Chapter 13: Breaking Bonds

Before the infection, before Earth fell to it's knees, before cities crumbled in mass, there was life.

April 21, 2015

Atbash woke with a start, a cold sweat pouring down his forehead and soaking into his clean sheets.

The same nightmare had been plaguing his sleep almost every night for the past month. He couldn't remember what is was exactly, but it had something to do with Lindsay since he had woken up a few times saying her name.

"Fuck," was the only thing Atbash said as he looked over at his nightstand to see the green lights flashing on his clock reading 3:45am.

Atbash rubbed his face with his hands and sighed deeply, contemplating what to do. He sat up and threw his legs over the edge of the bed.

Using his right hand, he started rubbing the sleep out of his eyes since he didn't feel like falling asleep again. During this, he caught a glimpse of a framed picture on his nightstand.

Reaching across, Atbash looked sadly at the picture of a happy family of three with no father. KIA.

How long has it been?

Turning the frame over, he turned the locks to the side and released the picture.

The neat hand writing on the back of the picture simply read 'Lindsay's 9th Birthday! 8-17-2013.'

Hasn't even been two years yet…

Ever since her death, Lindsay had basically become Atbash's own daughter.

Being only in his mid-twenties, Atbash fought in court against his own grandparents over custody for Lindsay.

Only a few years fresh out of college, Atbash agreed to care for Lindsay just as he thought his mother would have wanted.

He wanted to watch her grow up and become her own woman. Not watch behind the closed curtains of his narcissistic grandparents that would probably make her live a boring life of exercise studying.

That was probably why his mother had grown up rebellious against her parents; stuck up old raisins with nothing to do but complain about what could've went wrong with their child.

In the end, the inevitable happened and Lindsay went to their grandparents. However, she didn't stay long since they died only a few days apart a month later. One from a heart attack the other from old age.

When custody over her was put back on the question, Atbash was the first and only member of their family to step forth.

Despite being deemed worthy of having the ability to care for a child, Atbash still had to pay for his student loans that put him in debt. On top of that were bills that had to be paid and the money he had to put aside to help get Lindsay into college.

As the harsh reality of life began to weigh down on his shoulders he began to try to find job above minimum wage to help him. However, even with his degree from college he still wasn't accepted into any decent jobs.

Atbash got off his bed and walked down the hallway to the kitchen. On the way, he peeked into Lindsay's bedroom and smiled when he saw her happily sleeping away. Blissful ignorance prevented her from realizing just how much danger she was put in because of him. It had been eating at him each and every day.

After making sure she was okay, Atbash moved onward to the kitchen and retrieved a crystal glass from a cupboard. The kitchens beautifully decorated interior gave away the fact that he was better set off than he should've been while only working two different minimum wage jobs and caring for a child.

Still, he hadn't been caught. And that's what worried him. If he hadn't been caught yet then he would be caught later with a possibly even bigger charge. He wanted out. He wanted out of this situation he somehow found himself in. He couldn't even remember how it had happened….it just did.

Atbash turned on the filtered-water faucet and filled his glass. He looked at the clear liquid for a few moments before throwing the water into the sink and snatching a bottle of whiskey from a cabinet and filling the glass with that instead.

He wanted to quit his third job, but he knew it wasn't that simple. He'd seen enough movies to know what happened to people who wanted out of illegal organizations. Against what he thought, he made it clear to a co-worker that he wanted to quit so he stay out of the authority's radar. It wasn't long after did the Kingpin, Regulus, want to meet him to discuss these affairs in person….'alone' as his co-worker had put it.

Atbash downed the glass quickly, coughing a little. Running a hand through his red hair, he made his way to a cabinet that held cheap china. After moving aside one of the walls he reached in and produced a small key.

Sighing, he stepped back and made his way to the far corner of the kitchen. He dropped to his knees and grabbed the loose tile that hid a small metal safe under the house. After unlocking it, Atbash made sure everything was in there.

Inside were a few bags of crystal meth, a large stash of money, an inactive C4 charge, a manual detonator, and an unregistered pistol.

