Status: First story & will be multi-chapter.
Waking Up the Devil
Prologue
They say that only the best is yet to come, that the future is always brighter than the present. Not so in Nikki’s case.
It seemed like an ordinary Saturday. He woke up, made his usual pot of cheap Wal-Mart coffee, and sat in his living room in his pajamas, reading a book, with CNN quietly playing on the television. He sighed contently. This was his weekend-morning ritual, and he loved how relaxing it was.
In the afternoon, Nikki went out for some lunch. Sitting by himself at a table, he brought his iPad, messing around with the various apps and resorting to playing some Angry Birds while he ate. The usual lunchtime chatter and gossip rang throughout the little café. It seemed so ordinary.
But that changed when gunshots blared from the street.
Nikki’s head jerked up, and when he saw an elderly woman attempt to run, he immediately dashed to her side, gently but quickly guiding her to safety. ‘What the hell is going on?’ That was the only thing racing through his mind. What the hell was going on?
His thoughts were interrupted by a shearing pain in his stomach and a sudden burning. He looked down, eyes wide and breathing heavy. He had been shot. Nikki looked at the old woman he saved only seconds earlier; her face was pale, worry and panic written all over her delicate features. He wasn’t even able to process the fact that he had fallen onto the floor, and he started coughing and struggled to keep his eyes open. He could vaguely hear the gunmen shouting various orders to the defenseless citizens in the café, and one made his way to tower over the older man. Nikki looked up at the gunman with glazed, half-shut eyes, and the last thing he saw was a boot pummeling down over his face.
The faint sound of conversation greeted Nikki as he returned to the realm of consciousness. His head ached, and his stomach felt as though it was on fire. He remembered the ordeal at the café, and a groan of pain escaped his lips, which caught his kidnappers’ attention. One walked over, glancing over Nikki with a keen eye. A smirk tugged at the man’s lips as Nikki groaned. “Hurts like a bitch, don’t it?”
“Fuck you…” Nikki growled, his face contorting into anger.
The man’s smirk grew even wider. “I like ya. Ya might be useful to us after all…”
He then whistled, and the rest of his gang crowded behind him. Nikki leaned his head back against the wall, groans continuing to escape his lips. The gunshot was starting to flare, and Nikki didn’t know if these assholes were going to give him some medical attention. He looked at the supposed leader, fighting to keep his eyes open. “What do you want from me…?”
The other man chuckled lightly, offering a hand to help Nikki stand up. “Come with me. We’ll get that wound fixed up.”
A confused look formed on Nikki’s face. “What the fuck do you want?!” he asked, well, more like demanded. The leader smiled.
“For you to join us.”
It seemed like an ordinary Saturday. He woke up, made his usual pot of cheap Wal-Mart coffee, and sat in his living room in his pajamas, reading a book, with CNN quietly playing on the television. He sighed contently. This was his weekend-morning ritual, and he loved how relaxing it was.
In the afternoon, Nikki went out for some lunch. Sitting by himself at a table, he brought his iPad, messing around with the various apps and resorting to playing some Angry Birds while he ate. The usual lunchtime chatter and gossip rang throughout the little café. It seemed so ordinary.
But that changed when gunshots blared from the street.
Nikki’s head jerked up, and when he saw an elderly woman attempt to run, he immediately dashed to her side, gently but quickly guiding her to safety. ‘What the hell is going on?’ That was the only thing racing through his mind. What the hell was going on?
His thoughts were interrupted by a shearing pain in his stomach and a sudden burning. He looked down, eyes wide and breathing heavy. He had been shot. Nikki looked at the old woman he saved only seconds earlier; her face was pale, worry and panic written all over her delicate features. He wasn’t even able to process the fact that he had fallen onto the floor, and he started coughing and struggled to keep his eyes open. He could vaguely hear the gunmen shouting various orders to the defenseless citizens in the café, and one made his way to tower over the older man. Nikki looked up at the gunman with glazed, half-shut eyes, and the last thing he saw was a boot pummeling down over his face.
The faint sound of conversation greeted Nikki as he returned to the realm of consciousness. His head ached, and his stomach felt as though it was on fire. He remembered the ordeal at the café, and a groan of pain escaped his lips, which caught his kidnappers’ attention. One walked over, glancing over Nikki with a keen eye. A smirk tugged at the man’s lips as Nikki groaned. “Hurts like a bitch, don’t it?”
“Fuck you…” Nikki growled, his face contorting into anger.
The man’s smirk grew even wider. “I like ya. Ya might be useful to us after all…”
He then whistled, and the rest of his gang crowded behind him. Nikki leaned his head back against the wall, groans continuing to escape his lips. The gunshot was starting to flare, and Nikki didn’t know if these assholes were going to give him some medical attention. He looked at the supposed leader, fighting to keep his eyes open. “What do you want from me…?”
The other man chuckled lightly, offering a hand to help Nikki stand up. “Come with me. We’ll get that wound fixed up.”
A confused look formed on Nikki’s face. “What the fuck do you want?!” he asked, well, more like demanded. The leader smiled.
“For you to join us.”