《Dream on, Struggler!》 Chapter One: A Little Suffering Ella Grimsdottir was nineteen and a couple months fresh out of highschool, yet she looked in the mirror and it seemed to her as if her soul had already left her body. She had woken up somewhat shaken having had a nightmare in which she and Selim, a long time acquaintance, were pursued by armed men in suits and killed. To calm herself, she looked at the mirror a bit longer, and appreciated her features. In her dream, her hair was styled in a bob with long bangs running on the sides of her face. That was the haircut that she had when she was a student, but now her reflection sported a wild, spiky mane. Just like in her dream, her reddish and white spotted hair remained. Her eyes were sunken and their lids were greyish and slightly swollen. Her lips were colourless and dry. ¡°Well, everything else seems to be in the right place¡± she muttered to herself and went off to get ready. She made herself a single toast for breakfast, but when she realized she had nothing to spread on top of it, she sighed and decided to leave it. So now that she was on her way to work, her stomach was rumbling like crazy. ¡°Stupid, stupid girl. Stupid, boring toast¡± she repeated to herself with a pained look on her face. For a while, work went on without much of a hitch. The boss, a young entrepreneur who had a modestly profitable fund with some friends, owned several businesses around the neighbourhood, and so he didn¡¯t always show up, and when he didn¡¯t, Ella could breathe a sigh of relief, for she found him the most annoying man in the world. It wasn¡¯t a lot of relief, however, because even if she didn¡¯t have to put up with the owner, the manager was still around. And that woman was the kind of woman that reminded Ella that there were people that were born to rule over others. Her hawkish eyes could perceive even the most minor mistake, and her stern mouth held back a deep, penetrating voice that Ella had learnt to avoid hearing. In any case, ¡®without a hitch¡¯ hardly meant that the day had just gone by. Ella handled several chores to take care of at work, and every single one felt like it took hours. She worked eight hours, officially, at least, and it was still nowhere near lunch break, but she could have sworn she had been at it for a whole day. The minutes felt like hours. And the days felt like weeks. And the weeks felt like forever. No wonder she had the eyes of an old lady. She was mopping the floor when the trance she was in was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing. It wasn¡¯t a client, it was too early still for that. ¡°Fuck¡± she thought to herself. She knew exactly who it was. ¡°Ah, Ella, the most productive creature this side of town.¡± The man uttering those words with a bored look in his face had thick rimmed decorative glasses, and sported an English style mustache. There wasn¡¯t anything else about him that was worth describing. ¡°I¡¯m busy, go bother someone else¡± she said back. ¡°Could have fooled me¡± he answered and walked to the manager past the freshly mopped floor, leaving dirty steps all over it. Ella looked at all the new work that had just spawned in front of her and remembered that Greek myth she had read about back in school, but couldn¡¯t remember the name of the central figure. She could only remember the rock sliding down the slope of the mountain. Later that day, late enough for there to be clients, but not enough for lunch break, she overheard a lady complaining loudly at one of the tables about how she had lost tens of thousands of euros. The mention of money made her ears perk up. She sneakily approached a nearby table and pretended to be occupied picking up leftovers while she continued to listen. It seemed that the lady had lost that money betting on an app. But tens of thousands¡­? She began to think ¡°how come dumb people like her have so much spending money? I¡¯ve always known better than to try to get rich by betting, so why am I not rich? If monied people want to part so badly with their cash, why don¡¯t they give it to me? How could I fleece people like that?¡± Unknowingly, she began brainstorming ways to get a scam going. And time might have begun to slip by normally at some point during that, because suddenly a voice she knew plucked her from her fantasy and froze her to her core. ¡°Ella Grimsdottir.¡± Something primeval stirred within her when she heard that voice. ¡°So work has run out, huh?¡± Ella turned around like she was spinning on a rusty hinge. And when she was finally facing the source of the question, she saw a figure she was all too familiar with. The manager looked almost small when she sat in the corner of the shop overlooking the employees, but when she stood next to you she seemed to tower high above. ¡°N-no ma¡¯am, I just¡­ Got distracted¡± Ella muttered as she spiritually curled up into a ball. ¡°Luckily we all have home to get distracted at, don¡¯t we? Yet you choose to be here, it must suit you. A poor and withered soul clings to whatever it can keep. It must be so sad to know exactly what you were made to do, and still be so undeniably bad at it.¡± Ella looked directly at the floor. The words hammering away at her mind on repeat. ¡°Or am I wrong, Grim?¡± ¡°No, ma¡¯am¡­ It is pretty sad¡­¡± ¡°The bar, Grimm. Clean it up. Now.¡± The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. ¡°Yes ma¡¯am¡­¡± She moved on to the bar with a deflated posture, and sitting at it she found the owner drinking some drink from a gaudy cup and scrolling on his phone. ¡°But if it isn¡¯t my gloomiest employee¡± he said. ¡°Sir, I¡¯m not gloomy. I couldn¡¯t be happier to get a paycheck from what is clearly a failing venture¡± she clapped back. ¡°Is that so?¡± he said, arching an eyebrow slightly, but still looking bored. ¡°Why, you must be so good at making money, I just got a three hundred percent return on a stock short, but clearly I should be employing myself in small, failing businesses and make money from nothing. You are a genius!¡± ¡°H-how much money did you say you just got¡­ Right now¡­ With your phone?¡± she said with a concerned expression. ¡°More than you¡¯ll see in the next ten years, snipe. Now clean the bar, it¡¯s almost as dirty as you are and is so much more expensive.¡± In that moment Ella saw herself grabbing a knife from the bar and puncturing the owner¡¯s throat and carotid repeatedly. She had such intrusive thoughts on occasion, but they didn¡¯t bother her when they killed this guy. ¡°In a better world¡± she thought ¡°the law wouldn¡¯t protect people like you from me.¡± And then she smiled. The vivid mental image manifested the bright red clearly, adorning her hands, the thick, warm liquid wetted her dry skin and ruined her cheap clothes. The pleasant thought accompanied her until the end of her shift, when the spell broke. She was walking home when she thought. ¡°What the hell am I doing with my life?¡± Now it wasn¡¯t imaginary blood running down her face, but another, saltier liquid. Her small apartment awaited her dark and still, she couldn¡¯t afford one with windows and the lights were off as electricity had been cut for lack of payment. She sat in the dark and started to feel hungry. Earlier at work, during the lunch break, she realized she had left her wallet at home and couldn¡¯t get anything to eat, so she just sat at the table trying to get her mind off the rumbling of her stomach. Sitting in the dark, two thoughts came to her mind. First: how did she manage her way to the table in the dark without stumbling into anything. And the second was: why¡¯s there cold toast conveniently sitting at the other end of the table for her to curb her hunger with. ¡°I¡¯m the luckiest gal¡± she thought and attempted to go after that bread. But she couldn¡¯t. Her legs didn¡¯t answer her. She started to sweat. Suddenly she wanted that piece of stale toast more than she ever wanted anything in her life. Unable to get up, and getting more and more desperate, she flopped atop the table and attempted to crawl her way to it. But the table was so long, why? She couldn¡¯t afford anything that big, let alone fit it inside her tiny apartment. So why did the snack sit comfortably out of reach, even after she dragged herself to it for what seemed like minutes, with such ferocity that she ripped her fingernails off. She fell back into the chair, fingers bloodied and legs still numb, and realized then why she could see. For all along the room had been illuminated by a faint light that seemed to come from nowhere, a light so faint that she could¡¯ve fool herself into thinking it was just her eyes used to the dark. Looking back at her price, her eyes slowly started to drift upwards, following the silhouette of something that rejected that spectral light. She had seen it before, but couldn¡¯t recall when. Her eyes kept going up the featureless presence until they locked up with what seemed like eyes. But surely they couldn¡¯t be. The white reflected no light, nor did it allow any shadow to be cast on it. And the cavernous depths of the holes in the centre of those whites couldn¡¯t possibly look back. But they did. ¡°What do you want?