It's surprising what you can get off the deep web.

Atbash stayed kneeling on the floor as his little sister's breathing made it to the kitchen from her room. Soft, slow, innocent.

April 21, 2015

8:10am

"You ready, you little monster?"

Lindsay nodded her head vigorously, "Mhm!"

She stood in front of Atbash with a pink Hello Kitty backpack on. Her red hair fell down to her back and seemed to have a faint shine to it in the sun.

Smiling, Atbash lowered himself to her level and tried fixing some stray hairs she had poking out, "Now remember, no beating up boys again," he looked seriously at her held a finger out, "Got it?"

Lindsay pursed her lips, "But he was being a big meanie."

"That's why there are teachers there. If you see something, you tell them."

Crossing her arms, Lindsay pouted, "Hmph."

Atbash still held his finger out, and put more emphasis on his next words, "Got it?"

"But they're bad people."

"And I understand that, but you leave those jackasses to the adults and they'll handle it so I won't have to be called in for another meeting on why you keep punching other kids."

Lindsay tilted her head slightly with a confused expression, "What's a jackass?"

Atbash paused for a second, slightly caught off guard, "Oh...umm. I'll uh….I'll tell you when you're older. Oh look, your bus is here."

As he started pushing Lindsay out the door she questioned, "Does that mean it's a bad word?"

"Just please don't say that at school." He grabbed her by the back of her collar and pulled her down the driveway, Lindsay's Heelys letting her roll with him.

Lindsay held a finger up as if making a point, "No promises."

"Yes to promises."

She held both her hands out as if showcasing an image, "I can see it now." Then she started impersonating her teacher and herself in a conversation, "What did you just say little missy? I don't know, but my brother said it once." She look into Atbash's unamused green eyes, "What do you think?"

"I think you're stupid and need help with that brain of yours."

Ahead, the yellow school bus stood waiting for kids to jump in. Atbash rolled Lindsay around til she faced him.

"Now, what are we not going to do today?"

Lindsay looked as if she was in deep thought, "Ummmm….something about not punching bullies?"

Atbash rolled his eye, "Sure, just answer my question with a question why don't you? And also, what are our standings on the word 'jackass'?"

Smiling smugly, she questioned again, "Jack-what?"

"That's my girl." Atbash rubbed the top of Lindsay's hair, messing it up and making his previous efforts to straighten it meaningless. "Now go. I don't wanna have to actually take you to school."

With a smirk of his own, Atbash nudged Lindsay towards the bus.

Just then, a police cruiser started passing by. The sight made him go rigid and start hyperventilating. He imagined himself being suppressed against the car while other cops pulled out the warrant to strip down his house and find his secret safe. There's was no doubt Lindsay would hate him if she ever found out what he'd done.

As the cruiser came in front of his house he could practically see himself going to prison for an innumerable amount of years. By the time he got out, Lindsay would already be grown up and a different person that he didn't get to see grow up. He wouldn't be able to live with himself. That's why he planned on ending it all tonight.

The cruiser passed on by and went out of sight. Atbash sighed in relief, and then looked back at Lindsay who was already stepping into the bus.

"Bye, Bashur!"

That was the nickname he went by with almost everyone he met because apparently 'Atbash' was a tad bit off. He would usually retaliate with how some people are named Light, Star or something else weird. But still, 'Bashur' won over 'Atbash'.

As the bus pulled away, Atbash waved goodbye to his sister that sat in the backseat.

His neighbor on the right was also waving bye to her own kid that was aboard the bus. Like every day, she caught sight of Atbash and said her usual 'Good morning'.

The woman was about Atbash's age. With a beautiful face, skinny figure, glistening eyes, and long, black hair she could've passed as a model. She leaned on the short fence that separated their properties and tried making small talk with him, "So how's your sister doing? She looked extremely happy yesterday. Did she punch another bully?"

Atbash rubbed his temple and sighed in defeat, "Another bully this week taken down by her. I don't know what I'm gonna do if she keeps getting herself in trouble."

