by Leon Logos
“Personally, I think we might just start doing that,” said Kyler. “Father wanted us keeping it to attract Aurelians probably. It sounds ridiculous, but if there are Aurelians at school we don’t catch—well, they’ll just come to us even if we don’t find them.”
“But Tony wanted me dead the second he heard my name on the first day,” Serenity groaned. “He should’ve just killed me quicker.”
“He wanted to play with you,” said Kyler dryly. “Not just mentally, but physically. He—”
“I get it, so please stop bringing it up,” she implored.
The brothers chose the right time to return. They opened the doors and hunched into their seats, their arms full of bags of chips and snacks. Garen purchased a full gallon of water just for himself. Cackle’s hands were crammed with candy. Agno, being the considerate brother, had brought five bottles of water. Kyler grabbed one from him, twisted the cap, and took a few sips. Serenity reached for one but was denied.
“Not for you,” Agno said, mouth full of Doritos.
“But I’m—”
“Unscathed,” Garen cut her off. “We all busted our asses during this mission. You didn’t get a scratch on you. Quit acting entitled just ‘cause you dropped a girl; it was a nice move, but don’t get spoiled now.”
Serenity frowned; this was definitely not the case. She requested water simply because she was thirsty. She hadn’t drunk or eaten anything in over twelve hours. At realizing that she was hungry as well, her stomach grumbled silently. As if the parched mouth and lips weren’t enough. (The tap water at the motel was disgusting, so she barely drank any.) And the fact that she escaped the night unscathed was irrelevant. She had irrefutably suffered the most out of everyone. Serenity subconsciously glanced at Kyler for assistance, but she quickly got over herself. Just because Kyler was friendly with her (meaning: not harsh) didn’t mean he’d intervene with these negligible affairs and help her. At the end of the day, it was his brothers before her.
The drive to the hotel was short, as expected. Only a ten-minute drive. The hotel was lofty and sumptuous with at least ten floors. It looked at least three stars and very high-end; this seemed like the type of hotel Gunther would opt for, given his opulent standards. Desmos parked the van in the nearest spot and turned off the engine. They all exited the van one after the other, grabbing their belongings from the back. Serenity read the sign. It was a four-star Hilton hotel.
“Sure beats any motel,” Agno nodded approvingly. “How long we staying here?”
“Only a night,” said Desmos, “Father already booked a room for us. There’ll be no need to check in, so don’t wait around.”
They walked through a revolving door to get to the lobby. Classical music was playing, augmenting the extravagance of the establishment. The air was fragrantly scented. Unlike the motel, this hotel was busy and thoroughly occupied. Families must’ve been flying in for Thanksgiving. The marble floor was glistening clean and sparkled in the light, and the walls were flawlessly tiled. It certainly was a luxurious hotel. There were several lounges with cozy sofas and couches and a bar to the left. Several flat-screen TVs were mounted throughout the lobby. Cackle eyed the snack bar naughtily, ready to raid it at any given moment. Desmos nodded curtly at the hotel recipient and headed straight to the elevators. The recipient eyed them watchfully. Next to the elevators was a fitness center; Garen peeked inside through the skinny window on the door. He grunted in disappointment, banging on the door.
“These gyms are for grandpas,” he retorted.
Desmos pressed the button to summon the elevator and waited patiently. There was a commotion in the lounge area, where a group of jersey-clad people where passionately watching an NFL game, jeering at one of the teams and cheering for one of the others.
“Of course they’re Patriots fans,” Garen spoke again. “Bandwagons will be bandwagons. What happened to the Saints?”
Garen watched sports whenever he could and often kept up with them. He also liked to play but wasn’t exactly skilled at them, due to being entirely dependent on physical strength. Not to mention he was relentlessly violent, resulting in the injuring of many opponents and being kicked from various teams (when he played at schools). The elevator doors opened with a ding, revealing a knot of people that were clustered inside. They stepped out, conversing loudly and gleefully among each other.
They stepped inside, filling up the elevator. Desmos pushed the 5 button, taking them to the fifth floor. There were thirteen floors in total. She leaned against the elevator railing, using it as support to maintain her balance as the elevator ascended at a surprisingly quick pace.
