Chapter Carlos 3

In the past, a horrific duel takes place. in the present, Carlos reveals his long awaited revenge.

Upon seeing all five of the students, his entire memory of the night was that of tracking five. The unbiased writing on his arm said that was a lie. His training had taught him, when dealing with that which can manipulate the minds and hearts of others, it was best to trust a neutral source. Clearly one of them was the demon summoned, Ogsam.

Ogsam, according to legend was a greed demon that first appeared around The Enlightenment era of English history. It drove merchants into murdering each other and the rise of attempted monopolies. The last mention of him was in the 1940’s when a man was stated to ask, “Why have you abandoned me?” before that man was mowed down by police after killing his own family in an effort to gain the inheritance. His dying words were “Ogsam.”

Carlos was certain that the book they were reading to summon the demon did not mention any of this. At this point, even if these kids were to know the truth, their too corrupted now to listen. He could picture it, these people, their lives ahead of them, killing and murdering until only of them was left alive to rule over whatever financial empire Ogsam promised them.

“Ogsam! I know you are here. And I command you in the name of Jesus, the lord and savior, to reveal yourself!”

Demons always had a weakness for being rebuked in the name of saintly or heavenly figures no matter which religion. Jesus Christ always had an extra effect, especially when spoken by one who believed such as Carlos did.

It was a twitch that revealed the identity. In their circle, the one on the closest left to Carlos twitched his face as if trying to hide the pain.

“I have seen through your lies. I know it is you!” Carlos pointed out with great gusto and all at once the other four children looked to the one in silence.

Ogsam could detect that the kid at the door, some punk, was clearly a magic wielder; one who spent a good amount training up till this moment. It had no desire to fight him now that he was still fresh from being summoned. Therefore, it did what it was used to doing, it lied. “You know me guys. I’m Charlie. I was there with you,” he pointed at the leader of the group and commenced to implant a long term memory, “Your fifteenth birthday. We got so drunk I passed out on the toilet. Your dad had to come home, bust open the door and drive me home.”

The leader laughed. “That was funny. You couldn’t look me in the eye for days after that.”

One convert down. “And you!” It pointed to the cowardly kid. “We grinded two all nighters in a row working on getting our final essays ready for the good Professor. Day two, you kept confusing ‘I’m tired,’ and kept saying ‘I’m horny,’ when you wanted to pass out. I slapped you awake once that night and you cussed me out, and we almost had to have a fight.”

The cowardly one then added, “I was having heart palpatations the next day before I finally got to bed.”

There was a pause. The circle of five friends were in agreement. Theoreticaly the demon had safely hidden among them. The pause continued, and Ogsam knew why. It had felt Carlos’s thoughts, his mind. Further suggestion would not work on him. The masquarade was pointless.

“Very well Carlos.” The kid stood up from the group.

“You managed to get my name despite the defenses I put up. I am impressed. I must train harder clearly.”

“I see you are well versed.” The kid continued. It looked upon those who summoned him. They looked up to him, with questions and confusion in their eyes.

“Ogsam, I will give you one little extra leeway into my mind. But you might not like what you see.”

Instantly Carlos falt a sharp pressure try to force its way in, but upon stealing the data it had looked for it retracted instantly in fear.

“Yes. I have killed many demons before. I am not lying and you know this.”

The kid, almost innocently looking, pointed a palm to the leader of the group. “Move forward and I will blast this chap in half.”

The kid’s arm started to glow red. It was charging a fire blast. All it had to do was will it to be unleashed and the future of that poor soul would no longer be on this earth.

The deception had ended. That leader of the group then got on his knees and kowtowed. “Master, just tell me what you wish.”

The other three children were having mixed reactions.

It was horrible, Carlos felt sick inside. It was the kind of dillema that made him want to die rather than live to find out which result he would get. Two of the three kids instantly ran to Carlos for protection. Carlos opened up his gesture. “Shoot me instead. I will give you a free hit!” He didn’t know where that response came from within but the instinct of it scared him.

Carlos didn’t want anyone to actually die. Not some poor set of college boys whose mistake was being suckered in.

Ogsam then weighed it’s options. Knowing he lost two potential followers already, it was getting plenty mad. So, Ogsam made his response.

