Introduction:Firetruck and Burek
It's a calm day, and Dante is drinking his coffee. Not a lot of noise is heard in this neighborhood other than an occasional sound of a firetruck, which is normal. But what isn't normal is for it to be on fire and smashing into the neighbor's house.
"What the hell?" Dante is shocked by this. His sister Velvet immediately goes outside and sees the horror. "Oh god, that's old man Joe's house."
"Don't move, I'll alert the others," he quickly goes to get his other siblings. He enters the garden where his brother is mowing the lawn. Dante stops dead in his tracks, shocked at what he sees. Zack is mowing the lawn while wearing a diaper. "What are you doing!?" screamed Dante.
"Mowing, of course," Zack replied nonchalantly.
"A firetruck just crashed into the neighbor's house!"
Zack's eyes widened. "Oh shit." They quickly went to investigate. It took the other firefighters 2 hours to arrive and put out the fire. Poor Joe's house was in bad shape, and he blamed it on the siblings. "You brats, it's all your fault!" But he was alright in the end. There was nothing the siblings could do, so they went into their house.
"Mind telling me why you're wearing a fucking diaper?" growled Dante.
"He lost to me in poken," Velvet grinned.
"Idiots," mumbled Dante.
"I must say it's so soft wearing it."
"Tch, dammit Zack, you're supposed to feel embarrassed, not happy. What the hell is wrong with you?" Velvet was in annoyed.
At that moment, their youngest sibling finally woke from his slumber, barely able to walk straight, almost as if he's drunk, barely keeping his eyes open. "Hunter, the craziest thing just happened," Velvet said excitedly like a small child, but Hunter simply ignored his siblings and entered the kitchen and started making his favorite chicken meat sandwich.
"A firetruck was on fire," Hunter almost dropped the meat. He turned around quickly. "How come when something interesting happens, I'm not awake to see it?"
"Let's just stop bickering. We need to head into town," Dante ordered.
"After I finish my chicken sandwich."
"Fuck your sandwich. Get your ass in the jeep!"
And so they all went into the old dusty jeep, which they rarely clean. They went into the bakery and got the classic Burek.
Dante Chinanski enjoys eating a burek with cheese. He's the oldest of the siblings at 25, the only one with a job. He regularly keeps his black hair slicked back and, like the rest of his siblings, loves wearing black clothing. Like his sister, he has black eyes.
Velvet Chinanski, 22, loves eating a burek with pie. She eats slowly, savoring every bite. She used to have a job, but after an incident, she quit. She keeps her black hair in a ponytail, is chubby, and wears rather boyish clothes.
Zack Chinanski, 20, loves eating a pizza burek. He devours it like a snake, never chewing. Like his sister, he used to have a job at the post office, but after an incident, he was fired. He has very short, messy black hair and green eyes.
Hunter Chinanski, 19, loves eating a burek with meat. He has long brown hair and brown eyes. He is the only one that never had a job, though he is attending college. Unlike his siblings, he doesn't care for the clothes he wears, so he puts on whatever they give him and is blissfully unaware that he put on his pants backwards at this moment.
The siblings are approached by a woman with a Hungarian accent asking for the directions of the city square. "Go left, then right, and straight," said Dante. "No, wait, that's wrong. You're just supposed to go straight, turn on your first left, and then right," said Velvet. "Isn't the square just like up ahead?" questioned Hunter. And then Zack jumped in, pulling a pencil like it was a sword. "Run, you fools! Gandalf!"
"Can't you be normal for 2 minutes!"Dante was livid
Eventually, they gave the right directions and then went and grabbed gardening tools for the workday with their father.
Chapter 1 The Old Man and The Enigma
The siblings arrived at the old man's house and began to work around the garden. He always gives them so much work and bosses them around, saying things like "Put it here, not there. Actually, wait, no, put it over here." The man couldn't make up his mind. He would always complain about how he's old and too weak to work, and then chug an entire bottle of vodka.
The siblings can't remember the last time he actually did anything for their birthdays. The only reason they tolerate him is for the faint hope that they'll be acknowledged. But for Dante, he knew that if they did a good job, he'll finally allow them to drive his Gran Torino. The siblings had never been in the car; whenever he did drive them in a car, it was a different one that's now sold.
They worked very hard. Dante was giving instructions to the rest and organizing the tasks. Hunter and Velvet were picking out the potatoes and putting them into the bucket, while Zack, the strongest, would carry any heavy objects. Soon, the delivery of fresh chickens arrived. Their father would scare away his pet pigeons, and in their place came the chickens.
"Those pigeons were his pets since he was a child, and he just so casually got rid of them?" asked Hunter. "Guess they crapped on him one too many times," Velvet giggled.
Dante and Zack set up the new cage for the chickens. "Perfect," said Dante proudly. But then he saw that one chicken was outside the cage. Hunter chuckled at this."Looks like the chicken outsmarted both of you."
Ten hours passed, and they worked non-stop. Their father didn't even offer them any drinks or food. After finally finishing, Dante asked, "So, dad, we did a good job, right?" The father shrugged, "I guess."
"So... can we have it?"
"Have what?"
"The Gran Torino for a short ride?"
The father laughed, "Oh, what a joke. I'm never going to give you the car."
"I have a driver's license," Dante protested.
"Driving that shit, yeah. The only reason you have a license is because those fools felt sorry for you. All of you brats are dumb, but you, Dante, are the only one to not admit it. Pathetic." The father then drank the vodka
Dante clenched his fist, "I hope you choke."
Then he began choking. He coughed hard, losing his breath and collapsed onto the ground.
"Dad!" Velvet cried, and with Zack, rushed in to help him. But Dante stopped them. Hunter only stood in shock, not knowing what to do. The father gasped for breath and finally began to breathe.
"Y-you bastards! You wanted me to die!"
"No dad I simply stopped them to let you have space to breathe"
"Liars! You only wanted the car. Well the only thing you're ever gonna get from me is my left nut!"
Dante immediately pulled the others away as the father chased after them with a cane. They hopped into their jeep, but it wouldn't start. The old man caught up to them and hit the windshield with his cane. Just as they thought they were doomed, the jeep started, and they drove off.
They needed to let off some steam, so they went to the nightclub Enigma, a small club on the top floor where not a lot of people come - 20-30 at most. It's just the way the siblings like it. They danced and drank and were having fun. Zack immediately went to his antics, pulling his shirt and pouring alcohol on his body in the vain hope that pretty women would lick his abs. Dante prides himself on drinking sophisticly, but he's the first one to get drunk. Velvet is the heavyweight.
Unlike his siblings Hunter is not enjoying himself, as the others love to drag him around, still treating him as a child, and he hated that. He hates loud places and much prefers being in a quiet room reading a book. He also has a disdain for alcohol, so only drinks guaranas. He counts the minutes until his siblings would finally stop with their madness and drive him home. His ears began to hurt, and he went into the bathroom. Luckily, he also needed to take a leak. He did his business, and in the middle of it, the door opened and a bald man entered into the already small bathroom. He looked at Hunter, and then his eyes went down. He grinned. Hunter was scared, so he quickly went out of the bathroom.
Several hours later, the trio woke up and were experiencing a bad hangover on the cold dirt. "Oh god, my head," said Zack, his entire clothes covered in vomit. "We went too far... again," said Dante. Velvet simply giggled, but she quickly realized that Hunter was missing, and so was their jeep.
"Oh shit," Velvet's heart skipped a beat. "W-where's little bro?" Velvet said, shaking. "W-wait, we just need to retrace our steps. What was the last thing we remember?" asked Dante.
After thinking for a bit, Velvet gulped. "I-I... he told me he saw a creepy man in the bathroom. D-do... oh god, d-do you think he got... kidnapped?" All of their faces turned pale.
"W-wait, Velvet, let's just go to our house first," said Dante. They quickly ran, and it took them 45 minutes to reach their house. They went in, and Dante began to dress in more appealing clothes. "Look, let's just get dressed, and we're gonna need to report this to the police."
"O-oh god, why him, why my little brother, that bastard!" Velvet was crying but full of rage as well. Zack began to throw up in the bathroom and cried. Dante tried to keep composed, but inside was freaking out. Then they heard it - soft snoring inside the room. They quietly entered and saw him sleeping in the bed. It was Hunter! They quietly walked over and nudged him. He slowly opened his eyes and then rubbed them. "Oh, you guys came back."
