Defenders of Central City, Book 14: Twisted Chains

Chapter 1 Where is He?

Not everyone has a happy story. Some people are just born with tragedy flowing through their veins like blood. Even our heroes have dark pasts. None the less, they persevere even in the darkest of times.

The moon hung low above Central City. A man walked down the street passed the movie theater. He had oily blond hair, slicked back so that it reached his shoulders. He was dressed in a long brown overcoat that protected him from the cold air of the mid-February night.

He moved out of the way of a group of teenagers who were on their way into the theater. In the brief moment he was distracted, he bumped into someone exiting the theater.

"So sorry, sir. I did not...." The man froze when the two pairs of eyes met. The man, a younger more scrawny man, no older than thirty, he had bumped into froze too. The older guy bolted, pushing people out of his way as he weaved through the crowd.

"Magione." The younger man muttered before running after him.

The older man kept running, knocking people over in his path, desperately trying to escape the younger man, who was trailing after him. The older man ducked into an alleyway and crouched there for a few moments, trying to catch his breath. Two minutes past. And the young man didn't reappear.

"Lost me, didn't you, you little squirt." The older man muttered.

"You might wanna think again." Magione spun around in horror. The young man was leaning casually against the graffiti covered wall, his face hidden in the shadows.

"You thought you could hide from me Magione? I may not be that familiar with this city yet, but I have learned a thing or two over the years, now tell me. Where is he?" Magione spat at the boy.

"I'll never tell you." The younger man made a menacing movement towards Magione.

"Tell me where he is... And I promise that you'll walk away in one piece." Magione smirked.

"He would be pleased to know you are quite literally grasping at straws in an attempt to find him. Tell me, boy. Did you enjoy watching your family die?" The younger man barely stopped himself from lunging at Magione.

Magione saw the effort it took for the man to control himself and stood up.

"I would rather die then tell you were he is. But, why don't I start by killing you, and save Rohan the trouble." Magione drew a gun from his overcoat and fired a few rounds at the man, who dived behind a garbage pail. He instinctively brought his hand to a necklace that hung from his neck to make sure it was safe.

Outside of the alleyway, on the street, civilians had heard the gunshots and were fleeing, screaming bloody murder. The younger boy pulled a metal pole from within his coat and stood up, biting his lip uncertainly. Magione laughed when he saw the boy's expression.