The Dark Streets

by Matthew Smith

  “You don’t know what you’re talking about so shut the fuck up and let someone who does, talk, okay?” He nodded and rubbed his face, “okay good.” She looked back at me, “anyways before I was rudely interrupted, I was going to say, we didn’t work out because we were going down two different paths in life at that time and I've been putting off talking to him, but it seems life wants us to meet again, so I guess it must mean, we’re met to be, I’m going with you guys, I’ll get him to come with us.” Lucas smiled,

  “Okay right on man! I think you guys should leave asap, so we can have a plan rolling into motion as quickly as possible.” I nodded,

  “I agree with you Lucas.” I looked at Tony and Maria,

  “Okay you guys ready to do this?” They nodded and we left Lucas' room and we started walking down the hallway,

  “What the fuck sis! I still can’t believe you dated that fucker, even after knowing everything, that’s fucked up man! Blood means nothing I guess eh!?” She stopped walking and looked at Tony,

  “What the fuck more do you want me to say Tony!? And quite frankly who I give my body and heart to, is none of your fucking business!”

  “I know Maria! But I thoght you would have sone fucking morales at least jesus fucking christ!” We continued walking towards the exit of the 47’s’ hideout. We reached the door and I opened it and we left the 47's hideout and walked towards the truck,

  “I’m sorry Tony but I still love him and probably always will and you will just have to live with it, can you?” Tony looked at her,

  “I will try for you, only for you, not for him, just you, but I swear he hurts you, I’ll kill the bastard, okay?” Tony offered her his hand she shook his hand,

  “Okay agreed.” We reached the truck and we got into it and I turned the truck on and started driving out of the parking lot and down the street,

  “So where am I going Maria?” She looked at me and Tony,

  “Wel you guys may not like this very much, but he’s in Yakuza Killaz territory.” Tony looked at her,

  “What the fuck!? And i’m just hearing about this now!?” I looked at Tony,

  “Who are the Yakuza Killaz?” Tony looked at me,

  “They’re a bunch of crazy former Yakuza members deported from Japan and they decided to come here to North America, and create a more urban and street version of the traditional Japanese Yakuza.” I nodded,

  “I see, I’ve heard of them briefly, but didn’t know anything at all.” We reached Yakuza Killaz's turf, Tony looked at me and Maria,

  “Okay guys, we have to be careful, make sure your guns are loaded, Maria do you have a gun?” She nodded and took out a .44 revolver,

  “Does this answer your question?” Tony nodded,

  “Yes, yes it does.” She checked to see if it was loaded and then she put it away,

  “Turn left at the next set of lights and his place is the first apartment on the right.” We reached the lights and it was red and I stopped the truck and waited for the light to turn green. The lights turned green and I turned the truck left and I saw the apartment Maria was talking about and parked the truck in front of it. I turned the truck off and we got out of the truck,

  “How do you know if he still lives here?” Maria looked up at the window at the very top,

  “I don’t but I have a very good idea that he’s still here.” We walked up to the apartment building and we reached the front door and I opened it and we walked into the front lobby and Maria walked to the buzzer and dialed four zero three and the buzzer started ringing after a while someone answered,

  “Hello, who is this?” Maria looked at me and Tony and smiled and nodded,

  “Hey Mark.”

  “Maria? What are you doing here? I thought you never wanted to talk to me again?”

  “Yeah I know but I changed my mind and well we need your help.”

  “We? Who’s this we?”

  “I’m here with Jack Darring and my step brother, Tony, but Lucas is the one that needs your help.”

  “Tony is with you!? Why did you bring that fucker with you!? What the fuck is this about Maria!?”

  “Relax Mark, he’s here on behalf of Lucas, so am I.”

  “Okay as long as he is here in peace and not to fight, and let bygones be bygones then we’re good! And who’s this Jack?” Maria looked at Tony and he reluctantly nodded his head,

  “Can we come up? You can meet Jack in person, he has a long story anyways.”