¡± she asked, suddenly gasping for air. ¡°...What¡­ do you¡­ want¡­¡± Those were her words it repeated back at her, distorted, but still recognizably her voice. And so she realized it was pointless to try and communicate. This wasn¡¯t a thing she was looking at, it wasn¡¯t something that existed. Her words meant nothing. And it was then that a word, or rather a concept was projected into her mind. Vanish. And she realized that she would¡­ Get that toast¡­ Or vanish. She knew it so certainly, and it sunk her mind in the depths of despair. ¡°How do I get to live? How?¡± the question flashed in her mind, her thoughts racing ¡°no¡­ That¡¯s not quite right. I shouldn¡¯t be thinking about how to survive, but how to get what I want. I get what I want and I get to live.¡± It was simple, the answer was so suddenly so clear, but not because of its clarity was it any more possible. What she wanted was far away, and her body would not budge. ¡°Fantastic idea, jackass¡± she said to herself, ¡°it¡¯s always some brilliant plan with you, you¡¯ll somehow get rich doing as little as possible and live like a queen. Not a single one of my ideas has any substance. So now I get to get erased by a creepy thing from another dimension, while everyone that took advantage of me get¡¯s to live a happy and profitable life.¡± Tears started running down her face. Vanish. ¡°Get out of my thoughts!¡± she yelled while striking her thighs ¡°just move, you fat, useless things!¡± She cried and hit her legs like that for a while. And when she stopped, she somehow knew that no time had passed. ¡°So it isn¡¯t just a dream, huh? You are not going to go away, are you?¡± she said with a raspy voice. ¡°...Away¡­ away¡­¡± ¡°How do these fuckers manage to get so much money anyway? It¡¯s like the world bends itself to their whim.¡± She smirked meekly. ¡°If this is a nightmare that I can¡¯t get up from, then at least let me make it more like a dream. A dream in which I can do anything, just like them.¡± So armed with some strange resolve, she stretched her hand towards it. ¡°It¡¯s impossible, don¡¯t you know? Getting what I want, that is. So you better let me get away with a little fantasy, even if a slightly dark one.¡± And so it started, first with a small ache coming from within her forearm, then mind-shattering agony. A small bone appeared between the muscle fibers of her forearm, then another one, and another one. The osseous clump pushed and tore her muscles, veins and arteries started to redirect and flow into the growth. Then muscle started covering those extra bones, as the starters to stretch outwards and in the direction of the toast. She felt every single fiber snap, and when the muscle was out of the way, it started to stretch her skin. It stretched it so hard she thought it would rip, but it never did, and when the growth had the shape of a hand it started to move and grasp for the bread. But it was too far away. So then a small protuberance appeared in the center of the new hand, it kept growing with the same pained effort that had spawned the new appendage until they looked like fingers, and then a little more, until it was yet another hand. But it was still too far away. So another hand sprouted from the new one, and then another one. Ella had never experienced such an amount of pain, but still her eyes remained wide open looking at her shifting flesh. She looked at the thing¡¯s eyes, if only to see if she could share her amazement with anyone, but those eyes displayed no emotion at all. She smiled at it. But it felt nothing. Before she knew it, she had begun to enjoy this new sensation. Humans don¡¯t get to experience that much pain without going into shock so clearly, everything was fine¡­ Or she just wasn¡¯t human. She was about to lose herself in that extreme sensation when the charred texture of the toast at her fingertips snapped her out of it. She just thought that she wanted some toast, and the growth of hands began rapidly compressing back into her forearm with the toast in its grasp. And before she could react the cold toast slapped her in the face and fell into her lap. She touched her forearm to see if any of the growth remained and winced in pain as her bloodied fingers touched her skin. ¡°Right, I ripped off my fingernails¡± she thought. But her forearm was normal, nothing about it had changed. Her legs had regained their feeling too, and could move, she noticed when the feeling of the toast resting on top of them started sinking in. She grabbed the toast, the annoying sting on her injured fingers frustrating her, and looked at the toast wondering if it was worth all the grief. And then her stomach grumbled, so she bit into it. It was bland and stale, for it was only seasoned with her tears. She chewed the bread happily for a bit while looking around in the darkness. The faint glow was gone, so she couldn¡¯t actually see anything. But in spite of that, she knew there was nothing there. Chapter Two: No Rest for the Wicked She had woken up several hours later for work, but didn¡¯t even realize, the first thing on her mind was looking for someone in particular to talk about what had happened. The sky looked a more vibrant blue that day, the air around her felt heavier and richer, every breath she took filled her with an energy she had never experienced before. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you be at work right now?¡± he said while overlooking the horizon. She found him at the place they used to hang out, even though they hadn¡¯t visited there since graduation, she somehow knew she would find him there. ¡°Work? Forget about that, you¡¯re not even working yourself.¡± ¡°It¡¯s my day off, asshat¡± he stopped looking over the railing and took a peek at his old friend, ¡°so you¡¯re quitting already? How am I not surprised-¡± ¡°God, SHUT UP about work. Something happened.¡± He didn¡¯t need her to tell him that, one look at her and he knew something was up. Something was different. ¡°Should I be worried?¡± ¡°I dunno, man, maybe?¡± she shrugged. ¡°Well, get on with it, bitch, what is it?¡± frustration was starting to show on his face, along with a little bit of worry. ¡°Remember the massacre at Zl¨ªn? From like half a decade ago?¡± ¡°... Barely. What of it?¡± he was concerned, whatever she was talking about seemed serious, but her demeanour was what alerted him the most. He had known Ella since primary school, and for years now she had an air of defeat looming over her. Today she looked different, almost high, but still too aware for her to be. And he knew she had no money to indulge anymore, so what could be happening? ¡°Well¡­ I caught it. I caught it¡± she sighed and leaned chest first into the railing. ¡°You caught¡­ what? An std or something? Did you went to see a prostitute you horny-¡± ¡°You are NOT listening! Man, I thought you were smarter than this¡­¡± ¡°Well, what IS it then?¡± He urged her to continue. ¡°The spell casting thing¡­ Those people the U.N were rounding up? What that woman who killed all those people could do. I¡¯m one of them.¡± She sighed again, louder, and seemed to melt over the railing. ¡°...You¡¯re shitting me¡­¡± His blood was running cold. He had heard him speak about nothing for too many years not to realize this wasn¡¯t one of those times. ¡°I¡­ Don¡¯t know what to do. I don¡¯t want to be taken away¡± He stumbled to find the words, ¡°y-yeah, we are not gonna let ¡®em¡­¡± This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. ¡°The thing is¡­ I don¡¯t feel as if I could be caught. There¡¯s something wrong with me, I know it. I feel unstoppable¡± she turned around and let herself fall sitting against the railing. ¡°I had the most beautiful, most lucid dream of my life. I removed my boss¡¯ stomach out of his mouth and then sat on a throne of pure gold. And all the while, living lights of bright colour I had never seen danced across the sky, egging me on.¡± ¡°Ella¡­ Get a grip. How did you find out?¡± She looked at him with detached eyes and spoke listlessly ¡°I can move things with my mind. Yesterday I wanted toast and I¡­ I just got it.