Gunner's Paradise

Declaration of War 1.1

He had never been here before. The room was dingy and reeked of the hopelessness that seeped all around him, slowly suffocating him as it went to and fro but it was all held at bay by a black sealed door. Henry sat uncomfortably in the middle of it; he bit his lip and hugged himself as his mind laid in contemplation. His once beautiful clothes now lay in rags and stains. Filth, the very thing he despised most had now swamped him. The shuffling of feet and whispers came from outside. Then there was a crackling noise as the hinges groaned. The wind hit him with a lingering, foul smell as the door slowly opened and three individuals walked inside.

A bald short man with piercing blue eyes, that he had never once seen before walked over to him. Henry struggled to get on his feet as his leg wobbled. He instinctively cleared his throat but before he could speak, he was struck by such force that his body fell flat, overwhelmed as his senses tried to comprehend what had happened.

This was the first time that he ever was the one to be on the receiving end. For as long as Henry could remember, he was the one that gave pain to others and he was the one that enjoyed it. Now being on the other end, he felt for the first time, fear. His pants were long soiled before that first blow had even connected. The short man stood over him with a gaze of lethal intent, as he turned his head to the woman behind him who gave him a nod.

Henry visualised all of the abuse that was to come as his head still rang, a dizzy feeling overpowered him. He did not want to plead with his abuser. Initially, he thought he could endure it and bluff his way but after that, the man's cold gaze turned back to him. The room grew pitch black, fading those behind him. That which first seemed like a man's body twitched and twirled as he transformed before Henry's eyes, leaving him frozen in shock. His body burst as long hairy legs protruded, slowly climbing out of his mouth...It stood tall, dwarfing him in comparison as eight eyes looking him over and legs with a pincer of a mouth that had him set as prey.

He realized while staring into the pitiless eyes of this monster, he couldn't take what was to come and now he knew how soft of a man he truly was. Henry started to confess all of his wrong doings, not once in his defence. At this moment he would betray anyone, even his mother, just in the hopes that he could be pardoned of his crimes. He tried to wipe the cut above his eye from the one blow he had received. He remained on the floor, entangled in the web. The venom left him in a trance as he confessed to engaging with the White Fist gang. He confessed to wanting to secure money for his benefit and also, to want to leave and experience the pleasures of the world. When his confessions were done, he finally realised the two other people in the room.

Henry crawled a short distance to the woman "Mya...?"

He kept a head-on look at Mya as she had been smiling at him through it all. He looked at her with pleading eyes that gave more words than anything else.

She calmly asked "Do you want forgiveness Henry?" as she gave a beckoning call for him to come.

He paused for a while before he cautiously approached her feet, still crawling before kissing them both.

She placed a hand on his cheek, gently stroking it, "Do you want me not to mention a word to the council?" she paused and gazed at him, "I did warn you didn't I?"

She removed her hand and walked through the door. Henry not knowing what was to come next reverted back to pleading. He claimed that he would help her with whatever she wanted to plan; he would help to get her even as their next leader. He pleaded and he pleaded his heart out to her and Mya just listened in silence with her back facing him.

Realizing that he was getting nowhere with his pleas; cold sweats started to take over Henry. He kept thinking over and over what would be best to get through to her until he had finally decided to ask her directly.

She beckoned for the other men to leave as the short man gave him a look of disdain; they were making their way out.

Henry shouted, "What do you want Mya?!" As the door slammed shut in his face.

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There had been no word from Mark and it caused Mathinda some concern. It was now dark and he should have returned as a precaution. She had sent out two additional men to survey the area and she sat on her throne at the head of the table. She had dismissed her followers and was in complete darkness. She didn't want to grasp the idea that something had happened to him but it was seemingly more and more the case.

The door slowly opened and for a moment she hoped but then realized it was the two men she had sent out.

"My lady," the taller of the two men began, "we found multiple bodies in the area and we believe that our men were ambushed by the White Fist Gang. We also found, Mark's body..."

She twitched in the dark at the gesture as the men continued giving her their report. It was so subtle that the two men did not notice it; it was the most disturbing news for her to lose such a loyal and reliable dog. 

