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Kieran sat on one of the medical beds, his right eye being examined by the physician as his left looked slightly down, his mind blank and thoughtless. Slowly, the words of the male began to creep through the fog of his mind, setting in as he looked up. “..ever again. The nerves are severely damaged, despite doing everything that I can. At this point, it’s a 50 percent chance of whether or not you’ll gain your sight back. Just take it easy for now. Don’t force yourself, rest it and let it heal, and we’ll see how everything goes from there, alright?”

The student looked to him, a slight scoff as he nodded. “Yeah. Sure thing, Doc.” he said, his eyes returning to the floor. As Kieran sat on the bed, Kaijin walked a distance away, digging through one of his supply cabinets, pulling out an eyepatch and placing it over his eye, securing it before standing back. “I’d recommend leaving that on, taking it off only when you shower and making sure to clean the area thoroughly. The last thing you need is an infection on top of that. Just take it easy, alright? Keep me updated, and if you need anything, I’m here.” Kaijin gave him a small smile, trying to reassure the boy that things would get better.

In response to Kaijin’s concern, Kieran simply stood and began making his way for the door. “Sure thing. Thanks, Doc.” he said, opening the door to the hall. “Ah. Wait, Kieran. One last thing before you go. Please, shut the door.”

The student looked to him for a moment, shutting the door as he stepped away from it, remaining in the physician’s office. “What is it? Nobody else is here.” His voice was hollow. Empty. There was none of the usual emotion behind it, none of the usual cockiness or confidence. He had no tone, no inflection to any of his words. He spoke simply. Kaijin looked to him, turning to face him fully as he sighed. “I just.. wanted to apologize. For what happened last night. I didn’t realize.. I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s just that I still don’t really know much abo--”

“Save it. Maybe if you actually left this room once in awhile and tried to see the world, you’d know. Instead of reading books and everything else you do, maybe you should actually try interacting with humans. We’re not your people. This isn’t your world. You’re stuck here, for better or worse. Just grow up and get used to it, already.” The door opened, and then closed behind Kieran as he left, leaving Kaijin alone in the office. A slight sigh escaped him as he stood there in silence, thinking to himself. After a few moments, he set about cleaning the room, making sure to disinfect everything in case of another emergency.

Kieran sat on the ledge of the school’s roof, his legs dangling off and swinging slowly as he looked out at nothing in particular. He brought the bottle to his lips, taking a deep swig of the alcohol before setting it down beside him, looking to the ground. “It’s awfully high up.. Kinda funny how this school’s never been found before. Then again, I guess that’s the whole point, huh? No finding it unless they want you to.” He spoke to nobody in particular, though a voice did respond - even if nobody but Kieran could hear it, being that the responder resided within his own head.

“That’s what you get when you deal with the supernatural. Things don’t always make sense. Nothing really makes sense in this life. Everyone’s just doing the best that they can. It’s all we really can do.” came the voice, the demon deciding that now was the time to begin awakening. Kieran took another drink of the alcohol, wiping his lips and setting it aside. “Look who finally decided to show their ********’ face. Where were you when I needed you? Sure doesn’t seem like you’ve got my best interest in mind..” He laughed softly, shaking his head as another swig went through his lips and down his throat. The demon went to reply, but Kieran interrupted. “Y’know, where the ******** were you when I was getting this damn injury. Off picking flowers and skipping through grassy fields?”

The demon growled slightly before laughing. “Why am I going to waste my time explaining things to you? Everything’s happening for a reason. I tried to stop you before you would have killed them. I tried to stop you before you lost yourself, because you don’t ******** think. So if you wanna go blow me, I’ll be ready and waiting.”

Downing the last of the alcohol, Kieran let the bottle fall from his hands, hitting the ground with a shatter a few moments later. Kieran looked down the building to the floor, wondering just how much damage the pavement would do to him. Maybe he would make a spectacular mess. Maybe he wouldn’t even be hurt. Maybe he’d discover some hidden ability to fly. Who knew. He’d just have to find out.

Leaning over a bit more, he thought to himself as a smirk came over his lips, thinking to the demon. “So, what do you think?” he asked, standing up and looking down at the ground. He stumbled slightly as he stood, attempting to balance himself properly. Looking down one final time, he closed his eyes.

Some time later, he awoke on the roof of the building, lying on his back. The sun was beginning to rise. Knowing that the others would be awake soon, he decided the best thing to do would be to go back to his room. As he went, he heard a familiar voice in his head. “Try that again, and I won’t make any attempt to stop you. Don’t forget our deal. You go, I take you with me. Straight back to Hell. And I’ll enjoy having you.. I could easily think of some people that might be ready to see you..”

