Shadows of The Heart

Chapter 5

Six men were lined upon their knees, tied, and on the floor.

"Tell me, Big Papa, is it?" Orion lit his cigarette, the flame casting a sinister glow on his face. He took a slow drag, savoring the moment, before bringing it to his lips.

"Please," the man begged, his voice cracking.

"Huh?" Orion bent down slightly, peering into the man's eyes with feigned curiosity. The pain and suffering etched into the man's features were evident.

"I cannot hear you, Big Papa," Orion taunted, his voice dripping with mockery. "You know, with a name like that, I was expecting someone a bit more... imposing."

This was Orion mocking the pain of others. He made sure anyone who messed with him regretted it in the worst, most painful manner. Orion had a habit, too. He ensured the pain he was inflicting sent a message to others.

He was a known sadist in the underworld, a man who ruled without mercy, a man whose heart was hollow and not muscle.

"I didn't know what kind of a sadist you were when we agreed to steal your gun shipment," the man choked out, blood trickling from his ears, nose, and head.

Orion chuckled darkly, shaking his head. "Well, there's your first mistake. Big Papa. Seriously? Who gave you that name? Your grandma?" He straightened up, taking another drag from his cigarette, the smoke curling around him like a sinister halo.

"Now, let's get back to our little chat. You were saying something about begging? Because I've got all night, and I do so love a good grovel."

"I am sorry," he fell on his knees as his body failed to keep him up.

"Sir," Edward walked over to Orion when he was about to beat the shit out of the man before him. "We need to go. It is time."

That triggered something deep within Orion. He transformed into a demon, a force of malevolence unleashed without restraints. His eyes darkened, and an eerie, chilling calm settled over the men lined up. They saw a switch flip in Orion's head. The air grew thick with an oppressive, almost tangible menace. His every movement became deliberate and terrifyingly controlled, a predator toying with its prey.

He no longer resembled a man but a dark, ruthless entity, exuding an aura of pure, unbridled evil. The atmosphere crackled with dread.

Orion's rage erupted like a violent storm. He grabbed the iron rod, his knuckles whitening from the force of his grip. With a growl-like roar, he brought it down with such ferocity that the man's skull cracked in an instant. The men lying next to Big Papa wet their pants to see what was coming for them.

The impact was so strong that the wood underneath Big Papa's knees splintered and cracked, sending shards flying in every direction. The man was dead. His head was broken into a million pieces, but Orion did not stop. His anger didn't wait. He kept hitting repeatedly, and the men around Orion, except Edward, saw what kind of a demon he was. Edward ran to Orion and grabbed him by his shoulders.

"Sir, he is dead." He tried grabbing the metal rod from his boss's hands, and he was successful. The lifeless body of the man sated his anger.

His warehouse turned silent. Everyone's heartbeat could be heard, as could the ships at the harbor and the sea waves hitting the anchor. His breath came in ragged bursts, each exhale punctuating the raw, unrestrained fury coursing through him. He looked at the atrocity he committed, and he scoffed. "Clean this mess and advertise it in tomorrow's news edition," he ordered his men and walked to his car.

Edward gave him a water bottle, and he washed the blood stains off his face like it was dirt on the car's windshield. He had no regard for human life.

Edward gave him another shirt. The shirt was neatly ironed, but Orion didn't care. "I am not going somewhere I want to," he said, grabbing a wrinkled shirt and putting it on. Even in those clothes, he looked like a king.