Within a dark alleyway was a tense atmosphere of a looming conflict. Two parties stood from one another. One was an intruder while the other was the remaining member of the striker gang. From how it was going, one would expect a battle to unfold.
But that was something Abraham and his men would rather avoid.
"Problems have been gathering in this district lately. And I would find it annoying if they cause trouble in the area." The intruder softly muttered, resembling a gentle breeze. However, to Abraham and his men, it was an order.
"Do you wish for us to kill all of the gangs?" Abraham questioned while his men carefully listened. Fighting against all of the criminals gathering in the district would be suicide. But at least, they felt they had a chance against criminals than the individual in front of them.
"There's is no need for you to do such a thing."
"I can take care of the problems. Though, I would want someone or something to fill the power vacuum. Of course, they would have to be fully under my control. Otherwise, it wouldn't do good for the district."
"I'm sure you already understand what I'm trying to convey, right?" The intruder questioned which Abraham swiftly responded with a nod. His men were also delighted to hear the words of the intruder.
From the looks of it, they were given a chance to have an entire district for themselves. Although, there was a price for it. It was none other than their organization, themselves, and loyalty.
It was somewhat of a heavy price. But it was better to not offend someone, especially when they were already given an opportunity.
Abraham thought about it for a short while. The striker gang would have to be disbanded to join the new banner under the intruder's authority. Even though it was hard to relinquish power, Abraham felt the potential of the intruder.
If he could walk beside such a person, it made him wonder how much the striker gang could accomplish in the future. Obviously, the future wasn't sent and challenges would soon face them.
Nonetheless, Abraham kept wondering about it. Glancing at his men, he noticed their delighted expressions. He sighed to himself wondering why the hell these guys even sided with him.
Closing his eyelids and calmly breathing out, Abraham sternly answered.
"As long as my men isn't treated poorly."
"We will be under your command."
The intruder silently glances at Abraham and his men. All of them felt like a predator was observing them. Perceiving their worth for its future plans. Luckily, it appears that they were accepted.
Without any delays, the intruder turned its back to the thugs and walked out of the dark alleyway. But before entirely leaving the alleyway, it glances at Abraham and utters.
"Take care of the bodies and make sure that it's barely traceable."
"It wouldn't do well if the authorities started searching the entirety of the district because of lying corpses throughout the area."
The intruder left without waiting for their reply. It was an order and there was no need for a reply. Abraham took a deep breath and sighed in relief. His men also did the same as if they had survived a disaster. A couple of seconds later, Abraham became determined.
"Let's go back to our temporary base and start taking out the body bags along with some sterilizing equipment. If there are stragglers, it's up to us to take care of them."
"""Understood! Boss!"""
His men roared with glee while Abraham lightly chuckled before mumbling to himself.
"I'm not even your boss anymore."
Meanwhile... In the cover of the pitch-black darkness of the calm and silent night. A bloody massacre of criminals unfolded throughout the district. Screams echoed but were quickly silenced by something or someone.
Amongst alleyways, abandoned warehouses, deserted buildings, and dirty gathering places were puddles of blood along with hundreds of corpses lying on the cold ground. It has been an hour since the massacre began and almost half of the criminals in the district had been eliminated.
Flashes of light gleamed through the dark streets and gunshots roared like thunderclaps. The surviving criminals were working together while escaping the terrifying monster behind them.
They kept firing in the general direction, but the dark figure appeared to not be bothered by the breezing bullets. The criminals were heavily exhausted though none of them dared to stop running.
What they had experienced this very night resembled that of scenes from horror movies. An unknown individual appears out of nowhere and starts to massacre the people. Such circumstances brought the criminals together despite their past grievances.
*Pant!* *Pant!* *Pant!* *Pant!*
*Gasp!* *Gasp!* *Gasp!*
"Is it gone?" One of the escaping thugs questioned while sprinting through the dark streets. The criminals behind him glanced back and noticed a figure chasing them from afar. Chills shuddered his spine as he answered.
