A group of men were gathered around a table, all frowning. Each one had eyes locked on another. Hiro was glaring at Mortis, who was glaring at Franz, who was glaring at Ricky, who was glaring at Jayden, who was glaring at Felicity, who was glaring at Garnet, who was glaring at Hiro. I won't go off to reasons now. I don't have the time to. There was a smell of fish in the room, of cod in breadcrumbs being cooked, and all men who were capable of hunger sure as hell were hungry.
"Me and Richard have places to be." Hiro stated darkly, tapping impatient fingers on the tabletop. "Esurine will wonder where I am."
"Who?" Franz hissed, scowling. His eyes remained locked on Ricky.
"My wife."
"Wives are overrated. Marriage is nothing more than a state and does not affirm one's relationship with another, merely costs money."
Hiro felt his temper flare. "Still. I can't stay here."
"Nor can you leave."
Ricky interjected with "I have to pay child support..."
"Too bad. You can all stay here with me unless by my say so, or you can die violent deaths while the loved ones you so wish to see are forced to watch."
Both men clammed up instantly. There were few people Hiro the psychopath cared for, and all those he did care for were his wife and children. Ricky on the other hand cared for too many people. How he had ever fallen into a group with people like Mortis and Garnet, he would never know, and the same went for Jayden. Franz got up to leave. He excused himself, saying he had something to get, and the others hesitated before conversation burst out.
((I am colour coding this conversation. Hiro, Mortis, Jayden, Garnet, Felicity, Ricky))
"I have never wanted to stab somebody so bad before."
"I have."
"Don't you guys do anything other than stab?"
"You're in the wrong group to raise concerns like that, Straker."
"My name is Felicity!"
"This is confusing!"
"Some people should die and stay dead."
"I thought we were friends!"
"We are, but it is never healthy for the dead to return."
"Mortis, stop glaring at me like that..."
"I want you to look Garnet in his lifeless eyes and apologise!"
"Hey, I may be living impaired, but still, a little insensitive there, mate."
"Seriously, he is itching to be stabbed."
"Stop talking about killing!"
"It is our thing, Felicity."
"It's disturbing!"
"We're disturbed people, I guess."
"What about your wife? What does she have to say about this stuff? Are any of the rest of you married?"
There was a hesitation. Silence fell again. Hiro spat at the floor. Jayden and Mortis locked eyes across the table before Jay looked to Garnet instead and apologised softly for killing him. Felicity screamed with Straker's deep voice and few even gave her a glance, but Hiro was looking her in the eye. It was his shadows that had stabbed through her hand. "I don't like just anyone to talk about my family. I especially don't want you talking about them, because I don't like you. I don't like anyone here, but you are the one I like the least. Do you know what that means? It means you are not allowed to talk to me, or make comments about my family or my life. You cannot use my wife to guilt trip me or my children to blackmail me. It means you have to watch your step, and watch it carefully. You got that?"
Felicity nodded. "I got it."
The shadows drew back and Felicity held her bleeding hand to her chest. She didn't like these guys. She didn't like them at all. She looked round as Franz returned. He seemed okay. Remarkably normal compared to the others. Well, apart from maybe the weird eyes and way of speaking, and how, to her, his body seemed to flicker between two forms that were only slightly different.
The nearest man to Franz was Hiro, and so Hiro was the first to feel the shooting pain in his palm as something stabbed in.
"What the hell is that?" He shrieked, voice climbing several octaves. Franz' strange form gave him a cold glare as he reached for the next man along, Jayden, who tried and failed to pull away.
"These will stop you causing trouble for me. Do as you're told or you get exterminated. Betray me, extermination. All of you but Richard and Felicity are known killers, and experienced at that. Felicity, I will hope I need no hold over you, but these men are awfully untoward, and to kill them would merely be punishment for their crimes. Garnet, I can have no hold over as he is the living dead. Mortis, Richard, if you don't be good little boys and stick out your hands, I will destroy Jayden now."
Jayden looked terrified. His eyes pleaded with the others to help him.
"B-but you said I wasn't one of the killers..." Richard squeaked.
"You are still untoward."
Mortis sucked in his pride and stuck out his hand, keeping his eyes tightly shut. Richard reluctantly submitted as well.
Hiro was glaring at the strange disk embedded in his hand. It was too close to major blood vessels to safely remove, and the sigil was one he recognised. Hiro had six children, and all too young to take a name. Esurine was looking after all of them, and usually Hiro didn't mind being away from the family, because he was never to his knowledge in any imminent danger. Now, however, he could see all their little faces, and he felt a need to be with them, a longing in his heart for his family, the likes of which he could swear he had never felt before, but that would probably be a lie. Psychopath, maybe, but he lived for the time he spent with his sons and daughters.
((I've been adding depth to my killers, yay! Oh Hiro, before this piece you were a sideline psychopath with only one emotion: rage. Now you are a sweet father who wants nothing more than to be with his family.
I DEMAND REVIEWS!!!
Hehe, just kidding. I'm hyper...BLEDEBLEDEBLEDEBLEDE))
