~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They have been there awhile, for how long exactly he cannot be certain, he thinks that they act like brothers. They argue sometimes, they’re both very, very young, the oldest looks to be in his mid to late teens, he is street wise beyond his years. The younger one looks to be no older than ten or perhaps eleven years of age. In the past two months that Eric Bitters had been staying in this abandoned tower that he has called his cathedral since he was first sent back to Kings Harbor, He has been watching the comings and goings of the two youths for the last two weeks. He has studied them in the darkened hallways as they interact with each other, and he soon discovers that his suspicions are correct. They are brothers. The oldest is called Marcus, he is fifteen, the youngest is nine, his name is Zackary. He studies them from a dark room adjacent to theirs, there is no electricity here, no heat, no workable plumbing. They live hand to mouth, day to day, and Marcus does what he must, to ensure that he and his younger sibling survive here.
The floor is wet in place’s as they are near the very top of this building and the roof is leaking badly. The only source of heat and light comes from a few well placed worn candles, that are used sparingly. Here in the cathedral, voices are being raised. Marcus is scolding Zackary, he has stolen food for them to eat tonight, but took an incredible chance to get it. Marcus tells him often that here in this life, Chances for anything are rare. People like them don’t get many, and they must use them carefully. Eric Bitters decides that he will stay near the two young siblings tonight, there is a long window here in this dark room, he sits on the sill with his legs stretched out and crossed at the ankles. He stares for a time out the broken window into the dark abyss that has become a prison for so many. Many like Marcus and Zackary, babes in arms, guarding what little piece of the world that they have with all of the strength they can muster. And doing so with a dignity and pride that few adults would ever know.
The prison known to the world as Kings Harbor sleeps tonight, but Eric Bitters knows all too well, that it won’t sleep for long, soon, the inmates will be stirring, and out in numbers looking for prey. Prey like Marcus and Zackary. Marcus is trying to listen patiently to Zackary’s explanation of why he took a chance to get the evenings meal, Marcus isn’t buying it. You do not steal from under the nose of Jinx’s soldiers, the man that owns the market that Zackary has stolen from; has a son that is under Jinx’s employ. Marcus warns him, that if he were to be caught in the act, the son would come looking for him. And where there is one of Jinx’s soldiers, there are many. They dine on the cold deli Sandwiches that Zackary has taken from the one of the markets refrigerators for them to eat, soon the candles grow dim and then the light fades, they both fall into an uneasy sleep, tomorrow will be a new day for the brothers, a new day filled with new opportunities. New Challenges to be met. If they are to stay together they will need to rest.
ATHENA.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It is almost 10:00 am, Zachary is slowly making his way through the sparsely crowded sidewalk. he has once again ventured out alone; away from the protection of the cathedral, against his brothers wishes. Marcus is out as well, searching for a legitimate way to make a better life for his younger brother. He fears that Zackary may be becoming too street wise, and his getting into trouble is slowly beginning to escalate. This morning Zackary wanders the streets of Kings Harbor looking for the new opportunities that Marcus spoke of. He can slowly feel it as the painfully familiar signs of hunger begin to slowly burn in his stomach. He knows that soon, he will have to take another one of his chances if he is to eat this morning. He makes his way to 33rd street, there are vendors on the sidewalks selling fresh fish and there are even a few others who have fresh fruit and vegetables to offer. Getting to 33rd street however is a long way off, and it will take him at least two precious hours of the morning just to reach it.
He pushes his way through the small crowd and turns left on Wicker street and begins the trek east towards 33rd. Upon his arrival he sees that it is the busiest time of the morning, most vendors will be too busy tending to the demands of their customers to notice a small boy lifting fruit and vegetables from their tables. He finds a likely candidate and sizes it up, there are four people around the vendor and she doesn’t even see him. He moves in quickly and seizes three small pieces of fruit and smoothly makes his escape. Once clear he begins a slow run to distance himself from 33rd street, two blocks. Three and then four. Now he is becoming tired and he finds an alley to rest in, he pulls one piece of fruit out from under his shirt and shaking, he pulls it up to his mouth and slowly sinks his teeth into the sweet nectarine.
“your pretty smooth kid.”
A voice from the street has entered the alley where Zackary hides. It is a young woman, he recognizes her from 33rd street, she was at the vendors where he stole the fruit .
This morning Zackary’s hunger has made him careless. This morning he was followed. This morning he has been caught. Her name is Athena, the vendor that Zackary stole from was her mother, but oddly enough, Athena isn’t angry, she sits down next to him and smiles. She has a beautiful smile.
