Requiem for a Mouse (29 page)

LAO

“You’re lying.” Prince shook his head as if in a trance.

“I have the footage if you want to see. I also have all records of the bets made including who made them, how much, and when. Your group was a crowd favorite. You won’t believe how many people around the entire world rooted for you. Leaders of countries, businesses, even religions. When they watched Sasha die, some even cried.”

“You fucking monster!” Prince’s face flushed red. “Is it really so fun to torture children?”

“I hate it.”

“So then why?” Prince shrieked. He slammed his palm against the table and shot out of his seat.

Lao kept calm. “If this city was a person, then money would be its blood. We can’t afford hospitals, we can’t afford schools, we can barely afford electricity. The only thing of value we have to offer is entertainment. In exchange for the lives of a few Mice, I can give life to this city. Don’t you think it’s a good trade?”

Prince lunged across the table, his hand outstretched. His fingers stopped mere inches away from Lao’s throat. A guard had slammed Prince’s head into the chess board. Wooden pieces scattered to the floor.

“Fuck,” Prince growled through grit teeth. “I’m going to kill you!”

Pawns will never understand.

Lao looked into Prince’s azure eyes. “You can try, but not before bringing me The Slasher. I own this city, everything in it is mine. I shape this city at will.”

“The Lions,” Prince muttered.

“The pedestrians as well. Both were a nuisance to my game so I took them out of the equation. Don’t tell me you think it’s normal for strangers to simply watch children suffer?”

“And the cameras. They were made to watch Mice.”

“Otherwise, they were rarely on.”

“You trash.” Prince pushed against the table to raise his head. His arms shook, battling the hand pressing against his head. “Worthless piece of shit.”

“For every life I take, I save ten more. For every Mouse that dies, our future is secured a tiny bit further. I am the king. It is my job to decide the order of which to sacrifice my pieces. You just need to stand in line.”

Prince spat a streak of saliva onto Lao’s cheek.

A guard slammed Prince’s forehead into the table, pressing it against the wood.

Lao wiped the spit from his face. “Listen closely Mouse, even if it means making the entire world my enemy, I will save this city. Soon, the same people that reveled at you Mice will be begging to save us.” He turned toward the guard. “Put him back in his chair, we still have a game to finish.”

The guard unhanded Prince and pulled him back into his chair. Fury danced in Prince’s eyes. Under Lao’s orders, the guard set the chessboard back up exactly as it had been.

Lao motioned to Prince, “your move.”

Prince crossed his arms and receded into the chair.

Lao sighed. “I told you all this because I will be giving you a certain amount of liberties to find me The Slasher. Remember, you still have everything to lose.”

It worked. Though it was only a slight twitch on the corner of Prince’s mouth, Lao knew that he had delivered the message. Prince uncrossed his arms and made his move. He took the lone pawn Lao had sent to die.

Lao placed his hand on his queen. Because of the three pawns he had sacrificed, there was now a clear lane of attack. “Prince,” he said. “You can hate me, but do not misunderstand me. Though I will always sacrifice my pawns to win the game, I would never take light of their lives.” He moved his queen. “Check.”

Prince moved to defend his king with a knight.

Though Lao knew the next move, but he didn’t make it. Instead, he spoke. “Before my time, this city was on the verge of tearing itself apart. Gangs on every corner, Mice shot for a few cents, boys stolen from their mothers to fight for sport. I spared you from all from that.” He took Prince’s knight. “Check.”

Prince countered Lao’s advance. “Someone who so easily sacrifices his pieces can never save this city.”

Lao’s brow furrowed. “Look at the world around us. What do you think become of those too scared to sacrifice? Chances don’t come often for us, so unless we bet it all when it does, we’ll never win the game.” He moved his queen again. “Check.”

“This isn’t a game,” Prince said. “It’s our life you’re toying with.”

A window shattered. Lao twisted his head to see a flaming liquor bottle smash into the carpet. Fire sprouted from where it broke. A steady rhythm of shattering glass followed as flaming bottles flew in, one after the other.