The woman smiled sweetly, "Well that's a good thing. One less bully means one less person she has to punch. And one less person she has to punch means one less person she gets in trouble for."

"Ashley, I heard about five words from that and they all had something to do with you being happy that Lindsay was punching other kids." Atbash put his arms on the fence and started scratching at the paint.

Ashley put a hand to her chest and looked like she'd been accused of a crime, "I don't condone violence, but if it's to stop a bully then yeah, I agree. And you have to tell me you don't since we've had this talk about twenty times already."

Atbash held a hand out as if presenting Ashley, "Hey, you're the one that always brings it up."

Shrugging her shoulders, Ashley looked smug, "What can I say, it gets a conversation going."

God, she's just like Lindsay it's disturbing.

Atbash just swatted his hand forward as if to get rid of the subject hanging in the air. To change the subject, he asked, "Well, how's Joshua?"

Joshua was Ashley's kid. He was two years younger than Lindsay, meaning that Ashley would've been a teenager when she had him. When her parents had found out, they refused to an abortion and promised to help out with him. Ashley wasn't too keen on raising her own kid, but soon she realized how important she must've been to him as his mother, and stayed.

During Joshua's infant years, Ashley worked day and night while her parents took care of him. Ashley was able to have a sustainable job that helped paid for her bills, but that still wasn't enough to pay for Joshua. That's when the child support from her boyfriend, who wanted nothing to do with Joshua, came in after a needed DNA test.

Thankfully, even her parents still helped her out to that day, willing to babysit their grandson anytime they got.

Ashley smiled and put a hand to her cheek, "Joshua is doing just fine. He's been doing amazing on all his test, but he still doesn't like doing homework. He understands the material, but doesn't want to do it at home."

"Hehe, Lindsay's the exact opposite. She does her homework but bombs the tests. I'm really starting to think she's copying her friend's homework."

Atbash pushed away from the fence and waved at Ashley, "Well, I have work soon. I'll see you later."

Ashley raised her hand to say goodbye, but brought it down and blushed, "Oh um, Bashur?"

Atbash turned back around, knowing what was to come. "Yeah?"

Shifting on her feet, Ashley blushed as she asked, "My parents are picking up Joshua from school today so I wanted to know if you were doing anything tonight?"

There it was; the same question she asked him once a week now. Atbash had no idea why a girl like her could even think about asking out him. He wasn't even dressed properly for Christ's sake and his hair was a bird's nest. Either way, she must've saw something in him since she'd been nervous about dating ever since her only other boyfriend she ever had planted a baby inside her and ran away. So it wasn't like she was just going for any guy.

Atbash blushed as well. In any other circumstance he would've said yes on the spot. Dating a girl like her was something he'd dreamed of since college, but no other girl ever seemed interested. And now that girl like that liked him he couldn't allow it. He didn't want people getting too close to him because he didn't want anyone to somehow involve themselves in what he did. He didn't want them caught in the crossfire if it ever came.

Scratching the back of his head, Atbash sounded apologetic, "Shoot, you know what? I'm double shifting again so I won't be home til late. I'd love to go out somewhere with a friend, but I can't."

Each rejection hurt more than the last.

Ashley hid her disappointment and sadness behind a grin, "That's okay. I'll get you one of these days."

With that, she waved goodbye and walked back to her front door. Atbash stood for a moment longer on his front lawn before walking back to his house as well.

A crestfallen look occupied his face the longer he looked into the contents of the hidden safe.

8:26pm

After another day of working an exhausting number of hours, Atbash retired to his house and barged through his front door. The very plan he had in his head he'd been going over all day. He refused to die today and leave Lindsay all by herself.

If all went well then he'd be free of Regulus by tonight and only have to worry about being connected to the murder.

Step one was to find a car. He couldn't use his own or else he'd definitely be traced to the crime and put in prison. He couldn't rent one or he'd be traced that way too. He needed to steal a car, and do it stealthily so no one called the cops on him until he was done with it.

