Insanity Chapter 13 (Patreon)

“Malik, what do I owe this displeasure?” Domenic asked from behind the counter.

“I swear that I wouldn’t have come back here if it wasn’t important,” Malik said back to him.

“Is it to apologize for cheating on me?” Domenic asked with a dark tone.

“I’ve apologized time and time again for what happened, but you never listen,” Malik said back to him in protest. I didn’t cheat on you; she kissed me first. There was nothing I could do about it. I tried to push her away faster, but it was as if she knew that you’d be watching. She set me up.”

“Of course, that’s what you said last time, but there were still rumors running around you two,” Domenic said to him, not convinced.

“I was only hanging around her to figure out what to get you for our anniversary. I never had feelings for her to begin with. My heart was always true to you, but I guess that wasn’t the same for you.”

“Malik, I didn’t know that you still felt that way about me,” Domenic said back to him, surprised.

“Um, I don’t mean to interrupt whatever this is, but there is something that we need from you,” I said, trying to break up their moment.

“Oh my, apologizes,” Domenic said, acknowledging my presence. “And who might you be?” I could hear a bit of malice when he asked that, causing a chill to run down my spine.

“He’s my younger brother,” Malik said before another misunderstanding could ensue. “He was taken in by Xavier just like I was. We came here because he needs your help.

“Wow, to think that I would see the day when Malik of all people asks for a favor for someone other than himself,” Domenic said in a somewhat mocking tone. “I guess for this great event. I’ll make an exception and help you. So what do you need, hon?”

“I need any information that you can give me on this person,” I said, handing him the paper with all the information we had for the job on it.

“Hmm, let me see,” Domenic said, looking at the paper. “Alec Demos, a resident in the upper levels of Trex. Why do you want to know about him?”

“He has something related to do with my brother,” I said to him, explaining our robbery to him.

“Really, Malik, still playing common thief,” Domenic said in a disappointing tone. “It would be best for you to stop doing that line of work; it isn’t as profitable as you think. Perhaps one day you’ll understand that and work for me.”

“We’ll see about that,” Malik said. “For now, just tell us what you know at the moment; we can worry about the larger details later.”

“If that’s really what you wanted, I’ll tell you what I know, but you won’t like it,” Domenic said, motioning for us to sit down. “Alex Demos is a well-known alchemist in the upper levels for years he spent innovating his craft. His progress was remarkable. No one even thought that such progress came so easily to him.”

“What they didn’t know was that he go his fast-paced progress by experimenting with actual people, which has been outlawed for the past three decades. Rumors had it that he did his experiments in the slums and lower levels. The results of the experiments are unknown. The only other thing that I can say for certain about him is that he visited a house in the lower levels a lot that wasn’t owned by him.”

“What makes this relevant to you is that this was also a house that Xavier visited a lot in the past as well. Though one day, the couple that was living in that house with their two children was murdered in cold blood right in front of their kids. Xavier saved the kids and took them with him, but their fates are still uncertain,” he said, looking at me, obviously realizing that what he just said was about my family.

“So you’re saying that Xavier and this Alec Demos guy are connected somehow?” I asked him. “But what does that have to do with my brother?”

“I’m pretty sure that you can already piece together the information that I gave you,” Domenic said to me, cradling the air in front of him.

“No…no…it can’t be! There is no way!” I yelled at him, standing straight up. “I would have remembered if something like that happened! I would have… the man in the cloak. When I was a child, before she was pregnant with Cal, a man in a cloak would show up from time to time. I can’t remember much, but that much is clear.”

“But what does that have to do with anything now?” I asked him.

“You made contact with him, and he saw the two of you. Odds are he could have remembered who you were from back then, or perhaps one of you looks more so like your mother,” he said to me.

“Why is Xavier hiding this from me?” I asked the two of them, “Why not tell me? Why keep me in the dark when this has to do with our parents?”

“I’m afraid that I can’t say,” Domenic said back to me. “Xavier keeps most of his secrets well hidden. It is usually impossible to find out what he is hiding.”

