New Zion

“What the hell’s wrong with you?” Cole looked up at Ryan.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ryan threw his hands up.

“You know exactly what I’m talking about. Why in the hell would you treat Aria like that?” Cole leapt up out of his chair.

“I know! She died. I failed to save her back on the Chimera’s Arena. I wasn’t strong enough,” Cole dropped into his seat. “I’m too weak,” Ryan shook his head.

“That wasn’t Aria. It was a brain-dead clone of her,” Cole looked up at Ryan.

“What?” Ryan nodded.

“Yeah. What, did you think that I’d let some Avian prick take off with one of the citizens that I’m charged with protecting? Seriously?” Cole blinked. “I tried to tell you last night, but you seemed to go right to sleep, so I figured you’d be fine till morning,” Cole slumped in his chair.

“Shit. Ok, I need to go,” Cole started getting up.

“Yes, you really do. It’s time to stop wearing your ass as a hat,” Ryan remarked as Cole ran out of the room. “Jeez...” Ryan got up and walked to his office. Arik Lorne was there, waiting for him.

“Good to see you Ryan. How ya doin?” Ryan shook his head.

“Could be better. Parenting is harder than running a Mafia,” Arik laughed.

“Perhaps it has something to do with the fact that you’re the Don of a mafia family, and also with the fact that you’ve let Cole be used as a tool by the most dangerous faction on the planet,” Ryan sat in his high-back chair and ran a hand through his hair.

“Maybe,” Ryan muttered.

“So, what’re we gonna do with those Wolf Terra?” Ryan sat up. A knock came at the door before he could answer.

“Come in,” the door opened and Harry came in.

“Hey Ryan, I’ve got some troubling news for you,” Ryan shook his head.

“I don’t think that anything could really be more troubling than what I’m dealing with right now,” Ryan stated as he began looking through the papers that had piled up on his desk. Harry’s face tensed.

“Well, I’ll let you be the judge of that. Someone, or rather something happened to Night Town,” Harry visibly convulsed.

“Well, out with it Harry. I’m sure that you’ve seen worse,” Harry shook his head.

“I haven’t seen anything like this before. Bodies were propped up in windows; a head dangled from a chain with its body lying beneath it, and on the wall were the words ‘Your Fault’ written in blood. The Leader of Night Town, Raymond Terrell, was on his knees in front of it. He was muttering the words ‘angel of death’ over and over,” Ryan sighed.

“Great. Just perfect,” Harry cocked his head.

“What?” Ryan looked at Harry.

“This means one of two things. One is that we have a mass murderer in our town that we’ll now have to hunt down. Two is that Cole must have heard about our dead guys. I know what happened to him on the Chimera’s Arena, but I didn’t think it would make him snap to the point where he’s willing to just outright kill people, never mind display them like that,” Ryan turned in his chair to look out the window. Outside the mafia members were constructing a warehouse near the smithy.

“Well, he watched his parents die in front of him, he then watched his home planet cave in on itself, and he was only ten years old. I’m surprised that he isn’t like this on a daily basis,” Harry stated. Ryan thought for a moment before responding.

“Ok. Get our less squeamish men together and have them clean up Night Town. After that I’ll get the city workers to demolish the building,”

“Why demolish the building?” Harry asked.

“Because nobody’s going to want to live in it after this. We’ll just have to build a new one in its place. Or maybe we’ll put in a park,” Ryan responded, holding his head in his hands, elbows propped up on his desk.

“Yessir. I’ll get it done right away,” Harry strode out of the room. A few minutes later Ryan could see him approaching the construction group outside.

“What’re you going to do about Cole?” Arik asked, arms crossed. Ryan looked at him.

“What can I do?” Arik shrugged.

“If he’s going to be leading the Avalon Family then he’s going to have to learn to control himself. I understand that the Night Riders did need to go, but he didn’t have to kill all of them. He should’ve taken a bunch of men with him, rounded them up, and found out who exactly killed the men. Then disband the group, maybe even integrate them into the Family. Just killing them off is bad business,” Ryan nodded in agreement.

“I know,” Ryan stated.

“The rules set out by your grandfather clearly state that…” Arik began.

“I know,” Ryan interrupted. Arik stroked his bearded chin.

“So, the question still remains,” Arik stated. Ryan shook his head.