“I choose both.”

The poor kid on his knees had his top half vaporized in a ball of what could best be described as lava. It was instant but there seemed to be an unnatural pause between making contact, and the ball going through the victim like it wasn’t even facing resistance or friction. It was the knock back of the fire ball that then turned into dust, followed by flickering lights that showered what was left of the once human being with nothing but potential ahead of him.

The other two kids hadn’t finished reaching Carlos at the end of the room. Carlos hadn’t finish lowering his guard when Ogsam threw out it’s other arm and shot another fireball ball at his new victim, Carlos. The ball shot past the two students and bounded for Carlos ambitiously. And then there was nothing but smoke where Carlos’s body had been.

“You ever hear the rumors of Lancelot the Spear?”

A metallic foot stepped forth from the smoke. It was followed by a blinding white light which could be maked out to be an arm, attached to a shoulder. Another leg followed by the rest of the body.

“It was really a dumb name when I think about the first time I used it. Ironicly I never really used it all that often. When most people say it, it’s a whisper. The legend has really outgrown me.”
The knight walked forward. His armor, a blinding silver. There was not an instance of skin to be found under his protection. The weighted armor, the heavy chain mail, and what little could be saw outside of that, was the underarmor. The heavy set seemed to be a lie as Carlos unwound his arms to stretch them in fantastic speedily fashion.

The two students stopped in front of the figure they only knew to be Lancelot the Spear and stepped to the side. He walked past them without giving them attention. The student near Ogsam did not move, at this point, he was just watching with a blank stare of interest.

“With as much probning into these kids’s minds, I have no doubt you know of me. You see it comes from two things. One, Lancelot was my favorite hero growing up with a dad who would take me to the theater. The other is well.”

Carlos gestures to his armor that he is wearing. He continues, “It was designed with light and silver in mind. Your weakness. The focus on defense makes any basic level of attack extremely moot. As for why they call me ‘the Spear…’

A crack of light and a heavy weapon flashed into Carlos’s hand. The pole was thick, looking to be made of a heavy white metal. It had ridges engraved on it so it could be gripped. The pommel in the back of the shaft was spherical and weighted. Carlos held the spear with one had in the middle of the shaft thus allowing Ogsam to realize the length of it. The blade at the end was sharp and had a curve. A beam of light seemed to tip at the end of the point as if demanding all visual attention. Surrounding the blade on the spears hilt were straps of silk that danced around beautifully with grace.

The length of the spear was bigger than Carlos’s body but that was what made it all the more intimidating.

Ogsam saw himself being cut down in an instant. No. This was a mind game. It was a master manipulater and it would not be intimidated by some punk kid who thought the theatrics of wearing armor and having a big stick would would scare away his opponent.

It looked briefly at the student still sitting behind it. It then smiled and proceded to shed its mortal image. Cracks started to form around the non youth’s skin. The clothes it was wearing was starting to grow red at its tips and became embers. Soon they began to go on fire and eat away until its clothes were a mass of flame. Pieces of flesh were falling off Ogsam’s face. They were replaced by red skin, Ogsam’s natural tone. When enough of the skin on its face had started falling off in chunks, Ogsam grabbed what was left, and flung it off it, into the air, until the bits of the mask evaporated into the air.

Carlos stopped for a second. Ogsam as a creature was starting to stand before him. It peeled back its fake scalp revealing horns that seemed to indent at the top of head in spirals. The horns did not protude from its head but rather stayed as part of the round shape. Ogsams teeth, while sharp, were small but perfectly parralell to each other creating a uniformed set. Its eyes were glowing a sad pale brown with mists of black. On its nose it had two golden rings, small, clinging to the nostrils. Its ears were also small but they pointed out at the top with a 90 degree angle and a curve going right down into the jaw.

Smoke finished its formatted and dispersed revealing the demonic clothing of Ogsam. It wore a tank top seemingly made of leather; the color monotoned to its skin. Lower ware was comprised of dusty straw pants that were Accenture by its bare feet.