“That’s fine. I just need you to tell help me out with one more thing,” I said to him.

“And what would that be?” Domenic asked. I was grateful that he was so willing to help, but at the same time, I just wanted to leave as fast as possible.

“I need to find my brother, Xavier has him and our sister Jessica locked up in a safe house after what happened today. I still don’t understand why he took them away, and I want to get them back.

“That information is quite easy for me since he isn’t using one of his own safe houses, but he is using one of Gerald’s safehouses,” Domenic said to us. “You’re in luck since I know which one he is at.”

“How can you be sure?” I asked him. They were only recently taken. I was expecting a few days at least before information could be gathered about their location.

“Well, you’re not the first one to come down here looking for them,” Domenic said to our surprise.

“Who is it?” Malik asked him.

“Sorry, even as a favor, I cannot give you the name of a paying client, no matter who you are,” Domenic said to our disappointment. “Though that doesn’t mean that I can’t bring you two them,” he said, standing up before writing something on a piece of paper and then placing it into a container and putting it into a mailing tube and sending it off.

“I have some guess that will escort us over there, follow me,” he said, leading us out the back door. From there, Domenic leads us through the back alleyways. I kept my distances so that the two love birds could talk and make up, and based on the smiles on their faces currently, they were doing alright. I didn’t know what they were talking about, and I decided not to care, hoping that it was just their personal business.

I personally had never gone this far into the slums before, and it was terrible. The streets were not only covered with trash but, I believe, several bodies as well. The smell was much worse from where we came from, and it was hard to believe that there were areas of the slums that were worse off than my own.

“We’re here,” Domenic said to us as we reached what looked like a pier. Though the water was anything but clear, hell, I would have settled for murky, but it straight up booked like green sludge.

“Ugh, what the hell is this pace?” I asked him. “I never even knew that this pier existed. I know that the upper levels have one, but it’s on the complete opposite side.

“This is the slums smuggling pier. Must of the stuff we trade with down here comes from here,” Domenic said, pointing to the ships. “The water around this area is covered in slugged thanks to the upper levels, but we have found multiple different ways of getting past that. I bet you’ve never even been out of Trex before, have you?”

“No,” I said back to him. “What does this have to do with finding my brother?”

“Nothing really,” he said to me casually, as I felt like something was off with this whole thing. “I was just wondering if you would ever like to see the clear blue sky and clear blue ocean?”

“I guess, but that’s not the point,” I said to him, starting to get ticked off. “Just tell me where my brother is, or I’m leaving.”

“I do believe that you mean to say sister, don’t you,” Domenic said to my surprise. “I’m sorry about this, hon, but you are messing with things that you shouldn’t. I really hoped that we could have been friends, but it would seem that is not what fate has in store for us. The same came to be said about us,” he said, turning to Malik.

“Domenic, what’s going on?” Malik asked as a hoard of men started to form around us.

“I’m sorry, I really am, but I moved on sweety,” he said as a shirtless man twice his size came up from behind him, giving him a deep kiss to showcase their love for one another. “This is Eric, my new boy toy; I’m mean boyfriend. You’re washed up and used, sweety. No one wants you anymore,” he said to Malik.

“What are you doing!? “I yelled at him.

“You two asked about the one person that you shouldn’t have Domenic said back to us. “He is far too dangerous than you realize. You should be grateful that I summed down what he had done as experiments. He is a brutal monster, and you four became his targets. I can’t have my business destroyed because of you two now, can I?”

“Getting you two away from her and informing him the true location of your sister should make him leave us alone, and besides, this wounds Xavier as well. His hold over the slums is coming to an end. Getting rid of his precious children should teach him a lesson.”

“Like I’d let yo-“

WHACK! THWACK! WHACK!

The men around us began to attack us, and thanks to their greater number, they easily made it so that we didn’t escape.

“Careful now,” Domenic said to the men. Our buyers love to look at young men like them, so make sure that you avoid hitting their faces. Other than that, have at it,” he said as the men continued to attack us until we passed out.