With another ding, the hotel doors opened on the fifth floor. They stepped out of the elevator and into the carpeted floors. Desmos turned right. The corridors were long and stretched for many yards, twisting and turning infrequently. Each door had its own silver plaque, displaying the room number. They walked on for a few minutes until they reached the end of the hall, stopping in front of room 532.
Desmos knocked twice and they waited. Heavy footsteps gradually grew closer and the door opened. Gunther appeared before them. This was their first time seeing him in quite a while. He was wearing a brown overcoat and leather boots. Gunther stepped aside and gestured them inside.
They filed into the room one-by- one. It was a spacious white-walled room with a full king-sized bed, desk, wardrobe, table, sofa, accompanied by a closet and high-quality bathroom that contained both a shower and bathtub. Of course, there was also a large flat-screen TV. It looked more like an apartment rather than a hotel. Serenity sat at the edge of the bed quietly, behind the others.
“We have much to talk about,” Gunther spoke, voice gravelly. “But first things first…Serenity, come here.”
She stared, heartrate beginning to increase. He was starting with her? She got to her feet slowly and walked over to him apprehensively. The silence was eerie, making everybody’s breathing perceptible. Gunther grabbed her shoulder with one arm, his grip solid. He lifted her chin with a finger, getting a good look at her face, forcing her to look up at him.
“I see you haven’t been hurt,” he said. “No injuries…well done.”
Serenity nodded, putting on a weak smile.
Then, out-of-the-blue, he slapped the soul out of her, knocking her down to the carpeted floor.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Serenity yelped, landing on her bottom. She clutched her now-scarlet right cheek in both shock and discomfort; it was stinging intensely and throbbing uncontrollably. The strike was so powerful that her head had snapped to the other side, and she saw blackness for a second. She looked up at the brothers; they paid no mind to her. They watched Gunther expressionlessly. His face was suddenly twisted in fury, his mouth ready to explode.
“WHO GAVE YOU GUYS AUTHORITY TO GO CRAZY?!” he demanded. “YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU’VE DONE?”
“We infiltrated an Aurelian household and eliminated our targets,” Desmos began. “The mission didn’t end in failu—”
“AT WHAT COST!?” Gunther thundered, with his stentorian voice. “WHOSE IDEA WAS IT TO BLOW IT UP!? EVERY AURELIAN ON THE PLANET HEARD IT!”
“We didn’t do it, they did,” Desmos said firmly. “The mission didn’t go as planned; I realize we attracted too much unwanted attention, forcing us to flee. But we’re allowed to hunt during school-season if—”
“I EXPECTED MORE FROM YOU, DESMOS! WHY NOT ASK ME FOR MY PERMISSION FIRST?” Gunther raged.
“I didn’t think I needed it,” Desmos replied patiently; it was unreal how calm he was being.
Every brother was dead silent, lips sealed. Serenity was cowering, scrambling backwards on her palms, step by step. Gunther began pacing back and forth in the room. He swiped a wine glass from the table and crushed it with his bare hands, the shards crashing to the floor. His hands were unscathed.
“You don’t understand!” Gunther growled. “You interfered with my plans! All our enemies are converging on us as we speak! We ha
ve to leave! Far away from here!”
“Let them come, then,” Desmos said bravely. “We don’t run.”
“Don’t be so immature!” Gunther scowled, chest heaving. “Think logically—we are outnumbered. Never before has the enemy come at us all at once! They may not know our precise location, but they know our general location! All because you idiots were reckless! Eliminating Aurelians are one thing, but their affiliates?! They’ll come for us without hesitation!”
“‘Affiliates’?” Desmos repeated puzzledly.
Gunther howled raucously in derisive laughter. She had never heard this sound coming from him before. He had lost his mind.
“You FOOLS! That house you raided was no Aurelian residence! Zero Aurelians died in your little escapade! You expended your blood and ammunition on mercenaries!”