The creature stopped walking towards Carlos, and yelled in pain as it dug into its own shoulders. Two long thin blades were drawn from them. The blades themselves looked more like long clear nails that formed in sickles. Ogsam cracked its wrists and the two blades instantly went on fire, glowing horricly at their center.

Carlos took a step back. To allow himself to be hit by those would be almost fatal. He was always confident in his armor but this was an intense heat. Unholy by nature. Ogsam whipped its swords so quickly that they cracked like one flipping a coat hanger. It started to twirl them faster and faster until all Carlos could see was a wall of fire coming right at him.

Ogsam stopped.

The two stared. A demon versus a knight. The Knight gripped the spear by both hands and placed himself in a battle pose, placing the tip down and the shaft over his head. The Demon let it’s two swords hang at its sides, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Carlos began to walk to the side, the demon followed in counter suit thus they began to walk in a circle.

The Knight decided to test the demon. The leading hand on the pole used momentum to shift to gripping the bottom of the shaft. At maximum extention, Carlos slammed the top of the spear towards the demons head. Ogsam blocked with both blades and Carlos retracted back to his original stance in one motion. The circling continued. 

Carlos could feel the energy build up in his left hand. The fire in his enemies swords, he would be at an advantage if he could successfully neutralize it. At that moment he looked to his opponents hand. It was glowing a molten yellow light. The demon was charging an attack as well.

The two shot at each other in the same moment. Carlos’s water, against a stream of flame from the demon. The elements instantly canceled the other out and a large hiss of steam and fog enveloped both of them instantly. Both attacks ended and they were covered in a fog of war. Niether side could see much of the other even though they were not that far away.

Carlos crouched down, careful not to make any noise and slunk away from his original position. The sound of those burning demonic blades had drawn his attention. He began to slowly approach in a semi circle around where he could hear their origins. The smoke was disapating slowly and he wanted to make sure he successfully would get the drop.

The flickering light slowly formed. There was the one, then soon another accompanied it. The twin blades of the beast.

Ogsam was stuck listening with its warped ears as it could not see its enemy in front of it. Its stance was purely defensive. It turned ninety degrees while slowly moving its head in a delayed reaction to fully get the gist of what was surrounding it. As the fog was unraveling, it swiped with its right sword to move the fog better, but his victim was not in front of him.

It felt resistance against its foot. It looked down only for a moment to see the lower portion, slumped over, of what was left of that college kid that went to such great lengths to summon it. Ogsams face twitched for just one moment as it felt painful regret in realizing that this challenger was someone of more than normal command of the arts. This kid dressed as a knight was too whimsical to be a member of the infamous order. So who could he be?

The knight took one final step closer and saw that he was indeed facing the creatures back. Carlos flung his arm out with the spear hoping to get a quick kill. Ogsam instantly turned around and the spear once again met with the twin blades. A large spark came from incompatabile elements meeting and repeling one another. The gained advantage was lost.

Ogsam flew at him with rage. For the first time, it was the human on the defensive as the fighting style, now defensive, was looking more stiff and ackward with every block and parry it had to perform. The demon liked this. It made it tougher for Carlos to keep up because of the dragging visual effects od the fire attached to the blades.

With a step back Carlos had resigned himself to needing to get rid of using both hands to handle his weapon and instead focused on using a single hand with an emphasis on wrist movement. The night instantly began stepping backwards with speed while the demon pressed the flurry of attempted strikes hoping to break through. The knight however was waving the spear as a chearleader would wave a small baton. The focus on wrist movement and speed, along with the size of the actual spear was creating a bigger wall of defense that the demon couldn’t comprehend.

Carlos stopped moving back. He now wanted to use this momentum to pres the attack and he swung forward in an upward slash. Working off the momentum of the ongoing twirl, he followed up with a downward slash. The creature he was facing however knew how to block well enough and would not budge.

The two found themselves in a stale mate of attacking and defending at the same time. When Carlos would attack, he would extend the spear towards his opponent, to block, it would be neutral or close to himself.

Ogsam was getting furious but it knew that if it let itself slip in the mental game, it would be open and it would die feeling sharp pain and a quick fade to black. The demon wished so badly it could see this humans face, to read it. Was he getting tired? Was he feeling doubt? The demon did not know. The only stare back at it was the look of a warrior, a monster garbed in steel with no weakness.

