The Secrets Buried With Us | COMPLETE

Flashback 2| Ace

THE COLD AIR NIPPED at Ace's bare skin, waking him up with a start. He felt his eyes water from the cold air, heard the wind howl angrily around him, like haunting screams in the night.

Sleeping in the dirty alleyways of Newport wasn't ideal, but it wasn't like he had a choice. Ace's parents had abandoned him a couple of years before, to look for a better life outside of Newport. He could still remember the hopeful look on his Mom's face on the day before she left.

She and Ace's dad had packed all their bags leaving their room looking completely deserted and the fridge empty.

"We'll be back Ace, sooner than yeh know it," she had promised, tears welling up in her emerald green eyes. She gave him a tight hug, rubbing his back comfortingly.

He still remembered the smell of her perfume, like fresh spring roses. Her hair tickled his cheek, but he didn't dare to move.

"Don't leave. What am I supposed to do when you're gone?" he had pleaded, still holding her close. Deep inside he knew that it was bound to be the last time he saw either of his parents again. Nobody ever survived their escape from Newport.

"You're strong, Son. Just have a little faith in us."
Ever since their disappearance, Ace beat himself up for letting them go. How could he have been so naive? Did he really believe his parents would defy statistics, that they would be the first ones ever to survive outside of Newport? Ace had no money, nowhere to go.

He had lived with Nick for a couple of weeks, but only after he had insisted. After this, Ace knew he had to move. He tried to learn how to fend for himself. He dropped out of school and tried to learn to be independent, but failed miserably. He had no money, nowhere to go. He was lost.

Along the way, Ace ended up mixing with the wrong crowd. The Reapers were looking for him, hoping to put him in an orphanage for a year until he turned 18. Ace couldn't stand the thought of being there, even if it were only for a year. He sought refuge in the dark side of Newport, where gangs and bounty hunters lurked in the shadows, hiding from the Leaders.

A group of bounty hunters named The Silver Legion took Ace under their wing, offering him food, money, and a place to stay in return for his service. Often, Ace would have to track down someone, capture them and bring them into the Silver Legion. It wasn't the best use of Ace's time; he didn't go to school for an entire year because the Silver Legion encouraged him to stay hidden.

Ace's stomach growled angrily, and he tried to ignore it the best he could. He had almost become accustomed to the constant feeling of hunger that week after the Silver Legion had disowned him because, for the first time, he was unable to do their bidding. Harlem, the leader of the Silver Legion had called Ace in for a new assignment.

They sat in Harlem's musty office, discussing the details. Harlem's office was filthy, The thick-bearded burly man offered Ace a cigarette before lighting up his own.

"Alright Kid," Harlem had said, exhaling puffs of smoke. "I need you to bring in this kid for me. I want him brought in dead. His dad used to be part of the Silver Legion before he betrayed us and turned himself in to the Leaders, all because he couldn't pay off his debt."

"Who is he?" Ace had watched as Harlem took out a cheap tablet that looked miniature in his large beefy hands. A picture of Ace's next target was displayed on the screen, a big familiar smile on his face.

"Kid's name is Emerson. Nicholas Emerson." Harlem's voice was bitter-sounding, his face twisted into a vile scowl as cigarette smoke escaped his lips. Ace had felt the blood rush away from his face and he suddenly felt sick to his stomach as he looked at the face of his friend on the tablet screen. He blinked a couple of times as if this were enough to change the fact that Nick Emerson's face was on that screen. Harlem's eyebrows furrowed.

"You alright? You're looking a little pale there." Ace shook his head, his overgrown hair falling into his eyes.

"I can't do that," Ace had whispered, his voice threatening to break. Once people were turned over to the Silver Legion, there was no telling what the bounty hunters would do with them. It was uncommon for them to torture people.

How could Ace do that to his only friend? Friends didn't betray each other like that. Harlem looked at Ace with immense disbelief.

"What?"

"I said I can't do that. Give me anyone else and I'll get them for you instead," Ace had repeated, keeping his eyes glued to the ground. He couldn't bear to look up at Harlem's outraged face. Harlem's hands slammed onto the desk loudly, fueled with anger. The desk shook loudly, the movement so sudden that it made Ace's heart skip a beat.

"You will bring me, Emerson," he warned, his voice quieter but still on edge. "Otherwise, you'll no longer be part of the Legion. We can't offer protection to those who aren't loyal. Bring him by the end of the month, or never show your face here again."
Ace had been dismissed from Harlem's office, and temporarily dismissed from the Silver Legion.

He didn't bother showing his face around those parts again, but leaving the Legion meant no food, no money, and no protection. He was defenseless against the Reapers, exposed as an easy target. Even if it was just for a little while, Ace got a glimpse of what the rest of his life could be like if he didn't bring Nick in. Did he want to live his life in fear, hoping that he wouldn't get caught by the reapers?

Ace felt a huge water drop fall onto his forehead, and he wiped it off with the back of his hand. He had to find shelter before he got soaked by the rainstorm. Ace pulled the hood of his jacket over his head, shading his face as he walked and kept his head down. He took cover underneath a nearby bridge, sitting down on the muddy ground.

Ace had enough. He contemplated what Harlem had offered, the fact that he was living under a bridge, a heavy reminder of the terrible life he could be living. He didn't want to take Nick and bring him to the Silver Legion. Nick was his best and only friend.

He'd been there for Ace when his parents died, and even long before that. Did he really have a choice? Maybe he was going to have to kill Nick after all.