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She wanted to ask how he died but she could not show that level of emotion to these men as they were a familiar part of the inner circle.

The shorter man interjected, "We believed this room to belong to a Ralph Fields, the clothes seller and we took him up along the way as he was heading in that direction to go home."

"We have him outside and Cassandra is asking for permission to interrogate him."

"She has my permission," Mathinda responded and bid the men leave for now and return when enough information has been gathered.

She was again alone in the dark. Like a good friend, it hid her true emotions and she thought about the first time she had met Mark. He had been her servant since she could remember, twenty years when she had to live a life as a noble. He knew her secrets, he had seen her terrible desires and he had never abandoned her when she had run away from home. When her father had discovered what she was doing, he had come along with her against his parents' better wishes.

They had many troubles along the way but Mark always had pulled them through it and in time she had seen him as her confidant, to share that which bugged her and that which she couldn't tell anyone else. All she wanted to do was serve her god to the best of her abilities.

She felt him calling to her in every sacrifice and every decision she made even when she had first arrived here it all seemed predetermined.

She said out loud, "that's right, Mark's death wasn't for nothing."

While she kept the impending thoughts in her head, it was only to help reach the next level of controlling this city in the name of her god. Now to fulfill this purpose with a far stronger resolve than ever before, a blood bath was coming it was he who acted first that won the game and so she got up from her seat and opened the door.

The rest of the council was summoned. The members of the hand except for Cassandra and Henry showed up. Everyone knew remotely what was going to happen so no one said anything first. Just with the expectation on their faces of what she was going to say next.

Mathinda addressed them, "Sisters, we have been attacked by the White Fist gang despite us not even wanting any war. We need to strengthen our security, we need to arm ourselves. We need to prepare for the war that is about to come."

She paused before continuing, "I will send word to the other two gangs to misguide them, a war that involves the three other factions will weaken them and we shall endure. They are all after this one girl; she has financial worth but the city is the bigger prize. The win for our god is the true king and therefore our scheming must be grander than ever. Throughout the years, I have prepared for a circumstance like this and all loyal guards are now to be fully armed with guns. I have made connections with the right people to secure ourselves in this event. We will keep ourselves locked in and watch; no more will we shelter anyone else as we wait out the storm and plot from the shadows."

Henry had been dragged before this door which he used to enter so proudly, the hall was dark and eerie. He was nervously shaking in fear even though he had two large men holding him. The others behind him, those that had been with him in this scheme seemed to lack the understanding of what was happening behind this door and the hell that awaited. At that table, sat its demons, those that he once consorted with. He wanted to pray but he didn't know who to pray to. Through this ordeal, he lost faith, or maybe he never truly had it in the first place. He tried to break free of the men's hand but it was no use his body failed him and wouldn't respond. It was like fighting against a relentless torrent as he heard and recognised the voices behind the door.

"My lady," Myra began, "we have been betrayed by one of our own that has led to the loss of our blood and the failure to capture those children."

The rest of the members whispered to each other in shock by the proclamation.

Mathinda slammed her fist on the table, "A traitor in this council...and who is this traitor? " she looked directly at the council members with fury in her eyes.

Myra shouted, "Bring him in!" as the doors opened and Henry was dragged in rags of his former clothes with a swollen face and the other members of the White Fist gang who were discovered with him.

Henry's body was sweating; he couldn't look directly at the table as fear once again overwhelmed him and so he cast his eyes down as if in shame. The others around him cursed the women with all different kinds of insults. One laughed as if he was going insane to himself, he had the face of a man who had given up on life.

"Henry?" Miyuki said to him, with sadness in her words. She had been the one to recommend him to the council and had known him the longest.

Upon hearing his name called, he glanced and stared at the table and what he saw did not resemble women at all. These monsters all resembled something more grotesque and inhumane than the last. As he shivered, the table was covered with a variety of blood and human parts He saw the faces of the White Fist gang and before Mathinda's seat, he saw his own head.

They passed it around as they looked at him with menacing eyes. Tears ran down his cheek as he watched it happen. It was akin to her, devouring his soul and when she was done, an ominous presence took him that made him gasped for breathe that would not come as his body continued to shut down on him.