Chapter Seven
Today was the day. Today, the big party was due to start, and lots of people were planning to come. Bryant couldn't wait, and Demetrius...well...
At lunch, Bryant was busy hyping up the party to the fellow popular kids. He didn't mention to most of them that the house was Demetrius's. Only a select few, like Robert and Diamond, knew.
Bryant: So, you still tryna come to the party tonight?
Dominic: Yea definitely, I been looking for a party for weeks.
Bryant: Good, good.
Dominic was hanging around that Aurora girl again. Bryant asked her the same question.
Bryant: What about you, Ms. Mayor? Are you down?
Aurora: Uh...sure...
He went along asking more people. Lots of them said yes, some said they were busy, and some just respectfully declined. Diamond was busy sitting with a group of girls, laughing and chatting about whatever girls do.
Diamond: So, should we—
Girl: Look, it's Captain Bryant!
Diamond looked at him. She gave him a smile.
Diamond: So, you still partying tonight?
Bryant: Yeah, of course! Why wouldn't I—
Another girl spoke:
Girl: A party? I wanna come!
Diamond: Sure, it's open house. You girls can slide too.
Bryant was a bit nervous if Demetrius would let all these people into his home. But there were lots of girls coming, and (most) boys liked girls.
Bryant: Cool, I'll see you then.
He walked over to Demetrius, who was in his same spot on the left corner, sitting alone.
Bryant: So, we got lots of guests planning to come...
Demetrius: Okay.
It seemed like he wasn't excited at all. Maybe he wasn't a party guy.
Bryant: Everything still up? No parents? No trouble?
Bryant just thought of something. He wondered how he would be able to get all of those kids in the condo. There was no way the security would check for over 200 IDs, maybe even more if kids invited others. And on a side note, what could this kid's parents be doing if they conveniently never seemed to be around?
Demetrius: Yes, my parents are...very busy.
There was no way they didn't know anything about this. Or maybe they did, but they just didn't mind.
Bryant: Okay, okay. Well, it starts at 8 p.m., and I'll have to make sure I get there before it starts. My mom should be sleeping between 8 to 8:30, so I'll come earlier at first, and then come back when it starts.
Demetrius: Okay.
The rest of school went as expected. Bryant went to his classes, and Demetrius went to his. In the gym, Demetrius heard people talking about the party. Dominic and his friends, Cody, Pierre, and Ryan, were busy focused on it. Aurora was also hanging around them yet again, bodyguards on standby. She seemed a bit off to Demetrius, just like Diamond, but he didn't bother to worry about her right now.
Dominic: Y'all boys ready for the party tonight?
Cody: Yea, pull me a couple ladies for sure.
Pierre: Where's it at?
Dominic: Apparently, this condo, Bryant texted me the address. Looks pretty big.
He looked to Aurora.
Dominic: Do you wanna come with me?
Aurora: Oh...sure!
Dominic: Bet. I promise this will be the most fun you ever had.
Cody: Yeah, having the mayor's daughter will make the party way more lit.
As they talked, Demetrius pulled up the news feed he checked yesterday. The cops had successfully received the criminal he caught, Blake Richmond. Unfortunately, however, he knew that it would be only so long for he would be next on the priority list. No one would let two pre-captured felons slide.
Dominic and his friends began hooping. Aurora was on his team. While she wasn't good, they kept giving her the ball because...she was the mayor's daughter after all. Eventually, Dominic went for the game-winning shot and made it. Being the basketball star, everyone was impressed.
The rest of the day went on as normal. Demetrius went back home. He got his homework out and worked on it, ignoring the party set up in his house. He finished his work at 7 p.m., and Bryant arrived again, knocking on the door. Demetrius opened it.
Bryant: Dang, do they have to check me every single time?
Demetrius: Yep. Can't have an armed felon in here. For their sake.
Bryant: What?
He had said too much.
Demetrius: Nothing. Well, do what you're going to do.
Bryant had bags of chips, popcorn, ice, and sodas. He also ordered some pizza from Papa John's and scheduled for it to be delivered at 7:59 p.m., right before the party started, so it could be nice and hot. He emptied the ice and soda into a cooler, and he also emptied the chips and popcorn into various bowls.
Bryant: They wouldn't let me slip the wine in here however, them people check tight.
Demetrius pointed to his kitchen cabinets.
Demetrius: Look in there.
Bryant opened the cabinets, and sure enough, there were bottles of various wines: Chateau Margaux, Dom Pérignon, Penfolds, you name it.
Bryant: Oh wow, so you're a drinker—-
Demetrius: Nope. Parents.
Bryant: ...Oh. You sure we can use these?
Demetrius: Yep.