¡± ¡°Toast¡­¡± he looked at the horizon and thought long and hard. Before anything could take any sort of form in his mind, his body slowly gave up, and he fell sitting next to Ella. ¡°Can¡­ Can you do other things?¡± ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t¡­ know.¡± Her body looked like a puppet with the strings cut. Like something that should have a spirit or a soul contained, but was abandoned by its most essential part.¡±I know I should be scared. But the emotion is in my head and I¡¯m¡­ Not there anymore.¡± And at that moment, her phone rang. The thing had been going off non stop since before she had woken up, but only just now realized it. ¡°Are¡­ You going to take that?¡± he said with a nervous look on his face. ¡°Hmmm¡± she mumbled as she lifted the phone up to her eyes and looked at it, eyes half closed and frowning. ¡°It¡¯s my manager.¡± She remembered. Yeah, it was that woman, the manager. The fear she made her feel now felt almost surreal. What was it that she could do to her that made her person take a different shape? When was it that she had let go of her pride? She picked up. ¡°Where the hell are you, you piece of trash?!¡± sounded from the other side so loudly that both of them could hear it. ¡°Where am I? I¡¯m in my favourite place¡­ I Haven''t been able to visit since I began working for you people. It¡¯s been a few moments, no? It felt like decades, in my mind it probably was.¡± ¡°What the fuck are you talking about?¡± ¡°Shut up for a second. You wasted so much of my time, you don¡¯t even pay me enough for me to want to hear you out of work hours.¡± ¡°THESE ARE WORK HOURS!¡± ¡°Not anymore, bitch, they aren¡¯t¡± ¡°The fuck did you just call me?!¡± ¡°I called you something in particular? Something I said made you feel some kind of way? I¡¯m not speaking to you, I¡¯m merely a channel for the universe to verbalize the truth.¡± ¡°...You are tripping-¡± ¡°I¡¯m on a trip alright, the power kind.¡± ¡°What you are, you little shit, is fucking fired.¡± The phone went silent, Ella let it fall to the ground and it bounced far away from her. She then looked to the side, and his friend was looking at her, mouth agape. ¡°Selim.¡± She began with an unnerving calmness. ¡°Y-yes?¡± ¡°I just lost my job.¡± ¡°Well¡­ It appears so¡­ But don¡¯t worry, it was just a dead end thing anyway, we can probably find you something better-¡± ¡°Worry? Find something better? You don¡¯t get it do you? I can do whatever I want, I¡¯ve never felt like this, but it sure as hell doesn¡¯t feel like worry.¡± He slowly closed his mouth. And then he spoke, ¡°what... did you say you could do?¡± ¡°I can move objects with my mind, probably other things, it feels like I can do other things.¡± ¡°Right, that¡¯s cool, Ella. That¡¯s pretty cool¡­¡± They both sat around on the ground for a bit. Selim was breathing heavily, but Ella didn¡¯t seem to notice, or perhaps she didn¡¯t care? So many things were going through his mind. His friend was a spell caster, and seemed to be completely out of it. ¡°No,¡± he thought, ¡°I have to make sure she is alright¡±. Ella had just lost her job, she was acting like a completely different person, and this is after seeking for the first time in months. He had to remain calm to help her through whatever she was going through. That¡¯s what friends are for, after all. After trying to compose himself for a bit, he finally spoke, ¡°you are sure you are a spell caster?¡± Ella flicked her fingers in a strange way and her phone went flying towards her. After catching it, she looked at Selim and told him, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure, yeah.¡± ¡°Alright¡­ So you ARE a spell caster¡­ The first thing on our mind should be how to hide you from the authorities¡­¡± ¡°The first thing on my mind is how I¡¯m gonna use these Odin sent powers to get me some money¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m not kidding, the Council of Spell Caster Regulation is fucking vicious-¡± Before he was able to finish what he was saying, she grabbed him by the jaw and pulled him close enough for him to smell her breath as she told him, ¡°hey, I¡¯m not kidding either-¡± He remained paralyzed as if he had been hypnotized and awaited for her to finish as if that would bring him back to life. And when she did, it was as if an iceberg cracked and fell explosively into the water below. ¡°I¡¯m going to rob my former boss¡¯ place, and you are gonna help me.¡± He had heard her be serious before, so he knew she wasn¡¯t kidding, but this was the first time he saw her even suggest something like that. Except this wasn¡¯t a suggestion. He felt it deep within his bones: This was a command. Chapter Three: Wait till I get my Money His first name was Felix (Ella wouldn¡¯t bother learning the rest of his name), and he was in a bit of a hurry. Just about a quarter of an hour ago he had been enjoying himself and his money with his business partners, when he received an odd message from one of their ventures. The icy manager of the Dead End¡¯s pub had never failed him, nor had she ever requested his presence, so when the message came ¡°funds are gone, the big girl has come¡±, this was cause for some alarm. But he wouldn¡¯t alert his partners, no, this was something that he had to handle on his own, or else how would they have trust in him? A little help from the police wouldn¡¯t hurt, however, so on the ride there he dialed the local department. They were understaffed, so a patrol would get there about twenty minutes after him. That was enough time to clean up whatever they didn¡¯t need to see. He only needed them there to absolve himself of any wrongdoing in case his insurance demanded proof of any involvement on his part, after all. And if, god forbid, things got really out of hand, then they could manage the pacification. The Dead End¡¯s Pub was in a relatively remote town, truly he had only set that place up so that he could enjoy some tax deductions, and the occasional laundering of some funds, whenever that was needed. It employed a grand total of three people. ¡°The Manager¡±, whom he had met working on some shady stuff, was an overqualified henchwoman looking for a relatively clean way out of her former life of crime. Randy, an unremarkable part-timer, and Ella. ¡®Oh Ella, sweet Ella. I wonder if whoever set this up had to slit your throat so you wouldn¡¯t be a liability¡¯ he thought. Truth be told, Ella wasn¡¯t special either. As a worker she added no value to his venture, as a workmate she was gloomy and boring, and her looks? Well she wasn''t ugly, it was more like she was unremarkably passable. Her face wasn¡¯t anything special and she was out of shape to the point of being a bit chubby. ¡®But if she worked out a bit and did her make-up, she would be a decent call girl¡¯ he had thought about her when she first came to the place looking for work. He further thought, ¡®I¡¯ll make her one of my lovers, enjoy her body with the lights off until I get tired of her, and then when I have her hooked on something, I¡¯ll spring the trap, I¡¯ll tell her about how we can¡¯t keep affording a life of luxury unless she helps me woo some potential business partners¡¯. Yeah, it wasn¡¯t a bad plan, it had worked before in fact. Why wouldn¡¯t a worthless girl like her jump at the opportunity to have sex with such a handsome man, and live way above her means? In any case, ¡®oh, so you are too cheap to buy off a whore? Fuck off, man, or I¡¯ll report you for sexual harasment,¡¯ is what she answered to the indecent proposition. It puzzled him, most women he met on mixers told him he was an eight out of ten, at minimum. So even though he was risking it, he couldn¡¯t help but ask ¡®why not? I¡¯m way above your league¡­¡¯ ¡®Why? Because I hate rich losers like you. No offense.¡¯ She told him then and went on about her workday. He had never got that before, and as if the universe had synchronized with this girl who didn¡¯t know any better, he started to get that more and more afterwards. Ella was unremarkable, but she had left a deep scar on Felix¡¯s ego. So he decided to make her life hell then, the rest was history. And oh, how he hoped she was dead this time around. But that¡¯s enough fantasising, he thought. Let¡¯s assess the damage. He arrived at Dead End¡¯s, the sign on the door read closed, but what called his attention the most, was the cameras which were at the sides of the local, above the reach of anyone who didn¡¯t have a step ladder with them, and normally, the moved around in a pattern, not allowing anyone to get inside or go outside the pub without being captured in video. ¡®Well, these guys can do the bare minimum¡¯ he thought to himself and wandered into the Dead End¡¯s as if he were a hunter delving into the den of a lion.