((A note before reading. All of the dialogue from here on out is spoken in Russian, but kept in English for ease of reading.))



It had been going on three days since he had returned home, going back to the abandoned warehouse that he had shared with the rest of the wayward children. Upon landing, he took a bus and walked for a while, finding himself in the city that he had grown up in. Once he was there, he wandered about, his bag on his back as he took in the familiar scents and sights, seeing that in the few months that he had been gone, not much had changed. He made his way through an alley, a shadow crept up behind him, a gun drawn from behind the figure’s back, pointed at the back of Kieran’s head. “What’s in the bag, kid? Got anything good? Money? Jewels? Hand ‘em all over, or else. And don’t try anything funny. My finger’s feelin’ kinda itchy, if you know what I mean.” A laugh as the hammer was pulled back, jamming it against the back of his head. “Hurry up! Gimme the ********’ bag, or I’ll put a hole in your ********’ head!”

Kieran put his hand up, showing he had no intention of resisting. As he was about to remove his bag from his shoulder, a gun was fired, the gun pressed to his head falling away. When he turned around, he saw blood splattered against the wall, the man lying dead on the ground with a bullet wound to his head. Looking up to see his would-be savior, he was greeted by a familiar face, whom he greeted with a dark smirk and a laugh. “Well, isn’t this an unexpected surprise. So, I suppose I owe you one now, huh?”

The male laughed and shook his head, putting the gun back in its holster, stepping forward. “Maybe you do. Been a while, kid. How you doin’? What brings you back around to these parts? I thought you were livin’ the good life out in America?” he began, before stopping when he saw the eyepatch. “s**t, kid, what happened to you? Who got one in on ya? Might have to congratulate them.” He laughed as he pat Kieran’s shoulder, pulling him out with him as he brought him to a car, opening up the door for him.

As Kieran got in, he looked around and looked back to the male. “The ******** you doin’ in one of these cars? I thought these were reserved for those official types? I don’t remember you ever bein’ in with those losers. You change sides on us?” The male shook his head as he closed the door, walking around and getting into the driver’s seat. “Not exactly. Boss has expanded since you been gone. Got some people in some high places, put them there himself, spreading his influence a bit more. He’s more powerful than the officials in this area. Nobody really crosses him or his people, these days. They know what’ll happen if they do.”

That had been three days ago. Now he found himself living in his old warehouse, surrounded by the kids that he had left behind, his former family. Stepping out from the room that he had made for himself, he looked at them all. The numbers had grown somewhat, a few extra from the last time he had seen them. Some of the old ones were also gone, moved on to other aspects of life, or buried in the yard behind the warehouse. He went through the side door and out through to the back, looking over the makeshift crosses that spotted the area. He folded his arms over his chest, stepping in front of one of the crosses. A sigh escaped him, wisps of white smoke floating away. This winter was particularly bitter, colder than the last one. He made the sign of the cross and placed his hand on the wood, bowing his head before speaking. “I’m sorry, old friend. I wish I could have been here. I wish I could have helped you. Or at least prevented this. Rest well. I’ll see you someday..”

He gave a smile, the first genuine one since his injury. Standing, he turned to see some of the kids standing by the door, coming over to bother him and ask him questions about his time in America and what had happened. Shaking his head and laughing, he pushed them inside, closing the door behind them.

It was now night, the fire burning in the can as everyone settled in to sleep. Once everyone had fallen to sleep, he made a call and sat around, waiting for a short while. A car pulled up outside of the warehouse, Kieran’s phone buzzing as he looked down at it, standing up. Giving the room one final scan to make sure that everything was alright, he made his way outside to the car, getting into the backseat. From the front, a man turned around, giving him a wide grin. “Well, there he finally is. All this time and you don’t come to see me, you ungrateful little b*****d. I oughtta have you strung up.”

Kieran laughed and smirked, pushing the seat. “You’d have to catch me first, you saggy old ********. Can you even run at your age? Where’s your oxygen?” The two exchanged a good laugh before the older male spoke again. “Hey, hey. Easy. I’m not that old. Only just hitting my forties. I got plenty left in me. It’s good to see you again, kid. How you been? Taking care of yourself? I see my boys weren’t joking. Who gave you that?” he asked, pointing to Kieran’s eye. “Looks good on you, though. You look more intimidating. About time you got something to make you look scary, you ********’ teddy bear, maybe now you’ll get some women.”