With the sun dropping down below the horizon, Atbash dressed in a black jacket and black jeans to stay hidden in the dark. Along with those, he wore black gloves so his fingerprints wouldn't be found anywhere. He got together the stuff he needed and took a breather in the living room. He took this time to call the babysitter he'd hired about a year ago to pick up and care for Lindsay after school.

"Hello?"

"Rom, I'm gonna be working really late tonight. So is it alright if Lindsay sleeps over at your house? I have a feeling I'll be here for a few more hours."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Bashur. And don't worry about Lindsay, she's having fun with Felt so I don't think she'll mind."

"Good deal. Can I speak to her right now?"

"Sure."

The sound of fumbling gave him the idea that Rom was moving through his house to find Lindsay.

If Atbash were to die tonight he at least wanted to say bye to Lindsay one last time.

"Hiya, Bashur!"

"Hey, munchkin."

"Rom said you won't pick me up. Why?"

"Oh, you know me, work." While talking, Atbash turned the C4 charge in his hands, playing with its rectangular shape. "I just wanted to say bye and good night to you."

"Oh, well, good night."

"Also, don't forget to brush your teeth and say thank you to Rom."

"Uhhhhhh, fine."

"No hitting people."

"Wha-?"

"Don't be late for the bus."

"Can't this wait until tomorrow?"

"And don't forget to-."

"I got it! Geez."

"Alright, fine."

"I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see ya'."

The call ended.

The moon was shining brightly on Atbash as he found an unlocked car.

"Sorry, man. But I need this more than you." Saying his silent apology, Atbash began to hotwire the car. Opening the panel under the steering wheel, he began stripping wires and connecting some. When the car lit up he put it in drive and started pushing the car down the driveway so it was out of the house's property. This was because when he started the car he hoped it wouldn't alarm the owners since it would sound farther away and they wouldn't think it was their own car.

Before starting the car, Atbash scooted under with the C4. Using the electric tape that he used earlier, he taped the charge on a pipe right next to the gas tank. That way it stayed hidden and it ensured a massive explosion. Then, Atbash started the car and was happy to see the gas gauge said the tank was a little over halfway full.

Not sure if it would go off, Atbash drove very carefully and avoided and bumps in the road. The last thing he wanted was to explode in the car that was already taking him to his probable death.

There were so many things he still wanted to do, but he was also still determined to do them. That's why he was doing what he was doing.

10:28pm

Atbash drove to the meeting destination; a vacant lot with overgrown dried up weeds and dry dirt patches covering it.

While he waited, he started to stray away from the car and kept his hand on the remote trigger in his jacket pocket. With no backup with him, he was left alone with only his wits and will to survive. As time passed, he was starting to hope Regulus wasn't coming.

From what he'd heard from his colleagues, Regulus was a somewhat nice person who wasn't one to be aggravated unless you wanted a bullet in your skull. Not many people had seen him face to face, and those who have usually end up dead. Those lucky enough to live were lucky enough to tell about their experience. However, none ever told of his appearance.

Just as he was thinking this, a black car pulled up into the lot and parked near him. A person opened the back door and stepped out, "Ah, good. I thought you wouldn't show up. It'd be a nuisance if you made me have to actually hunt for you. Some people have actually done that me. So rude they were. They had no understanding of how much of my time they wasted just by ditching me."

So, this is Regulus.

Atbash stared into Regulus's golden eyes, eyeing him up. Regulus seemed to have a color scheme to him; white. White pants, white suit, white tie, white hair, and white….ish skin. Other than that, nothing else stood out on him. He had an average face with an average body. He was just your typical, average drug lord with tons of money and tons of meth just waiting to be sold.

Two other men stepped out of the car; one from the driver's seat and the other from the passenger's side. Just looking at them, Atbash knew what they were there for.

Unintentionally, he cut off Regulus's monologue that he wasn't listening to, "I thought we were supposed to be alone?"

