by Ammar Habib
She stopped walking and he did the same. Looking at him with a smile, she slightly tilted her head to the side. “Ethan, are you asking me out on a date?”
As wrong as Ethan felt for having asked Katrina that question, her smile made it feel all the more right. Ethan shrugged, now wearing a sly grin on his face. “Well if that’s how you want to look at it. Some people might just look call it dinner between good friends.”
“And what do you look at it as?”
“Whichever one makes you say ‘yes’.”
She laughed, the infectious sound bringing a small shred of happiness to Ethan’s heart as the two continued making their way up the hill. “So is that a ‘yes’?”
Katrina nodded and her gaze fell upon him once again. “I heard there’s a good steakhouse called Brian’s. How about we meet there at seven?”
Ethan’s heart skipped a beat, but he kept his composure. “It’s a date then—well, if you want to call it that.”
Again, her laughter echoed throughout the cemetery.
The pair finally made it to the top of the hill. Looking down, they could see the gate of the graveyard and the road outside. Ethan’s red Ferrari glimmered in the sunlight parked beside a black Mercedes. Next to the Mercedes stood a tall man with a shaved head. Dressed in a suit and tie, Ethan instantly registered him as Katrina’s bodyguard. As the two began to make their descent, Ethan motioned over to the man. “Does he follow you everywhere?”
“You know how grandpa’s always been overprotective of me.”
“I don’t blame him. What’s his name?”
“Ivan.” Her gaze fell upon Ethan’s face as she tilted her head to the side in a sarcastic manner. “Try to be nice, Ethan. He’s a friend.”
He let out a laugh. “I’ll do my best.”
***
Sitting at the round dining table, Ethan stared at the two cold turkey sandwiches in front of him. Directly across the table sat Jonathan and Cathy, and in the center of the table rested a small tray holding a shaker of salt and pepper along with several napkins. A bowl of coleslaw and another bowl full of ruby colored chips were next to it. Ethan stared at his food in silence. The tension in the room grating on his nerves.
Just as he picked up his sandwich, Jonathan decided to end the awkward silence. “Were you able to see your friend yet, Ethan? Um, I think her name was Katrina.”
Ethan nodded as he took a bite of his sandwich. As he swallowed he looked up at his brother. “I saw her this morning actually. At David’s grave.”
Cathy’s eyes widened when she heard his statement. “Oh, you’ve visited your grandfather’s grave?”
“Today was the first time.”
He turned his attention back as Jonathan now spoke. “Cathy and I try to go there every so often. We even took Benjamin with us last time.”
Ethan did not reply to the comment, not quite knowing what to say.
Cathy saved him from the uncomfortable pause. “So, this Katrina. Is she a good friend?”
Ethan nodded.
“I don’t think I’ve ever met her.” She looked over at Jonathan. “Have you ever met her?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t had the pleasure yet. Why don’t you bring her over sometime, Ethan? We’d both love to get to know her better.”
Ethan had no intention of doing such a thing. But he smiled and nodded before taking another bite of his food. Slowly, he chewed on the bite trying to enjoy the flavors.
“How’s the food, Ethan? Can I get you anything else?”
He shook his head as he swallowed. “It’s perfect, Cathy. Thanks.”
With a smile, she began to pick up her sandwich. Jonathan thoughtfully looked at the mirror before looking back at Ethan. “Ethan, I need to ask you something. I heard that you had your headstone replaced…for a girl named Naira.” Jonathan looked uncomfortable as he continued. “Can I ask who she was?”
Ethan didn’t make eye contact with his brother for several seconds as he debated how best to proceed. He didn’t want to be completely closed off but couldn’t tell him the entire truth either. Making a decision, Ethan told his brother what truths he could. “I met her while I was away. She was like a sister to me. She helped me, more than I could ever repay her for.”
There was another silence, but once again Cathy broke it. “Can I ask how she died?”