“The rules are our ultimatum. I’ll take my time and read them over closely before I make my decision,” Ryan responded.

“Well then, I presume you all know why I’ve called you here,” A young man stood at the head of the table, his pale hands resting on the glass surface. Green eyes peered out beneath orange hair.

“Well, we can guess, Don Namhaid, but why don’t you save us the time and tell us,” a Berg Leute with blonde hair retorted. Don Namhaid smiled.

“I’m sure that you’ve all heard about what happened in Central City the other day, yes?” Don Namhaid looked at each person at his table in turn.

“The Night Town Massacre. You sure you aren’t trying to pull that on us?” a blue eared Terra responded. Don Namhaid continued to smile.

“I have no intention to do that to you fine ladies and gentlemen. I brought you all here to propose an Alliance against the Avalon Family,” The Berg Leute snorted.

“Why would we want to risk our lives to fight against the strongest Family on the continent?” the Berg Leute began to stand up. Don Namhaid lifted his hand only to slam it back down, causing the Berg Leute to sit back in his seat.

“The Avalon Family is not the strongest. They are simply the most public. As for why, well, you know how they used to deal with Gangs such as yours. They would only kill off the offenders. After that the gang would be assimilated or disbanded. But they’ve just declared war on all of you by perpetrating that massacre. The Avalon Family has started down the path of bloodshed, and once they start, they won’t stop. We need to rally against them and put them down before they can do the same to you,” the Terra raised one eyebrow.

“What do you get out of this? I mean, you’re a Family, not a gang like the rest of us. So what do you care?” Don Namhaid smiled.

“I get the destruction of the Avalon Family. What more could I want?” the leaders at the table grunted their support. “Well then, let us band together as one and take down the Avalon Family. I hereby declare war on the Avalon Family by unanimous consensus. This meeting of the new Central League is now adjourned,” the people at the table stood up and filed out of the room. “You started a war, Ryan. I hope you’re ready for the consequences,”

“Aria?” Cole knocked on his bedroom door. “Aria, are you in there?” There was still no response. “Aria, I’m coming in, ok?” Cole opened the door and stepped through, closing it behind him. This was the last place that he could look. He climbed up the stairs, but when he reached the top Aria was nowhere to be seen. Looking to his right he saw the bed that had been brought up to his room. It was placed directly beneath the large skylight, and in the dim light Cole could see flat sheets. Cole hung his head as he walked over to his bed. Dropping onto his back he stared at the ceiling, taking in the sounds of the house.

The rain striking the roof, the creaking of the wooden floorboards. But there was a sound that didn’t belong making its way through it all. Cole sat up, listening. The noise was coming from Aria’s bed. The sound of thunder rumbled in the distance, echoing off of the mountain sides making it louder. Cole silently walked over to the other bed. He climbed on top of it and looked over the other side. A bundle of blankets with red hair flowing from the top of it trembled up against the bed frame.

Aria’s hands were over her ears as she shook. Cole climbed down and sat beside her, placing one arm over her shoulders. She instantly scampered away from him, the blankets falling to the floor. The thunder flashed and Cole could see the sheer terror in her eyes as she peered at him from the other side of the bed.

Great job, Cole, a stranger’s voice spoke.

Who the hell are you, and what gives you the right to be involved in this? Cole snarled back.

We’re getting tired of your bumbling around. Let us go already, the voice made a spitting sound to punctuate the sentence.

I would if I knew how. I hate having you all here too! Why don’t you just go away, huh? It’s not like I’m forcing you to stay here. I know that other spirits have left over the years, Cole responded.

Yeah, I wish that I could do what they’re doing, but I ain’t like those other spirits, Cole shook his head.

What makes you so different? Cole challenged. The voice sighed.

Well, Cole, I happen to be the manifestation of you that’s been tasked with taking care of these voices. You could say that I’m like a grown up copy of you that is keeping these poor, unfortunate souls from snuffing out before they get the chance to be released, Cole closed his eyes and could see in his mind an older version of himself.

Well, I’ll spend some time trying to help you after I’m done here, the voice let out a long breath. After that it was silent. Cole opened his eyes and looked over at Aria.

“Aria, I...” Cole began, but the thunder flashed again and Cole could see Aria’s ears were flat. He started again. “If you would please listen to what...”

