Godfather World

A Frustrating Death

It was just another dull day at his job. As a civilian with no kin and no government to care for people like him, civilian #3207 got used to all the trashy things that life threw him. He worked at a restaurant as a cook and fed people on an empty stomach. The restaurant didn't pay him very well, but it helped him cover the rental of his shitty apartment in the shadier part of the town.

It wasn't uncommon to see a body or two lying around somewhere in the alley. The residents here knew better than to meddle in the affairs of the underworld. If they lived in a claimed territory, the easiest thing to do was send a report to the protecting family and wash their hands off the case.

Today, it was colder than usual. Winter was arriving, and civilian #3207 sighed. The grey skies mirrored his mood very well. As usual, the customers were being difficult. How could there be roaches in soup? Someone must have put it in deliberately as an excuse to start a fight. However, because of petty tricks like this, he had to suffer another pay cut. Life was unfair, but there wasn't much a powerless one like him could do.

"Mew!"

The familiar cry from the alley made civilian #3207 smile. He might not have a name, but that didn't mean he couldn't name others.

"Hello, Celine! I'm sorry I don't have much for you today. I just got cheated of my pay again by some troublesome customers who put roaches into the soup I spent six hours brewing. Here you go!"

He placed some dried sardines that he saved from getting thrown out as leftovers on the ground. Celine might be a stray, but she was better cared for than a person like him. The calico beauty attacked her food immediately as civilian #3207 watched. Sometimes, civilian #3207 wondered if his life would be any different if the mafia didn't rule the world or if he was born into one of those criminal organisations that ruled society.

Celine ate happily, and civilian #3207 felt his stomach growl. He hasn't eaten anything since morning and had a long work shift. Thankfully, he was a cook and even with leftover ingredients, he could whip something up.

Halfway through feeding Celine, civilian #3207 heard something moving.

"What's that?" he asked and carefully got up. It sounded like dinner. Celine turned around and quickly ran away, making him laugh.

"You're a cat! Why are you so afraid of rats in the alley?" he shook his head and walked over. He might be lucky today. There was no meat in the leftovers, but he could still make it a nice meal if he managed to catch this rat in the alley.

As civilian #3207 walked closer to where he last saw movement, the smell of trash and something metallic grew stronger in the air, stinging his nose. The cook frowned. This didn't smell normal.

As he got closer, he squinted. It was getting too dark to see anything, but when he tripped over something, civilian #3207 cussed. He felt like he sprained a wrist trying to break his fall and cursed his luck. A cook's hands were his life! That rat was definitely stew tonight after going through all the hassle.

The light in the alley was dim. Many clouds were covering the rising moon. Yet, a chill breeze blew the clouds away, and under the dim moonlight, civilian #3207 finally understood what caused him to trip. Lying in a slippery pool of blood, the leg that the cook tripped over belonged to a corpse. Civilian #3207 put a hand over his mouth to suppress his screams automatically. While it was common for corpses to be found in this district, he'd never really encountered one before.

Slowly regaining his wits, civilian #3207 moved over hesitantly and held a finger beneath the man's nose. Shakily, he withdrew it and looked at the man's torso. No, the man wasn't dead. The mysterious stranger had one foot in the grave, and his injuries were severe, but he was still very much alive.