Arbitrium

Of New Beginnings

Crack!

Hex tsked as the knife in his hand slipped through the bone in his other too deep and left a deep fracture in its wake. He inspected the bone, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he gazed at the various holes he'd carved into the femur. Eventually, he deemed the project a loss and smacked the bone against the arm of his chair, splintering the bone at the fracture.

Rolling his eyes and letting out a dramatic sigh, Hex hauled himself from the chair by his desk and sauntered to the bathroom where a piles of long bones lay next to the toilet. Hex looked through the pile until he found one he liked and returned to his seat just as his phone rang. He began carving away at the joint when he slapped the phone to put it on speaker.

"Hector's crematorium: you kill 'em, we grill 'em. How can I serve you today?"

"I have information for you, Hector."

A deep, gravelly voice grated on his ears and Hex's lips split into a blinding smile.

"G-man! Took you long enough to call."

"Listen to me, Hex, I have – "

"Daddy? Who's that?"

If Hex's smile could get wider, it would have at the sound of little Marcus' question echoing through his phone's speaker. Although Marcus was no longer a little boy at the age of 12, Hex was now well into his 20's and would call the boy as such if only to grate on Gravedigger's nerves.

"Is that my little tiger, Markie-moo?" Hex half-asked, half-yelled into his phone. "School's almost out, idnit? How's middle school? Still as shitty as I remember?"

"Hi Hex." Marcus replied. "It's not as bad as you keep telling me it is. I'm doing really well in history!"

Hex mimed throwing up away from the phone so Marcus wouldn't hear his disappointment. "That's great, buddy."

"Marcus, please leave the office." Gravedigger spoke to his son just off his phone. "Return to the gameroom and finish your homework at the desks. I will be there shortly to assist."

Marcus made a sound of confirmation, bid Hex a good night, and left the office, the sound of the door closing quietly signaling the young boy's exit.

"Ah, such a sweet kid." Hex dug his knife into the bone again, leaning back in his chair as he spoke to Gravedigger. "If only you'd let us actually meet. I feel like we'd have so much fun together."

"You know as well as I, Hector, that I will never allow that to happen." Gravedigger growled into his phone. "Regardless, I have urgent information to tell you."

"Fine, get on with it then." Hex sighed.

"It has come to my attention that you are being targeted during this year's Purge. As far as I know, you're the main target of a small paramilitary troop and the man who hired them goes by the name of Alexis Martinez. He is a philanthropist and provides a large chunk of the funds each year that support the continuation of the annual Purges."

"Another person wants me dead? Okay great, but then why kill me?" Hex asked. "I am also pro-Purge. It's the only time of the year I can get my figurative rocks off. Why is this guy so hell bent on me dying this year?"

"A small government-funded organization put a bounty on your head last year and it was upped by a significant amount for this year. A paramilitary group by the name of Graussmann have openly announced their intention to make the bounty their own by killing you by the end of this year's annual Purge. The Graussmann and Mr. Martinez have formed a tentative deal to see you dead and the bounty fulfilled."

"How much is my bounty?"

"Is that really what you want to focus on at the moment, Hector?"

"What? Don't tell me if there was a bounty on your head you wouldn't itch to know like you had crabs in your skull." The disappointed sigh that came over the phone was enough for Hex to let the subject go. "We might not know the origins of the mercs, but we know that Graussmann is German, idnit?"

"That is correct." Gravedigger said. "I suggest we watch our backs this year closer than before. If we slip up even for a second, they will try to kill us."

"Let them try." Hex said nonchalantly as he inspected the smooth bone in his hands. "I've been dead longer than I've been alive. Anything else you gotta tell me, old man?"

"Yes, actually. This year, we will be traveling to Virginia before the Purge and conduct business down in Virginia Beach."

"What's in Virginia Beach?" Hex's eyebrow raised slightly, his curiosity peaking. "Got another lady lover besides your wifey-poo down in Virginia?"

"A new partner, perhaps for the both of us."

"Kinky. Go on."

"I will send the jet to a private hangar in JFK Airport for you. Remember our deal and do not kill my staff. I will allow you to meet our new partner when you arrive in Norfolk."

"Seriously? You're gonna leave me high and dry like this in anticipation?" Hex whined into his receiver. "Come on, G-man, I thought we were closer than that."

"I will see you in a few days. Please pack lightly for this trip. It will only last two days. I will send you back to Brooklyn after the Purge has concluded."

"Love you too, schnookums." Hex blew a kiss through the receiver, laughing forcefully as Gravedigger grunted and hung up abruptly.

Hex kicked his feet onto his desk and inspected his new project down its length, planning out in his head where each hole would be carved. He nodded and stood, heading to his shed outside to get started on what would surely be a long, arduous project with many stops for bloodshed.