*Warning: There's some gory imagery in the middle of the chapter, so be warned. If you're not up for it, don't.

Ch. 6: Casa Idaho

Weaving through traffic and security checkpoints, they both arrive at the safehouse. The houses and apartment buildings they passed through were quite amazing and spellbinding: there were eclectic architectures ranging from colonial to postmodern to the Bauhaus style. There were parts in this area where single-family houses would stand between two tall towers or a gigantic concrete park would stand on top of a tiny café. Welcome to Colonia Nápoles. Located in the Benito Juarez Borough, this neighborhood is truly the last bastion of the middle class, and unfortunately, it is slowly being replaced by it richer neighbors up north, Polanco. The borders on the northern and western side of Nápoles is marked by a concrete viaduct called Río Becerra, the eastern border is marked Avenida Insurgentes Sur, and the south is bordered by Calle San Antonio (San Antonio Street). The street names here are fascinating: most street names come from those who settled there by former Americans thus they named the streets after American states, cities, and national parks. Examples include Calle Yosemite, Calle Chicago, and Calle Idaho, the street where the safehouse is located.

The vans pull up to Calle Idaho, 14 (14 Idaho Street). The safehouse had two floors and adjacent towards it is another apartment building. The house has white stucco on its walls, red window covers, and black window bars. There is a small garage, which is marked in pitch black and can one car. The van with the tied up gangster heads into the garage while the van is parked outside, next to the house. Makimura parks the car and brings her family and Akira's family inside the house while Akira, Kuroda and I drag the gangster into an underground room, ready for interrogation. The gangster is covered with a black bag on her head and is dragged downstairs by Kuroda and Arturo to a dimly lit room. The room smelled musty, the floor was covered with bloodstains and crushed cockroaches, and there was a single light bulb dangling overhead. It also has a box full of items used for torture. Arturo brings a chair into the room and Kuroda sits the gangster down onto the chair with the gangster's hands and feet tied up. Arturo whistles Akira to come down here and he follows downstairs. Akira, Kuroda, and Arturo were downstairs watching the gangster to begin the process of interrogation. Akira's mom and dad came downstairs and waited outside for them. Arturo radioed Makimura to bring them up, so they don't influence any outcomes for this gangster lowlife. "Roger that, Arturo," she says and comes downstairs to bring Akira's parents upstairs. She comes downstairs with them.

(Arturo POV) I begin the talking to her after Makimura gives him the all-clear sign. "Your cartel bombed a bus, which your cartel would never do. What's going on?"

She didn't speak so I took off the black bag off her. She squinted and blinked at the bright light above her. I noticed there were photos that were sticking out of her left pocket. I grabbed them out and surprised to see my face in those photos. All of them were hidden in plain sight. I asked her, "¿Está me espiando?" (Are you spying me?) I grabbed a crowbar and whacked her in the kneecap. Her knee was bleeding and bruising and she cried out in pain. I whacked her again for ten times until I heard her bones break. There was a sudden rage in my body, desiring to torture and kill. It felt euphoric and the more I inflicted pain, the more I was pleased. I tried to keep myself from being too happy; otherwise, I too would become the villain. I dropped the crowbar and grabbed a bowie knife from the box next to me. Akira was surprised and grabbed my hand, "What are you doing?"

"Interrogation. What did you expect?" I tried to shrug his hand off me but to no avail.

He gets furious with my "peculiar" way of getting information, "She hasn't said anything yet?"

"I know, but this is the only way," I said to Akira.

The Templar spoke quietly, "Hablaré." (I'll talk!)

I replied back, "¿Qué? Repitelo. " (What? Say that again.)

"¡Hablaré!" (I'll talk!)

"Bueno," I grabbed a cigarette from my pocket and lit it up, "OK, hablemos." (Let's talk.)

Akira asked me before the interrogation begins, "Arturo," he said quietly, "we want to help you but we don't know Spanish so is there a translator somewhere where we can help you?"

"Hermano, I don't know." Suddenly, Kuroda came in and brought in the gangster's backpack, "Hey Arturo! You might wanna check this out," she pulls out a Texas driver's license and a US passport. I looked at them and discovered that gangster was born in Texas. Furious, I went up to the Templar gangster, "Hey, ¿habla inglés?"

"No."

I grabbed my knife and put it up to her neck, "Don't lie to me, puta! You're born in Texas and moved to Mexico when-" I scrolled through her passport and found a long-term Mexican visa stamp, "Since last year! What's going on?"

"Nada." (Nothing.)

I sighed heavily and plunged my knife into her right thigh; I wiggled the knife to make some space for my knife and pulled it out. She screams out in pain again and bites her mouth, which started to bleed out. Her thigh gushing out blood and yelled at me in pain, "Fuck you, you piece of shit!" She then spits on my face with her blood and I wiped her bloody spit off me. I asked Kuroda, "Kuroda, hold her tongue."

She panics and tries to wiggle out of the chair but to no avail. Kuroda grabs the gangster's tongue, "Hold still, you bitch!" Makimura and Akira watch the interrogation and could not stop it from happening. Akira whispers to her, "We should stop-"

"No," Makimura said, "let Arturo do his thing. We must follow his traditions here. Maybe we could learn something for the future." Akira was shocked but not surprised; ever since he and Ghost Rider resurrected Makimura and everyone, things were not the same. Makimura, once sweet and caring, is now bitter and cruel. What happened to her?