"It's still chasing us!"
"Oh, f*ck sake!"
"I-I don't want to die!"
The criminals felt terrified by the thought of death creeping towards them. They had previously flocked at the district thinking that it was an all-out buffet. The one that devoured most would be the ruler of the district.
Never did they think that it would become a meat grinder for criminals. A monster had already taken the district as its territory and the criminals were nothing more but outsiders to it.
The group continued running through the darkened sidewalk. As they sprinted along the pavement, one of them fell down to the ground with a thud echoing from the fall.
*Thud!*
Most of them stopped as they looked back at the one that had fallen. They were about to help him, but as they were about to step forward. The one that fell had an arm puncturing through his chest while he was getting up.
Blood splattered forward as the man got raised high up in the air with his feet off the ground. The man was in shock before his eyes lost their brightness and his body became limp.
Their bodies trembled upon such a gory scene. Although, they sprinted without any hesitation or delay to escape the grasp of the monster behind them.
"GRAH!"
"AH!!"
"URRGHH!"
"PLEASE NO-!"
The one at the front hastened his pace when he noticed the screams of his fellow criminals echoing from behind him. A couple of seconds later, silence enveloped his surroundings as the man noticed that he was finally alone.
He was the only one that was left within the group since all of them had met their fate with the terrifying monster puncturing their hearts. Despite his sharp and painful breathing, the man continued running.
While running through the sidewalk, he noticed a bar opened near the intersection. Hope flashed through his eyes as he thought that he was about to survive the deadly idea. But unfortunately for the man, fate had already given him an end.
As he passed through an alleyway, something dragged him towards it not giving him a chance to scream for his life. That was the last of the group of criminals within the district.
The ferocious massacre of criminals within the district would cause waves of horror in the criminal underworld of the federation. The district would become known as the Taboo District, the graveyard of sins.
However, for the ordinary people, the district will remain unchanged and the same. The ordeal of the massacre will not be known by normal citizens and its existence will forever be trapped in the darkness of the Taboo District.
On the other hand, Abraham and his men arrived in the criminal hotspots of the district. They exited their vans and cars while carrying numerous body bags under their hands. Abraham walked through the streets to see multiple lifeless bodies lying on the ground.
There were also several ones littering the streets from a distance away.
Nevertheless, no one appeared to have noticed the massacre. It was as if being contained by the calm night and its darkness. Abraham felt a wave of fear and reverence for the figure.
His men started placing the bodies in black bags and dragged them back to their vehicles. Due to the high number of corpses, it would be hard to transport all of them. Luckily, Abraham had somewhat accidently expected this.
He already called for a truck and it wouldn't take time for it to arrive.
"Boss Abraham, I feel lucky that we didn't instigate hostility against the intruder." One of his men muttered while Abraham gazed forward at the carnage. "We were fortunate to be the ones that first met the intruder. Otherwise, we might be the ones in the body bags."
"But there is no need to worry. Now that the district is empty of any factions. We should be able to grow steadily and surely." Abraham continued as his subordinate noticed his worry. "Are you worried about the future, Boss Abraham?"
"Yes, I am. I keep wondering whether the existence of the group is needed. The capabilities of the intruder are far beyond as if without the shackles of humanity. It makes me question our duty for this being."
"Are we simply the ones that clean its carnage? Or are we its hounds that would follow every order without any questions? These two fates are horrifying in their own rights."
Abraham explained which made the subordinate lightly chuckle.
"I don't really know the answer to such questions, boss. But isn't it a calm night? Never did I think that I would see such a beautiful night sky under the carnage of a ruthless being." The subordinate glances at the skies.
"You're right, it reminds me of solace." Abraham released a smile while a realization hit him like a truck. "Wherever the intruder appears. The night of solace follows."
"Solace..."
"It may be its name."