After leaving Darjan's house, I made my way back home and found comfort in the embrace of sleep. The events of the day tired me out a lot.
The next day in the afternoon, I decided to call David and see if he was available.
"David, do you have some free time today?" I asked over the phone, while laying on my bed.
"Yeah, sure. Is there something you need?" David responded.
"I thought we could go out and grab a drink. Just some time to unwind," I suggested.
"Alright, what time tho?"
"Let's meet at 6pm," I replied, setting a time for our meeting.
As hours passed, I found myself lost in a trance, staring blankly at the wall. But when 6pm finally arrived, I shook off my daze, dressed myself nicely, and headed out. After a brisk 20-minute walk, I arrived at K5, the restaurant where we had agreed to meet. David was already waiting at the front entrance, and as soon as he spotted me, he bowed in greeting. We entered K5 and took our seats.
A waiter approached our table and asked, "Good evening, sirs. What can I get you?"
"I'll have an Espresso, please," I placed my order.
"Bring me a black coffee," David added, rudely.
The waiter left to fulfill our requests, and as soon as he was out of earshot, I got straight to the point and asked David
"We need better weapons. Do you happen to know anyone who deals in the dark?" I asked David.
"Nah, but forget about that. I called some bitches, they are on their way" David replied with a lecherous grin.
"What the fuck you retard. We didn't come here to have fun." annoyance seeping into my voice.
"Didn't you say you wanted to go grab a dr-" David's sentence trailed off as he abruptly turned his head towards the front door. Two stunning girls had just entered the restaurant and were leisurely making their way towards us. They appeared almost ethereal, with their exquisite white hair, captivating blue eyes, and flawless figures.
"Heyoo my name is Valenita and the girl next to me is Ema, nice to meet y'all" one of the girls introduced themselves, her voice trying to imitate a fucking child.
They settled into their seats, and without pause, began chatting about shit I didn't care.
I tolerated their banter for a tiresome half-hour, until my patience finally snapped.
"You know, Dionissss, my boyfriend bought me a new iph-"
"First of all you're a fucking whore, you got a boyfriend, and you're hanging out with two guys? secondly I don't fucking care you dumb bitches. Get the fuck out of here, I don't have time for you retarded woman."
They were taken aback, and after a few seconds, tears welled up in their eyes.
"WAHHH, WHY ARE YOU SO MEAN TO US, WAHH!" they wailed.
I clenched my teeth tightly, causing veins to protrude on my forehead, as anger surged through me. Before I could stop myself, I let out a frustrated scream, "ugh... SHUT THE FUCK UP BITCHES AND LEAVE US ALONE!"
They hurriedly rose from their seats and fled, evidently frightened by my outburst. All around, people were casting glances in our direction, whispering to one another.
"What's wrong with him?"
"What a delinquent."
"Trash."
Even David regarded me with an annoyed expression.
[Slap]
Without thinking, I delivered a swift slap to his face.
"Who the fuck do you think you're looking at with those eyes, David," I let out my frustration on David.
"I-I'm sorry, sir," he murmured, bowing his head in embarrassment, his fists clenched tightly under the table.
I paid the bill and left the restaurant, David trailing behind me.
"What do you want? Go home," I commanded him.
"I'm sorry, boss. I only wanted to help you relax. I thought those girls would do the trick," David apologized with a remorseful tone.
"Sigh It's okay, and I should apologize for slapping you. It won't happen again," I reassured him.
"No problem. I was in the wrong, anyway," he acknowledged, even though I was in the wrong 100%.
"Good. Let's take a walk,"
As we strolled around, that little shit just didn't stop talking.
"And then i did that an-" i interrupted David.
"David, I didn't call you just to hang out. I need you to find someone who can sells guns," I reminded him.
"Oh, yea...right. Well, boss, it's really difficult to find weapons dealers in Slovenia," David admitted.
"Don't worry. You have until Monday, five days. That should be more than enough time," I assumed, though I soon realized my mistake.
"It's really not boss. You know It's really hard to get connections, especially in the underworld." David explained.
"Oh for real? Fuck, can you do it in 5 days?" I inquired, now aware of the challenges involved.
"I don't really know but ill try my best" David promised.
"Perfect."
After enduring his endless stories for a while longer, I bid David farewell as he headed home. I, on the other hand, made my way to Eman's house.
[knock] [knock]
I knocked on the door, and Eman welcomed me inside.
"Hey, mind if I come in?" I asked.
"i don't mind"
Entering his home, we settled down on the couch and engaged in conversation while Eman indulged in his video games.
"Yo Dionis come here let's play a game of tekken, I'll beat your ass hahahah" Eman exclaimed with a playful smirk.
"Eman, I didn't come here to play games," I responded with a cold and serious tone.
