New Zion

Ryan squinted down at a male Terra in front of him, a soft blue light filtering in from a grate in the ceiling. The damp concrete walls glistened with moisture, with countless brown stains arcing from the center of the room. The chains encircling the Terra’s wrists clinked and shook. The Terra was a blubbering mess, bruises all over and his face swelled up. Ryan took one sniff and recoiled back, covering his nose with a handkerchief. The Terra was muttering to himself, not paying any attention to Ryan.

“Hey!” no response. “Filth, pay attention to me!” the Terra continued to stare down at his blood flowing down a grate at his feet, muttering. Ryan shook his head. He took a step forward and placed his hands next to the Terras left ear and clapped. The sound cracked like thunder in the small room. The Terra would have leapt a few feet into the air if his feet weren’t chained to the floor as well.

“Much better,” Ryan took a step back, the Terras attention solely on him. “You know, if you had left when I had given you the chance, then we wouldn’t be here right now,” the Terra continued to glare at Ryan. “I mean honestly, why won’t you people ever learn?” the Terras shaking redoubled. Ryan leaned forwards, looking the Terra in the eye. “Why are you so arrogant as to think that you can actually do something in my territory and get away with it?”

Ryan nodded to the Berg Leute standing behind him. He stepped forwards and picked up the Terra by the arms, hanging his chained wrists from a hook on the ceiling. Ryan took off his suit jacket, handing it to the Berg Leute. Stepping forward, he hit the Terra in the center of his chest. He swung away from Ryan, much like a punching bag. Ryan waited for him to swing back, steadied the Terra by his shoulder, and hit him again, this time in the gut.

As the Terra swung back to him, Ryan side kicked him, sending him off to the side. Ryan kept beating him until he had worked up a sweat. Ryan paused, steadying himself on the nearest wall.

“You know, the body can withstand a lot of punishment. It’s fascinating just what all you can do to a person before they’re beyond repair,” Ryan held his hand out. The Berg Leute grabbed a metal rod from the corner and tossed it to him. Ryan caught it, and took a step back from the Terra. He swung the bar at the Terra’s left leg. The Terra howled in pain as the bar bounced off. Ryan blinked, and looked over to the Berg Leute, who shrugged. “Is it just me, or am I getting old?” the Berg Leute smirked.

“Maybe. Raising kids’ll do that to a man,” Ryan nodded.

“I used to be able to break a guy’s leg in one hit,” Ryan muttered. “Should I give it another couple of shots, or do you want to do it?” The Berg Leute held up his hands.

“I’ll leave it to you. You know, at least till your old man strength gives out,” Ryan chuckled. He swung the bar again, but didn’t hear the snapping sound. The Terra’s howls caused the Berg Leute to wince, but Ryan quickly leapt forwards, shoving his tie into the Terra’s mouth.

“Sh! I have children sleeping upstairs. Are you trying to wake them up?” Ryan leaned to the side, trying to get a better angle at the guy’s leg. It still wasn’t broken. Ryan sighed, handing the bar to the Berg Leute. “Fine, you do it. It would seem that my old man patience just gave out,” the Berg Leute smiled. Ryan stood back and watched the Berg Leute line up his swing, just as someone who would play golf would line up his shot. He brought the pole in at a diagonal angle, hitting the man in the center of his knee. The man’s lower leg came right off, the blood splattering onto Ryan’s clothes. The man’s screams redoubled through the cloth. Ryan nodded to the Berg Leute, who then drove the bar into the base of the man’s skull. His face was frozen in a silent scream, the tie rolling out of his mouth beneath wide eyes. Ryan shook his head.

“Why’d you take off his leg?” the Berg Leute shrugged.

“I didn’t think I’d hit him as hard as I did,” Ryan shook his head.

“You were just trying to show off, weren’t you?” the Berg Leute shrugged again, this time with a smile. Ryan chuckled. “Well, you know the drill. I need him sent to his boss today,”

“What’s the rush?” Ryan scratched the back of his head.

“We’ve got this new group who’s come in. So far they haven’t done anything but hole up in an abandoned apartment building, but I haven’t heard of them before. I don’t want to take any chances with them,”

“You got it, boss,” Ryan walked out of the room. Stepping over to a sink he cleaned the blood off of his hands.

“You may want to change your clothes before the kids see you,” Ryan looked over his shoulder to see a Berg Leute, Harry.

“Cole has done worse himself,” Harry shook his head.

“And Sophie? She isn’t going to become the Family Head. This is a world that she doesn’t need to know about,” Ryan sighed.

“You’re right,” Harry smirked.

“Of course I am. I’m practically your conscience. What would you do without me?” Ryan looked at Harry.

“Let’s just say that we’d probably not have as many members here, and the graveyards would be overflowing,” Harry smiled and started up the stairs. Ryan walked over to an alcove and continued down into a passage. Twin lines were cut through the dust on the floor, occasionally weaving around each other. He came upon a set of stairs, which groaned as he ascended. He stopped in front of a doorway and tapped the latch, the secret door whispering into the master bedroom. As he was changing he heard yelling from downstairs, one deep voice and one higher.

“Well, I suppose it would only be a matter of time until they woke up,” Ryan muttered. He forlornly looked at his bed, before walking out of the room. He continued down the hallway, passing the faces of his father, grandfather and great grandfather. All three looked down at him with a piercing stare, each a face that had once glowed from laughter.

