Batteling the Consequences

There were a million miles of nothing, just desert and more desert and more damn desert. Though, some times, if you drove for long enough, you might actually find a small town, or they called them towns, they were more like little villages of people whom had never been outside the borders of Semine, Nunabay. Nunabay was one of three planets. There was Greysore, the planet of exile, where all outcasts found refuge, then there was Ramonhone, the middle planet and the planet of wealth, where the rich folk dwelled and last and most definitely least, there was Nunabay… the planet where the poor people suffered.1

Nunabay was filled to the brim with mostly good people, they were just a poor people, though why there were mostly good folk there, was because the ones that were not so good were sent, or went freely, to Greysore, but just like in the old world called Earth, they didn’t always catch the bad guy and the bad guy didn’t always go freely to Greysore. Therefore they had evil hearts mixed with thy good hearted.2

In Semine, which was the semi outcast ‘town’ of Nunabay, was where the thief’s and such hung out, the bad thing was that they were all young, and the police officers were all old farts who had never worked out a day in their lives, a bad combination on the Cops part, they just couldn’t catch up to the young bastards that roamed the roads at night.3

In such a thieves guild there were a small group of friends, Sinister, the leader, Adrian, the best friend of the leader, Grayer, Shawn, Jake and Jesse. Sinister and Adrian had been friends since they were born, they were in the same orphanage after the war and then after they turned seventeen they found Jesse, whom was eleven at the time, when they were sent from Earth to Nunabay. After that they just picked up guys randomly, guys that were outcasts like them… they just weren’t bad enough, in their minds, to have to go to Greysore, which was pretty much like a prison… once you got on… there was no getting off.4

***5

Jake and Shawn were sitting in a broken down building at the edge of town, it was quiet and as far as they could see, there was no one there in the building except them.6

Shawn, was a twenty-three year old brother from Bronx… before Bronx was exploded back in 3000 that is… he was a buff dude with biceps that practiced their pain inflicting skills on the folk around him, he never killed anyone… just shook them up a bit. His head was shaven and his back in arms covered in intertwining black tattoos. He was normally a cool guy, as long as you didn’t get on his bad side, which was an automatic fubar for any and all UN hi-ups.7

Jake was a twenty and had been from New Jersey back in the day. He was tall and slim, but walked with pride, like he was ready to kill anyone he didn’t like… which he was, so it was a good walk for him. He, like Shawn, had tats everywhere, even in places no one else would ever see, save his lady friends, though they were few. He was brown haired and dark eyed and only cared about his ‘home-boys’, as Shawn always called them. There was no one else in the world that could tear him from them.8

Shawn sat on an old mattress with a quilt around his shoulders. It was winter and it was cold. Damn cold. There was a book in his hands, Jake looked over at it and smiled, he himself was laying across a worn chair.9

“How can you read that shit, man?” he asked Shawn and Shawn just shot his eyes up at him.10

“Like this…” he said and began to read the book out loud in an obnoxious voice. 11

“Aight, aight, I get your point, man… but seriously, that’s not what I meant. I meant, how can you read something so… so…” he tried to think of a word that wasn’t going to piss Shawn off, but he couldn’t so he just said what he was going to before, “…so boring.” He finally said and waited for Shawn to get angry, but he didn’t, he just pulled his eyes from the words on the page and looked up at Jake.12

“First of all, it’s not boring.” He said and Jake raised his eyes brows in a ‘what the hell are you talking about’ kind of look. “How can you call the history of military boring?” he asked and when Jake didn’t answer fast enough he started again. “I don’t know about you, man, but if anything else happens… I want to be friggin’ prepared. I tell you now, that if they decide to attack again and kill everyone in some idiotic rage thing…” he said as he stood and walked over in front of Jake, standing tall and looking down at him, “…I don’t want to be the jackass who refused to learn.” He finished, dropped the book in Jake’s lap and left around the corner into the kitchen. Jake rolled his eyes, but they soon shot over to the door as it opened. He ducked for cover whilst pulling out his knife, but rose when he saw who entered.13

“Sinister! sup brother.” He said and pounded his friends’ fist when he got to the door. “Where’s…” he stopped the question as he saw Adrian walk in with Grayer behind him. “Never mind, there ya’ll are.” He said and closed the door behind them.14