"How did you get here?" questioned Dante.
"Oh, I just took your keys and drove here."
"What the fuck, Hunter, we were so worried!" yelled Velvet.
"You were drunk, what was I supposed to do?"
"Did you try to ask for the keys, or did you just take them from me?" asked Dante.
"Umm... I just took them."
"What the hell, Hunter! You don't have a license, so many things could've happened. You probably messed up the car as well."
"I didn't look."
"You could've just walked home," said Zack.
"I didn't feel like it." They all scoffed. Dante quickly went to check the jeep, and it was full of scratches.
"Hunter, you parked the car like shit!"
"It was dark, I couldn't see."
"That's it!" Both Dante and Zack chased Hunter. They cornered him into his room and pinned him to the bed. "Hold him, I have an idea," said Velvet excitedly.
She went to the kitchen and came back with a jar of honey. Dante took off Hunter's socks. "No, not my socks, I feel naked without them!"
Velvet then poured the honey on his feet.
"OH GOD, THIS IS MEDIEVAL TORTURE!"
They let him go, and Hunter was forced to crawl to the bathroom to not get any honey on the carpets. He washed his feet, came out to the sound of hysterical laughter of his siblings. "You guys are assholes."
Chapter 2:Chopping Wood
The temperature was nice, and most people would go outside for a walk, but not the siblings. They had work to do. In a month, winter will arrive, and they needed wood to keep warm. They didn't use central heating; it's expensive, and with only Dante working, they were light on money. They put on their work clothes, which means they just put on their old clothes. They put their equipment into the jeep, took out the back seat to create more room for the wood, and drove off. Halfway through their destination, Velvet said, "I feel like we forgot something."
"Ah, shit, where's Hunter?" said Zack.
"Ah, well, guess lil bro is lucky enough to sit this one out, but we'll make him organize the wood once we get back."
"We have to go back," said Dante.
Velvet jumped in, "It's ok, big bro, we can cut Hunter some slack."
"No, we must go back. I forgot the chainsaw," Zack and Velvet groaned, and Dante was seething inside for his mistake. Once they got back, they entered Hunter's room. He was asleep.
"Hey, sleepy prince," said Velvet.
"Hm?"
"Time to wake up, boy."
"5 more minutes." Velvet then put one of Hunter's dirty socks on his nose. "Alright, I'm coming!"
Without the backseat, the ride was very bumpy for those in the back. They played rock-paper-scissors to see who would be in front with Dante. Hunter won.
Once they finally arrived, they took a deep breath of the woods' fresh air. They thought it was peaceful and pleasant to the eye. The trio could spend all day here.
Hunter, while he liked the woods too, wanted to get the work done quickly and continued motioning his siblings to start with the work, which they ignored. He sighed, "At least the air is nice," then Dante blew smoke up his face.
Their roles were simple: Dante chops the trees and slices them up while the others carry them to the jeep. Dante was very focused on his task. He eyed the tree he was about to cut carefully. "This is the one I'm gonna cut next." He slowly moved to the tree, eyeing it carefully, turning on his chainsaw. He began to slice it, and it wasn't until the tree fell down that Dante realized it. He cut the wrong tree, and it fell on the fence, shattering it.
"Dante, what's up with you, man? You're off today," Zack said worriedly.
"I just... need a minute," he took deep breaths and drank some beer, then returned to work.
Carrying the wooden pieces wasn't easy. They were heavy. Hunter and Velvet particularly struggled, especially Hunter, who hates carrying. He weighed the least out of them and was the thinnest, looking almost like a stick figure. After filling up the jeep with wood, they all sat down and drank. Hunter smelled his clothes, "Fucking hell," the smell of wood he despised. What's more is that it takes a few hours for the smell to go away. His hands hurt a lot, and dirt was under his fingernails. Their old gloves all torn, but one of them wasn't, so down.
Zack continued to lift the wood shirtless. Then he threw them to see how far they could go and proceeded to repeatedly hit them with the axe while screaming at the top of his lungs.
"It's official; he just lost his mind," said Hunter.
The jeep was so full of wood that only two people could fit in it. So Dante and Zack drove off and would return to pick up Hunter and Velvet later. The two of them sat down while it was beginning to get dark.
"You know how you identify a dogwood tree?" asked Hunter.
"Nah, how?"
"By its bark."
"Heh, where did you rip that off?"
"I didn't; it's my original."
"Sweety, it's not nice to lie," she grinned.
"I swear I'm not l-" they abruptly stopped their chatter when they heard howling.
"A-are those w-wolves?" Hunter was frightened.
"No, it can't be." The howling grew louder.
"F-for once, I wish I was with Dante," said Hunter, and he hugged Velvet. From the other side they heard another noise; the jeep returned. They quickly hopped in.
"So, uh, they said on the news that wolves are in the area," said Zack.
Hunter scoffed "Yeah, no shit, we just heard the- wait, since when do you ever watch the news?" Then Dante revealed how the wolf howlings were created by him on his phone.
"You bastards!" yelled Velvet and playfully nudged their shoulders while Hunter simply rolled his eyes and mumbled something. The siblings brought sandwiches to eat, and once they got home, they sat on the couch. But Zack wrapped a magazine and started to hit the furniture.
"Zack, dude, give it a rest. You've acted like a child high on sugar for the whole day," said Hunter tiredly. "There are stink bugs all over the place."
"S-SS-S-S-STINKBUGS!!!!" Hunter quickly grabbed the fly swatter and smashed the stink bugs. It was as if he was a Roman gladiator fighting lions.
It was completely dark inside their house, only the TV was glowing. The siblings watched their favorite game show. Velvet was excellent at it, always giving many correct answers. Dante was hit or miss, while Zack and Hunter always gave out the wrong answers.
Chapter 3:Hell Day AKA Monday
Four different alarm clocks rang. Dante orchestrated this to make sure that it's impossible to sleep through them. Dante got up easily and began waking up the others. Velvet was annoyed. She yawned and got up. Zack curled into a ball, refusing to get up. In the end, Dante resorted to hitting him with the pillow several times before Zack gave in. Hunter whined, but eventually, he got up as well. They all drank black coffee, except Hunter who drank milk and honey. Hunter began reading a bit of his book, "I Am Legend," to help his brain focus. After drinking his coffee, Dante stood up and laid his plans for today.
"I'm going to work, and I'll drive Hunter to school, and you two will go job hunting."
"Do we have to?" whined Zack.
"Yes, the bills will soon come, and they're going to shred us as they usually do. We need money. I can't support all you bums with just minimum wage."
"Oh, come on, Dante, why are you complaining? You probably just get drunk in your brewery job anyway," said Velvet teasingly.
"At least I can keep my job for more than a month," Dante smirked. Velvet got scared.
"I-it wasn't my fault that I got fired, okay?"
"You nearly suffocated our neighbor Joe just because he hated cats," said Dante.
"It was more than that, but whatever."
"And you, Zack, you delivered mail, pretty simple right? So why on earth did you take a shower in old Joe's house?" said Dante.
"I smelled, and the door was right open. You can't blame me," Zack shrugged.
"I honestly don't know how the two of you aren't in jail right now. And as for you, Hu-"
Hunter was asleep. "Wake up!" Hunter rosed his head quickly.
"Huh, what?"
"How do you focus in school when you're like this?"
"It's their fault. There's no reason why school needs to start so fucking early."
"7:30 a.m. isn't too early, you bum. And you know, I wonder where's your index. I wanna see your grades."
Hunter's heart sank. "T-they're in school. I-I forgot to bring it. Y-you know, s-so the teachers got them."
"How come every time I ask for your index, you don't have it?" Dante raised an eyebrow. Hunter avoided eye contact. "I-I need to go to the bathroom."
He tried to escape, but Dante grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. In the struggle, the coffee spilled onto Hunter's book. "Oh god!" he was horrified. The pages soaked. Velvet quickly grabbed the book, saving it from being completely covered in coffee.
"Dante, you're a monster!" yelled Hunter and began to cry. Velvet comforted him, and Hunter cried on her shoulder. "There, there," she said motherly and patted his head.
"Oh, quit being a baby. It's just a book. We'll get you another one," said Dante annoyed. "That's low even for you, bro," said Zack, shaking his head.