“Don’t worry kid.” she tells him “ I’m not taking you back to stand trial or nothing!” she laughs. “ I know what its like to be hungry, and having to steal food shouldn’t have to be a crime.”
He produces a piece of fruit to her and together they sit in the alley and eat. Athena really likes young Zackary, and she soon volunteers to walk him home, they make their way towards Wicker Street. The gateway to Kings Harbor’s true hell. On the way he regales her with stories of his life on the street and she patiently listens, Athena finds him to be a rather charming boy, but they are losing track of time and the day grows dark. Soon it will be nightfall in the district of predators who feed on young boys and pretty innocent women. They have unknowingly attracted the attention of some of the local talent, and now they are being carefully watched and followed.
Rats Among the Ruins
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He is there just out of their field of vision, at first they are too busy ushering the beautiful young woman and the small boy in her company into the alley, just past the corner of Wicker and seventh avenue. It is nightfall now, he is in his element. here he is king. Through the misty billows of his own hot breath as it filters through the cold night air, he silently watches from above as the six young men slowly gather around Athena Santini and her new friend Zackary. There is much masculine posturing going on and the leader seems to be the biggest of their brood. He is completely in black leather and towers over the beautiful young Athena. But he is more interested in personal amusement and he motions for a rather short unpleasant looking fellow that they refer to as Pig Iron to have a go at her. He smiles at her through broken yellowish brown teeth that are in some places even black. He is short and fat, and smells of the stench of his own urine and she finds his childish attempts at sexual advances utterly disgusting.
She steps in front of Zackary and squares off with this unpleasant little cretin. It comes completely unexpected to all of the witnesses, especially Eric Bitters, Athena does not back up one step, quite the contrary, she steps forward, towards the giddy little toad known as Pig Iron.
He advances on her, trying to look brave in the eyes of his comrades, but what he gets is humiliation, as Athena Santini drives her Shinbone hard into his crotch, he instinctively doubles over groaning loudly in pain all of the while cupping both hands over his badly wounded testicles, leaving his snotty little pointed nose wide open for her perfectly timed and executed right cross. He is now crumpled up into a ball on the wet alley floor while the other five look on in amazement. The alpha male stands and stares at Athena Santini, now in a different way, he no longer seems to be taken by her beauty, now he is angry.
He produces a knife and slowly advances on her, his four accomplices have begun to close on them as well. Two of them however, have spotted Eric Bitters descending on them and have bravely run away, his appearance has suddenly taken the fight into a darker part of the alley where there is much confusion as to who is doing what and to whom. When as suddenly as it starts, it stops, staggering into the light comes the alpha male, his movements are sluggish and his face is pale, he stares a blank stare at Eric Bitters for a second, until small tear shaped crimson drops of blood slowly ooze from the corners of his lips. He falls forward. Behind him stands a stunned looking Zackary, wielding a bloody knife. The wide eyed stare. The realization that comes with knowing that a life, any life, has been lost and you have taken it. Eric Bitters knows that look all too well, a life is lost. An innocence is shattered. A childhood. Lost forever.
Waiting for the Light
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Athena stands behind the bewildered child with both hands resting on his shoulders, he was protecting her. He didn’t know what that bad man was going to do to his new friend. He didn’t really have a choice in the matter. Kill or watch her be killed, adult decisions. Made in the minds of babes. Athena gently takes the knife, Zackary has descended into a weeping shock at the realization of what he has just done. She leads him slowly from the alley and down the dark deserted street, only Marcus would know what to do now. He stands above the dead body of the alpha male, the rain has washed away the crimson spots on the lips of this now dead youth, Eric Bitters cocks his head. Something does not seem right about this young man, he kneels down to closer examine the body, the fingernails on both hands have been manicured recently, and there on his right forefinger is a very expensive looking mans ring,
he places his fingers on the dead youths lips and slowly parts them.. They have been brushed, he is well kept. Now Eric begins to realize that this was no ordinary street soldier, there is something special about him. Eric knows, someone will come looking for the person, and then for revenge. Moments later, Zackary and Athena return to the scene with Marcus in tow, upon seeing the dead body Marcus becomes extremely shaken, and begins to pace back and forth in the alley nervously. Marcus knows this young man, his hands are on top of his head and he has become almost panic stricken.
“Oh My God Zack! What have you done?”
It is then that the reality of the situation provides Eric Bitters with his very own realization..
