Eager to talk with the tragic old man again, I rushed to ipoz. At the entrance of the abandoned factory awaited me Eman, Darjan, Hamza, and Marko. Eman and Darjan carried their old guns as always while Hamza and Marko held baseball bats.
I greeted them and we all entered the building. Heading upstairs I noticed a lot of junkies on the floor high on heroin.
Navigating through the scattered bodies, my eyes fixed upon a plastic chair I had brought along some time ago, but a junkie was already sitting on it unconscious. Without hesitation, I left hooked the motherfucker, causing both the junkie and the chair to crash to the ground. He laid unconscious on the filthy concrete floor. Swiftly reclaiming the chair, I situated it upright and took a seat.
Eman and Darjan unfazed by my act stood beside me while I commanded Hamza and Marko to wake everyone up and line them up in front of me. As Hamza and Marko were doing their job, the old man who had the tragic past and stood in front of me.
"Boy, you truly came for us," he proclaimed, his weathered face lighting up with a wide, heartfelt smile.
"Of course, I always keep my word, sir," I replied, looking up at him with a mutual smile. "By the way, I don't believe I ever asked for your name."
"Muhammed."
His name triggered a memory I tried to keep away. Suppressing my anger, I clenched my fists and managed a forced chuckle. "Hahahaha your name brought me a lot of despair in the past."
"Truly? I'm sorry young man," he responded, his voice showed true sincerity.
With a subtle gesture, I raised my hands in a calming stop sign, silently signaling that it's alright.
Still fueled by anger, I swiftly rose to my feet, allowing Muhammed to take my place on the chair. I approached the junkie I punched off the chair and kicked his face as hard as I could, shattering his nose.
Startled and disoriented, the junkie regained consciousness, his confusion evident. Seizing his collar firmly, I confronted him with a direct question. "Are you here to change or to destroy yourself?"
Blood trickling from his broken nose, he grumbled kicked me away and stood up, "What the fuck?!" In a fit of drugged aggression, he attempted to retaliate with a punch.
Fortunately, his drugged state made him unsteady, and I effortlessly evaded his swing, swiftly positioning my legs to trip him and send him crashing to the ground.
"I'm not here to fight... I'm here to change you!"
Hamza and Marko quickly ran to me and grabbed the junkie dragging him downstairs and throwing him out of the building.
Disappointed in myself for losing control of my anger, I frustratingly returned to my chair, the old man promptly standing up to allow me to sit once more.
After a few minutes, approximately thirty men knelt before me. Of course, I didn't let them sit on their knees on the dirty floor, which was littered with broken glass, needles, and various hazardous objects. So prior to Hamza and Marko bringing everyone together I told Eman and Darjan to wipe the floor clean.
I was seated on my plastic throne, my four boys behind me
"Soooo... I promised a couple of days ago I'll change your life, sooooo I came here to fulfil it." I said, resting my face on my fist like a king.
Among the crackhead seated, there were new unfamiliar faces, as well as those who had not heeded my previous plea for change.
"What the fuck is going on here?!" a junkie I hadn't encountered on my previous visit dared to question.
"For you, nothing. However, for those who made the choice to embrace change last time, this day will mark a new chapter in their lives."
Before he could ask further or anyone could say something, I commanded the boys standing behind me to forcefully escort those individuals who had previously refused to change and had merely come here seeking drugs, as well as the newcomers, outside of Ipoz.
As a result of my command, half of the individuals were forcefully dragged out, leaving approximately 15 people still inside the premises of Ipoz.
"Sigh, now that the useless people who won't contribute anything to society are out, let's get down to business"
When finishing my sentence, Eman and Darjan promptly brought a rough wooden table before me, and I retrieved a stack of papers from Darjan's backpack, which I had printed before coming to Ipoz. Placing the stack on the table, I prepared to initiate the life-changing promise.
Eman swiftly placed another plastic chair, situating it opposite of me.
"You," I pointed at the first person, "come here."
He stood up from the ground and sat down on the chair. Taking a piece of paper, I instructed him to sign it.
"Why are you making us sign a contract?" he nervously inquired, causing anxiety to ripple through the others behind him.
"Hahaha, well, I haven't yet explained how I'll change your lives. Yesterday, I contacted a nearby drug rehabilitation center and asked if they would accept all of you for treatment. They agreed, but they required your consent, hence these contracts for you to sign. After a few months, you will have overcome your addiction, but you may face homelessness. To prevent that, I've secured jobs for each and every one of you," I revealed, a wide, kind smile spreading across my face.
Their face lid up excited.
The man who questioned me immediately signed the contract without bothering to read it. I attributed his hasty decision to the influence of the drugs he was on and his heightened excitement, which caused him to sign the contract without any consideration.
He stood up from his chair, and one after another, the rest followed suit, signing the paper without taking the time to read its contents. This pattern continued until everyone present had signed the contract, oblivious to its contents.
"Guys, today, visit your families, hug them, kiss them and promise them that after a couple of months you will return as a brand new person. Oh, and Mu-Muhhamed," I struggled to utter his name due to the lingering trauma, "Go to the graves of your wife and daughter and make them the same promise, along with a vow to seek... REVENGE FOR THEM!" I exclaimed, my fist clenched before me.
Taking hold of the stack of signed papers, I returned them to Darjan, instructing him to hold onto them for the time being.
"Tomorrow, at the same time as today, gather all the necessary items you'll need and meet me here at Ipoz. We will depart together for the drug rehabilitation center," I announced, emphasizing the importance of their punctuality.
As everyone departed from Ipoz, leaving only me and the boys inside, an eerie transformation took hold of me. Uncontrollable laughter erupted from deep within me, deforming my face into an unsettling, almost demonic visage.
The four boys stared at me, their expressions a mix of concern and confusion, witnessing this unsettling shift in my demeanor.