Another stillness consumed the room. In an instant Ethan saw the faces of Baatu and his gang of drunken scumbags towering over his beaten and nearly unconscious body. Their malevolent snickers and sinful smiles looked down upon his bloody form as he lay sprawled across the dirty road. Shards of glass from broken bottles were lying all around him.
He heard Naira’s screams, but was powerless to do anything. She’d called out Ethan’s name, but he was unable to muster the strength to even turn his head. He felt his blood leach out of the numerous cuts and gouges covering his body. He had completely lost the vision in his left eye, and everything in his right eye was a blur. Baatu crouched down before him and Ethan could smell the stench of alcohol on his breath. His dark skin glimmered under the moonlight, his bloodshot eyes nearly black in the darkness. With a sinister laugh, he smashed his glass bottle onto Ethan’s skull and everything ended.
Coming back to the present, Ethan stared into Cathy’s eyes. “Not well.”
The rest of the meal passed in silence.
Chapter 6
Ready For War
Mr. Zhao let out a sudden shriek and jumped back a little upon seeing an intruder in his bedroom. The intruder glared at Mr. Zhao with an emotionless face, but Mr. Zhao recognized the man within a matter of seconds. “Ethan! My god, you gave me quite a scare.”
The eighteen-year-old Ethan did not reply. Sitting upright on the bed halfway between the entrance and the balcony, he was wearing a grey, buttoned up trench coat and black pants. Either hand was covered with a black, leather glove and a pair of black dress shoes was worn by his feet.
At first, Mr. Zhao tried to smile at his assistant, but stopped short of doing so. Seeing the look in Ethan’s eyes, Mr. Zhao hesitated before speaking. “How’d you get in here, son?”
As Mr. Zhao finished his statement, he realized what Ethan was carrying in his hands: a gun. It was a small handgun, a P99, with a silencer attached to the end of its barrel. Mr. Zhao froze, his gaze going from the weapon to Ethan’s face and then back to the weapon. Still emotionless, Ethan continued to stare at the Chinese man’s face.
“Wh-what are you doing with that?”
Ethan raised the weapon and aimed it at Zhao. “Sit down.”
Mr. Zhao slowly raised his hands. “Talk to me, Ethan. What are you trying to do?”
“I said sit down!”
Mr. Zhao’s heart skipped a beat as he winced upon hearing the spike in Ethan’s voice. He slowly proceeded to a wooden chair in the corner of the room, his body facing Ethan the whole time. “Ok, Ethan. Just calm down.” Zhao took a seat, his hands still raised. “Tell me what’s wrong. Just talk to me.”
The intruder didn’t respond; his silenced weapon still aimed at Mr. Zhao’s forehead.
“What do you want?”
No reply.
“What are you trying to do, damn it?!”
Ethan’s grip on the weapon tightened. “I’m going to kill you.”
Mr. Zhao felt a chill climb up his spine. “Why, Ethan? I’ve been nothing but a friend to you these past months.”
“You’re nothing but a dog hiding behind his wealth. And so is your pal, Cheng.”
Zhao’s eyebrows rose in shock. “A criminal? I’m one of the most charitable men in the city. Do you have—"
Ethan let out a short snicker. “Do you really think I’m an idiot? You use your charities to take advantage of poor children. People like you think you can get away with it because of your power and wealth, but your sins have finally caught up with you.”
Zhao silently stared into the barrel of the gun pointed at him for several seconds. “Who made these ac
cusations? Who told you these lies?”
“Someone you hurt. I didn’t believe her until I saw it for myself.” Ethan rose to his feet. “And as for Cheng, your so-called right-hand man, that dog is right in there with you. But don’t worry; your CEO is going to get what he deserves. After the police find the overwhelming evidence that he’s the one who killed you, he’ll be sure to get the death penalty. After all, people won’t let the killer of such a…charitable citizen live.”
Zhao was desperately trying to find a way out of the situation. “You don’t need to do this. This isn’t your responsibility. It’s the police’s. Call them and let them take me in. Let the courts decide my punishment.”
“Just so you can use your influence to escape justice again? I already tried that route.”
