Errand Runners

Epilogue - Origins - 3: Zane

“Hey, newb! You better take that ego down a notch!”

“How do you expect to move up the ranks with that attitude?”

“Dude, don’t mess with that kid. Ryan’s orders.”

“Come on! He can’t be more than fourteen, fifteen?”

“Sounds like he’s bad news…”

That's all I heard day in and day out. They never got my age right – I was thirteen.

Unlike the rest of the guys here, I didn’t really have any interest in ranks or reputation. All I cared about was money. Money made the city function, and money would help me find what I was looking for. Who I was looking for.

“Hey Zaney, how about you tag along. Be good for ya to learn things on the job,” Ryan, the one in charge of our smaller group, offered. He was a lanky guy and didn’t really have a scary bone in his body, but his methods were… effective. As he tucked the pistol into his waistband, I caught the square insignia on the handle.

“As soon as I get one of those,” I shot back.

Tracing my line of sight, he realized I was referring to his gun and let out a boisterous laugh. “Really, little man?”

“Why not?”

Judging by Ryan’s expression, he was nervous by how serious I was.

“Why are you in such a rush, little man?” I hated when he called me that, and he knew it. “There’s nothin’ fun about pullin’ the trigger. It’s for protection only.”

I knew he meant that. To be honest, Ryan would be the last person I’d expect to be in a gang, but here he was, leader of his own group in Nova City’s Quads. “Tell ya what? When you get your tats, you’ll get one, okay?”

Even though he was a pushover most of the time, I could tell he wasn’t going to budge on the matter.

I sighed and let it go. “How much would I get if I came with you?” If the price was worthwhile, I’d do the job.

“Were you born this stingy?” Ryan chuckled.

“You tell me," I chided, giving him a cold stare. He knew me better than anyone. 

“Man, if looks could kill,” he sighed. “Zane, I know you’re eager to get into this gang business, but that don’t mean you gotta jump in so early on.”

“You’re the one that brought me in!” I hated that he could get me so riled up. “I have nothing else to be, so let me be a Quad already.”

“Come on, Ry, just let the kid join,” Ryan’s underling, Dalton, chimed in. “Boss doesn’t care much for charity anyways, so may as well have the kid pull his weight as an official member.” Judging by the brown stubble on his jaw, the guy was in his late teens, early twenties tops. Ryan was around the same age, which is why Dalton thought he could give his two cents without worry. He thought they were equals.

Ryan massaged his temples with his thumb and middle finger. “Dalton, get the others and gather out front.” Dalton grinned, as if it were a suggestion and not an order. “Now,” Ryan added firmly. Even though he was a lenient group leader, he could be serious when he wanted to be. His tone was enough to send Dalton out of the room, but not before he shot me a wink. I never really knew what to think about that guy.

When he finally left the room, Ryan cleared his throat to grab my attention. “Zane, when I brought you here, I didn’t expect you to be a Quad. You gotta find your own way. You don’t have to settle-”