Rise of the Beast (4 page)

From the guest bedroom, Lusan was staring out the window, overlooking the city. In another time, it seemed an eternity ago, he had offered all this to the Son of God, only to be spurned. Venomous hatred welled up in his heart again, threatening to boil over. It would not happen again. He would take back this world that was rightfully his. As for the Son of God, the thief who stole his place of honor, he would see to it that He was soon forgotten. If he had to put every last one of his followers to the sword, so be it

Duras turned to Lusan, interrupting his thoughts of vengeance. “That went very well, my lord.”

“Indeed,” confirmed Lusan, quickly composing himself. “This Leland James is someone we can use, a human we can depend on. Still, there is one more thing I must take care of before I rest this night.”

“The other youth,” deduced Duras.

“Yes,” confirmed Lusan.

“Has he spoken to others of the incident?”

“No,” replied Lusan. “He walks the streets, seeking what he shall do. He has not sought out the authorities, his family, or his fellow gang members. It is just as well; then it is only he that must be dealt with.” Lusan pulled a yellow crystal from his cloak. He inspected it closely. “This teleportation device is nearly exhausted. If only the Archangel Michael would have had more of these little gems in his quarters. It would have made our lives here far simpler. Nevertheless, it still has enough energy left to open a few more ethereal doorways.”

With no further delay, Lusan opened a doorway that had the appearance of twinkling stars in a blue, glowing mist. He stepped into it and vanished.

C
HAPTER
2

Seventeen-year-old Julio Mendoza stumbled on through the night. His mind was swimming in a pool of dark madness from which it couldn’t escape. He tried to tell himself that it hadn’t happened at all. Juan, David, and Miguel were still a part of his life; but they weren’t. He’d seen them cut down in Central Park by two dark strangers. Never had he seen men move as fast as they had. What sort of people carried swords like that around with them anyway? This was nuts.

In reality, he and his friends hadn’t expected to encounter anyone in Central Park tonight, not at that hour. It was just somewhere to hang, something to do. It had been Miguel’s idea. Now Miguel’s head and his body lay separate amidst the blood-stained grass. That image would haunt him for the rest of his days. But how many days would that be?

Should he go to the cops? He’d thought of that. Thing was, that black guy and his white chick might come forth to testify what he and the boys had been about that night. When it all came down, he might end up in juvie until he was 18 or, worse, be charged as an adult and spend serious time on the inside.

But if he didn’t go to the police, the police might come looking for him. There were people that had seen him in the company of the others tonight. It might be difficult to explain why he hadn’t gone to the police right away.

Then there were his brothers in the Latin Kings. How could he explain to them what had happened tonight, how the others had been cut down while
he had been spared? How could he explain what had happened to Juan to his mom?

Then, on top of it all, there was that guy who stood over him, prepared to become his executioner if need be. Never had he been in the presence of someone like that. His eyes—he couldn’t get them out of his head. Even now, he could see them staring back at him, cold and lifeless. It was like he wasn’t even human. He was like the Devil.

Julio stumbled into an alleyway on the lower east side. He sat down in the darkness and began to cry. His life would never be the same. If only he’d stayed home tonight with his mom. She would have liked that.

He thought about his mom. Many of the guys in the gang had parents who were gang members themselves. The Latin Kings was a family tradition in their homes. They really didn’t have a choice in the matter when it came to joining. They were in it sometimes to the third generation. When they turned 13, they underwent the rites of passage into the Kings; they were beat up to within an inch of their life.

But he was different. He’d entered it of his own free will; he’d accepted the rights of passage with his eyes wide open. And now where had it gotten him?

He felt it before he saw it: darkness darker than the alleyway, a cold darkness that he could feel in the air and within the depths of his soul. He wasn’t alone.

“Did you really think you could hide from me, boy?” said the voice.

Julio looked up to see that same stranger who had stood prepared to execute him just a couple of hours ago. Had he been following him all of this time?

“Every act of man has its consequences,” said the stranger in a deep, commanding voice. “But you’re just beginning to realize that now, aren’t you, Julio?”

Julio gasped, but said nothing. Perhaps he had been expecting this all along. Hadn’t the stranger said something about catching up with him eventually? He hadn’t expected it to come so soon. He cried like a child.

“Would you stop that?” said the stranger, his tone firm, but not necessarily threatening. “You humans grovel and cry so much. I am quite tired of it.”

“I promise, I won’t tell anyone about tonight,” pleaded Julio, between his sobs. “I won’t go to the cops; just let me live.”

“You really are quite pathetic,” said the stranger. “I assure you, I do not intend to harm you.”

Had Julio heard him right? Could he believe him? “You don’t?”

“Really, for a young man you don’t listen very well,” complained the stranger. “I am not accustomed to repeating myself, but I will tell you this one more time. “I do not intend to harm you; you have nothing to fear from me.”

“Oh, thank you,” wept Julio. “I promise I won’t tell anyone what I saw; I won’t.”

“I believe you,” said the stranger. “Now, pull yourself together, Julio.”

That shocked Julio. The stranger had called him by name twice. “You know who I am? Have we met somewhere before?”

