡°Yes. She¡¯s addicted to marijuana. Every time I¡¯m with her, she¡¯s always high.


    Marcia looked at him before sympathizing with him.


    ¡°Actually. I know someone as well. They''re addicted to cocaine.¡±


    Everett remained unmoved as she continued.


    ¡°And I¡¯d like to hear some advice on how to manage them.¡±


    Everett laughed lightly before stating.


    ¡°I could never manage my daughter. You shouldn¡¯t expect to control them either. We should leave it to the professionals.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±


    ¡°Miss. I really need to get the stuff I need.¡±


    Matthew stepped in and continued speaking to Everett before Marcia jumped in.


    ¡°How about they meet each other!?¡±

 Chapter 12: Distress

    The moon shone upon the earth as heavy white headlights pierced the jet-black night. Trees appeared as blobs, scattering the surrounding environment as a white van tore through them. Under the car, paved black roads lit up after being exposed to the highlights. Revealed in the center of the road, minuscule rock-shaped lights lit up following the heavy headlights, dimming down after being left to the devices of the dark once again.


    Ahead of the van, headlights shone, temporarily blinding the van''s driver before the headlights passed. Multiple times would this happen, and each time it did, the driver would slim his, attempting to lessen the intense heat of the headlights.


    This continued for thirty minutes as the driver cruised through back-end roads. Everything around the van was surrounded by forest. Occasionally, houses, farms, and neighborhoods would cross his path. Yet in the curtain of the night, no details could be made out of any of them, appearing as uniquely shaped blobs. Light would only appear momentarily each time cars passed by him.


    Suddenly, the van turned right into a conspicuous neighborhood. He continued to trek at lower speeds before turning into the driveway of a one-story house. On the driveway, he unexpectedly turned it off the road and parked in his yard. With precision, he parked on top of four muddy gaps that held no grass, made from the constant pressure of the wheels of the van.


    White, heavy headlights pierced into the neighbor¡¯s yard as they shone onto his two-story house. Although only temporarily as everything darkened and the once noisy quieted to a halt. Moments later, the door swung open before an obese man stepped out. A bandana covered his face as shades sat on top of his hat, which was above his bald head.


    The man slammed the van door closed before walking away. He approached the house door before fumbling through his keys, stopping at a specific bronze key, and unlocking the door.


    Creaks sounded for every inch the door moved as the dark night mixed in with the even darker house. The obese man hesitated for a moment before stepping in. Disappointment flashed over his covered face as he hoped his daughter would be playing the piano once again. In the end, though, it was the only hope. In reality, the piano sat in the same corner as it always did, cold from the lack of usage. He closed the door before flipping the light switches on. Instantly, a flash of light flooded the room, revealing a dirty, disorganized living room. Toward the back end of the house, the kitchen and dining room were also not properly cleaned. In general, it was a pathetic house that could hardly be considered a home.


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    The man walked slowly to the dining room of the one-story house. There, he dropped a bag of fast food he had bought earlier onto the dining room table. Without the food, his daughter would most definitely not have enough to sustain herself. In some way, this was a way to ensure she got the minimum amount of calories she needed in order to sustain herself.


    The man looked deeply at the bag of food before calling his daughter¡¯s name.


    ¡°Yasmine! I got you food.¡±


    No one responded. Everett took his bandana off before walking into the hallway that was connected to the living room. He continued down the hallway until he arrived at a white, blank door. Hesitantly, he moved his hands toward the knob before attempting to open it. A slight click sounded as the door creaked open.


    Inside, nothing could be seen. Only a slight amount of light was able to enter from the living room. However, it was nowhere near enough to illuminate the room to a sufficient level. Even so, he continued into the room. He did not turn the lights on in case it would frighten his daughter. So, he trekked into the dark room blind. Every step he took was careful not to knock something over or disturb something. Slowly, he approached her bed before reaching down to wake her. He carefully pushed her; however, she did not respond. Sweat began to form on his forehead before he pushed her more roughly. Still, there was no response. His face tensed up as he shook her one last time. Still no response. He fisted his hands before pulling the blanket covering her away.


    In his head, he had hoped she was only in a deep sleep. But considering her lack of response, it was more likely something had happened to her.


    Moments after he pulled away her blanket, a thick smell of blood flooded Everett¡¯s senses. Immediately, he stepped back and covered his mouth before he vomited.


    On the bed, next to Yasmine¡¯s wrist, a thick, recent puddle of blood melted into the covers, seeping into the very mattress.


    ¡°Shit!!¡±


    Everett shot back into reality before approaching her swiftly and shaking her roughly, yet he did not hear a response. Automatically, he pulled his phone out before calling 911 and alerting them of the situation. Afterward, he placed his phone down as he attempted to stop the excess bleeding. Blood seeped into his hands as he grabbed her wrist forcefully. Then, his head darted across the room as he looked for a cloth to wrap her wrist around.


    Next to him, on the floor, a black T-shirt sat. He immediately grabbed it before wrapping it around her wrist. Sweat fell from his forehead as his face was heavily tense.


    Wrapped around her wrist. Everett lifted her up easily before taking her to the living room. Her skinny body limped out of his hands as he took her, as though she were liquid, melting out of his embrace. Even with all this movement, she still did not respond, as though she were put under a spell.


    Everett stepped outside and sat down on one of his steps as he patiently waited for an ambulance to arrive.


    In the distance, its sound gradually grew as blue and white lights pierced through the neighborhood. Moments later, an ambulance drove into Everett¡¯s yard as many stepped out and rushed to the two¡­

 Chapter 12: Distress; Portion Two

    It was a cold hallway. On the ceiling, blank white lights shone down on the near never-ending hallway, creating a bleak atmosphere. Along the wall, chairs were stacked in a row, and an obese man sat in one of them. In front of him, a door with the number 294 stood tall, menacingly intimidating him.


    Everett stayed seated in the chair with his hands put together, leaning forward, until the hospital door in front of him opened. Inside, a nurse came out and spoke directly to Everett.


    ¡°She¡¯s awake. You can go in and speak with her if you¡¯d like.¡±


    Everett stood up before thanking the nurse.


    ¡°Yeah. Thank you very much, ma¡¯am.¡±


    The nurse smiled before leaving momentarily.


    Everett walked towards the door before hesitating to enter. He knew now was not the time to argue or even get mad at her. All he could do now was comfort her.


    With a light breath, he opened the door before entering. In a short corridor, he took three steps before seeing the outline of the hospital bed. With another step, he found himself staring directly at his daughter.


    Questions filled his mind that he helplessly struggled to suppress before he smiled.


    ¡°How are you holding up?¡±


    She did not respond. She stared blankly at the TV, ignoring his question.


    Everett¡¯s smile faded as he walked to a chair in the corner of the room and sat down.


    Everett thought about what to say before he spoke.


    ¡°Just get better soon. I can¡¯t afford this.¡±


    Yasmine continued to stare at the TV before responding.


    ¡°I had hoped it would have killed me. So I could stop bothering you.¡±


    Everett shook slightly as his goosebumps formed on his skin.


    His fist tightened as he struggled with his response. Eventually, though, he responded harshly.


    His mouth opened and closed a couple of times before the words finally tore through the air.


    ¡°Then you should have cut deeper¡­¡±


    Yasmine did not respond. Her eyes focused on the TV while Everett continued.


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    ¡°If ya were really thinking of doing that for me, Then you should have made sure.¡±


    Before he could continue, a nurse stepped into the room.