“Listen to what you have to say? No. I don’t want to hear it right now. You are going to listen to me now. It’s my turn to speak,” Cole opened his mouth, but then closed it again, giving a singular nod. “Good. Let’s begin with the day that your dad decided to kidnap me for fun...” Cole opened his mouth again but Aria growled at him. “No interrupting. Now, I was at home, minding my own business, when there was a knock at my door. I opened it up to find a group of kidnappers. I was knocked out and taken here, where I was then tied to a table in a black room in your basement.

“Then, some guy stood in the shadows and interrogated me, tricking me into believing that I would be killed if I answered wrong. Then I find out it’s your dad, and then after I hit him your mom came in,” Aria took a breath. “They treated me fine since. But, your sister has treated me like a demon that’s trying to steal you away, or hurt you, or something. She can’t seem to make up her mind. Then, you came home, and I thought the lunacy would finally stop. And then you... you...” Her voice broke off. Cole closed his eyes.

“I killed all of those people in front of you,” Cole could hear Aria’s hair whisper as she shook her head.

“No. That wasn’t it. I know what death looks like,” Aria’s voice quavered. “What bothered me was what you did after they were dead,” Aria yelled at him. Thunder struck and she tensed. After the echoes ended, she continued in a whisper. “And what you did to me,” Cole silently stood. “Just what kind of a monster are you?”

“Am I allowed to answer that question, or is there more that you want to say about me and my family?” Aria let out a long breath.

“You may,” she responded. “But,” she pointed at him. “You need to stay exactly where you are right now,” Cole nodded. “I can’t see you nodding or shaking your head,” Cole cleared his throat.

“Ok, I’ll stay right here. Where would you like me to begin?” Aria huffed in response.

“At the beginning,”

Ryan stepped out into the hallway and walked into one of the in-house gardens.

“What am I going to do with Cole?” he asked one of the flowers in front of him.

“Fine lad you got there, Don Avalon,” a heavily accented voice spoke from behind. Ryan turned around pulling out a knife. He grabbed the man by the front of his shirt and held the knife at the man’s neck. The man instantly put up his hands. “Hold your horses there. I’m here on behalf of my brother, and I’m on me Todd,” Ryan stared into the man’s unblinking eyes. There was no fear; only mild amusement. Ryan let the man go, stepping back. He turned his back on the man as he stepped over to a mini-fridge near the plants. He reached past the plant seeds and other gardening things and took out a bottle of water and held it out to him.

“Water?” The man waved his refusal. Ryan shrugged as he straightened and took a swig. “So, what does the Third Eye of Don Namhaid want with me?” the man retained his expression as he answered.

“Well, he just wants to let you know that a storm is brewing, and you best prepare for it,” Ryan’s brow furrowed. “Oh, and he also asks that you thank your son, because none of what’s about to happen would have been possible if it weren’t for him,” Ryan relaxed, becoming stoic.

“I’ll be sure to pass it along. Go tell your brother that he should deliver his own messages. After all, it’s been so very long since we last saw each other. If I remember correctly, the last time we’d met he was on his knees, kissing my shoes and begging me to spare him. You were there too, weren’t you Murph?” Murphy’s eye twitched.

“I remember that day very well, and so does he. Farewell, Don Avalon,” Ryan watched the man walk out the door. Ryan looked up at the domed glass roof.

“Cole, what did you do now?” he asked the sky.

“So, you killed the ones on the arena to save me, but it was a double. Then, the double is killed, and you snap and kill the captain of the ship. You come home, hear about what’s been done to some of your mafia family members, and you go out to avenge them. Then you use them to warn anyone else that might try to hurt your family, but while you’re on top of the building, a strange man appears wearing a long coat, big hat, and gas mask, and he starts questioning you, and tells you that I’m still alive, but you refuse to listen to him and go get the leader of the gang. And all this time, you think that I’m just a figment of your imagination because you’ve got voices in your head, and you think that they can make themselves appear in front of you?”

Someone give the creature a prize. She knows how to listen, Alfred mocked, scoffing.

Didn’t I tell you to leave me alone? Cole replied.

Ah, yes, but we heard the conversation that you had with yourself. By the way, you’re alter ego that lives here with us is truly a gentleman of high standing. Very polite, humorous, and intelligent. What happened to you? Alfred jabbed. Cole bit his tongue to keep from responding out loud.