The fog had mostly gone away at this point, sounds of metal, burning flames, and sparks were heard throughout the gym.

The one witness was still there. He had not moved the entire time and stood in awe at this epic fight. The student was still brainwashed by Ogsam and in its thralls. However what he was witnessing was something he could never comprehend to exist in life.

His hero slammed the two blades down toward the hated enemies head. The shinny one blocked it holding the spear over his head. Ogsams blades were burning brighter as it let out a blood curling yell that made the student want to move for cover in fear. He could not move though. He refused to let such things as fear get the best of him. His heart instantly sank in pain for a brief moment. The knight had found his opening and slammed the pommel into his hero’s stomach causing Ogsam to double back in pain.

A rush of adreniline surged inside Carlos. He could feel himself tighten the grip on the heavy weapon he held. He saw an opening, the best kind; a potential end game. He switched positions with his spear yet again. This time he grabbed the pole with both hands, held firm, and pictured himself holding a baseball bat.

“I am ending this now!” Carlos yelled in declaration.

Ogsam saw that his rival had adopted a more open stance. Good. This meant the human would be more open to an attack or counter attack.

The two ran at each other and met in the middle. In an instance Carlos swung with all his might and though Ogsam blocked the attack, he was completely pushed aside and off balance. Ogsam again moved towards his rival and again Carlos yelled with energy and the blow of the impact against Ogsams weapons slammed force through its defense.

The pain hurt. It really hurt. The vibration and pressure went strait through its arms and into its body as the blow made him contort while it tried to readjust itself. Ogsam face its opponent again and saw another slam coming. It once again braced.

Carlos kept swinging away. Each attack felt good and he could feel the resistance and the give his opponent was going through. He was slowly breaking the creature down bit by bit. When Ogsam would look like it wanted to have some fight left within it, Carlos would slam his weight right through watching the creature grunt in pain. He would wait. The creature would regain its composure, then another slam would vanquish those dreams of a fair fight.

The watching student could hear the knight laugh evily with glee. Ogsam was slammed so hard its knee buckled and it fell on it. It got up but not before the knight raised the spear over his head and commenced to drop it down like a mallet.

Ogsam blocked with both blades. A light a sparks flew. Again the knight slammed it down. Ogsam grunted as it desperately looked like it was wanting to stand back up. All the while, laughter could be heard. The laughter echoed the halls. Clearly, the student thought, this knight must come from some great evil place.

Carlos smiled in his helmet. His attacks were more than working, he was winning! Carlos focused his energy into his left palm. He would land his attack using the right hand as the follow through. This was how he was able to store enough energy. The felt himself summon the proper elemement into his palm and then…

The knight opened his palm and lightning flew and struck Ogsam! The student wanted to yell. The knight’s arm glowed again, and another series of flashes as lightning enveloped his hero. All the student could do was watch. Inside he could hear himself cheering though, like a member of a crowd for the home team in the championship game.

Ogsam knew death was going to be near. The spear went above its head again ready to crash down. The fatigue from the electricity was making his legs want to tremble but it would not allow such weakness to show. Ogsam flung with all its might, both its blades to the left. The spear met with them and Ogsam had successfully parried its enemies weapon. The distance was closing and it smiled as it could almost see the sure fear in its opponents eyes.

Flame sparked from Carlos’s wrist as one of the blades made contact. The pain was incredible but the armor held. He tried to move the spear again to mow the demon down but the demon caught the weapon with its two swords crossed around it. Ogsam slammed its left sword on Carlos’s arm and then the two swords together were actually able to throw off the spear from Carlos’s hand.

The horror rose in Carlos as he realized that he no longer had a weapon. He didn’t even have time to think as he instant began running backwards as the demon charged forward with intent to murder in its eyes. It was the look from a horror movie, the happy evil clown chasing its victim. When he his back would hit the wall, he would die. He knew this. He was on the fast lane to the afterlife and these very well could be his last moments on this plane.

He took a blow to the stomach, the armor held, but he could feel the defensive magic force within it weakened to a point of break if it continued. He reached out his right hand in desperation and saw the blade tilt towards him intending for a kill. But he managed to grab the demons wrist. His right arm buckled with resistance as Ogsam was trying to press the final point home.

