The following morning, in an East L.A. neighborhood...
The streets were lively in the mornings. Parents rushing off to work, kids running to the bus stop, sometimes a lowrider would cruise by on a morning stroll and blast music to wake everyone up. These streets may not be the prettiest looking or the safest, but they have a stronger sense of community than anywhere else in the city. And every house had their own style, their own story to tell.
On one street in particular, there lay a quaint house no bigger than a basketball court. It was colored like sand, with a brown roof. The front door and the windows were gated. It had no garage, just a driveway on the side of the house leading into the backyard, which was blocked by a white gate. The front yard was an entire garden, with a wide assortment of flowers and other plants growing heartily. The neighbors next-door were arguing loudly, as usual for this place.
Inside the house, Damian Duran lay on his bed, sleeping. His room decorated with music and sports memorabilia. Hanging over his bed was a blanket, with the flag of Ecuador neatly knitted into it. The arguing neighbors next-door grew louder.
"I didn't do shit last night, bitch! How many times do I gotta' fuckin' say it!?"
"You were gone for five whole hours and didn't respond to ONE of my calls, or texts! Did you forget you have a fucking baby girl to take care of?!"
"Oh, so I can't enjoy a night out with friends no more? Even though I work like a fuckin' dog to provide for y'alls useless asses? And you get to sit in there all pretty n' shit doing fuck all?"
"You fucking deadbeat, don't you dare call your daughter useless!"
Still in bed, Damian slowly opened his eyes and awakened. He had a pretty annoyed look on his face.
"Get a fuckin' job already hoe! I'm sick of dealing with your same shit every goddamn day!"
"Yeah, run away! Run away and don't even think about showing up here again, you fucking ASSHOLE!"
The sound of a car door closing can be heard, then it sped away. The door to the house was then slammed shut.
Damian rubbed his face with both his hands and sat up.
"There it is, the Los Angeles Rooster. Never fails to wake you up, eh? Jesus." he said, still tired.
He got up from his bed and looked at his phone. His mom leaving him a text.
"Something came up at work... needed me to show up today. Won't be home for a while, so take care of yourself. And work on getting a job, followed by three exclamation points." Damian read the text, under his breath.
"Yeah, love you too." Damian said to himself, and put his phone in his pocket.
He got up from his bed and walked over to his closet, grabbing a pair of white socks and blue slides. He put them on and walked out to the living room. The T.V. was still left on from when his mother left. He sat down on the couch and brought out his phone again.
"I think I'll grab something from Micah's place, it's been a while. 'Lemme give him a call." he said, as he opened up his contacts app and called him.
"Yo, what's good foo. Doing alright myself, how about you? How's Sandra, she up? Yeah, was just thinkin' about stopping by for a bite. Cool, yeah, we'll catch up. Aight, see you later."
Damian hung up the phone and got up from the couch, walking towards the door where his car keys were hung up.
"No point in getting dressed up, not gonna be out for long anyway." he said, he was still wearing his white tank top and grey basketball shorts that he wears to bed.
As he walked out the door, the news on the T.V. aired a special breaking news report.
"Breaking news, just now the DOR has confirmed that there was an attack last night on their research facility in the Angeles Forest. Multiple deaths have been confirmed, they say the perp has yet to be identified. Four high ranked local DCP Agents have already been dispatched to the scene and are now on the lookout. We'll now go to our reporter who is on the scene."
Damian walked down the front steps and through the garden towards his car out front, when one of his neighbors called out to him.
"Morning, Damian!"
Damian looked to his right, his neighbor was watering the grass in his front yard.
"Morning there, Mr. Sanders. How's life treating ya?" Damian responded.
"Eh, could be better I can't lie. Got laid off a few days ago, you see. Budget cuts, company couldn't afford as many workers."
"Aw man, I feel you on that one. Got laid off a few weeks ago, matter of fact. Now I'm just kinda' floatin' around. Don't worry though, you got experience. You'll find something else in no time."
"I very much appreciate the kind words, son! And I pray you find something too. Say, you've got a way with words, don't you? Why don't you go cheer up the lady over there? She's been arguing with her boy all morning!"
"Hah, I hear you. I heard them too, unfortunately. But I don't think she's in a talkative mood right now. Besides, you know me. I'm a gentleman, not a homewrecker."
"Oh trust me son, that home has long been wrecked already. What it needs now is a repairman to come fix it up with his long and bulky hammer! Hahaha!"
"Yoo, uncle, you freaky as hell bruh! Save that talk for the bedroom, there's kids around." Damian said, as he laughed.
"And there'll be more of them soon enough if you walk through that door!"
"Goddamn man, it's way too early to be talkin' like that. Anyway I gotta' go, treat yourself well uncle, you deserve it!"
"Of course son, and please do consider what I said. I don't wanna have to hear any of their shit again!"
The two laughed it up, and Damian walked over to his car. He got in and put the keys in the ignition. He brought out his phone and connected it to the car speaker, turning on his music.
"Gotta' love these L.A. mornings baby." he said to himself, and drove off.
After a short drive, Damian pulled up to a plaza with a variety of stores. Detached from the main buildings, there was one small building with a diner inside. It didn't have a fancy light up sign like the rest of the stores, instead there was just a giant white banner hanging over the front of the diner that said "M's & S's Diner - Serving Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner". Damian parked in an open spot in front of the building, got out of the car and walked in.
When he walked in, the door caused the bell above to jingle.
"Be there in a sec!" a man's voice could be heard.
After a few seconds an old man showed up at the counter wearing a Hawaiian shirt, cargo shorts, and sandals. He had a full head of flowing grey hair, and a bushy grey beard. He also had a pair of sunglasses hanging from his white tee and a snazzy silver watch on his right wrist.
