TARRY'S PUB

Bzz..

The "Tarry's" sign buzzed into the night, as moths hovered around the luminous neon sign.

Creak!!

The pub's twin doors creaked open; a figure clad in black coat, and a white shirt with a tie tucked in black trousers; walked in silently.

"A glass of cocktail, and get me Tarry", he ordered at the counter.

.....

"Hey dude.."

"That rave was super"

"Yeah! It was a blast!"

Boom!!

A loud blast resounded, interrupting the happy conversation of the passersby.

"What was that?"

"I don't know mate"

"We better get out of here"

.....

TARRY'S PUB

"Hey buddy!", Tarry beamed coming out of the office.

"Come on in", he added, signalling for the figure at the bar to come into the office.

The figure guzzled his drink, and walked towards the office.

"Have a seat", Tarry said, as soon as the figure entered the office.

Grrrr....

The whole pub shook from its foundations, as the figure prepared to sit.

"What was that!", Tarry queried, with an anxious look.

"Looks like it's already happening", the figure said blankly.

"What is....what is already happening?", Tarry questioned.

A moment of silence ignited.

"What is already happening Gunther?!", Tarry inquired half screaming, killing the flames of silence.

"I told you Mondéy was a wrong choice, but still you went and placed him at the reins of leadership", Gunther replied.

"What do you mean....what nonsense are you saying Gunther?", Tarry emphasizing on the nonsense.

"Huh?"

"Mondéy has done nothing but good—

"He has done good huh?"

"Yes he has, I mean look at the stock market of the undercity, look at our sales, look at our lives in general", Tarry said, half smiling as he recounted the goodwill.

Thud!!

"Goddammit Tarry!!!", Gunther screamed, as he flung his chair.

"When was the last time you left this godforsaken office, huh?"

"When was the last time you walk the streets, without cruising in that Stretch that abomination gave to you?"

"If you've been having a good chat with Leonard and if you've been listening, you'd have known....

"You'd have known that of the stock market in undercity is made up of slave trade", Gunther screamed almost in tears.

"And not just women and children."

"I'll have you know that our primary occupation in undercity right now is drugs, narcotics and slave trade."

"About 80% of able men are into the sales of drugs and narcotics."

"Now we all live in slums, pickpocketing and robbery the order of the day, rape and sex work have been normalized."

"We have no healthcare, education in on a landslide, and tell me Tarry, where are our amenities?", Gunther said, already in tears.

Sniff..

He sniffled, as he continued, leaving Tarry in shock.

"Now, we're known for terrorism, vandalism, drug sale and addiction, rape, slave trade, and do wanna know the funny thing?" he said smiling sadly.

"The funny thing is, it all started when you put him there, when you made him the leader and representative of the undercity, of Dutan, of Eronsvale."

"Y'know, things weren't the best, but it was better with you."

"It shouldn't have been him, it shouldn't even be him, Leo's parents were the better choice—

Bang!!

"Enough!!!", Tarry roared, cutting him short, as he banged the desk with his fists.

"I don't believe you, I don't believe anything you've said", Tarry said, sweating profusely.

"Of course you wouldn't believe, you weren't there....you weren't there when he signed the clause to turn over the rights of the undercity to the capital city, when he commissioned the Grosero Revés, when he used half the treasury to buy ammunition to start a war that he can't win, and that explosion....that explosion was just a tip of what is to come."

"I was there Tarry! I was there!!"

"And they are coming for us, for all of us, including you", he said pointing at Tarry.

"What you felt earlier, was just the shockwave of the beginning of what we started, and there's more to come Tarry, more to come", he added.

"And whether you believe it or not, he's got people at his back, people who supports his evil ideology, including the honcho who you think works for you, cause he doesn't, he works for Mondéy now."

"The question is, are you one of them? Are you one of Mondéy's lackeys?, he asked entrancing Tarry.

"Where's Leonard?", he asked out thought, snapping Tarry out of his trance.

"I sent him to safehouse 10", Tarry said in a low tired voice, tired out of mental exhaustion.

"Isn't that the one at route 9?", Gunther asked with a bothered look.

"Yeah, is something wrong?", Tarry asked visibly worried.

"Are you out of your mind Tarry? That route is gonna be blown in bits any minutes from n—

Boooom!!!

The shockwave shook the duo out of balance.

