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The Syndicate: Darkest Before the Dawn - Part One by: Enemyoffun Rick Grant has always been in control of his life, whether its living on the streets or stealing to survive. But when things get out of control he finds himself facing off against a very dangerous organization with vicious tactics, persuasive agents and a deadly agenda.

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Author's Note: I don't generally write in first person and my grammar is a bit rusty, it has been a while since I've written. I'd like to thank Lilith for her input and her guidance in this endeavor. New Note: This particular story takes place around the same time that Luce is dealing with her problems in Tainted Water.

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Chapter One:

I was still running when the alarm went off. I could hear the shop owner yelling and the pounding of the overweight security guard as he hefted it after me. I still couldn’t believe it had been that easy. I knew they said it was going to be easy, they meaning Frankie and the others, but never in my wildest did I think it would be that simple. What am I talking about? Well robbery of course. I’m not talking about simple stuff either; I’m talking about the heavy. The plan was this: Two days ago Frankie and Johnny grabbed some stuff from the Little Miss section of Wal-Mart (a pink dress to be exact) and bribed me into it. Yeah I know I’m sixteen and a guy but I’m also just barely over four foot five and have shoulder length red hair. My Foster Father used to rib on me and say he was looking after a little sissy and then drink for an hour before wailing on me. Well the guys stripped me to my Calvin’s, shoved the dress over my head and Joanie did the rest. She braided my hair, slapped some cheap stuff on my face and bam instant ten year old.

There was this real fancy jewelry store on the corner, Smith’s, and they always liked to show their best in the front display window. Frankie came up with the plan. He’s two years older than all of us, three times as tall and five times as ruthless. He’s the brains of our little gang, which isn’t saying much. We’re orphans, all five of us, we skipped out on the State six months ago. Frankie has plans, he always has plans. He left first then pulled the rest of us out one by one. Now we’re on the streets, sleeping in alleys and old buildings, digging in the garbage for meals, swiping purses and wallets when we can. But then Frankie get’s this idea:

“Let’s knock over a jewelry store”

I know exactly what you’re thinking and you’re absolutely right. I asked that too and you know what he told me, he said I was “the secret weapon”. Because I was so small and dainty no one would look twice at me. He said we’d be able to get in and out. He said all I had to do was play the little girl and no one would even bother me. So that’s what I did. I put on a cute smiley face, walked in like I knew what I was doing. There were six people altogether. The fat guard by the front door only slightly glanced me way, the two women at the counter looked only mildly interested. There was a young couple looking at rings: the man skinny and nerdy, the woman tall, leggy and blonde. I love blondes. She turned, smiled and then went back to her giggling. Everything was going according to plan as I made my way over to the window display, calm on the outside and shaking like a leaf on the inside. Sure I’ve yanked a few wallets, snatched a few candy bars, even stole a watch right off some guy’s wrist but never anything this dangerous.

It was the old woman who did me in. At first I didn’t even see her. She was one of those blue haired old biddies, with cane and too much perfume. She snuck up on me, placed her hand on my shoulder and caused me to nearly wet my pants. It didn’t help matters that I was at that particular time reaching for the biggest diamond ring I’d ever seen. The old woman spun me around, whining about “why a precious eight year old was away from her mother”. Eight, she had thought I was eight, the nerve. I was stunned into silence. I didn’t know what to do or what to say. She yammered on and on about modern parents and cell phones and something about MTV. All I really heard was “blah, blah, blah”. She carried on so loudly that of course everyone noticed, including the fat man by the door. He approached with a swagger, his gut swished back and forth like water in a big jug. HE was a towering, oaf of a man dressed in sweat stained blue and sporting one of those chins that grew right into the neck. One look at us he could see something was going on, his glare directly right at the biddy.

“Now see here ma’am”

The Biddy gave him a look like she was going to suck his blood out from his eyeballs. “This young lady is up to something” I gasped, waiting for the old broad to rat me out. “She’s clearly no older than seven, her parents are nowhere in sight and she’s not in school”.

School that was a joke. I tried it, once. After my mother died in childbirth and my deadbeat Dad became nonexistent, they stuck me in a Home for awhile, I was given a basic education there, you know the three R’s. Then when I turned ten, they stuck me with a nice couple named the Griffins. They were good people, they honestly cared for me. I lived with them for about six months, during which time I was a normal kid, doing normal things, which included school. I hated it, there were too many rules. I don’t like rules, that’s probably how I ended up here.

The guard finally turned and acknowledged me, which would have been great if not for the fact that I was his talk with the old broad as a distraction. While they had been arguing, I secretly slipped the ring on my finger and was in the process of swiping another when the guard caught. I’m not sure who was more surprised, him or the broad. Either way, I was quicker than them. The guard was stunned for a few seconds but recovered quickly. He reached down for me which was when I stopped my heel hard on the top of his foot. I slammed between the two of them and bolted for the door.

