VI. war

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Havoc is coming with its trials and tribulations. Night creeps slowly, heavy and fatal. The sun being replaced by the moon and its stars; eternally taking turns. The little sparkles scattered throughout the darkness shine brighter than ever.

She wanders around the halls casually; index finger trailing on the wall, the end of her cream sundress swaying with every step. The girl is calm, serene; like the world paused and she's the only moving thing. Old country music rumbles through the ceiling; Johnny Cash's voice making its way to her ears, singing about shooting men and going to prison.

An image crosses her mind: her father sitting on his chair inside his office - filled to the brim with law books and occasional liquor bottles -, appreciating a glass of cognac while The Man in Black graces the air. She's five and snooping on him through a small gap in the doorway when the family cat makes a loud noise somewhere around the house scaring her and ultimately revealing her presence. He opens the door, gathers her up in his arms and walks back to where he was sitting. "It's not right to spy on people, little lady," but he's not really mad at her, and she displays her best smile at him. Daddy's girl.

Her father was a lawyer at the next town over and spent almost all of his time working. Whenever he was home, paperwork or meetings would follow. Rare were the occasions where he would just take a break and relax, but when it happened she'd sneak a way inside the room and he'd sing whatever song was playing for her.

"Well I know I had it coming, I know I can't be free."

The memory strikes stronger than intended and she feels like crawling inside the collection of moments secured on her brain. It hurts, but she can't let go of the life taken from her -- the one she lives now is being delicately gripped by her hands.

Deep down it is known that nothing will ever be how it used to; she's not the same person anymore. Destiny played its game on her, and the scars left are rooted in her heart.


Kate is still there, lingering, trying to climb the tallest well she's ever seen. Every time her arms reach closer to the top, a hand pulls her back down. It's exhausting; fighting something deadly crushing every single thing she has.

This is purgatory, where a young eighteen-year-old girl pays for all the sins of those around her. A tightening prison with Hell's royalty as her only companion, -- draining all the life inside.

God's not here to save you, child.

When the doctors first found her, she was so dehydrated, disturbed, desperate. The devil wearing her body wasn't strong enough to fight; she was as delirious as Kate - trying to fit within a human's body, ignorant and fragile. Solivagant around the desert for months, pricking herself with cacti thorns and old memories, twisting her mind, experimenting with her soul to see what would hurt more.

Power is addictive, the true disease living inside, and the demon goddess is just another slave to it. It's what drives the desire to extend Hell through Earth.

Revenge a familiar flavor on her tongue, screaming to be released. The first taste is already here, and no one knows what is to come.

Torment starts now, sweetheart. This is your martyr.


3 moons prior

They are outside and he's teaching her how to shoot properly. He angles her shoulders and hips for a better aim while standing near to help minimize the recoil. Their close proximity gives her goosebumps; the fabric of his suit brushing her skin, his touching cold hands and his scent invading her lungs. Cigarette smoke, whiskey, and blood. So characteristic, so unique, so Gecko.

Dusk settled an hour ago but the clientele is yet to arrive. The vast land surrounding them turns out to be the perfect scene for the activity.

Her grip is solid like she's done multiple times before - forced to shield her life in a mortiferous battle. In a second, a small bullet comes out of the Taurus straight to the dart board hanging on a tree, only a few millimeters away from the center. She's a natural.

Thea shifts her head in Richie's direction, green iris glinting with glee. "Just a tiny bit to the left and it would be in the middle."

"Beginner's luck, huh?" He wants to test her, push her buttons, and see how she will respond. "Let's do it again, turn your torso a little to the right."

Their gazes lock, and it's like she can read his mind because next thing, the bullet collides with wood - perfect bull's eye. A smirk appears on her face, "Not so bad, don't you think?"

He chuckles instead and takes a Red Apple's pack out of his inner pocket, produces a Zippo too, lighting the stick.

Before she can get any other word out of her mouth, Seth appears on the door and snaps his fingers to get the pair's attention. "Hey León, Venganza is here - we got a business meeting to attend. Chop-chop, leave the classes for another time."

The younger Gecko takes the gun from her hands, uncocks it and heads straight to his brother, turns to her on the doorway. "We'll continue this later."


Venganza Verdugo walks through the door followed close by bodyguards.

"Lord Venganza, it is my honor to have an audience with you." The man whom the Geckos had collected tributes from stands up. Beside him, Ximena and Ranger Gonzalez await for the female Lord.

Being Otomi, the Ranger just couldn't escape his fate. "I'm gonna drop this stake, and I'm gonna walk out of here. And none of you freaks better come after me or my family... ever." Hope is the last one to die, and Freddie thought to leave the Twister was equal to neglecting that nightmare - every plague inside that place clings to your soul, tormenting your mind. The absence of his wife and daughter was weighing on his heart, and not for the first time he wished all of this horror was finally over.

"You're not the first, Alonzo," her eyes travel towards the brothers - chaos follows them, it's inevitable. "I've been getting a lot of complaints."

"Come on." Seth pleads.

"Sit down," she tells the older man while commanding the three bodyguards to wait outside.

The older Gecko accuses the Ranger. "How the fuck could you let this happen?"

