Two Page Shorts - Nick Venom (big ebook reader txt) 📗

and dirt. I need a shower, he thought to himself, before shaking his head. As if I can spare any water. He then ran his fingers through his messy long hair. It went down to his chest, light brown in color but the dirt made it appear a few shades darker. He couldn’t afford to get his hair cut as every barbershop and salon was owned by gangs… and most of them didn’t like Grian or other street rats in their territory. Grian did his best to avoid gang-controlled stores and territories, but he couldn’t always afford that luxury as several thin scars on his forehead proved. His long hair took care of hiding the scars from the outside world. 

Now satisfied with how dirty he was, he laid his back on the couch, looking up at the ceiling. The paint was chipping off and there were many cracks in it - and even a few large-sized holes. He wouldn’t be surprised if the roof decided to cave in one day. 

Grian closed his eyes, feeling some warmth from the sun being exposed by the several holes. The warmth was enough to soothe him, but not enough to put him to sleep. 

“I wonder… if I would be like that family… if mine were still alive?” He thought out loud to himself. That thought repeated itself several times in his brain, continuing as the sun fell and the moon rose. As it did, chaos soon followed suit.

Two men dressed in a black cloak approached the warehouse. The men sneaked up to the building, both armed with knives. One of the men had a blue star over his heart. He reached the building first with a man with a white star behind him. “What’s the point of killing him? Isn’t he just a street rat?”

“We’re not here to kill anybody. Only here to nip a bud before it blooms.” The White-Star Man responded.

“Sounds like we’re killing him.” The Blue-Star Man remarked

“This kid has been causing him some trouble, so he wants us to make sure he can’t walk again. Got it?” White Star asked. Blue Star nodded. “Good, now pipe down.” He approached the front door, peering through cracks in the makeshift door.

“I open the door and you rush in. Grab the kid and hold him down. We both tie him up and complete the hit. Clear?” Blue Star asked. White Star nodded, rushing in once the door’s locks were opened. Blue Star rushed in behind him, both of them quickly searching through the living room. However, it was empty. Only a couch waited for their arrival, applauding them with dust-filled sighs.

“Isn’t he supposed to be here?” Blue Star asked. “Were we filled nonsense intel… Is Flame trying to kill us?”

“Why would he? Were his main unit, he wouldn’t dispose of us like this so easily.” White Star remarked. “Keep moving, let’s look for him.” 

Both men continued forwarding, venturing farther into the warehouse. They passed by the living room and entered the only hallway, which connected every room in the building. On their right was a bathroom and a break room. On their left were a mini kitchen and a dining room.

At the end of the hallway opened up into the main room in the warehouse where pieces of equipment were left, only their bare frames remaining. Most of the metal had been taken off and sold. 

Both men crept into the main room where workers once worked, but neither of them could see their target in sight.

“Yeah… I think we’ve been fed the wrong intel. We need to leave before Flames’ men surround us!” Blue Star declared.

White Star shook his head. “Calm down, I’m sure the rat’s in the walls somewhere. If we were being prepped for disposal, he would have eliminated us already. Remember what happened to Orange Star.”

Blue Star nodded. He trudged forward, looking around the machinery for Grian while White Star looked around for an entrance into the walls where he suspected Grian was hiding. He searched for cracks wide enough for a street rat to enter; most street rats were young kids as the older kids were often recruited into gangs or killed by the time they reached 18. Some of the older kids were too starved to resemble their actual ages. 

Grian, meanwhile, hid in an opening in the wall, barely enough for him to squeeze through. He was hoping that the men would leave at Blue Star’s insistence, but White Star dashed that hope. Now they searched for him and were getting closer. He gripped his dagger tightly as he heard White Star shuffled towards his hiding place. The opening wasn’t overly large and noticeable, but somebody searching for the opening could find it. 

As the man neared him, he stopped suddenly. “You got a lighter?” He asked Blue Star.

“Y-Yeah, why?” Blue Star asked, furrowing his brows. 

“He’s somewhere in the warehouse, but… it’s going to take too long to look at every hole in the wall. Let’s torch it.” White Star explained. He turned to face the wall Grian was in. “Hey kid, we’re going to torch this place. If you want to keep your life, come out peacefully.” He remarked. He repeated his words to the other walls, reinforcing the threat in Grian’s mind.

Damn, they really want me dead. Why though? What have I done to them? Did I cross Flame somehow… No, I didn’t. So why the hell are they after me! Grian thought to himself. He began panicking as the threat repeated in his head. Unfortunately for him, the threat didn’t appear to be empty as Blue Star handed White Star his lighter. White Star then approached the couch with cloth covering it. With a devilish grin, he lit the cloth on fire. The floors were wooden, giving the fire extra fuel. 

Blue Star approached White Star, raising both eyebrows. “Woah… Will Flame get mad at us?”

“He won’t.” White Star said. “We’re still taking care of him, aren’t we?”

