by Matthew Fish
Children of Memories
By Matthew Fish
Copyright 2016
All Rights Reserved
Chapter 1
A dark haired, young looking man neared the entrance of a Las Vegas casino. The blackness of the rain soaked night contrasted sharply with the indulgent flashing lights of the towering building before him. The wet streets smelled heavy with humidity as the loud sound of traffic filled the busy night air. The man pulled up his hood on his worn leather jacket as he approached the entrance. He hid his dark blue eyes from a few men in suits that stood near the doorway as he followed quickly into the building attempting to blend in with a group of tourists. He looked back to see if he had been noticed. It appeared as though he was safe.
The inside of the casino was noisy, it was busy. People were talking loudly and gambling machines were merrily chiming out noises in a cacophony of odds and ends of different sounds that the man attempted to block out of his mind. He had a laser sight focus on an elevator just a short distance ahead of him. The man entered the elevator as the silver doors slid open. He swiftly pushed his way into the small space as people were attempting to exit. An old woman made a comment about the ‘rudeness of youth,’ but the man ignored her. A young couple a short distance away and carrying cumbersome luggage gestured towards the man as he hit the door close button. As the silver elevator doors began to close, the man shook his head and then muttered, “Sorry folks, places to be…”
The couple stopped dead in their tracks as an exasperated look spread upon both of their faces. The man pulled a folded piece of paper from his pack pocket and began to meddle with the elevator buttons. He hit the emergency stop and then punched in a numerical code. The elevator lurched as he began he ascend the building, the various lights flashing on and off on the elevator console. The man took in a long breath and closed his eyes tightly as he calmed his nerves. After a short time, the elevator came to a halt. The doors opened and a large bald man wearing a navy blue suit stood to greet the newcomer.
The dark haired man pulled a pistol from his jacket and placed a few bullets into the large man’s bald head, painting the gold colored hallway in a spattering of red blood and brain matter. It looked something akin to a bit of abstract art—if not just a bit more disturbing.
The loud pops of the man’s gunfire did not go unnoticed—quite to the contrary, actually. A large red double doorway with a golden emblem of a snake eating its own tail erupted as a group of armed men spilled into the narrow hallway. Their guns fixed upon the man in the hooded leather jacket. However, they did not fire upon him.
A short man pushed his way through the group. He had closely shaved silver hair and wore a pair of circular darkened glasses. He had a small curled mustache, like some kind of cliché from an old mobster movie. He wore a bright pure-white suit with a yellow frilly tie with red hibiscus flowers printed onto it. He carried a single silver pistol that and aimed it at the hooded intruder as he glanced over to the limp body of the guard near the elevator door.
“Not a smart move…though I am curious how you came to find our little place here, the security code is not one I share with many. Especially people who look rather…homeless, I’m not trying to insult you, my peculiar guest. It is just you do not seem to be one of The Company,” the man spoke as he took a few steps back to the safety of the group of about eight armed men around him.
“I’m not like you, no,” the hooded man spoke in a grim tone as he kept his pistol aimed in the direction of the group that outnumbered him. “I’m here for the girl.”
“I have lots of girls,” The man in the white suit spoke as he let out a short fake sounding laugh. “I’m afraid that you will have to be more specific regarding girls…perhaps we could start more cordially, maybe with names. My name is Wilford Pulwala, I’m sure you’ve heard of me…and you are?”
“I know a lot about you, and your little organization here,” the hooded man spoke as he took a single step forward causing a rather alarmed reaction as the armed men extended their hands out as though they were attempting to appear more threatening. “Like said, I am here for the girl.”
“No manners at all,” Pulwala spoke as he let out an annoyed sigh and gestured with his gun. “Well if you have nothing else to say, then I am done with you, kill him,” Pulwala added as he stepped back into the room. “And someone fix the fucking security code or else I’ll have you all executed next, you dumb useless cunts.”
“Talking is overrated,” The hooded man spoke as he quickly ducked behind a large silver pot that contained a fake plastic cat palm plant. He had been buying enough time that no a single one of Pawala’s bodyguards noticed the tiny pin fall to the ground. He rolled the grenade over to the group of men as a barrage of gunfire filled the air. A loud boom echoed through the golden hall as the overhead lights blew out and darkened the area. The hooded man dusted off a bit of plaster from his jacket and patted the potted plant that was covered in debris and blood as though it was some kind of pet that had just earned a reward. He walked over to the mass of bodies and heard a slight groan as he approached. Through the heavy dust and smoke he made out a man who attempted to move. He placed three quick shots into the man’s head—ending any further attempts to protest his fate.
“Mr. Pulwala,” the man said as he pushed over what remained of one side of the red and gold door. He entered the room as the piercing sound of a smoke alarm went off in the large and opulent suite.
“You don’t know who I am, what I am,” Pulwala said as he held his gun out and attempted to flee into one of the other rooms.
“But I do,” the hooded man spoke as he followed carelessly with his own pistol raised and fixed upon Pulwala’s head. “I do not believe that you could say the same for me, however. Now, the way I see things, you could hand over the girl—or you could take your chances with me. I promise though, you won’t like the outcome.”