    She explained that she would have to keep watch over Yasmine for the night. It was to ensure she did not harm herself while in their care. Everett understood and soon left without saying another word to Yasmine.


    The sliding doors opened to the entrance of the hospital before Everett walked to his van. While walking, he pulled out his phone and fumbled with it as he texted someone.


    <Can you ask the miss if she can meet them tomorrow?>


    After sending it, he thought about what Marcia had asked him earlier in the day.


    ¡°How about they meet each other!?¡±


    Everett had looked at her weirdly before responding.


    ¡°What would that accomplish?¡±


    Marcia thought about it for a second before blurting out an answer.


    ¡°Maybe they can¡­¡±She tried to think of something. However, even she did not know what it would accomplish. Hell, it might make things worse for the two of them. Both Marcia and Everett were in this blind, and the advice on the internet usually had a 50/50 chance of working. Usually, it would make things worse while sometimes making them better.


    ¡°Maybe they can talk about their struggles with substance abuse!¡±


    Everett rubbed his chin as she continued.


    ¡°Who knows, maybe they can grow a bond and help each other through it. You know, like a collaborative effort!¡±


    Suspicion filled his face as he thought about it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know; it might make things even more difficult.¡±


    ¡°But it could make things better as well! You know we have to stay positive through it all!¡±


    Everett hesitated before responding.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it, miss. Can I contact you through Matthew?¡±


    Marcia smiled before patting Matthew on the back.


    ¡°Yeah! Just send him a text, and I¡¯ll receive it.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Marcia continued before he changed the subject in an attempt to convince him even more.


    ¡°Everett. Let¡¯s think about the people going through this. They could help each other with another head to lean on. We always have to think about them first.¡±


    Everett smiled subtly before continuing with what he came there for.


    Back at home, he unlocked his house door with the same bronze key he used earlier before it creaked open.


    A large sigh crawled from his body as he walked in and collapsed onto the couch. Everett remained there for minutes, slumping as he tried to relieve his stress and exhaustion. After a certain time, though, he stood up and walked into Yasmine¡¯s room. He came out with all her blood-soaked blankets and covers minutes later. He walked to the edge of the kitchen before stepping into a separate room. Inside, a washer and dryer stood unused for the past couple of weeks. With the blankets and covers in hand, he shoved them all into it and added detergent.


    His thought process was that it would be better to deal with the blankets now so that the stains would not show as much. He also did it to wash away the guilt he felt, as if it would leave so easily.


    Afterward, he cast a glance at his watch and realized how late it had become. He had work early the next day, yet he was here with unwanted stress. Another sigh left his being as he walked towards his room. Now, he did not have time to shower if he hoped to at least sleep six hours. The room door creaked open as pictures of a couple were nailed in different places around the room. The king-sized bed right next to the door was unmade and had clothes on top of it. Everett could not be bothered with it right now, though. He took his shirt off before collapsing onto the bed. Then he turned the lights off and lay there. He slowly fell into a deep sleep before his phone buzzed. His eyes shot open, then proceeded to close and open multiple times as he woke up. Exhausted, he struggled to grab his phone on the desk next to him. When he did, though, he noticed a text notification. When opened, it said:


    <She said that¡¯s perfect; what time?>

 Chapter 13: Trudge Toward Second

    The sun slowly rose from the horizon as everything slowly lit up. Watching from the balcony of a villa was Vicente. The cool air overwhelmed him in waves as he watched the sunrise from the direction of the arid desert. Bushes and small trees lay in the desert, surely providing momentary shade for those who live here. In the heat of the day, though, it would be hard to survive, even with the bare shade.


    Vicente continued to admire the view as people behind him picked up dead bodies. On Vicente, old and new blood mixed and stained his luxury suit. He looked down at it and realized how ruined it was. He attempted to wipe a stain off his sleeve, only to see it smudge. While doing this, someone came out and spoke to him.


    ¡°It¡¯s a nice view, <mark>jefe</mark>.¡±


    Vicente stopped wiping and looked back at the view, taking it all in before responding.


    ¡°Yeah, breathtaking. No wonder Emilio chose this place to die.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°What did you need, Armando?¡±


    Armando continued to admire the view with Vicente for a moment before finally speaking his mind.


    ¡°I was going to ask you where the bodies were¡­ But¡­ But there¡¯s a lot more on my mind.¡±


    With a smile, Vicente responded.


    ¡°Speak what you think. You know I don¡¯t mind criticism.¡±


    Armando hesitated for a moment. Then he spoke.


    ¡°We¡¯re down a lot of people. Surely, they¡¯re all watching us closely. They might even be preparing to hit us from the back right now! I only ask, What exactly is your plan?¡±


    Vicente stared in the far distance as a snake slithered softly. After a few feet, it stopped and bowed its head weakly. Then, it slowly collapsed onto the ground as life left its body. Moments later, it stopped moving entirely as the morning sun began to bake it. Watching this unfold, Vicente waited until its very last movement before responding.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry. I will admit that we are at the weakest we¡¯ve ever been. However, I¡¯ve already made a deal with those in the south. For now, at least, we should be fine to rebuild and develop our forces.¡±


    Armando widened his eyes as he realized who he was speaking of.


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    ¡°You mean!¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ <mark>Haha</mark>¡­ Armando, do you want to know what the terms of our deal were?¡±


    ¡°If you are allowed to disclose them, then of course.¡±


    Vicente¡¯s smile widened as he thought about the decision he had made.


    ¡°You must know of this gang¡¯s past. For five long years, we¡¯ve been in constant worry of full warfare breaking out. Hell, I¡¯m surprised we haven¡¯t fully fought considering just how many clashes we¡¯ve had.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but what does that mean?¡±


    ¡°You do know who was our last leader, correct?¡±


    ¡°!!!¡±


    ¡°You get it, don¡¯t you? About our past and what they wanted! Even they know he¡¯s still alive!!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°You see, in exchange for mutual protection between the both of us, I¡¯ll serve him to them.¡±


    Armando stayed silent while Vicente continued.


    ¡°That¡¯s how we are going to ensure our survival. That¡¯s why it is even more crucial that we find the mole covering for Francisco. Only then can we succeed!¡±


    Behind them, a man walked onto the veranda during their conversation. Vicente turned to look at them and smiled. In his grasp was Emilio¡¯s head.


    It was incredibly fresh, with blood still dripping from the neck, directly where it was cut.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you see it, Armando? We have taken the first step. Now, we are on the edge of the second. All until we reach the highest of highs, the tallest of peaks!


    Vicente reached down and grabbed Emilio¡¯s blood-soaked hair before bringing it up for him to see. He ensured it was truly his head, examining each eyelash before lifting it up to the sky. He turned and shielded himself from the harsh sun¡¯s rays with his lone head. Then he spoke to all the men who watched.


    ¡°Now then¡­ Let us instill fear in those who oppose us.¡±


    Vicente turned and handed the head to a close aide. Then he walked through all of his men in the living room of the villa. Inside, blood found itself on every inch of the surface as bullet shells laid. Most of the bodies present had been taken out. However, there were still quite a few to be dealt with. It made no difference to Vicente, though, as he stepped on top of the murdered bodies to reach his goal. One body specifically twitched slightly before springing up and rushing towards Vicente. In his crazed gaze, hate and rage could be seen emanating from his being. No one was near him as the wounded man rushed him. In an instant, he pulled his gun up and aimed it directly at Vicente¡¯s head. In sight of the gun, Vicente smiled as gunshots blasted through the wounded man. One through the leg and the other through the head. Before the wounded man could even pull the trigger, he was killed in two swift motions. Blood burst onto the walls as his eyes shook slightly before fading. Then he collapsed as his mind slowly diminished. In his final moments, he found himself staring at Vicente, who smiled at him pitifully. That was the last of his being.