"Everybody shut the fuck up, brush your teeth, and we're going!" yelled Dante. They began to brush their teeth, Dante joining last. Hunter finished as soon as Dante entered, avoiding making eye contact. Dante sighed and went to grab his toothbrush. "Zack, which brush did you take?"
"Mmm, the green one, I think."
"You dumbass! The green one's mine!" Zack simply shrugged and continued to brush his teeth.
Time was running out. They didn't get to eat anything, so they got dressed. Hunter grabbed whatever clothes he saw and put them on. "Hunter, those clothes are clearly too big for you," said Dante. Hunter sighed in annoyance. Velvet stepped in. "It's okay, boy. I'll help." She giggled and dressed him up. They went outside to their jeep.
"Oh shit, Dante, we forgot to put on the back seat." said Zack
"No time," said Dante.
"But the ride will be so bumpy."
"Ugh, we're only driving for 5 minutes, not 5 hours!" Dante started the jeep. The other 3 played rock paper scissors for the seat next to Dante. Velvet won this time, but she gave her position to Hunter, feeling bad about what happened to him with his book.
Dante drove Hunter to school first. He said goodbye but didn't even bother to look at Dante. Next, Dante dropped Zack and Velvet for their job hunt, and then he went to work in the brewery.
Chapter 4:It's hip to be square
The day was typical for the siblings. Velvet tried to get a job at a bakery.
"So, why do you want this job?" asked the interviewer.
"I'm broke."
On the other hand, Zack didn't attempt to get a job; he simply went to the park and watched the swans as they were being fed bread.
"What gorgeous beauty you are," he said. Then he took off his clothes and entered the pond and swam up to the swans. Immediately the swans attacked him.
Hunter was sitting in the back row during class, barely keeping his eyes open. He always goes to class with no bag; he simply brings a pen to sign his name and get free points, though sometimes he even doesn't bring his pen. He hated college every second of it, especially the teacher. He glanced a bit to the other side to see if there is anything going on through the window.
"See something more interesting than class, colleague Chinanski?" the teacher said.
"N-no, m-my neck is a bit sore, e-eh."
"I don't really care. I am the only thing you need to be focusing on," she said. The whole class turned around and stared at Hunter; their glare pierced through him. They stared for what felt like an eternity and whispered something.
'Those fucking cunts! Who the hell are they to look at me like I just committed a fucking crime!? And that bitch! Why am I always the one? There were others that looked out the window too, and most of the class are on their phone. YET I'M THE ONE WHO GETS CALLED OUT!? All those pricks are laughing! Why? They did worse than me just because I don't talk to you doesn't make me subhuman! You're all boring fucks, especially you, "teacher". You're not a teacher; you just utter random monologues. Why are women such whores? The only good ones are Velvet and… m-I can't say. N-no, I can't.'
Hunter sweated and cursed; he counted every second till the end of the class. It was excruciating. When the class ended, he ran as fast as he could, he didn't care for the other lectures. He had enough for today.
Dante was struggling at his job. His job consisted of merely pressing a button so that the caps would land on the beer bottles, but it was so much more than that. The speed at which it all went was daunting. Dante had to press the button 900 times per minute. If he made just one mistake, that would jeopardize much of the factory, and he would lose his job. He couldn't afford that; he couldn't afford losing the little income they had. But the job was so daunting, pressing the button over and over, scanning his eyes left and right and right and left. His index finger hurt just 20 minutes into the job.
For years, Dante had done this, and he could never get used to it. He worked for 7 hours and 50 minutes; he only had a 10-minute break. Once it finally ended he looks up and is shocked to see the walls. He'd been staring at the bottles for so long he forgot how walls looked. Sometimes he would even forget his name. Dante feels dizzy; he can't walk straight. He takes a few deep breaths, heads to the bathroom, washes his face with cold water, takes a few more deep breaths.
Dante tried for years to be transferred to another section. He sent the boss his 23rd letter pleading. At this point, Dante wondered if they even read any of his letters. But Dante heard news that shook him; he laughed, almost crying.
He got transferred and is now a forklift driver. Dante was happy; any job would do just so he can stay away from the bottles and the button. And what's even better was that his paycheck came. It was only a minimum wage check, but it's better than nothing.
The siblings went into the city square for the first time in three months. It was strange; they had almost forgotten how it looked, and in the dark night, it had an eerie feeling. There were people, lots of people, hordes of people, almost as if they were in India. However, the house architecture and the lights made it all seem so strange. They passed the post office, Zack spat on the walls of it as they walked through the cobblestone street. As they got closer to the heart of the center, they saw the gothic-like church, so high it was almost touching the sky itself.
"Alright, be careful now," said Dante, who was wary of thieves. Soon enough, there were many beggars, even children begging. "Damn, this is just..." Velvet couldn't finish her sentence; she simply shook her head. It pained her to see this. The children begged and some gave them money. The kids gave the money to their parents, who then bought drugs.
As the siblings reached the heart of the city, there were street performers dancing, a violinist playing the Godfather theme, a guitarist, an old man playing a flute. Everyone was trying desperately to get by. The siblings hung their heads low.
They entered their favorite pizzeria; inside it was very cozy, very lively, with upbeat music that wasn't too loud and many beautiful paintings of nature on the walls. A lot of people were there, but thankfully, they found one empty place, sat, ordered a family pizza, ate quickly, paid for it, and went back home.
Chapter 5:Supermarket and Library
Summer was over; mighty winds blew, dark clouds rose, creating a gloomy atmosphere. The neighborhood felt eerie; the street was always quiet, small, and filled with old people. The siblings were the only ones not over 50. Their house was small and old; everyone slept in one room at the edge of the house. Two slept on the couch, two on the floor, and they rotated every other night. Velvet made coffee for everyone and warm milk for Hunter.
"The book seems alright," said Dante. "It's filled with coffee stains, but at least everything's still readable."
"I guess the library's gonna take some money from us, huh?" said Hunter.
"Just keep quiet, and they won't notice," said Dante, then proceeded to open the fridge, which was empty.
"Is there at least chicken meat in there?" asked Hunter.
"No."
"Fuck."
"We gotta go shopping," said Dante. Zack groaned, "In this weather?"
"Why are we always out of everything when the weather is shit?" said Hunter.
"Ugh, I don't have time to argue. Let's just get it over with, okay, guys?" said Dante. Velvet jumped in, "Wait, we also have to go to the library; Hunter's membership needs to be renewed."
"We'll go there after shopping," they went outside, and the wind nearly blew them off. "Zack, did you forget to put the back seat again?" asked Velvet.
"Ah, shit, sorry," after another bumpy ride for those in the back, Zack and Velvet, as Hunter was able to win at rock paper scissors, they entered the supermarket, the largest in town, filled with anything you can desire.
Zack grabbed the cart wheels, sat on it like a small child, and was being ridden by Velvet. Dante was annoyed and pretended he didn't know them and simply conducted his own shopping. Hunter immediately took as much chicken meat as he could. They took their supplies and put them in the jeep.
"Okay, listen, we can't waste any of this stuff; we have to consume 100 percent," said Dante.
"Yeah, Dante, 100 percent, you hear?" said Hunter.
"Why are you repeating what I just said?"
"Ohhhh, I don't know, maybe 'cause you wasted coffee on my book aaaaaand poured honey on my feet."
"You brat, the book was your fault, and as for the honey, Velvet poured it."
"But you pinned me down!"
"So did Zack," Zack was dumbfounded, "You guys, I have no recollection of this; I don't even know why we're here."
"Ugh, no one asked, Zack, and as for you, Hunter, you scratched the shit out of the jeep; look at it!"
"If only you didn't get drunk, I thought you were the responsible one?" Hunter smirked cheekily. Dante was fuming. Velvet then stepped in, "Okay, boys, let's not fight; we need to go to the library."
They both stopped, and Dante drove them there. They entered inside; it was warm. Hunter smiled and was always in awe; he loved the library. He returned his book, "I am Legend"; thankfully, the librarian didn't notice the coffee stains. Velvet saw something that caught her eye, "Heh, Lord of the Rings," she giggled. "You've seen all the movies and read all the books, what a fucking nerd," said Zack, smirking.
