“The Disciples are still reeling from our attack on Club Thirst. They’re being pressed on every side, even the small-time villains are trying to take advantage of their current state. So we’re going to join in and make sure they don’t have a chance to recover.”
Reload raised his hand. He just stared at me until I called on him. “Which one are we killing this time? That polyamorous guy really fucked me up, so I vote that he’s our next target.”
“His name is Poly, he isn’t polyamorous. Well, I don’t think he is. Whatever, it doesn’t matter, we’re not killing any of them this time. Even after Club Thirst, they still have enough henchmen to turn us into a statistic. I’d assume all of them have their own militia surrounding them by now.”
“Wait, why is his name Poly? Is he like a parrot, or does he have free love themed powers?” Frank asked. “Not to derail the conversation, but I never got the specifics on who we’re fighting. I just know that we’re fighting the Disciples of Agony.”
“Okay, I’ll go over it just to make sure we’re all on the same page.” I let out a sigh. “We’re fighting the Disciples of Agony, so you got that right. They’re run by Agony, the supervillain in charge. Currently, we’re going after two of his three remaining lieutenants. We’ve killed Squirm, who had a muscle manipulation ability. Depending on the strength of his target, he could do anything from light spasms to full body seizures.”
I looked around for something to write on, but motel rooms weren’t well known for their whiteboards. I took out the marker I confiscated from Reload, using it to write the key points of what I was saying on the wall. “We have two lieutenants left to deal with. Quarry is a literal brick shithouse. I’m assuming he has a growth ability, considering his size, but I’m not positive. What I can confirm is that he’s able to coat his body in stone, making him slow, but strong and durable.
“Polymeniac is an endurance fighter, basically impossible to kill unless we can do it in one shot. He can generate multiples of each limb, with no limit except a second head. And to compliment that, he has a regeneration ability that’ll heal any non-fatal wounds. There’s another lieutenant, an ordinary named Terry, but we’re not going after him.”
“Why aren’t we killing the guy without powers? He deserves to die as much as the others,” Reload said.
“I don’t give a shit if we kill him or not, but he’s not a priority. It’s the ones with powers that are a threat to us.”
Tóxica shook her head. “Prejudiced against people without powers. Pobrecito Frank, bullied by his own boss.”
“You let Reload draw three different dicks on his forehead! How the fuck am I in the wrong? Okay, no more questions until I finish speaking.”
I glared at them, finally getting them to stop messing around. “Alright, we’re going to hit another Disciple safehouse. It’s the furthest one from their main base, the Tower of Agony, and it barely has any activity. Tóxica, Reload, and I are going to break in and destroy everything we can see. Frank’s going to be the getaway driver.”
It took them a bit before realizing they could now ask questions. Reload went first. “Is there going to be any fighting?”
“It should be pretty light, a couple dozen henchmen in the worst case scenario.”
“I won’t be going,” Tóxica declared.
“What? Why not?”
“Our deal is that I help you kill the Disciples, not the men working for them. I have better things to do than kill powerless men.”
Her reasoning felt weak at best. I had hoped that we were already past the deal, and that she thought of us as a team, but it seemed that I was wrong. I was about to argue with her, but she shot me a look before I could say a word. Her eyes pierced right through me. I decided it wasn’t worth the fight.
“Alright, that’s fair enough. Reload and I should be more than capable of handling this. Frank, pick out whichever car you like the least and get ready to leave in twenty.”
Frank had managed to set up a deal with the car salesman that we met last time. He’d give us cars filed under false paperwork, and in return, we kept him well paid and happy. We had four cars in the motel parking lot, and we kept a spare a few blocks away.
I was already having big ideas on what to do with the rest of the money. With that much cash, we could pay our way through any problem we faced. If we got a couple dozen henchmen on our payroll, we could storm through the Disciples’ safehouses. Reload’s powers had a lot more potential than just helping him in a shootout, it could easily keep an army armed to the teeth with guns that couldn’t be traced.
Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.
When we got into Frank’s car of choice, a Volkswagen Beetle plastered in Hello Kitty stickers, I made sure to check over my gear. I had a pistol on each side and a few packs of Throm spread throughout my pockets and jacket. You only ever needed a handful at most, but after what happened with Frank, I wasn’t looking to take any chances.
As we drove off, I looked in the rearview mirror to see Tóxica walking out of her motel room, dressed in a surprisingly plain outfit. Something was up, and I wanted to know what it was. But when you’re on uncertain terms with a girl that can rip your throat out, it’s better to not be pushy.
The ride to the safehouse was smooth, a peaceful drive through South Rain. Since Frank was the driver, we let him have the aux. He played a relaxed jazz mix, which was peaceful, but it wasn’t really the music you listen to before a violent shootout.