His parents must be SOME type if they gave their kid this much freedom. Bryant wished his mom was like that. Bryant grabbed lots of wine bottles and set them on the dining table. The time was 7:40 p.m., and he had to get back home before his mother got on his case.
Bryant: Well, I'll be back when she's asleep. There's lots of pizza on the way for the guests, it should be here in around 20 minutes, just so you know.
Demetrius: Okay.
After Bryant left, Demetrius went back into his room. His parents would likely be back around 1 a.m. again, but he didn't really mind. They either would encourage this party or void it after what happened the LAST time Demetrius had a party. Either option was fine with him. He looked up more on police cases, but there wasn't anything new from when he checked the last time. Either that, or they were hiding something.
Right on time, the pizza arrived.
Mr. Derrick: (Phone) Hey, did you order pizza?
Demetrius: Oh...yeah, I did.
Mr. Derrick: (Phone) Okay, he's on his way up.
A few minutes later, the pizza man walked up with around 5 extra-large boxes in his hand. The poor guy looked like he was going to drop them all. He knocked on the door.
Pizza Guy: Here you are, sir. There's around 25 more downstairs, I'll go get them.
Demetrius: Okay, thanks.
He came back up with another five. And another. He made 5 trips in total.
Demetrius: Thanks.
Pizza Guy: No problem! Can I get your signature?
Since Bryant had ordered the pizza, he used Bryant's name.
Pizza Guy: By the way, there's a bunch of kids outside, most of them dressed nice. Is something taking place here?
Demetrius: Oh, yeah, a...party.
Almost like he hated to say the word.
Pizza Guy: Oh great! I hope you enjoy your party! Have a nice day!
The guy left. Demetrius stacked the pizzas on his kitchen counter and checked outside the door. Sure enough, hundreds of kids were outside, all approaching the door to the complex.
Demetrius: Oh boy.
The party was about to begin.
END OF CHAPTER SEVEN.
Chapter Eight
Beginning their investigation into the vigilante, Detective James, Captain Thomas, and an investigation team tried to scope around town, visiting the two places he was claimed to have been seen.
The first one was the alleyway where Henry tried to mug Cassie. It was in Lincoln Square, which was close to the other sighting: by the 7-11 in Hell's Kitchen, on Eighth Avenue.
James: So, the rumored "vigilante" either stays close to this area, or he's able to access it quickly, meaning he has transportation.
Thomas: Seems that way. It would be unlikely for him to live somewhere besides Manhattan. And the two crimes in this area were solved quickly because no harm was done, and the criminals weren't able to escape.
James: Good point. That means he was likely looking for criminals to stop. See anything of interest in this alley?
Thomas: Not particularly. Nothing of use left behind, but we could check for DNA.
James: I'll get them to work on that, but I'm sure if what the accounts say is true, we'd be hard-pressed to find any, since all accounts say the vigilante was fully covered, meaning that he most likely was wearing gloves and boots.
Thomas: Right, I'm still skeptical of the whole thing until we find proof, but working this case could connect us with the mugger case. Did you get interrogators on the 7-11 suspect?
James: Yeah. We can check back in with them once we are done here to see if they got anything useful out of him.
Thomas: Good idea.
James: Guys, see what you can find. We'll keep looking on the other side of the alley.
As the investigators checked for DNA and other things of note, the two men looked around for any clues on the other side, but nothing here was new; everything was already checked, including the blood of the now-deceased Henry, some fallen items from Cassie's purse, and the gun used by Henry. Nothing leading to a vigilante was anywhere around. This guy was good, if he even existed.
They had already investigated the Henry case for days. The death of Henry didn't seem like the work of a vigilante. Why kill a criminal who was already being taken to jail? And why threaten the cops? Sure, Henry was shot to death, and multiple accounts say the vigilante was armed, but it didn't make sense to James or Thomas. This whole situation made no sense, but these random murders had been happening for years, but never with a direct threat to the police.
James: There's been murder cases over the past decade or so in Manhattan, but do you think they could be related to Henry's?
Thomas: I don't know; let's go visit Officer Anton's son.
Meanwhile...
In an interrogation room, Blake Richmond was busy being questioned by Interrogator Olivia Ramirez, a stern lady who didn't take lying or disrespect.
Olivia: So you're telling me, you saw a guy in a "suit of armor", who was apparently, John Wick, and arrested you for no reason?
Blake: Yes! I didn't do nothing!
Olivia: Yeah, sure you didn't. Why would some random guy try to arrest you then, for one, did he just feel like cuffing someone today, in the literal sense?
Blake: Uh—-
Olivia: And for two, let's say he did exist. The bag of money had your fingerprints on it.
Blake: Listen, I'm not the guy at fault here! You should be trying to catch this dude!
Olivia: Don't worry, we will. He'll be in a cell next to yours.
Blake: But I'm innocent!