Desmos stared at Gunther, speechless; in his head, he was probably in disbelief at the news, reprimanding himself for his miscalculation. Serenity was equally as stunned. So Tony really wasn’t an Aurelian? Desmos turned to Cackle, seething. From what Kyler had said, Cackle was the one who had tailed Tony and eavesdropped on his phone call.
“Hey, I told you everything I heard spot on!” Cackle threw his hands into the air defensively.
“WHAT PHONE CALL?” Gunther exploded.
“Between our primary target and a suspected Aurelian,” said Desmos. “The conversation, if heard correctly, was incriminating enough to confirm our suspicion that he was an enemy.”
“Who was this target? How did you get to him?!”
“A student at the school,” Desmos explained. “We observed his interest in Serenity to be unusual. They were classmates. She served as both our spy and out bait.”
“Never mind!” Gunther snarled. “I don’t want to hear any more about this debacle! I will be forthright; after tonight, we’re leaving. Out of the country. Our next destination is somewhere I’ve been planning for quite a while. Here is the key to your room. Now get out of my sight and leave me to cool off!”
Gunther, who was near her, grabbed her by the hair; her hair stretched painfully against her scalp as she screeched. He threw her forward. She stumbled to her feet, off balance.
“Considering you were unharmed, I suppose you were being a coward once again,” Gunther spat. “You insufferable little girl!”
Serenity grabbed the door handle and exited the room, being the first one out. She wanted to put as much distance as she could from her infuriated father. The other brothers followed suit, Kyler grabbing her stuff for her. Some of their neighbors had curiously stepped out of their rooms and into the halls to investigate; they gawked at them cluelessly. Desmos led the way to their room. The room was just like Gunther’s, except there were two beds instead of one. She sniffled as she kicked off her shoes and crawled onto the nearest bed, burying her face in the mattress.
Her body was still shaking, tremoring from Gunther’s wrath. It had been a considerable amount of time since he had last hit her; she almost forgot how it felt to receive his powerful strikes.
“Well, that didn’t go too well,” Garen sighed.
“Damn, I haven’t seen him that pissed since Serenity slacked on look-out duty,” Cackle whistled. “I nearly shit myself.”
“Stop crying,” Desmos snapped, grabbing her by the scruff of her neck and pulling her head up. “He barely grazed you.”
“Why was I the only one that got hit?” she whined.
“For once, I agree,” said Garen, on the other bed, taking off his shoes. “It was your call to crash the party, Desmos. You deserve a slap, too.”
“I take responsibility for my blunders,” Desmos said heatedly. “But this mission was no mistake. They might not have been Aurelians, but they were still enemies. And you guys were all for it anyway.”
“I’m just saying,” Garen continued, “I think you should be held accountable since you’re leader and all that.”
There was a hint of spite in his voice. Desmos narrowed his eyes, approaching Garen slowly. It was clear that Garen had a problem with something; he was instigating a confrontation.
“Don’t be such a bitch, little brother,” Desmos provoked. “I know you’ve got something to say, so just spit it out now.”
Garen got to his feet at the words “little brother,” antagonized. Everybody in the family knew that Garen disapproved of being second-in-command (third, if you counted Gunther). To him, being called “little” by anyone was an insult, especially by Desmos. They got face-to-face. Garen was taller than Desmos by three inches, not to mention larger; however, Desmos was not intimidated in the slightest.
“Okay,” Garen said, “if we had just killed the kid earlier, either at school or his house, none of this would’ve ever happened. I would’ve given that order and we would’ve been fine.”
“Don’t be such a child,” Desmos said bitterly. “Quit being salty that you’re younger and just accept who’s in charge.”
“Oh, I’ve accepted it,” said Garen, raising his voice. “I just don’t agree with it. You should take input from us rather than make these decisions by yourself!”
“That’s a laugh,” Desmos scoffed. “Bringing up the reason why you’re unfit to lead. You’re the type of self-centered guy to make headstrong decisions and jeopardize the team. You don’t think I take all you guys into account when it comes to making decisions? I never worry about myself. But you guys, I make sure to be considerate of!”
“Another thing I really hate,” Garen said, fuming. “You think you’re so superior, don’t you!?”