And that’s where I am now, running for my life. I have never felt such a greater rush in my entire life. It was like my whole body was on fire. Everywhere I looked the world streamed by in slow motion. Being so small, running down the busy street was usually a real hassle for because of the all the people who towered above me. But today I didn’t even notice them as I zigged and zagged around them. I could still hear the guard behind me pounding the pavement but it was like a dull thud. Even the police sirens off in the distance were nothing, they sounded like flies buzzing. It was very surreal. The more I ran, the more things became out of focus. At first I thought it was adrenaline or something. But then something happened, something strange. The people around me started to blur into nothingness. They were still there but something was happening to their bodies.

They were going black, like shadows. Then the color disappeared. At first I thought it was my imagination. Maybe I was running too fast and my brain wasn’t seeing things right. But then I realized something was seriously wrong. The world was color TV one minute and black and white the next. I felt lightheaded and wanted to stop more than ever now. But I could still hear the pursuit. I knew if I stopped it was Juvie for sure so I kept running. The headache came next; it was like someone was in my head with a jack hammer. I’d never felt anything like it. My skull was on fire, splitting for the inside.

I felt sick to my stomach. I knew I couldn’t stop but at the same time if I kept running I wasn’t sure what was going to happen. I looked at all the faces around me and watched in horror as they blurred into black. It was the craziest thing, I’m losing my mind. I snapped my head around and looked at the buildings but they were still there. I snapped back at the people and that’s when it happened. At first I thought it was the guard but there was no way that lardo had caught up with me. The hand that landed on my shoulder was strong and rough. I was pulled back, slamming into my attackers chest and shock out of my run. Suddenly the world came screaming back at me: The sounds, the faces, the colors. It was like an assault to the system. I gasped for air, finding myself doubling over in my attackers’ arms but he or she held firm. I was pulled off the street, dragged gagging and gasping into one of the many side alleys that littered this part of the city.

I was still gagging when the person let me go. I was dropped hard on my butt, amongst a pile of the vilest substances on earth. The alley was dark but I could clearly see four shapes, three short ones and one real tall one. I was still coughing when things came into focus as the tall shape leaned over me and grabbed my right wrist. I was prepared for a fight; I clenched my hands into fists. I know not very threatening, especially wearing a frilly pink dress but I was ready for anything. Instead the pocked face of Frankie smirked and pulled the two rings off my fingers.

“Nice grab Shrimp, I didn’t think you had it in ya”

Johnny, Joanie and Dell (the last member of our “gang”) materialized behind him. The whole lot of us was street kids, through and through. Our clothes were either way too big or way too small. Joanie wore the tightest, her burgeoning sexuality showing its mighty head. She was pretty but she wasn’t blonde, remember I like the blondes. Johnny was rough looking; there was a scar over his left eye from when his old man cut him with a broken beer bottle. His nose was crooked too from when said same old man busted it during one of their many brawls. Johnny was a ward of the state, the only one of us who had any true parent. Dell was short but not as short as me. What he made up in shortest was how wide he was. It was like someone stuffed a large balloon down his throat and constantly inflated it. I laugh and make fun but he’s probably my only friend of the bunch.

It was Dell who pulled me up from the garbage. He brushed me off and asked if I was ok. I nodded, trying not to speak because I still didn’t trust my stomach. The pounding headache was numb now but my stomach still felt as if someone was sticking with a railroad spike. I closed my eyes, trying not to think about what just happened to me. But no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t quite get all of those blacked out faces from my mind. Something happened, something bad. I opened my eyes and looked at the gang. I don’t want anything to happen to them, well except maybe Frankie.

“Can we go” I finally managed, deciding my stomach was ok for the moment. “I want to get out of this dress and into some normal clothes”

“Sure thing Shrimp”. Frankie tussled my hair as he said this; he always liked to mess with my hair.

“You sure you’re ok Rick” That was Dell, the ever present worry wart.

I nodded. “I will be”. I looked but at the dirt smeared party gown and grimaced. Man I hope I never have to wear a dress again.

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Chapter Two:

Our current pad is on the East Side of the city. It’s the more run down part, where a lot of abandoned houses and factories littered almost every street. You’re probably wondering why I’m being so cryptic about where I am and the simple answer is: I don’t’ give a damn. This place, this cesspool isn’t my real home. My family comes from a small city north of a larger one, near some insignificant landmark that no one else cares about unless they’re from there. It wasn’t a hick town but you can’t find it on a map so why bother looking. This city, my current home, is one of many. After we bailed from Foster Care, we moved around a lot. We never stay in one place for very long for fear that they might catch us. So far in the last six months we’ve been in thirteen different cities, some big and some small. We’ve lived in everything from cardboard boxes all the way up to a nice newly built house that no one had moved into yet. “Life on the Run” is what Frankie liked to call it and I guess he’s right. We sure do a lot of running.

