Syd Lastern
Xibalba, the Place of Fears. Had a good ring to it, and none of it false.
Syd had always questioned how this little corner of hell had decided to be called something so foreign. He heard once that it was based off some version of Hell by the Mayans or something, but it mattered not: After dark, he who didn't know the town, didn't leave. It was a simple rule that most of its inhabitants of drug lords, smugglers and racketeers, followed by strongly. Basically put, you either eat or be eaten. Though cannibalism was frowned upon, even in the darkest corners of New Ithica.
The rain was starting to piss Syd off. He hated storms, how they always made the mood somber and uninteresting. Especially if it brought thunder. Damn that cursed loud booming noise created by the crack of lightning, it made him crawl out of his skin every time. The Deck always called him a pansy about it, making fun of Syd as he grabbed some ear plugs when a thunderstorm started. Their minds changed real quick when Syd would threaten to kick them out of the Network, that usually shut them bastards right up. However, Syd was stuck having to do a beer run, which was obvious by the cases he carried. Normally Syd didn't care much for the stuff - he preferred mixing himself something, but the guys were thirsty, and that damn Newby drank like a fricking sailor. Even if he was the King, he still had to take his turn: Didn't want people thinking he couldn't handle a damn beer run. He also took the oppertunity to scope out the area, making sure nobody suspicious was just chilling in the night. Sure, there were lots of suspicious people in Xibalba, but Syd knew most of those guys. What he was looking for were people that didn't fit into the scandalous norm, like undercover cops that had no damn clue what they were doing, or lost strays that made a wrong turn. Syd always felt a little of sympathy for those people, and usually directed them straight out of the Place of Fears. Less people to worry about, the better.
He had also gotten some groceries, if you could call them that, for when he went home for the night. If I even get to go home tonight. Syd grumbled at the terrible memory of last night, when one of his men was compromised and he had to go save his ass. Needless to say, that guy wouldn't be getting another job with the Network. Ever.
As he rounded the corner, he noticed the backs of 3 men that looked awfully familiar. He stared at the side of the one man's face long enough and realized who they were: He recognized those guys as that rapist group that moved in a few months before. He met them when they caught an unfortunate girl who had been passing by, and paid him off to keep him silent. Syd usually hated being told what to do by people that didn't know the ropes of Xibalba, but they paid enough for him to dismiss the thought. He hadn't slept well that night, and felt as if the poor girls screams were keeping him awake. He blinked, and the memory faded. Hopefully he didn't see what they were doing this time, as he really wanted to sleep well for once, if that was even possible anymore. However, that didn't seem to be the case for Syd, as he was about 20 feet away when he heard a scream.
SOMEONE! PLEASE HELP ME!! Syd sighed in frustration. He wouldn't be sleeping tonight if he just continued walking by. That girl's screams would keep him up, though he never admitted that to anybody. His poker face was nearly flawless, and he wasn't going to give that up just because he couldn't sleep much anymore. The rain continued to hit the top of his already wet head, running down his large collar and onto his neck, chilling him slightly. He was glad he hadn't worn his Converse shoes, since all the rain would have wrecked them by now. His boots continued to clomp in the rain as he approached the alleyway, and he was faced with a decision. Clomp, Clomp, Clomp His feet went, keeping a steady rhythm as he weighed his options: Either walk past and not sleep tonight, or intervene, hopefully get a good sleep and have to deal with this girl. Clomp, Clomp, Clomp
He approached the man at the back, and dropped the items in his hands. With a sigh of boredom, he quickly cocked his pistol and aimed it at the last man's head, and spoke in a bored voice. "Look fellas. Not tonight, alright? I want to sleep a little. So run along now." The guy with the gun to his head jumped a little, and the men turned to him slowly. With their large statures, they could probably snap him in half, and they knew it. The guy who played the 'leader' began to laugh at him.
Until he pulled the trigger on the man he was aiming at. They stared at him, and he said one last thing before aiming it at the leader "I'm not asking again. We of the Deck don't take kindly to people who don't listen. So eff off." And they took off into the night, and he watched them run. When they had left, he actually looked at the body first, and muttered "Man, this guy isn't gunna be an easy one to get rid of..."