Deadly Devotion [on hold]

chapter four | the pythons

"How much can you possibly know about yourself if you've never been in a fight?"

Punch. Punch. Push. Elbow. Kick. Knee to the gut. This wasn't training. That Zach knew for sure. This was just for their laughs. He was being used as a source of amusement. Thrown around like a rag doll. He knew walking in to the room that he'd be at odds but he didn't think he'd be knocked down by the first blow. Duncan was way stronger than he looked which was saying something.

"Get up, pretty boy," Duncan said with a mischievous grin and the crowd around them started laughing. Why they all woke up so early in the morning just to watch Zach get beat up, he didn't have the slightest clue.

"Screw it. I'm done," Zach said, lying on the cold, hard floor, trying to catch his breath since he was pretty sure it was knocked out of him.

"Done? We just got started, blondie. Get up," Duncan said while kicking Zach's foot. Blondie. Pretty boy. He doesn't even know my damn name.

Zach slowly stood up, groaning. He felt like a wuss showing weakness in front of these people. They fought with men on a daily basis and here he was acting like a fucking princess. He launched a fist at Duncan but he ducked and kicked Zach's legs causing him to lose balance and fall.

"Oh floor," Zach groaned, placing his throbbing cheek against the coolness. "I love you."

"Jeez, blondie. Get yourself together," he heard Trevor's voice. He turned his head ever so slightly and looked towards the source of sound and saw a hand near his face.

"God, is that you? Am I dead?" Zach feigned a delusional voice.

"Get up, you idiot," Trevor sighed and pulled him up. "Here," he said, thrusting a water bottle at Zach's chest.

"If you're close to blacking out from training, how do you think you'll manage out in the streets?" Duncan asked from the other side of the room where he was rocking on a plastic chair. "Face it, blondie. You can't."

"Zach." Zach responded, gulping down the water.

"What?" Duncan asked, confused.

"His name," a female voice cut through the room and everyone turned to the door where Esmeralda was standing, dressed from head to toe in body hugging black but the red lips remained. "Zach."

She walked in; her thick heeled boots sounding like muffled gun shots echoing in the room which had gone silent. Are they afraid of her? She didn't seem so bad yesterday. In fact, she seemed the opposite of what a boss was pictured as.

"Zachary Rosen," Zach added. She hummed and took one good look at him. Her gaze lingered for a moment on each of his toned arms and lean torso which were more prominent now since his shirt was stuck to him like a second skin from the sweat.

"Not out of shape, are you blondie?" She asked looking straight into his eyes. Zach didn't respond. He knew there was no point. Most of them seemed to ask him questions that were completely rhetorical.

"Not out of shape but can't even land a punch," Duncan scoffed, getting up from his chair.

"He landed a good one on Trev's face though when he first woke up," Cameron laughed but stopped abruptly and pretended to cough when he received a glare from Trevor.

"Did he now?" Esmeralda asked and it was obvious from the look on her face that she was amused by what she was hearing. "Then Dun-" She was interrupted when a boy burst into the room, out of breath, and said, "they're here."

Esmeralda shot a look at Trevor before following the boy and the rest of her men followed suit. Curious as always, Zach followed them. He realized there had to be around twenty people in the 'pythons' as Trevor had mentioned they were called. He wondered how they all had ended up here. Were they willing to join? Or were they abducted as I was?

Zach pushed past everyone to the front and was taken aback when he saw the sight in front of him. There was a burly man covered in bruises on the floor. He looked like he was on the brink of losing consciousness. His grey jacket sleeves were torn and Zach had to wonder who exactly the bad guy here was.

"Found him outside house number ten. The Smiths live there," said the lanky boy that had come running with the news.

"And who were you after?" Esmeralda asked in a demanding tone.

"Like I'll be answering to you," said the man in a raspy voice before leaning over and spitting at her feet.

Esmeralda clicked her tongue. "Did you empty him?"

"Yes, took his wallet," said a blue haired boy as he shook a black, leather wallet. "We found this picture of the Smiths' granddaughter in it," he said handing over a small, square shaped picture to Esmeralda."What do we do with him?"

"Same as the others," Esmeralda stared at the man on the floor with an ice cold gaze. Zach had to be honest, it scared him. "Keep him here and treat him well till he speaks."

The blue haired boy and the lanky one nodded before closing in on the man. They began to half drag, half carry him and as they were passing Esmeralda, the man spit at her feet again. She scrunched up her face as they disappeared around the corner. "Scum," she said as if the word tasted bitter.

"Why do you bring them to your home then?" Zach questioned and everyone looked at each other before dispersing.

"This isn't–" she stopped herself and shook her head. "This," she waved her hands, gesturing towards the room. "Is all for a purpose."

"And that is? What did you mean same as the others?" Zach asked, following her as she stalked away from him. "What are you going to do to him?"

"We need answers," she stated turning around, crossing her arms across her chest. "And answers we shall get. That's all." And with that, Zach realized he was dismissed. He shook his head and walked the other way. They're all mental.

.

"Is this all really necessary?" Zach asked from the doorway feeling squeamish at the sight of blood oozing from the man's arm. He was tied to a wooden chair in the room Zach was kept locked up in the first few days.

Trevor turned around holding the bloody knife in mid air. He had a dangerous looking smirk, like it was a weapon he used against the world and Zach didn't like it.

"Until he tells us who and where his boss is," Trevor turned around and ran the blade agonizingly slow across the man's upper arm causing a slow stream of red to drip. "I'm not going to stop."

The man groaned. "Never," he said harshly.

"You're really willing to go through all this pain and risk your life for a man who goes around murdering families?" Trevor raised an eyebrow.

"Isn't that what you do as well?" The man challenged.

Trevor leaned forward and pulled the man close by his shirt. "We only kill those who deserve it," he said in a very calm and matter-of-fact voice before pushing the man back and holding him there. "Last chance. You tell us who your boss is and where we can find him or I kill you. Here. Now." He placed the sharp tip of the knife against the man's stomach.

"No," Zach said in shock.

"Go ahead," the man grinned and Trevor, with a blank expression on his face, plunged the knife in and twisted before yanking it out. The man's eyes went wide and he gasped and shook, his blood soaking his shirt, spreading like ink on water, before he went still, head hanging.

"No," Zach whispered. Or at least he thought he did.

Trevor straightened up and stared down at the man. At the lifeless body still tied to the chair. He turned around without a sound. Zach's pulse quickened. His breath came out short and quick. His wide eyes met Trevor's green ones and held their gaze before the boy threw the knife on the floor and walked out without a word.

***

My dark side in writing is coming back whoopsies.
In the next chapter you'll be getting an insight to what exactly happened to Esmeralda! 
Hope you guys liked this and thank you to whoever's reading!

Dedicated to TsukinArchangel cause he's a huge support and started the ship #CamVor2016. Check out his amazeballs book 'Mumble'. You won't regret it!

- Pooji