Olivia: Okay.
She left and went to talk to Troy and Maria, who were waiting outside the room.
Troy: Get anything out of him yet?
Olivia: Well, he's making that same "I didn't do it" excuse they all make. But as for the vigilante, the same thing over and over. "The guy is dangerous".
Maria: We could get Officer Ricardo's daughter in here. He claimed she saw the vigilante. Maybe she'll be of more help.
Troy: Good idea, let's go find him.
The officers went to look for Officer Ricardo. He was busy doing paperwork.
Ricardo: Oh, you guys need anything?
Olivia: The suspect, Blake, won't give anything useful about the "vigilante" you mentioned. The bullet wound to his leg matches up with part of his story, but he seems more interested in clearing his name than giving more detail about the guy.
Ricardo: And?
Troy: We would like to bring your daughter in for questioning.
Ricardo: My daughter? Why?
Troy: Because you said she saw the guy, right? Maybe she knows more than "I'm innocent!" does.
Ricardo: I...I don't know. She's home right now. I told her she wasn't allowed to leave the house until this was all cleared up.
Troy: She's a big girl, she'll be fine.
Ricardo: ...Fine, but not for too long.
Olivia: Thank you.
Ricardo went to pick up his daughter. When he and Cassie came back to the station, she felt a bit nervous.
Cassie: Daddy, am I going to jail?
Ricardo: No, no! Honey, the officers just want to ask you some questions.
Cassie: About what?
Ricardo: About the guy you claimed to see...
Cassie: Oh...what about him?
Olivia walked up to her.
Olivia: Hello, Ms. Jenkins; please follow me.
Cassie followed the lady into an interrogation room. Blake was being escorted out.
Olivia: Please have a seat.
Cassie: Okay.
Olivia: When you saw, that vigilante, what did you notice?
Cassie: Oh, well, he seemed very skilled.
Olivia: So, not like some average Joe in some gear, right?
Cassie: No! No way. He seemed calm, composed, and confident, almost as if he'd BEEN preparing for this.
Olivia noted all of this down.
Olivia: What else did you notice?
Cassie: Well, his voice was a bit weird-sounding. It seemed deeper than a normal voice.
Olivia: Deep, you say? Possibly a voice modification device...it could mean the guy's actual voice is distinct enough to recognize.
She noted this down.
Olivia: Anything else?
Cassie: Well, he was tall. He also didn't appear to be particularly fat or skinny. Maybe normal build, maybe muscular? I don't know, the suit he wore wasn't too bulky, but he seemed to be in good shape.
Olivia: So he could be an athlete, or maybe he just works out often.
She noted this down as well.
Olivia: Is that it?
Cassie: Oh, the stuff he had on looked pretty expensive. I mean, that mask seemed cool and very hard to get, like special ops. He also had a...utility belt? And he had two pistols and a nightstick. He also had gloves and boots on.
Olivia noted all this as well.
Olivia: Any more?
Cassie: Well, he said his name was Riot.
Olivia took note of this.
Olivia: Riot, you say?
Cassie: Yes, ma'am.
Olivia: Okay, thank you, Ms. Jenkins. I think that will be enough.
She escorted Cassie back to her dad, who took her back home. She went back to Troy and Maria with her findings.
Olivia: Seems we got a special one on our hands.
Troy: What do you mean?
Olivia: Send the Captain what we have. We'll need to be on the lookout for more of...Riot.
Troy: Riot?
Maria: Riot?
Olivia: Yes...Riot.
END OF CHAPTER EIGHT.
Chapter Nine
Many teens were outside the door. They were all dressed in party clothes. They saw the doorman, Mr. Joe, who was shocked at the mass amounts of teens walking to the door.
Mr. Joe: What the—-
The kids weren't playing, they wanted in.
Dominic: We here for a party.
Mr. Joe: What party? I can't let you all in...
Mr. Joe went inside. A bunch of angry teens waited at the door.
Mr. Joe: Derrick, it's a situation outside.
Derrick looked up from his desk.
Mr. Derrick: Oh no...
Mr. Joe: They said they're here for a...party. What should I do?
Mr. Derrick: Well, ask them who they're here for. We can't just let them all in unannounced.
Mr. Joe walked outside. The teens were still impatiently waiting. It was 8:15–the party was supposed to begin at 8.
Mr. Joe: So, can I ask who you guys are here for?
Robert was in the crowd. He looked a bit nervous. Other teens, like Cody and Dominic, went to speak, but Diamond came to the front and did it for them.
Diamond: For a...Demetrius.
This confused most of the crowd, but Mr. Joe went back into the office and spoke with Mr. Derrick.
Mr. Joe: They say they are here for Demetrius.
Mr: Derrick: Oh, boy. Should have known with that pizza order. Well, let's call Demetrius so he can buzz them in.
