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“Chronicles of the Eclipses”

-“What do we have to fear but fear itself?” –Former President Theodore Roosevelt

**~Alluding Fragrance~**

Memories of the horrid death replayed his mind throughout his sleepless night. Clutching the thin silk bed cover over his body, he rolls to his side hoping to catch some form of goodnight rest. He was plagued with the imbedded screams and blood that had only a few hours came from innocent victim he killed. He didn’t know how long he could take it nor deal with the concept that indeed he was now involved in one of the most dangerous gangs around in the country.

Howie slowly opens his eyes, ideas spinning his frazzled mind from the killing in the initiation to the talk with his girlfriend Arianna. From the moment he decided to take the case the precinct passed along to him, he knew it would take sacrifices on his behalf. He knew somehow, somewhere along the line killing and destroying of relationships will occur. He feared it though, with all his heart, the last he needed was to lose his friends to something so horrible. He gulps, running a hand down the black cotton bed sheet beneath him. Sighing, he watches the small device in the corner of his spacious new bed room he was upgraded to. The camera blinks a small light on the lens, turning and shifting at any new sound or vision that crossed its path.

‘Ari…why did I listen to myself about this whole gang thing? I should have stood behind the desk, finding another way than putting all our lives in endanger.’ His guilty thoughts flood his remaining patience and sanity all in one moment. ‘Maybe I thought going undercover will help bring me closer to a solution in stopping this. But who am I kidding? Kevin changed…The man did a 360 in a matter of months where only before then he was one of the most caring, patient man around in the precinct. What if that begins to take its toll on me? What if I stop caring, stop feeling? Then what? Who will save me when if it happens?”

He forces his eyes shut, trying to wish all the thoughts out of him mind, hoping that somewhere he can get some sleep. He had to do and the first thing was to option taking to the leader before he can get a hold of Arianna.
~*~

Coral pads down the metal hallway barefooted, reaching the dingy washroom littered in piles of scattered filthy clothes from shirts, jeans, pants, socks to even under garments. Reaching the arch chipped mahogany threshold of the entrance of the room, she pushes aside the creaking door as she eases her way further into it. Stepping over piles of clothes, she exhales softly, feeling a sense of watchful eyes beckoning her from the corner. Her breath caught in her throat as she creeps closer to the dark silhouette gazing at her intensely. The floor boards groan out with her added weight with each movement sending a sense of alarm down Coral’s back.

“Ummm…hello? Are you looking for something?” She utters out, fearing her sense of dread would give her away.

The figure moves around, shuffling out of the shadows to step into the weary dim florescent light coming from the room. Coral takes a step back, watching the unfamiliar man drag his feet across the boards with each step. She breaths in quickly, taking in the scent of the unwashed man who was scraggly, un-kept and washed in a bath of his own old sweat.

“Help me…” The rather untrimmed man calls out. To her, he looked like a homeless vagrant wondering the streets for some shelter. “Help me!” He cries out to her, reaching out his dirt infested arms to her. His palms, face and neck were thick in black soot and filth while the rest of him was covered in torn clothes from the raggedy beige trench coat that clothed him, to the black torn jeans and stained white t-shirt. His dark beady eyes locked on her as he calls out to her, dragging his tired feet towards her.

Coral backs up another few feet to keep her distance from this man, banging into a moving washing machine that shook and vibrated with the raising of the clothes inside of it. “How…how do you want me to help you sir?” She calls out to the man whose face seemed tired and lonely with his protruding round nose to large ears. While his shaggy sweating, matted hair remained glued on him as he begins to move again.

“Kill me…before they do.” The man’s badly hoarse voice calls out. “Kill me so I can leave this place now. They’re evil…they’re all evil. You shouldn’t be here. Get out while you still can. There isn’t anyone can do about them. They’re everywhere.” The man mumbles, shaking stepping around her causing her to squeak and shudder.

“I can’t do that.”

“Yes you can.” The man voice gets cut off when a strong cough erupted out of him. “Take the blade and slice it across me. I wanna die now before they come take me away to kill me.”

Coral gasps out, her breaths coming out heavily when a rusty blade was thrust in her hands. “No, no please you don’t understand.”

“You don’t understand what you’re doing.” The man whispers out, pleading with her to kill him. “Please this is the only way I can go without their last laugh.”

“Why me? Why not get out and find your family and leave?”

“I can’t get out of here. Its too late for me…kill me.” He pitifully cries out sending deep shivers down Coral’s spine.

She licks her lips, shaking her head: “I’m sorry. I can’t do that. I can’t kill an innocent person. That’s not I what I do.”

“You’ll just be helping me escape from here faster.” The man stands still, his body sways gently in front of her to gaze at her deeply.

Coral gazes down, “I’m sorry. Killing isn’t the way.”

“Is it? Cause I thought that’s what this place is about.” He drags his dirty hands through his knotted black and grey beard.

“Please have some hope. You’ll get out here fast, I don’t think they’ll take you in the condition you’re in. But I’m certain that murder is not the way.”

The man scoffs and snatches the blade from her hands quickly slamming it into his stomach repeatedly, a large pool of blood follows afterwards from the fatal stab.

