Demon's Obscured Benevolence

2nd month, 13th day
11:50 a.m.

The sky is as dark as Fatal’s heart as he walked through the empty streets that smelled of the deceased, every dark corner has a malefic vibe, and the air that is tainted by the many drugs. The night, yet very unusually quiet, was very comforting to Fatal. Nights like these give him the potency to doing about almost anything.
As fatal walked up to an old apartment building that reeks of sinful activity, he patted his blade that was being held by the chains around his waist. The building was already falling apart, everything is tilted and crooked. He looked up at the slanted sign that says ‘No Vacancy’ it was dusted and rusted to the core. He made his way in through one of the double doors because the other was unhinged and about to fall right off. The first step he took in the building there were rats everywhere; crawling and running away.
Filthy ugly little creatures, he thought, running around and hiding in the darkness searching for food; now all he needed to find was the biggest rat in here. The brightly colored brown wallpaper and paint from the walls were slowly tearing away, everywhere on the ground is trash, needles, and other expired drug equipment; the hall looks as if it now belongs to the dead since no one would dare live here thinking it was haunted. The guy that fatal is searching for provided a lot of info to others such as, drug locations, whereabouts of someone, rumors, and death in other gangs. Walking through this infested maze of an apartment he finally came across a room where he heard people sharing conversations with one another. Fatal walked up to the closed door of the room and knocked. The voices stopped and fatal knocked again; nothing but silence.
Fatal smiled and extended his leg back and kicked the door in. The first kick did it and the door gave away and fell. Fatal looked around the room; it was as grimy, littered and disorganized as the hallway, “no one here huh? Come on you rat, where are you?” he said walking towards the closet.
Fatal opened the closet door hard almost ripping them off the hinges, and there sat a boy about his age cowering in fear with his knees to his chin, “oh...h-hey fatal. What is it you need to k-know?”
Fatal just stared at him as he got up from the floor dusting himself off, “oh come now Tyler, you certainly don’t treat your clients like this do you?”
“I’m sorry, fatal. Just a little shaken up is all, what did you…?” but before Tyler could finish his sentence fatal had his hand at his throat and lifted him off his feet.
“Just because I need you alive I will go easy on you.”
Tyler then started to grasp at his throat struggling for air, “now then, can you tell me anything about Romance’s whereabouts?” Fatal said allowing Tyler’s feet to touch the ground but keeping his hand at Tyler’s throat.
“Sorry but I…cant tell you anything.” He choked out. Tyler can’t say anything because he is in enough trouble as it is already by other gangs. He thought his only way out was to say nothing. Maybe fatal would not even bother going on with someone not willing to talk, but if the rumors are true then he is going to die.
Fatal then stared deep into his eyes and laughed as he removed his hand away from Tyler’s throat. “Oh then that is really such a shame. Then I guess I have no choice but to force it out of you!”
Just as Tyler was going to question Fatal’s comment fatal swiftly pulled out the blade and stabbed it into Tyler’s leg, causing him to scream in pain, roll on the floor and lie there helpless and completely vulnerable. With little energy he had, Tyler started to crawl away from fatal. Fatal smiled as he slowly followed Tyler crawling helplessly into a corner, “come on Tyler…you are only delaying the inevitable, for you to be this scared doesn’t go with your character. Such fear only amuses me.”
Fatal looked down at Tyler, Tyler covered his face. I don’t want to die now, he mumbled, I was so close. Tyler stared at the blade stuck in his right leg and was about to throw up but refrained from doing so, “come on fatal…please I didn’t do anything wrong, you have to understand what situation I am in. Please! Do not kill me! I know the rumors aren’t true about you…you have to have a heart or at least show me mercy.”
“Well to bad for you the rumors are true and the only time I would show mercy to someone is when there dead, all you have to do is give me the right answer and maybe I would reconsider beating you half to death, now then lets get to talking,” Fatal then grabbed Tyler’s arm and yanked him up hard enough to dislocate it, “now tell me where she is or I swear I will shove this blade down your throat!” Fatal shouted.
Tyler then nodded, but then fatal slammed him against the wall and pulled the blade out of his leg. Tyler fell to the floor and grabbed his leg in agony, “stand up now! Get off your ass and stand you useless weakling! Get up now and tell me!” fatal then lifted him up again and placed Tyler’s arm on the wall and shoved the blade into his forearm, pining Tyler to the wall as Tyler screamed again he looked at the blade and then at fatal, “ok, ok, ok! Just please stop! I will talk! She is with some guy…leader of a gang from what I heard and they are supposedly all with God.”
“What is the name of the assemblage?” Tyler stared at the large amount of blood all over him and the floor, “your sister is with…a gang called…,” Tyler then started to cough up blood and choke on it. Fatal then punched him in the gut and twice in the face, “talk now!” fatal shouted.