“Fine,” Pulwala spoke as he lowered his gun. “This is not over though; I have this whole place rigged with cameras. We will come after you. The Company will not let this drop. I can find other girls just like her…”
“Where is she?”
“The bedroom,” Pulwala spoke as he gestured with his head to the other room. “You take her and you are a dead man, you know that? You’re already dead; you think you can just walk away with her? You think you’ll make it out here alive…?”
“You talk far too much,” The hooded man spoke as he pushed Pulwala down onto a chair and produced a roll of duct-tape form his jacket. He began to wrap the mobster to the chair as he ignored the seemingly endless rants of curses and threats. With a wide smile he finally placed a large piece of tape over Pulwala’s mouth.
The hooded man picked up Pulwala’s silver gun and shoved it into the front of his jeans. He kept his pistol out and slowly entered the bedroom. He found a girl, one of extreme beauty, tied to the bedpost. She had an innocent look to her, large green eyes, a pleasantly soft face and rounded cheekbones. Her lips were a soft pale rose and her exposed body was tanned and toned. The girl had long, straight black hair that hung just above her ample chest.
“Please don’t hurt me,” the woman said as she pulled against her restraints.
“I’ve been sent to get you out of here,” the man spoke as he untied her from the bed and removed his jacket and covered up the beautiful woman.
“I don’t want to go back either…” The woman spoke as she pushed the man away her bare foot. “I can’t go back—you don’t understand the people who hired you to get me…”
“Piper,” the man spoke as he nodded. “Piper Embry…right…? You have t
o trust me. We do not have much time. I know what I am doing.”
“I won’t go, unless you promise not to take me back…to them…”
“I promise, no time to argue,” the man spoke as he helped Piper to her feet. He rushed her out into the main room. He placed a hand upon her waist and retrieved the second round green explosive from the jacket pocket. He pulled the pin and placed it snugly into Pulwala’s crotch. “Better keep that squeezed pretty hard there, Nappy. You should have stayed in Hawaii—oh wait, your operation there went to shit as well. Anyway, aloha and thank you for your cooperation, it is appreciated.”
Piper gasped as she reached the hallway and saw all the bloodied bodies that filled the doorway. Even more troubling to her, not all of the bodies were exactly intact. The man pushed her onward until they reached the elevator.
“Let’s hope the explosion didn’t damage the elevator system,” the man said as he hit a hit released the emergency stop button and hit a quick sequence of numbers onto the console. With a jolt the elevator began to ascend. “Seems like we are alright in that regard…”
“Where are we going?” Piper asked as she nervously looked at the man who she was very unsure of. She bit the bottom of her lip so hard that she almost drew a bit of blood. Her eyes were large and darted back and forth as though her mind was attempting to make some sense of what she should do, or could even do at this moment.
“Well,” the man spoke as he tapped his foot nervously against the wood grained tile of the elevator floor. “We can’t head down. That would be suicide…so we have to go up.”
“I mean…after that?” Piper said softly as she looked rather distraught over the entire sequence of events. Then again, this was a more than normal reaction considering all that she had just endured and all that she worried that she may endure further.
“I have to take you to the coast,” the man spoke as the doors opened.
“No…” Piper said as she darted out of the elevator.
The man caught her with one hand and pulled her close. “Listen, I promised…I know that you don’t know me, but just give me a chance.”
“Why should I trust you?”
“You have no choice,” the man said sternly. A small explosion could be heard as glass erupted from several floors below. “I guess old Nappy couldn’t hold onto his nuts.”
“I can’t trust…” Piper began to speak as the area was illuminated brightly from above. An all black helicopter descended upon them as the man held firmly to her and helped Piper onboard as it landed.
The man pushed a duffel bag over to Piper. He said nothing over the resoundingly loud whir of the helicopter blades as they quickly ascended into the clouds and far away from Las Vegas. He watched as she pulled out some clothing. He looked away as she dressed herself. She handed him back his leather jacket and nodded once. For hours they rode in silence. Piper kept her eyes out to the window as she stared off into the murky darkness beyond.
The sun was a small smudge of dull orange against a foggy white sky as they reached the Pacific Ocean. The helicopter landed on a remote part of a long stretch of tan, soft sand. As the blades came to a halt the pilot turned his attention to his passengers, he gestured towards the open ocean. “You know where to take her, right?”
“I do,” The man said as he quickly lunged forward and grabbed the man by his neck and fired three successive shots into the pilot’s head. The pilot fell forward, his head smacking loudly against the bloodstained cockpit window.
Piper let out a small squeal as she attempted to open the helicopter door. The man reached for her hand and squeezed it tightly.
“I had to do that, you do not understand everything you need to…yet,” The man spoke as he held her firmly within the vehicle. He wiped away the blood that covered his face with a cloth and let out a short sigh. “I am not on their side; he would have hindered our escape later.”
“Why are you doing this?” Piper asked, both with equal parts confusion and concern. “What do you get out of this if it’s…if it’s not money or power from them?”
