Raze Down

CHAPTER 4 – III

Geryman stood at the edge of a darkened alley, watching Urissa’s apartment building from across the street. It was the middle of the night. Augustina had his men staking out the residence for the past few weeks and one of them saw a woman enter the building followed by lights igniting in her unit. They knew the woman was not Urissa, but they didn’t know who she was. Geryman was alerted and arrived at the scene as fast as he could. He knew it could have been anyone, friend or foe. But if it were Carenf who walked up, then the building was burning down. How would Glendan react? That was a matter for another time. Presently, he had to grab his lighter.

Geryman did not want innocent life to perish so he instructed the goons under his command to go door to door with a myriad of cockamamie excuses to evacuate the rest of the building. What if the woman was just a concerned friend? In his enraged state, Geryman was willing to take that risk.

It only took minutes for the whole building to light up. It took a bit longer for the neighboring buildings to go up in flames. The smoke and cries for help gave the inhabitants enough time to evacuate. There was only one person on the block who was unaccounted for. The mystery of her identity was soon revealed when Mr. Bumgile arrived at the scene. He took an accounting of the spectators on the street and realized immediately that his beloved sister had not made it out in time. It was Ms. Bumgile who had entered the building, first to look for her adopted-daughter, and then to look for clues as to her whereabouts. She was a worried mother.

Geryman ran up to the bereaved Mr. Bumgile, guilt in his eyes. The Father instantly knew what had occurred, knowing where everyone’s allegiances in this escalating conflict had fallen. Geryman tried to speak; no words came. He wanted to feel remorse; he tried in vain.

(Mr. Bumgile)
We always knew this day might come
There was something that set you apart
Even now, there is no grief in your eyes
No sign of a heart
We tried; God knows we tried
Our love for you three was no lie
And now we’re fucked
…
I wish your brother and sister luck

As their eyes held, his heart let go. Mr. Bumgile’s body fell limp on the sidewalk. Once again, the three siblings would have found themselves orphaned if they weren’t all too old to be orphaned.

Among the crowded scene of onlookers stood one of Urissa’s friends, Janifer Pompea. It was Urissa’s brother who was responsible for killing the only people she had known as parents! Janifer departed to disseminate that message. Meanwhile, Geryman’s thoughts could only focus on one thing: if Carenf wasn’t in the building, then where was she?

The Devil wears us like pants
Never had we a chance
Battle free of your demons, your mage
Show the world the hell in which you’re caged