Fall Foretold

Little Billy Fled

"You know where to find Stan?"

"No idea", David replied, as he kept typing.

"How do you expect to find him, then? We've been trying to get to him and if what you posted on that blog is true, then he must have blocked everyone from finding him”.

"Well, there has to be some way to get to him", David replied, focused on the computer screen.

"You want to introduce a magician or something?", Jonas joked. "He could just teleport you to wherever Ashwood is"

"Or make Ashwood come back home. Wait!", David turned. A thought just hit him. "That's a good idea!"

"What? Call a magician to teleport you or to make him come back home?"

"No, call a magician... A diviner", David turned back to his computer and continued typing. "I should get done with this"

"What's a diviner?"

"You don't have to know. The more you know, the more danger you might find yourself in", David relaxed his back, as he completed the typing. "Now, this is it"

"So", Jonas grabbed a seat to read from the computer screen. "What is this about?"

"I will ask him to sign an agreement to continue heading Planet News without him... and we'll tell the world about the clique, and probably save him before he gets killed"

"If he doesn't get killed, you'll own the company, still?"

"No, that won't be fair on him but... if he returns, I'll be getting a promotion and a raise for helping him run his company while he was gone"

*******

"Hello!", David walked in, coughing as thick fumes welcomed him in. "Mario the diviner?"

"I am Mario, the great diviner… Game master”, Mario appeared behind him, dancing around just like he did with Albert Romero. "What has thou come to seek in my arrogant dwelling?"

"I need to find someone"

"Grrr ah ah ah ah", he jumped around, again. Loud beats came out of nowhere, as though some invisible drum was being played by invisible people. "You have come to the right place."

"Ok? So let's do it-"

"Whom do you seek? Last name, last"

"Ashwood Sta-"

"You failed", he jumped around, dancing again, as the weird beats started again. "One more chance, or you're gone!... First name, first"

"Stan Ashwood", he had calmly listened to the diviner.

"Shh!!! Say no more", Mario turned his back and dipped his hand in his kangaroo pocket, bringing out the same map he had given to Albert Romero. He showed the map to David, noting the moving dot that represented Stan. "Yes, this is what you seek. 250 dollars for the map"

"Two hundred and what? For what?!", David exclaimed. That was close to all the money he had on him. "I'll give you two hundred for the map"

"And I'll remove the tracking dot"

"Are you kidding? What will I use it for? I could just use Google map, right now”

"Two hundred and fifty dollars... The map, and the tracking dot. Deal?"

David shrugged and brought out his wallet. He would definitely add a refund of that payment to the agreement.

★

"So where's the treat you prepared?", Laura greeted him with a question.

"Oh. I forgot the guns. We'll just go sneaky. The kitchen is back, there", Davis acted, looking around. Laura threw a questioning look. "What? what do you expect from Martinez's right-hand man?"

""Right-hand man who is too scared to watch a pretty girl die", Laura flirted.

"I just can't withstand the dying screams of ugly girls", Davis replied, as they took their seat. He leaned closer to her and whispered. "I'll order steak and cheese and everything we want. Get ready to run"

"Are you kidding? We don't have to eat anything, you know?"

"Just kidding", Davis said and relaxed on his seat. "I have Cyrus' credit card"

"I wonder what would happen if we actually spend a lot and the credit card doesn't work"

"That's why you should also get ready to run", Davis replied. The waiter served them and walked away".

"Aawn!! that's my favorite. How did you know?"

"I know all things.... like I know you've never tasted that food, since daddy made mommy conceive".

Laura laughed. "You got me", they began eating... "So tell me about yourself, will you?"

"I am a cute boy, hard to resist, and every girl's lifetime desire. I wasn't born in Sterling. Neither would I be in Sterling, if Cyrus didn't bring me here, nor will I be alive with a beautiful girl, if Cyrus didn't save my life"

"So you owe him your life and you betrayed him to save yourself?"

"He was doing the wrong thing and he was stressed out, too. I might have saved myself but I helped him get free from the clique"

"Whatever! Let's play a game", she dropped her spoon.

"Truth or Dare?"

"Truth or Dare! How did you know?"

"How wouldn't I? That's what new lovers do... especially when the girl is still a kid", Davis joked with her.

She hit his hand, slightly, with her spoon. "Stop it. I don't like it"

"Ok, dear. I'll stop saying the truth. I just wonder how Truth or Dare will work with that", be continued joking and folded his arms.

Laura laughed. "Ok. Truth or Dare"

"Truth"

"How do I look to you?"

"Perfectly beautiful.... Truth or Dare?"

"Truth", Laura replied.

"Ok. If I ask you to be my girlfriend, right now, what's going to happen next?"

"Uhm...", she giggled. "I'll go home and actually think about it... and I may consider you"

"Hmm. That flatters me... I choose Dare"

"I dare you to take a picture of me, right now, and upload it on your f*******: profile"

"Right away", he pulled out his phone, took a picture as she posed, then, he uploaded the picture. "Done!"

"Ok. I choose Dare. Be lenient with me, please"

"It's simple. I dare you to take a picture of us together. Then, you'll save it as your phone's wallpaper....".

★

"Mario!", Albert returned to the diviner's shop. The other map he had collected had become useless, since the dot only tracked Stan. He squeezed it, frustrated, and threw it out of the car. "Mario! I need your help, again"

"I am Mario!", he appeared behind Romero's back, dancing around like always. Unlike the first time, there was a beat, this time. "Why has thou returned to my haughty habitation?"

"Well, I need to find ano-"

"Shh!! How dare you speak when I have not performed the opening ceremony", he scowled and began dancing again. The beats got louder and faster.