One of Regulus's eyes twitched, but he kept a calm composure and smiled painfully, "Ah, well, we are alone. These two are here for the sole purpose of protection. They'll be so quiet you won't even notice them. I imagine you can relate, considering the line of work you're in of course. Just walking down the street is a bother to me because I never know if I'll be detained and sent to prison for life then and there." Regulus held a finger up proudly, "But, my true identity is a secret. Only very few people know what I look like. And with a little….persuasion, I'm sure they won't tell anyone. So being caught is very unlikely for me. You, however, probably have to watch where you stepped because I'm sure countless people have already seen your face."

Then...

Atbash scrunched his face, "Then why are you letting me see your face? We don't know each other so there's no reason for you to trust me."

Inside, Atbash was yelling at himself to shut up. Why question the man that was deciding whether to kill him or not? What if he already made his decision?

Regulus looked amused. He chuckled and started patting one of the men on the shoulder while he went on another ramble, "Trust; noun, a belief in the reliability or strength of someone or something. Funny word that is, considering I don't trust anyone. My subordinates that know me are simply under my unrelenting control. I don't trust them one bit. So if I even hear a peep out of them that I don't like…" The two men pulled out silenced pistols. Regulus continued to smile, unfazed by this, "I kill them. It's the way of life, of course. I kill the weak that can't keep a secret, and then I live on. I feed off of the weak minded, making me stronger."

Even though the guns weren't pointed at him, Atbash knew what was coming and decided to call Regulus out on it. He wasn't trying to beg for mercy or try to make him see sense. He just wanted to collect enough courage to shoot his own gun. "I'm one of them, aren't I? You want to kill me."

Regulus shook his head with desperation, "Nononononono that's not it at all….actually," Regulus put a finger to his lips, "...maybe it is. I honestly haven't thought about it that much. I'm just trying to secure my spot on the top and anyone who has the ability to ruin all of it that I believe are weak are removed from the system. This, of course, is not something I want to do. I would rather avoid the conflict and allow some sort of way to do it outside of business. However, as fate has it, everything must come to an end. And I personally refuse to be a part of that. You, however, know too much." Regulus put a hand to his temple and rubbed it, as if he was having a headache, "Your job was so simple; get the product from me, sell it, and give me the higher percentage of the profit. It's so simple I don't understand why you would leave. The amount of money you've probably collected within just one year has probably tripled twice already."

Atbash started to feel the air get tenser, and started reaching into his back pocket.

Meanwhile, Regulus continued, "But like I said before; you know too much. You know the people that provide my drug to you, you know my other sellers, but worst of all, you now know me. So, and I'm sorry about this, you must be removed from the operation if you wish to leave."

The men lifted their guns and pointed them at Atbash. At the same time, he pulled out his pistol.

Atbash didn't want to die. He stupidly expected Regulus to keep his word and show up alone. He didn't expect to encounter two other men to be pointing guns at him. If he shot Regulus, there was no doubt he'd be gunned down before he could think about relief. But if he shot at the other men then the other would just shoot him as well.

Why didn't I buy a bulletproof vest? Damn it!

Luckily, he still had the trick up his sleeve that he wanted to save for an extreme emergency, and this seemed like an appropriate time.

His raised hand shaking, Atbash yelled at Regulus. He thought of everyone he knew, and how much he must've let them down just by being here. No one knew what he did but he was pretty sure if they found out they would resent him. He could handle that from his other relatives that never spoke to him anyway. However, if Lindsay ever found out he would hate himself forever. The government would remove her from his care and send her if to either her aunts and u clear that didn't give a shit about her or to an orphanage that she has said would be miserable in.

No.

Regulus actually laughed for a good few seconds when Atbash pulled the gun out.

"And just what do you plan on doing with that?! You can't honestly thi-!"

Once again, Atbash interrupted Regulus with newfound fury, "I'm planning on getting back my freedom! What you've turned me into is something I always looked on as demeaning and disgusting. Selling shit to shit people for money! All the while, I stress whether or not I'll be caught and taken away from my sister! So you can't look at me and think I'll just stand down to your men and get shot down like a dog! I refuse to let you corrupt me any longer! I just want my normal life back again! I'd rather live a happy life with my sister even if we were poor! That's why I'm here in the first place!"

