The Brotherhood: Awakening Book II - 28. Chapter 28

The Brotherhood: Awakening

Chapter XXVIII

By X

 

  

"Arsen? Sunny repeated, looking at me sideways. "Your friend Arsen? Seriously? You called him too?"

“I didn’t!” I insisted while rubbing Arsen’s back.

“And all over my shoes, too!” Sunny complained as he pointed at his not-so-shiny shoes.

“Oh, stop your whining!” I blasted back. Raising my hand, I released a stream of Askyli toward his shoes and pants, changing them to a better-than-new state. “Happy?”

“So not the point!”

Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention to our curious guest. “Arsen, are you okay? What in the hell are you doing here?”

Arsen tried to collect himself before he spoke, but when he opened his mouth, he started dry heaving – it was anyone’s guess if more chunks would follow. We took a solid step back. Poor Arsen simply pointed over his shoulder at the bar, unable to speak.

I looked at Sunny and nodded toward the door. After patting Arsen's back, I told him to "wait here" while cautiously approaching the entrance. I slowly wrapped my hand around the handle, locked eyes with Sunny, and started a three-count with my other hand—the tension rose with every digit that fell.

Sunny slapped my hand out of his face with one finger left on the count. "Why are we acting like a couple of bitches? There's nothing in there we can't handle. You got me out here anxious about opening a freaking door."

“I…” I didn’t have a good comeback. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

Without saying a word, Arsen walked between us, pushed open the doors, and went in like he owned the joint.

I shrugged at Sunny, who was looking at me with daggers in his eyes for making us look clownish. “Come on, let's go.” I slapped his arm and gave him a toothy smile. “Stop dilly-dallying!”

Sunny tried to retaliate, but I entered the dark bar before he even moved.

My only concern was Arsen. “Hey!” I grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him close to me. “Are you okay? What happened?”

“I’m fine,” Arsen asserted while waving his hand. “I just wasn’t ready to see that, but I’m good now.”

“See what?”

“Oh, I might have an idea,” Sunny claimed as he tugged on my sleeve. “Look.”

I followed Sunny’s finger to a dark form slouched against the leg of a pool table. It was a lifeless body with fragments of torn flesh where the head should have been. Beside the corpse, a cue stick stood upright, still clutched in its right hand. It was obviously a man, but you’d never know it from the face because there wasn’t one. His head resembled a watermelon dropped from fifty stories up. All that remained was the shard of exposed vertebrae that once attached his head to his body, brain matter splashed across a neatly racked set of billiard balls, and an eyeball precariously staring back at me from under a stool.

I would have expected more blood.

It was absolute mayhem.

Over-turned tables. Broken chair legs. Twisted metal bar stools. And bodies. Everywhere.

The scent of beer, blood, French fries, and fear hung thick in the air. Like gruesome bookends, a set of broken bodies framed the bar on the far side of the room. A man clutching a bar towel dangled face down over one side of the bar while his counterpart lay face up across the other side with a beer can perched on his chest. Their limbs were contorted like pretzels, but they still had their heads.

Mounted in the wall over Sunny’s shoulder and just under a neon Pabst Blue Ribbon sign was a short set of legs dressed in worn jeans and new cowboy boots. I assumed the top half of him, if it still existed, was hanging out the other side. Again, there was suspiciously little blood.

The same could not be said for the two bodies in front of the jukebox or the guy with a missing foot and a face full of glass embedded inside the jukebox’s selection mechanism. Blood pooled over the song library and was starting to congeal. You had to give it to the technicians of the past. It was a classic jukebox filled with real vinyl. And yet, even with blood flowing into its electronics, the thing was diligently bouncing a 45 off the guy’s cheek while attempting to load the turntable. I couldn’t tell what number it was trying to play, but the record label said Highway to Hell by AC/DC.

It was a fitting soundtrack. Too bad it didn’t play.

The two dead men lying in front of the jukebox were an odd assortment of looks and bloody injuries. The bald, heavily tattooed gentleman with broad shoulders and a leather vest still had all his appendages in all the right places. But they were splayed down the middle as if something tore his hands apart between the ring and middle fingers, ripping the flesh and separating the bones of the forearm up to the elbow. Something similar had cracked his feet in half at the toes and separated his fibula from his tibia up to the knee. It gave him the appearance of having eight limbs instead of four. Rigor mortis had yet to set in, but the horror frozen on his face said it had been a painful death.

The other man was thin, with no discernible muscle tone. He had well-coiffed hair, a wedding ring, and a suit coat. No tie. He may have been wearing matching slacks, but it was hard to tell since he was no longer wearing legs. There was a pair of naked legs attached to a hairy belly button hanging over a deer head above the bar. They might have belonged to the skinny suit guy, but they probably belonged to the headless, legless, hairy half-torso perched behind the bar alongside a jar of pickled eggs.

“Holy shit…”

I looked at Sunny and followed his eyes to a lower jaw, sitting alone in the middle of a high-top table a few feet away. It was wet and stained red and undoubtedly belonged to one of the additional limp bodies that decorated the place like Halloween props.

It had been a bar brawl to end all bar brawls.

Of course, these weren’t your everyday law-abiding citizens. I could tell they were bikers from the cuts they wore. Dom’s gang, perhaps? Or maybe a random group of bikers who found themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” I grabbed Arsen by the shoulders and held him an arm's length away to inspect the damage. I wasn’t concerned about the vitals of anyone in the room except Arsen. He was all that mattered. “Are you hurt? I see blood.” I rubbed at a bloody streak to the right of his Adam’s apple. It came right off with no visible injury left behind.

“Not my blood,” he assured with a smirk. “I’m fine, Jacob. Relax.”

“Says the guy who blew his dinner all over my shoes.”

“Sorry about that.” Arsen’s cheeks flushed as he scratched the back of his head. “I wasn’t expecting to see someone’s head pop like a zit. Had I known, I would’ve skipped dessert. I can pay for a new pair to…”

“He’s fine!” I interrupted, grabbing Arsen’s chin to force his head in my direction. “Why are you here? Did you do this?”

“Not all of this,” Arsen said, gesturing toward the chaos. “See those two by the garbage can? Those are mine.” He pointed at two fully intact, unconscious men stacked on top of each other in the corner of the room. One was twitching his little finger; the other was turning gray. If they weren’t dead yet, they were knocking on that door.

“Oh, and that guy on the rug, but I wasn’t tearing off limbs and bashing skulls like crazy-McCrazy over there.” He motioned for me to look over my shoulder.

There was nothing but a trail of bodies and overturned tables leading to what I assumed was the kitchen. I was about to ask Arsen to explain himself when the swinging door flew open, and a screaming man came rushing out. He was a bulky gent, yet he darted swiftly through the mess like a gazelle dodging a lion in the tall grasses.

"Demon!" he hollered as he stumbled over the billiard table. After steadying himself, he made a dash towards us but slipped on a pool of brain juice mixed with beer. He crashed to the floor like a sack of potatoes, but that didn't stop him from fleeing his tormentor. Crawling my way, he begged, clutching onto my leg. "Help me, please! The devil! The devil is here!"

“I am no devil! I am more angel than devil, you imbecile!”

“Oh god…” I said under my breath.

Soullen emerged from the kitchen with white fire in his eyes. His Royal Pain-In-The-Butt was baptized in blood; it dripped off him like a chocolate fountain. It was a grizzly sight. Seeing him in such a state made me momentarily lose my mind. I grabbed the man by the back of the neck with a loud crunch and tossed him off me and over the bar like a rag doll into a shelf of bottles before rushing to Soullen’s side.

“Are you okay?” I grabbed his arms and pulled him close. “Are you hurt?”

"Jacob!" unable to suppress his delight, his eyes returned to normal but still lit with gless. "We have been waiting for you!"

“Are you hurt?” I repeated.

“Why would I be hurt?” Soullen asked, his face twisted in confusion.

I hugged him and didn’t let go.

Of course, Soullen was fine, but at that moment, all I could see was someone I cared about drenched in blood, and I freaked out. I know it's a totally human thing to do, but instincts are stubborn – they don't just switch off. If it had been Q, Seth, or even Raz, they'd probably have said, "Hey, Soullen, go clean up." But there I was, patting him down for broken bones or a gaping wound.

“Jacob, what are you doing?” Soullen demanded, trying to push me away. “This is unbecoming behavior in front of a Skai!”

“Wait a second,” I said without releasing him. In fact, I held him so close that my chin tapped the top of his head as I spoke. “Did you just get blood and guts all over me?”

“I did no such thing!” he asserted fiercely. “You embraced me without warning. You are to blame.”

“Interesting…” Sunny stared at me as he stepped alongside Arsen. “You don’t seem as surprised to see the Prince as you were him.”

“Whatever do you mean?” I played coy.

“Release me at once!” Soullen ordered into my chest.

“Jacob!” Sunny scolded. “You obviously called them here. You don’t need to lie about it.”

“No, I said I didn’t call Arsen here,” I explained smugly. “I never said anything about Soullen.”

“Now you’re being a smart-ass,” Sunny said.

“And this is new, how?”

“Why are you involving these Nave?” Sunny gestured to Soullen and Arsen.

