Warning: This chapter contains violence of bloody bloody nature. It's not grossly described, but enough.
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Domestic violence wasn't something new to us. By the time we were seven years old, the five of us had learned to stay out of our parents' way and stay out of the house during the day. We each dealt with it in different ways; each of us finding something to delve ourselves in and whisk our minds away.
On the streets, we saw our share of more violent crimes, too. King Treize wasn't a fan of the drug trade that happened in most parts of the world and colonies and anyone caught trafficking in his territory was quickly dealt with. It was justice to us. How many people would that dealer be killing with his drugs? It seemed only natural that he should have to pay for whomever he hurt.
That was the way it worked. You may be involved in illegal activity, but at least you were honest with each other. Lying had a high price.
Over the years the five of us had done little jobs here and there for King Treize. It was fast money: fifty dollars to deliver a package; thirty dollars to deliver a message; forty-five dollars to deliver an envelope. As you can see, we did a lot of delivering. It got dangerous and scary at times, but it was fast money and King Treize had grown fond of us. The six of us would often sit around a table in his bar on Aramo Avenue and play poker for pieces of gum. Many of my more vivid memories were set in that bar. Some were happy, some not so much.
I waited as King Treize poured me another cup of soda. I sat at the bar, looking around the room I had been in a million times. It was dimly lit, with dark booths and a bar across from the door. The music was always old classics that Treize liked; he held a special place in his heart for some *really* old guy named Elvis. The room smelled like beer and tobacco and the air always had a smoky way about it. Wufei and Trowa were sitting in a booth close to the bar, quietly playing a game of cards. Quatre was sitting in a chair pulled up next to the booth, watching and, I knew, silently cheering for Trowa. Heero sat at the bar next to me, reading a book King Treize had showed him about city life. According to the king, it was a badly written and completely wrong portrait of the city and people.
Three men sat in a booth at the far side of the bar as they always did. Their names were Jake, Manny and Ryan. They were the king's guard. They were nice guys for the most part and generally had no problem with five kids hanging around.
"You sure you're not up for a game?" King Treize asked, referring to the only game he played - poker.
"Yeah," I replied, "Don't really feel like losin' today."
"You might not lose," Treize replied, raising an eyebrow
"Yeah we will - we always lose."
"Maybe you should practice."
"Maybe you shouldn't cheat so much."
"I don't cheat."
"Yes you do."
"You can't prove that," he chuckled. He refilled Heero's drink then took a seat behind the bar, directly across from us. "So what have you kids been up to?"
"Nothin'," I answered, now looking at the book Heero was absorbed in.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Ok."
The conversation drifted around like that for about a half hour before a man walked into the bar, the door making that ding sound as he entered. He was a tall man with dark hair and small, suspicious eyes. He had a short beard and his face was round and clean.
"Benny." King Treize stood, walked around the bar and stood in front of the man, stoned faced. Everyone in the room, including Heero turned to watch the two men stare at each other.
"Treize."
"What are you doing here?"
"I have business with Ryan." The man with the beard looked at Ryan, who had risen from his seat in the booth.
"You have no business with him if you have no business with me."
"This doesn't concern you."
"Then get the fuck out." King Treize turned around, walking towards the bar. He had told the man to leave and, as king, was expected to be obeyed. But he wasn't. The man did not leave.
Instead he pulled out a gun, pointed it a Treize and the room broke into chaos. Everything happened very quickly. Wufei and Trowa ducked into the booth, Trowa pulling Quatre in with him. Heero and I flew from our seats and lowered to the floor, using the bar stools as a bit of cover. Jake and Manny stood up alongside Ryan, all three swiftly pulling out guns of their own. Loud bangs thundered throughout the room.
I squeezed my eyes shut and put my hands over my ears as Heero had already done. We huddled there while the deafening noises swirled around us. Fear ran through my whole body and I switched into panic mode. I stayed still, but I was shaking in my spot, ready to piss my pants.
Smoke filled room and I coughed. The gunfire didn't stop for a few moments, but the short seconds rolled on forever. I hadn't seen what happened to Treize. Was he shot? Did he duck behind the bar? I didn't know and the fear for my own life was intensified by the fear for my friends' lives.
The room went silent again. The gunfire stopped and the smoky haze of the room drifted around everyone.
A few seconds passed before I tentatively opened my eyes. The sight my eyes were dragged to I will never forget. The man with the beard, the man who had dared defy the king, lay dead in the middle of the bar's floor. His chest was full of bullet holes and his body drenched in blood. The smell of the room turned from tobacco to the rancid stench of death that cannot be described. The man's body was still, motionless in death. I couldn't pull my eyes away even though I desperately wanted to.
Heero looked at me and shook my arm. I was pulled from the sight and looked at his, seeing my fear reflected in him. I tried to turn to see if the other guys were ok, but I couldn't see further than the back of the booth's seat.
I then look up at the three men standing over the dead body. Jake, Manny and Ryan still had their guns out and raised, pointing at Benny and waiting as if he would spring back to life.
"You need to get out of here," I heard a voice say.
I strained my neck and saw, peaking around the corner of the bar, a gun in his hand, King Treize. "Go," he said.
I wanted to do as he said, but I couldn't move. My shaking body was frozen on the spot. I saw Trowa, Wufei and Quatre climb out of the booth and come towards Heero and me. We were pulled to our feet and out of the bar. The same shock and terror weighed upon us. It was the first time we had ever seen someone murdered.