Kieran pushed the seat again and laughed as the car drove off. “Yeah, and maybe your d**k will start working again. You keeping up on your Viagra prescription?”

Three days. It had been three days since he had begun his interrogation of these people. Gathering all of the evidence that he could. For all he knew, the kids could be dead by now. For all he knew, anything could have happened in those three days. He needed to hurry. He didn’t have time to waste. He stood outside of the building with boarded windows and holes in the concrete. It was a squatter’s house, taken over by a gang and made into their little base. Kieran grit his teeth and clenched his fist, looking to the male that stood guard outside. The male picked up his phone, dialing a number. “Boss, Boss, he’s here! He’s comi--” A knife was plunged into the man’s throat, the sound of choking and gurgling as blood flowed from the wound and out of his mouth. He dropped, still sputtering crimson as Kieran went inside. In the first room, there were several others, holding various weapons as Kieran kept a firm grip on his knife.

Bats, chains, and metal pipes against a knife. The odds were against him, but he had to make it through. He didn’t have time to waste. Disarming the first one with a chain was easy, it was protecting himself from every angle that proved difficult. A metal bat was swung and struck him in the leg, gritting his teeth as he took the chain, whipping it around him and hitting several of the assailants. After an intense struggle, it was him and one other left. They tried to run, but Kieran was faster than him, throwing the chain around his neck and pulling him down, tightening it as he held him down. “Start talking, and I might let you live.” The grunt spilled everything easily, telling him where the Boss was, on the top floor. Kieran grinned, tightening the chain and twisting, an audible crack as the man’s neck snapped, his body falling limp almost immediately. He made his way up the stairs, fighting his way through the gang until he found the room that their leader was in. “Well, well. Looks like the stories are true. You’re actually wearing the eyepatch. You’ve actually been knocked down a few pegs. Who did it? I want to give them some congratulations. Someone finally put you in your place. Give me their name.”

“Don’t worry about who they are. They’re better than you lot They’re actually worth fighting. Gave me more of a challenge than your entire crew. And don’t play games with me. Give me back the kids, and I’ll forget this ever happened. Give them back safely, and you and the rest can go free.” He watched the other leader, keeping a firm grip on his knife, not knowing what the other man held on him, not knowing what surprises awaited him in this room.

“Now why would I do that, Kieran? You killed a lot of my good men. I need to refill the ranks, somehow. I think your kids will do nicely. I’ll take good care of them, don’t worry. I’ll show them just what kind of coward you are to leave them here to suffer.” The other male sneered as he spoke, sitting on a chair with his left leg folded over his right. He laughed softly and simply sat, watching Kieran.

“Bullshit! This has nothing to do with them! You just took them because you knew it was an easy way to get to me. Just let them go, and we’ll settle this together! They’re not involved, so just do the smart thing.” The male responded with a stomp to the floor, several men coming from a nearby door as he stood, placing his hands on his hips. “I don’t think so, Kieran. How about I kill you and keep them anyway? You think just because you come back from your little trip that you run this city? Things have changed! You’re not the alpha male you think you are, anymore!”

The men closed in on him, Kieran stepping backward until he was pressed against the wall, backed into a corner. “Any last words, you ******** loser? Make them good. I want to make sure they’re worth repeating when I tell this story to all the others about who finally killed you.”

Kieran began laughing, shaking his head as he looked to the male before leaning his head back, laughing harder. “That’s funny.. You? Kill me? You think you’re that good? Don’t give yourself so much credit. Yeah, things have changed. For this city and for me.” he said. Reaching into his pocket, he brought his hand back out, pointing at one of the men with his hand in the shape of a gun, his thumb the hammer. Pulling it back, he smirked. “How about you? Any last words? Make sure they’re worth repeating.”

The group roared with laughter, mocking him. “Has he gone crazy? Is he desperate? What kind of lunatic is this guy?” they asked, turning and pointing at him to one another before facing him again. “Nice try. Maybe if we were five, that would have worked. I guess you went soft after you left.” Kieran’s smirk only grew as he brought the ‘hammer’ of the ‘gun’ down, speaking as he did. “Bang.”