Our pad was actually an old house that was once used for selling drugs. When we found it Frankie and Johnny fought over it, trying to decide if it was the best place to hide but Frankie won in the end. He always wins because he’s ten times smarter than Johnny. The two of them are a contrast that way, one real smart and one real dumb. Johnny is real easy to figure out whereas Frankie is an enigma. I only met him a month before we took off. He appeared one day at the house me and the others were living at. At first he was quiet and kept to himself. But then he took an interest in us or more specifically he took an interest in me. He said I reminded him of the kid brother he never had. I took that as another jab at my size and tried to pick a fight. He cleaned my clock pretty quick and then told me he’d look out for me. Just like that.

Then he shacked up with Joanie. I wasn’t jealous because hey she’s not blonde and she’s as flat as a board. I know who am I to talk (Mr. Shorty after all) but I have twisted standards. Hey can you blame me, I’m a sixteen year old guy after all. I think it made Johnny jealous though. He had a major thing for Joanie and he made that very known. But Johnny’s a creep even Joanie wasn’t stupid enough to go his route. Dell was like me, he didn’t care either way just as long as everyone is happy, he’s like that. He’s real mellow, that’s why Frankie calls him “Marsh Mellow” Ha, get it?

Anyway the house in question was a real dump. There were two floors but the top one was inaccessible because there were no stairs. The bottom floor was a burnt out shell. Apparently the place had a meth lab in the basement and a fire started. There was no explosion but the place burnt up pretty good. The police technically had the place all yellow taped and boarded but we broke in through one of the back windows. Johnny likes breaking and entering, he boasts about it all the time. I like the quick grab and Joanie likes the thrill. I’m not sure what she has to contribute other than the frequent face sucking with Frankie. Dell does nothing. The only reason he ran with us was because I ran. He’s like that. In secret I likened him to a puppy. He goes wherever I go. You’re probably wondering why I ran and the answer is simple: I got sick of it all. I’m sixteen, no one is going to adopt and I got tired of waiting two more years until I was legal and stuff. So when Frankie said we were running I went along.

We don’t have much stuff but we do have some. WE pilfered a couple of sleeping bags from a place a few towns over. We were only able to grab two so we rotate using them. We also have a backpack that we take turns carrying. It usually houses what clothes we’re not wearing on our backs, whatever money we manage to grab and whatever other essential supplies we might need (i.e. like Joanie’s unmentionables).

Tonight I have a sleeping bag, its pink but I figure I’m on a roll. After we bailed from the alley we took the long way “home”. Frankie wanted to make sure no one was following us. But we managed to ditch the cops real good. We pilfered some hotdogs from a street vendor while Joanie and I played the lost sisters routine we have now mastered. Then we hightailed it back to Casa de Crap. After some arguing, Frankie decided to keep both of the rings. He claims in the morning he’ll take them to a pawn broker he scooped out a few days ago. If we’re lucky he thinks we can get a couple hundred a piece for them. We better after all I had to go through to get them. I told Frankie as soon as we settled that under no circumstances was I ever dressing like a girl again, especially one so young. He laughed it up, played with my pigtails and promised I’d never have to pretend to be a girl again.

As I lay on my back, listening to Dell snore away, the day came back to haunt me. I couldn’t help but think about the people and their faces. Why had they all gone black and blurry? Why did the world turn black and white and why did it hurt so much. I could still feel the pain, even now, hours later. It was a dull ache but it was there and slowly building. I wonder if there’s something wrong with me. Last week we had been sleeping in the woods and it rained. Maybe I caught something and now it’s come around to infect me. I sat up, feeling sweat starting to gather in the pits of my shirt. I pulled it over my head and absently tossed it into the dark. I stared around the room, looking at the lumps. Dell was the closest. He drew one of the short straws so no bag for him. Instead he was covered with one of two blankets we snatched off a clothes line yesterday morning. A few yards from him was Johnny, snuggled in one the other bags, lying on his back? He was positioned so he was staring directly at Joanie.