¡°So can you do something else, aside from moving things with your mind?¡± asked Selim. ¡°It feels like I could do more things, but I can¡¯t at the moment.¡± Ella answered. ¡°Ok, that should be useful enough. Now we need a blueprint of the place.¡± The pair nodded. The rest of the afternoon they circled around the Dead End¡¯s Pub, made a note of all of the cameras and made sure no one else had been hired to replace Ella yet. They had to move quickly, the next day they would clean up the place of any value. ¡°You can fuck up those cameras, can¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m pretty sure about that.¡± ¡°Good. Now onto the money. By now I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve realized we can¡¯t just walk out of the place with money loaded bags.¡± ¡°Right, and we aren¡¯t going out from the front door, there''s a door behind the building, there¡¯s a second camera overlooking it, but it won''t be any problem. We¡¯ll make our getaway there.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good info, and a good plan, but that¡¯s not what I meant. This place isn¡¯t going to be overflowing with cash.¡± ¡°How¡¯s it staying up in business then, smartass?¡± ¡°For starters, most places nowadays use digital currency to avoid exactly shit like this. And besides, where this is located and all, it wouldn¡¯t surprise me if investors weren¡¯t keeping this place up and running at a loss for different purposes than making money the old fashioned way.¡± ¡°And what does that even mean?¡± ¡°Ever heard of a little crime known as money laundering?¡± ¡°Shit¡­ Did they tell you all about that when you become an accountant?¡± ¡°Yes. In any case, I know how we are going to profit off of this venture, listen up¡­¡±
When Felix opened the door to the Dead End¡¯s, the scene he came across was perhaps a bit more dire than he was expecting. The Manager was tied up above the counter and in the middle of the dining room was a chubby woman with an eerie cat mask sitting in a lonely chair. He knew exactly who she was, but before he could think, ¡®I gotta wait for the cops¡¯, a force pushed him inside and then the door closed and got locked behind him. ¡®How did they manage to knock out the Manager? Perhaps a sneak attack?¡¯ He was planning to try to enlist the person behind the heist to his outfit, but this was Ella he was dealing with, she would spit a good deal in the face if it came from his mouth. If nothing else, the woman was pigheaded. ¡°What do you expect to gain from this? Surely you already emptied our digital wallet and found out there¡¯s very little reason to go through all this effort¡­¡± He said, and ¡®slut! SLUT! I¡¯ll gut you for this, you are gonna rot in a pen for this, just you wait!!!¡¯ is what he thought. ¡°True, luckily I¡¯m working with someone that knows how to make money. I took the pubs savings for pocket change, but the real money making starts with you coming through that door. Now take out your phone.¡± She was speaking with a calmness that he hadn¡¯t heard from her in months, before breaking her with the harsh reality of working a nine to five in which your bosses hated you. Or maybe he was misremembering, there¡¯s something else about her¡­ Something off. ¡°What the fuck are you thinkin, you little shit?! I-¡± Before he could finish, a knife flew across the room and stopped right before his throat. It all made sense now. How he just went inside the shop, how they fucked up the cameras and the uneasyness he got from hearing her. ¡°You are a spell caster, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Your phone, don¡¯t waste my time.¡± Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. He felt the knife press slightly against his neck. ¡°I figured I didn¡¯t have to explain myself to you, but here goes. That little knife is new, it doesn¡¯t have my digital marks on it. The marks it does have are the manager¡¯s. Play me now, and I¡¯ll kill you like a chicken and the police will take employee of the month over here to jail so that they can judge her for taking a knife to her boss¡¯ neck and decapitating him. Dead end jobs like these are so stressful, you know? I¡¯m sure people will buy it.¡± He swallowed hard, which pushed the skin of his neck against the knife and cut him a bit. He had to think of something, but first he needed to buy himself some time. He took out his work phone. ¡°Nuh uh, you think I haven¡¯t seen you use that? Expensive phones are all I pay attention to these days, and yours is the gaudiest one. Throw that shit on the ground. I want the one you do the dirty business with. ¡®This piece of shit¡­!¡¯ he thought, but he dared not speak. This wasn¡¯t the same woman he had dealt with before. There was something off about her. He took out his other phone, it was a cheap smartphone he didn¡¯t allow people to see. ¡°Nice. Throw it towards me¡± she said with an off puttingly calm tone. He did as she told him, and she grabbed the phone off the ground. ¡°You know what they do to sub human scum like you? You think I¡¯m not gonna report you?¡± ¡°After I empty all of your offshore accounts and get close to your wealthy contacts, I don¡¯t particularly care about what you do. And about what they do to people like me? I don¡¯t plan on finding out. Thanks for looking out, though, you are such a thoughtful boss¡± she said as she looked at his phone, and when she finished, she turned to the back of the shop. Everything seemed lost for our favourite venture capitalist, when a person no one was expecting cut off Ella¡¯s path. ¡°...Randy?¡± Ella said. And Felix smiled, ¡®right, this was bound to happen¡­¡¯
¡°Randy is a part timer, I have nothing in particular against him, so I would prefer if our only target was the Manager. We will strike as soon as his shift is over.¡± She declared to Selim. ¡°Alright, I see no problem with that plan. So as soon as we see him go out of the Dead End¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°Then we strike¡­¡±
Randy had a stick with him, and he was pointing it to Ella, who was frozen in place. ¡®This wasn¡¯t part of the plan,¡¯ she thought. ¡°You¡­ Your shift¡¯s supposed to be over though?¡± ¡°I¡¯m working full time off the record now, it shows up as extra hours on the books.¡± ¡°But¡­ But that¡¯s illegal!¡± Felix started laughing, ¡°you came all this way and you didn¡¯t expect a little bit of payment under the table, you naive little shit-¡± Before Felix could finish that, Ella flicked her fingers and the knife went away from his neck and went on to hit him clean on the temple at full speed. He was knocked out instantly. Randy immediately attacked her. He swung his stick downwards at her, hitting her shoulder. Even though he felt he had struck her cleanly, and he had experience getting into fights back in highschool, the hit seemed regardless to have done no damage. At that moment she thought, ¡®I¡¯m sorry for this Randy, but I gotta make sure Selim¡¯s alright¡­¡¯
Ella and Selim sneaked around the Dead End¡¯s and into the back alley. They peeked around the corner and spotted the single camera that captured people going in and out of the shop through the back door. Ella pointed her hand at it and did a weird gesture, the camera then turned upwards, where it could capture nothing but birds. ¡°This is so weird¡­¡± Selim said, arching an eyebrow. ¡°You are getting second thoughts now?¡± ¡°No it¡¯s just¡­ A part of me still thought that the massacre at Zlin was a hoax, and spell casters were just some government conspiracy, and even in the days I wanted to believe, I figured meeting one would be as likely as winning the lottery. There¡¯s supposed to be like a zero, point zero five percent of awakening as one¡­¡± ¡°Can this wait?¡± she said slightly annoyed. ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­¡± After a bit of messing with the backdoor¡¯s lock, they finally managed to open it and went inside. ¡°So this manager¡­ You think she will give us any trouble?¡± He asked, trying to break up the tension. ¡°Here¡¯s to hoping she gives up as soon as she sees me moving things with my mind.¡± ¡°If you need me to-¡± ¡°You know what I need from you, I don¡¯t know how bank accounts work, let alone clandestine, offshore ones.¡± ¡°Yeah but-¡± ¡°¡®But¡¯ nothing, remember how quickly you gave up when I forced you to try Brazilian jiu jitsu?¡± ¡°Aw, c¡¯mon, you haven¡¯t done BJJ in years!¡± he said, almost yelling. ¡°Chst!¡± she silenced him, ¡°you work at knowing how a calculator works and enduring sitting on your ass all day, I have super powers. End of the discussion.