Sinister was a twenty three year old cracker from Philadelphia , he was tall as well and tattooed as well, but who wasn’t these days? He wore a short dark Mohawk and had pierced ears, bottom lip and tongue, he always wore aviator shades and dark clothes, but who didn’t these days? His hands were rough, along with his punishment, love and tone, but, seriously, whose wasn’t… everyone’s…. guess he was unique.15

Adrian was big hearted and a softy from New York City . He was strict, but not in the ways that Sinister was, Sinister would always be all over the guys about not doing as they were told or if they did do it that they did it wrong and needed to do it better, especially Jesse, though he knew he did it for the greater good of the guys, they just didn’t like how he handled it. Adrian handled the problems calmly and just simply told them to try it this way in stead of the way they did it, he joked with them, but not meanly, he messed around with them, but in a brotherly sort of way. But in the long run… both of them would have died for the others to live.16

Sinister looked around the room then back to Jake.17

“Where’s Jess?” he asked and Jake turned around. 18

“He was just here, maybe he’s…” he saw cut off as Sinister and Adrian shoved past him and ran upstairs calling Jesse’s name, but there was no answer. 19

When they rushed back down stairs they glared at Jake and at Shawn when he came back into the room. “I told you to watch him!” he growled at them.20

Jake was the first to talk, as always. “Yeah, well I was pretty sure he wasn’t a friggin’ baby anymore! He can watch out for his own ass, besides we’re still in our house.” He said and Sinister jumped at that.21

“He’s still a kid so he’s still gonna do the opposite of what I tell him, and that’s why YOU… HAVE… TO… KEEP… AN EYE ON HIM!” he shouted, Jake shrank back a little, though a scowl still on his face. Jake mumbled something and left the room, not wanting to look or talk to Sinister anymore. Sinister looked over at Shawn, Shawn just put his hands up in surrender. “We have to go looking for him, Adrian,” he said and turned to Adrian , “…Get Jakes’ ass out here.”22

***23

It was late so the streets were empty, but they could hear music coming from somewhere, sounded like hard rock, though they couldn’t pin the artist. They walked until they got to the edge of the other side of town.24

“Be careful out here,” Sinister said in a faint whisper, “…this is Muzom territory.” He said, talking about the other gang. There were two gangs, their gang, which was called the Shwom Formé, which meant bloody brothers, then there was Muzom… which meant Better Then… which belongs to a guy named Jonny Taper, Taper was a Russian Mother Sucker and hated Sinister and his gang. This worried Sinister, knowing that it was a great possibility that that’s who Jesse was with.25

They walked with haste, but still turning at every sound and jumping at every shadow. 26

Sinister was in front, Adrian behind him and so on, when a voice came out of no where.27

“Looking for this, Sin?” the voice asked. He knew that voice. 28

They turned and saw a body come out of the shadow between two buildings. It was Taper. Great. They looked at each other for a moment before Taper came all the way out and dragging in his right hand was Jesse, being held up by the scruff of his shirt. Taper threw him onto the ground just in front of himself.29

Sinister knew how this would go down. “What do you want for him?” he asked and Taper laughed.30

“For him?” he pointed a boney finger down at Jesse. “Right… for him… if you agree to go to Greysore then you can be damn sure I’ll give him back.” He said with an evil smile.31

Sinister shook his head in frustration. 32

There was no way he was going to go freely to Greysore… no way… but then, how was he going to get Jesse back… maybe it was worth it. After a while he decided to finally speak his mind.33

“What about if we just leave, never come back to Semine?” he proposed and could see Taper think about it.34

He nodded. “No.” Taper said finally, grabbing up Jesse and throwing him back, knowing that there was no way that they would not want him back, knowing that Sinister would do anything for the boy and there for he knew that they would go to Greysore to save the kid’s life. 35

Sinister growled. “This is a big damn planet, Taper, you can let us rule half of it and you can rule the other side. What kind of warlord would you be if didn’t have a competition, eh?” he asked.36

Taper brows furrowed. “A damn good one… now out of my world, Sin, you and all your little pets.” He smiled and turned away, fading into the shadow of the dark alley. 37

Sinister growled to himself, grabbing up Jesse. 38

The rest followed him back to the shelter where they lived, but all knew that they would only be there for a little while, having to live the next day… making their way to the only living hell they knew. 39