"Shut uuuuup,"
Zack never cared for reading; he just wanted this to be over quickly. Velvet liked reading from time to time, though only fantasy novels. Dante was interested in non-fiction works, so he went to the side and carefully scanned his eyes for anything interesting; unfortunately, he didn't find anything right now, so he renewed Hunter's membership, which was thankfully cheap. Hunter is the only one with the membership and can take a maximum of 3 books and has a 20-day date to return them.
"So what book are you taking in this time?" asked Velvet.
"Something with animals," said Hunter and climbed upstairs. The librarian went into the back to check something, and Zack, by chance, saw a book titled "How to Be Great at Sex." He stole it and put it in his pants.
Meanwhile, Hunter was upstairs and carefully searching for his book until he saw something that made his eyes widen; a name that haunts his soul, Shakespeare. 10 of his works lay right in front of him. Hunter remembered all the failed grades he got from Shakespeare; his face turned pale. He stumbled backwards, falling down.
He felt like a blind man strapped into a speeding driver's seat. It all went so fast, and he smashed into the table. Velvet gasped, and his siblings came over. Maraciously the table didn't break, and Hunter didn't break any bones, but his back was in a world of pain. The librarian came in, "What was that?"
"Oh, I slipped and fell, but it's all okay," said Zack. In the end, Hunter took the book Moby Dick, and they went home.
"Oh god, it hurts," said Hunter, his back purple.
"It's okay; it will hurt for a few days; then, it will be okay," said Velvet, then cooked him chicken meat and patted him on the head. The others were eating pork and Dante chicken soup. The temperature dropped significantly; the siblings had no heater in their house, only a single stove, which they began to fill up with wood to keep warm.
As soon as they began to relax, the awful loud noise shrieked; they were all startled. Dante nearly choked; their old living room phone rang.
"I almost had a fucking heart attack!" yelled Hunter. Dante went and answered; after less than a minute, he put the phone down, took a deep breath. Velvet asked him, "Who was it?"
"Dad wants us to go to his house."
Chapter 6:Family Dinner
The siblings stood in front of their dad's red gate. "Oh god, we're entering the gates of hell," muttered Hunter. They went inside and were greeted by a cat. Velvet and Hunter pet it. "You're the only reason why I can stand this place," said Hunter. The cat, black and white, was muscular and had a fat head. Their father had a strange relationship with it; he beats it, then feeds it, then beats it again, then makes a very comfortable box house for it. As they walked near his house and spotted him inside the summer kitchen, "Just for the record, if he makes us do work, I can't; my back still hurts."
"Uh-huh," Dante said simply, ignoring him.
"You should've never dragged me in here... assholes," said Hunter, but was ignored except for Velvet. "Does the baby need a hug?" she grinned.
"Fine," she hugged him warmly. Hunter enjoyed the embrace; it reminded him so much of his mother. The siblings entered the kitchen and were welcomed by their father, who proceeded to pour beans on the plate. Hunter thought, 'Oh, for fuck's sake, this is inedible; a starving wild animal wouldn't even go near it.' The others must've thought the same but tried to eat it. Velvet forced herself; Dante struggled to chew the beans; only Zack and the father seemed to enjoy them. The old man was about to say something but instead let out a massive fart.
"Dad!" yelled Dante.
"What did you expect? I'm an old man," then Zack farted as well. "Oh, so you two communicate with farts now?" said Velvet.
"Listen," the father stood up but couldn't stand for long, so he immediately sat down. "The bills are coming, and the rumor is that the incompetent government is gonna start shredding every poor citizen in the country."
"So we heard," said Dante.
"I know that I haven't been the best... well... I haven't rewarded you for your efforts, so I thought that I should make things right," Dante's face lit up.
"What's the catch?" Velvet raised an eyebrow.
"For you to mow the lawn and get the eggs from the chickens," the siblings sighed. They all fell for it except for Velvet. "You can keep half of the eggs, of course."
Dante and Zack struggled to get the old lawnmower working. Finally, they were able to do it and cut the grass, Velvet cleaned up the mess, and Hunter went to the chickens.
"Okay, you little beasts, don't attack me," the chickens laid a lot of eggs. He took them, and none of them seemed to mind his presence. He looked at the chickens. "Strange little birdies you are, huh?" He smirked seeing them bob their heads and walk. It was funny. He put the eggs in the basket but noticed that one of them sat on the eggs and wasn't moving. Hunter moved closer to it very slowly. "Please don't scratch me." He picked up the chicken, set it aside, and grabbed the eggs. To his delight, none of them laid a claw on him.
After finishing their tasks, their father gave them a decent amount of money, more than they had ever had in their lives. They drove off, and both the siblings and the father waved goodbye. "Is it just me, or did he act... strange?" asked Hunter.
"Maybe he's an imposter taken over by an alien?" Zack said, smirking.
"Well, I for sure prefer this 'alien' more," Velvet chuckled.
"For a second, I thought he would finally let me drive the Gran Torino," said Dante.
"You still thinking about the car, big bro? Let it go. The car probably doesn't even work"
"Maybe but....I would like to belive that the old man had had a change of heart."
Chapter 7: Legal Criminals
Dante watched the early morning news. "You wanna be depressed so early, big bro?" Velvet continued. "The news has nothing but bad stuff to say: terrorist attacks, murders, wars, and a famous celebrity sniffing women's underwear... wait, what?"
Laundry day had come; the siblings took turns every week to see who would clean the laundry and the house. Dante took the notebook and said, "This week it's Hunter."
"Oh come on, man, my back still hurts like hell."
"You haven't done the chores in god knows how long."
"I suck at cleaning."
"Well, you're about to learn now."
"What about Zack? He has done less chores than me." Dante would normally ignore Hunter's pleas, but this made him wonder: when did Zack last do the chores? He scanned his notebook, and his eyes widened. Zack hadn't done the chores in 8 months! Dante quickly rushed through the house. "Zack, Zack, where the fuck are ya!?" He looked everywhere, didn't leave a single thing untouched. "Where is this asshole? It's like he vanished from earth." Dante opened the garage and saw Zack reading "How to Be Great at Sex."
"You moron!" yelled Dante.
"I'm learning," Zack said casually.
"That book won't get you laid."
"How would you know?"
"Because it says on the cover that it was first published in 1899, so it's horribly outdated."
".....oh."
Dante dragged him out of the garage and forced Zack to do the chores. Velvet went over to Hunter. "As for you, you can make us all coffee," she giggled. Velvet and Dante sat down. "So, the mailman is coming today, eh?" she asked.
"Unfortunately"
Hunter served them the coffee. "I just hope the bills aren't as bad as they say."
She took a sip of her coffee and immediately spat it out. "Oh, yuk, yuk, god, Hunter, why is there salt in the coffee!?"
"There isn't. I put... oh shit... I made a mistake."
"You did that on purpose!"
"It's not my fault you don't label what's sugar and what's salt!"
"Quiet you two," said Dante. He turned his head around and heard a noise. Someone was at the gate. He slowly moved to the window and saw the mailman. As soon as he left, they all went outside, grabbed the mail, and opened it. "So, what does it say? How much did they rob us this time?"
Dante's hands shook; he looked like he was about to faint. He simply said, "Everything."
"THOSE BASTARDS!" screamed Zack. "Woah, calm down," said Hunter sheepishly. It was true; the bill was four times pricier than last month. Everything had a ridiculous price: the electricity, the water, they even had a tax that said property. "What kind of shit is this?" asked Zack, and continued, "Property? They're charging us for that, so to them, this isn't our house? Even though it's in Dante's name?"
This wasn't the only thing that worried Dante; he knew he also had to pay registration for the jeep and was worried how that would turn out more than the bill. He took the bills and went to the jeep. "God dammit, where's the backseat?"
"Ehhh... I don't know," said Zack. Dante sighed, and they all started to look all over the house but couldn't find it anywhere. "Well, I give up," said Hunter.
Dante yelled losing patience,"Where the fuck is the backseat? The jeep can't pass inspection without it!"
Zack stood, wondering where he left it.
"Zack, what did you do to the backseat?"
"I honestly don't know."
"Did you throw it away? Did you chop it up into little pieces? Did you sell it? I won't be mad, just answer!!"
"I-I really don't know."
Dante laughed and put his head in his hands. Velvet approached him, laying a hand on his shoulder. "Just count to te-"
"HUH??" Dante turned around; he looked like a rabid dog. Velvet swears she saw his eyes glow red; the veins on his face bulged. "Better make it a thousand."