“You’re describing yourself there, man,” Agno gagged, laughing.
“SHUT UP!” Garen yelled.
“Or what?” Agno challenged. “Go on, do something.”
“Come here, then, I’ll snap you in two,” Garen threatened.
“I thought you were beefing with Desmos,” Cackle joined in. “If we having a battle royale here, I’m in!”
“He’s right,” Desmos nodded. “Anything else you want to say, Garen?”
“Nah, man, I’m done talking,” Garen said, taking off his jacket. “Let’s just finish this. Put your hands up.”
“We’re not going to get physical over a tantrum,” Desmos replied maturely. “Put them down.”
“Yeah, pussy out; you know you can’t beat me. You made a smart choice, for once…”
Desmos turned to walk away into the bathroom, but Garen shoved him as a sort of parting gift. Now he had done it. Desmos wheeled around and shoved Garen twice as hard, incredibly knocking him back a yard. Nobody else could push Garen that far; he was a boulder.
“You really want to go to sleep, don’t you?” Desmos said acidly.
A brawl ensued, to nobody’s surprise. Garen and Desmos began exchanging fists, each blow heavy and powerful. Cackle jumped off the couch and to his feet excitedly, while Agno circled around them, entertained. Kyler spectated the rumpus dully, seated lazily on a chair. Fights were far from uncommon among the brothers; this was no spectacle. Serenity watched from the bed attentively but unconcernedly. It was just a petty argument they had gone into; she could usually tell whether it would get serious or not. Neither combatant had looked incensed enough for her to believe the fight would have to be broken up. The brothers quarreled regularly, whether physically or verbally. This time around, she wagered the fight would end swiftly. And she wasn’t wrong.
After rolling around on the floor for a bit, Desmos managed to subdue Garen in a headlock. But Garen didn’t make it easy; he resisted profusely, repeatedly bringing Desmos’s upper body up from the ground and slamming him down, his back taking the hits. Garen was fully capable of breaking out of it. Suddenly, a knock came at the door. Both Desmos and Garen continued to wriggle around, but Desmos was insistent on ending the scrap.
“Stay still!” he hissed. “You damn worm!”
“You’re the one who’s got me locked up!” Garen replied, voice low.
Desmos released Garen and did a kip-up to his feet, crossing t
o the door. Garen sat upright, dissatisfied at it ending so early. As far as he was concerned, it ended in a draw but could easily have been a victory. Neither brother was seriously injured; at most, both brothers had mere small cuts on their lips and one or two minor bruises. An employee was at the door, apprising them to keep it down and quell the ruckus. Apparently, they had received complaints from guests on their floor. It was only a matter of time before somebody got fed up.
“No more arguments,” Desmos asserted. “We’ll get kicked out.”
“Twenty more seconds and I would’ve put you out,” Garen snarled.
“One more word out of you, and I swear, I’ll have you six feet under,” Desmos warned viciously, his tone deadly, resembling a furious Gunther.
Garen shut up finally but maintained his glower. Cackle turned on the TV, flipping through channels. He didn’t stop until he found Discovery Channel, both fascinated and disgusted as two gorillas copulated on screen.
“Damn rich people,” Garen snarked, lying back on the bed.
“What pissed you off anyway?” Agno asked. “We both know Desmos isn’t to blame. We all wanted to kill those Aurelian scum.”
“Yeah, but we still would’ve been better off if he had just listened to me!” Garen responded.
“Still, dude, you’re being petty. Man up already.”
“Shut your mouth.”
Though, deep down, Garen knew he was being petulant. He had projected his displeasure towards the mission failure on Desmos; which was why he didn’t bring the matter up any more and refrained from stirring up any further disputes. Just like that, the discord had ceased.
They rested in the hotel for the next couple of hours. Serenity claimed one of the beds, napping under the sheets, wrapped in the blanket. Thankfully, nobody had forced her out. Since there were only two beds, she knew she would have to share with somebody. There were six of them in total; one person would have to sleep on the couch while another would have to be on the floor. Unless Garen got a bed to his own, due to his Herculean size; though, that would be unlikely after his querulousness.