The dead youth is the son of the crime lord known as Jinx. Marcus accompanies Athena and his younger brother back to the protection of the cathedral. They light what’s left of the candles and Athena and Zackary watch as he nervously paces the floor trying to consider their options.
Marcus knows that Jinx will come looking for his son, and one of the young hoods will tell him who killed him. Jinx will want blood. Zackary’s blood. Eric Bitters listens quietly from the next room as the three young minds begin to formulate a desperate plan to escape from Jinx’s wrath. Zackary will hide in a place beyond 33rd street where only Athena’s Greek and Italian friends will know how to find him. Marcus will walk with them through the night to get Zackary to his sanctuary before dawn and hopefully before Jinx finds out what has happened. Eric Bitters will follow them to ensure their safety.
Halfway through the night time trek to 33rd street, something captures his attention, near a bus stop on a bench there lye’s a news paper, there is a story on the front page about the attempt that was made on Annie Harlow’s life just two nights ago, the police have taken into custody the hired gun that shot and killed Maurice Salazaar. The gunman had in his possession the Ledger that contains the names and numbers of Jinx’s known fencing activities, which means that now the police have the ledger and have begun decoding it. Soon the noose will tighten. It would appear that now there is something else for Jinx to worry about. They are close to 33rd street now, soon he will be following Marcus back to the cathedral.
Dark Faith
~~~~~~~~~~
He has felt the odd presence of something just out of his reach for the past few days and he knows that someone has been watching his brother Zackary and him. He is sitting in the dark room with his legs crossed, with both feet tucked under his thighs, he sits in alone now, in the middle of the floor pondering his fate. Praying to whatever God may be listening; that his brothers life will be spared in all of this nonsense. Waiting for the sun to rise to give him precious light to live in, in Marcus’s young heart he feels that hope is dying fast, and soon there will be no resolution through which either his brother or him will live.
“You remind me of someone that I used to think that I knew”
Marcus stops in mid thought and quickly raises his head to the cold voice echoing through the empty room.
“I knew you were there. Somewhere in here. Do you work for Jinx?” have you been watching us for him?”
Eric Bitters does not answer at first, he calculates the words, that will ease this tension.
“No Marcus. I work for no one, you have a problem. I think I can help you there, but you will need to trust me.”
The confused youth abruptly rises to his feet, the voice seems cold and as empty as the room he stands in, and has an eerie other worldly feel to it.
“What are YOU going to help me with? What could you give me that I can’t get myself?”
He stops to ponder what he has just asked, already suspecting the answer that will come. “Salvation Marcus.. Salvation.”
There is quiet.
“Yours or mine Spirit?” more silence. And then.
“Both.”
Marcus looks down at the floor, it is as cold and barren as he feels his future to be.
“Salvation? When Jinx comes for my brother and me there will be nothing but spilled blood. Ours.”
He lets Marcus’s words hang for a brief instant.
“You’ve seen Jinx. You’d have had to, to know that the youth in the alley was his son.”
Marcus thinks for a second.
“Yeah, I’ve seen him a few times, been to that place where he holes up too, Beacon Towers I think it’s called. You never seen Jinx?”
There is an even colder silence that follows his question that makes the boy uneasy.
“I’ve seen his work.” Eric Bitters tells him. “Can’t say as I’ve ever had the pleasure of making his acquaintance though. So. You know how to find him. Right?”
He steps slowly out of the shadows and his appearance takes young Marcus by surprise. He takes one step back.
“You. Look. Well. you know?” Eric Bitters leans forward and says with a slight wink.. “You mean I look like this city feels?”
Marcus smiles looking down as though trying not to laugh. He puts a cold hand to the boys shoulder. Now the deadman is not smiling..
“Take me to him Marcus.. Tonight, you will show me where the devil sleeps, and we will end this once and for all.”
Marcus is not smiling now either.
“Are you crazy man? You’ll never get in there a-”
He stops in mid sentence. Eric Bitters is staring at him. And now Marcus realizes.
“The dead have nothing to fear of the living Marcus, my story is too long to share with you. Tonight Jinx’s reign on this city stops. There is evidence in Jinx’s possession that will put him where he belongs forever. Behind a wall of stone and steel bars.”
Marcus is now sitting again. He tells him to get some sleep and he will wake him at 2:00 am. While Marcus sleeps he retrieves a photo from his shirt, and studies it. It is a picture of Marcus, Zackary and their mother. An idea strikes him, and he steps out of the window for a moment, there is a fading phone number on the back of the photo, there is hope. He raises himself into the rain filled sky. If anyone can find this woman, for the boys, Sister Mary Coven is the woman for the Job.