"Hey guys, I found it," said Hunter softly, chuckling.
"Where?" the other three siblings said at the same time.
"Under the jeep."
"Oh yeah, now I remember," said Zack, smiling. Dante facepalmed, and then he went and paid the bill. He drove the jeep; they said it needed the scratches fixed so he did fix them and returned the call for inspection. Then they said the windshield needed to be fixed so he did fix it, but then they said the mirror also needed to be fixed so he did. But then they said that the brakes needed to be changed. Instead of saying all the problems at once, they said it one at a time, wasting Dante's time, gas, and money.
At the house, he started putting on his work clothes, slicking back his black hair, while Velvet said, "It said on the news that almost all of our domesticated companies are being sold to foreigners, and the brewery was just sold."
"Don't worry, Velvet. They don't fire good workers, and I am a hard worker. We'll be fine. Don't worry."
Dante went to work to his station but was stopped dead in his tracks by a man whose name badge bore a foreign name. He handed Dante a letter which read, 'Dear Dante Chinasnki, you're relieved of your duties.' It didn't specify the reasons why; all Dante knew was that most workers were fired from the brewery, and he was one of them. He tried to speak to the boss, but they wouldn't let him in.
It took nearly 30 minutes for him to comprehend it all before he drove off and was fined for speeding near the school. The law said you can't drive more than 30 kilometers per hour. Dante drove 30.1, and it was a night on a Sunday.
Chapter 8:Donkey!
The winter wasn't easy for anybody, with cold winds almost every day, murky clouds, and temperatures below freezing. But the worst part was the bills. Every winter, the government quadrupled the bills. With none of the siblings having a job, drastic measures had to be taken. No one showered for months, the boiler only ever had cold water, and the lights were never turned on; only candle lights were used. The siblings only ate breakfast; all this for three painful months. Even with all the rationing and their father's help, they were barely keeping afloat.
Zack asked Velvet, "Any luck with the job? 'Cause all I've been getting is offers for being a janitor or a garbage man."
"Tch, I get the same offers. I mean, what the hell? I wasted 12 years of my life being berated in school, and these are the only job offers I get? You don't need school to know how to pick up garbage!" Velvet raised her voice, furiously. Hunter sat down opposite her and looked down. He didn't like seeing her angry; there was something about her voice that intimidated him.
The three of them turned around when they heard the door opening. It was Dante; his hair was messy, and he had a full beard, his eyes filled with despair.He started to sleep the longest even more than Hunter.
Dante still couldn't believe how he got fired; he lost hope. All he did now was ration and ration just to pay the bills. He didn't talk to the rest of his siblings, always having the same sad expression.
Velvet tugged his shirt. "Hey, I know what we all need: a fun game!" Hunter's eyes widened a bit; he leaned in. "What kind of a game?"
"Donkey!"
Hunter smiled brightly like a small child; he loved the game.
"I... don't know... maybe later," said Dante.
"Don't be ridiculous; we need fun in our lives," said Velvet. They all sat at the table; Velvet got out the cards and gave everyone four of them. The rules of the game are that a player has to find four matching cards. This is achieved as every player gives a card they don't need to the person next to them, and that person does the same. When a player has all the same four cards, they have to quickly drop them on the table, and the others have to follow; the last player whose cards touch the floor is a donkey.
They started to play the game; Velvet looked at everyone carefully, grinning behind her cards. Dante scratched his itchy beard, Zack stared at his cards, unsure which card he should start collecting, and Hunter had a smug face, confident that he'll win. After 30 seconds, Velvet quickly dropped the cards on the table; the others followed, but Hunter was startled by the speed and came in last. "DONKEY!" they yelled, laughing.
"Fuck!" Hunter made a disgusted face and banged his head on the table. Dante smiled a bit; this warmed him up a bit. They all continued to play. This time it was Zack with a four-in-a-row streak. Hunter was suspicious. "Zack, you have to collect four cards in order to throw them on the table."
"I know the rules," Zack then won a fifth time.
"Actually, wait; Hunter has a point. Let me see your cards," said Velvet.
"I don't have to show you shit; you're all jealous 'cause you're donkeys!" Hunter grabbed his cards and saw that there were four different ones.
"You liar!"
"W-well, um... that time I was cheating, but I didn't the previous four." They all laughed; Dante laughed for the first time in god knows how long.
Meanwhile, their neighbor Joe wasn't laughing. Ever since the firetruck destroyed half his home, he had been struggling. The incident had burned half his money, and the other half he spent on repairs. But the repairs always had problems; something was always built poorly, and he had to pay another repairman to fix it. But even that repairman would make a mistake, so he had to hire another one, and the high bills didn't help either. But thankfully, he was nearing 65, and in a few months, he can retire and receive senior discounts and a pension.
He opened his door, put the newspaper in his hands, read the first sentence, and his hands immediately started to shake. He can't swallow his saliva; he sweats abnormally. The newspaper headline reads, "Starting today, citizens must be 70 years old to receive a pension." Anger seizes him; he tears the whole newspaper, starts to scream; halfway through, he stops. He gets a strong pain in his throat; he can't talk; his whole body weakens, and then his chest starts to hurt. He grabs his chest and feels that his heart hurts and stopped beating. His legs become weak; he has no feeling that they are his. Then he falls down hard; his whole body starts to hurt. He thinks to himself, 'I can't breathe; everything turned black. Am I dying? No, it can't be like this, no, oh God, I have to say something for everyone to hear me. Important words, wise words, I have to say them; they will be my last.' He gathers all the remaining strength and says, "Fuck you all!"
His lifeless corpse is on the stretcher; the siblings stare, a shiver engulfs them. "H-he died... just like that, and... maybe he'll be talked about for a month and then never again... as if he never even existed," said Velvet, her hand shaking. Hunter and Zack looked down, frightfully. Dante ran back towards the house, locked himself in the bathroom.
He looked at the mirror; his face was one of terror; he looked as if he was about to die. "No!" he yelled, "I won't... I-I can't end up like Joe. I'll make my mark on the world; we will make our mark. We won't die for nothing!"
He started to wash his face and clean himself. He threw his old, smelly clothes and put on better-looking clothes. He shaved his beard into a goatee, slicked his black hair back, washed his face, took a deep breath, let it out, and unlocked the bathroom. He faced his siblings.
"We're gonna do something with our lives, and the first thing is to not hold ourselves in this hellhole of a house!" he said passionately, believing every word, holding back tears. Velvet smiled; she loved Dante's energy. Zack hugged him; he was so glad the older brother returned. Hunter looked at Dante's goatee and said, "Now you look like the devil."
Chapter 9:Fishing
Spring had finally arrived, yet it was still chilly, especially in the morning.Dante prepared heavy winter clothes, Zack raised an eyebrow.
"We don't need those clothes, it's warm," .
Dante answered, "Yes, but when you're riding a boat, the wind is crazy."
Zack shrugged, not believing him. Velvet packed the equipment, and Hunter was cooking chicken meat.
"You're going to end up turning into a chicken from all that. Can you not eat it just for one day?" said Dante.
"No!" he growled like a gremlin.
They finished breakfast and went to the harbor.
"Did you register the boat?" asked Velvet.
Dante nearly stumbled at the mention of registrations.
"The boats are registered every three years. I won't have to register mine until next year."
"Ah, ok,"
As they walked on the dock, both Hunter and Zack walked pass the boat.
"Guys, stop," said Velvet, "ours is here."
Hunter raised an eyebrow and looked at the boat. It was old, filled with rust, and small.
"This piece of shit is ours. Of course, it is. Why am I even asking?"
After 15 minutes of trying to get the motor running, they finally got going.The breeze was nice at first, but then it blew harder and harder as they went faster and faster.Zack now realized why the heavy winter coats were necessary; it was ice-cold.Once they finally stopped, Zack remarked, "I think my balls just froze."
They threw the anchor, and Dante cast the line. He was the only one with a fishing license; the others watched.It was calm; the air was fresh; the trees were beautiful,it was all relaxing, just what they needed. Hunter lay back and watched the sky."Every time I look at the sky, my eyes become watery. Does that mean I won't go to heaven?" he chuckled to himself.
Thirty minutes passed, and nothing bit the bait. So, they seized the anchor and went downstream.They saw an older fisherman fishing on land, and behind him charged a wild boar and stole all his fish.