"Oh, Damian! My man! Welcome back." he said, enthusiastically.
"What's good Mike? Good to see you, I'm just here for a bite." Damian replied, as he dapped him up.
"I know, I know. But hey man, it's been a while. By all means stay as long as you need, you're always a welcome customer here. Remember that." said Micah.
"Yeah, appreciate the sentiment foo. Anyway, 'lemme get Sandra's special breakfast burrito. No drink, I'm not thirsty right now." Damian asked, as he set down a $5 bill and sat down at a nearby table.
"No problem bro, I'll get Sandra started on it. Hey! Sandra! Damian's back, he ordered your special burrito!"
"What? Really? Okay, hang on!" a woman's voice could be heard in the back. She sounded excited.
"Ah, damn. Was kinda' hoping he wasn't gonna do that." Damian thought to himself.
Sandra then appeared from the kitchen. She had her long, black hair in a braid resting on her shoulder. She wore a purple shirt, purple tracksuit pants, and black running shoes. She still had on her plastic gloves for cooking.
Sandra noticed Damian sitting at the table, he awkwardly waved hello to her. She excitedly ran over to him and gave him a big hug.
"Ahh! Mi piñito! Oh my god, it's been too long! So good to see you!"
Damian wrapped one arm around her in response, "Hah hah... I missed you too Sandra... How've you been?" he said.
"Oh, It's been much better since the last time you visited. Seriously, you remember that Mexican restaurant that used to be across the lot? A few months ago, health inspectors discovered a fungi outbreak in their kitchen. It was so toxic that they were forced to shut the place down. Now, we're the only restaurant on the block, and we've already reaped the benefits of it! I never like wishing for your own people to fail, but seriously, those people were assholes. Anyways, enough about me. How are you and your mother holding up? Doing good?"
"Mom's been doing alright for herself, like always. Can't exactly say the same about me though. I got laid off from my job 'few weeks ago. It was nice being able to slouch around and do whatever I want for a while but, now the money's starting to dry up and mom's starting to get on my ass. Job market right now isn't helping me either."
"Awhh, pobrecito. Well, it's no use worrying, right? It'll only make things tougher on you. Have confidence in yourself, always. Businesses like that. Besides, look at you! You're tall, you got some muscle, and... one of the most handsome boys I've ever met! Pretty privilege is a thing you know, it'll make it easier for you." she joked.
"Hey honey, I know you missed him, but the man came here to eat, not speak." Micah interrupted.
"Oh! Right! Sorry about that sweetie, I just got too excited! You wanted the breakfast burrito, right? I'll get started on that. Go ahead and make yourself comfortable."
Sandra walked back into the kitchen, whistling happily.
Damian let out a sigh of relief, "Saved my ass again there foo. 'Preciate it." he told Micah.
"No problem bro, seen this happen every time you're near her. I try to not disturb her considering she's basically your second mother, but she gets too overbearing for even me. I love her, but I can't imagine living for 20 years with her all over you like that. Just like you did."
"You get used to it. It makes me think though, it's obvious that she's always wanted a kid. I get y'all are old now and don't wanna run that risk, but what about when I was still a kid and you two were still the youngsters you were? Didn't you guys give it any thought?" Damian asked.
"I mean, 'course we did. But considering we weren't together for that long back then, and the fact that this definitely ain't my first rodeo with the marriage thing, nothing ever came of it. Besides, once she met you, she completely forgot about it and wanted to spend time helping raise you instead. Made your mother jealous a whole bunch 'a times, if I remember. What about you bro? Ever think about a family of your own?"
"Having my own kid? In this economy? With my broke ass? Psssht, I've got a better chance awakening my Vitality. Besides, if you lived next-door to my neighbors for even just one day, you'd never wanna go in without protection ever again. Hell, it might even make you abstinent."
"Hah hah, figured you'd say that. Good on you for being a realist. Some of the kids I grew up with really could've used a head like yours going into their adult life."
"Hah, but hey, at least shit was cheaper then, right?"
The two chatted it up while Sandra was making Damian's burrito. Catching up with each other on what's with them now and just discussing what's going on in the world. After a bit, Sandra came out and gave Damian his burrito, with a ketchup dip shaped in a heart on the plate. He scarfed it down in a few minutes, cleaning the whole plate. Damian decided not to leave right away, and instead continued to talk with Micah for a bit longer.
"So anyway, I just gotta' ask. I heard through the grapevine that the Herrera Boys are crawling around town now. Apparently they're worried that there's Reapahs' present, scouting turf. You see any of those dipshits recently? Both of them, I mean." asked Damian.
"Unfortunately, yea. Only the Herrera's though, hard to miss 'em with their whole gold and white theme going on. Most of them patrol in groups of two or three, sometimes by car but most of the time on foot. Thankfully they haven't shown their faces around here though." said Micah.
"Yeah man, I mean, you can expect Reapah to always be violent. It's what they were founded on. But the Herrera's? They used to be all for protectin' the people man. They're known as La Familia, for fuck sake. Now they act just like the government. I don't know what happened to them, it's sad to see and even sadder for the people here."
"That's what happens when you leave one man in power for too long. Padre Ramón may have done us well before, now it's clear he's getting too old for this lifestyle. And it's the people who end up suffering because of it."
"Exactly. It's about time somebody shakes shit up again, both here and everywhere else. Alright then Mike, it's been nice catchin' up. I gotta' get home and start lookin' for a job. Unless I want my mom to kick my ass." Damian walked over to Micah to dap him up.
"See ya' around bro. You'll always be welcome here, and be sure to-"
Micah was cut off when the bell jingled on the door. Somebody walked in.