¡± ¡°Yeah, but-¡± before he could continue, Ella stopped him with her arm. He looked ahead and he understood why. The door next to them that took to the counter had just opened up, and behind that door coming in was a hulking woman. He understood immediately that she wasn¡¯t someone to trifle with. ¡°I assume this is the manager?¡± ¡°Yeah, that''s who that is¡­¡± She said with a determined look in her eyes. ¡°Now why do you two have plastic gloves on?¡± The manager said as she slowly reached for a butcher¡¯s knife. ¡°So that the police can¡¯t tell it¡¯s my hands you got on your face¡± Ella said. The manager squinted, ¡°so it is you, trash, didn¡¯t peg you for the vindictive kind.¡± And before Ella could retort, the Manager swung a huge right to her head. Even though Ella blocked, the impact still sent her a couple of meters away, opportunity that the Manager took to grab that knife. ¡°Put some distance between her and you, partner!¡± Ella said to Selim. He was very concerned about how this was going, but even more so that Ella didn¡¯t seem to fear for her life by the sound of her voice. Ella closed in on the Manager, and the Manager swung the knife at her, but Ella ducked beneath it with ease. ¡®What¡¯s going on, that should have gone clear through her face?¡¯ Manager thought. She took another swing and her target stopped the attack by her wrist. ¡®It¡¯s not that she was strong or fast¡¯ she thought as she struggled to push the blade past her opponent¡¯s resistance, ¡®it¡¯s the knife, the knife is resisting!¡¯ But before she could realize what was going on, her opponent jumped off the ground and put the arm that was holding the knife in a bar. ¡®Gloomy Ella does MMA?!¡¯ What''s more, she was way stronger than she looked. She tried to break the armbar but couldn¡¯t, it¡¯s like there was another force sapping her efforts. ¡®I know what you are thinking¡¯, Ella thought, as she held the Manager¡¯s arm tightly, ¡®truth be told, I wouldn¡¯t be doing so well if my mind wasn¡¯t so clear and applying my telekinesis to a fist fight wasn¡¯t so easy,¡¯ she smiled. ¡®Now I¡¯m going to break your arm, and forget I¡¯ve ever feared you.¡¯ But just as she was about to attempt the coup de grace, she noticed the Manager¡¯s arm wouldn¡¯t bend any further. Instead, the manager started to lift her entire body with only her arm. ¡°God¡¯s you are heavy,¡± the Manager said looking at her with a creepy smile, ¡°Guess I¡¯ll have to put more of my back into it.¡± For a second, Ella¡¯s power trip threatened to end right then and there, but before she could think, she heard Selim scream. ¡°Super powers! Hit her with whatever!¡± ¡®Right, I am a spell caster,¡¯ she thought, and immediately shit from all around the kitchen started lifting off and heading straight at the Manager¡¯s head. She took five or six utensils before stumbling, and before realizing a whole other set was coming, she let off a shout: ¡°You piece of shit¡­!¡± When the biggest pot in the kitchen hit the Manager¡¯s head and she finally went down, Selim sighed a sigh of relief. But before he could relax, she heard Ella speak, ¡°now help me tie her up.¡± ¡°Right,¡± he said, ¡°you remember how to unlock her phone?¡± ¡°Yup.¡± ¡°Why DO you know that anyway, you creepy bastard¡­?¡±
Randy was swinging wildly, but the stick felt heavier than before, and so the masked woman was weaving through them without even being nicked. ¡°What¡¯s with you?!¡± He yelled. At that moment he swung the stick and she ducked beneath it and proceeded to hit him three times on the ribs. ¡®Fuck, she hits so fucking hard,¡¯ in that momment, his and everyone¡¯s thoughts were interrupted by the sudden knock at the door of the bar. ¡°Police, open up!¡± could be heard from outside alongside sirens and further knocking at the door that were getting more and more forceful. ¡®Wh-what, what¡¯s going on?¡¯ thought Felix, who was alerted by the noise and was slowly recovering his consciousness. At that moment, Ella thought of an idea. She hit Randy in the head as hard as she could while pushing it towards her fist with her powers, and as soon as Randy hit the floor she leapt over him and ran to the back of the shop. Back there she found Selim, who had seemingly been struck on the head and was barely conscious. ¡°Wake up, sleeping beauty, I need my getaway driver.¡± Selim felt light slaps on his face for a bit, seeming to align with the unceasing banging that could be heard from outside until suddenly he got a second wind, ¡°shit! That fuckhead hit me in the face with a stick!¡± ¡°Yeah, figured that had happened. Get up, we are leaving. You think you can drive the scooter?¡± ¡°Barely.¡± ¡°Barely will have to make do, come on get up.¡± The duo scurried up to a scooter they had parked close to the alley and got on it, Selim at the handle. ¡°Drive next to the Bar.¡± ¡°Why? Didn¡¯t the police show up?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no time to explain, get us as close as you can to the cops as you can.¡± He did as she told him, and when they were next to the patrol car, he noticed her extend her hand in the direction of the bar. Shortly after, one of the two cops that were on the scene busted the door open, and from inside came Felix walking with Randy on hold and a knife pointing at his head. Both cops took out their tasers and pointed them at Felix. ¡°Drop your shield!¡± Screamed the cop who busted the door open, and at that moment, Ella lowered her hand and suddenly Felix let go of Randy. Before anyone else could react, the second police officer, who had been quiet up to that point, ran up to Felix and Randy, put herself between them and grabbed Felix by the arm he was holding the knife with, disarming him and throwing him on the ground in one move. Ella couldn¡¯t help being impressed by that move, so she looked at the officer without knowing why. She was a woman with jet black hair, a distinctive nose that reminded her of greek statues, and serious grey eyes. The officer didn¡¯t took her eyes off Felix until he was cuffed, and only then looked up to see her admirer. They both locked eyes when Selim¡¯s voice suddenly cut off Ella¡¯s concentration. ¡°I assume we are done here!¡± He said as he speeded him away from the scene. ¡°You got the phone?¡± ¡°...Yeah, hopefully he remains in custody long enough for us to make use of it.¡± ¡°We will, Ella, and what was that?¡± ¡°It was just a trick¡­¡± ¡°Not that, you froze up when that officer looked at you, you had the hots for her?¡± Ella looked over her shoulder and wondered what exactly was it that she felt, and with a serious look on her face, she finally answered: ¡°...Maybe.¡± Chapter Four: Quiet Time ¡°How does it look to you?¡± he said, scissors still in hand. She looked at herself in the mirror, ¡°dunno what you want me to tell you, I look just like in highschool,¡± the look itself was composed of two bangs on the side of her head and a fringe of hair covering half of her forehead. Her wild mane was tamed and then collected in a ponytail. ¡°¡®Thank you¡¯ would be nice?¡± He said smugly. ¡°Fuck off, pal.¡± She cleared the cut hairs off her shoulders and stood up. ¡°How are you feeling?¡± ¡°Like coming down from a crazy high,¡± she looked at her hands, she was shaking. ¡°You took care of the phone thing?¡± ¡°Yop, got you set up with an account worth five million euros. Got ahead of myself and invested it in some low risk, low return funds. Unless you go on a crazy buying spree, it should be enough for you to live the rest of your life without having to work another day.¡± She sighed deeply until she ran out of breath, and then she sighed some more. The nine to five life she¡¯s been afraid of most of her late teens, and that proved to be even worse than she could have possibly anticipated was over. She had escaped wage slavery, and all it took was a little bit of magic and a whole lot of expediency. ¡°What about you? You got your five mills as well?¡± ¡°Eyup, got that as a retirement fund.¡± ¡°Why did you decide to help me anyway? It¡¯s not like you hate your job, and all you¡¯ve built thus far would have gone down the drain if we had got caught.¡± ¡°Guess I¡¯m just as greedy as you.¡± ¡°But nowhere near as lazy, you had that accountant job¡­¡± ¡°Have, not had. I don¡¯t plan on leaving it.¡± ¡°But why?¡± ¡°Well, as you¡¯ve said, it¡¯s not like I hate it. It gives my life some semblance of order.¡± ¡°You are one boring mother fucker, you know that.¡± ¡°I live that.¡± ¡°Well¡­¡± She started and looked candidly at her hands, reminiscing, ¡°it¡¯s not like I dislike that about you.¡± ¡°Why thank you, bitch, don¡¯t go and make me cry now.¡± ¡°AS IF you would cry!¡± He shrugged and then they both laughed. A cold shower later and they were both on the sofa watching american cartoons. ¡°Man, that dog sure is wild.