3 Chains of the Past

I

It was quarter past noon when he woke, he got up and dragged his feet towards the yellowish refrigerator. He paused in front of the hanging mirror and looked at his unshaven face. He opened the fridge to see what could serve him as breakfast, and he chuckled a bit for how lucky he felt; a bottle of cold water and a large, unopened instant chili-hot noodles with red and black fonts; large, fat scribbles of Chinese or Korean letters, what the hell he doesn't know, these edgy foreign letters looked the same. He grabbed both and heated the noodles in the microwave and grabbed from the hanging cabinet an unfinished bread from two days ago.

After having finished his glorious breakfast, he tied his hair into a ponytail and left the table, not bothering to move his dishes to the sink. He put on his ragged denims(which he wore for five days straight without seeing it to laundry),fresh socks and inserted his feet in his black, timberland boots. He wore his hooded black shirt then topped it with a nice gray reaver jacket that hangs until just before his knees. He got out the apartment he rented from, scratched his sideburns and slipped himself inside his car, then drove off. His car was a black Mazda 3 sky active, which looked slick and handsome both inside and out. The only thing he owned and cleaned thoroughly. after all it was his only source of salary, thank god for those mobile applications, anyone could be a portable cab driver, as long as you know how to drive and owned a car, you won't starve, he thought. It was also, the only thing he bought with his years of toiling at work, Fuck jobs with punchable bosses. After biting his boss' ear clean off his head, he was sent home with bad evaluations and a commendation to never come back.

"So kissing an old man's steamy and hairy ass, letting him pour his slimy shit on you was good and normal?" so, he gladly went home.

He tried everything to fit into society, the norm, as they called it. Sometimes, he couldn't begin to understand why he struggled to live a normal, and decent life when he knew the "normal" was just an illusion compared to how he lived in the past, which was more real than everything there ever was. The past which most people condemn as children's stories. Truth is always stranger than fiction and he proved it too true, in fact.

II

He got out the car and made his way into the club "Reagan Valley" it was called, it was still closed and staffs are cleaning to make accommodations for party goers when the night comes. Two girls around their twenties were mopping floors and one man with messy blonde hair was wiping glasses at the bar. From the looks of his face he hadn't a proper sleep the previous night and didn't even bother to look at who entered despite knowing it was still closed. Samuel chuckled while looking at him. He looked at both of the girls: examining the nearest him, making out her curves beneath the loose garments of a house keeper; she was wide in the ass, curvy and pushing against the loose fabric, her breasts just a tip below being large, 34 B he presumed. Her waist, outlined by a thin black strip of cloth as a belt that held her thick apron. He rolled his eyes up; what a beautiful neck he thought, slender and thin, the only thing that's exposed, and a small young face. Twenty two... probably not over twenty three yet, he surmised. He imagined her nakedness beneath all those clothes. So mysterious with all the coverings, like a pearl hidden in layers of cloth only to be seen if one is lustful and greedy enough, and he is both and more. The thought tightened his crotch, his breath catching; he forced his eyes away and moved towards the twin doors exiting the club into a more private chamber.

III

"I have bad news, Sam." said Atheros, not looking at Samuel when he entered. His brown eyes looked gaunt but not sleepy. He was wearing a simple white shirt and denims, his tattoos peeking out of his shirt, his silver hair combed slick to the back; complimenting his angelic face, smooth and impossible for a beard to grow.

Samuel frowned. "First thing in the morning and this is what the day slapped me." He said to himself bitterly, the heat of lust fading.

He sat himself at the worn couch and looked at the standing Atheros. His skin seemed to be whiter than the last they saw each other, his chest pressing against his shirt and seemed to appear larger on white, lean and muscular pale arms at his sides lined with bulging veins. He noticed that the only colored part about the man aside his brown eyes, was the chain tattoos on both his wrists. He looked intimidating with his muscular neck looking down on Samuel seated at his couch.

"What is it this time? Another check bounced? Come on man I'm just a bit short this week." Samuel said glumly while scratching his left sideburn.