    In the corner of the room, sitting on a dark leather chair, was a skinny black-haired woman. In her hands, a gun was aimed directly at the now-dead man who nearly killed Vicente. She stood up and walked towards the body before putting one more bullet into his head. Vicente glanced at her before reprimanding all his men.


    ¡°This is a pathetic performance from you all.¡±


    Vicente looked back towards the woman and thanked her.


    ¡°My thanks, Aurora.¡±


    Aurora looked at Vicente lightly before leaving. Vicente did not seem to mind as he continued.


    ¡°Put a bullet in every man¡¯s head to ensure their dead. I don¡¯t want this to happen again. Understood?¡±


    Every man there yelled of course as Vicente smiled. His men were finally starting to get back in shape.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª

 Chapter 13: Trudge Toward Second; Portion Two

    Dust flew into the hot dry air as a Corvette sports car raged through the desert. Leaving the villa where Emilio was killed, Aurora sat inside Dust flew into the hot, dry air as a Corvette sports car raged through the desert. Leaving the villa where Emilio was killed, Aurora sat inside the driver seat as she continuously hit 80 mph on the dusty dirt path. The windows were rolled down as Aurora had on Ray Ban sunglasses. She trekked through the desert as the harsh sun beamed down on her. During this drive, her phone in the passenger seat buzzed as a message appeared. Noticing it, she grasped onto it as she both drove and peered at her phone. It was a message from Vicente that stated.


    <Go and check up on Alejandro. Javier had told me that he chose not to participate in the assault.>


    Aurora stared at it as she squinted her eyes. A moment later, a ¡°tch¡± slipped from her lips as she responded.


    <Why?>


    She threw the phone down and continued driving before it began buzzing again. A sigh departed from her mouth as she grabbed onto it again.


    <Make sure he¡¯s not doing anything that goes against my interests.>


    Aurora frowned before replying.


    <Ok>


    Then, she threw her phone onto the passenger seat, and dug into her pockets, and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Carefully, she pulled one out before placing it in her mouth. Then, she grabbed a lighter from her cup holder and lit it before shooting smoke from her mouth. Finally, she turned the stereo on before continuing her long trek to Alejandro¡¯s house.


    Eleven hours later, she pulled into a relatively clean parking lot. Her car¡¯s roaring engine silenced as she stepped out. On the horizon, the sun lowered as it became early evening. Although at this time of the day, it was still blazing hot, As she walked to Alejandro¡¯s apartment, Aurora held a bag of fast food in her left hand. Minutes later, she found herself in front of the door of Alejandro¡¯s apartment as she banged on the door. A short time passed while no one responded from the inside. Aurora took her sunglasses off and placed them in her pocket before banging on the door once more. Still, no one responded from the inside. Aurora contemplated for a minute before pulling her firearm out. She aimed it at the doorknob before a loud bang rang throughout the surroundings. On the floor, the doorknob rolled around as the apartment door slowly opened. Aurora went on guard before kicking the door open. At the next moment, she aimed into the seemingly empty apartment before stepping in. Her eyes darted around while her gun followed. In this way, she cleared the kitchen and living room of the apartment before walking towards one of the three bedrooms. Sweat formed on her forehead as she focused completely. With one hand, she clenched her gun, while with the other, she slowly turned the bedroom door knob. Seconds later, a small click rang through the apartment as the door opened. Aurora leaned down before realizing the possible situation that could be ensuing inside. She had no knowledge of the inside of the room, meaning she was in a foreign environment. Luckily, she encountered no adversaries while clearing the apartment. But that meant there was an even higher chance they were camping inside the bedroom, ready to shoot and kill. Not to mention, Aurora had no knowledge of the number of people possibly inside. In the end, she could do nothing but hope she was only facing one man.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.Aurora readied herself to charge in before noticing something on the floor. Then she had an incredible idea. She leaned down and grabbed onto it before shouting loudly.


    ¡°Take this motherfucker!!!¡±


    At the next moment, she threw the hard object into the room as one man shouted from the inside.


    ¡°Shit!¡±


    Hearing that, Aurora rushed in, leaned down as she looked, and aimed toward the direction of the voice. With eyes as fast as lightning, she locked eyes on her target before getting ready to pull her gun¡¯s trigger. While the man who was inside was looking towards the object Aurora had thrown, ready to dive down.


    At that moment, though, Aurora got a good look at the man before realizing it was actually Alejandro! She immediately stopped herself from pulling the trigger as Alejandro noticed her. Immediately, Alejandro aimed his gun at her as she began rushing towards him, dropping her weapon in the process. At the next moment, Aurora was close enough to him and lunged herself at him. Before Alejandro could pull his trigger, she grasped onto the bottom of the gun and shoved it upwards as a blast echoed through the room. Next, with all the force her short body could produce, she shoved herself into Alejandro as they both plunged toward the bedroom wall. A loud thud ensued as Alejandro¡¯s voice leaked out.


    ¡°Aughh!¡±


    With Alejandro caught off guard, Aurora found herself with two choices. Either tell him he was with Vicente and hope he believed her, or beat the shit out of Alejandro until he understood. Without a second thought, she chose the ladder as she pulled her arm back and whipped up a punch. Instantly, Alejandro focused and noticed the oncoming hit, but before he could properly react, her fist pierced the air before making contact with Alejandro¡¯s face.


    She was not an inherently strong person; however, through training and sheer determination, she had surpassed most men in strength. In a flash, her singular punch completely jolted Alejandro¡¯s head back, and he nearly passed out. Straight away, Alejandro pulled his arms up to block his head as he attempted to recover from the hit.


    Unfortunately, before Alejandro could regain himself, Aurora continued punching him with a barrage of hits. Each punch burrowed deep into his body as it seemed to break his bones. Seeing this, Alejandro knew he had to defend his body as well. Pulling his defense down, Aurora read him and immediately pushed her fist toward his face. Without even realizing it, her punch moved at lightning speed as it smashed into his chin. This time, he could not remain conscious as the focus in his eyes scattered. Consequently, he flew backward and collapsed onto the ground face-first.


    Standing, Aurora gasped for breath as buckets of sweat fell from her face. She gazed at Alejandro momentarily before kicking him lightly, ensuring he was knocked out. Then, she relaxed as exhaustion flooded her body.


    For minutes, Aurora continued to look at Alejandro with a light smile on her face. In her eyes, he had exceeded her expectations. Most people would go down in one hit because of her sheer accuracy in hitting crucial points. However, it took two punches in the head and multiple in the body before he fell.


    Sure, he was stupid, but at least he was tanky if not anything else.


    She continued to smile as she dragged his body. Through the living room, she continuously pulled him until they arrived in the dining room. Then, she pulled him up and sat him in one of the dining room table chairs, waiting for him to wake.

 Chapter 14: New Come Desire.

    Alejandro¡¯s mind slowly drifted into consciousness as pain radiated from all parts of his being. He slowly lifted his heavy eyelids before jolting, trying to move. However, he was stuck, tied down to the chair he was sitting in. He looked around to see himself in his dining room, never having left his apartment. Looking forward, he saw Aurora eating fast food. In her left hand, she held multiple fries, while in her left hand, a double-stacked hamburger with multiple chunks taken out of it fit comfortably in her hand.


    She was so immersed in eating that she did not notice that Alejandro had awoken until he said something.