"Yo! Who the boss? Bring 'em out." he called out.
A young man walked into the diner, looking no older than 19. He wore a white T-shirt and smooth tan shorts, with long white socks and white skate shoes. He had a gold chain, gold earring in his right ear, and golden rings on both his pinky fingers. His hair was gelled and slicked back, had a small goatee, and he had tattoo sleeves on both arms. No doubt about it, he was a Herrera Boy on patrol.
Both Micah and Damian looked back, both with troubled looks on their faces.
"Ah, shit. Here we go. Jinxed ourselves." Damian thought to himself.
"...Good morning there, boy. Can I help you with something?" asked Micah, reluctantly.
"Uh-huh. You can. Show me the boss, viejo."
"I am the boss. Now why don't you relax, eh? It's morning, no need to be so uptight hermano."
"Ohh, speak spanish blanco? Okay then, translate this, es hora de pagar, perra. We know it was you that got our favorite spot shut down. Don't lie. La Familia demand compensation."
"Hah, we didn't shut anybody down. They did it to themselves. All because they were scared of a little mushrooms. Want compensation? Ask the fuckin' kitchen mold."
"Think you're funny, eh? How 'bout I give my boys a call and we have 'em come light this bitch on fire, wouldn't that be even funnier?"
"What's funny is thinking you can shake down a war vet to pay for your fuckin' porno mags, dork." Damian finally spoke up.
"Who the fuck are you? I didn't say you could talk. Wait, hold up, you look a little too black for a Mexican, homie. Where you from?"
"I'm Ecuadorian, fuckface. And why're you talkin' like you got any power to demand shit from us? You just a common goon, foo. Ain't nobody in this town gonna give you shit." Damian fired back.
He walked up and stood over the ganger, hands in his pockets curled into fists.
"Hey, I don't think you answered my question, bitch. I asked you where you from, answer me."
The tension between the two rose exponentially as the ganger reached into his pocket with his right hand and grabbed onto something.
"Chinga su madre, cabróna." Damian said, cold and condescendingly.
Just as he said that, the ganger began to whip out what he had in his pocket. But he stopped when a sudden noise could be heard.
*SHCK-SHCK*
The two looked towards the source of the noise, where Micah stood with a shotgun pointed right at the ganger's head. The room was quiet for a few moments before Micah spoke up.
"I think, it'd be best for all of us if you leave this place right now. Am I right? I mean, I'd hate to snuff out such a young life, but you wouldn't be the first."
The ganger paused and looked right down the barrel for a few moments, Damian looked at Micah with a little surprise on his face.
"Heh heh, okay, looks like you ain't entirely a pussy. Whatever foo, I'll be on the way. But you, this ain't over, got that? Sleep with one eye open tonight, bitch." He said to Damian, and walked out the door.
Micah put his shotgun back under the counter and began speaking again.
"Shameful to see man. They're already initiating some of the youth. Kid was nervous, you could tell. God knows what'll happen to him when he gets back to his buddies and tells them he failed."
"You sure that was the right move? Pulling a gun on him, I mean. If he tells them you did that, won't you be on their radar?" Damian asked, concerned.
"Nah, don't sweat it. Like I said, this was likely an initiation. They won't care about us, just whether or not the guy succeeded or not. He came here because he thought we were easy pickings, not because the gang had an eye on us."
"I guess you're right. Should still keep your guard up though, these people don't seem like the type to take no for an answer."
"No issue doing that, I've been in this hood for over forty years now. Not once have I ever expected a day to be normal."
Sandra finally showed up from the kitchen and peered out the door. She was wearing pink headphones.
"Was somebody else here? Sorry, I was listening to my music this whole time. I thought I heard another voice from outside." she asked.
"Uhh, nope! It's just been me and Damian chatting it up. We just got a little passionate about certain topics, that's why it sounded like that." said Micah, instantly.
"Oh, really? Well alright then, tell me if Damian wants something else. I'll be in the kitchen cleaning." she responded.
She shut the door and went back into the kitchen. Micah breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's moments like these where I'm thankful for her cluelessness." he said.
"Yeah, tell me about it." said Damian.
A few more minutes later, Damian left the diner and got back into his car. He turned on his music again and drove off back to his house. It was already almost noon, he didn't realize that he spent two hours talking with Micah. When he got back to his house, he saw his neighbor sitting on her front stairs, smoking. It was the woman who had the fight with her boyfriend in the morning. Damian got out of his car and proceeded to his front door, deciding not to say anything out of respect.
"Did you hear me this morning, Damian?" she called out to him, sounding exhausted.
Damian came to a stop and slowly turned his head in her direction. She sat there gazing into nothing with her cigarette in hand. She was a Latina woman with black, frizzled hair and dark brown eyes. She was wearing a grey crop top and gym shorts with a blue jacket. She was barefoot, and despite her messy appearance, she was still quite pretty.
"Um, yeah, it woke me up as a matter of fact." he said, awkwardly.
She took a deep breath. "Sorry about that, then." she said, still sounding tired.
"It's no big deal, really. I was gonna wake up soon anyways. Alright then, I know it's been tough for you lately n' shit, so I won't bother you any longer. Just like Mr. Sanders would say, I pray you find joy in your future. If you need anything, don't be afraid to knock on my door. I'll hear you out. See you 'round." Damian said, as he walked into his house and shut the door.
She watched him walk inside, then took another hit of the cig.
"You're never a bother, Damian. If only he were anything like you." she said, under her breath.
Damian locked the door behind him and walked towards him room. When he got back there, he took off his slides and put them in the closet. He took off his socks and threw them in the hamper afterwards. He hopped back onto his bed and whipped out his phone, opening up his job finding app.
"Right then, lets see what's good." he said.