¡± He said slouching towards the screen, ¡°he looks after his buddy like it¡¯s the only thing that matters.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± Ella said, spreading her arms on the back of the couch. ¡°Hey¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it, it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t profit a bit myself-¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sorry about that!¡± She said and pushed him on the shoulder softly. ¡°I mean¡­ About disappearing and that.¡± ¡°Hey, you got me worried, I¡¯m not gonna lie, but it¡¯s not like I didn¡¯t stop either. I guess at some point¡­ I just thought it was over, and we were never gonna speak again.¡± ¡°But you were still waiting at our place.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think much of it, it¡¯s a nice place.¡± This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Yeah, right¡­¡± ¡°You called me boring earlier, but what did you have going then in your life that you couldn¡¯t pick up your dear buddy¡¯s calls? Before your line got cut, I mean.¡± ¡°What had I going?¡± She looked up to the ceiling, ¡°Nothing man. Everyday was just hell, by the time the first week was over I had completely lost the will to do anything, by the time the first month was over, time had just begun passing by me. Thought I would die like that. Just don¡¯t know how everyone else does it.¡± ¡°Well, there¡¯s nothing special to it, you get used to it.¡± ¡°Guess I would have gotten used to it eventually.¡± ¡°Cheer up buddy, it¡¯s not like you need to do it anymore.¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± she smiled meekly. ¡°Where did that crazy magnetism you came up to me with went? It¡¯s like gloomy Ella¡¯s back all of a sudden.¡± ¡°I figure my mood changed because of the, uh, you know what.¡± ¡°Yeah that¡­¡± Both were skirting around the issue, in part because talking about it was difficult, but also because Selim¡¯s room mate was still around the place. Then, as if speaking of the devil, she appeared dressed up to go out, her hair styled in a bob. ¡°You guys are watching some kiddie trash, I see. Glad you finally found someone to share your disgusting fetishes with, Sel.¡± She said and left like that. ¡°Ouch, didn¡¯t make her come, I guess.¡± Ella said, cringing. ¡°Don¡¯t even mention that, I¡¯m gonna move as soon as the months over now that I¡¯m rich, so no point remembering her.¡± ¡°Booooring.¡± Selim scoffed, and after sulking for a bit, he grabbed the controller and turned the tv off. ¡°Alright, room mate¡¯s out of the picture. What do you plan to do if the authorities find out about you? You used to be really into those conspiracy theories back when the massacre first happened, so you know they are gonna do some fucked up shit to you if they get you.¡± ¡°Well¡­ I was kinda hoping not to use my powers in public anymore and hopefully that would be it?¡± ¡°After what we did yesterday? Darling, that was hardly the crime of the century, police will come to snoop around.¡± ¡°Yeah, but I have some dirty money on me now, so maybe I could, you know, get away from this place?¡± ¡°If you need any help, you know where to get me.¡± ¡°Thanks pal, appreciate it, for real.¡± She stood up and went for a coat and a furry hat. ¡°Where are you gonna go now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m gonna stay at a love hotel or something, my apartment is some rundown piece of trash with no service, besides, I don¡¯t want to be around if the cops come asking questions.¡± After accompanying her to the door, and hitting her with their old, secret salute, Selim told her ¡®see ya¡¯, and started going up to his flat. Ella looked at him go up the stairs, and eventually she went on her way as well. When suddenly, Selim was hit with a wave of emotions he couldn¡¯t quite understand and went down the stairs to look for Ella. But she had already disappeared.
A grim looking woman, with brown wavy hair cut at neck length and dressed up with a smart grey suit came up to the local police station and asked the reception, ¡°I¡¯m looking for information regarding the recent hostage situation you had at this town.¡± ¡°Now, how do you know about that?¡± Said an uninterested police officer that was sitting behind the reception counter eating a croissant. ¡°Small town, not a lot of crime going on. At least that gets on the registry, that is.¡± She said with a fake smile. ¡°I see. Well, that¡¯s police business. Unless you got something to report?¡± ¡°Nothing to report, but you might want me to take a look at your evidence and interrogate the officers.¡± She insisted. ¡°I don¡¯t see why would-¡± Before he could finish, she flashed a silver badge that displayed a coyote eating a house cat. ¡°Oh fuck-¡± he managed to say before starting to choke on his croissant. ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he coughed, ¡±right this way please. The evidence is down this aisle, I¡¯ll put on a call for the officers that brought it in, do you need to see the main suspect as well?¡± ¡°No, that last bit won¡¯t be necessary,¡± she thought to herself for a bit, ¡°but if you don¡¯t mind, I would like to wait for the officers before looking at the evidence.¡± She thought she might find something worthwhile from talking to them. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll put on the call right now.¡± It was a while before the officers reached the station, all that time the grey lady impressed her host with an encyclopedic knowledge of American baseball players. And when they finally arrived¡­ ¡°Ah, there they are-¡± She moved up to greet them before he could finish presenting them. ¡°I heard you managed the situation yesterday afternoon?¡± ¡°Yes ma¡¯am,¡± started a male officer, ¡°it sure was though but I was trained for these kinds of situations-¡± The man continued for a bit while the grey lady ignored him and examined the female officer that had come with but hadn¡¯t uttered a word. ¡°What about you, officer?¡± The gray lady said, interrupting the male officer. ¡°There¡¯s nothing much about me, ma¡¯am.¡± ¡°That¡¯s great, you are a proper soldier, aren¡¯t you? Accompany me to the evidence room,¡± she looked at the male officer and said, ¡°thank you for your time, I won¡¯t be needing you any further.¡± ¡°I-is that so-¡± He managed to say before both women were out of hearing range. ¡°Fuck, there goes my promotion out of this hellhole.¡± He kicked himself. Later, in the evidence room, the women were looking at the evidence. ¡°So what¡¯s your hypothesis about the strange footage the cameras captured?¡± The grey lady asked, showing some interest. ¡°There¡¯s nothing weird captured on those cameras, ma¡¯am, only birds.¡± The black haired officer said with a monotonous voice. ¡°I¡¯m talking about the fact that the cameras were pointing at birds in the first place.¡± The officer sighed, ¡°I guess what it means is something was up.¡± ¡°Yes, very good, my steadfast soldier.¡± She said as she placed a hand on the officer¡¯s shoulder, ¡°and what can you tell me about the suspect, the one you took down?¡± ¡°Subduing the suspect was a joint effort-¡± ¡°Don¡¯t even bother trying to hide the facts from me. You know where I¡¯m from, right?¡± ¡°All I know is everyone that gets picked up by people from your department aren¡¯t ever seen again.¡± ¡°And always for good reason, miss Sigfrid. Because all those that go away are either too much of a danger to the world, or too useful to remain confined to a dead end position such as yours.¡± ¡°I guess it¡¯s time to go, then?¡± ¡°Quite.¡± ¡°If you people deem me one of the good ones, is there a chance I get to pick what badge I get to wear?¡± ¡°No. Why do you ask?¡± For the first time in their whole conversation, Sigfrid turned around and looked at the great lady straight in the eye, her grey eyes cutting straight at her soul, and said: ¡°Because I fucking hate coyotes.¡± Chapter Five: I Cant Get None! ¡°You feel it, don¡¯t you?¡± Said the grey lady to Sigfrid, ¡°something dreadful happened in this apartment, something dark, something arcane. The air itself feels wrong.¡± ¡°We call that mold,¡± Sigfrid said in her usual monotonous voice, ¡°it tends to appear in the living spaces of people who can¡¯t look after themselves.¡± The lady in grey let out a hearty but succinct laugh, ¡°you ARE special after all, officer!¡± Sigfrid shrugged, ¡°if you say so.