  “Okay yeah sure.” He unlocked the door and we walked to the staircase and started walking up the stairs. We reached the fourth floor and I opened the door to the hallway and opened it and we started walking down the hallway until we reached Mark’s apartment, four zero three, Maria knocked on the door,

  “It's open, come on in!” We walked in and we walked into Mark’s living room and saw him sitting on his couch, he looked at Tony and got up, “hello Tony, no long time no see, how are you?” Mark offered his fist to bump and Tony bumped his fist,

  “Yeah a long time and I’m not too bad, I make do, you know? How about you?” Tony sat down on the couch beside Mark and I sat down on a chair and so did Maria,

  “I’m doing as good as I can, I’m kinda living here under protection from the Blue Brotherhood’s Axe Man.” Maria’s eyes grew wide,

  “Oh my god Mark that’s not good at all! Are you okay!?” Mark nodded,

  “Yes I’m being protected by the Yakuza Killaz.” Tony chuckled,

  “That was a dumb move Mark, no offense.” Mark looked at Tony,

  “I know that now, but when I did it, it was with no thinking, I’m actually now on the run from them anyways, so it’s kinda good that you’re here.” I looked at him,

  “Why is that exactly?” Mark looked at me,

  “Well I'm guessing your Jack pleasure to meet you and why is what exactly?”

  “Why are you on the run from the Yakuza Killaz?” He smiled at me,

  “Stick with me on this but it’s fucking hilairous! But anyways, they hired me to rob a bank of all it’s money, about ten million total. Well I pulled it off and paid all the help I used like I was told to but I haven’t given their cut yet and I won’t, so let’s get the fuck out of here, like now!” Just then the windows of his apartment start getting shot out, we fell to the ground in prone position, I looked at Mark,

  “Is this the part where we all laugh and say you did a good job!?” I crouched to the window and peeked out and saw two cars with five guys in black suits and uzis shooting at us, they stopped shooting and started walking towards the building, I looked at the others,

  “Not to be the bearer of bad news but they’re coming in and there’s five of them.” Mark looked at me and Tony and Maria,

  “Well the four of us should be able to take these fuckers down!” Tony nodded,

  “Yes I agree, me and Maria can be right here beside the entrance and you guys can be in the room, sound good guys?” We all nodded and we got into our positions, Maria and Tony were on opposite sides of the door and me and were opposite from one another inside the room. We could hear the footsteps of the Yakuza Killaz coming up the stairs,

  “Okay get ready guys!” The first Yakuza came up and Tony shot him in the head and then two more came in and Maria shot one and I shot the other one, “two left guys!” Just then a Yakuza came running and screaming up towards me with a sword and he slashed at me, got me cut me on my stomach, “fuck!” I shot the Yakuza and the last one came in and Mark killed him, I looked at him and he nodded at me, we all walked in his living room, Maria looked “So do you still know where the Blue Brotherhood hideout is?” He nodded,

  “Of course I do, it’s up here.” He pointed to his head, he looked around and then looked at me, “do you really want to know where it’s located?” I nodded,

  “Yes I really do, would you take us there?” He rubbed his chin,

  “I’m not sure, I need a good reason.”

  “What if I told you all life and everything you kno
w and love will just be gone forever, if you just sit around and do nothing.” He scoffed,

  “What if I told you, I don’t believe you.” Stake appeared in front of him and he shockingly looked at him,

  “Holy shit! Who are you and where did you come from?” Stake smiled,

  “I quite enjoy everyone’s different reaction to me, it is rather enjoyable, but back to the important stuff, my name is Stake, I am from a Dimension called Ether, I am from a planet not to far from Pluto called Pharnia, I am a Morpher, I’m also a direct descendent of an Elder of the Ether Dimension a group of special individuals with a special connection to the two Energies that created life, Principle and Nepharia, they used these Life Energies to create three other Dimensions, including yours, the one we are in now. My people also co habit the planet with a race called the Zions, we have been at war for centuries, to try and win the war they created and unleashed a virus called the Darkness, that manipulates the host and makes them insane and evil, it was supposed to fight us but instead fought everyone and my brother Drogoth, has fused his Life Energies with the Darkness, to become an unstoppable monster but Tony here, he was born with the Darkness in his DNA and his entire family succumbed to the virus but he’s immune and his Life Energies have naturally fused with the virus and are working together in perfect harmony instead of fighting one another but anyways we need your help to take us to the Blue Brotherhood’s hideout and stop them, because they are working with my brother to achieve his goal which is to fuse the Life Energies of all the Dimensions and create his One Dimension Universe.” He looked at Maria and she looked at him as well,

  “You saw that too?”