Regulus smiled, much to Atbash's dislike. Regulus stepped from behind his men and rose a hand, a signal to have them lower their weapons.

He approached Atbash slowly, pinching the bridge of his nose and saying with disappointment, "Bashur Bashur Bashur….you just couldn't make this that much more complicated, could you?" He came closer. "I had a plan, a plan bigger than you could ever imagine. You know, I started this….let's call it a business. I started this business not too long ago, maybe three years."

Atbash kept the gun pointed at Regulus's heart.

"And all that time, I struggled just like you. But I started getting smarter. I started making connections and deals with people I'd never thought of meeting in my life. And it was going good for a long while, things couldn't have gone any better. I've gone through so much, killed so many people who thought were smarter than me, I started an empire from the ground up and protected it with my own two hands." Regulus stepped right in front of Atbash and pressed his chest onto the gun's barrel. "I am a god, At-bash. You think you can destroy what I've created with just one gun?"

Atbash stared into Regulus's dangerous eyes and then sighed in defeat, "No."

He lowered his gun, but then brought out a detonator with his other hand. "But will a bomb do it?"

Regulus's smile disappeared as Atbash's formed. The stolen car exploded into a ball of fire that sent it jumping into the air a short distance. The sudden disturbance distracted the two men and Regulus momentarily, allowing Atbash to swing his gun and knock down Regulus, hopefully knocking him out.

Without thinking of whether or not he was going to kill the other men, Atbash shot off five rounds towards them. The man in the right got one to his stomach and leg while the other had one in his shoulder and in his hip. Both of them fell to their backs and laid there, bleeding.

Quickly, Atbash ran to the closest of the two. There was no time to celebrate, he needed a quick escape. He pointed the gun at the man's head and yelled urgently, "Keys! Now!"

The man tried hard not to show pain, but he gave it away when he had to shift and reach the keys from his pocket, making him winch. Atbash snatched the keys and ran to the black car.

Fumbling with the keys, Atbash picked out the right one and unlocked the door. Just as he was about to open it, the reflective glass showed something approaching fast. Atbash dashed to the side as Regulus slammed his fist straight through the car window, shattering it completely.

Atbash stepped back with utter shock as Regulus removed his arm from the window opening, showing that he had brass knuckles on.

"Just couldn't take it, could you, Bashur! Just had to get in my way and make this hard for the both of us!" In a flashy movement, Regulus removed and opened a butterfly knife from his pocket. "You have no right to destroy what I've created. And I'll make sure they won't find a single part of you to bury!"

Regulus swiped at Atbash with his knife, but Atbash jumped back and just barely got his jacket cut.

With only a few boxing lessons, Atbash wasn't too sure on how he'd fare in a real fight to the death. All he was able to do now was dodge each and every attack Regulus threw his way.

At one point, Atbash thought Regulus was going for a punch, so he raised his arms to block it. However, Regulus quickly changed his momentum and swiped with the knife, making a shallow cut in a Atbash's arms.

As Regulus kept advancing on Atbash, he yelled with fury, "Just stand still and die!" He finally landed a brass knuckled punch on Atbash's stomach and sent him stumbling back in pain. Atbash fell to a knee and clutched at his belly, he had felt the metal cut his skin.

Regulus swung his from below, aiming to stab into Atbash's throat. But Atbash rolled to the side and got back up to meet his attacker. The raging fire behind Atbash started to spread, burning the patches of dead weeds and grass.

Seeing him dodge his attack made Regulus scoff, "You just don't want to die with dignity, do you?!" As the fire spread, Regulus continued his screams of hatred, "I gave you a chance to make a name for yourself! You could've been great! Side by side, we could've ruled this city. Police under our control, gangs ready at a word, anything! But you just had to choose your own life over what's greater! How selfish! I don't think I've ever met anyone as selfish as you! I fight! I win! I overcome! I brought myself to what I am now and I'm proud of it!"

Atbash readied his fists; Lindsay and Ashley on his mind, "You want to live that life?" He taunted Regulus with a 'come hither' hand gesture. "You can experience it in hell."