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Domestic violence wasn't something new to us. By the time we were seven years old, the five of us had learned to stay out of our parents' way and stay out of the house during the day. We each dealt with it in different ways; each of us finding something to delve ourselves in and whisk our minds away.
On the streets, we saw our share of more violent crimes, too. King Treize wasn't a fan of the drug trade that happened in most parts of the world and colonies and anyone caught trafficking in his territory was quickly dealt with. It was justice to us. How many people would that dealer be killing with his drugs? It seemed only natural that he should have to pay for whomever he hurt.
That was the way it worked. You may be involved in illegal activity, but at least you were honest with each other. Lying had a high price.
Over the years the five of us had done little jobs here and there for King Treize. It was fast money: fifty dollars to deliver a package; thirty dollars to deliver a message; forty-five dollars to deliver an envelope. As you can see, we did a lot of delivering. It got dangerous and scary at times, but it was fast money and King Treize had grown fond of us. The six of us would often sit around a table in his bar on Aramo Avenue and play poker for pieces of gum. Many of my more vivid memories were set in that bar. Some were happy, some not so much.
I waited as King Treize poured me another cup of soda. I sat at the bar, looking around the room I had been in a million times. It was dimly lit, with dark booths and a bar across from the door. The music was always old classics that Treize liked; he held a special place in his heart for some *really* old guy named Elvis. The room smelled like beer and tobacco and the air always had a smoky way about it. Wufei and Trowa were sitting in a booth close to the bar, quietly playing a game of cards. Quatre was sitting in a chair pulled up next to the booth, watching and, I knew, silently cheering for Trowa. Heero sat at the bar next to me, reading a book King Treize had showed him about city life. According to the king, it was a badly written and completely wrong portrait of the city and people.
Three men sat in a booth at the far side of the bar as they always did. Their names were Jake, Manny and Ryan. They were the king's guard. They were nice guys for the most part and generally had no problem with five kids hanging around.
"You sure you're not up for a game?" King Treize asked, referring to the only game he played - poker.
"Yeah," I replied, "Don't really feel like losin' today."
"You might not lose," Treize replied, raising an eyebrow
"Yeah we will - we always lose."
"Maybe you should practice."
"Maybe you shouldn't cheat so much."
"I don't cheat."
"Yes you do."
"You can't prove that," he chuckled. He refilled Heero's drink then took a seat behind the bar, directly across from us. "So what have you kids been up to?"
"Nothin'," I answered, now looking at the book Heero was absorbed in.
"Really?"
"Really."
"Ok."
The conversation drifted around like that for about a half hour before a man walked into the bar, the door making that ding sound as he entered. He was a tall man with dark hair and small, suspicious eyes. He had a short beard and his face was round and clean.
"Benny." King Treize stood, walked around the bar and stood in front of the man, stoned faced. Everyone in the room, including Heero turned to watch the two men stare at each other.
"Treize."
"What are you doing here?"
"I have business with Ryan." The man with the beard looked at Ryan, who had risen from his seat in the booth.
"You have no business with him if you have no business with me."
"This doesn't concern you."
"Then get the fuck out." King Treize turned around, walking towards the bar. He had told the man to leave and, as king, was expected to be obeyed. But he wasn't. The man did not leave.
Instead he pulled out a gun, pointed it a Treize and the room broke into chaos. Everything happened very quickly. Wufei and Trowa ducked into the booth, Trowa pulling Quatre in with him. Heero and I flew from our seats and lowered to the floor, using the bar stools as a bit of cover. Jake and Manny stood up alongside Ryan, all three swiftly pulling out guns of their own. Loud bangs thundered throughout the room.
I squeezed my eyes shut and put my hands over my ears as Heero had already done. We huddled there while the deafening noises swirled around us. Fear ran through my whole body and I switched into panic mode. I stayed still, but I was shaking in my spot, ready to piss my pants.
Smoke filled room and I coughed. The gunfire didn't stop for a few moments, but the short seconds rolled on forever. I hadn't seen what happened to Treize. Was he shot? Did he duck behind the bar? I didn't know and the fear for my own life was intensified by the fear for my friends' lives.
The room went silent again. The gunfire stopped and the smoky haze of the room drifted around everyone.
A few seconds passed before I tentatively opened my eyes. The sight my eyes were dragged to I will never forget. The man with the beard, the man who had dared defy the king, lay dead in the middle of the bar's floor. His chest was full of bullet holes and his body drenched in blood. The smell of the room turned from tobacco to the rancid stench of death that cannot be described. The man's body was still, motionless in death. I couldn't pull my eyes away even though I desperately wanted to.
Heero looked at me and shook my arm. I was pulled from the sight and looked at his, seeing my fear reflected in him. I tried to turn to see if the other guys were ok, but I couldn't see further than the back of the booth's seat.
I then look up at the three men standing over the dead body. Jake, Manny and Ryan still had their guns out and raised, pointing at Benny and waiting as if he would spring back to life.
"You need to get out of here," I heard a voice say.
I strained my neck and saw, peaking around the corner of the bar, a gun in his hand, King Treize. "Go," he said.
I wanted to do as he said, but I couldn't move. My shaking body was frozen on the spot. I saw Trowa, Wufei and Quatre climb out of the booth and come towards Heero and me. We were pulled to our feet and out of the bar. The same shock and terror weighed upon us. It was the first time we had ever seen someone murdered.