“Unhand me, Jacob!” Soullen’s voice was louder this time but more muffled.

“Technically, I’m not Nave,” Arsen clarified with a smile. “Not yet, anyway.”

Now, Arsen was the target of Sunny’s dagger-like glare.

“Jacob, you’re going to suffocate the kid,” Arsen pointed out.

“He’s fine,” I said, hugging Soullen tighter.

“What are they doing here, Jacob?” Sunny demanded.

“Good question,” I nodded and looked at Arsen. “What are you doing here?”

“Jacob!”

“You sent Soullen directions to this place and expected him to find it?” Arsen laughed. “The boy hasn’t figured out two-way calling, and you thought he could use Maps? He would’ve ended up in Brussels.”

“That only happened once!” Soullen defended his honor while finally pushing free from my embrace. “Humans are the ones who insist on using the same name for different cities around the world. It is idiotic!” He straightened his damp, bloody shirt. “But yes, I asked Arsen for assistance locating this place called The Loose Goose. I could not afford to be misdirected this time.”

“But why ask him here at all?” Sunny wouldn’t give up.

Soullen answered before I could. “Because I made him promise to let me join when the human who hurt Zac was located.”

Sunny just looked at me.

“He cares about Zac, Sunny,” I said. “Can you blame him for wanting to be here?”

Sunny didn’t respond, but he didn’t argue the point either. “Hold on.” He looked around frantically before setting his sight on Soullen. “Was he here? Did you kill him?”

“Sadly, no,” Soullen grumbled with disappointment.

“He’s mine. Got it? I don’t care about any of these losers, but when Dom shows up, don’t lay a finger on him. Understood?”

A staring contest ensued between Sunny and Soullen. They both wanted a piece of this guy, but it was Sunny’s fight. We were just here for the pleasure of seeing Dom suffer.

“Understood?” Sunny repeated more firmly than before.

I elbowed Soullen to get him to agree.

“Understood,” he acquiesced begrudgingly.

Sunny had his doubts.

Okay, he downright didn’t believe Soullen, so he looked at me with eyes that said it all, and I heard his voice in my head. “Jacob…”

“He won’t,” I assured him aloud. “I promise.”

I looked at Soullen, who reaffirmed his agreement with a nod. This slight gesture was more than enough for Sunny. He knew Soullen would never go against me. The same could not be said for any other random Skai.

“Here’s a question…” I rubbed my chin like I was about to ask something profound. “What the fuck happened here?!” I shouted, turning to smack Soullen on the back of the head.

“Hey!”

“When I texted you the information, I told you to behave and wait outside the bar until we get here, not start your own Texas Chainsaw Massacre.”

“I do not know what that means.”

“He’s not going to know what that…”

Soullen and Arsen spoke simultaneously, but Arsen’s words trailed off as he turned to me.

“See?” He grabbed my shoulder and shook gently. “To be fair, it was my idea to come inside and check things out. His Highness made it clear that you instructed him to wait outside. I thought he would have a heart attack when he disobeyed and followed me in.”

“I did not!” Soullen looked offended.

Now I felt terrible for smacking him on the head. I gently massaged the back of his neck to signal my apology. He just pouted and tried to look tough.

“We came in, and everything was cool at first,” Arsen continued while he surveyed the destruction. “Obviously, shit went south.”

“Obviously,” Sunny and I said in unison, still scanning the damage.

“Turns out this bar has a reputation for people with a certain appetite, and if there are boys, say, around his age, walking around, it’s understood that they are also on the menu. I didn’t think of that.”

“Really?” I mocked. “You didn’t think a bar owned and operated by a guy who traffics young boys might be a hotbed for pervs and degenerates?”

“No, Jacob, I didn’t,” Arsen’s voice reeked of sass. “I don’t order off that menu, so the thought never crossed my mind. My bad.”

I was going to fire back with a smart-ass comment, but he cut me off.

“Anyway, I decided to teach His Highness some…”

“Arsen, I have told you,” Soullen interrupted. “You do not have to address me as…”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I wanted to teach him some pool. Everything was chill at first. He picked it up fast and successfully pocketed every ball he called. I still say it’s cheating.”

“I did not cheat! It is not my fault humans have inferior hand-eye coordination.”

“If you’re El’odian, it’s automatically cheating,” Arsen declared before continuing. “Suddenly, we’re surrounded by these guys.” He pointed indiscriminately around the room. “I have no idea where they came from. They were just there, standing behind us while we played. As you can imagine, whenever Soullen bent over to make a shot, they whistled and made crude comments, which was fucking rude.”

“Yeah, no shit,” I added.

“No, I’m saying they completely ignored me,” Arsen clarified, placing his hand on his chest. “I’m a snack.”

“Yes, you are, but can we continue?” Sunny grumbled.

“Yeah, so then what…” I stopped and snapped my head in his direction and grinned. “What did you say?”

His eyes widened like saucers as if he had accidentally spilled some big secret. "What?" Sunny acted all innocent, pretending I didn't catch every word.

I laughed. “Didn’t I just hear you say…”

“Can we get back to the point at hand?” Sunny argued, looking awkwardly at Arsen. “Or not. It’s a bunch of dead humans. Who cares how they met their fate?”

“I care!” I said.

“Fine, then let's stick to the dead humans and stop going off on tangents about who said what.”

“Okay,” I shot him a big toothy smile, grabbed his arm, and leaned in close. “Smooth.”

“Get off me!” he shrugged me off.

Arsen coughed to get our attention. “Like I was saying, they were coming onto Soullen hard, which is gross on so many levels, but we ignored it until one got handsy with him.”

Soullen suddenly looked offended. “He did not get handsy with me. He touched my buttocks.”

“That’s what ‘handsy’ means,” I explained.

“Oh.” Soullen nodded.

“And say ‘butt.’ No one says ‘buttocks.’”

“But that is where he touched me.”

“I know, but…never mind.” I shook my head and let it go.

“He didn’t just touch his ass, he grabbed it.”

“‘Ass is another good word,’” I added.

“Jacob, who cares?” Arsen’s eyes begged me to stop. “The point is, once the headless horseman over there,” he pointed at the decapitated body next to the pool table, “grabbed his ass, it was on like Donkey Kong. I cracked my pool stick over his mouth, and the bar swarmed us.” Arsen threw his hand over his head like he was about to make a grand declaration. “And this, my friends, is what happens when you touch little boys.”

“Good!” I grinned proudly while looking at Soullen. I had no shits to give for the fuckers laying dead at my feet. As the saying goes, ‘play stupid games, win a massacre of epic proportions by a god-like being millions of years old,’ or something like that.

“Truly?” Soullen asked, his big crimson eyes conveying a sense of regret. “You are not upset that I failed to wait for you outside as instructed?”

“Of course not. It wasn’t your fault.” I said, then tilted my head in Arsen’s direction. “It was dumb-dumb’s fault.”

“Slow your roll, Sparky,” Arsen said in his defense. “I had no idea this would happen.”

“Sparky?” Sunny said, looking between Arsen and me. “Why did you call him Sparky?”

Arsen shrugged. “I’ve always called him that.”

“But that’s my name for him,” Sunny said.

"No, I've been calling him Sparky since day one, and I've known him way longer than you. So, the copyright on that nickname is totally mine."

“But he’s my brother,” Sunny declared proudly.

“He’s my brother,” Arsen said with just as much pride.

“No, he’s…”

“Guys, guys!” I interjected, rolling my eyes. “Can we focus? Someone is still alive in this place.”

Arsen looked around. “Really?”

“I can sense it.”

“Yes, I was going after him when I saw you,” Soullen said.

“Who cares?” Sunny shrugged. “He’s probably cowering in a dark corner somewhere, pissing himself.”

The door to the storage area beneath the bar burst open, and a bearded guy popped out brandishing a shotgun. Our response could've been quicker, but we were all just standing there like, "Seriously? You're the one going for the dramatic exit?"

Before we could fully process the absurdity, the first shot rang out, heading straight for Soullen and me. The young prince took the brunt of it, a blast smacking him right across the face. I felt the pellets graze my neck and arm, but for us, it was more like getting hit with a bunch of harmless spitballs. My shirt got shredded, which was kind of annoying, I guess.

Arsen!

My priority shifted to my human brother as I witnessed the second bright flash target the back of Arsen's head. At that moment, the aura of my Askyli surged through me, making time feel like it was moving in slow motion, and my speed exploded exponentially. I wondered whether I could outpace a speeding bullet to rescue him.

As it turned out, such extreme measures weren't necessary. Much to my relief and utter surprise, I watched Sunny swiftly slide his arm over Arsen's chest, twirling him around. He draped himself like a protective cloak around Arsen, taking the hit on his upper back and head instead. The man chambered a third round but made the fatal mistake of making eye contact with me. The dark rays from my optic blast bore two holes through his eye sockets, scorching the wall behind him with their fiery imprint. He was already dead when a beam of white light cut through his torso a millisecond later, separating the two halves as gravity pulled the pieces down in opposite directions.

“Arsen!” I yelled, rushing to his side. I started feeling his face and chest. “Are you okay?”

Soullen was beside me, mimicking my actions, clearly confused by my need to feel Arsen up.

He nodded while clutching Sunny’s arm tightly.

