The Misvan Gatu: Intentions

Chapter Three // Leo

Leo

When I woke up in a room alone with a fuzzy memory, the last thing I expected to hear was the unrelenting roar of a madman, followed by a screaming fire alarm that was slowly drilling a hole into my ear drum. "WILL SOMEONE TURN THAT GOD DAMN ALARM OFF!" A door slammed, making me jump up out of bed faster than ever before, and then the alarm stopped. To my annoyance my ears continued to ring loudly, even in the absence of the alarm. Another door slammed and I could hear them all coming down the hall towards my room.

"NOW MAYBE ONE OF YOU IDIOTS CAN ENLIGHTEN ME. HOW IN THE HELL DID HE ESCAPE?"

"Box, you saw it. You were there. He was dead-" The guy that they call Moss attempted to speak calmly, probably in the hope that Box would stop screaming. Even I knew that it was pointless.

"Well, bloody hell! I wouldn't have known! Thank you SO much for clearing that up! You moronic imbecile!"

"Box, you didn't expect it... neither did any of us. You're being unfair. Eric was in a drug induced coma in a different room. We have never seen anything like it before. It's impossible."

I think I stopped breathing in anticipation. Frog had just told Box that he was being unfair. It was like he wanted Box to pull out his gun and shoot him. If any of the sitters had enough balls to speak to Box like that, it was Frog. Then again, maybe he really was just a moron. The silence from the hall was terrifying. I could only imagine how Box was looking at Frog right now. I knew it would be seconds before he shot him. Frog just signed his death certificate, I was certain. I stood, unmoving like stone, while I strained to hear anything outside the door. It felt like my heart had slowed down, it was the only thing I could hear. 

Moss was a cowering dim-wit and Frog was his loyal best friend. I had the impression that they were blood related, but I had never been told. It was just a guess, maybe a little far fetched, but they seemed to have a crazy connection.

"How could this happen?" Box sounded broken. His voice a mere growl.

"I don't know Box, the tests we have been doing on Eric-" Moss just didn't know when to shut up. I knew that Box's question was rhetorical and so did Frog, but Moss didn't. He just ploughed on in with a stupid-ass answer.

A deafening crack shook the door, making my heart leap up my throat. The metal door had bent under the force of his punch. I couldn't believe the power that Box had. If I hadn't have witnessed it, I would never have thought it possible, for any man to have that kind of strength. I guess that's why they call him Box.

"IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!"

My hands started to shake, how did I let myself get caught up in this? I had a pretty damn good life. Yes, I had no family and I had a dead-end job, but it paid the bills. I had a lovely apartment to myself and I was considerably happy. Then I met Box. He came in the café and sat down alone in the darkest corner of the room. I took his order, coffee; black no sugar, he gave me the creeps, and if I had known then what I knew now, I would have thrown my apron in and ran. Hindsight would have been a blessing, instead I get the ability to predict death, and he knew what I could do. When I brought him his coffee, that was literally what he said. "I know what you can do, and I know what you are capable of with a little help. Let me help you Leo." Now, he had only ever seen my name tag, so it was insane that he called me Leo. That's why I sat down at his table and listened.

"How do you know my name?"

"I know more than just your name, sweetheart. I know that you hate this job, your apartment is just a means to an end, your family are all dead, and you thought you could stop it,but failed. You have a gift, stronger than any I have seen before. You deserve to live a better life and I can help you with that."

"What do you want from me?"

"I want your time."

"Look, I'm sorry mister. I haven't got what you're looking for-"

"Box."

"What?"

"My name is Box."

"Right, well, it was lovely chatting with you Box ,but I have to-"

"I can give you more money than you've ever dreamed of... all I want is a little of your time."

I believed him. He knew too much about me and I guess the money just made it all that more believable. Who was I to say no? It was a life changing amount of money and I would have just about given anything to change my life. I could get out of this job, start a new life somewhere else and maybe meet someone and settle down. I could be happy.

"So, what are we going to do now, Box?" Frog's question brought me back to reality. It was a good question and I knew that whatever they were going to do, was going to be something I didn't want any part of. My time here was over, it was over when I realised how much of a monster Box was.

"I think we can figure something out, but for now we need to wait. Figure out how this happened. What drugs were given to Eric? Did Lisa come to visit before he was put in the coma?"

"I let her see him again, even though he was unresponsive to her treatment before. I don't think she is happy with our arrangements any more, and she had disappeared when I went to give Eric his injections. So it could be her? She might be hiding something from us." Moss's revelation had me stumped. I had no idea who Lisa was and I wasn't going to stay to find out. I had to get out of here. I grabbed the door handle and stepped out into the hall, bracing myself for the worst.

"Sorry to interrupt, but you never mentioned anything like this when I signed up for the money."

"Moss, you have disappointed me. Why was I not informed of Lisa coming again? And Leo..." Box turned to me, his eyes flashing dangerously. He was furious.

"Do you really want to challenge me, about things that are clearly none of your business? You know our aim. You know my personal goals, and you know that all we are trying to do is figure out that BIG question. What happens when we die? Is there an afterlife?" 

"I just want my money and I'll go. You're right, this is all none of my business. So just pay me-" My cheeks flushed red when he interrupted.

"You should really think carefully about what you're saying to me. It's just bad manors to speak so derivatively to your Boss." He smiled, but it wasn't a smile of happiness. His face shone with evil intentions. I was growing more impatient with him by the second. This wasn't part of the deal.

"Excuse me?" 

"Would you not say that you were working for me? You're job isn't over yet Leo. Your patient escaped. You failed to show us that you were capable of what you said you were."

"Failed to show you that I was capable? You are kidding, right? I'm capable of things you have never even imagined, Box. You may have had some kind of control over me, but my job is done now. You can't make me stay. You can either pay up, or I will go to the police." My heart pounded frantically against my chest and I could hear it resonating in my brain. I felt like I was trapped in a corner with nowhere to run, and I was so angry that I started to shake. He boomed out a laugh in surprise at my outburst. Pulling his head slowly back, his eyes thinned to slits. That's when I noticed that every eye in the hall was focused on me.

"Oh, I am sorry." He stepped closer to me, breaching my personal space and then he practically hissed at me, " Your cleverly hatched plan of how to get the money and leave is pathetic. We are the government my dear. The police are ants beneath us. The Misvan Gatu are highly important to the plan. You think a mere adult with little psychic ability can bring us down? You think that anyone would let you get that far? I think on the whole darling, you are as immature in your manners as you are in appearance."

Moss and Frog stepped closer to me, following Box's lead. They were smiling at me now too. My heart thudded dramatically as I panicked silently. I wasn't getting out of here. I wasn't going to survive to get a penny from Box. I was done for. I swallowed my fear and lifted my chin and glared at Box. He licked his lips and continued in a threatening whisper. 

"I believe I can fix your misunderstanding Leo. Surprisingly, you do not have any idea of what WE are actually capable of."