Death in the house of the king.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He watches in disbelief as Eric Bitters slowly ascends into the air and takes himself up to the roof top of Beacon Towers. He has told Marcus to stay clear and return to the cathedral and wait where he would return with evidence for him to take to the authorities. He disappears back into the shadows of the streets leaving Eric Bitters to the task of collecting evidence. But he has not simply come here for evidence. Something inside of the deadman burns him to the core. He has long heard the name of this monster connecting him to thousands of crimes, many of which were murders of innocent street people. he waste’s no time dispatching with the pitiful excuse for a security system and finds access into the crime lords lair painfully easy. There are three security guards on hand to guard the entire twenty something floor structure, apparently the feeling is that Jinx fears no one. Nobody after all- would be foolish enough to challenge him in his own palace.
He gains entry on the first attempt and renders the guards unconscious and bounds and gags them in the storage room off of the kitchen. There are vulgar displays of unbelievable wealth all around him. Fine furnishings and marble flooring reach out to every room as far as the eye can see, golden rails line spiral staircases that lead to each new floor along with lushly red crushed velvet lined elevator cars. He takes the first staircase and begins to climb up to where Jinx is. He knows his gut will be his guide. He has climbed all of the way to the top floor, twenty four to be exact, then through a crackled door he hears the faint echoes of opera music slowly waffling through the still air, he sees a lone figure sitting at a desk writing in a black ledger. There are nine others stacked beside it, and when Eric Bitters enters the room the figure abruptly stands. And he comes face to face with the true monster.
But the Monster doesn’t react like a monster, but more like a frightened child. He beckons for his paid thugs to come to his aid. And Eric Bitters Shakes his head no.
“Its finished Jinxy boy, you’re finished.”
He produces a hand gun and fires it at the pale intruder, but he keeps coming. Jinx keeps firing. Eric Bitters keeps coming. Now he is screaming incoherently making threats at him, all of the while running down the hallway to escape. No more nightmares. No more victims. The endless cycle of self perpetuating violence stops here. Tonight. He keeps running. Eric Bitters keeps coming. The city will sleep in peace from this day forth. The healing starts here. The death, the plunder, what has begun here ends here.
"Only one escape. Me. Take a good look Mr Jinx. I am everything that got you to where you are. Death. Pain. Despair."
“What are you? What are you d.. doing. Here?”
"Scarred Jinx? Poor frightened little boy?"
The marble floor is cold under his bare feet and towards the end of the hall Jinx struggles to maintain his footing near the stained glass window pane at the very end. Eric Bitters is closing in on him, he is slipping.
“Jinx?”
He looks up as though all of time and space has stopped.
“Its time to go Jinx.”
Times up.
“B- but I’m. Not. Ready?”
His body falls backwards into the shards of breaking glass as he falls through the window. He falls for what seems like an eternity.. The rain stops almost in the air as though to witness the spectacle. Eric Bitters stands and stares through his misty breath at the sight below him. Jinx lies still on the side walk below. The rain returns. And now there is nothing.
Reunion.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
He is almost to the point of exhaustion, he has turned in the ledgers that Eric Bitters provided him to the authorities. He did it as he was told to, Someone gave him twenty dollars to turn the ledgers in. and when the desk sergeant turned his back for a second Marcus was out the door and down the street before the cops were any the wiser. With jinx dead it was only a matter of time before his co conspirators were drug into the light. Now there is a light rain falling, almost a mist, as he turns towards the cathedral on Tenth Avenue. Zackary stands out in front of the building waiting for Marcus to return. He walks up to his younger brother confused.
“Zackary? How did you?
Sister Mary Coven introduces herself to Marcus, and confesses that she has brought him here and that someone has been waiting to see them.
The woman that they have not seen in over a year since the siblings ran away to escape their abusive step father, appears in the doorway of the cathedral. She stands alone waiting for the reactions of her sons.
"Momma?"
They rush to her side and the three share a heart felt hug. She will take her boys home where she lives alone, and she will feed them and keep them safe from predators. They will be a family. Tonight the young siblings will be safe. Sister Mary Coven looks up at the lone figure silently watching the three family members get into the taxi from the top of the cathedral. And as it disappears around the corner, Sister Mary wishes to herself that her boy could come home too.
~Scratch..A.B.T. Copyright© 2006.~
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