Carlos then grabbed the forarm of the creature’s other arm with his left. It would be a split second but desperation being what it was, he had no option of backing down. He squeezed. He squeezed like he was crushing a rock to dust. He twisted praying to God that the creature would let go of its blades.

Ogsam yelled in pain. The only image Carlos could imagine being accurate would be a child being shot with a bullet. The desperation move was instant in timing but it felt like it took a decade for him to execute. Ogsams blade to his right was aiming for his kidney and he dug deeper and shook just one final time.

The blade dropped.

Carlos lifted his left arm, with Ogsam’s forearm still in tow and grabbed it with both hands. Carlos slammed the side of his palm into the resistance side of the creature’s elbow, making it snap. Ogsam went to a knee. All Carlos did at that pont was open it’s other hand and shake the other cursed blade out.
“Who are you? You are no magic user!”

“I am one who dabbles.” Carlos said

The creatures foot glowed only for a moment and then, it got up and kicked Carlos in the stomach. Carlos flew back a few feet with a molten footprint on the chest plate of his armor.

“You are lucky I was freshly summoned or that would have killed you.”

.”Not likely.” Carlos was doing his best to hide that the blow had knocked the wind out of him. Had he been younger, having the wind knocked out of him would likely have caused him to be rolling on his back.

The demon looked to it’s weapons on the floor.

“Not going to happen!” Carlos yelled and blitzed his rival with a sense of bluffing what strength he really had in him.

The demon looked in shock as the weighted glowing light elemental fist came crashing down on it’s cheek. Carlos punched it with a left, then a follow up with a right. They were all hooked punched but they were designed to knock out. That was becoming his gameplan, he was going to have to pummel the beast to death.

It felt good. He would see the creatures face, watch it snap back with the force of his fist and then bob back into place, worse for wear. He kept punching, blinded by his desire to end this fight, live to see another day, and put this creature to its proper rest. This shot hit the jaw. The creature wouldn’t go down. If he stopped he would die. He would press until victory was his. It was logic, it would happen, he just needed to stick the course.

Ogsam was able to grab a hand from its opponent but then, a punch to what it felt was its eye came from the other. It knew if it fell down, if it lost its ability to stand, its last moments would be a painful death filled with misery of endless blows.

The creature ducked a punch that went wide. It flung its hand into a knife like formation and thrusted it into the side of Carlos. The armor did not hold. The hand went through very easily. Let it hurt! The creature thought to itself. Feel the pain and knowledge of death by the victor.

No sounds came out of Carlos. Not this time. The demonic fire was burning him on the inside. There was no thought, just instinct.

Carlos again grabbed down on the creatures arems, and started head butting it over and over, not letting go, and not letting the creature move from its position. With what will was left, he forcibly removed the creatures hand from his side and head butted down, putting the creaturne on its hands in knees on the floor.

The knight reeled back covering the bloody wound. It was critical, if he didn’t do something about it, it would kill him. He tried pressing what healing white magic he could do to it, but that didn’t stop it from bleeding.

“Who are you? You with the order?” The demon asked as it tried to get back on its feet. It’s legs were shaking.

“What order?” Carlos asked curiously,

“Then if your not with the order, I ask again, who are you that you can actually put a fight with a demon and command the arts effortlessly?”
“My name, its Carlos Fuentes. And I…am a battle mage. I am telling you this because you are going to die right about now.”

Carlos lingered forward trying not to open his wound any more.

The demon however had just instantly lost all willingness to fight.

“You lie. The Battle Mages are a rumor. A myth!” It was lying to itself despite the truth in front of it. Summoning minor magic was one thing. It was the most any human who studied the arcane could hope for. The being in front of Ogsam commanded magic without effort or sacrifice.

“My and my friends disagree.” Carlos weakly laughed.

Ogsam instantly looked to the other human in the room. The student still had the aura of a devoted minion. The kid was waiting for an order. “You!” The demon yelled. The kid perked up. Ogsam ordered, “I command thee, stop him for me!”

The kid instantly got up and tried to tackle Carlos.