¡± The apartment itself was small and dark, and indeed something about it smelled off. They had found it by interrogating the witnesses from the incident that had happened earlier that week, but only went inside after making sure the renter was out and not coming back. Why? Sigfrid didn¡¯t know, but the case reeked, they had a new suspect, except the evidence didn¡¯t align at all with the witnesses¡¯ accounts, and what¡¯s more, the gray lady, whoever she was, had wiped the records clean of Ella Grimsdottir existence. Whatever was going on was crooked, and she was neck deep in whatever ¡®it¡¯ was. ¡°Light up this place,¡± the lady in grey said and continued; ¡°what do you see here?¡± ¡°Bread crumbs.¡± Sigfid said upon pointing her light at a tiny table sitting solitarily in the dark. ¡°And blood.¡± ¡°The spell caster¡¯s first meal as a living weapon.¡± ¡°How do you know this is what she ate the day of her awakening?¡± ¡°See how she attempted to claw her way to the bread across the table, even though it was within reach? See enough scenes of awakenings and your gut will start telling you when something just has no explanation.¡± ¡°It could have been a psychotic outbreak.¡± ¡°Does not match the suspect¡¯s psych eval.¡± ¡°How is it that we have a psychic evaluation on a random teenager?¡± ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know, since you transferred here about a year ago, but it only took me a little bit of asking to find out that the day Ella murdered a violent criminal in self defense was the day this little town was shaken to the very core.¡± Sigfrid frowned. ¡°Why yes, it is very upsetting. When that happened, our suspect was but fifteen years old.¡± Sigfrid sighed, ¡°well, and when are we going to catch this girl?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t notice you trying to change the subject, but I¡¯ll let that slide. The reason we don¡¯t go after her right now is because it¡¯s just not convenient for us.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sigfrid asked, struggling to keep her poker face. The lady in grey patted her in the shoulder, a habit that Sigfrid had already begun to hate, and smirked at her, ¡°you¡¯ll know¡­ Once we can trust you.¡±
The room was gaudy, in the centre of it were six men of different ethnicities, heights and endowments. Facing them was a tacky golden throne, and sitting on it looking dejected was Ella. ¡°Sigh, this will just not do. King!¡± she said in an authoritative tone and clapped. Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. An androgynous person in a glittery butler outfit came from a door behind her and said, ¡°why these are some of the best call boys we have on offer.¡± ¡°I can see it¡¯s only ¡®some¡¯, look at me and tell me with a straight face, would you fuck any of these men?¡± The person called King cracked a sassy smile, ¡°well, no, I wouldn¡¯t. But that says nothing of the quality of our services, it¡¯s just not my inclination~¡± ¡°Smartass¡­¡± Ella crossed her arms and looked grumpy. ¡°Why maybe you would like to go for some of the girls instead~?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not in the mood for that. Just get me some blow and a vibrator.¡± ¡°Right away my queen,¡± King bowed, ¡°and your accommodations?¡± ¡°You already know¡­ Most expensive room you have, and make sure it has the minibar stocked.¡± She had been at it all week, never drunk enough to get her horny, nor high enough to feel like she did back then. She remembered the look on Felix¡¯s face, when she commanded him like he was her¡¯s, and she would shake, enraptured. ¡°...The hell¡¯s wrong with me¡­¡± She would ask herself as she browsed fancy shops without any real interest. She ate in every restaurant and drank in every bar she had greedily lusted after when she was poor. She rejected every prostitute in town. She bought dumb shit that she didn¡¯t need and didn¡¯t even want. And only when every avenue for pleasure seemed exhausted, it was then that she remembered, ¡°I¡¯ve got friends!!!¡± She got excited for the first time since highschool and went through her phone¡¯s contact list. The list itself was humble, ¡®but it¡¯s filled only with the real deal,¡¯ she thought. The first number was Amanda, she didn¡¯t even remember the last time they spoke. Surely she would be glad to get a call from her dear friend. She rang her number. ¡°Hello? Who is this?¡± Ella heard from the other side. ¡°Hey, Amy, it¡¯s me, Ella, from the same class?¡± ¡°Oh¡­ It¡¯s you¡­ Are you going to pay me back what I lent you last year?¡± ¡°Bitch, I¡¯m rich! I¡¯ll pay you back with interest!¡± ¡°Yeah, right. You are rich AND drunk. Call me back when you are actually going to return me my money, or better yet? Don¡¯t call back, EVER¡± she said and immediately hung up. ¡°B-but, but¡­! I have money¡­!¡± She began to cry, it was the first time she did since that presence had appeared before her. The tears flowed like a river and her cries were so loud, people were starting to get up and move somewhere away from her. And then, suddenly, the tears stopped. ¡°Hmmm, well, whatever.¡± She dried her tears and smiled again, ¡°let¡¯s see who¡¯s next!¡± She spent the following fifteen minutes going through the exact same routine, until the only contacts she had left were Selim and King. She frowned, the crying felt fake by that point, ¡°I guess King might want to hang out?¡± She rang their number. ¡°Why, if it isn¡¯t my favourite customer~ Did you wish to hire our services~?¡± ¡°Not really, I was more thinking if you wanted to come have a drink with me or something?¡± She said and smiled in anticipation. ¡°Haha, of course¡­ Not~! Baby, at this establishment we don¡¯t mix business with pleasure, ironically enough~ Call back when you want to get laid, toodles~¡± and they hung up. Ella¡¯s smile quickly turned upside down and she mumbled; ¡°as if I wanted to share a drink with you of all people¡­!¡± She closed her fists and shook with rage. And after all her strength left her, she looked back at her phone and thought, ¡°well¡­ Only one number left¡­¡± She opened Selim¡¯s profile and her finger lingered over the ¡®call¡¯ button for an uncomfortable amount of time. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t¡­¡± She closed his profile, then looked back at her phone. ¡°Or maybe I should¡­?¡± She rhythmically tapped the tip of her fingers on her lower lip as she pondered. ¡°Yeah, just a friendly call. A call of friendliness.¡± She opened up his profile, ¡°wait, no, he might misinterpret.¡± She thought and closed his profile again. She sat on a nearby bench, it was cold out, but she was dressing in puffy clothes, so she didn¡¯t feel a thing. She sighed and her breath formed a very visible white cloud. Then, her phone suddenly rang. She got startled so bad she let it fall on the ground, and when she picked it back up she could barely tell it was Selim calling through the broken screen. ¡°Oh, hey,¡± she said. ¡°Wanna meet up- er, I mean, what¡¯s up?¡± ¡°Something¡¯s up, I can¡¯t tell you over the phone. See you back at our place, as soon as you can.¡± And then he hung up. Ella sat still for a moment. ¡®He sounded really worried¡¯, she thought. It was probably too much to ask for a quiet life after what they have done. She grumbled. ¡®Whatever, whatever!¡¯, she thought so loudly people several meters away could hear her. After sitting still for a bit with her mind blank, she finally thought; ¡®well, might as well see what¡¯s up.¡¯ And she got up and picked up the pace. When she got to her usual place, Selim was slouching over the railing, overlooking the sidewalk. She got up to him and stopped when she noticed he was shaking. She lifted one of her arms to pat him on the shoulder, but somewhere along the way she stopped, and instead said; ¡°what¡¯s up?¡± He turned around, ¡°some one¡¯s after us.¡± He was covered in cold sweat. ¡°You are gonna catch a cold,¡± she answered, and the covered him with one of her many coats. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me?!¡± ¡°Yes, and you didn¡¯t say anything I wasn¡¯t expecting you to say.¡± He started to scream incomprehensibly, tears running down his face. Until at one point, she grabbed him by the shoulders and said: ¡°I can¡¯t ask you to calm down, this is my fault, but I can ask you this; ¡®believe in me.¡¯¡± ¡°Believe in what? What are we going to do?!¡± He was still crying, but at least he was calm enough that she could understand what he was saying. ¡°You are not going to do anymore than tell me what you know, and then I¡¯ll handle it.¡± ¡°Handle it?¡± He said with a puzzled look on his face, ¡°handle it how?¡± ¡°You said people were after us?¡± ¡°Yes, and¡­?¡± She let go of his shoulders and grabbed him by the face, the look in her eyes was filled with paternalistic emotion, and her voice was dead serious when she answered: ¡°And I¡¯m going to kill them.