“She is…with the gang called Afterlife!”
Fatal looked down thinking if he heard of that name before, must be a new gang while he was in hiding for a while, “Tell me more about this gang and its leader and what her affiliations are with them!” but before Tyler could give an answer he fainted.
Now fatal was angry, “how dare you faint when I am talking to you!” he then pulled the blade out of Tyler’s arm, making his body crumple to the floor. Fatal stared at Tyler’s dead like body and pulled the blade back and shoved it into the heart of the rat. As the blade pierced into his chest, blood came spewing out of Tyler landing on Fatal’s arm and all over the ground. The only movement was Tyler’s twitching body and then…nothing. As fatal pulled the blade out he stared at the large amount of blood slowly creeping away from the lifeless body.
“Pathetic, I always hated people as weak as you. Now then, I better leave the mess here for someone else to clean up, but first…” fatal then looked across the room at the slightly open bathroom door. Fatal walked down the hall and threw open the bathroom door making it hit the wall hard. He then begins to scan the room for movement…nothing, at that moment a sweet scent ran under his nose. Fatal turns to the tub which is covered by some worn out oddly designed drapes, and rips them off knocking many things down.
There lay a young girl crying, she was wearing these worn out clothes and by the looks of it she must be homeless and poor, but as fatal took a closer look there was a strange mark on her forearm. The girl looked up; she screamed and kicked at him. He ignored the kicks, grabbed her by the arm and lifted her out of the tub, “please stop! Let go of me!” she said struggling but fatal had a firm grip on her.
“Shut up already!” fatal looked at her arm and it was a tattoo of the number 777. All with god, He thought, she must be with this gang but…she looks badly dressed. She must be newly recruited and sent to get information for someone…but whom?
She then looked at where Fatal’s eyes were directed at, “don’t!” she said covering it with her free hand. Fatal then twisted her wrist making her quickly spin around and have her hand being turned in the opposite direction behind her back making her incapacitated.
“Now then how old are you little girl and don’t forget to mention your name ok?”
“Please don’t kill me! I am only fourteen and my name is Linnea.”
“What about your leader’s name, of who you work for that is.”
“No! I aint supposed to tell anyone! Not even you, who ever you are!”She yelled.
“Ouch, that hurts. You not even knowing my name is such a shame,” think I shouldn’t have been in hiding for so long. How am I supposed to get my name out now? “Maybe I should stab you like I did with Tyler over there and write my name all over the wall in your blood but I will let you barely live?”
“I said no now let me go already…your hurting me!” she said trying to struggle again.
Fatal twisted her wrist again, “does it now? Now tell me, are you affiliated with a gang named Afterlife because it is obvious you are by the mark on your forearm and I highly doubt that any gang would represent Him.”
“Shut up! You don’t know anything!” linnea yelled.
“I wonder though, do you know someone there by the name of…Romance? Romance Demon?”
The girl froze and with that a grin grew across Fatal’s face, “I have no idea what you’re talking about, all I know is that our leader treats everyone with respect. He has hands full of grace and heart full mercy like God himself and is more grace giving than you’ll ever be.”
Fatal laughed, “Hands full of grace? Heart full of mercy? Respect? Equality? These words I do not act but know very well. So tell me…why are you in such raggedy old clothes and looks like you haven’t eaten a warm meal in a while? Is this your initiation? Having to do something in order to get something? Like a dog begging for food and a home, but is merely getting scraps tossed on the floor.”
That is it! The girl thought, I have had enough of this guy! Looks like she was going to have to try and kill him now that he got some info out of her. She never killed anyone before though, but her life was hell and she had enough anger to get the motive to do it.
“Please just let me go and I will talk.”
“Now that’s more like it,” he then let go and crossed his arms, “well?”
Linnea rubbed her wrist, “well our leader,” she reached into her shirt pocket and pulled out a pocket knife, “his name is…” she then quietly opened it up hoping the click wasn’t loud, “is none of your damn business!” she yelled turning around and swiftly propelled the pocket knife at him.
She had to do it; there is no turning back now. When she kills him then she will have nothing to worry about anymore, but what if she killed him? How could she face him? She couldn’t come back with her hands stained in blood. Oh well! She will just lie to him. It beats sleeping on the street begging for food again. It was kill or be killed!
Suddenly her momentum instantly stopped, and she couldn’t breathe. The blade fell to the floor; she began to look around. Fatal had his hand at her throat. Dang, this cant be the end already…can it? She failed…like she always did. Everyone was right about her; she should have committed suicide along time ago instead of putting up with this anymore.
Fatal laughed, “oh you poor soul, left to rot and drown in your own sorrow. I should give you the same fate like I gave that rat over there or even better,” fatal unclipped the chains holding the bloody blade and held it in his right hand while holding linnea with his left.