Faster than he could even comprehend, Atbash found Regulus suddenly in front of him. He turned his head just in time for Regulus to swipe his knife up and deeply cut into his right cheek. Within the same motion, Regulus pulled his arm back and punched Atbash in the stomach. A flurry of punches covered his entire midsection until they sent him falling close to the burning car. Atbash spit out bloody saliva.

In the distance, the wailing of police sirens and ambulances cut through the night sky.

Atbash rolled onto his belly and got to his knees. Exhaustion and pain was already to overcoming him as the raging fire in front started heating up his skin and clothing to an uncomfortable state. To put it short, he was starting to give up. Regulus was clearly an experienced fighter with far more skill. There was clearly no way of winning this with hand-to-hand combat. If he could just get a gun...

Before Atbash could slowly get to his feet, Regulus held his head and put the knife to his neck. Even though Atbash couldn't see him, he could hear the hateful venom spew from his lips.

"Isn't it great, Bashur, to see all your hard work come burning down in a blaze of glory? And you came so close too. I never thought I'd get to say this, but I had fun. Too bad it has to come to an end so quickly." Atbash waited for the blade to rip across his exposed flesh. However, he felt Regulus remove the knife that had already started to bite into his flesh. Then, he heard Regulus say happily, "No… Why end the fun here when it's just begun? Come on! I wanna enjoy every second of this before the cops come! That way all they find is your burning, screaming body withering in the fire!"

Upon screaming this, Regulus grabbed Atbash and threw him closer to the burning metal that was the car. The heat intensified to the point the he couldn't handle it. To make it worse, Regulus put a hand behind his neck and started pushing his face closer to the burning fire. Regulus was too strong for him.

Now more desperate than ever, Atbash held his gloved hands against the burning, twisted metal. It quickly melted through the gloves and started burning his palms. With each second, his face came closer and closer to the fire until he started smelling his own hair start to burn.

Atbash kept blushing and pushing against the metal, yelling out in pain as he did so, "AAAAHHHHHHH!" He could feel his skin fusing into the metal. He experienced so much pain he almost fainted."

In a fluid motion, he released one hand and swung it back, hitting Regulus square in the face. When Regulus lost his strength in his grip, Atbash reached into the fire and quickly grabbed a long piece of burning metal.

Screaming in anguish and pain still, he released himself from Regulus and hit him across the face with the red hot pipe. Of course, Regulus's body went with the momentum and he fell to his side with a yell of frustration. Atbash removed his gloves quickly because the plastic was still burning him.

At that point, police cars, fire trucks, and ambulances had already arrived at the edge of the lot. The only reason they stayed back was because of the fire that was still spreading across the open area, cutting them off.

Without wasting a single second, Atbash rushed to one of the already unconscious men and took the gun from their hands, his own a bloody mess.

Regulus got up to his feet and located Atbash. With fury, he threw his knife at him; barely missing. He took to charging him.

Atbash raised the gun and watched as Regulus came closer.

"Go to hell you fucking bitch."

Atbash pulled the trigger.

A spray of red flew from Regulus's chest.

Regulus fell to his knees and looked at Atbash with utter hatred. To Atbash's shock, Regulus got to his feet and started charging him again.

Three more holes formed in Regulus's suit, the same liquid staining it red. Regulus finally gave up the chase on the third bullet and slowed down to a stumble, clutching his red chest that hurt so much. It was then that Regulus finally fell back and laid motionless on the ground, a small smile on his lips.

It was over.

However, there was no time to celebrate. Throwing the gun away, Atbash ran to the black car and found the keys on the floor. Just as the firefighters were starting to douse the steam with water Atbash started the car and drove off in a different direction.

It wasn't until he was four blocks away with a cop on his tail did he realize; the gun. The gun he had used on Regulus had his prints on it. He had taken off his gloves and then used the gun. Then he threw it to the fucking ground, a vital piece of evidence against him. There was no way it would burn in the fire. The firefighters would stop it before it became too big.

