Pernicious

33.

14 years ago

Kayden Merikh

I turned on my right side in pain, spitting blood on the ground. Two boys came into vision when I turned on my back and blinked the haze away from my eyes. They didn't look much older than me. Maybe 15 or 16.

They looked down at me, rubbing their knuckles and popping their finger joints. A smirk was plastered on their faces.

"Should we keep going?" One of them asked someone behind the other boy. I slowly turned my head to the left, sharp pain shooting in my neck as I did.

Another boy was leaning against the wall with hands folded over his chest. He looked the same age as them but he seems to be on a higher rank. He was already watching me when my eyes met his dark ones from where I was laid on the ground.

"You don't want to teach him a lesson after what he did to Gary?" He asked again when he didn't answer.

"We are the same age. Should I really fucking take orders from you?" He started walking towards him slowly, "Are you really what boss tells us you are or are you just a fucking pussy who shits his pants when he sees bloo-"

Everything happened so fast. The moment that boy came closer to the one leaning on the wall, he fisted his hair and banged his head on the wall he was leaning on a second ago with so much force that I heard the crunch of a bone.

The boy clutched his nose and yelled in pain. Blood from his nose dripped down his forearm as he took a few steps away from his assaulter.

"Just because we're the same age doesn't mean we're the same. I'm in this world since I was 12 whereas you have just stepped in it a few months ago. You better learn to keep your mouth shut in front of your senior before I gut you out someday because of it," he said calmly.

A door to my south opened and a man in his late thirties wearing a grey suit with black stripes stepped in.

He pointed at the boy clutching his nose and the one standing near me, "Out," he said and the boys left without a single word.

The man walked towards me and gestured me to stand up. I slowly lifted myself from the ground, trying not to faint from the sharp pain that ran throughout my body at the movement.

I knew I had a black eye, my jaw was sore, my abdomen hurt, my ribs hurt, my arms hurt, my legs hurt. Everything hurts like hell.

"You robbed from me. Robbed from one of my finest distributors." The man started speaking.

I didn't know why exactly I was here but hearing him say that made me realise it.

The man I robbed drugs from. A few months ago.

Well, it wasn't the only time I did it.

That rich looking man who made me do it the first time came back asking for more. I made alot of money for me to buy weed and saved hers.

I hope not all the men from whom I robbed were linked to the man in front of me.

"You gave me and my distributors quite a headache." He started laughing, "Well they don't have a headache now because they don't have a head anymore."

So they were linked to him.

Guess I'm fucked.

"But they weren't the finest I guess if they were robbed by a thirteen year old kid." He walked around me as I held my ribs in pain.

"One getting robbed? Maybe by luck. Two getting robbed? Maybe by luck again. But more than that? The person definitely has something in them."

"To rob from me," he spread out his arms, "Ricco García, is something only a fool will do." He chuckled.

"But you aren't a fool." His tone turned serious. "You were able to rob from me after the first is because I let you. No one has ever dared to do that in more than a decade of my rule. It both, surprised and enraged me because I wasn't expecting a bloody thirteen year old kid behind it. But at the same time I wanted to see what you're capable of. So for months I let you rob from me so that I could see it wasn't only out of luck."

He held his hands behind his back once he was back in front of me. "Fight for me. I can see the potential in you." He rubbed his jaw and gave me a once over. "If trained properly, you can be a good fighter. You already have the strength and height. I can make you very rich if you take up the job I'm offering. You don't have to steal money for weed and food anymore. You'll earn in thousands from the fights. You can buy your own house, cars, bikes, jets, boats, whores, every type of luxury."

"Whatever you earn will be from your talent and hardwork. Money isn't the only thing you'll be earning though. If you improve and became the best at it, people will respect you."

He pinned we with his stare. "You'll never get an offer like this in your life. If you win, you'll be a millionaire in no time. Think about it." His eyes gleamed with promise. "Whatever you want, it's yours. You're just a sign away from it."

I didn't ask how he knows about my addiction to weed because he already told me he's been observing me for months.

You'll earn in thousands.

You can buy your own house.

You don't have to steal money for weed and food.

Life will get so much better. No worrying about anything anymore. I'll earn my money and will be able to help her as well.

It sounds almost like a dream.

"This boy standing to your right," he pointed towards the boy who banged the other's head, "He was just like you. Ran away from his house, nowhere to live, no money, no food," he walked behind him and clapped his shoulders, "But today he owns a luxurious apartment, a Rolls-Royce and hundreds of thousands of dollars in his bank account. All within four years of working for me."

The boy was standing with arms crossed over his chest.

It's not like I didn't like fighting. It helped me alot to get my anger out. One of the reasons why I ran away from that hell hole was because it filled my anger issues so much that one time I broke a kid's jaw.

I didn't hit however was standing beside me though. I have that much sense. It's not like I enjoyed beating the shit out of people. But if you're gonna ask for it, I'm gonna give it to you.

The idea of being financial free made my heart beat in excitement.

"Okay," I said.

A smirk of victory spread on Ricco's lips. "Maravilloso."

"Jake here will train and guide you." He slapped his shoulders again and stuffed his hands in the pockets of his pants.

"Come in," he said and a man entered the room and walked towards me with a paper on a writing pad and pen in his hand.

Ricco watched with a smirk as I took the paper and pen and signed with trembling hands above the blank line at the bottom of the page, unaware that I was sealing my fate.

//

Short chapter
<3