Bigger Fish

As Allen walked out of the school's campus he couldn't help but think about his meeting with Tyler.

"So he's just a sex maniac with a broken ego who takes pleasure in other people's suffering," Tyler had said after Allen had finished speaking. Allen nodded because he felt that the entire deduction was pretty accurate.

Tyler stood and said, "I'll give you a word of advice since you cooperated peacefully in telling me what I needed to know." He'd looked down on Allen's seated form and gazed into his eyes. "I'll be going to war with Brandon and his lackeys. Don't get involved because right now I'm furious and I'll not be holding back like last time you got that?" Tyler had sounded calm but the look in his eyes was enough to give him the chills and Allen had nodded right before Tyler had walked away.

"Well fuck," Allen said as he walked past a convenience store and continued to walk down the street, he was in the commercial part of town and the place was almost deserted due to the fact that it was late in the afternoon and people usually visited this part of town in the evening hours. He was turning down the intersection when he saw a girl, Korean looking with silver hair wearing a black and blue uniform that belonged to Eden Edge's Girls High which was a prestigious school for girls run by Catholic sisters that was almost in the same vacinity as Crimson Academy. She was carrying her bag on her back and was waiting by a crossing.

She was pretty and Allen knew that but with his bashed up face he wasn't one to walk up to her and talk to her. Allen shook his head at the thought and was about to turn left into the street where he's grandfather's apartment was but then suddenly a black van screeched past him and stopped directly in front of her. It's doors slid open and two men in all black wearing balaclavas over their faces jumped out. One rashed behind her before she could react in any way and covered her mouth and nose with a chloroform handkerchief. In a matter of seconds she felt dizzy and lost consciousness. The other masked man held her legs while the other supported her upper body they tossed her in the van and it's tyres burnt on the asphalt as the van bolted off.

Allen couldn't believe it. Someone was kidnapped right infront of his eyes. On wobbly legs he conttinued to walk as he knew when not to get involved, he'd already had his ass handed to him and he was not going to test any more waters. He had a feeling that whatever had happened just then was part of something more synical and he knew that it was in his best interest for him to avoid getting involved.

***************

Meanwhile in a tall building that managed construction projects, on the top floor's main office a man in his forties was looking out the window with a glass of white wine in his left hand. He was dressed in a white tank top and black trousers. The hair at certain parts were graying in colour.

The man's name was Houston MacDonald. He didn't really know why his parents had named him after the State but it was a name he had lived with for most of his life. His street name was Crazed Blood and that was due to his unique quality of beating up his enemies to the brink of death, leaving them in a bloody pulp of a mess. He used to be the top dog in the streets once put for every monster out there there is an even bigger monster. For him it came in the form of Seojun Kang who was originally from Korea Town but had moved into the mission district area for reasons unknown to this day. He had started eating up gang after gang until all that was left was Houston who still remembers that fateful night in the alley were the two of them had fought for a whole two hours. Seojun had unimaginable strength and speed. Houston would throw his fists at him and Seojun would either block or get hit then counter with an equally powerful blow only that he's we're aiming for vital points and that night Houston was a bloody pulp of a mess the very thing he was feared for but the worst part was the fact that a he, a thirty seven year old man at the time, was beaten by a twenty-, something year old and was forced to work under him. Thus that day the Rattlesnake Mafia/Family was created.

The Rattlesnakes grew at an alarming rate. They owned multiple clubs around the city, restaurants, bars, motels and a grand hotel as well as construction sites where Houston was placed in charge. He never really felt good about being under someone younger than him so Houston had always been looking for weaknesses he could exploit so that he could get the top position. During the first years Seojun seemed invulnerable but that later changed when his sister died and left an little girl with a request that he took care of her and that was the vulnerable point he needed. Many of the other gang lords had always wanted to take over the mission district province but it all seemed impossible with Seojun until Houston made a preposition to one of them. He would get Seojun out of the picture but in return he would have to be the one in control of Mission District, the gang Lord had surprisingly accepted and that was the last motivator that he had needed to do what he was doing at this moment and the phone call he had received confirmed that everything was going according to plan and Seojun's time at the top of the world was slowly coming to an end.

Houston smiled at the prospect as he got out of his office, on his way to greet his honored guest. As he walked through the corridor his loyal men and those that itched to make more money than they were making greeted him. He entered an elevator that was at the end of the corridor and was heading straight down to the first floor where two men in brown leather jackets were waiting for him.

"They're set up down in the dungeon sir," the tall slim man with black hair shaved on the left side of his head where his hair was combed to that side. He's name was Jim.

"Were there any complications?" Houston asked as he walked past them. The first floor was mostly filled with metal poles, wooden crates here and there a solid concrete pillar stood in the middle of the room. There were also no flowers, no plants. The walls looked just as plain. The place looked like a room inside a steel factory-minus the equipment and right beside the elevator was a steel door that led down to what Houston called the dungeon.

Houston wasted no time and pushed past the door that seemingly led to the basement of the building. It was dark inside regardless of how high the sun was outside and that was because the place had to windows to let light in. The only source of light were the fluorescent overhead bulbs that lit up the area to reveal stone a walled tunnel that led to a number of cells where girls waiting to be smuggled and sold would be hauled up in here. But that wasn't all, the tunnel turned off to the left a short distance from the cells which led to a leisure room that would be utilized by Houston from time to time whenever he need to try out some girls for himself.

As he walked passed the cells one could see that they were empty at the moment and that was because he had halted all activities due to the plan he was executing right now but there was one that was occupied. The cell door was comprised of metal bars similar to a prison cell. It had a bed with dusty covers and no pillow, a toilet and a sink for the prisoner to relieve themselves. On the bed sat a sixteen years old girl with long silver hair that looked raffled up here and there.

"Uncle Houston?" the girl said in confusion as she looked at the man who her uncle Seojun had introduced and told her to treated like family. She was scared, terrified and her body shivered. It also didn't help with the fact that someone she knew was looking at her with a satisfied grin on his face.

"My apologies sweet heart," Houston said. "We're just going to use you to get your precious uncle out of power and then maybe just maybe you'll run free."

"What are you talking about?," the girl croaked it was as if her voice was glitching.

"What do you think your uncle does?" Houston asked with a smile.

She pondered on how it was relevant at this moment. Uncle Seojun was a businessman and the most notable one was the five star hotel in the heart of Mission District called Paradise Hotel which she believed was the main source of income but now Houston was asking as if there was a hidden secret that her uncle has been hiding from her.

Houston's smile grew wider when he noted the confused look on the poor girl's face.

"Well how about I tell you a story? You love history right?" Houston asked.

She nodded feeling that she had no choice but to listen but also at the same time she was genuinely curious.