He filtered for openings within a 5 mile radius, the options weren't much and the pay wasn't very good. So he filtered within 8 miles. There was more options, but most of them were places that he was unqualified for or had already been declined from.
"Gah, fuck sake, is there still nothing?" he said, frustrated.
He checked every spot, each job still out of his element or already declined. Before he could give up though, he found an interesting opening in a town called Belleview.
"Harper Combat Sports Academy... new instructor needed, only a high school education required, pays $20 an hour? That sounds pretty good. Higher starting wage than my last job." Damian told himself.
The information on the page gave him a number for applicants to call. The number belonged to the boss, a woman named Anne Harper.
"I don't think I'll find anything better than this. Well, fuck it. Let's try it out." he said, then dialed the number.
After a few moments, somebody picked up the call. It was the boss.
"Hello, this is Anne Harper of the HCSA. How can I help." she said, sounding mature and professional.
"Um, hey there. My name is Damian Duran, I heard that you guys were looking to hire a new instructor? The page told me to call this number. I was wondering if I could get an interview set up if that's cool." Damian responded.
"Alright, hang on for one moment... okay... you said your name is Damian Duran, correct?"
"Yes."
"How old are you?"
"26."
"Do you have any experience teaching any combat sport or martial art?"
"Not really, but I do know how to box if that helps."
"Okay... do you have any general job experience?"
"Yea, I used to handle shipments for a vehicle parts business. The logistics, not the shipping itself."
"Alright, do you have any concurrent medical problems or a history of them?"
"Nope."
"Okay, last two questions, have you completed high school and have your diploma in possession?"
"Yes."
"Which high school did you attend?"
"Jim Fields High."
"Jim Fields, that's in East L.A., correct? I heard it was a nice school. One of our previous academy students went there."
"It's nice to look at, sure. Kids are a hit or miss, though. Unfortunately for me, I ran into a lot of misses."
"Like any other public school in this city, I imagine. Anyway, that is enough questions for now. We can do an official in person interview, however not until this Friday. We have an opening available at 9:00, 10:00, 12:00, or 2:00. Will you be available that day? If so, what time would you like to come in?"
"Yeah, I will. 12:00 works for me."
"Okay, thank you for the application. I will see you this Friday at 12:00. Goodbye."
"Alright, bye."
She hung up the phone, and the conversation concluded. Damian dropped his phone on the bed and stared at the ceiling, still lying down.
"An instructor, huh. At a combat sport academy. I should be fine, right? I've been in a few fights in my life, haven't lost any of them. Sure has been a while since the last fight, though."
Damian got up from his bed and headed out to the living room. The T.V. was still on from this morning, playing a random crime show focused on serial killers.
"Ah shit, left the T.V. on. Well, I was gonna use it anyway." he said to himself.
He went up to the T.V. and turned on the gaming console next to it, then he changed the input to display the console screen. He sat down on the couch and grabbed the controller and headset sitting on the coffee table. He kicked his feet up on the table and began gaming until his mom got back from work.
Damian spent the next seven hours gaming until his mother got back at 7 in the evening. She unlocked and walked through the door, coming into the living room and locking the door behind her. She looked similar to Damian with her dark brown and curly hair, as well with her light brown eyes. Though, she had lighter skin compared to Damian and of course was a lot shorter and less muscular. She looked at Damian gaming away on the couch, and became annoyed.
"Hey there, mom. You look exhausted, bad day at work?" Damian asked first.
"Damián. You better not have been doing this shit all day." she said.
"Relax, ma. I was out all morning hangin' with uncle Mike. And I scheduled an interview this Friday, like you wanted." he responded.
"Oh really? With who? Because I've been hearing the same words for weeks now and come home to find you slouching around the same as always."
"Fuck... I think it's happening again. I'll try to calm her down." Damian thought to himself, then spoke up.
"Relax, it's with some fighting academy in Belleview. They needed a new instructor, so I signed up. Pays $20 an hour, not that far away, sounds good right?"
"Damian, how the hell do you think you're gonna teach how to box? The only fights you've been in were street fights with no technique. Those guys want somebody who knows how to fight like a professional, not a gangster."
"Mom, it was the only thing I had. Everything else was out of my league or rejecting me, and I'm not driving more than 10 miles for work everyday with this city's traffic. Do you want me to get a job or not? Why are you complaining?"
The tension between the two rose, and an argument insued.
"I wanted you to go to school, Damian. I wanted you to be a doctor, a scientist, an engineer, whatever like that. I wanted you to be able to support yourself and be independent by now, but here you are still sleeping in the same damn house you've been in since you were a baby. Here you are picking up jobs nobody wants because it's all you have available. Answer me, please. Just why didn't-"
"Mom, are we being serious? I didn't have a choice. I never did. You know for a damn fact university would bankrupt us, and I was never smart or athletic enough to get in on a scholarship or some shit. Trade school could've been nice, but you didn't want me there so I didn't have to end up like dad. It was either this, or fall in with a fuckin' gang."
"But why? Why are those your only options? Community college is free, why didn't you go there? You could've-"
"Oh my fucking GOD mother. How many times do I have to say it? Not right now, and not in the past was I EVER smart. I did the bare minimum all throughout high school while every other kid did nothing, and you think I'm a fuckin' genius? None of those classes were even supposed to be hard, and I barely scraped by. College was never a real option for me, because I would fail everything."
"What kind of excuse is that?! I wasn't the smartest either, and I had even less than what you have now. Guess what? I still went to college and got my degree, no matter how hard those classes were. I showed up every damn day no matter what, and you're just gonna give up?! Before you could even start?!"