    ¡°Who the hell are you?¡±


    Aurora looked up and noticed he was awake. She quickly swallowed the food she had in her mouth before speaking.


    ¡°Vicente sent me.¡±


    ¡°!¡±


    Alejandro¡¯s eyes widened slightly before he grew suspicious.


    ¡°Why would you knock me out if he sent you? Actually, why in the hell would you break in?¡±


    Aurora and Alejandro both looked back towards the shot door, with the doorknob on the ground and the door open.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t answering. I thought someone else had gotten to you first.¡±


    Alejandro squinted as he remained vigilant.


    ¡°See, that¡¯s why I knocked you out. You would have shot me if I hadn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°¡­Prove it to me.¡±


    Aurora bit a piece of her burger off and shoved fries into her mouth before responding.


    ¡°I can tell you the reason he sent me if you want to know.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Aurora took his silence as a yes and continued.


    ¡°He sent me because you pussied out.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Aurora smiled before placing her burger down.


    ¡°Javier had told him that after a little boy was killed, you left.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°And I can see that has been affecting you. You¡¯ve been drinking to relieve the stress. I saw plenty of empty beer bottles in your room.¡±


    Aurora stared at him as he refused to respond.


    For minutes, they sat in silence while Aurora continued to eat before she added a comment.


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    ¡°The guilt has been eating away at you, hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    Alejandro looked down before attempting to escape again. Aurora pulled out her firearm in response and placed it on the table.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m not supposed to kill you, but don¡¯t tempt me.¡±


    Alejandro stared at the gun before settling down.


    Aurora finished her meal and cleaned up after herself.


    ¡°Go and speak to him tomorrow; he wants to see you.¡±


    Alejandro debated for a moment in his head before speaking to Aurora.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t know why he had to kill the kid. He was only a little boy, no older than ten¡­¡±


    Aurora threw her trash into a bin before speaking to him.


    ¡°What do you mean, why? He had to kill him.¡±


    Alejandro¡¯s face tensed as anger formed in his body.


    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t! He could have let the little boy go!¡±


    Aurora walked back towards him before sitting down once again.


    ¡°That boy would have shot you, no doubt.¡±


    Alejandro was shocked as he questioned.


    ¡°What? What are you-¡±


    ¡°That rage and anguish doesn¡¯t leave.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Alejandro stood silent and listened while she continued.


    ¡°Whether five years or maybe ten years later, he would have found you and put a bullet into your head.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°He watched his father get killed mercilessly. Over time, that trauma would eat away at the boy. In the end, all he would think of was revenge. Every waking moment of his day, your death and everyone else¡¯s would be the only thing keeping him going.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    Aurora smiled with a deathly stare as she continued.


    ¡°I think Javier is scum, but he was in the right.¡±


    Alejandro heard this and nearly snapped.


    ¡°There is no right! In what world is killing him, right!?¡±


    ¡°Alejandro, you walked into this world head first. You should know nothing is wrong in this world.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t there! He played with the boy as though he was a toy! Something he could throw away after he was satisfied!¡±


    Aurora stood up and prepared to leave while listening to Alejandro.


    ¡°And so what?¡±


    ¡°!!¡±


    She placed her gun in her pocket before walking over to Alejandro.


    ¡°He did what he wanted and what he needed to. He killed two birds with one stone.¡±


    At Alejandro, she pulled out a pocket knife before cutting the rope that was stuck, binding him.


    ¡°You¡¯re justifying it?¡±


    The rope fell as Alejandro found himself free. Aurora walked away towards the door.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t care.¡±


    Alejandro clenched his fists but stopped himself from doing anything.


    ¡°If you really have a problem with it, do something about it.¡±


    ¡°!!¡±


    Alejandro¡¯s eyes widened in shock as he looked at Aurora.


    ¡°Instead of drinking your sorrows away, stand and act like a man.¡±


    Aurora walked to the broken door before pushing it open. She looked back at Alejandro one last time before he spoke.


    ¡°Change it¡­?¡±


    Aurora smiled and responded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can do anything about Javier.¡±


    Alejandro sat in his chair as she left. Minutes later, he stood up and walked to the fridge before opening it. Inside, he grabbed an ice-cold beer, popping the top off and bringing it to his mouth before stopping. He thought hard about what Aurora said before pulling the drink down and throwing it onto the ground. Then, with a bag, he grabbed all of the beers he had before throwing them out of his house.


    He went into his room with another bag and cleaned it all up as well before throwing it out of his house. Moments later, someone else walked inside. Alejandro looked and saw who it was. It was Aurora again.


    ¡°I forgot to give you your gun back.¡±


    After saying that, she pulled a handgun out before tossing it to Alejandro and leaving once again.


    However, before she could, Alejandro spoke to her.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Aurora looked back and saw a determined glint in his eyes, surprising her slightly.


    ¡°Earlier, you spoke about the rage of having your loved one killed.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°Did something like that happen to you too?¡±


    Aurora stared at him before leaving without responding.


    Alejandro jumped up, realizing he had probably said something wrong.


    ''Did I say something wrong??''


    Then he sighed lightly before continuing to clean his dirty house, as though he were cleaning his head.

 Chapter 15: Second Meeting

    It was an early morning the day after Elena¡¯s first day of school. With several rough knocks on his door, Francisco slowly woke up and began answering the door. He stood up from his bed and rubbed his eyes while looking around his room. It was cleaner than yesterday. After spending a huge chunk of time working at Matthew¡¯s shop, he arrived home and ate McDonald¡¯s with everyone. Of course, they had only gotten it because of Elena. Nevertheless, after eating and talking for a long while, Francisco came up here and tried to organize the room. Obviously, it was a difficult task. While working at the shop and organizing his room, the bruises caused by Everett were a hindrance to him. Every time he bent down or moved in a non-specific way, the pain would envelop where the bruises were. For most of the day, he would simply deal with it and work. However, it seemed that the more he moved, the worse it got. Over time, it developed from a constant heavy-hitting sting to feeling like one was getting punched over and over. Halfway through the day, Francisco even debated confessing to Marcia about it to get out of work. However, he chose not to disclose it due to the barrage of questions she would most definitely ask. Today, though, the pain seemed to have gotten even worse. It now felt as though a boxer was jabbing where the bruises were. For Francisco, they were still manageable, but it was only a matter of time before the pain became too much to bear.


    Francisco walked to the door before opening it to see Marcia. She had a wide smile on her face and seemed to be in a happy mood.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you woke up this late.¡±


    With a turn, Francisco looked back to his desk and saw the number 10:20 on the alarm clock.


    ¡°Huh, I guess I did.¡±


    Marcia continued to smile as she proceeded to talk some more.


    ¡°Elena already left hours ago because you did not want to wake up!¡±


    Francisco remained straight-faced while she continued.


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter anyway. Come down for breakfast, okay?¡±


    With a simple nod, Francisco closed his room door and walked back to his bed. There, he dug into his bag before pulling his cocaine out. It had become a daily occurrence for him to ingest it in the morning. He hoped that by snorting in the morning, his constant desire for it would lessen to a manageable point throughout the day. And it had worked mostly, except for a couple of surges in desire on some days.


    After taking it in, Francisco calmed as the pain lessened. Thinking about it, on open wounds, one could use cocaine as an anesthetic to relieve pain. Could the same be said about bruises as well? Although he did not know the answer, it was worth a try. With the bag in hand, he dug down and pulled half a fistful before taking his shirt off. Under it, dark purple bruises revealed themselves, radiating with pain. Francisco used the handful and rubbed it across all his bruises with a wince on his face. Afterward, he zipped the bag of cocaine up before examining it. He had noticed a measurable dip in the amount he had. In this one specific bag, only half of it was full. Francisco knew that the day he¡¯d run out would come soon; however, he still was not ready to live without it. Although he had multiple more bags similar to this one, Francisco knew time was passing. It was only a matter of time before he depleted all he had.