Coral simply watches in pure horror and shock at the man as he collapses on the floor gasping for his final breaths. His eyes lock on her as he groans out in agony, falling to his side to met his death. Coral watches the scenery and lets out a wretched scream down the hallway, fear taking control over her.
~*~

Arianna wakes up to the soft sounds of wheels rolling outside her room down the hallway. Sitting up from her bed in the small lavish room that was provided for her for the recent delivery, she watches through the bottom crack of the front apartment door, the black shadows pass by her. She hears a soft knocking on the door, alerting her to answer while she reaches for a decent robe to cover her nude body. Sliding off the bed, she slowly inches her way over to the front door, swinging it open. To her utter surprise, she sees Coral shaking and sobbing pushing pass the empty food cart that she dragged behind her.

“Oh God! What happened?!” Arianna pulls the woman into the room, locking the door behind her.

“There…there was a man, I don’t think he was apart of them…He looked to have wondered in somehow from the lower basement covered in filth. I think he was homeless.” Coral breaths out, trying to calm down, taking in deep breaths.

“Homeless?”

“Yeah…said something about wanting to die and wanted me to kill him. But I couldn’t. Oh God girl, I just couldn’t take an innocent life with my own two hands. I did that already and I haven’t gotten sleep at all.” She whispers out, brushing back a lock of cinnamon hair behind her shoulder.

Arianna sighs, leading the woman to the edge of bed: “You have to relax, I know this is creepy and stuff. What did you do?”

“Nothing. He put a knife in my hands and wanted me to stab him but when I said no he lost it and stabbed himself to death…” She murmurs out dazed, her wet eyes scanning the room lost.

“It’s ok. You didn’t do anything. You’ll be ok. He must have walked in and got stuck. But he did it to himself. Don’t blame yourself ok?” Arianna strokes her friend’s hair gently, watching a fresh tear pierce Coral’s right eye.

“I know…I, I just don’t know what else to do. I don’t think we should stay here.” She chokes out, wiping a tear away from her damp cheeks.

“I know it’s a lot to take in. But…” Arianna sighs, glancing up to see the camera perched highly in the corners of the room. “But we’ll be ok. I know that. It’s a promise ok?” She leans into her partner face, clasping her friend’s wet cheeks with her hands.

“Ooook.” Coral whispers out, gulping. “I just want it to end already.”

“I know…but we only started.” Arianna whispers, pulling away to gather her messy bed sheets from the foot of the bed.

Coral gulps heavily, nodding: “I don’t want to kill anymore.”

“Then we won’t have to.” Arianna whispers out, embracing the woman tightly.
~*~

Kevin rubs his weary eyes together, sitting up in the café alone from the rowdy crowd of men. He sips his cup of coffee watching A.J. approach him.

Quickly finding the person he wanted to talk to, A.J. rushes to the table, sliding into the chair across from him. “Kevin…can we uhhh talk?”

“Sure.” Kevin takes another sip slowly this time, his ears perked on the on going conversation behind him.

“What that Howie dude did yesterday was freaky…I was thinking about mines. I don’t want to do this.”

Kevin gently places his glass ceramic cup down, leaning over the table to A.J. “So what do you want to do about it?”

“You know the answer…just like anyone else here. I wanna get the hell out of here.” A.J. stammers out.

“Ok. But that doesn’t answer the question. You leaving…how? Cause to be honest with you, as much as I have been feeling the same you have, I can’t do a damn thing about it. And you wanna know why?” Kevin raises his dark eye brows, lifting up his cup of coffee again to his lips.

A.J. watches him, glancing over to his right to see Nick and Brian wonder into the café. “No why?”

“Cause like everyone else here, you have to die before you live again. A.J. I already died. I barely remember my old self now. Parts of me still live, but I gave up to it once the reality dawned on me. I can’t get out of here. No one can. Once you’re in the only way to escape is through death. But I’m not ready to die.” He scoffs, placing his lips on the cup to drown the rest of his coffee down.

A.J. sits there quietly, taking in Kevin’s words, sighing: “So you just accepted this as your life?”

“In time yes. This is the only I live for now. The Kevin my cousin was talking about died two months ago when they came for me.”

“Why did they pick us?” A.J. gulps, moving into his seat.

“Cause of our looks. It’s a vanity contest A.J. in case you didn’t know. If you’re good looking, you become a subtle candidate. Congratulations…you won the eyes of the boss to take part in this. You’re first real task begins today now.” Kevin smirks distinctly, tapping his boot on the tiles below them.

“I don’t wanna do it.”

“Yeah well I don’t wanna live here anyway, but I can’t do a damn thing about now can I?” Kevin growls out, slamming the empty ceramic cup down on the table, breaking it in his hands.

A.J. quietly watches, slumping back in his seat hearing the footsteps of Nick and Brian approach them.

The two men slide into a seat around the table and gaze at Kevin ready to speak.

“Before you start lying down your complaints on me. I can’t do anything about it.” Kevin retorts, watching Nick glance over to Brian.

“Well actually I just wanted to say what will happen in the next task.” Nick whispers, looking down at the ground.

Kevin sighs, stretching his arms overhead: “Vincent will tell you shortly, is that all?”

Brian clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth: “If I leave during the task, what will happen to me?”

“I don’t know…” Kevin murmurs out, pulling the glass shards from his hand and table top.
~**~

**~To Be Continued…~**