Chapter 1
“Have you ever believed in the impossible? Ever wondered if there’s some force out there, guarding you, giving you life, giving you meaning? The truth is there isn’t just one force, there are multiple forces that keep the world intact, keep it spinning and revolving, keep life ever prevailing. These forces protect the world from threats, and the monsters lurking- ”
“Get down the fucking stage” “Booooooooo!” “Shut the fuck up” was one of the very few things I’ve had to hear on stage, and let me tell you, they went on with more discouragements and disgraces. People were throwing balls made of paper at me, one even hurled a shoe at me, and I had to cower and hide behind the lectern to avoid them. They were still murmuring as almost all of them had begun to walk out on me, everyone but her, she sat there stoically, amidst all the indignities being hurled at me, and looked at me with a resting face as if urging me to go on, I had no choice but to get off the podium. She looked mockingly at me, squinting one eye and glaring with the other, and instantly burst into a smile, I smiled back embarrassingly. I was going to her seat when all of a sudden, I felt a pat from a cold hand on my shoulder, instinctively I turned back, thinking it’d be one of those cynical people, but it was a boy who raised his hands thinking I’d hit him, but as soon as I saw him, I sighed and waited for him to speak, but he didn’t.
“What?!” I asked him
To which he began making a couple of hand signs, I didn’t know sign language, but Avery spoke up
“He says that you’re an amazing speaker and he’d love to hear you finish it”
He looked at her with a radiant smile and made another sign, which I think meant Thank You.
I asked him to sit down and continued with my talk.
“Monsters lurking far beyond human reach, waiting for an opening, some sort of a weakness, to pounce and destroy life as we know it”
As I was speaking he looked at me with awe, which made me talk to him even more, for the first time, someone except Avery was actually believing in me.
“I believe that the abilities of those gods are still out there, waiting for someone worthy to claim them, to bring back a just planet where everyone was treated equally”
I saw his eyes widen, and he gave me a little bow, I ruffled his hair “Run along now” I told him
“You want to convert him too, Adrian?” she said with a smirk and walked to the exit
“Viktor, cover me” I yelled, hoping he’d hear me over all the gunfire
Just as I started to peek, I was pulled back
“FRANK!”
“WHAT, KAZ!?”
“I’m hurt, I- ” and with that, he collapses onto the floor, blood spewing all over until all that was left was a puddle of clear blood.
“Kazakov!” Viktor yelled, barely holding his tears back, they were the most formidable brothers after all.
He stepped away from the pillar, ”MUDAK!" he yelled and started shooting down the cops, and I saw the light leave his eyes, the blood flowing through the bullet holes, and just like that, I’d lost my two best friends and the bratva lost two of it’s finest.
This is what happens to everyone close to me. My entire family got decimated by the fucking politsiya!
I made a run for it, the getaway car, they didn't stop firing for one second. I had to drag myself to the car for I couldn't feel my left leg anymore, I could see it, but I couldn't feel it!
I reached the car, screaming in pain, only to see the driver shot, time was running out, I somehow managed to get him out of the car, and escaped barely, one of the tires was shot and my name had already been put up for bounty
Viktor Volkov, 26, 100,000 Rubles
Someone from the inside ratted me out, but I had no time to think about it, for now, every Russian gangster to ever exist will be behind my ass!
"You can talk to me"
"I know that I can, but, I don't want to" was the last thing I told her.
"It's alright, go on," she said
This was the 10th visit, I have PTSD and anxiety she says, but I like to believe that I'm far over it.
I freeze. "We'll continue next time"
I don't want to come here again, I never want to talk about it again, but she makes me repeat it over and over. How my mother was killed, how I was drowned.
As soon as I walk out, someone bags my head and knocks me out.
~
I wake up groaning, just to see that I'm tied to a pillar, and a guy drags himself to me, bullet wounds and blood sputtering all over the place
"You're a doctor, aren't you?" he asks
"I...uh, yes, I am"
"TREAT ME!" he yells, I try to go back forgetting that I'm tied
"I will untie you, don't run away, please help me," he says with a heavy Russian accent, he must be from around here, I gather
"Fine, but I need tools and bandages and anesthesia"
"For aneasthe'z'ia I have this" and props up a bottle of vodka, drinking it bottoms up
"What you rolling your eyes for?!" he asks
"Nothing" I stifle a smirk
"The tools and bandages are on the table there" he points to it and collapses
I would be lying if I said, my first instinct wasn't to run, but I also knew I had to help him so I stayed and took out the seven bullets stuck in him, luckily they weren't deep-seated and were easy to pull out. I stitched him up, propped him against a wall, and wrote the medication he needed to take.
I notice the place was near a lake and I gulp down my fear, I keep my head low and walk, when a car screeches by me, making me jump, three thugs pull out their guns and have me at gunpoint
"I'm only going to ask you this once," he says, sending chills up my spine
"Who's Frank?" I say confused, trying to hide my fear
"Frank Volkov. Where is he!?"
"I don't know," I say, I think he believes me, but there's a cunning look in his eye, he raises his gun to shoot me, but the other one says something in Russian, to which they laugh
"Do you know how to swim?" he asks with a smirk
Oh god, no, I think to myself and make a break for it, but they're faster, they hold me down and put me in the back of their car, squeezing me between the two of them, they hold their guns to my chest, and as soon as we reach the lake, they push me out the car and drop me into the lake.
I squirm and struggle and scream, but all it does is ensure the drowning and I swallow a truckload of water, eventually blacking out.
This is just like the first time. We used to live in a mansion when I was a kid, before my dad succumbed to TB, leaving me the heir of his riches, but the very next week, someone broke into the house, I heard screams from near the pool and I rushed there as fast as my 10-year-old body could take me, but I saw her being shot, I saw her fall into the pool, turning the crystal clear water into a deep crimson red, I squealed, but it was too late before I realized what I'd done, he lunged at me, clad in a mask and black clothes, all I could see were his eyes, they were just like a cat's!
"YOU!" he said as if he had a grudge against me and shoved me into the pool, holding my head down
I squirmed and kicked and swallowed a ton of water until I just passed out
And it'd just happened again!