The male dropped, causing the others to jump back in panic, looking to one another. When they turned their attention to the fallen comrade, they could clearly see a bullet wound to his head, looking back to one another before looking to Kieran. “What the ******** is this?! What did you do to him, you freak?!” Kieran simply laughed, pointing the ‘gun’ at the others and 'firing', each of them dropping before stopping at the leader, keeping the 'gun' pointed at him as he approached, forcing the other male against the wall. “C-C’mon, Kieran, relax.. Don’t do something you’ll regret later. L-Let me live, and I’ll tell you where the kids are.”

“Tell me where they are, and I’ll let you live. That’s the deal.” The male nodded frantically, falling to his knees as a wet spot began to appear on his pants, forming a small puddle on the floor. “Th-They’re in the basement! There’s a hidden door on the first floor that’ll take you to it! P-Please don’t hurt me!” Kieran brought his knee to the leader’s face, slamming the back of his head against the wall and knocking him out. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out his phone and put it up to his ear, speaking to the person on the other end. “You heard that, right? They’re in the basement. I’ll meet you down there.”

There was a laugh from the other end of the line. “Man, I can only imagine their faces when they started dropping. You’re ********’ insane, kid. Alright, I’ll meet you there. Out.” Kieran looked to the male on the floor, picking him up by his shirt and dragging him with him, down through the stairs and to the hidden door, meeting the person that he had spoken with on the phone a few moments ago. “Boy, are you lucky I’m a good shot with a rifle. Your a** would’ve been grass. You can thank me by taking me out to a nice dinner tonight. How about it?” she said, giving him a smile. He returned it and nodded. “Fine. But it’s just dinner. Nothing else, got it?”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. You’re saving yourself for marriage, after all. Don’t wanna be soiling that delicate little flower of yours.” she said as she pat his head, walking by him and hitching the rifle on her back as the two of them slid the obstruction from the door.

Hours later, the gang’s leader awoke, opening his eyes slowly. Looking around, he could see Kieran, a wide, twisted grin on his face as he sat in the chair, watching him silently. FInally speaking, he laughed. “Good morning, it’s about time you woke up. I was beginning to think that I hit you too hard. Good to see that I didn’t.” The other male tried to jump up but found himself bound to the chair, tied tightly with his hands behind his back. “Wh-What are you doing? I told you where the kids are! We had a deal! I give you the kids, you let me go!”

Kieran laughed again, smirking. “I never said anything about letting you go. I said I wouldn’t hurt you. And I didn’t. You’re still perfectly safe.” he said, getting up from the chair and walking up to him, setting the chair down in front of him and sitting once more. “You know.. When I was younger. When I first went out onto the streets. I looked up to your gang. I thought you guys were the biggest and baddest guys in the city. I didn’t think there was any stopping you. I wanted to be a part of you guys so badly. More than anything.”

The leader looked to him, struggling slightly in his chair. “W-Well, you still can be. Hell, you can even take it over, I’ll be your second-in-command. Think about it, if we teamed up, we’d be unbeatable. Nobody would mess with us! We’d be the best!” Kieran shook his head, looking to the ground. “Nah. I don’t want that anymore. I found better. Boss took me in, treated me like family. Took care of the kids by giving me money to feed them. Took care of me when I needed it. Besides, your gang is dead. You’ve been out for a few hours. I’ve got people searching the city for anyone running your colors. Everyone they find is to be killed on sight. By the end of the week, nobody’s going to remember any of you. You’ve got nothing.”

He stood, walking over to the wall and flipping a switch. A dingy light flickered to life, flickering and sending the room into occasional darkness. Around the room were various bodies tied to chairs, bound and gagged, their throats cut, blood spilling over their chests and ropes. “I thought you might want to see them one last time. After all, it’s your fault they’re all dead.” As he spoke, he reached into a pocket and pulled out an intricately designed metal lighter, flicking it open and lighting it as he began to walk up the stairs. “I used to respect you. That’s why I never went after you or any of your crew. But that’s gone, now. I guess the feeling was never mutual.”

“W-Wait! I-I thought you said you were going to let me live!” the leader cried out, beginning to struggle with his bindings as he grunted. Kieran turned to glare at him from the left side, his iris beginning to turn red as he smirked. “I lied.”

He threw the lighter, the gasoline that soaked the floor igniting as the flame touched it, spreading about the room and up the legs of the dead gang members. From inside the room, the leader could hear sounds of something heavy being dragged across the floor, Kieran moving the obstruction back into place, sealing the leader into the basement to burn. As Kieran left the building, he could hear the screams of the man, looking over the building one final time, looking over the doused objects, making sure the entire building would go up. He walked away and down the street, hands in his pockets as he went back to the warehouse.