Carlos turned around and the armor instantly came off. He detected the human, while attached to the demon, was still one with his soul, the corruption could be freed. It would be murder to kill this kid.

Ogsam was planning on that compassion. It was too weak now, in its current state. Given time to grow, it would be unstoppable. Even a so called battle mage could not defeat it.

“I will stop you for my master.” The kid yelled as it tried to wrestle with someone who would not budge. Despite their age difference, Carlos had the himan beat in size and strength. The kid tried to wrestle some more and Carlos just put a hand over the kids face, and told him to go to sleep.

He guided the students body to the floor. The pain in his side was not going away. Carlos blinked the urge to pass out and looked up. He cursed himself instantly. What followed was a tirade of cuss words. In that gym on that night, loud obsenities could be heard as far as the dorm rooms.

“F**k! I don’t believe this!” Carlos started kicking the wall.

He had failed.

The Demon known as Ogsam was nowhere to be found. It was free and as sure as the sun would rise, people would die because of Carlos’s failure on this night.

In the present moment, a limo slammed over a speed bump. The occupants inside felt a jolt and were all moved from their seats.

Ulyseus, the older gentleman scolded, “Can you tell that a*s of a driver to watch himself! His bad driving is sobering me up!”

“Hush.” Levi laughed, “You are never sober. I heard the rumors. You had your wedding while being blackout.”

There was a general chuckle in the limo. Ulysses opened his mouth to respond in a grand fashion but he choked on his words. Nothing was coming out but confirmation of his own humiliation.

“So, those rumors were true.” Marley laughed and patted his friend on the back. “It’s okay, I wasn’t even there when I lost my virginity.” Marley began laughing. He then continued, “I was partying with Lucy in the sky when I was told I lost it an hour back. From what I was told it consisted of me screaming random tribal calls and then dancing naked down the hallways.”

 The retired judge grabbed Carlos. “So my boy, you said we are going to have a real party. Not like all that weak s**t back downtown. Care to let us in on the secret?”

Carlos rolled down the window. He saw a familiar set of buildings that told him they were walking distance from their destination. At this poin the new the geography completely as well as the one gas station in the next five miles out. The only other conveniance store was a random liquor store that looked more like an abandoned lot than anything else.

The contact was going to meet Carlos there. The location was best known to him and his friends as Warehouse 26. It was more than that. It was the place where him and his friends had their first successful battle against an entity. They were barely teenagers. Since then, it had become a place of meditiation and safety for them when they needed to escape. This applied mostly to Carlos who made this his hidden second home.

The drive to the warehouse would often calm him down from the stress at work and his Council duties. It was here he first thought of pushing the mayor to being introduced to the group of elites. It was here that he came up with the idea of luring his enemy and trapping it where he would have the home field advantage. At this point forward, they were all his property and he would do with them as he pleased until he found and killed Ogsam.

But which one was Ogsam?

Generic jovial laughter was playing out in front of him.

“A toast my good lads!” Ulysses raised his glass. They all followed suit. Carlos weakly raised a glass realizing he zoned out and forgot what the conversation had quickly turned to.

“And what of you?” Marley asked Carlos.

Carlos shrunk back. He had been so focused with his plan he forgot that he was playing entertainer. His first instinct was to ask “what about me?” but he realized surrendering the fact that he had not been paying attention nor participating in the group conversation might be taken as either a slight or a sign of weakness. The five faces were slowly shifting towards him noting his silence.

“Mine is not that interesting.” It was a generic bluff to contribute to the conversation. Hoping it would work he equally raised a glass and took a small sip.

Johanson smirked, “I didn’t peg you as the type. I should have known better.”

“Not interesting?” Joel started to chuchkle, to the point of not even speaking inteligable English, :”I would kill to know what a guy like you would do on a crazy drug night.”

Okay, so they were talking about drugged out stories. Made sense. He would have to improvise. “Um, me and my friend were partying and, um, he thought he saw a unicorn and tried to ride it. He ended up falling off my telivision and face planted on the floor.”

“Hehe, so that’s how the local folk do things.” Ulysses wording felt more like it was less about “Locals,” and more “You Hispanic folk.” Carlos tried his best not to seethe with hatred.

