Chapter Eight
Facing Reality
Chicago, Midnight
Milo sat on a large stone in the abandoned building Diablo had brought him and Marcus to after he saved them from the Red-Necks, he was staring at his reflection in a puddle, studying his new face as well as his furry paws.
In the past few hours, he had gone from being human to a mutant, and through assistance of Diablo, he had managed to punish the Red-Necks for what they did to him and Marcus and to other innocent people before them.
In a way he knew it was wrong, but he had felt some pleasure in giving them what they deserved, they hadn't killed them, but rather tortured them into insanity, and as Diablo said, that was a fate worse than death.
But there was also the fact that he could now never return to what he knew, and as much as that upset him, he knew he had to accept the inevitable, he was grateful to be alive in the first place.
Marcus was sitting nearby looking at him.
"My friend?" he asked "How are you feeling?"
"I'm not sure..." Milo said "It's been nearly 24 hours, since we became this...I...I just..."
"It's hard to believe we're not human any-more." Marcus said "After what Diablo told us about this water he gave us, how it changed us."
"I should be distraught about this." Milo spoke looking at his paws "And I was, at the start, until I realised it was this, or death, and before this, I didn't feel 100% satisfied with my human life before, not since I lost my parents, then my grandparents, and I have no other living relatives, or very close friends, only a couple of people at the Strip Club."
"Likewise my friend." Marcus said then looked at his right arm "I never imagined I would get my right arm back, I was under so much stress after losing everything, after I did so much for this country and got no thanks! I thought there was no way out, I may have decided after the nightmares I suffered, to end my life there and then, but this...this is a new life."
"You feel more accepting of this form?" Milo asked raising an eyebrow.
Marcus nodded.
"This water brought back my arm, I feel almost energised, more...alive..."
"I feel the same friend." Milo agreed "I feel alive, more stronger than when I was human, yet this feels wrong somehow."
"And why would this feel wrong?"
The Panther and Doberman jumped and they turned to see Diablo flying down from a gap in the roof then landing next to them.
In his taloned hands he carried some shopping bags.
"What's in there?"Marcus asked.
Diablo opened the bags to reveal the contents and the two mutants saw it was bags of food.
"Hungry?" he asked.
Milo licked his lips and he felt his stomach growl, he hadn't eaten in a while and he was no starting to feel it.
"Thank you." he said "But, where did you get it?"
Diablo sat down on another large stone.
"Acquired it." he said "As an outcast would."
"You stole it?" Marcus frowned.
"Not exactly." Diablo confirmed "I went to the back of this store, and I used the cash we took from the those red-necks, left it in place of the food I took from the back, and fled before anyone saw me."
Milo also frowned.
"Well what do you two expect?" Diablo asked shrugging his shoulders "When you're a mutant, and you're hungry, you do what you can!"
"True." Marcus mumbled looking up as he thought about it, then reached into one of the bag and pulled out a large bag of potato chips before opening it and offering some to Milo who gratefully took a handful.
"After I was made homeless." Marcus said taking a mouthful of potato chips, "I tried to make what money I had left last so I could eat, and I feared what would happen when my money ran out and I couldn't buy any more food."
Milo sighed sadly for his friend.
"Well you have no need to worry my friends." Diablo said with a smirk "From now on, we live as we please, we follow no rules, and the humans no nothing about us, we can be who we want to be, and do what we please."
The Panther and Doberman looked at each other then at Diablo again.
"You've been given some time to think haven't you?" the Raven asked "After you gave those Red-Necks the treatment they deserved."
"I'm not going to lie." Marcus said "It was satisfying."
Milo nodded in agreement and Diablo smirked more.
"And we can do it again you know." he said, "To those who have wronged us! Wronged others! We can make people fear to do wrong!"
Marcus and Milo looked at each other again both in confusion and in worry.
"What are you saying?" Milo asked.
"Like you did to those Red-necks." Diablo said "You will be able to give the same treatment to others like them! Racists! Leering perverts! Hate Preachers! All those who have given you crap! The Humans don't do anything about these problems do they? And Police haven't power any-more! The world is full of doormats!"
The Raven smirked.
"But I...or rather, we can make a difference! We can make those bastards fear us! I have already gotten started! With that Hate Preacher from the Straight Truth's Baptist Church!"
Marcus's eyes widened, and Milo's jaw dropped.
"We heard about that!" he said "It was you?"
Diablo nodded.
"I tortured that bastard in his own church! And I wrote those messages on the wall! And in his own blood!" The Raven smirked and his blue eyes twinkled, as if reliving the memory was a joy to him, which it was.
