FIGHTING OVER THE DEAD

Breeze they say spreads bad news faster than good ones.

Town people had already gathered around the burnt car and the corpses interred inside.

The fire had been quenched and those inside are unrecognizably burnt.

The teeming crowd partway for El Capone and his gang to get closer to the burnt car.

El Capone strode closer and looked grimly. No doubt, it belongs to his royal majesty. He bought it a few days ago.

A minute later, one of his gang members rolled two tires that had flown out when the bolts were off the rims. 

"Someone must have removed the bolt that held the two front tires" El Capone murmured in a whisper.

Andrea nodded in agreement, realizing the tight situation this calamity has thrown the royal household. Any news of saboteurs will reduce the inflatability of the ruling mafia family.

This is better to remain an accident as far as the ordinary citizens are concerned. Dirty underwear is not washed in public but in private.

Shortly later, the gang members who are all dressed in red and known as the Redwitch gang set to work. And with sledgehammers and axes, they had removed the car door and brought out all the corpses inside.

Wails were heard from nearby sympathizers and the silence in the place soon escalated into cries and screams.

Suddenly, another set of mobs dressed in black and almost of the same numbers as those dressed in red sauntered in.

They are known as the blackwitch gang.

"Hey, you all should stop this noise," the leader of the Blackwitch gang said.

He is the twin brother and the exact copy of El Capone.

"I have few words to discuss with my brother which you are all not privileged to hear. I will kill the last man after two minutes." He glanced at his gold wristwatch and smiled at the countdown.

Suddenly, the crowd had disappeared and only the Mafias in red and black uniforms were seen looking menacingly at each other.

"For the sake of my lady present here, can we avoid this bloodshed by you handing over all the corpses to me to offer them a befitting burial?" El Ramon fixed his gaze on his twin brother, one hand on the tilt of his sword.

El Capone looked coldly at his brother, his lips producing a fake smile that seemed to come from nowhere.

He walked towards him and offer his hand for a shake as a sign of friendship.

"Our father is gone, why continue this rivalry?"

"Why continue this rivalry?" El Ramon mimics back in El Capone's voice, looking back at his mobs of followers who had burst into laughter from his dried joke, then resumed his speech. "Why not leave this island and go somewhere else where you are wanted." He raised his eyes and winked at Andrea. "You can stay with me, sweety."

Another roar of laughter burst within the members of Blackwitch.

"Why fighting over the dead?" Andrea asked.

"Then tell him to get the hell out of here and there won't be any conflict, your husband is a clown and I wonder how such a beauty like you can stay a day with him."

"Leave her out of this" El Capone growled.

"Okay, but don't make me kill you to marry her." El Ramon replied.

Andrea looked bemused and screamed. "Just stop all these, the future of this island is now in the hands of the two of you. High time you learn how to at least tolerate each other and plan how to maintain the legacy left by your ancestors." She shook her head, looking sad, and muttered, "Is such a pity when grown-up men act like kids."

"I can't share anything with him." El Ramon growled, "not with this man that had stolen everything that was mine. He stole my firstborn right by being the first one to be removed from our mother's belle and stole the heart of our parents making them hate me and see me as a rogue." He halted his speech, and take a step closer, and then resumed. "He also stole the one I want from me and make me remain a bachelor." He smirked, tears gathering on his face to be lost in the thicket of hair that serves as his beard." Now you want me to partner to rule with him?"He shook his head sadly, and resume his speech. "No, can two rams can't drink in the same calabash!"

"So what did you want him to do, kill himself? He is-"

"Nay," El Ramon cut in, he is never my brother but a cheater. He should just go somewhere, or anywhere for all I care. All his gang members that are ready to swear the oath of allegiance to me are welcome."

"You wish," El Capone replied. "Of course, that can only happen in your Imagination. I'm the heir to the throne of the mafia king even though I don't mind sharing and co-ruling with you. But to leave it -," he stopped mid-way and gave pretentious laughter. "It can only happen in your fantasy, where you are the only author and finisher, and not in real life."

"So what are you going to do to stop me?" El Ramon asked with a mischievous grin. "I can kill you whenever I want, the man that had been protecting you is dead now. You know how dangerous I am, Don't you?"

"Cut this crab," El Capone said. Looking as formidable as possible as he stared eye-to-eye with his twin brother.

El Ramon suddenly lunged at his unsuspecting brother, his right leg projected forward as he turned his left leg simultaneously to the left side at the back of his brother's leg, giving him a push that would have sent an inexperienced fighter flat on his back.

But El Capone braced himself for the force which was so massive that it threw him off the floor. He quickly twist mid-air and somersaulted, landed on his knee, his gun out in his hand, and pointed at El Ramon's stomach. For a second, silence engulfed the whole area.

"Please stop," Andrea screamed. "It doesn't have to come to this." She lunged forward and stepped in between the two siblings. "Please stop," she repeated.

"Okay." El Ramon said, he took some steps backwards. "You will hear from me soon," he threatened, turning towards his gang members who stood some feet away, all arms with different types of guns, swords, and knives.

"You should have pulled the trigger," he screamed as he was followed by his mobs in black uniforms. "You will never have another chance like this. Next time, I will be the one to pull the trigger and I won't hesitate." He shouted amidst the uproar of laughter from his gang members.

"I will remember dude," El Capone yelled after him.

The sudden assault by his twin brother was a shock to him. Of course, they had fought quite a lot of time mostly as a competitor to know who is the best among the pair, but the frequency of this has reduced dramatically since he got married and moved out of the palace to his fortress.

El Ramon had also moved into his fortress and had remained single, despite the disturbance of their mother to him to get married.

Growing up, he was grieved when he realize he will have to spend the rest of his life in competition with his twin brother. Earlier, he had done all he can to avoid his confrontation and subjected himself to countless ridicule by his brother and his friends that we were sons and daughters of noble Mafia lords. Until their unending taunts had woked the beast in him.

One day, he stood his ground and fought back, and that was the beginning of his freedom, yet ironically, also the beginning of a lifelong unhealthy competition that later mature into mayhem.

Countless times, his group and his twin brothers' group had clashed resulting in the death of both mafia gangs.

The mafia king himself had done all within his reach to settle the two differences but all his effort can be compared to pouring water inside a basket.

It was all in vain!

Andrea was just an ordinary girl of a local opium farmer who worked on their father's farm. Since birth, she had been on this island unapproached by his brother. He had met her one day on his way from a hunting expedition. He was captivated by her angelic voice and her ravishing beauty which are still hidden then. They had become friends while El Ramon had done all he can to separate the two friends. Unsuccessful, he had suddenly become friendly to Andrea whom he had once called the ugliest girl on Greenwich Island. But Andrea had rebuffed his hands of friendship and remained with her first and only friend, El Capone. And the pale girl soon grows into a beautiful woman.

El Ramon had become more desperate, threatening, and swearing to do his worst if she ignored his love advancement.

In the end, El Capone and Andrea got married and the rejected El Ramon vowed to either kill his brother to marry his wife or remain single. To him, the only woman befitting him is the one now married to his brother.