Please, let Ulysses be the demon. It was a sick murder thought that hatched in his head. The parking lot came up. Thank Jesus!

The gate could be seen for a moment from Carlos’s view until the driver lined up the limo for the warehouse to be in front. On normal times the gate would be locked, closed, and the place would look abandoned. This night was different. He had prepared everything in advance.

“Gentlemen, looks like we are here at our final destination of the night.” Carlos got up and walked past them and their coushined seats. He took the head of the limo, right behind the driver to speak with them all. “Men, I promise, this will probably be in a lot of ways a night to forget. You are all welcome in advanced. I have prepared this all under the table, what happens from here is going to be off the record. But remember, when we get ready to form this adventure together, the fate of East Estates, and indeed all of you, this is the last step before we take that great journey together.”

He looked over the potential fodder. They were staring back at him.

“Remember, if you can, what joys we have shared this evening. The pain and fondness, that is what life is about. You don’t live until you regret and without the darkness, we cannot suckle on the joys of the light. Marley. I don’t think I have met one person as fun as you. I could listen to you talk for hours. Going into the long run, I am sure working with you will be the greatest pleasure of getting into East Estates.”

“Hehe, that’s a bit gay, but thanks.” Marley laughed.

“Ulysses, This is your passion project. A man of vision is most welcomed in this city and you setting anchor here will make us all winners. Your value will be beyond words.”

“Naturally.” Ulysses gestured. “Just prove that you can scratch my back as good as you talk.”

“And the rest of you guys. I welcome all of you to our final stop! Watch your step as you exit the limousine”

The limo came to its final stop. Carlos could feel his heart start to pound. He couldn’t tell if it was excitement or anxiety. The pressure threatened to consume him. He felt, perhaps it was better that tomorrow already be here and the rest of his life is ahead of him. Doubt was coming, and with it a strange question of how many ways could he destroy this perfectly good opportunity to get the vengeance and closure he so needed.

He had to trust the plan. The plan was what mattered. He built the plan from the ground up and if it could be pulled off, then it would further validate his decisions up till this point. The fear growing was not unlike the day he realized he had to tell Anna that he loved her. He was going to reveal his identity and kill someone, or he would die a failure. The moment of the announcement and action was growing closer.

A figure, dressed like a nineties version of a gansgter walked up. His hat was backwards, neon colored jacket, and baggie pants to bring it down with a set of Jordan’s. He opened the door and then got to a knee in a respectful bow.

Ulysses asked, “What’s this about?”

“We have been expecting you. Everything is arranged.”

Carlos walked forward and got out of the limosoune. “Everything is exact? I don’t want one single detail off.”

“Yes. We especially paid attention to the fine details.”

“Gibson, I shall speak to the Ebola Clan. You and your friends will be taken good care of.”

The gangster got up and thanked him. He then ran off as quick as he could towards the warehouse.

“The Ebola Clan?” Johanson asked.

“Gibson is with the Crustal Boys. They specialize in unique concoctions. Stuff you can’t find anywhere because they invent it.”

Levi asked, “How is that possible? I mean theoreticly in the world of drugs, if that is what you are selling us on…”

“Which I wholeheartedly am for!” Marley yelled.

“Theoreticly, all the main stuff is out there. I don’t think a third rate outfit can craft something that would be below the radar.”

Carlos puts a finger over Levi’s mouth. “You know what your problem is? You are asking questions.” It was the charisma Carlos had built up. It was like the power of pursuasion. Jules had a tendancy to make people believe in illusions. Carlos had adopted the power to get people to follow him if he really wanted them too. He must have been speaking to the darkness inside them, because these promises of partying, drugs, and money had them eating out of his hand. Levi shrugged it off and they kept walking.

The warehouse had an eerie light seem to slowly eminate from inside. It started at what seemed like an optical illusion, but as the walk continued, it was clear something was there. Then second, came a small hum. Ulyses started to look with unease. He checked to see if his comrades felt the same. Except for a one over glance with Johanson, the others seemed to be all in their own world. 

