Note: My apologies for taking so long, I had a bit of writer's block. After a lot of thought, I've decided to continue this story, with it detailing the situations some of the other characters go through.

Shocking Realization

-Damon Residence

Fumbling with his keys, Jeff finally found the right one, and jammed it into the car's ignition. He revved the car's engine, opened the garage, and backed out of the driveway onto the street. The loud voice of his father echoed in his ears, "How dare you! Your audacity infuriates me, and it will not go unpunished! Again and again, you've turned me into a public display of humiliation and I've had enough!" Jeff cried a little. His father was cruel and uncaring, even with his own son. He'd rather do illegal business with a dirty crime syndicate to gain for his own good. If his father had had enough of him, then he also had enough of his father.

Dismissing any last doubts of abandoning home, he drove out of the affluent neighborhood, taking his father's expensive car with him. His father would be pissed off once he found out, but at the moment, Damon was not home. He was most likely out on a "business meeting." Now Jeff had only one place he knew he could call home: The Hotel Dusk.

He drove for miles, the flashing neon signs of many late night bars and clubs passing by. Drunks rolled around on the sidewalks as passing pedestrians shot them disgusted glances. Jeff stared at it all, amused and surprised. Living for so many years under the wing of a rich man, in a rich neighborhood, he'd never really witnessed the world for what it was. The last time he had visited the Dusk it was during the hours of the sun when less obscene activity had occurred. As he slowed to a stop at a red light, he stared into the clear cloudless sky. The full moon was out, and it was a beautiful sight in the starry vastness of space. Hypnotized by the glowing white shine of the moon, he hardly realized that the streetlight had turned green.

The honking of many cars brought him out of his daze, and he accelerated. As he continued to drive by, many more scenes of the real world surprised him. Hookers walked left and right, men were being robbed in the dark alleys between old buildings. He even witnessed a man feel the painful end of a rusty knife, the perpetrators quickly ran down deeper into the shadows that the alley provided, one of them holding a wallet. The victim was dead, sitting against the wall, the life completely diminished from his now dark and shadowy eyes.

At the sight of this, Jeff was absolutely mortified; his eyes widened in horror and his grip on the steering wheel tightened. Even worse, everyone ignored the cold body, minding their own business. He drove on, sadness filling his heart, "What kind of world is this, that I've been living in, what kind of world is this that I've been so naïve to my surroundings?" he asked himself. His usual handsome and boyish face completely disappeared, and a grim expression never before known to him replaced the cheeriness that was accustomed to his face. He soon felt a little relief as the last of the buildings passed, and huge rolling fields of green emerged. He was finally out into the countryside, where beauty really shone under the brightness of the moon. Angel, the last name he had chosen for himself, decided to stop for the night, figuring that a bit of sleep would do him well. He drove off the road into the wild grass, shut off the engine, reclined the seat, and fell asleep at peace, with the moon shining on his face. Things would be better tomorrow morning, when he arrived at the Dusk. He was half right, what he didn't realize was that in the car's compartment was a stash of 50 grand in dirty money; money that had been through the hands of Nile.

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"That damned kid, he's nothing but trouble. He's embarrassed me publicly, and my reputation has leaked slowly down the drain. I want him dead, I don't care how much. He may be my only son, but that doesn't mean he can just interfere with my business with Nile. 2 years back, he steals twenty grand from me and then turns himself in. It makes me look like a fool of a father! Now, he's humiliated me in front of my associates and he's even stolen my car!" A hand slammed onto an elaborately decorated table, with 5 000 dollars in cash. "Here is half your pay in advance, you get the other 5 grand after the task is done… don't fail me." Damon made sure not to mention the 50 grand located inside his car, for obvious reasons.

A deep voice answered, dark and chillingly, "I never fail, you've picked the right man for the job, and your eagerness to pay me in cash right up front without hesitation makes you a… preferred customer…" A long slender hand reached out of the darkness into the light that the single bulb in the room emitted and grabbed the stack of money. The anonymous speaker then continued to stuff the money into an inside suit pocket. "See you soon…" the voice echoed off the walls, as the tall man opened the door and walked out. The light from the rooms outside shone onto his face, and the hit-man smiled sinisterly to himself. Kill a punk, and earn 10 grand, the job couldn't have been any easier…