“You need to say something before I believe you.”

“Yes, you must speak,” Soullen ordered.

“I’m fine,” he insisted. “What happened? I just heard gunshots.”

I sighed with relief and tousled his hair. Then I turned to Sunny. “You saved him.”

“And?” Sunny said dismissively, his arm still wrapped around Arsen.

“You saved a human member of The Brotherhood.”

“And?” he repeated with wide eyes as if I were accusing him of something.

“And you can probably let him go now.”

“Oh…” He stood up straight and released Arsen with a simple declaration. “You’re good.”

Arsen turned to face him, probably to thank him, but Sunny quickly walked away. “I’ll do a quick sweep for any additional lurkers.”

“We would sense it,” I pointed out while smirking.

“It doesn’t hurt to check.”

He left before I could call him out. “Are you sure you’re okay?” I placed my hand on the side of Arsen’s face.

Soullen did the same to his other side.

“I’m fine,” he grabbed my wrist and wiggled his finger. “I’m wearing my ring. It would’ve protected me.”

“Right, of course,” I agreed. “But…better to be safe than sorry, right?”

He nodded and smiled. “What happened?” He tried to turn around to look, but I grabbed his chin and forced his gaze back to me. Then, Soullen forced Arsen to look at him.

“Better not. I don’t need you vomiting on me.”

“I wasn’t prepared last time! I’m good now.” Slapping both our hands away in a flurry of wide-armed gestures, Arsen stepped back and did a karate pose. “Get away from me before I take out a restraining order!” He leaned over the bar to take a gander at the most recent dead guy and, in a quiet voice, said, “Holy fuck! Clean up on aisle six, I guess.”

“How are you okay with all this?” I asked as Arsen slid off the counter and onto his feet again.

Shrugging dismissively, he said, “You seem to be holding up just fine. Why can’t I?”

“That’s different.”

“Why? Because you’re ‘Skai’?” he asked with air quotes.

“You realize the air quotes don’t apply here,” I mocked, coping his gesture. “I’m actually Skai.”

“So what? You’re still the same knucklehead I jizzed on in the woods,” Arsen laughed. “You’re not that special.”

“Ah, the memories,” I chuckled along with him.

"What is jizz?" Soullen chimed in, strolling over, his innocent gaze bouncing between us.

“This doesn’t concern you.” Placing my hand on his head, I turned him around and pushed him toward the bar. “Go play with the liquor bottles. And clean yourself up!”

“You are worse than Qua’quelle!” he grumbled, hopping over the counter in a single leap. His Anavi radiance flashed, cleansing him of his murderous deeds. I looked on with pride.

Soullen didn’t stop there. A ribbon of his Anavi broke away and enveloped me, radiating light until my shirt was mended and the bloody stains were gone.

I smiled in thanks.

“I might not have my wings yet, but we’ve been through the wringer since you’ve been gone,” Arsen said, forcing my attention back to him. “I’ve seen some beautiful things, but also things so terrible I wouldn’t wish them on my worst enemy.”

“And then you threw up?” I teased, poking his stomach.

“Shut up.”

“Touchy!” I poked him a few more times before he slapped my hand away. “You’ll have to tell me about these beautiful and terrible things someday.”

“Just like you’ll have to me what’s weighing on your mind…someday.”

“What makes you think there’s anything on my mind?”

“Well, normally, I’d agree that there’s nothing up there, but I know you, Sparky.”

I pushed him gently and tossed a few playful insults his way.

“Remember, I’m here,” Arsen reminded me.

We shared a knowing stare and a smile. It was all that needed to be said.

“Now, what are we going to do about this mess?” He looked to either side at the lifeless bodies scattered about. “If The Brotherhood has taught us anything, it’s never leave a reason for someone to go looking.”

“Oh, I got this!” I clapped my hands together and then extended them out to the side. “Check this out.”

Askyli poured out from my hands, falling between my fingers like a waterfall.

“Look at you with the spooky black eyes,” Arsen teased.

“Shut up!”

The dark mist spread through the bar, rising swiftly until the sea of black reached our waists. Two black tendrils rose up behind the bar, on either side of Soullen, aimed for the body parts hung at a higher level. In a moment of panic, Soullen, stationed behind the bar, spun in place, trying to pinpoint the source of the encroaching darkness. He was about to kick into "fight mode" when he finally realized the threat emanated from me. He relaxed after that and went back to rifling through the drawers. The endrils retreated int he black, misty sea, taking the torso and legs with them.

“This isn’t going to give me a rash, right?” Arsen teased as he tried to swat the shadow away from his hips. “I’ll have a hard time explaining this to a doctor.”

“Will you stop?”

“It’s all clear back there,” Sunny said as he walked into the bar area.

“Like I already said,” I snickered.

Sunny ignored my comment, but when he saw what I was doing, he said, “Oh, good call!”

As he walked by the two guys hanging off the bar, he grabbed them by their belts and pulled them off the counter and into the shadow. Moments later, the darkness receded into my hands, leaving no trace of the dead.

“Is this what you’ve been learning over there? How to make bodies disappear?”

Arsen had a lot of jokes that night.

“I’m about to make you disappear in a minute.”

“I’d love to see you try,” Arsen challenged while puffing up his chest.

In the blink of an eye, my skin transformed into a slate gray hue, my hair grew into a cascade of white, and inky black pools replaced my eyes. Wings burst forth from my back, flowing and elongating like a magical stream before unfurling like a shroud of darkness wide and high above us.

I was shadow personified.

I was Skai.

Extending my index finger, I pressed the very tip of my long, black nail against Arsen’s nose. Our eyes locked.

“Oh, please!” Rolling his eyes, Arsen shook his head and slapped my hand out of his face before walking past me.

Annoyed, I spun around and threw my hands up. “Seriously? Nothing?”

“It’s cool and all, but Q without his morning apple is scarier than all that.”

“I see your point,” I nodded knowingly while returning to human form.

“Jacob, stop clowning around,” Sunny ordered.

“That tone was scarier than you just now,” Arsen laughed.

“I find myself agreeing with Arsen,” Soullen added his two cents as if he were asked.

“Shut the hell up! Both of you!”

“Calm down, Sparky!” Arsen fired back.

Arsen and Sunny shared a tense glance.

“So now what?” I asked.

“We wait,” Sunny said.

And that’s precisely what we did for more than an hour.

Luckily for us, The Loose Goose wasn’t exactly a five-star bar and grill advertised on all the popular dining apps. The bar was tucked away in the middle of nowhere, so we didn’t have to deal with a rush of hungry patrons. If you were coming to The Loose Goose, it probably wasn’t for the food. So, when two guys showed up about twenty minutes into our wait, they disappeared like the rest.

Sunny lounged cross-legged on a booth table, peering through the blinds, looking for any sign of Dom. The rhythmic tap-tap of his nail on a ketchup bottle echoed as he waited. Meanwhile, Soullen was off on a nosy adventure, exploring the bar by cracking open every liquor bottle he could find, complaining about the stench after each dramatic whiff.

I leaned against an emergency door, keeping an eye on the only road in and out of the bar while chatting with Arsen. It felt good catching up and hearing the latest gang updates. Apart from a handful of occasions, I hadn't hung out much with them after school due to my training. Still, I managed to sneak in a few days here and there with the boys.

“I still can’t believe you did a cam show with CJ,” Arsen said, throwing his head back in laughter.

“I didn’t know what I was agreeing to at the time!” I shoved him into the gumball machine behind him. “You know how CJ gets. He goes on and on and on until you finally zone out. The next thing you know, you’re giving up a kidney and your firstborn.”

“You could’ve said no.”

“Yeah, right. He was so excited to have me on. I couldn’t do that to him. Besides, it’s not like I did anything crazy. I just sat there in my underwear and Spidey mask, flexing and shit. He was the one beating his meat.”

“I know, I saw. Whenever CJ goes live, he sends the group chat a link to join and hype him up. As if he needs it.”

“That’s right, I remember you in the comments trying to get me to strip naked!”

“Hey man, I was doing it for the fans. Did you know he had over thirty thousand people watching at one point? It was his most-watched stream. He made crazy tips! That freak.”

“I’m not surprised,” I said, thinking back to the night CJ and I were thigh-to-thigh while he rubbed one out for his fans. “He had me listed as his ‘straight/religious’ friend who’d never been naked around other dudes due to my ‘strict upbringing.’ If only they knew the truth.”

“Totally!” Arsen laughed and slapped my arm. “You have to admit, it’s genius marketing.”

“Of course it was,” I agreed. “CJ is a porn savant. And don’t get all uppity with me. I know you agreed to be on one of his upcoming shows.”

“Ugh!” Arsen rolled his eyes and shook his head as if this were news. “Don’t get me started. I’m still not sure how he got me to agree.”

“That’s what I’m saying! I swear, the boy has voodoo or something.”

Popping his head out from under the bar, Soullen innocently asked, “Can I be on this CJ’s show?”

“No!” we all yelled. Including Sunny!

“I never get to do anything of note!” Soullen complained before disappearing under the counter again.

Arsen and I talked and laughed a while longer until he finally said, “I’ll be right back.” He stepped away from me to approach Sunny. Resting his right knee on the seat cushion, Arsen leaned into the booth without taking a seat. Sunny didn’t acknowledge him. He kept his eyes fixed on the world outside the window.