Tiing!!

Tarry!

Tarry!!

Tarry!!!

Gunther screamed amidst the ringing noise in Tarry's ear.

Tarry!!

"Huh...Yeah?", Tarry responded, finally catching Gunther's voice.

"We gotta move, we'll take my car and I'll drive", Gunther said, as Tarry nodded in support; taking his grey coat and brown hat.

"Casper you're in charge, we'll be back Kate", Gunther said, as he and Tarry brisk out of the office, pulling Tarry by the arm.

Tarry's white face looked up to me the white faces of both Casper and Kate, as she mouthed "what's happening", oblivious to Tarry's ear.

Creak!

Gunther yanked at the doors of the pub, as the twilight of dawn greeted him.

He continue walking, dragging Tarry along with him as he made way for his vehicle, a purple cyber car built in a model of a Dodge Challenger SRT, gleamed at the light of twilight, parked alongside Tarry's Limousine Stretch and a few parked cars, at the garage of the pub.

The doors of the car opened upward, as he entered a range of five meters.

"Make sure to use your seatbelt, cause this would be quick", he said, as he settled into the car with Tarry.

The doors of the car closed, as the headlights turned on.

Vrrrrr...

He ignited the engine, as he revved the car.

"Let's go save Leo", he said as engaged the vehicle into drive, leaving a cloud of dust.

...

"Wanna drink", Gunther said, after taking a sip out of a small metal container, while driving.

"Here, it'll calm you down", he added shoving the container at Tarry's face.

"Things are about to get real messy, the hierarchy of leadership is about to change, and it won't come easy."

"It's our fault, and our mess to clean up", he said, as Tarry gulped at the contents in the container.

"No one else has to get hurt", he added, as Tarry nodded in approval with a scrunched face.

The vehicle roared into the distance.

...

Thirty Minutes Earlier

....

"What was that?", Leo said to himself, as the shockwave subsided.

Vrrrrr...

He reignited his cyber bike, and made headway for the alley at the fourth shop.

....

"Yeah...all set."

"Alright let's roll."

Vrroom!!

"What's that?"

"Sounds like a bike"

"Rector, go check it out"

....

SAFEHOUSE 10

Vroom!!

Leo revved his bike to an halt, as he approached the safe house.

"Oi, who are you?", a slightly built man in his twenties, coming out of the safehouse, inquired Leo.

"I'm Leo, you?", Leo replied, dismantling his helmet.

"What are you doing here?", the man asked, blatantly ignoring Leo's question.

"What the hell, I live here, and...and who the fuck are YOU?, Leo attacked, alighting from his bike.

"I'm gonna ask you to leave, before something bad happens to you", the man replied.

"You're real funny man, I just told I live here and now you're asking me to leave", Leo said, smiling while holding the bridge of his nose.

"I don't know what joke, prank or shit test this is, and I don't care, but I gonna ask you guys to stop, before I lose my shit", Leo added, with a stern tone.

"I asked you scram kid, you wouldn't like the hard way", the man spoke straightly at Leo.

"If I don't leave, what are you gonna do? Huh?", Leo inquired.

"Hard way it is", he sighed, cracking is neck and knuckles, while moving towards Leo.

Raa!!

He came charging towards Leo, as he threw a jab, which Leo easily dodged.

"Not bad, you're nimble", he commended.

He threw two more punches, as Leo moved his body to evade the attack.

He punched again, this time Leo parried with his left arm, and landed a right jab on his jaw.

"Nice", the man said withdrawing momentarily, as he had his two fists balled up to show his seriousness in the brawl.

He punched again, it was dodged, Leo also tried to throw a punch, he caught his arm, twisted it, pull him closer and landed a headbutt.

"Arghh...", Leo scrunched his face in pain, as his nose bled.

"How did that feel?", the man asked, licking his bloody lips.

"Rhaaaa!!!", Leo roared in anger, as he charged at the man, jumping and pushing his whole body weight on him.

The duo hit the floor with Leo on top, as he started a barrage of punches on the man's face.

Bang!!!

He heard a large bang, as his whole world reeled around him.

Thud!

His body hit the floor.

Tiing!!

A ringing noise resounded in his ear amidst the voices he heard.

"Let's go!"

"We can't just leave him here!"

"Rector! We have to leave now!!"

The voices faded, as he lost consciousness.

.....