[June 8th, 2004, 1:35 a.m., Los Angeles, California]
-Clink
-Bang
"Shit! They're still chasing after me!? Damn Californian casino owners!"
"GET BACK HERE YOU BASTARD"
"Huff...huff...Shit I knew I should have worked on my cardio more often."
So you may be wondering how I got to this time and place in my life. Well before we get into how this all started, let me introduce myself. My name is Lucas Wayland, and I decided it would be a smart idea to scam a casino, well the movies made it look easy, could you really blame me?
I lived a fairly ordinary life with my parents and only brother who I have a hate-love relationship with, fucking bastard.
Anyways, as I was saying I lived an ordinary life out in the middle of nowhere, in a place none of you have probably ever heard of, I had big plans to move to Los Angeles to try and make it big. Well I didn't and now I live in a one bedroom apartment that looks more like a crackheads home.
I think it was around 10 a.m. that I got a call from my boss at the convenience store asking for me to work another double shift since no one wants to work the night shift in L.A. which is understandable. I mean come on, it's LA. Who even wants to live here?
I was working my graveyard shift and minding my business while trying not to strangle some of the customers who came in drunk and started to yell at me because I grabbed the wrong pack of cigarettes. Fucking lowlifes, funny I say that when I can't even get in touch with my parents because they disowned me after I decided to move to LA.
**
I look at my mirror while getting dressed to go out because I finally have some free time since I got a couple days off work. I stare at my reflection for a moment and look at my unkempt, shoulder-blade length hair which I haven't gotten cut yet because I can't afford to spend the money for a haircut. I stare angrily at myself in the mirror trying to make myself grow at least once more since being 5'7 isn't fun when it's the main thing for jokes around here.
*Sigh*
"At least my eyes make up for it, I guess." Ah who am I kidding, no one cares about the color of eyes. My eyes are the color of the sea during a storm, and have a ring of yellow around the center of them. It's kind of cool if you look at it for a while but that is about it.
I grab my wallet and keys to my crackshack and leave for the casino to try my luck for a jackpot.
*click*
I lock my apartment up, even though it's mostly just for looks since even if someone broke in, they wouldn't find anything of value in there since all I have is a mattress and some cup ramen.
**
[June 7th, 2004, 8:23 p.m.]
I arrived Infront of a casino that has a board with LEDs displaying "Ernesto's" and has some really cheap and peeling paint on its wall. I can't complain since this is the closest casino that would make me some quick cash.
I walk in and quickly head towards the lady where I get my chips, I plan to only spend around a thousand this time.
I walked towards a table where a man with short grey hair was sitting and smoking a cigarette.
"What are you up to Ernesto?" I say with a smug grin "Ready to get your ass handed to you again?"
I'm bluffing, seeing as I have lost countless times to this tricky old man. I grab the chair and pull it out to take a seat.
"Seeing how confident you are makes me almost regret taking all your money again."
"Now, now, don't worry about me, don't want you to raise your blood pressure anymore than it is, you already got one foot in the grave there"
"You brat, prepare for an ass whoopin'"
**
[10:48 p.m.]
I glance at my watch to check the time and decide it's time for me to head out. As I'm getting up to take my leave and my defeat from this tricky old geezer he says something that piques my interest.
"Already leaving? It was just getting good too, what a shame. Tsk Tsk." He shakes his head in disappointment.
"You already robbed me of all my money, what more do you want geezer?" I said with much distaste.
"How about we make a gambling bet then?" He inquires.
I ponder for a few moments, trying to find the underlying meaning of his words.
'He's up to no good, but it wouldn't hurt to hear him out, right?' (It would)
"Alright, I'll listen but don't be getting your hopes up old man"
He smiles widely and for a mere moment there was a hint of greed and insanity within his eyes that was unnoticeable.
'Man he looks like a creep whenever he smiles I swear.' As I stare at him with disgust.
He starts to speak and my eyes turn into dollar symbols the moment he says the amount he's betting. I glance at him with curiosity. "But wait, I don't even have any more money to use for betting right now."
"Don't worry about that, I'll loan you some just this once for this occasion."
"This seems rather sudden and all...but I'm in" I sit down the next moment and gather my bearings for this game.
**
[12:45 p.m.]
'I am so close to making so much money right now, I can almost taste it!'
Ernesto glances over in my direction and seems me drooling over the amount I'm gathering from this and mutters in an almost inaudible whisper. "Fool."
I look over at him hearing him mutter something. "Oh, are you disappointed that your bet isn't going as you planned, old man? Thinking of backing out now?" I say with a smug expression plastered over my face.
He chuckles and says "No, no I'm just saying congrats on your winning streak."
"hehe" I start to laugh, and I decide to go all in for the last time to end this game.
"I'm going all in old man, you gonna pussy out on me now?"
"Hoho, you're a true gambling man I see." He has a very dangerous look in his eyes but it's already too late to back out now.
As he starts going all in as well, he quietly glances at the dealer and the dealer subtly nods his head in affirmation.
I of course did not notice this action as I was too glued on the amount of money I was going to make from this bet.
"Let's begin with this old man."
"Yes, let's."
[15 minutes later]
"FUCK HOW THE HELL!?" I yell out in anger.
"Guess your good luck finally ran out, Lucas" He says with immense malicious intent behind his words.