Immediately, he noticed the serious atmosphere which made him stand up and turn off the console.
"So, what's up?" he asked, ready for anything.
"Eman, you need to prepare yourself mentally," I started, my voice heavy with gravity.
"Prepare for what?" Eman asked, one of his eyebrows raised as he sat back down on the couch.
"...To kill," I stated bluntly.
"The fuck?!" Eman exclaimed, dropping his controller in shock.
"In a week we will meet up with the Krasniqi family the strongest in the zasavje region, which will most likely end up in a fight" I explained.
"You're one crazy bastard, Dionis, but that's why we follow you. Hahahaha when I became your subordinate, I swore to do everything in my power to achieve our goals. So, don't worry, I'm ready to kill... or at least I believe I am," Eman declared confidently.
"I'm glad to hear that," I responded, relief washing over me.
After our conversation, Eman turned back on the console, and we spent hours playing Tekken, losing ourselves in the intense fights. Time slipped away, and suddenly, panic seized me as I noticed it was already 10pm.
"Fuck my mom is going to kill me" I thought anxiously. "Eman, I need to go home," I hurriedly informed him before grabbing my jacket and taking off.
Breathless, I finally reached my block and was met with the sight of my mother opening the door.
[Slap]
Her hand connected with my face, and I stood there in shock. It was the first time my mother had ever struck me.
"Dionis, where were you!?" she exclaimed, her voice filled with sobs.
"Huh? I was at my friend's house," I responded, weirded out by her tearful state as i held my slapped cheek.
"You're lying! You must have done drugs or gotten into a fight, or worse, killed someone. Oh my God, what has happened to my son?" she cried out, her mind racing with worst-case scenarios.
She was definitely an overthinker, but i couldn't blame her she was just a worried mother.
"No mom, you know I wouldn't do that, I'm just not that kind of person" i said.
My father and brother soon appeared in the living room, their faces contorted with anger.
"Dionis, where were you?"
"Dionis, you've changed."
"Dionis, what did you do?"
...
...
...
"WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH ALL OF YOU! UGH, LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE ALREADY!" I screamed, my frustration reaching its peak but immediately I gained control and calmed down "Sigh, like I said, I didn't do anything, just played with my friend." i calmly said, trying to fix my mistake, before storming off to my room.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT DON'T RAISE YOUR VOICE AGAINST ME!" My father, unable to control his anger, pursued me, bursting into my room and delivering a forceful punch to my back.
I crumpled onto the bed, defenseless, as he grabbed his belt and unleashed a barrage of strikes upon me. My mother, her tears flowing uncontrollably, pleaded with him to stop. Trauma started overflowing making me unable to resist, my mind replayed memories of the bully Muhammed. My eyes began to twitch uncontrollably, consumed by panic, causing me to let out piercing screams.
Eventually, my father ceased his attack and left me lying on the bed, battered and bruised.
I laid on my back, gazing up at the ceiling, lost in my thoughts about life. Strangely, I felt nothing—utterly devoid of emotion. Each day, the world forced me to suppress my emotions, molding me into a heartless creature. Tears streamed down my cheeks, though I couldn't comprehend why. The tears continued until I realized that it was the old me, the version of myself I had locked away when I pledged to become the strongest, shedding those tears.
With a battered body and tear-streaked face, I eventually succumbed to sleep. It was the most peaceful rest I had experienced in a long time.
Morning arrived, and as I awakened, my body ached, but I refused to let it deter me. I got dressed and headed to school. My father was smart not to hit my face, nobody fucking knew I got almost beaten to death.
School ended and i went to the gym, i meet eman there and with a worried face he asked me
"Are you okay, Dionis?" he asked.
"Huh? Why?" I replied, taken aback.
"Your expression is lifeless," Eman remarked.
"I'm just tired. Tired of everything," I confessed, my voice carrying the weight of exhaustion.
"Oh, maybe you should go home and sleep?" Eman suggested.
"Hahahaha, Eman, you're such a dumbass. I love that about you," I responded, my tone tinged with sadness, before diving into my training.
After the intense workout, I returned home and received a call from David.
"Boss, I found someone who can provide us with some old pistols," David informed me.
"That's great. How much is he asking for?" I inquired, my tone betraying a sense of dejection.
"Um, boss, are you alright?" David questioned, picking up on my misery.
"Yes," I replied tersely.
"Aight then. Well he said he'd lend them to me," David revealed.
"What?! Who is he?" I asked, intrigued by this unexpected turn of events.
"He's my grandfather. He served as a soldier in the Bosnian war, and the Bosnian government left many weapons behind after the war unattended and unregulated for veterans. And some of them kept their weapons hidden in their homes." David explained.
"Great fucking job man. Now, find us another gun, and we'll be all set," I instructed.
"Yes, sir."