As Zhao stared into Ethan’s deep brown eyes, he could see a certain indescribable sparkle in them. The sparkle of a dying star. The sparkle of a dying innocence. The sparkle of the birth of something else. “…Who the hell are you?”
There was a pause. The smile from Ethan’s face was gone. As Zhao looked at the face of the intruder, he could no longer recognize him as David’s grandson. He was something else.
“I’m the creation of all your sins.”
***
The night after Ethan killed Zhao, he had nightmares about it for a month. The next time he killed somebody, the nightmares lasted only a week long. After the third time, they lasted two days. After that, the nightmares were few and far between.
Ethan took a deep breath of the cold air surrounding him in the warehouse before opening his eyes. The building barely resembled its former self, the hollow deteriorating warehouse. The smell of the dead animals was long gone and the stone floors practically shined. In front of Ethan stood countless ten-feet-tall wooden poles arranged in a zigzag pattern. Their tops were wide enough for Ethan to stand on without losing his balance. Mounted onto the wall to the left of them were seven automated guns loaded with non-lethal pellets. While the pellets wouldn’t kill him, they would definitely leave a sting. The guns were at eye level with the top of the rods and above each weapon was a target.
His gloved hands and fingers were a little sore from hitting the punching bag dangling several feet behind him for the past hour, but the soreness was only temporary. He could still hear the rattling of chains as the bag swayed from its hook.
Ethan was wearing a fitted, long-sleeve red shirt and black athletic pants. Attached to his belt were twelve leather sheaths, each one holding a three-inch-long throwing knife, each sharp enough to slice through flesh as if it were hot butter.
He took a step back before running forward and leaping. His hands caught the top edge of the nearest rod and he instinctively kicked off the side of the pole and pulled himself to the top. Standing up tall, he looked around once more. There were a few feet between each pole, but they were un-evenly spaced and would provide enough challenge to allow Ethan to hone his skills further.
He closed his eyes for a minute, ignoring the soreness in his limbs, the feeling having become a comfort of sorts that he hardly noticed the lingering pain anymore.
Opening his eyes, his right hand grabbed a small remote hanging on his belt. The boarded-up warehouse would have been completely dark had it not been for Ethan once again lighting the lamps and letting their bright illumination fill up the room.
He quickly pressed the dark green button and crouched down, preparing to jump. The seven automatic weapons mounted on the wall suddenly turned and aimed at him. Just as the echo of their gunfire pierced the room, Ethan leapt into the air and dodged the stream of tiny pellets.
Landing on the top of the closest pole, he instinctively bounced off of it and flew towards the next one. In midair, he pulled one of the knives from his belt and threw it at the target above the nearest active gun. The blade cut through the air with a ferocious speed and hit the target dead center. The gun below it immediately shut down.
Coming onto the next rod, he somersaulted towards the next pole. As he did, he released two more blades at the next targets in line. The tiny knives avoided the bullets as they hit their respective marks dead center. The duo of guns shut down like their predecessor.
With a flash, Ethan landed and bounced off of the next pole. While he was in the air, he drew out four more knives and held them between the fingers of either hand. Landing on top of his destination, Ethan suddenly leapt backwards and released the knives. As Ethan travelled through the air, he did a graceful back flip before landing on the ground floor. By the time he hit the ground, the remaining four guns were deactivated.
Standing upright, he looked over at seven automatic weapons he had bested. It had been too easy. But he had done well. Not a single pellet had hit him.
He was ready.
***
“Thanks for giving me the tour, Doug.”
The young intern nodded enthusiastically. “My pleasure, Mr. Daniels. I think it’s great that you’re trying to get to know the firm better.”
Ethan chuckled. “Just call me Ethan. I’m not that old yet.”
The two suited men slowly made their way past the grey-walled cubicles that covered the third floor of the law firm. Seeing the setup of this floor reminded Ethan of a rat maze. He was half expecting to see a piece of cheese waiting for him at his destination.