Arsen cleared his throat softly as if Sunny didn’t know he was there.

“Can I help you with something?” Sunny asked with all the warmth of the Arctic tundra.

Oh god, here we go.

“I just wanted to thank you for before,” Arsen said. “For saving me.”

“There’s no need,” Sunny replied. “I did it more for myself than anything else.”

“Oh?” Arsen asked curiously.

“You’re important to Jacob,” Sunny elaborated. “And you know how he is. If anything would’ve happened to you, he would’ve gotten all weepy and sad and turned into a complete mess. I was saving myself the headache.”

Arsen laughed.

That bastard!

“That’s Jacob, alright.”

“You know I can hear you guys, right?”

They ignored me. Fuckers.

“Besides, like you said, that ring would’ve protected you,” Sunny acknowledged.

“Well, thanks to you, we didn’t have to test it. I call that a win.” After an awkward pause, Arsen continued. “So…I guess this is me thanking you.” He nodded to himself a couple of times before he began sliding out of the booth.

“It should be me thanking you.”

Oh…

My ears perked up.

“Why?” Arsen was as confused as I was. “All I did was barf on your shoes. Still really sorry about that.”

“Jacob!” Soullen shouted from under the bar, interrupting my eavesdropping. “Did you really drink these human beverages? They all smell like poison! The foul kind.”

“Shut up!” I would’ve thrown something at him if an object was within reach.

“I was merely asking! There was no need to be vexatious.”

“What the…Vex who?”

Arsen looked at me with a cheeky grin.

I would’ve thrown something at him, too.

“For Zac,” Sunny said softly.

Arsen’s face went serious, and he looked at Sunny. “Zac?”

“He told me about your get-together over breakfast. He wouldn’t shut up about it,” Sunny elaborated, then paused briefly, reflecting on his chat with Zac. "Anyway, you showed Zac a kindness he probably forgot was a thing in the world. You made him feel like one of the guys. You made him feel special, and for that...well, thank you.”

“Oh, that was easy,” Arsen grinned. “I might not know all the ins and outs of Zac's backstory, but I could tell from the get-go that he was a special kid. His personality pulls you in with little effort.”

Sunny agreed with a slight nod.

“Besides, any friend of Jacob’s is a friend of ours,” Arsen declared.

I wondered if Sunny would accept Arsen’s olive branch. My eyes were still fixed on the road outside, but my ears were homed in on their conversation, which is why I had to shoot Soullen down again when he yelled out another dumb question about my taste in alcohol.

“Why make friends with your enemy?” Sunny questioned.

That answered that - olive branch denied.

“It will only prove to be counterproductive in the end.”

“Enemy? I don’t see any enemies,” Arsen said, looking around the bar. “I didn’t see an enemy when we were laughing it up with Zac, and I don’t see one now.”

It was evident by Sunny’s little outburst that he found the whole idea ridiculous.

“I see you live in the same fantasy world as Jacob,” he said. “I would like to visit it someday.”

I rolled my eyes.

“You should!” Arsen joked. “It’s nice there. We serve margaritas by the beach, parasailing is at two, and the guys are oiled up and packing in their speedos.”

“That does sound nice,” Sunny conceded with a soft laugh.

“Look…” Arsen’s change in tone was sudden and sharp. “I’m not an idiot…”

“Well…” I said softly under my breath.

Arsen gave me the finger without looking at me. “I know where this is all heading,” he continued. “We all do. Could we find ourselves on the opposite sides of the battlefield? Sure.”

“Could?” Sunny interrupted. “More like will.”

“Fine,” Arsen acknowledged. “Maybe one day you’ll kill me. Or who knows? Maybe I’ll kill you. That’s a distinct possibility, for sure, but it’s a problem for tomorrow. Look at us now.” Stepping out of the booth, he made a sweeping gesture toward the rest of the bar. “Nave and Skai, Brotherhood and Sanctum, working together for the shared love of a fifteen-year-old kid.” Arsen leaned over the table and placed his hand on Sunny’s shoulder. “Call me crazy, but maybe that’s a start.”

Sunny glanced at the hand casually resting on his shoulder, not offering any reaction or words. He just stared, silent, while Arsen gave a couple of friendly pats before strolling off to see what Soullen was up to. Sunny's gaze trailed after Arsen, lingering on him way longer than he'd ever admit.

Sunny’s eyes then caught mine, and he knew he was busted. He did a quick about-face, returning to his serious window-gazing stance like nothing happened and acting serious as shit.

Interesting.

That was an interaction I would never have foreseen. It wasn’t great by any means, but it was something, I suppose. Leave it to Arsen to play bridge-maker. If anything comes of it, it’s anyone’s guess. I don’t see those two playing Parcheesi anytime soon, but like Arsen said, it was a start.

I was still in my head, breaking down their encounter, when I noticed something amid the tree line. It was dark, both the form itself and the outdoor lighting. I tried to focus on it, but despite my El’odian eyes, I couldn’t make it out. It was like darkness had concentrated on one place and taken form.

I think it was staring back at me.

“What the…” I mumbled.

I leaned in close, almost smushing my face against the glass, but I still couldn't make out a thing. It seemed person-like, but the details were just a blur. It was like staring at someone's shadow, except this shadowy figure had depth and eyes. Eyes that were staring right back at me. Carefully, I moved through the bar, scanning it through every window, making sure not to lose sight of the mysterious object. I kept my eyes locked on it until I finally reached Sunny.

“Do you see that?” I asked, pointing out the window.

“See what?” he asked. “What are we looking at?”

“Right there!” I parted the blinds and pointed again. “Don’t you see it?”

“Uh, no.”

“It’s right there.” I tapped on the glass as if that would help. “It looks like someone is standing by that tall pine tree.”

Narrowing his eyes, Sunny leaned forward a bit. “I don’t see anything but the trees.”

“Are you sure?”

“Jacob, if someone were standing there, I’d be able to count how many freckles they had. There’s no one there, bro.”

“It’s not about there being someone there. It’s like looking up at a cloud and seeing the form of a turtle. That’s what I’m talking about. The shape of it.”

“I don’t see a turtle either.”

I moaned and moved away from the window.

“Where are you going?”

“To check it out.”

“Check what out, Jacob? There’s nothing out there.”

I didn’t get far before Soullen popped out from under the bar again.

“Jacob…” he said, holding up a sheet of paper.

I almost ignored him, but the look on his face was new; disturbing.”

“No fucking way,” Arsen said, glancing at the sheet as Soullen passed it to me.

“What is it?” I took the paper, and my blood pressure would’ve gone through the roof if I were human.

I was enraged.

Sunny walked up behind me and took the paper. “That fucking bastard…”

It was a “missing person” poster showing Zac’s face and listing a ten-thousand-dollar reward for any information leading to his return “home.”

The audacity of this piece of shit!

The image on the poster was tough to stomach. It wasn't like something was wrong with it, per se, but we all understood the underlying message. You could see it in Zac's face. Not so much in the emo black hair he used to rock back then, but rather in the haunting gaze in his eyes. He stared into the camera like it was a void ready to swallow him whole. It hit hard, seeing someone so vibrant and full of life reduced to a moment where he'd forgotten how to smile. It was gut-wrenching.

Bright headlights, reflecting off the mirror behind the bar, pulled us all back to the present.

“He’s here,” Sunny announced and took off with paper in hand.

We followed, of course, and walked out of the bar as a shiny new truck, followed by two SUVs, pulled up to the side of the bar. I took a moment to glance over at the area where I thought I had seen someone, but there was nothing there.

“Hey, stay behind me,” I instructed Arsen.

“Dude, I’m good,” he replied, wiggling his ring finger in my face again. “You don’t need to worry about me. Believe it or not, I can handle myself.”

“Yeah, okay…” I said sarcastically.

This Dom fuck couldn’t even be bothered to allow the boys to travel in the warmth of the vehicles. They were all huddled together in the back of his pickup.

I don’t believe in Karma, but if I did, I would say the four of us were about to become Karma’s employees of the month.

“So, what’s the plan?” I asked Sunny.

“Just follow my lead.”

As we approached, Dom and his men- all seven of them- were piling out of their vehicles. The man driving the truck got out and opened the tailgate for the boys – a couple climbed down while the others jumped off the side.

“God dammit!” the man shouted. “How often do I need to tell you not to jump off the side like that? You’re going to scuff the paint!”

The boys didn’t say anything. Terrified to look in his direction, they looked at each other silently.

My money was on this shithead being Dom. There wasn’t anything special about him. He was just another middle-aged man trying desperately to cling to better days and a life that had long left him behind. The blue jeans, jean jacket, cowboy hat, and boots conjure a particular image of what his life might have been like before he decided to become a lowlife sex trafficker.

“Skip, take them inside, and get something to eat,” he ordered, moving his toothpick from one side of his mouth to the other. He kissed Skip on the side of his head and patted his ass as he sent him on his way.

I could’ve hurled.

And speaking of chew, one of his men with a large beer gut spat out a wad of brown juice as we walked by and splashed it all over Sunny’s right shoe.