Linnea’s eyes widen with fear and her body was stunned with anxiety as she stared at the blood stained blade. Fatal then let go of her neck and quickly grabbed her right arm with the mark of heaven on it. She then struggled to grab the knife on the floor but fatal was one step ahead of her as he kicked the pocket knife even further from her reach.
“Now hold still,” fatal said as he placed the blade over the three numbers on her arm. This was it, linnea thought, she is done for. All she could do now is wait for him to kill her. There was nothing she can do; linnea was just going to do what she always did in her life…give up.
Fatal then lightly pushed the blade down on the mark and slowly ran the blade across it. Linnea flinched as it did but didn’t struggle because she knew better and it will only cause more problems, so she just sat there taking it. Her whole life she struggled and it hasn’t gotten her anywhere. No point in fighting…no point in living…right?
As fatal was done pulling the blade across her forearm he let go. Linnea looked at her arm and saw that he put a line through the number. The cut wasn’t deep but it did leave its mark on it. She was confused, she thought he was going to kill her but…he didn’t…why?
“There, now I will take my leave” he said leaving out of the bathroom.
Linnea looked at her arm which was slowly bleeding. Why, she thought, now that she isn’t going to die…where would she go? Who will help her? She had no one. Who is he? She had to find out his name at least, she then ran out stumbling into the hallway falling on her knees; fatal stopped.
“Hey! Wait! What is your name?!” she yelled struggling up.
“Fatal, ‘I am…The Demon King, you better leave this place now or you will die,” he said pulling out a match and lighting it.
She stood there watching him staring right into her eyes with a wicked smile on his face. He then threw the lighted match on some old newspapers in a corner and the flames grew. Fatal then left through the door less room thanks to Fatal’s early attempt. The flames started to grow larger and quicker than linnea expected. She then began to leave but stood by the doorway to stare at the flames consuming everything…including Tyler. The tongues of the flame began to reach the ceiling searing it black. After a minute or two of staring into the fire she rubbed her eyes and began to make her way out.
She stepped out of the burning building and a cold breeze hit her in hard in the face, “Ok, got to get out of here before the cops show up and then I can…” but before she was about ditch the place, she saw somebody standing across the street from her…it was him.
Fatal stood there staring at linnea with a glare; she froze up and couldn’t move. The building began to crackle behind linnea and a twist of hot and cold air was hitting linnea at the same time giving it a weird and uncomfortable feeling. Fear began to consume linnea, and then she began to hear sirens coming.
Suddenly the old vacancy sign gave in to the flames and came crashing down behind linnea, inches from hitting her. She jumped up screaming and turned around facing the flames engulfing the building. The sirens were getting louder and the lights were getting closer. She then looked across the street to see if he was still there…but he wasn’t. Crap, she better leave while he is gone and before the cops show up. Linnea then ran the opposite direction of the fire. Running? That was all she was good at. She continued running…trying to think of where she would go and what she would do.
Fatal began his way through the park, looking back making sure he wasn’t being followed. Fatal didn’t take the pathway because he wanted to avoid being seen. Where the heck can she be? The only information he could gather was the name of the gang and nothing else. A hunch is saying that Afterlife’s hideout must be in the old abandoned cathedral. He then heard foot steps and quickly hid behind a tree; he searched the area of people…and found out it was rick. What was he doing here at this time of night? Now Fatal was curious so he used the trees to hide himself to sneak over behind rick walking on the pathway.
“Man, this is tough,” rick said crossing his arms.
“Hey,” a voice behind him mumbled.
Rick swiftly turned around but no one was there, “huh? I thought I heard someone?” he said bemused.
Rick slowly turned back around to continue on home but when he did, fatal was right there in front of him.
“Holy crap!” rick yelled jumping back.
“Your lucky it was only me and not some other gang come to kill you. What brings you out here in the late night?” fatal said smiling.
Rick nodded, “yeah, well, Satire and Verse was just showing me around the place, but it was kind of hard with both of them doing,” rick said remembering how Satire and Verse fought over and over again just to give him a tour of the place.
“Yeah well, I need you to do something for me. I need you to do a get some info for me from a gang called Afterlife,” rick nodded but he looked at Fatal’s arm and it was blood stained on his right hand and sleeve, “I need you to go to the old town cathedral, and find a place to hide and give me all the info you can when they have there little meeting.” He said turning his back and began to walk away.
“Hey wait! You look hurt and your bleeding, shouldn’t you go to the hospital?”
Fatal laughed, “This isn’t my blood. Now go do what your supposed to do!” fatal yelled walking away.
A chill ran down Rick’s back, he wanted him to do something this suicidal already? He just got accepted into this gang and the risk already starts. Rick sighed, “Ok then.” He said walking to the direction of the cathedral.