Mr. Derrick got Demetrius on the phone.
Demetrius: (Phone) Hello?
Mr. Derrick: Yes, I got a bunch of your party guests down here. Do you want them to come up?
There was a pause.
Demetrius: ...Sure.
Mr. Derrick: Alright.
In groups, the teens had their IDs checked, whether it was a government one, a school one, or a driver's license, then they were checked for contraband and sent up the elevator by Mr. Derrick. When Mr. Derrick and Mr. Joe saw Aurora, they were immediately shocked. She had 4 bodyguards with her.
Mr. Derrick: Ms. Mayor? What are you doing here?
Aurora: Sorry, I'm...just here for the party.
Mr. Joe: Does your father know?
Aurora: Y...yeah.
They let her up after respectfully checking her. She nodded to her bodyguards.
Aurora: You can wait here.
They did, and afterward, all the teens gathered at Demetrius's front door. A knock from Diamond, and he let them in. The party had begun.
Diamond: Hey, Demetrius.
Demetrius: Uh, come in...?
Some kids were confused, however.
Cody: Where's Bryant?
Ryan: Yeah, isn't this his party?
Demetrius: Just come in.
Kids hesitated, then started entering the house. The snacks were set, pizza was ready, wine was out, TV was on, even speakers had been set up, and everything was ready.
Aurora walked in behind most other kids, a bit nervous to be in a stranger's house. Diamond seemed very comfortable in it for some reason, almost as if it was hers. She had her girl gang with her, who all started dancing in the living room.
In typical fashion, Demetrius went back into his room, only checking occasionally to make sure no one wandered where they shouldn't. And at 8:30, Bryant finally made his appearance.
Bryant: Wassup, party peeps?
He walked in a bit overly dramatic. Most of the party seemed excited to see him.
Diamond: Hey! Finally, you show up!
Robert: Yeah, for real!
Dominic gave him a fist bump. Cody and some others slapped him on the back. The party was now in full effect, and Bryant started playing music on the speakers. Demetrius got annoyed at the noise, and so did some neighbors too, and they let it be known.
Neighbor: Hey! Keep it DOWN!
One was banging on the door, angry that he had been woken up from his sleep.
Demetrius looked out occasionally to see what some of them were doing, like Diamond, Bryant, and Aurora. The rest were basically irrelevant to him. Diamond was getting drunk with Bryant:
Diamond: Drink more, you goofy!
Bryant: You're the goofy! Goofy!
...and Aurora was hanging out with Dominic and his squad:
Dominic: So, you got a man?
Aurora: No...why?
Dominic: You looking?
Aurora: Um...
Nothing of interest seemed to matter to Demetrius, so he let the party drone on as usual.
Diamond: Wow, this house is nice!
Bryant: Yeah, I know, I can't believe he actually lives here!
Dominic: So this house, it ain't one of y'all's?
Bryant: Nah, it's that Demetrius kid's.
Dominic: No way...
Diamond: Yeah, crazy, right? I wonder what his parents do to afford this...
Bryant: Yeah...
They all collectively grabbed a bottle and took a swig. Some dudes had started to watch the basketball game, and some were on the balcony making out with girls. Diamond walked over to Aurora, who was eating some popcorn.
Diamond: Here, Ms. Mayor. You should take a swig.
She handed a bottle to Aurora.
Aurora: Um, I've never really...
Diamond: It's easy, you drink, and you repeat.
Aurora sighed and tried a sip. She immediately spit it out, earning a laugh from Diamond. Dominic patted her on the back.
Dominic: You'll get there.
Aurora: Oh, sure, yeah...
Cody, Pierre, Ryan, Robert, and some other teens were busy watching a football game, and placing bets.
Cody: How much you wanna bet this next play is a touchdown?
Pierre: I'm down with whatever you'll bet, pal.
Things seemed to be going fine. No one even remembered about Demetrius at this point. It seemed like a normal party...a normal one.
Bryant: Who wants to play truth or dare?
Everyone roared in agreement.
Bryant: Let's DO IT THEN!!!
Meanwhile...
In an office building, an unseen man is seen talking on the phone, a bit frantic.
Man: Yes, he's been stopped! It's been said that it was some...vigilante or something, the one that caught Henry...no, I haven't seen him!
A deep voice answered back on the phone.
Voice: (Phone) What of your family and friends? Do they know anything?
Man: No, they don't, they've been busy doing their own things...my son, my wife...my boss...my partner...
Voice: (Phone) Keep it that way. You don't want them in the way of our plans. And as for this "vigilante," I want him DEAD, and I want him DEAD now.
Man: Alright, alright. What do you suppose we do?
Voice: What we do, is we start adding another target to our list.
END OF CHAPTER NINE.