Sunny sighed heavily and, to my surprise, managed to keep his cool. In fact, he was all smiles. He made eye contact with Skip and shook his head slightly. Skip picked up on what Sunny meant, and instead of taking them inside, he gathered up the rest of his friends and moved behind the bar near a storage area. It made sense. Sunny wanted to keep an eye on them to ensure they were safe.

“Fellas, what can I do you for?” Dom said, smoothing out his thick goatee. “Looking for work? I can always use a few more boys.”

This moron of morons actually went up to Sunny and tried to grab his face. Sunny jerked his head to the side slightly to avoid his touch.

“We’ve never had an Asian on the books before.” He laughed and looked at his men. “Ain’t that right, boys?”

“Hell, why the hell not?” one of them said. “We already got the chocolate demographic covered with Andre. We might as well get us a pretty Chinese boy.”

Their behavior spoke volumes. They were obviously accustomed to running around doing whatever they wanted with impunity. They had no idea who we were, yet were so brazen. We could’ve been undercover cops for all they knew, but I’m sure the thought never entered their minds. I wouldn’t have been surprised to learn they had some of the local PD in their pockets to give them a heads up if some shit was coming their way. Luckily for them, we weren’t cops. Unfortunately for them, we were something far worse.

“I’m afraid you misunderstand my intentions here,” Sunny said, slightly bowing and bringing the palm of his hand to his chest as if apologizing. “I have information you might find of interest.”

“The only thing you have that I might be interested in is between your legs and ass cheeks, so if you’re not here to work, get the fuck off my property.”

“Oh, wow!” he said, bending his knees and arching his back in the most over-the-top, dramatic way possible while flashing me a grin that said, “I’m killing everyone here.”

Dom’s goon squad slowly closed ranks, forming a horseshoe around us to intimidate me and my friends. And I tell you what, my knees were knocking together in fear. I could tell Soullen was itching for a fight. I had to place my hand on his shoulder to settle him down, and with a gentle squeeze, I assured him he would get his chance. Arsen was to my left, appearing as calm and stoic as ever, but I could tell he was ready for shit to go down by the way he spun his ring around his finger. I’m not sure he even knew he was doing it. I admit, I was curious to see what Arsen would do, but I was more concerned about his safety than anything else, despite the power of his ring to protect him.

“That may be true,” Sunny said, “but I also have him.”

He held the wanted poster to Dom’s face, who quickly snatched it from his hand.

“What do you mean you have him?” Dom demanded.

“Well, you see, you and I are not so different,” Sunny said. “I’m an entrepreneur like yourself. I run a similar business down in Southmont and…”

“You run boys out of Southmont?” Dom interrupted. “You?”

I could hardly believe it myself.

“I sure do,” Sunny said, beaming with pride.

“Ain’t there like ten people in Southmont?” one of his guys joked.

“I admit, my operations are nowhere near as sophisticated and classy as yours, but we all have to start somewhere.” Sunny looked over his shoulder at me and made a gagging face – his movements were too fast for human eyes. “As you can see by some of my merchandise here, I think I’m off to a good start.”

“These boys are yours?” another of his men spoke, amazed at Sunny’s “products.”

“Yes, sir. All mine.”

The three of us stared at Sunny.

“They’re some of my best,” he continued while walking around me. “Prime cut, if you will,” Sunny slapped my ass hard. “The crème de La Crème of my catalog. The bee’s knees. The…”

“Sunny,” I said softly through clenched teeth.

“Right…” he said and squeezed my ass just to fuck with me.

“I am no one’s bee!” Soullen declared. “I’m Prince of…”

Sunny quickly covered Soullen’s mouth before he could start his rant. “Forgive him; he’s deathly afraid of bees. Allergies and all that, you know how it is.” After giving Soullen a look to settle down, he reluctantly released him and walked over to Dom again. “Anyway, when I came across one of your boys, I felt it was my duty to return your property. We small business owners need to stick together, wouldn’t you agree?”

Dom grumbled something unintelligible before slapping the piece of paper. “You have him?”

“I do.”

“Is he working for you?”

“Not currently.”

“How do I know you’re for real and not bullshitting me right now?”

“Have a look,” Sunny shrugged and handed Dom his phone. “If you swipe right, you’ll see even more pictures of us together.”

“You seem quite friendly with him,” Dom said disapprovingly.

“Well, of course. It’s how I get the jittery ones to lower their guard and trust me.”

“I see,” Dom nodded. “How did he end up with you?”

“Like you, I own a social gathering place called The Swinging D’s.”

Arsen almost broke character, clearing his throat and cracking his neck to regain his composure.

“The Swinging D’s?” Dom questioned as he handed back the phone. “Never heard of it.”

“We keep a low profile. Anyhoo, this young man,” he flicked the back of the sheet, “came in with a couple of my boys one night for dinner after they befriended him. I happened to be sitting behind them, going over the numbers.” Sunny suddenly stopped and looked at Arsen. “By the way, you came up two Benny’s short last week. Don’t think I forgot about that.”

Arsen looked at me, confused, before looking at Sunny. “Um, okay. I guess I’ll…uh…make up for it?”

“You better, or you’ll get these hands again,” Sunny said, feinting with the back of his right hand.

“Sure…” Arsen was clearly amused.

“These boys, am I right?” Sunny said, looking back at Dom.

“You were saying…about my boy in the picture,” Dom said.

“So yeah, I overheard him talking to his friends about how he got away from his ‘little dicked’ boss and ran off with fifteen grand of his money.”

Dom's face flashed red and stayed there. He didn’t like that at all. Crumpling up the sheet of paper, he charged Sunny, who backed up with his hands in the air.

“Hey, now, I’m just letting you know what the kid said so he can be properly punished.”

“Bring him to me tonight, and you’ll get 10k cash.”

“Cash?” Sunny said as if insulted. “No, no, no. This isn’t about money.”

“If it’s not about the money, what’s it about?” Dom challenged.

“Setting an example to my boys,” Sunny insisted, pointing over his shoulder at us. “I can’t have that little shit putting ideas in their heads like I’m some punk ass bitch they can rob and ditch.”

I could hear Dom grinding his teeth.

“So, I’m more than happy to return him to you for free as long as he gets punished for what he did. It sends a message that you’re not actually a stupid, punk-ass little bitch who got played by a child. You feel me?”

The grinding got louder.

“I can make a call and have him here in ten minutes, but I have one tiny little request before I do that.”

“What is it?”

“How do you plan on punishing the boy?”

Confused, Dom shrugged. “Why do you care?”

“Like I said, I’m new at this and would love to learn how to handle these situations if it ever happened with my boys. And who better to learn from than you? I’ve heard so much about you. You’re a legend. I mean, the kid doesn’t seem to think so, but I’m sure others think highly of you. Out there. Somewhere.”

“You really want to know what I plan to do to him?” He asked, looking around at his guys, who started to snicker and laugh.

“It’s the only thing on my Christmas list,” Sunny replied, clapping his hands excitedly.

“Okay, I’ll drop some knowledge on you, but under one condition,” Dom said, shifting his gaze to Soullen. “You have to agree to let my guys have some fun with the little one afterward. Free of charge, of course.”

“I am not little!” Soullen said as he was literally looking up at me.

“Oh, boy!” Sunny said, throwing his head back in amusement as if he just won the lottery. “You got yourself a deal, my friend. Nothing would make me happier than to put the ‘little one’ in a room full of your guys and see what he does to them. I would pay for premium seating for that event.”

"Well, you're in luck," Dom said. "My men aren't shy and don't mind an audience, so feel free to pull up that chair."

“Oh, goodie,” Sunny smiled.

“Can I?” Soullen asked me enthusiastically – the murderous intent in his eyes as pure as the loving gaze of a child.

“In a minute,” I laughed and ruffled his hair.

“So…about that punishment,” Sunny said. “I’m sure you’ve been thinking about it since he ran away.”

“First of all, when we get him back, the guys and I will have to run him through a few times to make sure he’s still worth the premium price we used to charge for him.”

“Obviously,” Sunny agreed dismissively. “What else?”

“I’m sure you noticed the scar on the side of his face,” Dom said.

“Was that you?”

Dom nodded. “I think he will need a matching set on the other side of his face.”

“Perfect.”

“And for stealing from me,” Dom paused, pondering his options. “I’ll break his hand, nice and slow. Maybe start with a few fingers. His left hand so he can still do his job with his right.”

“Genius.”

“And for running away, I’ll break his leg, and once it’s healed…I’ll break it again. And then again, so it never fully heals right. I want him to think of me when he feels that painful limp. After that, I doubt he’ll give me any more trouble.”

I had to stop Soullen from charging at that fucker. Hell, I had to stop myself as well.

“I couldn’t have said it better myself. Thank you.” Sunny offered to shake his hand. “This has been most enlightening. A real education.”

Dom shook his hand hesitantly. “Now, are you going to make that call?”

“Absolutely!” Sunny pulled out his phone again and made the call.

My phone rang.

What the…

All eyes were on me as my phone rang.

“Come on, pick up, pick up,” Sunny said, holding his phone to his chest. He turned back to Dom and rolled his eyes, “Sorry about this. He’s awful about answering his phone.”

“Hello…” I stammered.