  “You don’t know? Either?” He looked at Tony,

  “What the fuck is this Tony?”

  “He’s telling you the truth, I’m fused with the Darkness, I can the thoughts of the dead at all times, I’m myself am dead and not dead at the same time.” Maria looked at Tony,

  “And you’ve been like this ever since you were born?” He looked at her and nodded,

  “Yes I have but it’s good, I know now and I can use it to my advantage.” I looked at him,

  “So can you tell us the location of the Blue Brotherhood now?”

  “Oh shit yeah I forgot, sorry about that, it's out in the countryside,I can’t quite remember the specific location of the top of my head but if you want I can take you guys there, might be easier that way.”

  “Yes but the only problem with that, there isn't enough room in my truck.”

  “Don't worry about that, I got a van that can fit us all.”

  “Okay sounds good, we should get going before more Yakuza Kilaz come.” Mark nodded and got up,

  “I agree, let’s go.” He got his shoes on and grabbed his keys and I opened the door and we walked out of the apartment and into the hallway, Mark closed the door and locked it. We started walking down the hallway towards the staircase, and we reached the door to the staircase. I opened the door and held it open for everyone and I closed the door and we started walking down the stairs. We reached the first floor and saw a hallway going left and right, we went left the opposite direction we took coming in. We walked down the hallway and reached a door. Mark opened it and it opened to the parking lot, he held the door open for everyone, he closed the door and we started walking towards his van, we reached his van, “You want to drive Jack?” I nodded and he gave me the keys and we got in the van and I locked the van and turned it on. I started driving out of the parking lot and onto the street back to the 47's turf, not too long after driving down the street I noticed a car following us in the rearview mirror,

  “I think they found us guys!” Mark looked back,

  “Fuck! It is them! Now what!?”

  “The obvious option, pull out your guns and kill them.” As soon as he said that, two more cars turned off a side street and started following us, the first car drove up on the passenger side of our car and someone pulled their arm out with an Uzi in his hand and started shooting us, Tony, Maria and Mark pulled out their guns and started shooting back at the Yakuza Killaz in the cars,

  “Kill these fuckers! I need to focus on driving!” Mark took out a sawed off shotgun and shot directly at the window the arm was coming out of and the guys arm got hit by the shotgun blast and the hand exploded and the Uzi fell to the ground and the window shattered and there was blood all over the side of the car, Tony then aimed at the back tire and shot it, the tire exploded and the car flipped and smashed into the side of a building and the car bursts into flames,

  “One down, two to go.” The other car drove up on the driver side of our car, an arm came out of a window and this time the guy had a Desert Eagle, and started shooting at me, Maria carefully aimed at the guy's hand and shot at it and he dropped the gun and she aimed at the driver's head and shot the driver's head and blood splattered on the windshield and the car weaved and smashed into the other car that was following us and they smashed and exploded,

  “Double whammy!” Tony looked at Maria and then at Mark,

  “My God that was intense!” We kept driving down the street,

  “You could’ve told us that you stole money from them and they wanted to kill you, so we could be a little more prepared next time.” Mark looked at Maria,

  “I’m sorry, I’ll remember next time.”

  “You better Mark, you should’ve known better.” We made it back into the 47's turf, “finally made it back home, now if the Yakuza Killas come and attack us it'd be a start to a turf war and I don't think that's what they want, especially with the Blue Brotherhood fuckers taking all of us down.” We made it to the parking lot across the street from the 47's hideout. I parked the van and turned it off and we got out, I locked it and we started walking to the front door of the hideout. We reached the front door and Maria knocked on the door, the slit on the door opened,

  “Hello who is it?”