    This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.Unless he could find a distributor, this was all he had. It was unlikely he¡¯d find a seller of cocaine here. So he had to live with this feeble amount.


    Francisco put the cocaine back into his bag before stepping out of his room. He walked down a hallway and stepped downstairs before stepping into the divergence point of the living room and dining room. To his left, Marcia was sitting on a dining room chair with her phone in one hand and her coffee in the other. On the mug, the word best mom was stamped across the mug, while a heart lay under the two words.


    Francisco stepped into the dining room and sat on one of the chairs opposite Marcia. On the table, two plates of food lay, one next to Marcia and the other next to Francisco. Placed on the plate were two fried eggs with pancakes and bacon. In general, the meal was made with care, which gave Francisco a feeling of suspicion. He had grown accustomed to everything coming with strings attached, so he grew suspicious of the care.


    ¡°Thanks for the food.¡±


    With that said, he began eating. Seconds later, Marcia placed her phone down and began eating as well. For minutes, the two continuously ate without saying anything to each other. Francisco slowly put his guard down as he ate the good food his sister had prepared. However, Marcia said something that sparked his suspicions once again.


    ¡°Francisco, we need to go somewhere after you finish eating.¡±


    Francisco continued eating while thinking about what she said.


    ¡°Where to?¡±


    Marcia thought about her answer before telling Francisco.


    ¡°We have to visit a friend I know in the hospital.¡±


    ¡°Hospital, huh.¡±


    Although he felt heavy suspicion, who was he to tell her no? He lived in her house and ate her food. He had no right to deny going where she wanted to go. So even though he speculated on what she was trying to accomplish, he did not say anything to her face.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After that, they had a light chat as they ate. Afterward, she washed the dishes while she spoke to him.


    ¡°Go and get ready; I¡¯ll do the same after I¡¯m done.¡±


    Francisco nodded, showered, and readied himself while she did the same. Forty minutes later, the two departed from the house to the local hospital, where Marcia¡¯s supposed friend was.

 Chapter 15: Second Meeting; Portion Two

    It was a ten-minute ride from Marcia¡¯s house to the hospital. Along the way, they passed by a multitude of different sites before they pulled into the hospital¡¯s parking lot.


    The two exited the SUV and walked to the entrance of the hospital. Inside, cold air smacked the two as the smell of medicine permeated everywhere. They walked towards the front desk after passing by many empty chairs. There, Marcia and the receptionist spoke.


    ¡°Excuse me, I¡¯m here to visit Yasmine Abram.¡±


    After some back-and-forth talk, the receptionist told the two which room she was in.


    ¡°Yasmine is currently in room 294.¡±


    ¡°Thank you very much.¡±


    The receptionist smiled as the two walked past her to the inner portion of the hospital.


    The two walked down hallway after hallway in an attempt to navigate the hospital. That was until Marcia realized that the floor they were on had 100 rooms. So, next to an elevator, they went up one floor and looked around more. After quite some time, the two finally found themselves in front of door number 294.


    Marcia hesitated for a bit before knocking on the door. Then she opened the door.


    Inside, a strong smell of medicine, different from what they had experienced before, intoxicated them slightly. However, they persisted as Marcia walked past a small hallway to arrive at a hospital bed.


    Marcia looked at her and saw Yasmine sleeping. Light breaths came out of her nose as her chest slowly rose and fell. As she was about to speak, Marcia stopped herself as she realized her state.


    Francisco walked in behind her and looked towards the women sleeping as well. The moment he laid his eyes on her, his heart shook as he realized who she was. Before he could do anything, though, Yasmine slowly opened her eyes and stared directly at Francisco. Still in a drowsy state, she did not think much about it. That was until she fully woke up, at which point she jumped.


    ¡°!!¡±


    Marcia stepped back from her sudden movement before seeing her surprised expression.


    ¡°Um, excuse me, Yasmine.¡±


    Yasmine looked towards Marcia as she continued to speak.


    ¡°Did your father not notify you that we were coming?¡±


    Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.


    Instead of answering, Yasmine looked back toward Francisco and winced. Their eyes were really similar, giving her a bad feeling.


    Marcia, next to the two, continued to try and talk but failed horrendously.


    ¡°Excuse me¡­¡±


    Yasmine continued to ignore her as she glared at Francisco. Seeing it, Francisco decided to step in and try to leave.


    ¡°Marcia, do you even know her?¡±


    Marcia looked away as sweat formed on her forehead.


    ¡°Yeah¡­ I know her.¡±


    Both Yasmine and Francisco thought her response was pathetic as they looked at her.


    ¡°Marcia, why exactly did you want me to come here?¡±


    Marcia felt the pressure from the two of them before folding.


    ¡°I spoke to Yasmine¡¯s father yesterday and asked him to set up an appointment for the two of you, okay!?¡±


    Francisco heard her response, but he still had a question.


    ¡°But, why?¡±


    Marcia looked at Francisco with pain in her eyes. She knew that she could not keep her intentions hidden anymore, as she revealed everything.


    ¡°Because I heard from her father about her addiction to drugs¡­¡±


    Francisco¡¯s eyes widened as his suspicions were finally answered.


    ¡°And you also had an addiction, so I wanted to try and help you with this meeting.¡±


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t think of asking for my permission?¡±


    Marcia felt the annoyance coming from Francisco, so she attempted to defend herself.


    ¡°I knew you would have said no if I asked you, so I just brought you here.¡±


    Hearing that, Francisco realized just how much she saw him as a child needing help. And although he felt a little angry, there was no way he was going to argue with her in front of someone else.


    ¡°Can you two just talk, if even for thirty minutes?¡±


    Francisco wanted to deny her badly; however, he stopped himself. She had thought this would help him in his struggle. And even though he knew it would not, he felt a little happy seeing how much she cared. So even though nothing was going to be done because of this meeting, he felt more inclined to do it.


    ¡°Alright. But could we do it alone?¡±


    Marcia was genuinely surprised by his answer and left immediately.


    ¡°Of Course! I¡¯ll be outside if you need me.¡±


    With a light click, the room door closed, and Francisco and Yasmine were left alone in the room.


    From the bed, Francisco could hear her making fun of him.


    ¡°That was a nice show.¡±


    Francisco looked back at her with disgust in his eyes as she looked back the same way. He felt like sitting in silence the entire time; however, he wanted to at least say he tried.


    Francisco walked to the corner of the room where a small couch was and sat in it.


    ¡°Hey, did your father really not tell you about this?¡±


    Yasmine stared at him for a moment before responding.


    ¡°No, that asshole could tell I¡¯d do something if I knew.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    The two sat in silence for minutes, as they did not know what to say to each other. That was until Yasmine spoke about his addictions.


    ¡°Say, what drug are you addicted to?¡±


    Francisco looked up and wondered how she knew he was addicted to something. But then he remembered how Marcia blabbed it out in front of her. ¡±


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m addicted to cocaine.¡±


    Yasmine¡¯s eyes widened slightly as she exclaimed.


    ¡°Ooohhh, the rich man¡¯s drug! Do you have any on you right now?¡±


    Francisco looked towards her in disgust as he saw her anticipation.