Ryan began wondering when he’d lose his glow as well, if he hadn’t already. He could smell the food in the kitchen as he made his way over to it. Opening the mahogany door, he stepped in and took a seat at the counter. A newspaper was sitting on the table with a cup of coffee next to it. He had just opened the newspaper when Cole and his daughter Sophie came into the kitchen.

“I was wondering what was going on this morning. So, Sophie, which demon did you beat today?” Ryan asked, smiling.

“The Tickle Demon came back, vowing revenge. But me and brother beat him back,” she said. Ryan raised an eyebrow.

“I can’t help but notice that the demons only seem to manifest in Cole. Why do they dislike him so much, I wonder? Why not go after a more…” He chuckled. “Innocent soul?” Ryan pondered, staring off into space.

“Because an innocent soul is harder to take over. They need to take someone close to them, to take the soul” Sophie explained, pointing to Cole.

“Oh, so I’m the bad soul?” Cole asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Not bad, but not pure. Like me!” Sophie responded, sitting down and stuffing her face full of food so that she wouldn’t have to answer any more questions. Ryan chuckled and went back to reading the newspaper. Cole managed to finish eating before Sophie, despite her head start.

“Well, let’s get going. I thought you wanted to go to school with me,” Cole teased as Sophie continued eating. “By the way, thanks for the food, Harry,” Ryan waited for Cole run off. He didn’t look up from his paper when he next spoke.

“So you and Cole have been getting along quite well since he first arrived. Still happy he’s here?” Sophie looked at Ryan as though he were an idiot.

“You keep asking me that question at the beginning of each school year. Yes, I’m happy. He’s the greatest brother I could ever ask for,” Ryan nodded to himself.

“I think you should know something,” Sophie stopped eating and turned to face her father.

“What?”

“Cole has done some… bad things,” Sophie didn’t move or make a sound. “He has hurt some people really bad,”

“But he wouldn’t do anything like that to me,” Ryan smiled.

“Of course not. It wouldn’t even cross his mind. I’m trying to say that he’s willing to do almost anything to protect people. Especially his friends and family,” Sophie nodded.

“I understand,” she turned back to eating. Ryan waited for Sophie to leave and could hear her little feet thudding down the hallway to the main entrance. Harry turned to Ryan.

“You didn’t tell her?” Ryan shook his head.

“Like you said before, she doesn’t need to know much about the other world that I live in, and that Cole will soon take part in. All she needs to know is that Cole will protect her from that world,”

“You don’t plan on dying anytime soon, do you?” Ryan sighed, looking up to the ceiling.

“I don’t plan on it, but something’s brewing up in the Terra Lands, and I don’t think we’ll be able to avoid it,” Harry nodded solemnly. The only noise in the room was the meat sizzling on the stovetop as both stared off.

“Well, we’ll just have to deal with that hurtle when it comes,” Harry finally said. Ryan shook his head.

“I don’t think the Government can stand against them as they are now. There will have to be a change in management,” Ryan said. Harry smiled.

“And who’s going to take over?” he asked.

“There’s this super handsome, charming, intelligent man that I keep seeing every time I look in the mirror. What do you think?” Ryan said. Harry chuckled and was about to respond when the kitchen door burst open.

“Don, we’ve got a problem,” Ryan folded his newspaper and stood up.

“What’s wrong?” the Terra in the doorway was breathing heavily, leaning on it for support.

“Cole just got hit,” Ryan visibly relaxed.

“What happened to the people who attacked him?” the Terra blinked.

“Uh, sir?” Ryan smiled.

“Ah, so you’re not a family member. Of course you wouldn’t know,” the Terra’s ears twitched. “Making a play for our territory, are you?” the man shrunk back.

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he stammered. Ryan sighed and shook his head.

“If only you people had waited for me to release that body…” his eyes went wide.

“B-b-body?!” Ryan looked genuinely sad.

“Well, I suppose I’m going to have to release yours as well,” Ryan said. The Terra started to back away, but was stopped by the Berg Leute from this morning.

“Boss, the stiff’s all prepped and ready to go, just as you asked. All we need is for you to give the OK, and he’ll be on display for all to see…” he looked down at the intruder. “Who’s this?” Ryan shrugged.

“Dunno. All I know is that he’s part of a group that’s trying to get our territory,” the Berg Leute raised one hairy eyebrow.

“He told you that much already?”

“Naw, he told me that Cole got hit, as though it would worry me,” the Berg Leute laughed.

“Well, do you want me to ask him some questions downstairs?” Ryan waved his hand.

“No. If they went after my son, then they won’t be all that much of a threat to us. Display him with the other guy. That should send the message,” the Terra began shaking as he was dragged away by the Berg Leute. His cries echoed off the walls as they went around the corner, down to the basement. He was chained much the same as the person from earlier in the morning, and upon seeing the blood on the chains and the floor, he began squirming. The Berg Leute began sharpening a blade off to the side.

“What are you going to do to me?”

“Send a message,”

“I can give them a message for you guys. Just tell me what you want me to say, and I’ll do it. I’ve got an excellent memory,” the Berg Leute shook his head.

“You ain’t exactly in a bargaining position my friend, and it’s a shame that memory won’t be of use anymore,”

“Can I at least know your name?” the Berg Leute leaned in close, a sad look in his eyes.

“I’ll give you that. It’s Phil,” the Terra blinked. “Should’ve stayed home kid. This is bigger than you could ever know,” The Terra’s eyes went wide, and he looked down as Phil walked back over to his bench. The blade that Phil had been sharpening was sheathed in his chest. He looked back up at Phil, who only shook his head, with the same sad expression.

©2017