NOCROSSLADS

Chapter One: Desires

By the time he turned five, desires maliciously devoured his mind.. Fumes of the brown-yellowish leaf invaded his lungs. The flavour of women was already being craved by his taste buds. And now being twenty-nine years of age, sadly the persona never changed. Mind and body criminalized, convicted by all...He took a deep breath, pistol aimed at her, the hammer cocked with no remorse, bullet like a thief, ripping through her flesh, ready to snatch the little girl's soul...Again.

＊＊＊.

Dark was the sky as captain Calico Downing approached Mr. Woods' house.

Calico's eyes starred at the house. The design made him feel like his unwanted in this area, he felt alienated. This lavish lifestyle was something he never knew, never experienced. It confused him. Emotions were circulating from love to hate, and vice versa.

He got up the stairs slowly, avoiding his presence to be noticed by any soul roaming the streets, knocking on the door calmly. He stepped inside as the door opened by Woods' servants awaiting for his arrival. Upon entering the house, the butlers quickly

took a few steps back. The smell of fish and sea water, pierced through their noses. As they looked up to study his face, feeling of discomfort were felt. His hair that touched his shoulders, dark as the cosmos. Golden rings that dangled from his ears. His eyes camouflaged with the colour of his hair. A dark blue leather coat that covered the back of his legs. White trousers that floated slightly above his skin. A sharp metal mark that covered the left side of his upper lip. A dark uneven beard. A pair of black boots that hugged his knees.

"Mr. Woods' is waiting for you in the dining room, sir." A servant said.

Both of them still keeping their distance away, "To your right, sir." The other servant stuttered, avoiding to take a breath.

He stepped inside the dining room, observing and studying the design of the house. The house had the scent of expensive perfumes.

"You must be Mr. Downing." A voice said with the characteristics of an old age, "Please have a seat."

He approached the dining table, that spread across the room. Pulled a chair back and took a seat. He sat their overwhelmed by the luxury that surrounded him.

The old man looked at him, studying his figure. Struggling to stop his leg from shaking. Turning his head to this side, trying to avoid the awful smell. He starred at his servants, avoiding to make eye contact, as the buccaneer never moved his eyes away from him. He stood up trying to break the awkward silence that filled the room. He approached one of the windows and pushed the glass open.

"Don't you like the smell of Arabian tobacco? Don't you like Rabat? Have you ever been here before?" He said, waiting for a response but still silence, "So how was your day Mr. Downing?"

"I'm not here to talk about my day Mr. Woods. I'm here because there's something of yours that I want."

"Very well, follow me" He said.

Calico stood up slowly and followed him closely. Every room of the house was bigger than the one before. Luxurious lifestyle with every room filled with a lush scent of a perfume. What caught his eyes weren't only the riches and what was materialistic. The more he walked deeper into the house, the more he realised the dead animals statues. Heads on the wall. His eyes even caught the sight of strange animals in the darkness of some other rooms. Strange animals that confused him about their significance to an old man.