As he walked under the florescent lights, everyone Ethan passed attempted to greet him. He did his best to nod and smile in greeting but really all he wanted to do was to get out. Faking smiles during conversations with his employees was beginning to irritate him. He had too much work to do but knew this was all necessary, so he continued to remind himself of his end game.
Finally, turning the corner, the young intern took a seat at his empty desk and Ethan took a seat in a nearby chair. Next to the computer was a photo of Doug and his father. The two of them grinned enthusiastically at the camera. Ethan looked away from the picture. Happiness was not something he was accustomed to. It was something he hadn’t felt for a long time now.
Doug woke up his computer and prepared to log into it as he spoke. “Mr.—I mean Ethan, I know this is none of my business, but some people are saying that you are interviewing with William Jones this weekend. Is that true?”
Ethan nodded. “That’s what Charles told me.”
Doug was silent for a second. “So, do you have any more questions for me about the firm, sir?”
“Not any questions really, but I read an article a couple of weeks ago about a person that the firm was trying to prosecute.”
Logging onto his computer, Doug leaned back in his chair as he waited for the screen to load up. He looked over at his new boss. “Really? Who?”
“I think his name is Eugene Hendricks.”
“Oh, yeah. He’s been making the headlines quite a bit lately.”
Ethan leaned forward in his seat. “Do you think you could show me his case file?”
Doug sat upright in his chair, the smile now gone from his face. “Well, um…Ethan, I’m not sure if that’s strictly legal.”
“You do know that I own the place, right?”
There was a brief silence. “One sec.”
Within a matter of seconds, Doug pulled up the profile of Eugene Hendricks. Ethan came to his feet and put his elbow on top of Doug’s chair as he leaned closer to the computer, clearly making the intern uncomfortable. Ethan stared at the screen for a few moments, acting as if he were reading all the details. Really, all he looked for was the officer’s address. Once he located it on the screen, he quickly memorized it before taking a step back. “Thanks.”
Doug closed the window. “No problem.”
Without another glance back, Ethan began making his way out. “Thanks again for the tour.”
***
Ethan ran his hand through his short hair and leaned in closer to the mirror to make sure he hadn’t missed any spots while shaving. He hadn’t expected to be this nervous for his dinner with Katrina. If he had, he might have thought t
wice before issuing the invitation. He didn’t know why he had even asked her in the first place. He knew that she could become a distraction, diverting his attention away from his plan. But he couldn’t help himself. Whenever he was around her, he forgot about everything else. His feelings for her were irrational and he knew it but it didn’t stop him from pursuing her.
Then again, it wasn’t just the dinner that had him on edge. There was also the matter of what he would be doing afterwards…or better yet, who he’d be paying a visit to—a very violent visit at that.
His gaze left the jacket briefly and fell onto his bedside table. Making his way to it, he switched on the green and white lamp, knowing it would be dark by the time he got back. Next to the lamp was another one of Naira’s rainbow bracelets. With his index finger, Ethan stroked the bracelet. If only he could return to the days of his life before all of this happened. Given the chance, he would have never have left Crown City in the first place.
As he prepared to leave, something caught Ethan’s attention on the street below. One pedestrian was not hurrying home. Rather, the middle-aged man was looking up in Ethan’s direction. At first, Ethan couldn’t see the face, but he recognized the old, tattered jacket.
Brett.
Despite the distance, Ethan’s sharp eyes could clearly make out his father in the crowd. Through his open window, he stared down at the man for several moments as thoughts from his past flooded his mind. Maybe David had been right after all. Maybe Brett wanted to start a relationship with him. Maybe he did want forgiveness. Maybe he just didn’t know how to start.
Or maybe he was just passing by.
Finally, Ethan watched as Brett turned his gaze to the ground and with his hands in his pockets, walked away.
Chapter 7
First Blood
The soothing reverberation of soft piano music filled the air. Under the nearly full moon, Ethan sat at a small round table across from his old friend. Along with the other patrons, they were surrounded by countless waiters who gracefully moved to and fro, dressed in white dress shirts, ruby vests, and black ties.