"ME AND YOU AREN'T THE SAME GODDAMNIT! I don't share your fuckin' mentality, I don't share your brain, I don't share your aspirations, I share FUCK ALL 'bout you. You and me are only tied together in blood, NOTHING else. Why can you never understand that shit?! My whole fuckin' life has been you making all these demands of me, tryna mold me in your image alone, without ANY of my asking. And the whole damn time, I never spoke out. I kept taking all that shit in, no matter how much I didn't want to do it, and this is my fuckin' thank you?! For years, I just wanted to impress you, to support you, to show I cared. You NEVER once showed me any praise for it, and It never seemed like you cared in the first place. Is this why dad left you? Is this how you treated him, too? Because if it was, I don't even blame him for leaving you behind the first chance he got."
Damian's mother went from a state of distress to anger the moment he said those last words. With tears beginning to well up in her eyes, she shouted again.
"Don't you... DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK THAT WAY TO YOUR MOTHER!"
She moved to Damian with her hand raised, and swung it to slap him across the face. But Damian blocked the hand with his arm, and grabbed both of her arms and held her in place.
"Augh... let GO of me!" she cried out.
"Why? Why can't you just accept me? Why can't you support me?! Why can't you just love me?! That's all I ever needed from you... all I ever wanted in my life... is to hear you say you're proud of me. Is it too much? Mom... do you really hate me?" Damian asked, his voice cracking slightly.
His mom stood there for a few moments, silent. Both her hands were resting on his shoulders, she visibly struggled to keep herself from bursting out crying.
"...All I wanted, was to know you'd be safe in the future. I wanted for you to leave this place behind, and live comfortably for the rest of your life. I couldn't-, I didn't-, I-, I-..."
She couldn't keep herself together any longer, and the tears began to flow out.
"I just... I care for you so much... You're all I have left. I'm-... I'm sorry, honey. I'm so sorry."
She rested her head on his chest, face towards the floor. Damian looked at her with almost indifference in his face. He let her cry on his chest for a few more moments before he found his words again.
"That's, not what I wanted to hear you say, mom." he said, exhaustedly.
He turned to leave the living room and began walking back towards his bedroom. His mom went to sit down on the couch, she covered her face with her hands and continued crying.
Once he got to his bedroom, Damian opened up his closet and brought out a pair of white socks and his slides again. He also grabbed a black hoodie, and he put them all on. He walked back out to the living room again, heading towards the door.
"Where... where are you going?" his mom asked.
"For a walk... I need to clear my head." he responded.
He grabbed his keys on the side of the door and walked outside. He locked the door behind him, and continued down the steps into the garden. He stopped for a moment to take in a deep breath, and when he exhaled he continued walking.
He walked down the street, the sun barely in view behind him. The sky above a rich orange color slowly fading into black. He had no destination, just continued walking in silence, thinking of nothing and just taking in the air. Once he came to the end of the street, he turned left onto another and kept walking. It was quiet out this evening, nobody on the sidewalk and nobody driving about. After a while of just wandering aimlessly, Damian finally had his first thought.
"Maybe I should head over to Mike's house, ask him what to do next. See if he'll allow me to crash there for a while too, I don't wanna be home for a while."
He came to a stop outside a convenience store, and sat down at a bench in the front. He stared into nothing for a bit.
"I'll give him a call. He should still be up right now." he thought to himself again.
As he brought out his phone, a grey old-fashioned lowrider cruised by. It pulled over just a little further down the road, and came to a stop there. The driver opened the door and stepped out, but not entirely. He spotted Damian, and called out to him.
"Oy, vato! Eyes over here, foo!"
Damian glanced up and saw the man. He was bald, with tattoos on his neck and head. he wore sunglasses and a solid white tee. He had a gold chain, and some more tattoos on his arms. It was another Herrera, but this guy looked a lot more like a real problem.
"Fuck... why now..." Damian said under his breath.
"Why you all alone, homie? You don't look too hot, you sick or somethin'? high? If you are, 'lemme get a hit." the Herrera said.
Damian stayed silent, still looking at him with an exhausted look on his face.
"Oy." the guy slapped the car door twice. "I asked you somethin'. Can I get an answer?"
"What's the problem, foo? You tryna keep me company or some shit?" Damian finally responded.
"You don't look too trustworthy homie, that's the problem. A dark skin man in these parts reppin' a black hoodie? Where you from?"
"What is it with you people and racially profiling? I'm from the next block over, c'mon bruh. There's no way you think I'm with Reapah. Look at me, I look like a homeless man dressed up like this."
"I never accused you of ridin' with Reapah, though."
"Oh be serious dude, what other gang does La Familia have beef with? Don't be playin' dumb with me."
"Hey, why don't you- huh? what foo?"
The man seemed to start talking to someone in the car, Damian wasn't close enough to hear what the conversation was about.
"Should I get out of here? No... I'll just make myself a target, fuck it... I'll have to see this through" he thought to himself.
Soon enough, another man stepped out from the car. This guy had a buzzcut and also wore sunglasses. His fit was similar to the other guy, but he didn't have any tattoos. The both of them glanced back at Damian, their right arms hiding behind the doors.
"...So homie, my buddy here tells me one of our boys might've ran into somebody like you this morning. Now that I'm getting a good look atcha', you fit the the description he was told. Tell me, were you at a restaurant of some kind earlier today?" the baldy asked.
Damian paused for a few moments before giving his answer.
"...And what if I was? Want me to tell you your boy damn near shit himself when we met?"
"Did he? Hah, figured that would happen. Whatever really, he's been tossed now. Don't have any need for pussies in La Familia."
"Tossed him? Shit, did they actually...?" Damian thought to himself for a brief moment, before the baldy spoke again.