Albert looked around, wondering where the beats came from. He had no choice but to wait. There was a sign board in there, which read, 'Dare to complain and become a yam'. His eyes fell on some tubers of yam on the ground. There was another sign board over the yams, which read 'We complained'.

"So what have you come for?", Mario asked, after taking his final dancing steps.

"I came to ask if you can change the tracker on the map", he tried to test the diviner"

"Why ask when you have discarded the map, already?"

"Ok. I'll buy another map. I need to find a boy-"

"Three hundred dollars. Three hundred dollars for another map"

Albert didn't hesitate to pay. "I need to find a boy. I don't know his name but he has the key to the beast lock"

Mario handed the map to him. "Little Billy, you mean."

"Can you find him, please?"

"Yes, I can... But how would you like to get free from the control of the devil's daughter"

Romero stood still, surprised for a second. The diviner was pretty good at seeing things. "How do you mean?", he asked, interested.

"Let the devil's daughter and her followers seek after this key... and you can find the Master Key."

"What's the Master Key?"

"It's the superb Key. With that key, anyone, even an unborn baby, can unlock the beast. The sweet news is, you can keep the news for as long as ever, with no fear of losing control of yourself"

"This Master Key. How do I find it?"

"Have you ever thought of saving yourself the stress of going a long distance? We can make the Master Key come to you"

"Let's do it", Albert smiled.

"Pay five hundred dollars to get it in two days", Mario said and turned his back, as thick fumes covered him up.

Albert counted another five hundred dollars. He only had fifty dollars and some cents, left in his wallet. 'Will you accept a bank transfer?', he had thought of asking.

"Ta-da!", Mario appeared behind him again. "I've done it, already. The money, please?"

Albert handed the money to the diviner. "I wouldn't be needing the map anymore, right?", he asked.

"Yes. You can go home. The Master Key will knock on your door, in two days.", he turned, walking away.

"Won't I get my money back? Three hundred dollars!"

"Uhn? Look at the sign board", Mario pointed at the same sign board Albert had seen, earlier. IThe writing on it had changed; 'No Refunds Allowed. You may join the yams'

His eyes fell on the yams, again. The writing on the sign board had also changed. 'We asked for refunds'.

★

"How is the boy so powerful?", the young kids asked, following him he wheeled himself on the streets. He had a hat covering his face. No one suspected who he was but the number of kids following him definitely attracted attention.

"It's because the key chose him", Lucifer replied. "Juice, please"

One of the boys ran to him, dipped a straw in a small carton of juice and put it in Lucifer's mouth.

"So, the boy was chosen by the key. His powers are signs of how powerful he'll become if he unlocks the beast", Lucifer continued. "These people fight for power, forgetting that it all ends in damnation"

"How about the prophecy? Will the Shadowmask destroy the key?", another girl asked.

"The key cannot be destroyed. The prophecy is not happening, anytime soon", Lucifer replied. "In fact, I think we will lose the fight"

"But a prophecy never fails to manifest, right?"

"That's true, dear. There are just many interpretations to many things"

*************

Little Billy had literal fire in his eyes. A mad man threw a stone at him. The little boy caught the stone and threw it back, like a ball of fire, at the man. The man burnt black, instantly, dying on his stance.

The little children hid behind Lucifer, who had taken off his hat. "Remain there. He won't get to you"

Little Billy began to shoot fire, indiscriminately, everywhere he looked. A ball of fire approached Lucifer and the kids but it vanished before it could get to them.

"He has no control over himself", one of the kids said.

"It's the key controlling him", Lucifer replied. "Stay back"

Another ball approached them. Lucifer wheeled closer, caught the fireball in his hands, and absorbed it. Then, he threw a bigger fireball at Little Billy, throwing the boy back.

"Billy!?", Lucifer called. "Bring the key to me"

The boy stood up, vomited the key, and threw it, crawling away like he was scared of Lucifer. The key hung in the air, for a second, then it moved slowly to Lucifer's hands. "Go home, Billy. You are not a murderer"

★

"Sorry, Laura. We haven't spoken since the hospital", Joe said, as he sat in front of her. He was determined to tell her everything, then. "How are you feeling, now?"

"I'm alright, thank you... and I have questions, too", Laura replied, with a serious expression. "Questions that require honest answers"

Joe sighed. She was going to ask about where he had disappeared to, the previous night. "Ok. Ask anything", he replied, with a fake smile. He had to fathom out a near-truth lie.

"That night I got kidn*pped, where were you?", Laura asked, staring into his eyes like she'd know if he told a lie.

"I'm sorry. I really wanted to pee... but it was because I was nervous."

"Well, you left the bathroom and went somewhere, right?"

"Yea. If I returned to you, I would want to pee again so I had to run away. Sorry"

Laura smiled at me. " So what made you so nervous?"

"Uhm", Joe scratched his head. He wasn't ready to say it.

"Laura?", Daya called her. She turned to answer.

Joe had time to breathe in, breathe out, then breathe in again. 'I'll do it. Once and for all. No turning back', he muttered to himself.

Laura's phone beeped. She was still conversing with Daya. Her phone came on. A message popped up on her screen; 'Davis: Can we meet again, today? Real treats, this time'.

Then, his attention shifted to the wallpaper; a picture of Laura and Davis, together. There was no excuse to be angry. She wasn't his girlfriend. Neither did she know anything about his feelings. He stood up, walking away, slowly.

"Joe? We're not done here", Laura said, faking an angry face.

"Sorry. I have to check something, quickly. We'll talk, later"

She put on a sad face. "I'm bored... and you're leaving me again"

"I'll be back", he faked a smile and walked away.