Guards scrambled from the fire. The receptionist screamed a piercing note and made a mad dash through the front door. Lao scanned the pandemonium before returning his gaze to Prince.

“Leave Mouse, you are useless to me dead. Come back when I’ve dealt with this. And remember, you still have everything to lose.”

VLAD

If there was ever a day to die…

Vlad tossed the glass bottle into the air and caught it. Inside the bottle was a concoction of chemicals used by The Dragon himself. A dozen more bottles laid by Vlad’s feet.

The day was perfect. Not a single cloud overlooked the city. All the guards had gone inside and at the sight of his mask, any potential bystander had turned and ran.

I should’ve done this a long time ago.

Around him, a crowd of Lions threw flaming liquor bottles into Hawk’s Lair. They had rallied behind him. Word that The Slasher would lead the uprising had brought Jynx a small army. They wore blank masks and green hoods with the exception of Vlad who wore his usual red smile.

Vlad played with the spark wheel of his lighter. Everything he had was given to him by Jynx. She had told him the secret about Hawks and Mice. It was too cruel, to have Sasha’s pride be trampled in such a way. The Dragon had to pay.

Vlad lit the rag inside the Molotov cocktail and chucked it through a window.

Burn.

The front door burst open and a woman in a butler outfit stumbled out. Vlad took aim. The next Molotov cocktail shattered on her face and exploded in a ball of fire. She fell to the ground shrieking a pleasant note.

“How is it that you’re allowed to live when Sasha couldn’t?” Vlad muttered.

Bottle after bottle, the Lions coated the building in flame. Only when the entire building was in flames did Vlad proceed to the next phase of the plan. Kill The Dragon. With his knife in one hand and a Molotov cocktail in the other, he sashayed through the front door for one last scream.

“Dragon!” he roared. “Where are you?”

Hawk’s Lair was unrecognizable. Fire engulfed the pillars, their elaborate décor slowly turning to ash. The flames didn’t care for elegant oak tables or mahogany roulette wheels, it was all just fuel. Men in suits scrambled around, either choking on the smoke or burning in the fire. In the middle of everything stood The Dragon, two guards by his side.

Vlad’s heart skipped a beat. He gave The Dragon the widest smile he could manage, matching the smile on his mask. “Dragon! I’ve come to hear you scream!”

The Dragon pointed at Vlad and said, “Shoot.”

The guards took aim. Vlad lobbed the Molotov cocktail at them. They opened fire.

A bullet collided into Vlad’s cheek. His mask cracked and its bottom corner broke off. Warm blood dribbled down his cheek as he staggered backwards.

When Vlad regained his balance, he saw that he had hit his mark. One of the guards rolled on the ground, covered in blue fire. The other knelt beside him, trying to smother the flames with his coat. Vlad giggled at the sight and headed toward. His blade dragged against the ground like an anchor.

Fiery splinters rained down from the roof. Wooden beams buckled and cracked, falling onto the ground as kindle. The inside of an oven would’ve been cooler.

“Dragon,” Vlad mumbled, drool trickling down the edge of his mouth. “Scream.”

The single able guard turned to face Vlad. Before he could raise his gun, Vlad’s blade slashed through his hand. Two fingers flew off into the fire. Vlad grabbed the guard by his hair and shoved his blade into his neck. He sawed through the guard’s trachea, blood squirting everywhere.

“It’s over.” The Dragon’s voice came from behind.

Cold steel pressed against the back of Vlad’s head. It felt like ice. He heard the unmistakable sound of a revolver cocking.

“Look, Dragon,” Vlad said with a shaking voice. It sounded like he was laughing and crying at the same time. He peeled back the guard’s head for a better view of the wound. “It’s like a smile for your neck.”

“Drop your weapon.”

Vlad spun, his knife aimed at The Dragon’s head. The Dragon hopped back and held his gun up. His face held neither fear nor excitement, it was blanker than a Lion’s mask.

