Deal Gone Wrong

Wailing thunder, like the howl of a dark God, rumbled across the night sky. Rain beat steadily off the ground, adding further to the streams already rushing through the streets. The towering buildings that surrounded Kael could not protect him from the wild weather, and he pulled his dirty and torn jacket close about him in a vain attempt to halt the chill weather. He stood in a shadowed lane, waiting for the buyer. He should have been there by now. The Deep in Kaels' pocket weighted heavier every passing minute.

Crane, his backup, sat at the edge of the lane and hid under several blankets - posing as a hab-less vagrant. He pulled the chain that held his other companion, Russ, his wolf-like dog. Crane had their only gun, but Kael had the early warning system with the nasty bite.

Running water cascaded into the lane right next to him, rushing down from the rooftops of the mile-high buildings on each side. The water beat a haphazard rhythm as it hit the ground, and it splattered Kael occasionally. He was so drenched that he barely noticed. He looked down at Russ and whispered, 'not long now.' The dog cocked his ears and looked up in reply, then sniffed the air.

Through the storm and curtain of rain, Kael heard a faint sound coming from the other end of the lane. Russ turned towards it, straining on his chain and growling with menace. Hopefully it was Droon, his buyer. Or, a whispering voice in his mind said, could it be something else? A rival gang, an enforcer, or even the fabled Inquisition, here to take the young mans' soul for his heresies? He shook the weak thoughts from his mind – he was older now, meaner and wiser. He pushed the old, rookie feelings back into his memories, where they belonged. What would the gang-boss, Kruger, think?

Moments later, as thunder once more roared from the heavens, a figure in a soaked overcoat emerged from the gloom. The figure was not as tall as Kael, and much thinner – where Kael was broad and lean, they were skeletal. The thin light finally showed their emancipated features, gaunt, worn and deathly white. The opposite of the young male before them. Kael had decided long ago that he would not turn out like the Deepers, he liked being fit, healthy and in control.

Kael moved slowly out of the shadows and out of the cover of the building, the rain hitting him with more ferocity as he did so. The rain drops felt like small darts of ice as they hit his face. The man halted as soon as he saw Kael, and fumbled with something under his long coat.

'Droon, is that you?' asked Kael,

'You have the Deep, boy?' answered the figure in a rough voice.

Kael hesitated. It was Droon, he had recognised his face and his voice, but he was acting differently from usual.

'The Deep, boy!' the man said. 'Do you have it?'

'Droon, what's going on?'

'Give me the Deep, then you have to come with me,' he said. 'I…I have someone you have to meet.' He edged closer to Kael and his dog.

Kael did not like the way Droon had hesitated. He tightened his grip on the chain holding Russ, who seemed to understand something was wrong also, and barked, pulling his master forward slightly.

What would the other gangers do? What would Kruger do? he thought. He made his decision quickly, like he had been taught, and turned to call Crane.

Crane was already on his feet, talking to what looked like a monk – they wore a habit with the hood up. He suddenly glanced at Kael just as the monk he was talking to attacked him.

Kael felt the chain holding Russ pull violently, and slip from his grasp. He turned as his dog snarled and leapt towards Droon, who had moved closer to Kael while he was distracted, a gun in his hands. Both man and beast fell roughly to the sodden ground. In the faint light, Kael could see his faithful dog and Droon roll and slosh through the deep puddles that had formed in the lane. Russ growled with a wild menace his jaws snapping at Droon's face, while the man swore colourfully and fired off a round from his gun.

Kael burst into action mere seconds behind his protector, his instinct for survival overriding the fear and confusion that rippled through him moments earlier. It was always the same. There was always that trepidation before the fight. It helped hone the natural instincts, making them knife-sharp for the possible violence that generally promised to follow.

The gun sounded once more and another thought burned through Kael's mind, what if Russ is hit? Anger burned within suddenly, and the young ganger continued his charge towards the tumbling figures.

As they rolled, Droon found some purchase and threw off the dog. Kael was on him in an instant, throwing punch after punch into his face. A malevolent voice whispered silkily in the young gangers mind: Russ has been hit and is going to die. Another shot was fired, but Kael did not care and continued his onslaught, beating his assailant into the muddy ground. Kael barely felt Droon hitting him back as they grappled; his only thoughts were on surviving the fight. They tumbled across the lane, the fighting desperate.

Moments later, Droon stopped fighting back and Kael realised his enemy lay motionless in the dark pools of water. He stopped hitting him, and looked down at the body as he caught his breath.

Then there was another flash of lightning in the sky, followed by the crack of thunder. But the thunder sounded different, closer and sharper. Like the sound of gunfire echoing in a lane. He turned from Droon and stood, looking for Crane. His fellow ganger lurched weakly towards him from the far end of the path, clutching his stomach. The monk-like figure seemed to be holding a handgun of sorts.

'Kael,' cried Crane. 'Run!'

Gunfire ripped through the lane once more and Crane smacked off the wall, then collapsed lifelessly to the ground. Russ appeared next to Kael, barking and looking relatively unscathed.

Kael suddenly thought of his aunt, crying over his dead body. He should run, escape this trap, and head back to Kruger's hab, and tell him what had happened. The monk had began walking towards him, arm outstretched and weapon pointing at him. Kael suddenly saw Droon's gun lying next to him. He ducked down and snatched it up, then opened fire on the person who had all-but-surely killed his friend.

The shots were wild, but forced back the monk, who strangely did not shoot back. Instead, they ran back towards the street, looking for cover.

Two more hooded figures appeared next to him, both holding weapons. Kael's firearm clicked on empty. He threw it down the lane in frustration, and turned away from his assailants, and ran for his life, his dog following close behind.

The rain continued to fall, soaking the prone body of Droon in the lane, as thunder rumbled in the near distance.

The three monks ran past Droon, intent on chasing down Kael. Another, however, materialized out of the shadows and ghosted swiftly over to the body, a knife in one hand, the other reaching for his neck. A pulse was found. He smoothly cut Droons' throat with ease, the blood from the wound mixing freely with the rainwater.

He stood and quickly followed his associates.

A figure dressed in long, elegant overcoat, nimbly landed in the flooding lane with barely a whisper of a sound. He held a smooth lined, long-rifle in one hand.

Two others, similarly dressed and armed, followed it. One ran over to Crane's slumped body, while the first bent over Droon and efficiently checked over his dead body. It spoke something in a musical and pure language to the others and vanished into the shadows as fast as it has arrived, following the path of the monks. The remaining cloaked figures followed it, and all three continued the hunt.