Further down, they saw another fisherman.
"Everything alright?" he asked as he saw them going downstream.
"Oh yes, just enjoying the view," replied Dante.
"Oh yeah, me too, enjoying the fresh air," even though the fisherman was right next to a septic tank.
Eventually, the siblings dropped the anchor again, and Dante once again attempted to catch something.
Zack stood up, "I gotta take a leak."
He began to drop his pants. "Don't look," Hunter rolled his eyes.
"No one's gonna look at your microscopic penis," Zack was offended.
"Oh yeah? How about you take your pants down and see whose dick is bigger?" Hunter stared at disbelief.
Velvet tried to contain her laughter, while Dante was annoyed.
"Just shut up and piss," Zack scoffed and turned to the edge and attempted to get it out of his system.
"Oh god, why won't it go? Why?"
Dante groaned."Zack, you're not a child, just take a leak,"
Zack tried, but for some reason, it wasn't going until it suddenly did.
He let out a sigh of relief, closed his eyes, completely relaxed, and then fell into the water.
"Zack!" cried Velvet. Hunter stood in shock. Dante dropped his rod and went and grabbed Zack by his pants with Velvet.
The pants tore, but they were able to grab his legs and pulled him up. Zack coughed and spat water out.Dante remembered his rod,but unfortunately, it sank to the bottom.
"You idiot!" Dante raised his voice. "S-sorry," Zack shivered. Dante sighed and put an old blanket over him. "We're going home," said Dante.
Hunter was annoyed that he was half-covered in water and started to feel the cold too."Dammit Zack, water's everywhere in the boat," he bit his lip slightly; he was annoyed. He felt water on the back of his pants.
Strange, he thought. The water should've only have stained the front, not the back. He got up slightly. "U-uh, g-guys."
"Huh?" Velvet turned around. Hunter simply pointed at the boat. There was a hole, and water was flowing quickly.
They started to sink. "Oh god!" they yelled, trying to plug the hole, but it didn't work. Water and more water got in, and soon they started to sink.
Hunter was freaking out. "SOMEBODY HELP! HELP!" On the shore, somebody appeared... it was a bear.
"Holy shit," Zack said. They were sinking fast, but they could still reach the land. Unfortunately, on the shore was a bear.
Zack came up with a plan, "Let's just swim."
"Are you fucking stupid?" said Hunter.
"It's just water."
"That water is freezing!"
"Oh yeah, I forgot." They looked at Dante,
"Well, any ideas, big bro?" pleaded Velvet.
Dante took a breath and let it out, faced his siblings, "We're just going to have to take our chances with the bear." Hunter screamed and cried. Velvet hugged him. Zack grabbed the anchor ready to fight.
They stormed from the boat faced the bear. The bear got on its hind legs; Hunter stumbled backwards. Velvet grabbed a big rock, and Dante a small knife, and yelled, "Come on, you beast!"
The bear smelled the air and ran off.
"Well... that was anticlimactic," muttered Zack. They turned around, and their boat sank.
The siblings walked through the woods, being attacked by mosquitoes and other bugs. They heard weird bird sounds, and on occasion, an animal in front would run so fast they only got a glimpse of it. Eventually, they returned to the jeep. Hunter whined "Oh god, my legs, my legs; first, my back was fucked; now, my legs," they drove to their home and then slept for 12 hours.
Chapter 10:What Do You Desire?
The sun scorched the earth. The siblings sat on the old couch and skimmed through the TV; nothing interesting was on, just the president on 15 channels visiting a cornfield and monologuing about something no one could comprehend. Other channels simply had reality shows where people would argue, have sex, argue, and have some more sex. No movie was on, and the only sport was cycling.
"Oh my god, why are they always showing this shit on TV? Who the hell watches cycling? You just stare at those guys' asses for half the day," said Hunter, annoyed.
Velvet giggled at that. Dante turned off the TV, and they all sat in silence; the heat was unbearable. No one had the desire to do any activity; Hunter himself didn't feel like reading, Zack wanted water fights, but Dante was still rationing. Velvet wanted to go to the beach, but there was no point; there are definitely hordes of people. The siblings hated people; the same goes for the water park. Their house had no air conditioner inside; it was hard to breathe, and when they opened the windows, flies and stink bugs barged in. There were no activities that didn't cost money.Hunter layed deeply on the couch and asked,
"What is the meaning of life?"
The others turned their heads to face him. Dante wiped the sweat off his eyebrow and said, "Why ask that?" Hunter shrugged, "Making conversation."
Zack looked down and saw a small pencil stuck to the old smelly carpet. He grabbed it and said, "Meaning of life is a pencil! No, just kidding, it's to live as long as possible."
Velvet jumped in, "It's to be happy."
Then Dante replied, "To complete your dreams."
"What about you, Hunter?" asked Velvet.
"Me?" he softly chuckled, smiled, and looked up at the ceiling, "For me, it's to be immortalized, to be remembered long after death."
The reaction to this was mixed; Velvet was amused, Zack simply scoffed, and Dante just looked at him.
Hunter stood up, "Oh, come on, Zack, don't scoff. I mean, life is kind of meaningless when you think about it. Why do we do anything? We're just gonna die and be forgotten like J—... You know what I'm saying."
Zack replied, "It's the system's fault; we've been dealt a shitty hand. I don't see why we should bother. I mean, all I really care about is satisfaction." Velvet waved her finger at him smiling, "But satisfaction is only temporary while happiness is permanent" Dante rose up, "Our problem is that we look down; instead, we should start looking up!" A silence emerged.
"I'm shitting myself from your advice," said Hunter. Dante angrily stormed into the kitchen and started to make lemonade.
"Hey, make me some," said Hunter. "Me too," replied Zack, and Velvet joined in, "Might as well give to all of us." Dante gritted his teeth, "How about you all do it yourself? You just wait for something good to happen, but you don't act upon it!" The three were silent.
Dante sighed and, in the end, made them all lemonade. They all liked it sour except Hunter, who dumped an enormous amount of sugar in it.
"What's your favorite animal?" asked Velvet. Dante was dumbfounded. "Seriously? We went from the meaning of life to this?"
"Making conversation, big bro."
"I hate animals," they all gasped.
"You must be one of the 0.000001 percent of people who doesn't like animals," said Hunter. Dante ignored him and drank his lemonade.
"Come on, Dante, you gotta like at least one animal," said Velvet.
Dante sighed, "Fine then... pigs."
"Of all the animals, you name that one?" said Hunter.
Dante finished his lemonade, placed it on the table, and the table collapsed; one of its legs gave out. As the siblings stood up, the couch broke down as well.
"Is there anything else that's gonna fall apart?" said Velvet, putting her arms on her hips. Zack moaned and went outside; as soon as he closed the door, the chandelier fell down.
Chapter 11:Electrical Company
Money grew slimmer every single day; the social assistance money for Dante dried out, and they are now completely dependent on their father's money. Dante waved back and forth, biting his thumb. He tried to get a job, but no good job was out there, like with Zack and Velvet the only job offers he got were being a janitor or a garbage man. But unlike his two siblings, Dante did get a chance to work as a waiter, but he couldn't swallow his pride; he had to work a good engineering job like his father.
Dante was good with cars, but no one wanted him, and in his ear, he could hear his former teacher saying how he'll amount to nothing and be a waiter. "That damn witch!" he said, biting his thumb, and blood dripped down. He thought to himself, 'I have to find a good job. I have to. Why doesn't anybody hire me? I'm a good worker. I'm a hard worker, dammit!' He tried his best always, but it never worked. Dante only has a high school diploma, but that is more than enough to get a job if he had good grades, and Dante had great grades in the final exams. But every interview he went to, they all declined.
The four of them sat and played poker. Three of the siblings smoked cigarettes, which were getting more expensive every day, and Dante forced everyone to quit, but it didn't work; they couldn't help themselves. "You know, they say college is a scam, and yet you can't get any decent job without one. Hell, you need a college degree just to be a waiter these days," Velvet said, a cigar in her mouth.
"It's a pain; they steal your money pretty much. B-but you know... it... isn't that hard," said Hunter.
"I honestly forget you go to college," said Zack, focusing hard on his cards. Dante said, "How have you been doing? You never speak about it; you know we can't afford you failing exams," Dante said sternly.
"I-im doing fine."