The walk continued as they were in formation. Carlos’s sheep began to bleet to one another. He laughed at that image of them, covered in fur with their man faces. A cool chill in the wind washed on them and Carlos stopped. He closed his eyes and became one with the moment. He could feel his heart beat, the goosebumps on his skin harden.

He turned around and gave his new friends a last look to see how they were holding up. He could not hear whatever unimportant conversation they were having. It was beneath him at this point. He saw smiles, and a sense of comraderie. They should no symptoms of walking towards the slaughterhouse. That was how he wanted it. His fingers clenched into the palm of his hand. He would need to keep his composure and execute it flawlessly.

Two “gentlemen” guarded the door. They looked for a second.

“We are good.” Carlos nodded to them and they nodded back.

They opened the door like buttlers opening the great doors to a Lord’s Hall.

The warehouse had a void cement floor. Cracks and dirt stains had revealed itself over the decades that this factory must have been in use. The floor felt like an ocean or a blank canvas that went on forever until it would hit those hideously graffitied, broken down walls. The most glaring piece of graffity was one that said “I” a heart, and “Patrisha.” Some kid couldn’t even spell Patricia right, but the weirder thought was how many decades ago that one piece of history must have been that even Patricia and the ambitios kid must now be old if he was still alive, never even dwelling on this piece of trash left behind.

Surrounding the exit ways and two walls were guars from the strange gang Carlos had hired. They were acting as Mediums. In the center, the dead center was a long wooden table, something designed for a meeting room. Surrounding the table were five black desk chairs with little wheels for rolling. In the center of that table was a strange blood red powder that glowed.

The music was calming but very strange, “transdemensional” in style. There were cheesy spotlights and a needless disco ball above their head reflecting blue colors.

The group started walking apart to explore the location. Ulysses was so quick to check out the “art.” Levi and Johanson instantly began to walk towards the table. Carlos stood at the door. Marley and Joel began to give the locals an inspection.

“Are you sure these youths are cool?” Joel asked.

“As cool as anyone else here.” Carlos yelled back.”

“The entire lot of us are shady as s**t, sir1”

Carlos let out a laugh. Truer words were not spoken this night until that moment. He answered truth with truth, “I am the shadiest one of all!”

Everyone else laughed while the gang members stayed stone face.

Levi pointed to the bowl of glowing red product in the center of the room. “And what of these?”

Carlos clapped his hands getting everyones attention. “That! My friends, is what we are here to experience.” Their host ran to the center. He then waved for everyone to gather around the table. “I have a seat for all of you.” He pulls out a seat and motions for someone to sit down.

One by one his guest/victims/suspects sit down at his table/web.

“There is no seat for you.” Ulysses noticed.

“That is a great point. And I am glad you pointed that out!”

He slammed his hand down on the table and a loud clap thundered off the walls. Everyone jumped at the sound except for the people posting security. Carlos continued, “You see, the lot of us are about to take a journey together. This journey will be like one that even people close as brothers do not get to truly go together. What happens during this will not leave this room. You all thought you knew each other before? You will soon all realize how little you know. But first to the fun part. In the middle is one beautiful arrangement I made. It is a wonder drug, not known by any modern doctor. Call it whatever you will its name means nothing. Enjoy!”

One by one the people in the circle scooped a hand in, or a finger at the least and each found their own way to partake the drug. There was no directions that Carlos gave them, but the general consensus was they snorted it. One by one happy sounds were being made.

The drug worked in stages. The first stage, it felt like an opening of the mind and pure focus took over. Then came the high, every moment feeling perfect and right in place, like destiny. The next phase was an obvious lapse of judgement. The walls that the human mind had built had begun to fall faster than any of them could realize. Had Carlos wished, he could converse someone to the point of suicide with a smile on their face. The final part of the drug, while experimental, was the hallucinogenic proerpties.

“We are going to play a deluxe game of four truths and a lie. The drugs only last for fifteen minutes at the most, then you crash hard and come off extremely quick. Now if you will all sit down and enjoy the nice high, we can then get down to business.”

Author's Note

I cut this chapter short as I felt like it was running overly long but I might mix and match this with chapter 4 and readjust 4 later with a potential fifth chapter. Feedback welcomed. Will edit later.