“No,” said the stranger, “we have not met, at least not formally. My name is Lusan. Not Mr. Lusan, just Lusan. And if you can manage to pull yourself together, I have a business proposition for you, one that will be mutually profitable for us both.” Lusan extended his hand to Julio. “Here, allow me to help you to your feet.”

Julio hesitatingly extended his hand to the stranger, who helped him up. Somehow, he’d almost expected the hand to be electric or icy cold, but it was just another human hand, soft and warm.

“You keep bad company,” noted Lusan. “That is your main problem. Still, when the others drew their blades, you kept yours in your pocket. That was the one act that saved your life this night, the one act of intelligence. Now, they are dead and you still live.”

“I didn’t know what they were going to do tonight,” replied Julio in a meek voice. “We were just out to have some fun.”

“Of course,” replied Lusan. “But you shouldn’t have been out here at this hour at all, with or without them. After all, it’s a school night.”

“I haven’t gone to school since I was 15,” replied Julio. “My mom practically begged me to stay in school, but it just wasn’t my thing, you know? I was good at it and all; I got OK grades. They just didn’t have anything to teach me anymore, that’s all.”

“Is that a fact?” queried Lusan, more in the form of an observation than a
question. “And the Latin Kings did?”

“Well, I … I don’t know,” admitted Julio.

“I assure you, I can teach you far more than school or the Latin Kings ever could.”

“Teach me?” asked Julio, still quaking.

Lusan placed his arm about the youth. “Of course. Come, Julio, we have places to go and things to discuss. If you are going to work for me, you must come to understand how I do business.”

“Work for you?” asked Julio, who seemed more confused than ever.

“Why not?” asked Lusan, guiding the youth out of the alley. “I could see it the minute I laid eyes on you; you were perfect for the job. You pick and choose your fights wisely; that is why you still draw breath. If you were not useful to me, I assure you, we would not be having this conversation right now. Understand, I am not looking for a heavy-handed person like your friend Miguel, no, not a heavy-handed person. I am looking for someone who can be subtle, even clever, when the situation demands it. And I will tell you this; working for me can be lucrative in ways that you cannot even dream of. I can grant you the deepest desires of your heart: money, power, even women. All you need to do is serve me faithfully. I think you owe me that much. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Julio didn’t know what to say. This dreaded meeting wasn’t turning out the way he figured at all. They strolled up the almost empty sidewalk. “Yes, I guess I do,” he finally replied.

“I would think so,” continued Lusan. “If you really insist on being a member of the Kings, I think you should be the leader. Wouldn’t you agree?”

“The leader,” gasped Julio. “I’m only seventeen. There are people in the Kings who are in their fifties.”

“There you go,” said Lusan. “The first thing I need to teach you is to stop with the negativity. If I am behind you, I assure you, you will become the leader of the Kings. Things in this city are about to change. We’ve tried it their way for long enough; now we’ll do things my way.”

Julio wasn’t so sure about the sanity of this guy, but he wasn’t about to say anything about it. He wasn’t even sure if thinking it was safe. Still, what he said was appealing. Suppose he could deliver on his promises? Julio wasn’t so certain
that he couldn’t. But who was this guy, some sort on ninja? That would explain his skill with the sword. No, he couldn’t be a ninja; they were all Japanese. At least, that was what he thought.

They walked on for a few more minutes until they arrived at a high-rise autoparking garage. All the while Lusan spoke of the benefits of serving him. Yet, he spoke in generalities. Julio still didn’t know what organization he represented. However, it became apparent that he was high on the ladder of authority, perhaps even the leader. Lusan directed him toward the elevator.

“Where are we going?” asked Julio.

“To a meeting,” said Lusan. “I’m going to introduce you to some of the others. I especially want you to meet the individual, the operative you will be working with. It is not a good idea for you and me to be in contact directly. He will give you instructions, teach you our ways. He will help you to achieve all that I have spoken of.”

They stepped into the elevator and traveled to the top floor, 11 levels up. They emerged from the elevator and onto the almost empty parking lot, over 150 feet above the city streets. It was open to the sky, whose low clouds reflected back the predominantly amber glow of the great city. It was misty and threatening to rain. Some distance away, the top of the Empire State Building penetrated the low overcast.

Julio scanned his surroundings carefully as they walked away from the elevators and out into the lot itself. There wasn’t anyone here, at least no one he could see. “I guess we’re the first ones here,” he deduced.

“Oh no,” said Lusan. “They’re here. I assure you, we are far from alone. I’m anxious for you to meet them.”

Julio was starting to feel ill at ease once more. Something was wrong. Things weren’t as they seemed. They walked to the edge of the lot, where a thick four-foot-high wall guarded the precipice.

Lusan gazed down at the almost empty street below. For but a moment he seemed lost in thought. “I enjoy high places,” he noted. “I always have. But let us move on to the business at hand. I wish you to meet my associate, Krugloe.”

Lusan motioned toward seemingly empty air across the lot. Julio followed his hands. At first he saw nothing. Then he noticed a mist. No, not a mist, a distortion. Those things beyond it seemed to twist and contort, like a distant
landscape viewed across waves of rising heat on a summer’s day. But this distortion took the rough shape of a cloaked human form, and moved, or more accurately, drifted toward them. As it drew still closer, Julio felt a chill. It came to a halt about five feet before them. It was a ghost, a spirit, and it was all too real.