"You made this happen. 'Sides, he's a mid-boss. He's got the juice to call this kinda meeting."

"What, 'cause we roughed him up a little bit?" Richard bites towards the older culebra, "seems like a bitch move."

Somewhere deep in the woods, voices whisper foreign words around the wind while hands manipulate red skulls. The sound of tree branches tweaking mix with fire consuming wood and a dark voice commanding the man in front of Venganza.
In this twisted game, there's no losing - winning is the only choice and, when everything is on the table, you need to play fast.

"It is totally and absolutely unacceptable. If someone can't pay... we sit down, we discuss it like civilized men... and women, no?" Alonzo tries to persuade. "Con todo respeto, doña Venganza, you need to teach them a lesson. All the lords do."

The female Lord analyses the man and his words - something's not right but she's not able to see what it is. However, Seth's penchant for speechifying interrupts any other thought going on her head. "Forget this asshole, all right? He's just a deadbeat who hates me because I'm not a friggin'..."

She turns around suddenly and wraps her hands around the older Gecko's throat, lifting him up from the ground. "The lords told me to give you nothing. I went out on a limb for you. Both of you."

Seth struggles to breathe while the dark-haired woman tightens her grip on him. Richard is only able to try reassuring her that Alonzo was late and that their methods work, even if it involves violent actions. She's a Lord, and to clash against one right now is not a smart move on the brothers' behalf.

A few seconds after Richie's plea, Venganza releases the Gecko, who falls to the ground coughing.

"Señor Alonzo, trust that I will deal with these men," she walks towards the seated man and touches a big golden amulet around his neck. "But I think we can all agree... that you were past due."

As she's turning around to leave the warehouse, Alonzo speaks up. "You are correct."

"Allow me to... pay you in full." Before they can predict, the man generates two guns from underneath the red stool, firing them in the Lord's direction.

Freddie reacts quickly announcing the weapon, while Ximena steps in front of Venganza in order to protect her. The brothers take their own guns out and shoot the man, who surprisingly doesn't seem affected by all bullets located on his heart.

Only when Seth shoots towards his head, that the man is effectively killed, exploding and sending culebra bits everywhere.

"That... is not how vipers die."

"He's not a Culebra anymore. He's worse," the ancient female Lord fearfully explains. "Much worse."

Turns out, the older culebra wasn't the only one being controlled by a force of Hell. Calavera, the skull keeper, is just like a weed; infiltrating himself inside people's mind, using them as his puppets. Take their skull, they are out and his work starts. The first obstacle in this war. "The game is about to change." Wrath is her fuel and Amaru wants vengeance. Kill the Lords, the ones who tricked and left her behind, and take their places as a Queen.

"Ximena, the Lords are gathering. You and the peacekeeper are with me." Venganza says. "Geckos, find Calavera and destroy him."

"Uh... No, thank you. We're done with the whole snake dance, all right?" Back 6 months ago, his life did a 180 in less than 48 hours. It's like they can't take a break, they keep getting sucked in, and all Seth wants is a little peace and quiet - the last thing he wants is to get deeper down this hole.

"The skull keeper is not a Culebra. He is from Xibalba."

"That's hell, Seth. It's literally from hell." Richard tries to make some sense into his brother's head.

"Oh, good, then I'm sure he can find his way back," Seth sarcastically says. It's easier to pretend, but the truth is he is scared. He's scared that somehow, someday soon, he will lose his brother too - everything is slowly being taken away from him. The Geckos don't work well without each other; they are and have been a team for as long as he can remember. He's the mouth, Richard is the mind. They are blood; they know each other better than anyone else; they are all they've got.

"Come on, Richard. This is their problem." Seth starts walking away, only to be stopped by his brother.

"Their problem?" It stopped being their problem the moment the two stepped inside the Twister - they entered a place with no exiting doors.

"Yeah, your precious Lord over there gave us a job, remember?" He turns around and gestures towards Venganza.

"I am a collector, not a... Ghostbuster."

"Mr. Gecko, he penetrated your organization. He took one of your people."

"You are not my people." His brother is.

She walks towards him. "Not long ago... Los Hermanos Gecko committed terrible... terrible sins." The duo has caused misery, and they know it; they own it. The Geckos take what's been unfairly taken from them. "You ran south of the border, searching for redemption. What exactly did you find?"

He found despair and sin. He found a broken family in an RV and led them to their Judgment day. There was a teenage girl with emerald eyes glinting with innocence and grief and he decided to ride off to the Mexican desert with her - she had to shed her innocent side, grow a thicker skin and deal with a man falling apart.

"Well, as I recall, a bar full of watered-down drinks and overdressed bloodsuckers."

"They told me you were looking for El Rey. You were trying to get to heaven." Heaven is a place where he doesn't have to look over his shoulder and where his brother can finally be at peace. Heaven is green eyes, brunette hair, and a heart-shaped face - a girl he wasn't supposed to have feelings for but couldn't stop thinking about. It's infatuation, it's love, it's... wrong. His heart works against him.

"If you believe in heaven, Mr. Gecko, I suggest you start to believe in Hell... because it is coming."

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