Slamming his hands against the steering wheel, he couldn't help but yell out every vulgar word imaginable as he realized his life was more fucked than it had ever been.

It was truly over.

Murder, grand theft auto, illegal marketing, possible drug abuse….

There were so many charges on his head. He couldn't just shake the cop and go home. He knew now he had no home.

The cops would probably go to his house first, ask Ashley if she knew his whereabouts, they would tell her everything, she would hate him, then the cops would find their way to Lindsay and repeat the same process. The only two people he truly cared about would hate him forever.

Getting onto the freeway, Atbash swerved around countless cars, trying to shake off the cop that started to lag behind.

Taking out his phone, Atbash knew he had to get rid of it. But first…

Bzzzz bzzzz bzzzz bzzzz

Ashley looked away from the TV. The caller ID on her phone read 'Bashur' so she immediately answered without hesitation.

Her melodic voice rang out happily, "Hi, Bashur! Still at work?"

On the phone, Atbash sounded frantic and scared, "No, I'm not. I'm sorry, Ashley, I lied."

If anything he could've replied with, Ashley didn't expect this. Her cheerful tone was replaced by a more sad, lonely one, "What? Why would you do that? Why-why do I hear sirens?"

"Listen, Ashley, please! I can't go back home! Not for a long, long time! I need to ask you a favor!"

Ashely didn't exactly know how to respond, "Wha-? Bashur, you're not making sense."

"I know I'm not, but I don't have much time. Please, Ashley, I need you!"

She didn't know what was happening, but she cared about Atbash and wanted to know what his favor was. At least then it would give a clue.

"Okay, what is it?"

"I need you to take care of Lindsay for me!"

"What?!" This was surely surprising.

"Ashley, cops are gonna tell you about me. They're gonna say some pretty bad things, but please know I did what I had to. Lindsay was in danger so I had to protect her. You're the only one I trust to help her."

The idea of cops chasing Atbash made her mind go wild with different possibilities, "Wh-what sort of things will the cops tell me, Bashur?"

"A lot of things."

"Bash-?"

"Just please promise me you'll take care of her! She has nowhere else to go, Ashley! I wouldn't be able to live with myself if she grew up away from family."

"Famil-?"

"Please, Ashley."

Ashley shut her eyes. This was a decision that would probably change her life forever. She had started off with one surprise kid, and now Atbash was asking her to take in another, just like that.

Hearing the police sirens and the scared tone in Atbash's voice, Ashley made her decision.

"I promise."

One thing was for sure to him, Lindsay had a new home.

"Ma'am, were with the Bakersfield Police department, do you mind answering us some questions?"

"Um...alright."

"The resident of the house to your left, Atbash Cifra, was recently involved in a violent crime. As of now, he is on the run."

"Oh my god."

"Now, apparently you had a somewhat relationship with him according to your other neighbors."

"I wouldn't really call it a relationship. More like a-."

"Ma'am, could you tell us where Mr. Cifra is?"

"... I'm sorry, I don't know where he went."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, ma'am. Well? Have a good rest of your day."

"Wait! What happened? What did Bashu-Atbash do?"

"Multiple cases of grand theft auto, drug trafficking, and three attempted murders. There's more, but that's the gist of it. Bastard's lucky no one died."

April 26, 2015

4:01am

As the city crumbled and burned, Atbash went around LA, searching for something to take him away. He needed a car, and fast. He needed to go back and make sure Lindsay and Ashley were alright in this hell.

Equipped with an empty gun, he went around trying to find a car that wasn't already broken or filled with walkers who were biting into the flesh of the unlucky ones. Seeing one bite a chunk out of a man's arm made him almost vomit.

Just when he was about to give up and hide in a building, he spotted a car. Not just any one. This one was on and free of any walkers. However, normal people were in there and if he'd learned anything in this apocalypse within the first ten minutes it was that you couldn't trust anyone.

Pulling his skull bandana over his face, Atbash made his way towards the car.

AN: I imagine most of you know what my inspiration was behind this story.