House No. 44

Chapter Three: The Decision

"You can't do that!" Raj stared at Ace, completely shell-shocked. "Why not?" The leader asked, in an emotionless tone. He didn't like anybody questioning him - Zeo had learned that the hard way about a year ago.

 "Because..." Raj found himself at a loss for words. All eyes were on him and he felt uncomfortable. "It's..." He took a deep breath and looked at Ace straight in the eye. "Because it's wrong."

The comment prompted a loud, hearty laugh from Ace. "Are you scared?" He roared. "Then get out, there's no place for cowards here!" The leader's words were met with applause and loud cheers from the audience - some of them were already drunk this early in the night. "I'm not a coward." Raj snapped, feeling defensive. He wished that he had chosen his words more carefully now.

Then, without another word, he turned around and started walking to the table he had shared with Zeo. Ace scornfully called an insult after him, but Raj chose to ignore it. He slammed the bottle of bootleg whiskey on the table angrily and lit up another cigarette to calm himself down. Soon enough, Zeo came back to join him.

"What was that? I heard some uproar." He was obviously concerned. "I tried to tell Ace that it was wrong to do that." Raj let out a sigh. "And he made fun of you?" Zeo guessed. When no reply came from his best friend, he said again, "It is wrong to blow up our enemies' hideouts. But we aren't right either. We pickpocket, we drink, we smoke, we gamble... we're no saints either, Raj."

 "You know, what Maya told me last night... I think I should just leave the gang." Raj finally decided. "If that's what you think is right, then do it." Raj was a little surprised at Zeo's support. "And you? Will you leave with me?" He asked, looking at the boy with forest green eyes across the table. "No. I can't." came the simple reply.

"Why not?" Raj really didn't want his best friend to be scorned and mocked after he had left the gang. "Some things are just beyond reason, I guess." Zeo shrugged and turned away. I'll get him to leave somehow later on... I suppose he's just scared that he can't get a job and lead an honest life, Raj thought to himself. Without another word, he drank what could well be his last peg of moonshine, and threw his cigarette on the ground. But out of habit, he slipped the box of matches back into his pocket.

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"Ace." He addressed the leader in his room at the back of the warehouse. "What is it?" Ace growled, obviously still upset over the earlier incident. "I want to leave the Skull Riders gang." Every word caught in his throat like a thorn but he forced himself to face the twenty-year-old in front of him.

"And join another gang, you traitor?" Ace's speech was slurred - he had been drinking heavily. "No. I'm going to leave this life of crime and try to make an honest living." He responded firmly, bracing himself for a sharp retort or an insult from Ace. The leader didn't respond for a moment, and the thought of leaving crossed Raj's mind, but he stayed put and kept his gaze fixed on the man in front of him.

Sid interrupted their conversation, along with another member whom Raj faintly recognized... it was Sid's cousin, but he couldn't remember his name. "Raj! What was with that comment over the explosives?" Sid began. Raj didn't reply and continued staring at Ace. Finally, the leader spoke up.

"Raj wants to leave the gang."

"You can't do this." Sid's voice suddenly turned into a vicious hiss. His cousin stared at Raj with pure hatred, and Ace had drawn his gun as well.

"You can't force me to stay. I'll go to the police and tell them everything." Raj was intimidated by this point, and he took a few steps backward, his voice starting to shake a little. "Then we'll kill you." This time it was Ace who spoke. Sid's cousin took a few threatening steps forward, dagger in hand.

 "Look, I don't want to have any fights here." Raj tried to keep his calm, but it was growing increasingly difficult as the trio advanced forward. "Will you stay or not?" Sid held a baseball bat in his left hand, and Raj could smell his alcohol-filled breath from a few footsteps away.

"Stop!" Zeo interrupted the boys as he walked towards them, clutching a kitchen knife. He stood next to his best friend, facing the other three goons. "Let him go. I'll make sure that he doesn't tell on us to the police." He stated simply.

"I won't go to the police either. It'll only end in a loss for me - they'll throw me in jail too." Raj tried to reason with the three of them, shooting a grateful glance at Zeo. "Well, maybe you're right..." Ace sat down, the drinks blurring his judgement. Sid's cousin, too, seemed to back off a little bit. There was silence for a moment, then Zeo dropped his knife.

"I'm leaving." He said quietly, and dragged his best friend along. Raj kept looking behind, afraid that they would attack, but the three goons simply fixed them with hard stares.

"Thank you, I thought they'd kill me!" Raj breathed once the two of them were a safe distance away from the room. "Go." Zeo's tone was simple, and he didn't say anything else as he drank another peg of moonshine. "I'll see you later, then." Raj waved at his best friend, and hastily made his exit from the warehouse. As he walked away, he didn't turn back and look at it.