On our way there, we passed through the street that Club Thirst was on. I could’ve told Frank to avoid it, but I was curious about the aftermath. Torn police tape littered the sidewalk, the entrance covered up with wooden boards and plastic bags. From what the latest news report said, they confirmed fifty-eight people died in the club. Seven of them weren’t affiliated with the Disciples.
I’ve killed people before, and it wouldn’t bother me to do it again. But I’m not a psychopath, and sometimes, the lives I’ve taken weigh on me. I could’ve rationalized it, saying that there wasn’t a chance in hell that those people were truly innocent. And maybe I would be right. But did that really matter?
I knew that innocent people could die and I decided to go through with the plan anyways. That was the type of person I had to be. It’s the type of person that I was. If I let morals weaken my resolve, then I’d have no chance at surviving against the Disciples.
We pulled into an alley down the street from our target, and Reload and I stepped out. Frank would keep the car idling, waiting for us to come out. Reload was nearly bouncing as we walked to the safehouse, excited to get back into some action.
This place wasn’t just a safehouse, it was also a front. We walked into the electronics shop on the first floor, the place filled with overpriced garbage that no one actually bought. While we looked around, I discreetly checked out the guy working the counter.
He was distracted, scrolling through his phone while sitting on a stool. His arms were muscular, completely covered in tattoos. It was hidden among his full sleeve, but I could see the ring of fire tattooed around his wrist. One of the tattoos their henchmen loved to get. While the people working in their shops were always Disciple henchmen, mostly new recruits, it didn’t hurt to check.
I walked up to the counter, Reload close behind. “Hey, man, I’m having some trouble with my camera. Can you help?”
“Sure, what’s up?” he looked up from his phone.
I pointed my pistol straight at his eye. “It keeps randomly shooting.” I fired before he could react, the bullet bursting out the back of his skull. “Just like that.”
The thud of footsteps sounded above us, the henchmen rushing to see what happened. While the first floor was a front, the basement and second floor were the areas that actually mattered. The basement was where valuables went, and the second floor was where the henchmen would be waiting for us.
Reload and I vaulted over the counter, rushing forward to gain ground. Before we reached the safehouse, I made sure to go over the plan once again. While we headed towards a choke point in the back, we needed to make sure the rooms were empty. He tossed me a rifle to help with the clearing.
It was simple enough to clear a room, I’d throw open the door and look around. I knew that the doors would be unlocked, but Reload was either unaware or didn’t give a shit. I heard him kick open each of the doors he passed by.
After clearing my side of the building, I reached the chokepoint, the doorway that led to the stairwell. Unless you wanted to jump out of the window, you needed to pass through here to leave. Whether they rushed in or tried to escape, Reload and I would have them in our line of fire.
But as I started aiming at the door, I felt the ground shake beneath me as a violent crash hit my eardrums. I spun around, the source of the noise coming from the entrance. Thick metal shutters had collapsed, blocking our escape route. This was new. I was last here about a month ago, and there wasn’t anything like that before.
This was bad. Not only did my escape plan just get ruined, but now I wasn’t certain what we were facing. I looked at Reload, who was staring at the barrier. I had no notable strength on my own, and I wasn’t certain that a grenade would take that hunk of metal down.
“Reload, please tell me you have something that can break through that.”
“I don’t got anything that wouldn’t also take down the building.”
“Fuck.”
That fuck was well timed as gunfire started to rain down from the ceiling. By the time I threw myself out of the way, half a dozen bullets had hit me. I could feel an aching pain from the last shot, my super resistance already wearing thin.
Reload also dodged to the side, but unlike me, he was already firing back. While the second floor bullets tore through the ceiling, the blood dripping through the holes made it clear that Reload had landed his shots.
I needed to take back control of this situation. But as soon as I got back to my feet, I saw the hallway door crack open. Instead of a dumbass henchmen walking into his death, though, the person behind it just threw a grenade and ran back.
I ran forward, barely having time to react. I lowered the barrel of my rifle to the ground and swung at the grenade, sending it flying with the shittiest Tiger Woods impersonation. The explosion as it crashed against the shutters barely had an effect on the metal.
I wasn’t going to be dumb enough to let the wannabe grenadier have another attempt. I started shooting at the wall of the stairwell, hoping a few stray bullets would hit my target. While I blindly fired, I tried to look around our surroundings.
There were two cameras in the hallway, pointed at me and Reload. They were also new. And that was how those bastards were able to shoot at the right time. When my semi-auto ran out of bullets, I tossed it to the side and shot the cameras out with my pistol.
That response was surprising. Not that she refused, but the fact that she apologized. She never showed remorse, whether it was for tearing Reload in half or drawing on Frank’s face. But right now wasn’t the time to think about her. We were pinned down, and there weren't any reinforcements coming our way.