“Slasher,” The Dragon said, his tone flat. “You must really wish to see hell.”

“Where do you think we are?”

The Dragon chuckled and pulled a silver flask from his jacket. He swung his head back and took a swig from it. His face twisted into a pained expression and he squeezed his eyes shut as he wiped his mouth. As soon as his eyelids closed, Vlad rushed him.

The Dragon’s eyes jolted open and he took aim. Vlad dived to the side as The Dragon pulled the trigger. The revolver’s hammer swung down and the chamber spun to produce a hollow click. Vlad stopped in his tracks, for the first time, surprised. The Dragon whipped his flask up, spraying its contents into the air.

Vlad blocked the liquid with his hand. “Was that it?” He crouched toward the ground, prepared to pounce, and then his hand erupted in blue flames.

The Dragon grinned under a backdrop of floating embers. “I am The Dragon. I do not fear fire.”

LAO

The Slasher clutched his wrist and screamed. He squeezed his eyes shut and hugged his burning hand in a vain attempt to smother the flames.

Lao took patient steps toward him. “Before you die, confirm something for me, Slasher. Who was it that disabled the sprinklers in my casino? It was Jynx wasn’t it?”

The Slasher looked up and for a second, forgot about his hand.

It was all the answer Lao needed. He sighed, “I guess even I can be blinded by sentiment. If I were to guess, she recruited past Hawks to be her Lions. She used Mice to deliver her guns and drugs. And to think, I had seen this happen all on camera. Hell, I funded it. I suppose this is human nature at its finest.”

The only response Lao received was a head splitting shriek.

“Hmph,” Lao snorted. “You disappoint me once again, Slasher. Despite what you’ve done, in the end, you were only a pawn.”

At the far end of the casino, all the windows shattered. A final support beam collapsed and half the roof caved. A wave of debris wafted over Lao. Only Lao and The Slasher were left inside

Lao walked past The Slasher to the front exit. He pushed The Slasher to the ground and kept walking. It was pathetic how easily The Slasher fell.

“If there was more time Slasher,” Lao said as he walked off. “I would’ve shown you real hell. But I suppose this will have to do.”

“You already showed me.” The Slasher pointed a burning finger at Lao. “You killed Sasha! It was because of you she ran out that day! It was because of you Mice and Hawks even exist!” With a mighty breath, he screamed, “I will cut you!”

More bits of wood fell to the ground. As things stood right now, even a single second might prove fatal. Lao pushed the golden handles of Hawk’s Lair and stepped out.

“I will cut you!” The Slasher screamed, again and again.

Salib stood outside Hawk’s Lair, a safe distance away. “Dragon!” he exclaimed.

Lao walked over to him. Around them stood a handful of guards, about a third of the ones originally in Hawk’s Lair.

“Where’s the rest?” Lao asked. He turned to watch Hawk’s Lair burn down.

Salib shook his head. “They ran.”

Lao shook his head chuckling. Before he knew it, his snicker had blown into a full-out guffaw. Jynx had warned him he was going soft, it turned out nobody had ever been more right.

My guards ran because they feared The Slasher more than The Dragon.

“Dragon,” Salib said, “we traced the security feeds right before the attack. Jynx disabled the sprinklers.”

Lao ended his laughter. “I know,” he said. “It’s time we move on with our plan. Contact our customers and tell them we are about to leak their dirty little secret to the world.”

“But Dragon, now of all times? Shouldn’t we deal with this first?”

“No,” Lao said. “From here on out, it’s a sprint to the finish. I will bring the world to its knees and they will pay my city what it’s due.”

“But” —Salib hesitated— “what about Jynx?”

“I will not lose this city to sentiment,” Lao said. He retrieved his revolver along with six bullets. “If the most powerful men in this world will learn to fear me, so will The Boss.”

“She’s your daughter.”

The Dragon shook his head as he loaded the bullets into his gun. “It’s one life versus two hundred thousand.”