  “Who the fuck do you think!?” The slit closed, and the door opened, and we walked in and the room was half filled with 47’s gangbangers, we walked up the stairs and opened the door to Lucas' office, he was sitting in his chair,

  “So I'm guessing you guys succeeded?” Mark walked up to Lucas,

  “Lucas, how's it goin' old friend? I hear you of all people need help.” The hugged and let go of each other,

  “Things could be a hell of a lot worse and yes I do, and you probably know that our Dimension needs our help as well, so with your help we can do this.” Mark nodded,

  “Yes I did hear and I will offer my help, on one condition.“

  “And what is that exactly old friend?”

  “I want you to forgive me of my past crimes I committed to your loyalty.” Lucas nodded,

  “It’s done my friend, you are forgiven, I think it’s time to make a plan to attack the Blue Brotherhood, so where is their hideout Mark?”

  “It's in the countryside, it’s easier if I just take you there.” Lucas nodded,

  “Okay, everyone, me and Mark are going to come up with a plan, so everyone except Mark leave .” Me, Tony and Maria left Lucas' office, I closed the door behind us and I looked at Tony and Maria,

  “We’re getting closer now.” Tony and Maria nodded,

  “Yes we are.”

  “I’m scared we may not have enough strength to defeat him.”

  “I think we do.” We walked down the stairs and Tony and Maria sat down on chairs and I walked to the fridge and it was filled with beer, I grabbed one for all of us. I walked back to where we were sitting, I passed everyone their beer, we all opened our beers and we all took a sip, I started walking towards my room,

  “I'm going to hang in my room for a bit.” Tony and Maria nodded, I reached the door and opened it and got in my room and closed the door behind me and chugged the rest of my beer and put the empty on my end table, I laid down on my bed and fell asleep. I hear my door being knocked on,

  “Hey Jack, Lucas is ready to see us now.” I got up off the bed and walked out of my room a
nd started following Maria and Tony back to Lucas' office. I closed the door to my room, and started walking down the hallway to the lobby and we reached the stairs to his office. Maria opened the door to his office and we got in, Tony was on the left hand side of Lucas' desk and Mark on the right side, Lucas looked up at us,

  “Let's discuss this plan me and Mark came up with.”

  Chapter Eleven

  “So what did you and Mark come up with exactly cuz?” Mark looked up at Tony,

  “I’m not gonna lie but this plan is a banger! I’m super proud of it, ready to hear it?” Me and Tony nodded our heads furiously,

  “Yes, just fucking tell us already! It’s why we’re here.” He put his hands up,

  “Okay, okay no need to get you pantied in a bunch, it’s going to be a five man operation, we will be sneaking into their hideout so they don’t know that we have broken in, we want to be as stealthy as we can possibly be or it’s going to be a dangerous mission and we could possibly die, so do you guys want to do it or are you guys too chicken? Because if you’re too chicken I get it, I’ll understand if you guys want to back out.” Me and Tony shook our heads,

  “No we’re good, we can do this!” We put our fists in the air,

  “Good to hear guys.” He then looked at Maria for approval, “what about you darling?” She looked at Lucas and Mark and nodded,

  “Hell no! I want to help in any way I can!” Lucas and Mark smiled and nodded,

  “Okay good that’s what I want to hear! Let’s get going to their hideout and catch them off guard!” Lucas got up and started walking out of his office, Mark looked at him.

  “Are we not bringing any more of your guys?” We started following him out of his office, and into the hallway,

  “No I don’t really have that many ‘guys’ anymore, not with the Blue Brotherhood out killing my boys and scaring other people away from joining, so lately I’ve been doing everything myself with a few of my boys as guards and that’s it! Gotta preserve what’s left of what I built.” We walked down the stairs and left the hideout and we walked across the street to the parking lot where I parked the van. We got in and I got into the driver’s seat and Lucas got in the passenger's seat and Tony, Maria and Mark got into the back. I turned the van on and I started driving out of the parking lot and down the street, towards the countryside. As we were driving I was thinking about Willow, and was starting to worry because I haven’t heard from her in a long time, I also wonder what she has found out and if she’s okay and hoping no one found out and that she has been captured. After a while of driving, we made it to the countryside,