¡± Chapter Five: Seedy Gator Games To the people that mattered, his name was only Grey Mutton Chops, in account for his facial hair. Indeed there was not much else about him that called to the attention of others, his many facial surgeries had made sure of that. He barely looked human, which served him just fine. Both his lack of name and lack of features were more of an advantage than a drawback in his line of work. He arrived at the Icy Steps about an hour ago on orders from the Short Man. The place was desolate compared to what he was used to. A tiny village leeching off of civilization. There was to meet three men; Bjorn, Cnut and Felix. The last one he was particularly anxious to see. He took a rental to a penthouse in one of the only buildings in the town that wasn¡¯t at least half a century old. ¡®Good¡¯, he thought. He was tired of damp old places already, and his work required him to see so many¡­ In the penthouse, Bjorn, a muscular man with a long beard, and Cnut, an effeminate man with his hair styled in a bob, and none at all on his face, were waiting for him. The strong looking man looked anxious, the girly one was uninterested. Immediately, the man with the Mutton Chops judged their character to be poor. The bearded man only feigned strength, but was nothing more than a scared child unwilling to bear the cost of doing business. The other one not only looked hideous, but he was lacking the seriousness required for the situation. ¡°Hmmm, you look more unremarkable than I imagined¡­¡± Said Cnut first. ¡°Who cares about how he looks?¡± blurted Bjorn, ¡°we really gonna do this?¡± ¡°You two don¡¯t have much of a choice.¡± Said the man with the chops, his voice startling the muscular man, and provoking a smirk from the other. ¡°Yeah, B. Best not to worry about it. It''s just this minor unpleasantness and then we are back in the good graces of the Short Man.¡± Said Cnut, playing with a strand of hair. ¡°Only a minor unpleasantness? Felix is our friend!¡± Cnut sighed, ¡°yes, yes. And we are going to miss him dearly. But he knew the risks, the money is what counts for honour amongst us.¡± ¡°All of this for a measly ten mill¡­¡± The muscular man looked dejected. ¡°Can¡¯t we just get it back?¡± ¡°The amount of money will hardly affect the Brotherhood operations. What matters is that a message is delivered.¡± ¡°Then send your fucking message!¡± Bjorn yelled, ¡°the fuck do you need us for?!¡± ¡°To be here in front of you is a symbolic gesture. It¡¯s to show the Brotherhood that you two are worthy of the covenant you took.¡± The grim man said. ¡°Worthy, huh? What a joke¡­¡± Bjorn said, sulking. ¡°You must give the go ahead. The sacrifice is yours to make, otherwise it is meaningless bloodshed.¡± ¡°As if I would give the go ahead¡­!¡± Bjorn said. Grey Mutton Chops looked towards them without a change in his expression, but Cnut couldn¡¯t help giving Bjorn a side eye. ¡°Hey now,¡± Cnut said, attempting to cut the cold atmosphere, ¡°it really is no big deal, we just have to say¡­ ¡®Yesss¡¯¡±, his tone was grating, ¡°can you repeat after me? ¡®Yesss¡¯¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up, cunt. I always knew you didn¡¯t care.¡± If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°Oh, I care! I care sooo deeply¡­ I care about all the money you are just going to miss on if you let such a trifling thing as ¡®friendship¡¯ impede you from saying one simple word is-¡± ¡°Yes! I know, goddammit. YES, there, I said it. Now could you two go away? I need to be alone.¡± ¡°Well there you have it.¡± Cnut gesticulated towards the man with the Mutton Chops, ¡°are we worthy to stay in business?¡± ¡°You are worthy to the brotherhood, at least. Let the bloodshed begin.¡± ¡°You two speak about bloodshed as if you were children!¡± the muscular man interrupted, ¡°can¡¯t the blood of that bitch that started all of this be shed as well?!¡± ¡°Not by my hand.¡± The man with the mutton chops answered, ¡°you two get to decide what to do with her.¡± With that said, he fixed his coat and left the penthouse. ¡°So she¡¯s ours to do with as we please, huh?¡± Bjorn asked Cnut without really waiting for an answer. ¡°Yes, the girl is very interesting indeed. Shall we play a game, my dear friend?¡± Cnut answered regardless. ¡°You are no friend of mine, but I¡¯ll play your games.¡± Cnut laughed, ¡°you are so good to me!¡± he got close to Bjorn, ¡°you are going to love what I have in mind.¡±
Ella and Selim were sitting awkwardly in a hotel room. ¡°So how is it that you are planning to kill them, exactly?¡± Selim asked. ¡°Well, I was hoping you would help me, like, gather info and stuff¡­¡± She answered, twiddling her thumbs. ¡°Oh, now you are scared?¡± He said back, some anger showing in his voice. ¡°All I got is that.¡± He finished pointing at a small table between them. Ella rested her head on her left fist and looked at the picture that was sitting on the small table again, ¡°you sure this is your sister¡¯s place?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°And why do you care about that bitch anyway?¡± ¡°Just because you don¡¯t like my sister doesn¡¯t mean I don¡¯t love her, shit head!¡± He yelled at her. ¡°Ok, ok!¡± she said, showing him her palms as if that would stop the words from hitting her any harder. ¡°But why are you only complaining about your sister¡¯s house being photographed? You received several pictures, right?¡± ¡°Yeah, my parent¡¯s, my grandmother, and my last ex girlfriend.¡± ¡°And where¡¯s the grief for them?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t particularly care about them¡­ Your point?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s not someone that knows us, for starters. Otherwise they wouldn¡¯t have bothered sending the other pictures. They only sent you pictures of your last girlfriend because it¡¯s the girlfriend that you had when you first got on social media, no previous girlfriends, or people that you are fucking now, like your room mate.¡± ¡°So¡­?¡± ¡°So they don¡¯t have any real intel on you, they likely find you through my socials.¡± ¡°You use social media?¡± ¡°I am¡­ A human being¡­¡± ¡°But how could they find me through your socials?¡± ¡°The only pictures I¡¯ve ever uploaded were selfies that had us both in them¡­¡± ¡°You¡­ What?¡± ¡°You would¡¯ve known if you followed me back¡­¡± Ella said, sulking. They both turned their heads up to the ceiling. ¡°I have a pretty good lead on who might be onto us, but I¡¯m not sure how we are going to locate them.¡± Ella said, breaking the silence. ¡°Just feed me names, I¡¯ll run a search.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have their names, But I know where we can get them. ¡°Then what are we waiting for?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I might need to send you to get those names.¡± ¡°Uh huh.¡± ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be dangerous, you only need to go to the police station¡­¡±
Selim arrived at the small town¡¯s station on his lonesome. He breathed deeply and repeated the words to himself, ¡°they have no evidence on me, they have no evidence on me,¡± and he walked inside. He went up to the reception and asked: ¡°hey, I have an acquaintance that was detained here? His name was Felix Olafson?¡± ¡®god, is this guy¡¯s name generic¡¯, he thought as he spoke. ¡°Yes, we were actually hoping someone who knew the guy would show up. Let me take you to the morgue.¡± The officer on the reception answered. ¡°The morgue?¡± Selim asked, puzzled. ¡°Didn¡¯t you come to confirm his death?¡± ¡°No, I was¡­ Coming to see him.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, this must be awfully shocking. He was shot earler today, not far from here, shortly after being released on bail.¡± ¡°It¡¯s that so¡­¡± he said and turned around to walk slowly out the door. Once outside, he looked at the icy horizon for a second, and then picked his burner and rung Ella. ¡°You got the stuff?¡± ¡°No, we are going to have to look a bit harder than we expected for those names.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°Well, whoever they are¡­ Let¡¯s just say they don¡¯t like loose ends.¡± ¡°... You serious?¡± ¡°Deadly so. I¡¯m coming back to you.¡± He said and he hung up. On the other side of the line sat Ella. She was looking at a board that had a picture of Felix on it connected with red string to a post it that said: ¡®the entrepreneurs.¡± She rubbed her forehead for a bit, and when she was done, she reached for the board and crossed Felix¡¯s picture. ¡°Well, mother fuckers, you want play games with me?¡± She said out loud while putting on the marker cap. ¡°Then let¡¯s play.¡±