“Look, Piper, my situation is very complicated,” the man spoke as he nodded. “I need information. They needed you. That was the condition of our arrangement. I owe them nothing nor have no further allegiance to them. I am doing this to protect someone that I care about. Someone that is being hunted…you know what that is like, at least I’d imagine.”
“I do,” Piper said quietly as she tugged at a silver collar. “When I was younger they put this on me, though I cannot remember why. When they sold me to men, I realized it was a collar…that I was property…a plaything. I tried escaping. It never worked.”
“I promised I would not make you go, but I am going to ask you to come with me,” the man spoke as he placed his hand upon Piper’s shoulder. “After that, I promise you that you will never be chased again. You can live free.”
“You cannot promise that,” Piper said as she held back tears. “You don’t know them…what they really are. They’re not normal.”
“I know all too well that they are not normal,” the man said as he looked to the ocean. “I won’t force you to go. However, I will ask you to trust me just this once. I will get you out.”
Piper looked to the ocean as a tear formed near her eye. The sunlight of the new day sparkled against her deep green eyes. The tear fell as she blinked and traced its way down her soft cheeks. She reached for the gun that was sitting in the pocket of the leather jacket. “You could have taken me back by force—just like so many others have done so. However, if you do not succeed…I will end things myself. I cannot live like this any longer.”
“It won’t come to that,” the man said as he placed his hand over hers, but allowed her to keep a hold upon the firearm. “You’ll need to wrap it, might not fire if it’s wet.”
“I know…and I will try, but I cannot promise much more beyond that,” Piper spoke as she placed the gun into a plastic bag and shoved it into the back of her jeans. She reached behind her head and pulled back her long black hair into a ponytail.
“Thank you,” the man spoke as he pulled open the helicopter door. The pacific morning air was cool, a slight chill hung in the air. The fog was lifting as they approached the ocean.
The waves lapped against their knees as they began to wade into the water. Each wave rose higher and higher to greet them as the pair began to swim out into the open water. Once they were a great distance away from the shore, the pair dived down into the water. They descended and made their way into the murky dark blue. Silver fish swam swiftly past them as they neared the hull of a large sunken vessel. The man lead Piper to a port and began to turn a giant wheel until the door opened, erupting in large air bubbles that quickly escaped and started their long journey to the surface of the ocean. Piper swam in first, as the man shut the door behind them. A red light illuminated the darkened, cramped space. The water began to drain as the pair shivered in the cold air that filled the compartment. Once the small room was emptied of the seawater, the door on the other side came open as an old looking man greeted them with a creepy smile and an extended hand.
“I see your endeavors were quite successful,” the creepy man spoke as he helped Piper and the man out of the cramped space.
“They were,” the man spoke as he nodded. He attempted to steady himself against the slightly slanted floor of the tilted vessel. He took Piper by hand forcibly, not out of any ill intent, but to not raise any amount of suspicion.
“This way, the council will be most pleased,” the creepy man spoke. He dressed in tattered old clothing and smelled of musky dampness. He opened up a large metal door that creaked upon its hinges as it opened. A more ornate room existed beyond, large and filled with many people who all look eagerly upon the newcomers. They were well dressed; some wore masks like they were part of some kind of masquerade. Others hid their face with thick layers of white makeup. Old paintings were hung onto the metal walls of the huge vessel. A large intricate oriental rug rested
upon the floor as wooden tables with huge burning candles were spread about in an almost altar like setting. A grand crystal chandelier was hung upon a steel beam overhead. Seated in a throne of carved wood was a man, dressed in a red robe with golden accents. He stood up as Piper and the man entered into the room.
“Welcome back,” the man in red spoke as he bowed. “You have proven yourself to be exceedingly useful.”
A pair of armed men rushed over and patted Piper and the man down.
“She’s got a gun,” one of the armed men announced as he held up the bagged pistol.
“Let her keep it,” the man in red spoke with a laugh. “Not like it can do much to any of us. And our…friend here…?”
“He’s clean,” the armed man spoke as he finished checking for any weapons.
“It has been a while Piper,” the man in red spoke as he sat back down upon his throne.
“Yes, it has Lord Corveath,” Piper said meekly. “I am sorry to cause trouble…”
“This was no trouble,” Corveath spoke with a hearty laugh. “This was…a repossession of sorts; let us just say that The Company will not soon forget that debts need to be paid when money is still owed upon valuable goods. You managed your mission without causing too much damage, as we planned?”
“Nothing they won’t sleep off,” the man spoke as he nodded. “Now, not to be rude—but I was promised a few things.”
“Of course,” Corveath spoke as he gestured and a servant brought forth a suitcase. “Five-hundred thousand dollars…”
“And information,” the man added.
“Always so direct and right to the point,” Corveath spoke as he gestured dismissively. “With the old council gone, we could really use someone like you. We won’t stay hidden in the ocean forever—there will be many chances to make much more coin and you will have power…real power in the new council.”
“The information I requested, please,” the man spoke in a firm tone as he pressed his hands into his jacket pockets.