"Really?"
"Y-yeah."
Velvet beat them all in poker for the ninth time in a row. Hunter left; he couldn't bear the smoke. "We need to fix the broken furniture," said Dante. "I don't have the energy," said Zack and left. Velvet also left with him. Dante sighed.
Time passed quickly, and Dante fell asleep on the chair. He was woken by the sound of a lawnmower; it was strange to hear any sound in the neighborhood; it was usually so quiet. He went to the garden and saw Zack mowing the lawn in his diaper again. "Zack, WHAT THE FUCK?"
Meanwhile, Hunter was reading a book. It turned dark, and he went to turn on the light, but it didn't flick on. "Goddamnit, another broken thing," he went to the living room; the fallen chandelier still shattered on the broken table; he tried to turn on the lights in the kitchen, nothing.
"Um... this can't be a coincidence."
The phone itself wasn't working; the electricity in the house had been cut by the power company. Dante called the electrical company, but they weren't working, and with no candles, the siblings spent the night in pitch black.
Dante went to the company, but they were on a break, so he had to wait, and he waited for two hours. Finally, he got to ask them. "Our house has no electricity."
"Not my problem," said the receptionist in a whiny voice.
"That literally is your job."
"You wanna tell me what my job is?"
Dante's eye twitched. "Listen, the power was cut from our house; why? we pay rent regularly."
The receptionist checked the problem, although in reality, she played a card game on the computer, hoping that Dante would go away. When he didn't, she then looked at the problem.
"It looks like your antenna is connected with a guy called Joe Johnson; he hadn't been paying rent for months."
"That man passed, and we are in no way responsible for his house."
The receptionist shrugged. "Well, they still cut the cord."
"Why are they that stupid that they can't tell a difference between who died, whose house it is, and who's been paying the rent?"
The receptionist shrugged. "Not my problem."
Dante clenched his fist and gritted his teeth. 'I want to strangle that cunt, no damn it, Dante, don't lose your cool.'
Dante had to fill up a form, and it took the company seven days to get the electricity back, even though they could have done it all in less than an hour. They also charged the electricity bill double than last month, and the siblings' house was the only one to be charged double.
"THAT'S IT!" Dante smashed a chair, breaking it with his bare hands. "Dear God," Hunter was shocked; he cowered behind Velvet.
"It's enough; we've been screwed by these cocksuckers too much; we're gonna get the fucking money and quickly leave this hellhole!"
Chapter 12:Born to Lose Living to Win
The siblings attempted to get rich fast. First to try was Zack.
"You idiot!" yelled Velvet.
"What?" All the siblings rolled their eyes; Zack had bought a lottery ticket.
"You're never gonna win," said Dante.
"Once I get the money, I'm not sharing it with any of you!"
The lottery came, and Zack didn't guess a single right number.
Next was Velvet. "I'm gonna destroy them all with my poker skills." They entered the casino but were stopped.
"Only the ones playing can enter," said the big guard. Dante sighed. "You got this." They all waited outside.
"Y-you, um, think she'll do okay?" asked Hunter. Zack didn't know, while Dante said, "I believe we'll get some in the end."
Not a minute had passed since Velvet exited the casino. "So, um... I lost all my money."
Afterwards, it was Dante's turn. He entered the local marathon, which awarded big points, and finished last.
"This is total shit, man," said Zack.
"Well, guess you guys just suck," chuckled Hunter.
"Hunter, what about college?" Asked Dante.
"Um... it's doing fine."
"Your index, give it to me."
"I-I forgot it in school."
Velvet then walked to his room, and under the couch was the index.
"You traitor!"
"I'm sorry; I can't protect you anymore."
Dante looked at the index. "Hunter... you only passed three exams." Hunter looked down, sweating. His heart beat accelerated; he held back his tears.
"Look, I'm not going to yell; all I'm gonna say is that we're taking you out of there."
"No, please don't," he begged.
"Bro, come on, with three exams out of, like, what, 20? Come on, man."
"Zack's right, lil' bro; we can't afford all the exams," Velvet said, saddened. It hurt her to see Hunter so scared; he looked like an injured animal.
"N-no, w-wait, please, please, just give me a chance; I'll study seriously, I swear."
"It's too late; why didn't you study before?" Dante said sternly.
"Because it was all a lie! I thought once I entered college for English, I'll finally do something I love. But no, you don't study anything there; you just memorize shit and learn mostly useless facts you don't learn in college. It's all just memorizing."
"Then why did you push forward in it for an entire year? You could've gotten a job as a chef or a waiter," said Dante.
"I can't stomach that; it's modern slavery. I have to work hard for the bare minimum for some asshole that breathes down my neck all day. How is that not slavery!?" Hunter was emotional; he began to cry. Velvet hugged him.
"Look, Hunter, we'll figure out something, okay?" said Dante. Hunter nodded slightly while crying.
The following day, he went to his college; his heart shook with every step he took; he felt worse and worse. He wouldn't have been able to do this if Velvet wasn't beside him.
They went to the counter and signed the papers to leave the school. Once he finished, he saw the teacher whom he loathed. He took Velvet's hand and tried to leave.
The teacher quickly figured it out. "Dropping out, are we? Of course, if you had only studied. I warned you several times; if you don't study, you'll amount to nothing. But of course, you're too dumb to understand."
Hunter stopped dead in his tracks; he turned around. "You know what!?"
Velvet tugged him. "It's not worth it."
They left, and with Dante and Zack, drove to their father's house. He had given them a lot of money for free, and now since he called them, they were certain that they'll gonna have to do some jobs for him.
As Dante drove the jeep, the siblings looked at the city; it was as if they were in a foreign land. Their old playground had been demolished and replaced with a corporate building; the small pond they played around in had dried up; the old kiosk had closed; the old kids' store was being demolished; even their kindergarten is being replaced by a private business.
However, the one thing that shook them to the core was the amount of homeless people. On every block, there would be at least 5-10 homeless people.
Chapter 13:Bring your Chickens to Slaughter
They parked the jeep outside the red gate and entered. As soon as they stepped in, they heard screams that came from the garden, and it was their father. "Dad!" Velvet cried out, and they were all worried. They ran to the garden to see what was going on. Once they entered, they saw their father screaming at the top of his lungs, his face as red as a pepper, his veins bulging like a steroid user. "GET HIM! GET HIM, YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"
"Who are you talking to?" asked Velvet, and that's when they saw it - a ravenous bunny was stripping the garden, eating anything green. The cat looked at the bunny with a predator gaze, slowly approaching the rabbit. "GET HIM!" The cat sat down and started to lick its butt. "FUCKING USELESS!"
"It's just a rabbit," shrugged Zack.
"This rabbit ate everything! My garden is ruined!"
"You'll just grow it all back in no time," replied Zack.
"You idiot!"
They all sat in their summer kitchen and ate fish stew. Their father's cooking was still poor. The soup had a faint orange color, was cold, and had no salt. The fish itself was undercooked. Hunter looked at it and thought, 'It looks like something vomited on the plate, died, and then collapsed onto it.'
"I, uh... gotta go wash my hands. Be here in a minute."
At this, Velvet grinned but was annoyed; Hunter had taken her idea straight from her mind. She couldn't escape from the fish stew, for the old man would get suspicious. Zack somehow enjoyed the food, while Dante seemed very eager to say something.
"So, have you brats gotten a job yet, or are you just going to eat away my money like scavengers?"
"I'm glad you asked, cause we've got ourselves a good job," Dante said.
"Well, what is it?"
"We're going to buy a kiosk," Velvet nearly choked. Zack was dumbfounded.
"We are?"
Dante stomped Zacks foot. "Oh, yeah, yes, of course, yeah, totally, yup."
"Well, at least something-" The rooster calls were heard, and Dante checked the watch. "It's 1 PM."
"Stupid birds, that's why I called you. They stopped laying their eggs. We have to do something about it," . They knew what was coming and groaned. "Don't pout! You have 5 minutes to get ready."
Their father began to wash the dishes while the three of them prepared. "When did the dumb kiosk idea get in your head?" asked Velvet.
"Simple, when we were driving here, I saw the kiosk for sale, and it was cheap, so why shouldn't we buy it?"
Velvet thought about it, while Zack said, "It's a dumb idea. You'll just sit around all day doing no- wait, that doesn't sound so bad."