"Anyway, this ain't about him. This is about you. You see, we have every reason to believe you're in it with Reapah. And since your on our turf, we have every right to treat you like we would treat any other of their kind. Now, I got a girl I needa' get back to, so we'll make this easy. Don't move, will ya?"
The two of them revealed their right hands to be holding handguns, aiming them towards Damian. He immediately hopped off the bench, and began to book it in the other direction.
They opened fire multiple times at Damian, who quickly hung a left around the store, leaving their line of sight.
"Fuck! How'd he do that?! Get his ass, now!" the baldy said to his friend, and they took off in pursuit on foot.
Damian was in full sprint down the street, however his slides made it harder for him to run. His body pumped with adrenaline, he didn't know whether he'd been hit or not.
"Fuck, where do I go? I can't go home, can't go to Micah's either. Shit, this is bad, if I run into another one of them they'll know what's happening and light my ass up. I need to find a place to hide, now." he thought, frantically.
He ran around for a while until he found an alleyway in between two small housing complexes. He ran into it and came to a stop in the center of the alley, coming to rest on a wall.
"Shit... okay... I think I lost 'em. I'll rest up here and... well I don't even know at thispoint..." he said to himself, out of breath.
He began to check his body for any wounds, and found out he was bleeding from two spots in his chest and his leg. He got hit. The pain hadn't kicked in until he realized.
"Argh, fuck! I got fuckin' hit... shit, easy Damian... I just need to stop the bleeding." he said, in pain.
He took off his hoodie and wrapped it around his chest, tightening it as hard as he could around the wounds. He then took off a sock and wrapped it around the wound on his leg.
"There... argh-! fuck it still hurts. But, I slowed the bleeding... alright... I just need to get out of here."
He got up from the wall and began moving out of the alley. He couldn't move very quickly due to his injuries, and was exhausted after his adrenaline had died down. He began to think of his next move.
"I should really call for an ambulance, but I'm still being followed. Cops aren't gonna help me either, they don't like this gang bullshit. A Chaos Agent is a fucking no-go always, no matter the situation. Fuck it, I'm gonna have to crash at Micah's. I'll lose them, then I'll-"
*BANG BANG*
"GAH, FUCK!" Damian cried out in pain, as he was shot twice in the knee. He fell down to the ground.
"Really thought you could get away from us, eh? Pinche cucaracha."
Damian turned around to find the two Herrera Boys walking towards him. He laid on the ground, helpless and in immense pain.
"You must be a real toughie, 'mano. I've never seen somebody take six shots and still be breathin' just like you." the baldy said, as he walked up to Damian. He and his friend then stood over him, guns pointed at his head.
"Hah... never lost a fight bitch... this one don't count either, using a gun and shit just to waste six shots... I'm still right here you fuck." Damian responded, breathing heavily.
"What's with the tough act foo? I don't think your dumbass realizes you about to die right now. Besides, I'm no fighter. I'm a killer. This is what I do, you can keep that record of yours I don't care. Your life is in my hands now. I could do whatever the fuck I want to do with you, okay buddy?"
Those words pissed Damian off heavily, but he couldn't do anything about it. He was right, Damian had no control over his life at this point. The baldy crouched down next to him and pressed the gun right into his skull.
"Now, you've already wasted a bunch of time I could've spent fuckin' my girl, so I would really rather blow your head off and be done with it. But, since you put up a strong fight, I'll give you the honor of some dying words. Go on, speak up."
Damian looked at him, he was furious internally, but his face had already displayed acceptance. With a calm manner, he spoke his final words.
"Don't hesitate, fuckin' pussy."
"Of course." replied the baldy, as he began pulling the trigger.
Before the gun could go off, time seemed to slow down for Damian. It was like the world was allowing him one last look at life.
"Is this... death? Does my brain know I'm gonna die?" he thought to himself.
He couldn't move his body at all during this period. All he could do is observe his surroundings, take in the world around him.
"Yeah, this is it. This is over. Fuck this place, fuck this world, and fuck these people. All you ever did was control and use me. I hate every single one of you, and one day, I'll see you down in hell. It's all such bullshit, all I wanted was to be left alone, to be free. But this world never let me, it just bounded me in more chains the older I got. All of you better pray that I don't get resurrected, because if I do, I promise to burn everything down. No matter the cost. And to my mother, uncle Mike and Sandra, to dad, sorry it turned out this way. I really did wanna support all of you one day, but the universe had other plans for me. I'm so sorry. This is the end for me, 'till further notice you fucks."
Damian's eyes slowly but surely began to shut, as he waited for the bullet.
...
...But the bullet never came. Damian could still feel his senses. Assuming he was still in the slowed-down state, he kept his eyes shut. But still, nothing happened. There was no sound or anything to indicate his death. His curiosity got the better of him, and his eyes slowly opened up, but only slightly. He was no longer in a slowed-down state. He had not been killed.
When he opened up his eyes, he saw everything. The bald Herrera Boy was split in two, right in front of him. His friend was chopped up and thrown onto a wall next to him. It was a gruesome sight. Also in front of him, a man with one arm stood, looking like he was cleaning himself off. None of this had yet clicked in Damian's head, as he was still delirious.
"..... ... .... ..... ...."
The man said something, but it was still unclear to Damian.
"... ..... ... ... ...."
The man began walking closer to him, his senses slowly became clearer.
"Did you hear me...?"
Damian was able to hear the man more clearly now, his conscience was making it's return.
"Hey."
Damian was awake now. In front of him, stood a shirtless man with one arm. His hair was short and brown, and he had on a silver necklace. The only clothes he wore was a pair of jeans and white shoes.
"You aren't dead yet. Wake up." the man spoke again.
"Huh...? What the fu-... what's going on? Who... who are you?" Damian said, still sounding tired.