Kuroda ask me while I grab a driller from the box, "How do you 'shut up, bitch' in Spanish?"

"Cállate, puta."

"Thanks," she said to me and switched back at the gangster, "¡Cállate, puta!" Kuroda then hits her on the head with her fist.

She screams in pain and before I laid my knife onto her soft tongue she screamed out, "I'll talk! I'll talk! Stop! Stop! Stop, please! Please!" She started to cry and in return, Akira tried to hold back his tears as well.

I told Akira, "Cry upstairs. Go!" Akira leaves the room. I went back to the gangster, "Now you see, that wasn't bad," I looked to Kuroda, "Let go of tongue." She lets it go and I went back to the gangster, "OK, what's going on? If not, I'll ask her," pointing to Kuroda, "to chop off your tongue and limbs off. This time, her way." Kuroda grew arachnid-like legs out of her back and two pairs of spider eyes from her head above her normal eyes. The gangster was petrified and started to urinate herself. She was in total fear and tried to escape and said to me,
"What the- who the hell are you guys?"

I replied, "I'm normal," and pointed to Kuroda and Makimura, "they're not and they're working for me." I talked to Kuroda and Makimura, "No offense."

Both nodded at me. We begin to interrogate her and I started the conversation, "What's your name?"

"Yolanda Pratt Guzman."

"OK, Yolanda. Why do you have pictures of me?"

She swallowed her spit, "You have been a flea for the cartel's business."

"I'm honored. So?"

"They sent me to spy on you and to-"

"To kill me?"

"Yes."

"Why blow up the bus?"

"It was a distraction so I can find you. But after seeing my friends died gruesomely, I panicked and head back to the car before you found me. I did not know what happened but something was off."

She continued, "That is until I found out," she peered at Kuroda's transformed body before hiding her head in front of me, "Please kill me."

"No, your punishment is you being sent back to your boss."

"My family will be killed! I told you everything."

"You don't have relatives, but you have someone."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see," I pulled out her phone from her backpack and looked at her wallpaper, "Aren't you cute? You have a baby boy."

"Don't touch my son! He isn't part of this."

"Really? It's too bad that I could call your boss and tell them "my truth" to the police and get them to kill your son."

Makimura jumps in, "Arturo, what are you doing?"

I put my finger in front of her, "I know what I'm doing," I looked back at Yolanda, "Watch this." I called her boss and lied to her boss that she was stealing money to escape your gang. Oh, I could hear the boss's furious tone and ordered his men to kill Yolanda's baby son. I put the phone up to make Yolanda listen to her boss's men barging her home. I hear the baby crying in fear and within seconds, the gangster called me what to do. I said back, "a la milanesa."

"What's a milanesa," Kuroda asked.

"A Mexican tonkatsu. Quite a delicious dish."

Kuroda, shocked by my answer, went outside to throw up. Makimura then grabs me "Stop it now. This ends now. Remember my terms!"

"Hey. I know." I winked at her and she quickly knew something was up. Makimura went to Kuroda and told her my plan.

There was chopping noises and the baby continued to cry. It went on for minutes and it was beautiful, from where I see Yolanda was in tears and in a broken state. The baby was being chopped up and crushed to death, before being rolled up flat into a pancake. When the crying stops, one could hear the frying pan being oiled up. The baby was frying in the pan, before being breaded up. Her phone received a text message. "Oh. Delicious." I showed Yolanda the picture and tears came out more. IT was a messy dish: tiny bones were sticking out, hair protruding everywhere, and et cetera. She stopped crying and her eyes whitened. She couldn't take it anymore and tried to grab the knife but to no avail. I sat down in the chair facing her, "Tell me, where does your boss live?"

She said with her fried voice, "Lomas. Alpes, 340." She looked at me, "Kill me. You won, you monster."

"Gracias," I stood back up and before I left I told her the truth, "By the way, your kid isn't dead. I faked the call, " I laughed at her "It was my friend from up north. His acting was amazing. You can't believe it!" I called on her phone, "Right guys?"

"Arturo, you're one crazy son of a bitch!"

I hung up and looked at Yolanda, "See? This was nothing. You gave me everything. As what stupid Youtubers these days say, 'it's just a prank, bro." I laughed hysterically and gave back her phone. "Now, here's something you need to do: pretend you're dead. Kuroda," she came in, "Take her outside and tell her to never bother me again," Kuroda nodded and dragged Yolanda outside.

I looked back at Makimura and she punched me in the nose. "What the hell?"

"Never do that again or I'll not hesitate to kill you. We're done for today, you sick fuck."

"Whatever." I laughed, "Hey. Welcome to Casa Idaho! At least I have one superpower." She turned her head sideways, gave me the finger and went upstairs. "Whatever." I looked back at the empty room and turned off the light bulb. "Wanna order a milanesa?"

Makimura yelled back at me, "No, order it for yourself!"

I closed the door and went upstairs, ordering a milanesa for dinner.