“I… If you say so… I guess.” Blue Star said. He wasn’t as excited to burn down the warehouse, but White Star was his superior. He followed his orders, executing them to avoid being killed by Flame for “betraying” the gang. Anything that faintly resembles disloyalty to Flame would get the people involved killed instantly.

Grian, at the same time the floor began being consumed by the fire, scurried out of his hiding spot. The smoke was already making its way towards him even though the source began in the living room. Fortunately for him, the men remained in the living room, but not for long. 

Damn! Grian thought as he scurried behind a machine, laying flat across the floor. He heard the footsteps of one of the men going through the hallway and entering the large room.

“I don’t see him anywhere… are you sure he’s in here. We’re not destroying an innocent building right?” Blue Star asked.

“Shut up!” White Star shouted from the living room. “Keep looking for him!”

“But the smoke!”

“I don’t care, get it done before the house is engulfed in flames.” White Star ordered. Blue Star complied, approaching the wall that Grian scurried out of. He checked the walls half-heartedly, wanting to complete the job as quickly as he could. He turned around, headed to the next wall. However, something caught his attention. While he checked the wall, Grian was shifting his body around the machine to avoid being detected while remaining silent. He made small movements, banking on Blue Star taking his time. Unfortunately, Blue Star made a quick check on the wall before proceeding to the next one, faster than Grian was expecting. Half of his body was exposed while the other half was shielded by the machine.

Blue Star’s eyes widened. “H-H-He was right?” He muttered. Grian, knowing that he had one opportunity to dispose of Blue Star, jumped up and sprinted towards him. He threw his body weight into Blue Star, knocking him off-balance. 

Now on the ground, Grian attempted to drive his dagger into Blue Star’s heart before he could react. Unsurprisingly, Blue Star had better reflexes, grabbing the blade with his hands and slowly pushing upward. He struggled with Grian over control of the dagger, both sides wanting to use it to their advantage.

Grian pushed more of his weight onto the dagger, but Blue Star exhaled slightly more. He was at the advantage, the strength gap becoming apparent. 

Knowing this, Grian’s eyes darted around for a way out. He quickly found it in Blue Star’s weapon, laying a few inches away from him. When he fell, he dropped the knife that he was holding. Now it was close enough for Grian to grab it. 

Damn it! The other guy’s gonna come soon. I need to… kill this one. He thought to himself as he slowly lost control over his dagger. Once he did, he raised both fists and slammed them down on Blue Star’s stomach. This paralysis Blue Star for a few seconds, giving Grian enough time to dive towards the knife and turn it on him. He struck as quickly as he could, piercing between his shoulder blade and his neck. 

“Ahhhhhhh!” Blue Star shrieked, feeling the pain. He dropped Grian’s dagger, his hands darting to the blade in his neck. He grabbed at the blade and tried to rip it out of his body, but the pain was in his way. Grian held the advantage, using it wisely. He continued plunging it deeper into Blue Star’s neck, before turning it horizontally. The strike killed him instantly. Blue Star was dead… with his blood splattered on Grian.

Meanwhile, White Star heard Blue Star’s scream and sprinted towards him. As he neared his comrade, he witnessed the final blow. After struggling for several seconds, Grian finished the job. His face was stained with blood, looking up at White Star who lingered by the entrance.

“Y-Y-You… k-killed him?” His voice shook.

Grian ripped the knife out of Blue Star’s neck and equipped it. He then grabbed his dagger, one eye remaining on White Star. With his weapon back in his hand, he turned to face White Star. He gripped the dagger tightly, taking a few steps towards the man.

As he approached White Star, the man turned around and sprinted out of the building. Grian stared in the direction he fled, tilting his head. “What a coward.” He remarked. “Well… better for me, I guess.” He turned away, wiping the blood off his face with his torn shirt. “Now, why were they targeting me. What have I done to piss them off? Damn it! Why can’t I remember?”

***

Several tens of minutes later, White Star found himself in front of the headquarters of Flame’s group, the Heroes of the Underground or HOTU for short. He approached the front door of the three-story building, being instantly recognized by the guards positioned outside. They also recognized that he was missing his comrade. Even so, they led him into the building and to Flame’s room, known as the Great Chamber.

“Sir, White Star is here.” One of the guards said.

“Let him in.” Flame calmly said. The guards nodded, opening the door and letting White Star enter. White Star, feeling chills running down his spine, looked around the room. Four guards stood on either side of him. He then looked in front of him, noticing the luxurious-looking cloth on the floor. It resembled a throne room, except that Flame wasn’t sitting on a throne, but standing over a metal circle that was where the throne would’ve been.

The crime lord turned to face White Star. Instantly, White Star recognized the several tattoos littering Flame’s body ranging from dragons to swans to fire. The tattoos were embedded into Flame’s muscular build - some of his body was hidden by a thin set of black armor covering his entire body. His head wasn’t shielded, allowing White Star to see his face. He had a large scar that went over his left eye while his right eye remained functional - it was emerald green in color. In contrast to his eye, his skin