    ¡°No, and even if I did, I wouldn¡¯t give you any.¡±


    With a light ¡°Tch!¡± the two submerged themselves in silence again as Yasmine picked up a remote and turned the TV mounted to the wall on. Then, Francisco pulled the chair closer to see what was playing on the TV as the two simply watched it.

 Chapter 16: Time

    It was an early morning for Alejandro; he woke up at 7 a.m. with the help of his alarm. He turned it off as he groaned lightly. In the end, though, he stood up from his bed and readied himself. He changed into semi-formal clothes, found deep in his closet, dusted from the many years of nonuse. He changed and looked up to see the bullet hole in his ceiling before stepping out into a hallway that took him to a short hallway leading to the living room and kitchen. He walked down the hallway before fixing himself something to eat. Grabbing eggs from his fridge, he cracked them into a bowl before mixing them up lightly with milk. Then, on low heat, he poured them into a skillet. After all was done, he sat down on one of his dining room chairs and proceeded to eat.


    By the time he finished, it was 7:40, which was when he left. He knew Vicente was in his office by this time, usually alone, which is why he woke up at this time.


    Grabbing the keys off a table next to the door, Alejandro left his apartment and headed towards his car. There, he turned it on as engines roared across the empty parking lot.


    Under a wisp of smoke, he left the parking lot and headed to Vicente¡¯s office. For now, at least, he had no fear of facing him.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    With a light beep, the heart monitor illuminated the dark room as Yasmine breathed in and out. From the outside, someone stepped in and walked towards her. Hearing the commotion, she woke up to see a large figure next to her. Without batting an eye, she knew who it was. Not only did he have a thick smell of cigarettes coming off of him, but he also had a large, round body, which gave it away.


    ¡°You woke me up.¡±


    He opened the curtains, revealing the bright sun outside. She winced as his body was illuminated by the sun. Outside, clouds crawled through the sky as people walked around in the garden located in front of her window. Children walked around with hospital gowns on while elderly patients were pushed into wheelchairs.


    By all means, it was a good day, and because it was such a nice day, Everett thought of taking his daughter out to walk.


    ¡°Want to go out?¡±


    Yasmine yawned before responding.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m staying in here.¡±


    Everett continued looking out before inquiring about yesterday¡¯s meeting.


    ¡°Are you mad I made that meetin¡¯?¡±


    Yasmine thought about staying silent; however, thinking of the amusement she had yesterday, she responded.


    This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    ¡°I¡¯d have preferred if you¡¯d told me, but it¡¯s fine.¡±


    Everett had thought she would have reacted much differently to his inquiry; he thought she would have been extremely angry. But to his pleasant surprise, she was fine with it.


    ¡°You want me to set another up?¡±


    Yasmine stayed silent for minutes, thinking of the question. In the end, she did not respond. Although she did not hate it, she would prefer it not to happen again.


    Trying to understand her silence, Everett responded.


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll set one up.¡±


    Everett looked at his watch before continuing to speak to her.


    ¡°Alright, I have to leave. You¡¯ll be discharged soon; don¡¯t end up here again.¡±


    With those words, he left, leaving the curtain open. With heavy movement, she stood up and looked out the window to see the beautiful garden down below.


    For days since she had been here, the desire to smoke had persisted heavily. However, this was a hospital, not her home. Not only had she not brought anything, she had no way of accessing anything in her home. And asking Everett to bring a blunt was a stupid idea. So although she has had the desire for marijuana, she was forced to sober up and live through the pain of every day.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª-


    The sun shone down onto the dew-filled park as Vicente and another man sat. It was a near-empty park because of how early it was. The only ones there were men and women dressed in athletic attire, running past them. Vicente and the man sat on a bench that oversaw a large pond filled with geese and other various animals.


    The two continuously sat in silence, watching the geese move around the pond, before Vicente broke the silence.


    ¡°If you¡¯re here to ask about Francisco, I¡¯ll let you know I need time.¡±


    The man smiled lightly, creating wrinkles around his mouth. Based on his nappy hair and slightly aged face, it would be fair to assume he was in his mid-forties.


    ¡°I just wanted to admire the view with you, Vicente.¡±


    He stood up before walking towards the geese. In his right hand, he held bread crumbs, from which he dropped bread.


    ¡°You do know that it is advised not to feed them?¡±


    Despite hearing Vicente¡¯s warning, the man continued feeding the geese as he spoke.


    ¡°You know, it is quite easy to gain the trust of these geese. All I need is a bit of feed before they surround me. As though they have full trust in me.¡±


    Vicente looked down at the geese before questioning the man.


    ¡°What are you getting at?¡±


    The man continued to smile as he fed them.


    ¡°All I¡¯m saying is that with enough time, they get so close to me. To the point where-¡±


    At that moment, he reached down and grabbed a goose by the neck as it struggled.


    ¡°It is easy to catch them.¡±


    Vicente understood what he meant as he advised the man.


    ¡°You control your men; I¡¯ll control mine; do not try and teach me how to get information.¡±


    The man¡¯s smile faded as he let go of the geese.


    ¡°He killed my son, Vicente. My boy was only ten, yet he killed him in cold blood. And you ask me not to question your abilities. He is a dog that needs to be put down!¡±


    Vicente realized he may have crossed the line, so he stayed silent. At the current moment, he needed him; he could not afford to offend him.


    ¡°I want his head soon, Vicente. My men can only keep calm for so long. If it were up to me, I¡¯d demolish everything that¡¯s attached to his name! However, I¡¯m giving you a chance to bring him directly, for your own safety.¡±


    With that said, the man walked away towards another group of individuals in the parking lot. While Vicente stood staring at the geese, realizing just how much stress this was going to cause him,.

 Chapter 17: Time Long Gone.

    It was an early morning for Francisco. Everyone was downstairs, while Francisco remained in his room, thinking. Ever since meeting with Yasmine yesterday, he has been unable to keep his mind at bay. Since the moment he had first seen her in the soft embrace of those convertible¡¯s headlights, he had gotten a sense of deja vu. There was something about her that induced these feelings of remembrance, yet he was not able to connect them, twisting Francisco¡¯s head. Yesterday, though, he finally realized what it was that made him feel so weird. It was not the way she acted or her general appearance. Rather, it was the way she seemed that day that reminded him of Yasmine. Seeing Yasmine, Francisco finally connected with how that cursed woman felt. He realized the feelings of the woman he hated from the bottom of his heart. She was a person to whom Francisco had grown attached¡ªsomeone he had loved. It was his third girlfriend and his first wife, the woman he had killed with his own hands and the unborn child in her.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    7 years ago, in Los Angeles, California.


    It was a quiet night where the moon shone and the stars danced. Yet everything below them was hell. In a small warehouse outside of the city were Francisco and some of his trusted men.


    Deep marks sat under Francisco¡¯s eyes as he sat down. In front of him was a short figure, their faces covered in a bag. He was also sat down, however, he was tied to the chair he was sitting on, tightly keeping him in place. He was seemingly unconscious; the way their heads bent proved so.


    In front of the unconscious figure, Francisco stared deeply at them, with a gun in one hand and nothing in the other. Francisco was clean shaven, had a clean haircut, and was wearing a crisp suit that contrasted sharply with the dark and dingy room.


    Next to the two was a young Javier, who was on the phone with someone. His face was stressed, wrinkled the way he frowned so deeply. Moments after Francisco looked at him, Javier hung the phone up and looked at him, a smile now plastered onto his once saddened face.