“Oh, there you are,” Sunny said. “Can you believe this piece of shit? He wants to cut his face. Again. His beautiful face!”

“I know, I heard.”

“Crazy, right?”

“Yep.”

“What’s going on?” Dom barked, backing away from Sunny and unbuttoning his jean jacket to show off the handgun tucked in his waist. “What the fuck is this? Who are you?”

“Now he’s demanding to know who I am,” Sunny said, annoyed, and picked up the crumpled paper. “As if.”

“Maybe we should tell him.” I still couldn’t believe we were talking on the phone less than ten feet apart. Only Sunny.

“You think?”

Dom pulled out his gun and tapped the side of his leg. “What are you motherfuckers playing at?”

With a look, he was able to signal his men to get ready for the shit storm that was coming. And like good little minions, they obeyed and brandished their guns.

“I think it’s only far,” I said calmly.

Dom raised his gun and pressed it to Sunny’s forehead. “You’re fucking with the wrong crew.”

“And now they have guns! Unbelievable.”

“You guys are dead!” Dom spat angrily, yet he remained paralyzed by uncertainty and fear.

I couldn't blame the guy. We must've seemed like a pair of lunatics calmly chatting on the phone, with no regard for the gun barrels pointed our way. His crew appeared just as baffled, completely clueless about what the fuck to do.

“Well, shit,” I said as I looked around at the men. “We should get this show started, no?”

“Yeah, I think so. I’ll talk to you later.”

I laughed. “Okay.”

“Love you, bye.”

“Love you too! Bye.”

As we hung up, Sunny raised the paper and held it next to the barrel of Dom’s gun. “You asked who we are?”

“We’re his brothers,” we said in one voice.

“I’m not his brother, but he is important to me.” Soullen clarified.

Arsen laughed.

A bullet left Dom’s gun.

It flew straight through the plume of black smoke Sunny left behind as he vanished, making me its next target. I could see it inching closer to me as if I hit the slow-motion button on a remote control. I stopped it about a foot away from my chest. Not that it would’ve made any difference if it struck me, but I was curious.

“What the fuck is this shit?” A man shouted as he witnessed the impossible.

Appearing on the bed of Dom’s truck, Sunny wrapped his arm around Dom’s neck and pulled him onto the tailgate. He pressed his face against Dom’s right cheek while his dark blade licked the left, leaving behind a deep, bloody gash.

Dom fired wildly in our direction, trying to escape Sunny’s grasp. His men joined in with a hail of gunfire. Every bullet that came near me, except for the one I stopped, vanished in a puff of black smoke. Out of the corners of my eyes, I could see small flashes as the bullets aimed at Soullen and Arsen were consumed by light.

While the three of us stood there as they exhausted their ammo, Sunny closed his eyes and swayed side to side with Dom like he was quietly singing him a lullaby. I can’t lie. It was both hilarious and disturbing at the same time.

Stranger still, aside from the chaos unfolding before us, amid the dark trees behind the pickup truck, I saw the same dark three-dimensional outline in the shadows. It watched us. Or maybe just me. Was it all in my head? I didn’t know, but I couldn’t worry about it now.

The gunfire ceased, leaving a cloud of gray smoke and dozens of empty shells littering the ground. We stood there unphased and unimpressed.

“What the fuck?” Someone cried out, unable to hide the tremble in his voice.

The gaggle of idiots slowly backed away, looking at each other for guidance and affirmation. Sunny’s chokehold kept their dear leader silent, and without the main head, the hydra's body started to die out.

I plucked the remaining bullet from the air and eyed it closely.

“Huh, it’s still warm,” I said.

“Fuck this sorcery!” The man who spat his chew all over Sunny’s shoe dropped his gun and made a run for it.

I flicked the bullet at him like I was tossing a cigarette butt. It struck the back of his head and exploded out his forehead, spraying one of his comrades with blood and brain matter.

“Holy fuck!”

“Fuck me!”

“The fuck is this shit?!”

And on and on it went. I no longer cared enough to track who was panicking about what.

“May I go now?” Soullen asked, desperately wanting to jump into the fray.

“Knock yourself out!” I said.

“Why would I do that? I would rather…”

“Just go!”

Leaping into the air, Soullen did a dizzying upside-down spin between two men, producing two brief flashes of light before landing behind them with bloody swords in his hands. The crimson liquid sizzled away as the light cleansed the blades of their filth. I doubt the men knew what happened even before their heads were separated from their bodies.

The man closest to Arsen figured if guns didn’t work, a hunting knife would surely do the trick. He lunged at Arsen, who quickly sidestepped the thrust of the blade and grabbed the man’s wrist. The man cried out in pain and dropped the knife as Arsen crushed his wrist under his grip.

Yes, human Arsen crushed the man’s bones! I could hear it!

With a swift chop to the throat, Arsen pulverized the man’s larynx, putting an end to his cries. He grabbed him by the hair and drove the guy’s head into his knee before grabbing it with both hands and snapping his neck like a twig.

“Who are you?!” I shouted. “What kind of vitamins are you on?”

“Watch out!” he yelled.

But I wasn’t in any danger. One of the three guys left standing ran past me and jumped into one of the SUVs. The other two were frozen in place by fear.

I pointed at the SUV. “Soullen, you’re letting them get away. I’m disappointed.”

“I did not! He ran past you, not me.”

“Now you’re just making excuses,” I teased.

“Ugh!” Soullen didn’t allow the SUV to get far, for he raised his hand and launched the vehicle into the air like a rocket. “Are you pleased now?”

“We’ll see,” I said, facing the two men left standing.

Cue the begging and pleading. One dropped to their knees before me, promising to “do better.”

“I have a family, please,” the other pleaded, tears and snot running down his face as he followed his friend and dropped to his knee. “Two boys and a little girl! Please!”

I knelt before the family man and lifted his head so he’d look at me. “That makes it worse.”

Before he could utter another pathetic syllable, I snapped my fingers and made the beggars disappear in a cloud of Askyli.

“What did you do to them?” Arsen asked.

“Wait for it.” I pointed over my shoulder.

Arsen and Soullen turned to look. I did not.

The men reappeared just as the SUV crashed like a meteor over their heads. The three men finally met their well-deserved end.

“Now I’m pleased,” I said, patting Soullen’s cheek.

“No explosion?” Arsen complained. “Lame.”

“I could make one for you.”

“Forget it. It’s not the same.”

“Bravo!” Releasing Dom, Sunny started clapping and whistling like he was at the premiere of his favorite action movie. “Magnifique!”

Dom, on the other hand, was clutching his throat and gasping for air as he slid down on the bumper. He might not have been able to say anything, but he certainly saw it all. “Please, please, no more.” He said between deep, raspy breaths.

“What a show, huh?” Sunny asked and slapped him on the back like they were best buds. Doing a fancy handstand on the tailgate, he flipped around and dropped in front of Dom. “One to ten, what did you think? Be honest. You can grade on a scale if you want. Personally, I’m thinking a solid eight.”

“Eight?!” I snarled.

“Your form was off, Jacob. That one bullet got close.”

I grumbled.

Sunny rolled his eyes. “Okay, fine! 8.5.”

“What are you talking about?” Dom asked. “What is this? What are you? Please let me go.”

“It’s not fun when someone plays with your life so casually, is it?” Sunny’s tone went from whimsical theater actor to what the Grim Reaper would sound like.

“Please, I…”

“How many times did those boys say please? Hmm? How many times did they say no?”

“Please, I…”

“Funny how when it’s happening to you, you want pity and forgiveness. You suddenly find Jesus.” Sunny looked up at me. “Not the greeter at The Club, the Messi…”

“Yeah, I got it, Sunny.”

“Please…”

“I swear, if he says please one more time, I’m going rip out his tongue with my teeth.”

“I’d listen to him,” I warned Dom. “He’s not joking.”

“Up you go.” Sunny forced Dom to his feet, but keeping him standing took a few tries because his knees kept giving out. “There you go.” Sunny’s dagger materialized in his hand. “Now, before you said you wanted to give my brother a matching set of scars, right? One for each side of his face. Looks like I owe you one on the other side.”

“No, don’t! I swear I’ll...”

“Shhh.” Sunny grabbed him by the throat. “Now, now. There’s no need for any of that. My brother didn’t have a choice in the matter. Why would you?”

Dom screamed, or at least he tried to, as Sunny sliced open the left side of his face. When he was released, Dom fell back onto the bumper, whaling and begging for forgiveness.

“There we go. Matching sets of scars.”

“Don’t kill me,” he sobbed. “Please don’t kill me.”

“There’s that word again.”

“I’m sorry! I’m sorry!”

Sunny looked over his shoulder at me. “At least he apologized.”

“Just don’t kill me. Just let me go.”

“Kill you?” Sunny lifted Dom’s head with the end of his dagger. “I don’t want to kill you. That would be a mercy. Not a punishment. And I must be honest, I’m not feeling merciful tonight.”

“Then just let me go,” he continued, pleading and crying.

“You’ll go soon enough,” Sunny assured him.

I wasn’t sure what he meant by that, but knowing Sunny, it would be something spectacular.

“You asked me who I am. What we are.” Sunny nodded sympathetically. “I think it’s only fair to show you.”