"I then did the same to his whore of a wife and his brother! I drove them insane! Making them believe the Devil had come! That there was no God! No-one to protect them! And I promised that I would go after the others! All the other members of the church and those just like them."
Marcus and Milo were silent as they took in all the information, part of them were shocked and almost scared by this Raven's dark twisted ways.
Yes, they had seen what he had done to Red-Necks after they beat them up. They had punched and kicked and slashed with their new claws, yet Diablo had done the other torturous methods such as tying the barbed wire around them and carving the Satanic Symbols on their bodies.
"This is how I choose to live," Diablo said flexing his talons "At first I thought I could do it alone, but then I thought, why should I have all the fun, when I could find others?"
He then turned to Marcus and Milo.
"You have been wronged in your life, you have worked hard and gotten no reward, especially you Veteran." he looked across to Marcus "You fought for your country, and what happened hmmm?"
Marcus looked thoughtful and he opened his mouth to speak, yet no words came out.
"And you Milo?" Diablo asked "You've lost those close to you in tragic ways, and more people like you have suffered too, and no justice was served?"
Milo frowned as he thought hard, letting Diablo's words sink in more.
Seeing how silent the Panther and Doberman were, Diablo spoke more wondering what more he could do to get them to follow him willingly.
"Listen, I only wanted to offer you a chance at a new life, especially after you were attacked and almost murdered, you do not have to follow me, and I can gladly tell you where to find Mutopia, but I will warn you, they will restrict you, and you will have to follow rules, just like you would as a human, so you have a choice, both of you, you can come with me, and we will live as we please, and punish those who wronged us, and others like us, or you can go and hide under the city, and be unappreciated for what you do for these ungrateful humans."
Milo and Marcus looked at each other, both debating what they heard.
They knew that they couldn't go back to where they used to, as they were no longer human, and they had felt some satisfaction from attacking the Red-Necks who almost killed them, so much so, they almost felt they wanted to feel that same thrill again, and if Diablo would give them that opportunity, then maybe they could make a difference.
Looking at the Raven, they stood up.
"We accept your offer Diablo." they said "We will follow you,"
Diablo's smirk widened and he felt his heart leap in joy and triumph that he had managed to convince the ex-solider and Bouncer into joining him.
"That makes me glad to hear." the Raven smirked "Now you are officially part of my group, I christen you, my followers, my friends, my brothers, my disciples," he held out his taloned hands "And I promise you, I will protect you with my wings, and take care of you as your leader."
Milo and Marcus took a taloned hand each.
"And I swear on my life to do likewise!" Marcus said saluting to Diablo with his other hand "Sir!"
"Thank you Diablo." Milo said, "I too will follow you."
Diablo smirked and bowed his head.
"And now, like I myself had done so, You may consider changing your names, since you have now been reborn, I had another name, yet after some consideration, I choose the name Diablo and I go by Diablo the Raven."
Both the Panther and Doberman nodded.
"Very well friend." Marcus said "Then from this day forward, I go by the name of Rex, Rex the Doberman."
"And I am Samson the Panther." Milo said.
Diablo nodded.
"Well Samson, and Rex." he said "Right wow we are a trio, but we can add more to our group, should they wish to follow us by giving them the water."
So saying he held up the water bottle of the Well's Water.
"We can become an army." Diablo smirked "And we can show the world how powerful we are! How strong we are! And how we can be feared by those who have sinned! And we start tonight!"
"We are willing to follow you!" Rex saluted.
Samson nodded and licked his lips.
Diablo smirked and opened his wings.
"We scour the city!" he said "But we must be careful, we must not let the humans see us, apart from our chosen victims of course, but we must also be aware of those in Mutopia, they will hunt us, and stop us in our quest, so for now, we stick together, and keep to the shadows! Which with our colours of your fur and my feathers, will work to our advantage."
Rex and Samson nodded in agreement, then Diablo started to fly up the roof and Samson and Milo started to follow him by climbing up to the roof so they could run topside in Chicago.
Diablo flew higher into the air and he saw Samson and Rex leap up onto the next roof below him.
The Raven looked over the city at the many lights along with the stars above.
"I have started my own band of soldiers now Tyroth." Diablo thought "Those willing to follow me, and I will find more, and you will soon see how we can do more! How we can choose our own destiny! You will not stop me!"
Looking down he cocked his head to Samson and Rex to follow him North then took off into the air, the wind whistling through his feathers.
So after some thought, Milo and Marcus have agreed to follow Diablo and his ways of life, and have adopted new names.
Rex the Doberman, and Samson the Panther.
So far Diablo's group is a trio, but more than likely the Raven will find more followers, yet who else will he find in his quest and will they be able to keep evading Tyroth and the Chicago Knights.
Well all will be revealed in due course!