    ¡°What did they say?¡±


    ¡°They agreed!¡±


    Francisco smiled lightly as his baggy eyes seemed alleviated. During this, though, the bagged figure in front of him began moving around, attempting to escape. Francisco stood up from his chair and walked over to them. Then he pulled the bag on top of his head off and looked straight into their eyes, just as they did the same. The boy had a nappy head, similar to his father¡¯s. He looked at Francisco with hate in his eyes as he continued to struggle.


    ¡°Stop. We¡¯ve come to an agreement with your father. You¡¯ll live another day, boy.¡±


    The young boy looked at Francisco suspiciously, speculating on what he said.


    ¡°Why¡¯d you do this anyway!? If you have a problem with my father, take it up with him.¡±


    Francisco smiled at the boy¡¯s question, internally thinking about what a smart child this was.


    "Usually, I¡¯d agree. However, your father took something from me, so I took something from him in return.¡±


    ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°Just be lucky I¡¯m returning you alive. Wait and be quiet; they¡¯ll be here soon.¡±


    Francisco finished speaking before walking towards the entrance of the warehouse.


    ¡°Prepare yourselves; who knows whether he¡¯s lying?¡±


    Everyone in the warehouse was in a sour mood after hearing what Francisco had said about their situation. Without knowing the future, anyone would assume they would end up in a gunfight. And knowing Francisco, it would not be out of the question for them to all die here. Everyone could feel cold sweat falling down their backs as chills formed.


    Thirty minutes after that fateful phone call, multiple cars pulled into the warehouse. Each one had blasting headlights, illuminating the dark, clear night as Francisco walked out with the rest of his gang.


    ¡°Pull the boy out!¡±


    With that said, multiple men went back inside before coming out with the boy in tow.


    As this happened, multiple people from the opposing side stepped out of their vehicles. Some with dreads, others with waves, and some with box cuts walked towards Francisco and his group. Moments later, a noteworthy figure stepped out as well. It was a man in his mid-thirties, yet even though he was not that old, he had shallow wrinkles that lay on his forehead. The stress of this job was immense, aging one to the limit.


    However, Francisco did not care about the man much; what he wanted still did not step out.


    ¡°Where is she, Amir?¡±


    Amir walked towards the rest of his men before looking at Francisco with a deep rage in his eyes.


    ¡°Show me my son first.¡±


    Francisco hesitated but accepted it in the end.


    ¡°Show him.¡±


    Some of Francisco¡¯s men walked out from behind him with the boy. Once the child had gotten used to the bright headlights, he looked around the crowd of men and saw his father as tears poured out of his eyes.


    ¡°Pa!¡±


    Amir looked at him with many unnoticeable emotions in his eyes before he looked back towards Francisco.


    At the same time, Francisco nodded to his men, who pulled the boy back from their reach, surprising him.


    ¡°Show me my wife, Amir.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°In the end, if it has to go that way, we can at least get another of what we lose, right?¡±


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    Francisco smiled chillingly as Amir clenched his fists.


    ¡°Bring her out!¡±


    As he said that, men from Amir¡¯s side walked back towards a vehicle before out came Francisco¡¯s wife.


    Relief filled his being the moment he saw her. Although he had spoken of replacements, he knew that she was his soulmate for life. She was someone he would never betray.


    It was not time to celebrate just yet, though, as they still had to exchange the two hostages.


    Francisco looked at her deeply before looking back towards his men, who were bringing the boy up. Seeing that, he looked back at Amir before stepping closer.


    ¡°Alright, let¡¯s exchange.¡±


    Amir nodded as the two hostages walked past each other. Francisco grasped onto his soulmate as she looked back at him.


    ¡°Baby, I¡¯m sorry I let this happen to you.¡±


    She looked at him with deep love as she embraced him.


    ¡°It¡¯s okay; all that matters is that I¡¯m with you once again.¡±


    Francisco nodded as they hugged. Moments later, he let go and looked towards Amir. From what he saw, they were also reuniting with each other before they finished.


    ¡°Amir, let¡¯s ensure this does not happen again.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    Francisco turned around, ready to leave, before he heard Amir speak.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure this does not happen again.¡±


    Francisco did not think much of his words, taking them as a sign of promise. However, from behind, as Francisco¡¯s wife was walking back, she kneeled down for no apparent reason. Many walked towards her in worry, thinking Amir may have hurt her. And from the ground, she discreetly lifted her pants sleeve before pulling out a small handgun. At the next moment, she jumped up and aimed it directly at Francisco, his loving gaze gone, exchanged for a cold, cunning one.


    Instantly, a large bang resounded through the surroundings as Francisco jolted forward slightly from the hit.


    Extreme pain radiated from his back as he grasped where he was shot, pulling his hand back to see a dark pool of blood.


    At the next moment, multiple people ran over to the two of them as more shots rang, not from his wife but from Amir¡¯s men.


    Francisco staggered as men on both sides engaged in a battle.


    Francisco¡¯s head hurt as he struggled to stand. But it was not due to the physical pain; rather, it was due to the emotional pain. He looked back towards her with shattered eyes as multiple of his men grabbed onto her, stopping her from firing again.


    At first, he felt disbelief. He could not believe she would have done this or why. However, he soon came to terms, realizing it had happened. Then he questioned everything. How long had she been working for him? The whole time? Maybe for only a short time, but why¡­


    Soon after these questions, he stopped questioning things and regained himself. His men were dying while he was bleeding out.


    Other than the pain, he felt rage. It boiled in him, originating from his shot, until it flooded through his head, stopping his reasoning.


    He staggered for a moment before standing tall, his once shattered eyes replaced with rage. She also noticed this and smiled lightly.


    ¡°Hahaha!! Look at you!¡±


    Francisco frowned deeply before walking towards her. Each step he took enhanced and fired his rage to a boiling point. And before he could think, he pulled out his gun and aimed it at her.


    They both looked at each other with immense hate as his wife continued smiling, having seemingly no regret. Instead, it seemed as though she was euphoric, as though she were high.


    With shaking hands, Francisco struggled as reason, love, and rage battled in his mind. From the first shot she took, her fate was sealed, and she noticed it too. But instead of being scared of her eventual demise, she smiled, ready to face it. She no longer held any value in her life, letting everything go. She was no longer held by the confines of this world. Although she would have preferred to kill him, seeing his face this way was a good alternative.


    Finally, through their hate-filled gaze, Francisco¡¯s hate ruled over as he fired a deep shot into her chest.


    She jumped lightly and looked down to her breast to see blood and smoke pouring out. Multiple men held onto her as she screamed from the pain. It filled her mind the same way it had for Francisco. However, after the pain subsided, she felt nothing but happiness; she was glad to die.


    Francisco saw this and continued. He fired one more shot directly into her lungs, piercing through her body. She looked down and struggled to breathe, slowly suffocating from the lack of oxygen.


    A moment later, Francisco fired another, and another, and another. Each bullet was directed towards her chest, as he avoided her head and stomach. He wanted her to experience that pain¡ªthe same pain he was experiencing right now. But no matter how many times he shot, her resolve never faltered. Instead, it steeled after every shot as she slowly lost her life.


    After the fifth bullet entered her body, she finally passed away with a soft smile on her face.


    His wife and his unborn child were dead. Each was killed with his own hands.


    Tears fell down Francisco¡¯s face as an unmovable amount of hate continued to circulate through his body. So he directed it towards Amir and his men.


    He turned and looked towards the bloody battlefield as shots flew between the two groups. Men on both sides had died in heavy numbers, yet Francisco did not care. His rage consumed him as he fired at his opposition. Each shot he took killed someone. However, it did not diminish his rage in any way. Multiple people fell, yet he remained the same. The only way to lessen this crazed rage was to transfer it to Amir! He would transfer it by killing Amir¡¯s child!