“No! I don’t need to know! I don’t want to know! Just let me go!”

“I think it’s important. It will give you a sense of closure and all.”

Sunny walked a few paces from Dom, stood with his back to us for a moment, and then raised his finger to the side. “Now, make sure you watch closely.”

Flames erupted from his back like two fountains of molten lava, instantly incinerating his shirt.

Dom took one look at Sunny and screamed at the top of his lungs, and immediately shut his eyes and looked away.

Of all people, Arsen jammed his fingers into Dom’s eyelids and forced him to look. “Keep looking,” he ordered.

“Seriously! Who are you?”

Arsen smirked.

Sunny’s pale skin was washed away with the beautiful gray of our people. His hair grew several inches and turned silvery white; his nails were long and black like the night sky. Finally, the fiery wings flapping in the air gave way to the plumes of raven feathers.

To Dom, I’m sure Sunny was the devil incarnate. To me, he was beautiful.

Sunny, his eyes pools of darkness, turned to face Dom and approached. He nodded slightly at Arsen–thanks for holding Dom’s eyes open, perhaps?

“This is what I am,” Sunny declared, spreading his wings ominously. “Your judge, juror, and executioner.”

“You said you didn’t want to kill him,” I broke in.

“Do you mind?” Sunny asked. “I’m doing a thing here.”

“I’m just saying…”

“But you’re right,” Sunny conceded thoughtfully. “I did say I wasn’t going to kill him.” He tenderly placed his hand under Dom’s chin and made him look up. “But you did say you were going to break my little brother’s leg.

Unable to speak, Dom shook his head no.

“Am I nuts, or did he not say that?”

“Both,” I answered.

“That’s what I thought.”

He lightly tapped Dom’s right knee. A second later, it exploded, exposing bone and muscle to the crisp night air. Dom did the thing where his mouth was hanging opening, but no sound was going out.

Sunny placed his long, glass-like nails under Dom’s chin and forced him to look at him again. “Good night.” His nails extended, growing over a foot in length, and pierced through the top of his skull.

“Holy shit!” I exclaimed.

Sunny stared at Dom as he gurgled, twitched, and choked on his own blood.

“That looks a lot like killing,” Arsen observed.

“Yeah, well, I wanted the satisfaction of killing him at least once,” Sunny explained while retracting his nails. He stood, his right hand dripping with blood, and watched as the life drained out of Dom.

“So…it is done,” Soullen declared as Dom took his final breath.

“Not exactly,” Sunny said, his voice soft and dark. “He will not know mercy.”

Placing his bloody hand on top of Dom’s head, Sunny poured his Askyli into him, covering Dom like a dark blanket.

“What’s he doing?” Arsen whispered to me.

“Bringing him back…”

With a sharp gasp, Dom sat up, emerging from the dark cloud as it dissipated around him. His knee was healed, and so were the gashes on his face, but the scars remained – a friendly reminder from Sunny so he’d never forget.

“Welcome back!” Sunny chirped.

Whimsical Sunny was back as well.

“Up you go,” Sunny said, helping Dom to his feet.

“But I died,” he said frantically. “I remember dying. You killed me!” He was holding on to Sunny like he was his life raft.

“Crazy, right?” Sunny laughed.

“How? How is this possible? What are you?”

“We’ve been through this,” Sunny replied. “I am your death. But, lucky for you, I’m not going to kill you. At least, not again.” He walked Dom away from the truck as we encircled them. “Now, try and stay upright.” Sunny backed away and joined us in the circle.

“I don’t understand.”

“I told you, death is a mercy,” Sunny explained. “One that you don’t deserve. I actually had a list of a hundred different ways I wanted to kill you. Of course, I’d bring you back after each one, but at the end of the day, that’s just a lot of work. Who has that kind of time? But how to punish you?”

“Look, I’m sorry,” Dom pleaded again. “I don’t know what’s going on. I don’t understand any of this. You proved your point. All this.” He waved his hands around. “I’m done. I’m out. You’ll never see or hear from me again. I won’t hurt another soul for as long as I live.”

“Aw, how thoughtful of you, but no.”

I snickered.

“Well, luckily for you, there’s someone even more powerful than me, if you can believe it, who isn’t happy with you either. A few days ago, we had a chat. It was very productive. He came up with a solution you’re going to die for. Literally. Over and over again, in fact.”

“Please, no,” Dom begged, dropping to his knees and sobbing. “Forgive me. Forgive me.”

“Who are you talking about?” I inquired.

“Hold, please,” Sunny said and pulled out his phone. “Here, tap on the three for me.” He held the phone up to my face. “The touch screen doesn’t recognize our nails. So dumb. I’m considering writing a letter.”

“You’re not calling me again, are you?”

“That would be dumb; you’re right here.”

“Seriously?!”

“Oh, hello…”

When I heard the voice on the other end, I knew there was no hope for Dom. Leaning forward, I looked down at the crying clown and said, “My god. You pissed off all the wrong people.” I couldn’t help but laugh. “If you thought all this was bad, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Yikes!”

“Yep, I got him right here. He’s sobbing right in front of me. Should I put you on speaker? Oh, okay. Gotcha. Well, I’m ready when you are.” Shoving his phone into his back pocket, Sunny helped Dom to his feet for the hundredth time. “He said you’re not worth talking to.” Sunny looked at Dom and cringed. “Double yikes!”

Dom tried to say something, but Sunny pressed his finger to Dom’s lips. “No more words. No more pleading. No more crying. It’s done. You are going to experience all the horrors you’ve inflicted on others. Not just my brother, but every person you crushed under your boot. Their lives are now your life. You will be swallowed into a darkness from which there is no escape. This is your life now. For all time.”

All Dom could do was whimper.

“Heads up,” Sunny said as he backed away from Dom.

The air above Dom began to ripple like a pond until it tore open, and darkness poured out, forming a ceiling of shadow over his head.

Holding up Zac’s missing person poster, Sunny said, “Remember his face.”

A bladed chain shot out from the dark cloud and cut straight through his right thigh, with another wrapping around his mouth to muzzle his screams—a third and fourth pierced Dom’s shoulder blades. The fifth chain went through his left ankle, and the final bladed chain went through his crotch and wrapped around his waist.

I’m pretty sure we all collectively groaned and covered our junk.

“Arrivederci!” Sunny smiled and waved Dom off as he was yanked into the portal. “Oh shit! Wait. I needed…”

Before Sunny could finish his sentence, a pair of keys dropped into his hands from the portal before it closed for good.

“What the fuck was that?” Arsen shouted, slapping me on the shoulder.

“Papa bear,” I said.

“Now it is done,” Soullen proclaimed.

“Not quite.”

“What do you mean?” he demanded.

Walking past us, without taking his human form, Sunny approached the storage area. “You guys can come out now.”

Of course, they hesitated - probably scared shitless.

“There’s no need to be afraid,” Sunny assured them. “We’re not going to hurt you.”

“What the fuck are you?” one of the boys shouted.

“A friend who kept his promise.”

I could hear them whispering and arguing with each other.

“Maybe if you turn back?” I suggested.

“Nope,” Sunny said.

“Skip, you can come out now. Besides, you saw everything that happened. Do you really think a wooden door is going to help you?”

“That’s not helping, Sunny!” I scolded.

“You promise not to hurt us?” Skip shouted.

“Obviously! Now get your butts out here.”

The door flew open, and the five boys came rushing out, wielding different gardening tools for protection.

“Adorable!” Sunny laughed and turned all the tools into actual swords and daggers with a wave of his hand. “Those would work better.”

“Wicked,” the youngest looking said in awe as he waved his short sword around.

“But not against us.” Soullen felt like he needed to clarify that point. “So do not try anything foolish.”

“Quiet you,” I admonished.

“You don’t need to fear us,” Sunny assured Skip.

“What are you?”

“That’s not important right now.”

“I think it is!”

“Well, let's just agree to disagree,” Sunny shrugged. “What is important is what happens next.”

Skip suddenly looked fearful. “And what’s that?”

“You guys have a choice to make,” Sunny explained and made a black card appear between his fingers. “Take this. Go on.”

Reluctantly, Skip took the card. “What’s this?”

“Your future,” Sunny said. “Or not. That depends entirely on you guys.”

“What do you mean?”

Tossing him the keys to Dom’s truck, Sunny pulled out his cash and handed it to Skip. “There’s about five grand there. Take it. Get something to eat, new clothes, and a warm hotel. Then, if you want, go to the address on the card. It’s in Jacksonville.”

“A shelter?” Skip asked.

“The Urbarra House for Young Men,” Sunny said proudly. “Otherwise known as The Club.”

“And do what? Pay back our debt to you.”

Sunny ignored the implication. “You guys saw what happened tonight. All that power.”

They nodded.

“It can be yours. That could be yours one day. You’ll never have to be afraid again. You’ll never be alone. You’ll be able to smile again. Just show them this card, and they will take good care of you.”

“Are you fucking with us right now?”

“Nope,” Sunny said, turning human before their eyes and creating a new shirt.

“Wow!”

“Holy shit!”

“Wicked!”

Stepping aside, Sunny pointed at the truck. “Go on.”

“You’re really just letting us go?” Skip asked.

“Of course.”