"Of course, it doesn't. We'll be our own bosses. No one will be there to breathe down our necks. We won't be slaves to society, like Hunter said," Velvet giggled. "Alrighty then."
Meanwhile, Hunter was looking at the chickens in the cage, observing the way they walked and bobbed their heads. Occasionally, they would run, and he smiled at their funny run. "Never gets old." The bunny also came back and started to eat through the garden as if there was no tomorrow. The bunny hopped, ate a little, came to Hunter, touched his shoes with its nose, turned around, hopped, and continued to eat the cabbages. "You're so cute."
The rabbit was completely white and had red eyes. The cat was also there, staring at the chickens in the cage. Hunter lost track of time from looking at the animals. He did not notice his father sneaking up from behind, and like a ninja, he grabbed the rabbit by the ears. "Now you're going into the soup."
"Dad, wait! Don't! It's harmless."
"It destroyed my garden!"
"Oh, fuck your garden." His father was in shock once he heard the words. Hunter covered his mouth and walked backwards slowly.
"You little brat! I'm gonna-"
The rabbit freed itself from his grip and ran away. The old man was livid. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" He yelled at the rabbit and threw his shoe at it and missed. "Calm down, pops. We'll handle it." said Velvet.
"Oh, yes, you've really been 'handling' it."
" Y-you know, t-there's a humane way of getting rid of the rabbit. W-we can keep it as a pet," Hunter said sheepishly.
"The rabbit smells, he smells like your feet," Velvet smirked.
"They do not smell !" Then the cat sniffed his shoe and immediately turned away. "Oh, come on!"
"Enough shenanigans. We've got work to do. Hunter, you should step aside," said Dante.
'Work? I'm confused. What could they be doing that didn't involve me?'
Zack, Velvet, and Dante went into the chicken cage, picked up one of the chickens, pulled a knife, and sliced its head. Hunter felt sick seeing the lifeless head hit the ground. The other chickens panicked, almost as if they knew exactly what was happening. Several more heads hit the ground, and he turned away. He couldn't look at it; he felt sick. But why? He had seen so many people get killed in movies, in books, graphic scenes being described, and animals getting killed in nature documentaries. But there was something about seeing it in person and having a front-row seat at the carnage.
Night arrived, and their father, for once, cooked a good meal. Velvet put the chicken meat on the plate and handed it to Hunter. "Your favorite meat. Enjoy, lil bro." She kissed his head.
Hunter stared at the piece of meat; it was beautiful, perfectly cooked, and so appetizing. He took it, smelled it. Unlike the smelly chickens, the meat smelled heavenly.
He held back tears. He whispered, "I'm sorry," and began chewing the meat.
Chapter 14:Kiosk
Dante got the license for the kiosk after paying every tax that existed. He made a deal with a product company, and every 3 months, they would get supplies for them, a 50-50 split. The old kiosk was cheap, and it didn't cost too much money to buy it, merely a 10-minute walk from their house. The kiosk was old and small, but they didn't have the money to renew it. Inside there was a chair, a desk, the cash register behind it, two shelves with snacks, and in front, two refrigerators—one for drinks, the other stored with meat.
Hunter looked at the chicken meat and immediately looked away; a thought occurred to him to go vegan, but he failed to last even a day. He stopped eating chicken meat and moved to pork instead.
The siblings stocked the kiosk; the shelves were full. The kiosk was an ordinary one, nothing special about it, but they hoped that since it's the only one in the neighborhood and the other nearest was a 20-minute drive, that'll make people go to theirs first.
"Okay, now we need to decide the shifts. Since we just opened, we will all be here. We won't work tomorrow, which is Sunday, but starting Monday, we will determine the shifts and work 24/7," Dante announced, causing their eyes to widen.
"24/7? Are you mad?" said Hunter.
"No kiosk in town works non-stop."
"Exactly. We will be the only ones, and therefore, when inflation hits again, we won't have to change our prices, and the customers will flock here," Hunter understood but still didn't like it. Velvet liked the idea, while Zack picked his nose, staring at Dante. He was present physically, but mentally, he was somewhere else.
"We will figure out the shifts tomorrow. Now let's focus on our customers," Dante said, and they waited for what felt like an eternity. Hunter kept yawning, Velvet kept double-checking every food item to make sure they didn't get anything out of date, Zack played with the bubble wrapper, and Dante still awaited for the door to be opened.
"I think that um.... we made a mistake," said Hunter.
"Sush," said Velvet. Hunter's comment annoyed Dante, but also increased his anxiety. After a while, he took his eyes from the door and looked down, but then he saw a shadow on the door, a silhouette of a man. The doorknob moved, and inside stepped the man. Zack yelled enthusiastically, jumping like a child. Hunter was startled.
"Calm down, you monkey," said Dante, while Velvet gripped his shirt, but Zack was too strong. He lunged at the man and hugged him incredibly tight, continuing to yell, "our first customer! Our first customer!!" He was so happy, but Dante wasn't amused. He pulled Zack by his collar and pushed him to the back.
"Sorry about that, sir. What will it be?" The man ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Dante clenched his fist and turned to Zack. "You!"
"Me?"
"Don't play dumb. What the fuck was that!?"
"I was just happy," this infuriated Dante further. Then Hunter stepped in.
"You acted like a total dumbass. Are you trying to sabotage us?"
"No, I am not. I was happy. The man would've been too if only Dante didn't act like an ass. He scared him." Dante stormed right in front of Zack's face.
"What did you say!?"
Velvet didn't know how to respond; she didn't know whether to laugh or cry at them, but she decided she might as well intervene. She stepped forward. Dante pushed Zack, who in return accidentally stepped on Velvet's foot.
"AHHHH FUCK!" At that moment, an elderly lady entered the kiosk, saw what happened, and left.
"Goddammit!! Alright, everybody out. I will handle this myself. Out now!" yelled Dante. They all went out. As he walked, Hunter remembered that he forgot a candy bar he wanted to eat, so he returned.
"Hey Dante, I just wanted to ta-"
"OUT!" Hunter was startled and ran away.
In their house, the siblings played a card game, Tablić. Hunter and Velvet were both at 5-5 in total, while Zack had yet to win.
"Dante was a real asshole. He can't treat me like he did," said Hunter.
"He's just under a lot of stress."
"I don't care. There is no right for him to... y-yell at me like that. I'm not going to speak to him until he apologizes."
"He's not going to apologize, so just forget it. It's a minor incident." Hunter crossed his arms and looked away. Velvet won the round; Hunter conceded and was tired, while Zack was bored and started to pretend that the chair he was sitting on was a horse. Hunter and Velvet stared at him in disbelief and then laughed.
"You're a man trapped in the body of a boy"" yelled Velvet, while giggling. Zack did not care. As for Hunter, he was crying from laughter.
The door creaked, and Dante came home.
"So, how did it go, big bro?" Velvet said. Dante showed them the money. It wasn't a lot, quite under minimum wage, but it was still a great amount for the first day. The siblings smiled.
"Ohohoho, damn, we're off to a good start, eh?" Velvet grinned, and Zack extended his hand to Dante.
"What do you want?" asked Dante.
"Well, our share. We all get half, right?"
"Oh no, no, no," Dante chuckled.
"What do you mean?" Zack was dumbfounded.
"I worked for this money; you didn't. I am the one who keeps it."
"Oh, come on, man!"
Velvet waved her finger at Zack."Nope, middle bro. You caused the ruckus, and you're paying the price for it," she gave a mocking smile. Dante intervened.
"And who says you're getting anything?"
"Huh?"
"You didn't work either, and Hunter as well. I am the only one who gets this money. What you make on your shifts is what you will get. That's how it's going to be from now on." They couldn't believe it.
Hunter said,"But what if someone makes far less then the others? It doesn't sound fair."
"Tough luck."
"He's gone mad with power!" yelled Zack.
"Oh, shut the fuck up, idiot. I have kept this family from sinking for years while all you just munched off of me. Well, now you're all going to pull your own weight and earn what you make."
Velvet was devastated that Dante felt this way towards them.
"Dante, w-we didn't mean to be like that. We just-"
"Good night!" Dante left and slammed the door.
"Remember when I said he looked like the devil? Well, he's starting to act like one," said Hunter. Zack chuckled,
"Oh, shut up, both of you," Velvet rolled her eyes."