“Cole?” Aria softly called out. Aria sniffed the air. “Are you bleeding?” Cole stopped biting his tongue and waited a moment before responding.

“No, no. I’m fine. That pretty much sums it all up,” he responded. Thunder flashed and Cole could see Aria’s ears straighten.

“Huh. So, it was all just one big misunderstanding?” she asked.

“Yeah,” Cole slowly let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding in.

“So, why did your dad interrogate me?” Cole opened his mouth, then sat down on the bed, his back to Aria.

“Well, he’s fairly good at getting people to talk. He must have thought that you wouldn’t have given him honest answers if he were to simply ask you in a regular social setting,” Cole shook his head. “And he wonders why I’ve never had a girlfriend before. This is exactly why...” Cole trailed off as another thunderbolt struck.

“How did it feel to kill those people?” Cole stiffened as he thought about the question.

How did it feel? Abra asked.

Why are you coming back? Cole asked.

Well, I simply couldn’t leave you alone. But, you probably won’t hear from the others for a while yet. They’re still pretty upset, Abra explained.

“It felt...” Cole shivered as he thought of what he’d done on the Chimera’s Arena and at Night Town. “On the Chimera’s Arena, it started out as a necessity. I just did it to get free. But when the captain threatened to throw you into the arena, something just... snapped. I was so angry, and I wanted to make the captain scared. So I... well, I killed even more of them, and then challenged her,” Cole shook his head.

“And then, when I killed all of those people in Night Town, I had the same goal as I had with the captain. I began to enjoy it,” Cole leaned forward, one of his elbows on his knees, the palm of his hand covering his eye. “I really am a monster,” The rain tap-danced on the roof and the fading echoes of thunder filled the room. Cole felt the mattress lightly tilt away from him. He felt arms slide over his shoulders, and felt Aria hold tightly to him.

“You may be one, but you aren’t just any monster, Cole. You’re my monster,” her breath tickled his ear. Cole reached up and placed his hand on the back of Aria’s head, stroking her hair.

“I really am a monster,” Ryan closed his eyes, waiting at the bottom of the stairs as he listened.

“You might be one, but you aren’t just any monster, Cole. You’re my monster,” Ryan smiled and walked away. Arik stood just outside the door, waiting.

“So, you aren’t going to talk to him?” Arik asked. Ryan shook his head.

“Sometimes I have to be a father first,” Arik sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Just like your father. I’d come back to visit every once in a while, and he’d said the exact same thing. Although, I didn’t know that he was being literal,” Arik shook his head.

“Are you saying that both my father and I are wrong?” Ryan asked. Arik shrugged.

“You are the Don of the most powerful Mafia in the world. I don’t oppose you, but I will question how you do things,” Ryan closed his eyes.

“The reason that this Mafia is as strong as it is happens to be that philosophy. My men see me as a man, not a monster. They follow me out of respect rather than fear. You know the saying that it is far better to be feared than loved? That’s not true. It’s only easier to be feared than loved, because then you don’t get invested in anything or anyone. These men look up to me, and can meet my eye when I look at them because there is mutual respect and appreciation, much like the relationship between a father and his son. If that is the wrong way to do this, then I’m sure I will be replaced eventually,”

“Hmm,” Arik looked at Ryan. “I wasn’t meaning anything by what I’d said, and I wasn’t thinking that someone could replace...” Ryan held up his hand.

“Of course you meant what you said, and I answered to it. And I will be replaced soon enough. But until then, I’m going to keep going the way that I have been,” Ryan stated. Arik nodded, and they started walking down the hallway. After a bit of walking in silence, Arik spoke up.

“You have one scary son,” Ryan nodded.

“Well, don’t you think that you’d end up a lot like him if you’d been put through the same things that he has?” Ryan asked.

“Well, I wouldn’t know. After all, we live in the present, and we can’t go back to the past to change anything,” he replied. They stopped outside of Ryan’s room.

“Have you heard about when my wife will be back? I could really use some advice right now,” Arik shook his head.

“You know, she called you two days ago. Why didn’t you ask her?” Arik looked down at Ryan. Ryan half-smiled.

“Because we had more important things to talk about,” he responded.

“Uh huh, like what?” Arik challenged.

“That happens to be the kind of thing that stays between a man and his wife,”

©2017