"Your savior. Now, I know this scene looks... troubling. But, I need you to hear me out."
"The... scene?"
Damian looked around and saw the carnage in front of him. He immediately sat up and backed away in shock.
"H-HOLY SHIT BRUH, WHAT THE FUCK! WHAT DID YOU DO-"
"Ah, damnit. You didn't stay quiet."
The man went over and picked Damian up off the ground, he covered his mouth with tape and dashed off at a high speed. Damian was terrified, and tried to struggle his way out. But the man maintained a firm grip on him, and continued speeding away. Eventually, they came to a secluded area in a public park. The man came to a stop in front of a bench and sat Damian down. He peeled the tape off of his mouth.
"-PAH...! What the fuck was that for?! Just who-... no... just what the hell are you?!" he exclaimed.
"Shhh... can you calm down already? I saved your life, it's the least you can do for me." the mysterious man replied.
"Calm down? You just kidnapped me, and you're asking me to calm down?!"
"How many times do I have to say it? I saved you. Let me be the reminder that you were this close to getting your brains blown up. Keep being so damn loud and unreasonable and I'll finish the job, got it?"
"And now you're threatening me?! Jesus Christ, what kind of- OOH, FUCK!"
Damian's wounds began hurting again, and he slouched in pain.
"Told you so. Now, can you just hear me out already? I've been meaning to speak with you for a long time now."
"...A long time? What do you mean? How do you know me?"
"Lets just say, we share a connection, us two. A very special one. It was through that connection that I was able to find you, just in the nick of time as well. You don't know this connection yet, but I'll be happy to tell you once you listen to my proposal."
"...Fine, out with it. What do you want from me?"
"I've read your intentions. I know what it is you want. You wish to take some kind of revenge yes?"
"Uh... what? How in the fuck... how do you know that?"
"Once again, I'll tell you another time. But right now, those wounds aren't healing at all and they'll only get worse. So, I have a suggestion. You see, not only will I be able to heal those wounds, but I can give you great power to take revenge on all those that have wronged you. You'll have to do something in exchange, of course. Does that sound enticing?"
"I mean... obviously yeah. But what do I have to do? Whatever it is, It doesn't sound very exciting..."
"Oh don't you worry, I believe it's plenty exciting. You see, the man I'm presenting myself as is not actually the real me. The real me is located in this little jewel right here on my necklace. It's a long story on how I got this body and why it's in the state it's in, but all you need to know is that I'm currently possessing him right now."
"What the hell...? Wait... don't tell me that-"
"No no no, don't you worry about that. I'm not going to possess you. What I do want to do however, is bond with you. Allow me to explain. Basically, by forging a bond, our beings will be connected. Both my conscience and my power will dwell within you, and you'll be able to call upon it by pressing on this jewel here, which is essentially my heart. By doing so, it will manifest into a powerful being created by the connection of our souls. This being cannot be controlled by you directly, but it will follow your will. Granted, it's form is not yet complete. As it has been inactive for ages now. But, as our connection grows, it will surely reach it's full potential. So, what do you say? Sounds a lot nicer than possession, right?"
Damian paused for a few moments as he considered his options. Considering what the man told him, he had no real reason to decline the offer. It's true that he saved his life, and his power is a very real thing considering what he did to his attackers and to him. He had reason to believe in the "connection" with him as well, considering the man knew where to find him and he knew what his deep intentions were. After giving it all that thought, Damian finally spoke up again.
"...What exactly is your name, if you even got one?"
"My name is Oborus." the man said.
"Okay Oborus, listen up. I'm not gonna lie, I don't like the idea of sharing my fuckin' body. I especially don't like the idea of your brain mixing in with mine. But, it's true that all I want right now is to burn all these fuckin' systems to the ground, whether they're local or abroad. As long as I can do that by my own hands, I don't care what sacrifice I need to make. I'm sick of all the bullshit I have to go through, I wanna be able to punch it all away, and take control over my own life entirely. So fuck it, I'll do it. Tell me what I need to do.
"That's the spirit, my friend. Now, listen close. I am going to de-possess the man I have control of. My being will once again be stored in my heart. Once that happens, I need you to take the necklace and put it on. I will handle the rest from there. Understand?"
"Got it."
"Great. Now let's begin."
Suddenly, a glow emanated from inside the man's body. It was spread throughout his body, like blood vessels. The glow slowly coursed into the jewel on the necklace, and because of that the jewel began to glow. Eventually, the transfer was completed, and the man fell to the ground, looking lifeless. The necklace on him however was now permanently glowing.
Damian got up off the bench and knelt down besides the man to pick up the necklace. He unclipped it from his neck and stood up, holding it in front of him.
"Here goes nothing." he said, and wrapped it on his own neck.
As soon as the clip was attached, the bonding process began. A light began flowing into Damian's body. As it flowed, his wounds began to fully heal, and any exhaustion he had faded away. The process had yet to be complete, and he already felt far stronger than he used to. Once it finished and the light was done flowing, it disappeared. The jewel on the necklace changed to a crystal color and became slightly lit up.
"Ah, yes... this is the power I needed, this is the bond that I've missed..." A voice echoed in Damian's head, it sounded deep, calm, and refined.
"...Huh? Was that you that talked?" Damian asked.
"Yes. It is me. The bonding process has been complete. I shall now reside within your person, and in exchange my power is now yours."
"Wait... I thought you said your conscience would only come out with that being you talked about? You're gonna be just livin' in my head?" Damian said, troubled.
"Well, my apologies. My selfishness got the better of me, you see. I very much wanted to see this new world for myself, so I decided to share your senses as well."
"Ah for fuck sake. Now people are gonna think I'm schizo. Is there at least another way we can communicate so I don't have to talk out loud?"