    From the other side, Amir looked on, firing a couple of shots a minute, slowly backing up to his vehicle, not making any sudden movements. Many men surrounded the two as they continued, inching closer every second.


    Closing in on their vehicle, Amir laughed and smiled, seeing that his plan was at least a half success. Although he would have liked for Francisco to die here, there was no way of getting to them with the heavy quantity of men. But saving his child meant he had at least succeeded partially, which was fine by him. He could save killing Francisco for another day; as for right now, they had to escape safely.


    However, just as they were about to near their vehicle, a stray shot was fired towards one of the men protecting Amir¡¯s child. Amir looked over towards where the shot came, scanning through the crowd swiftly to see Francisco! He had a deep smile on his face, with tears falling down his face. His eyes were filled with a rage Amir had never witnessed from him before.


    A deep chill traveled through his body as he turned to his son, attempting to shield him. However, before he could dive towards him, another shot rang towards them. It traveled through everyone guarding them, hitting the boy on the head and coming out the other side.


    ¡°Nooo!!!¡±


    Blood and brain matter poured out, splattering itself on Amir¡¯s face as his child fell. The boy''s eyes dimmed as his consciousness departed. One second after the boy was shot, he died.


    Amir kneeled down and carried him into his embrace.


    ¡°Isaiah! Answer me, Isaiah!!¡±


    No matter how much he screamed at the boy, he never awoke.


    Amir¡¯s eyes filled with the same rage as Francisco¡¯s as he yelled.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill that motherfucker!!!¡±


    He pulled out his gun before attempting to run to the battlefield. Luckily, he was stopped by some of his close men, who advised him against it.


    ¡°Boss, we¡¯re outnumbered here. If we stay any longer, we¡¯ll die!¡±


    However, no matter what anyone said, it passed over Amir¡¯s head as he attempted to kill Francisco. Moments later, people dragged him to his vehicle and prepared to leave.


    On the other side, Francisco shot at multiple people with a near-crazed look in his eyes. People from both sides fell; some were injured badly, while others were dead.


    ¡°Kill them all!! These fucks aren¡¯t going to live another day!!!¡±


    He fired multiple shots before Javier came behind him.


    ¡°Jefe! Your wound, we have to get it treated!¡±


    Francisco looked down at his wound as his adrenaline wore off, submerging him in pain. He collapsed onto the ground before sweat fell from his forehead. With a sorrowful try, he attempted to gather himself but struggled to do so.


    It was clear here that neither of them were going to die. However, in the future, it was nearly guaranteed that a full war was going to break out between the two, bringing one of them to death.


    With increasing pain, Javier helped Francisco leave the blood-stained battlefield before he got him medical help. At the same time, Amir left his vehicle with heavy regrets hitting his soul.

 Chapter 18: Distant Dreams

    Francisco slowly escaped his dazed state as he looked up towards his room. It was still dirty even after days of cleaning. Of course, with how cluttered it was, it would take much more time to truly cleanse it; however, no matter how much he tried to reason with himself, he was rushing himself, and for what?


    To please others? To please himself? He had never done anything for the approval of others. He only sought to better himself and richen his experiences, yet now he seemed to do the opposite.


    Seeing her made him reminisce, reminding him of his lost ideals and of what he once was. Since the day Alejandro had let him live, he had moved through time motionlessly, following the desires of what others dictated.


    Francisco stood up and walked towards the cluttered mess before kneeling down, picking up every piece of junk before sorting it. He looked up to see the true mountain he had to move through. However, even though it towered over him, he did not lose will; instead, it strengthened, wondering what he would find.


    ¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª¡ª


    It was a gloomy day outside the pastel-colored hospital. Yasmine glanced out the window to see drops of rain pelting the thin window. It seemed as though the heavy rain would shatter the weak glass, pouring it into her room.


    Outside, the once lively garden was now empty, not a single soul present during the heavy storm. Well, of course, no one would be outside during the rain; no one wanted to get soaked. But for Yasmine, she thought about stepping out there for a dance in the rain, completely alone. Comfort could be found during the solitude of being outside currently, transforming her body and mind in the rain. However, no matter how much she wanted to be outside, the tubes and wires attached to her chained her to this uncomfortable bed. The moment she ripped it off, multiple nurses would storm in and check on her, worried she may have done something to herself.


    Yasmine took her mind off of everything and turned the mounted TV on. She flipped through many channels before settling on an old movie. Time passed slowly as Yasmine sat bored. Days had passed since she had arrived here, and even though she was promised freedom soon, she was absolutely bored, sitting here every day. She had not seen her phone for days, disconnecting her from social life, even though she no longer had much of one. However, at least with her phone, she could watch videos or maybe read a little. Without it, she was forced to pass her time by either sleeping, sitting motionlessly, or watching TV.


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    ¡°Haah.¡±


    With a deep sigh, she thought about the day she cut herself to the point of being hospitalized.


    It was never her intention to be stuck here, in this constant loop. She wanted to die that day and end this vicious cycle she had once and for all. She knew the amount of stress she put on Everett every day. She knew he would truly snap soon; that was why she wanted to leave. She wanted to go to a place far away, where no one would know her, recognize her, or even care. All she wanted was to be left alone. But not by him. She yearned to be embraced, loved, and appreciated by him. If only she could sacrifice something, anything, for him again.


    She continued watching the movie that was playing motionlessly as the storm outside continued even harsher. Minutes passed by, and lightning flashed in the surroundings, sending deep tremors through the hospital. Each shake woke Yasmine up from her focus on the TV as she frowned. Moments after the tremor, the thin piece of glass protecting her from the outside elements cracked. She looked over to it and saw the small crack before thinking nothing of it.


    That was until the crack enlarged, spreading from end to end. Noticing this, Yasmine thought of calling a nurse over but did not do so. She stared at the cracked glass more and more. Then she stood up, delicately minding the various chords and wires on her, before walking towards the glass. She stayed in front of it before slowly placing her hand on top of it. She stood still for a moment before pulling her hand back and rapidly swinging it towards the glass. The first hit did not do much to the glass; rather, it was her hand that suffered more damage. Small bruises formed at the point of contact between her hand and the glass as it radiated with pain. Nevertheless, she continued; she threw her fist towards the glass again and again, until ultimately, it shattered. Glass flew everywhere in the room before heavy wind and rain poured in. Some of the glass cut her lightly while it was flying, leaving light trails of blood in its path. Yasmine did not mind it though; she knelt down on the floor, sifting through the multiple glass shards before the perfect one. It was long and sharp, perfect for what she wanted. Because they knew she harmed herself, they ensured that there was nothing that could cause her to do it here. However, with this shattered window, she could finally end it.


    She gripped the glass tightly, to the point it pierced through her fingers, causing blood to rain down from her palm.


    With no hesitation, Yasmine lifted the glass shard up to her neck before making contact. Rain pelted her body as she stayed still, right at the point of contact. She had never hesitated when she was so close before, so why exactly did she now? It was her desire to free herself from here, yet when she had the chance, she could not bring herself to do it.


    It was pitiful logic, this internal struggle she had. In the end, though, she slowly took the piece down from her neck and called a nurse to come in.


    With a deep sigh, she stood up and went back to her bed before lying down.


    ¡°I really want to try some coke.¡±


    Moments after saying that, a nurse stepped in to see the mess present before checking up on Yasmine.