I turned to her. There was one piece of furniture in the house when we got here: a burnt out sofa. It wasn’t much but it was enough for Joanie to sleep on. She never got to draw straws as far as sleeping went. No matter what she always got one of the three bags. She was sleeping on her side, using the second blanket as a pillow. The sleeping bag was only pulled up to her mid chest. She usually slept without a shirt and tonight was no different. I could see her little numbs poking out of her sports bra. I smirked. Besides Dell, who I’ve known for three years, Joanie was one of my oldest friends. I use that term lightly though. I’m not one for making chit chat with girls. Joanie was a tomboy for a bit and that was fun until her breasts grew in then she got all moody. Now all she prattled about were her boobs, how much they’ve grown (yeah right) and if her tops made them stand out at all. We all just normally nod except for Johnny who feigns interest. I like her best at night because she’s the quietest then.

As I stared, looking at the bit of drool hanging off her lip, I realized we were one person short. I snapped to attention, throwing off the bag in the process. Frankie was nowhere to be found. He usually slept near Joanie, keeping one eye on her and another on Johnny. But tonight he was gone. I quickly scrabbled to my feet, pulled on my jeans and shoes and started my search. I scanned the room in the gloom of the night, surprised that everything was a lot clearer for a change. I don’t do well in the dark; one doctor told me it was something called night blindness. This basically means I can’t see worth the spit in the dark most of the time. But tonight was different, I could see everything. I didn’t notice it when I was looking at my friends but I sure did now. I wouldn’t say everything was bright and cheerful like the day but it was fuzzy like usual.

So without any stumbling I made my way for the door. When we first arrived it was all boarded but we pulled them free and ripped off all the police tape. When we left we made sure to make it look that way again. I could clearly see how Frankie had tried to put everything back in order but he did a crappy job of it. Why would he try to make everything look normal? Only one thought crossed my mind: he was bailing and he was doing it with the rings.

I ran as quickly as I could to the door. I got within a foot from it when I doubled over in pain. It was just like before and just as painful. But this time I wasn’t running and I screamed. I dropped to my knees, clutching my stomach. My scream woke the others. Johnny was first. I heard him stumble up from the floor and come trudging over to me. I turned my head to look at him and saw something that scared me to death: there was a red dot on his forehead. I don’t watch many movies but I have seen a few and all those were action films. In some there are standoffs and in them a sniper sometimes uses a red dot before he drops someone. The dot I saw on Johnny’s forehead was just like those. Unfortunately for him he didn’t see it.

I didn’t get a chance for a warning. It happened so quickly, without a sound. One minute Johnny’s head was there and the next minute it was gone. Blam, like a watermelon exploding. Bits of blood, brain and bone flew everywhere. In one instant one of my friends was gone. I heard a high pitch scream, probably Joanie. I tried to get to help and warn the others but the pain was too intense. I fell forward, turning my head just to see the back window implode. I’m not sure implode is the right word but it’s the best one I had. One minute it was there and the next it wasn’t. There was a hole in its place, a perfectly circular one and standing directly in front of said hole, just outside of it, was a black clad commando. I looked but couldn’t believe.

Joanie screamed louder. The commando walked into the room. He approached her quickly, pulling a small gun from his belt. I saw no red dot this time. Instead he pointed it at her and two metal projectiles on cords flew from it in an instant. A tazer, something else from the movies. I saw Joanie convulse as the barbs hit her. Then she slumped forward. The commando walked over to her, said something into a mike on his ear and then nodded. He turned his attention to Dell and shook his head. I couldn’t see his face because he was wearing a mask, making him look like a ninja. Dell glared up at him, from his knees, a pool of yellow underneath and soaking his shorts. I was still doubled over in immense pain, tears now welling in my eyes, my body on fire. I was curled into a ball now, hardly able to raise my head. Dell looked to be in pain but a different kind. His was fear, a pain worse than all others. The commando stood before him, seeming to contemplate what to do. It was clear that so far Joanie was viable and Johnny was not. Who knows what happened to Frankie and I was still unsure about Dell and me. Clearly neither of us was a threat, me in pain and Dell in his own waste.

The Commando made his decision. I have seen some horrible things (Johnny’s head exploding for one thing) but what he did will haunt me for the rest of my life. He pulled a dagger from his belt and in the same swift motion he slit Dell’s throat. Zip, one quick slash and a thin red line appeared across the neck of my only true friend in the whole world. I turned away, too stunned to look. I heard a gurgle which I assumed was from Dell and then a thud. I still refused to look in when his warm blood trickled into my face. I heard the commando walk over to me; I saw his black, well polished boots and tried my hardest to spit on them.

I couldn’t do anything but groan.

He bent down, grabbing my shoulders and jerking me up with inhuman strength. He lifted me up so we were face to mask. I could see his lips curl into a smile from beneath the mask. “Richard Grant” he said, his voice slightly muffled. Then he looked at his watch. “Just in time”. I tried to say something cool and snarky like they do in the movies but as soon as he spoke I was overwhelmed with a blinding pain and blacked out.

Photo Credit: MeetMeByTheLake2Nite