"Yes, there is. You can simply speak in your head, I'll be able to read your thoughts. Do not worry, I won't read any thoughts that are not direct communications with me."
"Well, thanks for that I guess."
"Anyway, why don't you try out the transformation that I spoke about? It can be triggered at any time by pressing onto the jewel. Of course to return to your normal self, you would need to press on it again."
"Wait... transformation? Me...? I thought you were just gonna appear from the necklace and fight!"
"I will, but not in the way you're thinking. The bond requires me to protect you from all elements, I cannot do that efficiently if I were to just appear separately from you. The being I mentioned will envelop your entire body, and I will take control of it. A fair warning however, the personality of this being may be a little... unique compared to me now. Are you ready to give it a test?"
"Well, alright then. If you say so..."
Damian pressed the jewel with his hand, and in an instant, a black, solid armor began wrapping around his whole body. His appearance completely shifted, he became an entirely new being. This body was strong and intimidating. The eyes glowed a fiery orange as did other parts of the body, including the crazed-looking smile on the face. Speaking of the face, this creature had no nose, no ears, no brows, and no hair. Just the eyes and the smile.
"Oh FUCK yeah! I'm back, and ready to RIP shit apart!" The creature spoke, sounding crazy.
"Wait, the hell?! Is that you, bruh?! What happened?!" Damian exclaimed, his voice sounding weird due to being enveloped in the creature.
"Like I said, our souls are now connected. This being is a result of our own internal desire. Your wish for revenge and rebellion, and my endless thirst for chaos! Now, where shall we go next? C'mon, I'm itching for a fight, I haven't felt so energized in ages! Actually, why don't we give that gang a visit? The one that was giving you trouble? Let's go shred them to bits!"
"Wait, right now?! Foo, I thought we were just checkin' it out!"
"We are going to check it out, and it's abilities can really be showcased with a little carnage! Besides, I really feel like choppin' some heads off. Now c'mon already! Give me the order! Remember, this being is like this because of your internal desire, so I know you want this as much as I do."
Damian paused for a few moments, the creature was right. He couldn't deny the burning hatred he felt for the Herrera Boys. It didn't matter to him what the consequences were, he just wanted his revenge. He wanted to burn it all down. Now that he had the power to do so, his desire only burned stronger.
"Yeah, you know what, you're right. Lets go crush some of those fucks." he said, determined.
"Haha! That's what I'm talkin' about!" the creature exclaimed, excitedly.
The creature then concentrated an energy on it's legs, charging something up. In about four seconds, the creature then blasted off high into the air, over the entire town. The action left Damian in surprise and a little scared, but the creature then landed on the ground, safely and unscathed. It then dashed off into the night, jumping and running on and around houses and buildings.
"I'll tell ya what, I think you and me are gonna get along just fine! I will warn you though, my presence may attract some very crazy people, friend or foe. You're gonna have to learn to get used to it." the creature told Damian.
"I already am. Everybody in this town is crazy. Hell, this whole world is crazy. Why do you think I wanna burn it so bad?" he replied.
"Hahaha, that is too true my friend! Besides, what's it matter to two fools like us? We're already crazier than everyone else for even thinking we could do just that."
"For real though, you think we can make all that noise? Just us two? I don't doubt we can, but there's a lot of powerful people that will be in the way. What do you think about it?"
"Of course I say we can do it. Although, like I mentioned before, I'm not exactly at the peak of my powers yet. It'll take some time and fight to get to that point. You'll have to do your part too, kid. Remember, it's your will that guides us."
"Yeah. I'll do my best, after all it's me that wants that shit the most."
"Exactly right, kiddo. Now, it's time to get back to business..."
The creature jumped onto a building, and then blasted up into the air once again.
"Let's set the world on fire." it said, both determined and excited.
...
A few minutes after the incident in the alleyway...
An unknown woman on a motorcycle sped across the town. Her hair a dark, rich red color, her skin a slight dark tan. Her eyes were red, and her body had muscle. She was wearing a black track jacket, a tank top, and an army style hat with grey combat pants and white running shoes.
"Shit, I hope I'm not too late." she said, troubled.
She made a sharp turn at a street next to two housing complexes. She came to a stop and quickly hopped off the bike. She then whipped out her phone and checked something.
"It says this is the place, did it come from that alley?" she told herself.
The woman ran towards the alley in question, and began checking the place out slowly.
"It... doesn't look like anything happened. Could it just have been a false alarm?"
Just then, the woman stepped on something. It felt squishy and slimy at the bottom of her sole.
"Huh? What the-" she questioned, then looked down at her left foot.
Unknowingly, she stepped on the spilled out innards of somebody's freshly split up corpse.
"HOH... HOLY SHIT." she exclaimed, terrified.
She also spotted another body sitting on the wall, diced up.
"What the fuck... what happened to them? This is carnage... were they... with the Herrera's?"
All of a sudden, sirens came into her hearing. The cops were arriving on the scene.
"Shit, time to go, unless I wanna get framed." she said, then ran off back to her bike.
She sped away, and in the meantime, began to call someone on her phone.
"Harper, this is Leanna. I reported to the scene, it was a massacre. I think two Herrera Boys got chopped up, couldn't investigate any further though because of the cops. I'm heading back now, try to see if you can connect to local CCTV to see what happened. See if you can ID the perp as well, I'll take over from there. See you soon."
She hung up the call and continued speeding towards her destination.
"...Just who the hell is psycho enough to do that to somebody, let alone the Herrera's... if this guy ends up being a Vitality User, we may need morefirepower." she told herself.
Unbeknown to her, the guy in question soared way high above her head, then dashed away into the town.