My gut is telling me to get out before he says anything more, but my feet are glued to the floor and my body is shaking. I slowly lift my head and stare at him and what I see terrifies me beyond all reason. 'I was tricked, he must've known my need for money would overcome my common sense, god damnit he fooled me!'
"W-what d-do you mean E-Ernesto?" My voice cracks and wavers.
"You know what I mean Lucas. It's time for you to pay that loan, with interest." With a smile that exclaimed the meaning of 'Murder'.
My back is drenched with sweat and my heart beat is accelerating faster than the hulks and I'm surprised it hasn't broken through my ribcage yet.
The last time I felt this fear was when I accidently broke the expensive oven my mother got as a present from my father after they met. She chased me around with a slipper for hours and beat me unless I saw my grandparents again in the light.
-Beep
The sound from my watch wakes me from my stupor and I start running. I hear Ernesto yell at his men to get me and I start running even faster than I ever have in my life. "DAMN! I SHOULD HAVE LISTENED TO DAD AND STAYED ON THE TRACK TEAM IN HIGHSCHOOL!"
**
[June 8th, 2004, in some dark alley somewhere in LA]
So now we're on track as to how this happened to me. I'm frantically searching for a place to hide, so I can wait this out and not have my fingers added to some weird sociopathic collection.
"Huff...Huff..." I pant heavily as my lungs, well lungs are screaming for oxygen, and it feels like I'm inhaling fire every time I breathe.
I see a dumpster not too far from where I'm standing and say screw it to my pride and just jump right on in. "It fucking reeks in here!" I mutter to myself.
'I'm not a coward, I'm just trying to survive and make sure I can read another issue of manga for one more day' I say to myself in hopes of cheering myself up, as I calm my breath down to make as little noise as possible.
Moments later I hear multiple sets of feet running down the alley and past the dumpster I am and hear them recede away from my spot, as I'm sighing in relief that I can live another day without being used a toy for torture.
**
[Moments before]
"Where the hell could that bastard have disappeared too?"
"Hernandez! I think he went down this alley!"
-Click
The man named Hernandez pulls out a handgun and loads it.
"I swear I'll put a bullet through his head when I find him"
"You know you can't, the boss said we have to take him in alive"
"I know, I know, never said anything about his kneecaps though." Hernandez said with a malicious grin.
"Well, that is true." Said the pursuer working with Hernandez. "Just don't go overboard like last time we chased down someone. Alright?"
"Hmmm...I'll think about it when that time comes"
-Bang
"Oho I think our runner isn't very bright is he?" Hernandez said with a chuckle.
"It is so, it seems."
**
[Present Time]
'Damn! These guys sure are persistent when it comes down to money.' I try to hide myself with the trash so in case they look in this dumpster. My heart is still persisting in its pounding rhythm inside my body and I notice I'm still shivering from fear of being found and also the adrenaline that is coursing through my veins from events prior.
-Rattle
-Beep Beep Beep
'Wait...wait, why am I getting lifted up, god please don't tell me that they're doing something that I think they're doing. First of all, how did they find me? Second of all, ARE THEY USING A FORKLIFT!?' I'm panicking within my mind, hoping I'm wrong, but with my luck I'm probably not. Maybe?
-Vroom
"GOT YA NOW BASTARD, THINK WE WOULDN'T FIND YA IN THE DUMPSTER NOW DID YA?"
'Fuck...I hate being right.' I guess this is when I'm supposed to say, whether I don't know whether to laugh or cry...currently I am doing both.
"May as well just accept my fate at this point, not like I can get out of this without some kind of miracle happening, and miracles do not happen...at least with my life they never do." I mutter to myself with utter despair.
**
[4:34 a.m., Somewhere in the Industrial District]
-Thud
-Bang
"Can't they be a tad bit more gentle with the dropping part of this, fucking assholes." I hiss angrily in a low voice.
"Get that bastard out of the dumpster boys"
"YESSIR!" Yelled out the man
"Strap him down onto the chair, make sure you tie the ropes tight so as to not let that rat escape." Ordered a man towards his men.
-Tap
-Tap
-Tap
As I'm being strapped down to the chair, I hear a subtle tapping sound coming off from the distance. I soon see Ernesto coming towards me while two men follow behind him, one is pushing a cart which seems to hold tools, the other man looked extremely ugly and I could already tell something bad was going to happen when I saw him.
"So in the end, after all that running, you got caught, damn fool." Ernesto says with much disdain and disappointment laced with his voice.
The next words out of his mouth scare me shitless.
"Bust his kneecaps Hernandez."
"With pleasure Sir."
I start sweating even more than before seeing the man named Hernandez pull out a handgun and slowly reload it with new bullets.
As Ernesto starts walking away I start frantically speaking trying to save my poor kneecaps.
"Ernesto, please l-let's be civil about this for a moment, Yeah? There's no need to destroy my kneecaps, is there?" I plead without the slightest shred of pride left in my body.
'I'm fucked, I'm more fucked than someone getting fucked, fuck, FUCK!' I scream in my head trying to find a way out of this dilemma I put myself in.
Before I can even get another thought through my head I hear two loud bangs, and then I'm assaulted by immense pain in my legs.
"AAAARRRRRUUUUGGG!"
"YOU ACTUALLY SHOT MY FUCKING KNEES YOU ASSHOLE!?"
[Torture Begins]