“Aren’t you afraid we’ll tell someone?”

I laughed and jumped into the conversation. “Tell them what? That you saw a bunch of guys throwing grown men around like dolls and launching cars into the air like fireworks? Good luck with that.”

“Yeah, I’m not worried,” Sunny agreed and then faced the shortest boy out of the bunch. “And you. I take it you’re Little Ron.”

“No, I’m Kas,” he said with a bit of attitude.

I snickered.

“I’m Little Ron,” said the tallest of the bunch as he raised his hand.

“That doesn’t even make sense,” Sunny complained. “Anyway, I know you recorded the whole thing on your phone.”

“I…”

“It’s okay,” Sunny said, ruffling the boy's hair. “I already deleted the footage.”

“No way!” Kas quickly pulled out his phone and was terribly disappointed. “Aw, man! I would’ve gotten so many views!”

“Go on. Get.”

The boys rushed past us and climbed into the cab of Dom’s truck. Skip stopped halfway in front of us. He didn’t want to go like before, but it was for a different reason this time. He turned, ran up to Sunny, and hugged him.

“Thank you,” Skip said and hugged him even tighter. “Thank you for saving us.”

Sunny didn’t say anything at first. I think he was a bit choked up and didn’t want to show it. Clearing his throat and rubbing Skip’s back, he gently broke their embrace. “You should get going. And remember, stick together no matter what. That’s your family now. It’s your job to look out for them.”

“And if we go to this address?” Skip said, tapping the card against his fingers.

“Your family will grow.”

“This all sounds too good to be true,” Skip said, looking between Sunny and me. “What’s the catch? What will we have to do?”

“Show up,” I said.

“And then we become like you?”

“No, that’s just the first step,” I clarified. “Everything that follows will be entirely up to you.”

“I knew it wouldn’t be that easy,” Skip laughed.

“Nothing worth having ever is,” Soullen added.

Surprised, I looked at Soullen with wide eyes. “Look at you being all philosophical.”

“I know things,” Soullen insisted.

“Do you think we’ll ever see Zac again?” Skip asked.

Sunny flicked the back of the card. “If you reach this address, you can contact Zac whenever you want. You have my number. If you run into trouble, any trouble at all, call me, and I’ll come running.”

“With fifteen other guys, right?” Skip joked.

“Something like that,” Sunny smiled. “Now go."

Pressing the card to his forehead, Skip saluted before taking off.

We followed behind them as they peeled out of the parking lot. I took the opportunity to look closer at the wooded area where I saw the elusive shadow, but like before, there was nothing. Maybe it was Q peeping through the shadows. That would be a pleasant surprise. The thing is, he would never appear as a shadow.

"Now it is done," Soullen declared yet again.

“Not quite.”

“Now you are being vexatious!”

“Are you on a Scrabble team or something?” I asked.

“I do not know what that means,” Soullen replied.

"There's one more thing left to do," Sunny announced, raising his hands. He created two shadowy fireballs while turning to face Soullen.

Soullen quickly drew back in a defensive stance and summoned his swords. The fireballs flew harmlessly over his head into the Loose Goose, causing a massive explosion.

“Oh…” Soullen said bashfully.

This was no ordinary inferno. It was a swirling vortex, sucking all the bodies, vehicles, and motorcycles into its flames. It was like a flash sale where everything must go! And it did just that. Nothing was left in the parking lot except for the four of us. The fire would burn brightly, leaving no trace that anyone was ever there, human or otherwise.

“Now it’s done,” Sunny declared.

Soullen huffed.

“Oh, one last thing,” Sunny said.

“Now what?” I demanded, exasperated.

“Zac doesn’t need to know about any of this. Agreed?”

“I will not lie to him,” Soullen stated firmly, looking at me as if to say, “Don’t make me do it.”

“I would never ask you to lie to Zac,” Sunny said. “I’d be pissed off if you ever did, actually. All I’m saying is we don’t need to bring it up. And, if one day, he magically starts inquiring about the fate of Dom and his Band of Merry Idiots, tell him the truth. But until then, there’s no need to open this wound again.” He looked around at the group. “Do we agree?”

“Sure,” Arsen shrugged, “but that’s easy for me to say.”

“I agree,” I nodded.

The three of us looked at Soullen.

“I concur,” he said.

“Oh my god, use normal English words.”

“That’s an English word.” Arsen defended him.

“Not one people use,” I rolled my eyes.

“Whatever,” Arsen said. “I guess this is the end of our little adventure.”

“Yeah, thanks for tagging along. You guys were a great help.”

“It is always an honor to defend those you lov…” Soullen stumbled, “…hold dea… um…are friendly with.”

“You’re a regular Casanova,” I laughed. “Yeah, yeah, you don’t know what any of that means.”

“Do you mock me?”

“Always.”

“Anyway, like I said, it was great having you here.”

I cleared my throat to get Sunny to stop acting like a bump on a log, but he wasn’t getting it, so I elbowed him in the ribs.

“Oh, right. Your presence here wasn’t entirely burdensome.”

“That’s high praise coming from this guy,” I said, slapping Sunny across the back. “Until next time, I guess.” The five boys suddenly popped into my head. “Hold up. If those guys head to The Club and Skip reaches out to Zac, what’s to stop him from telling him what happened here? Zac’s going to want to know.”

“When they reach The Club, I’ll reach out and talk to them about it,” Sunny said.

“When not if?”

Sunny winked. “Let’s head out.”

“Wait, can I talk to you alone before you go?” Arsen asked, stressing the “alone” part while looking at Sunny.

It made sense. Arsen knew Sunny would hear whatever he had to say if he stuck around.

I thought I would have to tell Sunny to make like a tree and leave, but he actually surprised me by taking the initiative.

“I’ll wait for you at the gate,” Sunny said.

He nodded his head at Arsen before turning to Soullen. “Your Highness.”

Holy shit!

Sunny shot me a look, and then he was gone, flying through the tall flames and disappearing into the night before I could give him shit. He knew me too well.

Arsen grabbed my arm and tried to usher me away from Soullen, but he followed closely behind. “Can you tell him to wait here?”

“Why can’t you tell him?” I asked, bewildered.

“He’s a fucking Prince!”

I laughed. “Stay.”

“I am not a pet to be ordered around,” Soullen argued.

“Yeah, okay, but stay here.”

“Fine!” He walked away in a huff and started throwing rocks into the flames to entertain himself.

“You know he can still hear us if he wants, right?”

“Something tells me he respects you too much to do that.”

“Maybe,” I said, raising a brow. “By the way, when did breaking bones and snapping necks become part of the curriculum at KU?"

“I told you, I’ve…”

“Seen things. Yeah, yeah. How are you so strong?”

“Turns out our rings do more than protect us.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. They’re imbued with the power of the one who created it. It’s not a lot. Certainly not enough to go head-to-head with the likes of you, but it gives us a fighting chance until the calvary arrives.”

“Damn. I never knew.”

“That’s because you blew up Q’s room and flew out the window,” Arsen teased.

“Hardy Har Har! I should slap you. Let's see if the ring can protect you from that.”

“Speaking of rings…” After reaching into this pocket, Arsen pulled out his balled-up fist. “Open your hand.”

“For what?”

“Just do what you told for once.”

“You’re annoying!” I complained but complied.

He dropped a ring in my hand.

“My ring.”

“Yep. I found the pieces after you left.”

“What do you mean you found the pieces?” I asked, running my thumb over the smooth loop.

“When you transformed or whatever, it must have split in two.”

“How did you fix it? You can’t exactly drop it off at a jeweler for repairs.”

“I have my ways,” Arsen smirked.

“I’m sure you don’t,” I said, trying to return the ring to him. “Thanks, but I can’t wear this. It has the emblem of The Brotherhood. It would be a slap in the face to my people. God knows I’ve already broken enough rules. I don’t need to add one more.”

“I’m not saying you have to wear it, Jacob,” Arsen said, pushing my closed fist against my chest. “All I’m saying is…it belongs to you. Keep it in your pocket. Put it in a shoe box or next to your cum rag.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“Like I haven’t seen it lying around. Please. The point is, it belongs with you.”

“That’s great, but I doubt The Brotherhood would be okay with a Skai running around with one of their rings.”

“Your ring.”

“With a Brotherhood insignia. I can’t!”

“Who said anything about an insignia?”

“What?”

I was quick to open my fist and examine the ring more closely. Arsen was right. It wasn’t The Brotherhood insignia. The silvery-white ring had a new design – a J within a Q.

My heart fluttered.

“What letter of the alphabet do you think reforged your ring?” he said, walking backward from me.

“I…”

“You’re welcome!” Arsen turned around and waved over his head. “See you around, Sparky. Your Highness, let's bounce!”

“There will be no bouncing!” Soullen ordered. “You will hold on tightly to me.”

Arsen’s laugh carried in the wind as the pair descended into the sky.

I had yet to take my eyes off the ring, repeatedly tracing each letter with my finger. I finally slipped it on, and I immediately felt his warmth. The Q began to glow as a tiny portion of my Askyli was drawn out of me. It was not my doing. It was the ring somehow—the dark essence of my being filled out the J, creating a beautiful contrast to his radiance.

I have never been so in love.