"When will you ever settle? You have a child, you know." Atheros said.

Samuel leaned against the couch and draped both his arms around it."Thought I would to when my son was born, but years passed by so quickly that I still couldn't stay in one place." He answered sadly.

Atheros seated himself and crossed his fingers. "That is why she broke up with you, has she filed for divorce yet?"

"No, I guess she's undecided about the matter like me. She hated me, and I to her, but somehow I hope there would be a chance to mend it, maybe she feels the same way."

Atheros shook his head slightly. "I hope you two will get along with time, people can't help what they are, Sam. Going against your nature, is betrayal within yourself, you'll just pretend your whole life."

"Yeah, but my nature couldn't stay put, now eh?" Samuel asked, foolishly grinning.

"You mean your dick." Atheros said coldly.

Samuel dropped his hands on his knees and leaned in."Will you loan me or what? Being a cab driver is cheap, mind. I don't' get money like I used to, man."

Atheros sighed and closed his eyes. Then he opened them and grabbed the newspaper below the desk. "Take a look."

"What's this?" asked Samuel glumly. He frowned as he red the front page.

Woman brutally mutilated, all organs missing. He uttered in his mind. Then Atheros showed him another paper which the front page shows children being hung in trees, and the next one about cattle mutilations, and another of a whole family being murdered, then another.

Samuel frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

"I've been to all of this crime scenes, Sam. The cops reported that they haven't found any trace of the killer or any proof that could lead to one. Which they will never find because although the trace is right in their faces, they will never see it."

"Jack the ripper?" Samuel suggested.

Atheros sighed. then he looked Samuel in the eyes. "I'm hinting at someone...familiar."

Samuel's confusion turned to realization as he finally pieced what Atheros was trying to say. There are things unseen by the naked eye. Things that lie in another, unseen plane.

"No, no. It's impossible." he said as he waved his hands away.

A moment of silence between them before he stood up and stammered. "Stop changing the subject. I just needed a loan you know I'll pay you back."

Atheros didn't answer, his brows furrowed and his eyes dead and serious.

Samuel straightened his back and takes a deep breath. "What do you mean? someone familiar?" he looked confused and irritated. And nervous. "Surely you don't mean…?"

Atheros leaned in close. "You know what I'm talking about, Sam. Look into my eyes and see."

Samuel frowned. "You're scared." he caresses his forehead with his fingers. "Ah, shit."

Atheros got up in a standing position. Then he sighed and fell silent. "You're not kidding, are ya?"

Samuel's eyes widened. His fingers moved from his head to his mouth. Atheros didn't answer. Samuel Sighed deeply as he slowly seated himself back on the worn couch.

"Goddamn, you know this is the only regret I had when I chose to quit sailing, and you know this is the reason why I chose to work at sea." He felt his throat tighten, the air around him heavy and thick.

"Aye, I felt him, Sam. I felt his presence the moment he returned before the murders."

Atheros said ignoring Samuel's complain. His jaw tensed, eyes focusing towards Samuel. Samuel frowned at Atheros, moving his jaw slightly to the left.

"Maybe what you felt is just something else? how can you be so sure of this?" he asked with the tone of frustration.

"I've known that gravity of a presence to mistake it for another. The same thing I felt when we met it in battle." Atheros recounted grimly.

Samuel knew what his friend was saying was true, too damn true. And he felt the weight of it the moment he saw the worry in Atheros' face. He was almost terrified.

Samuel sighed his deepest and he began to feel cold. "Oh no. Not again. fuuuckkk!!."

Atheros sighed and bowed his head. "I know you chose to work at sea to be far from all this, Sam." He said sympathetically, recognizing the agony and the fear in the man's face. "But don't you think that it was destined? Bad things happened at work and forced you to quit and move back home. Maybe it led you to this, maybe-

"My quitting has been over a year ago, Atheros." He corrected. "I've been on land for a year and a half now, don't you say this was destiny. Fuck, I should have gone back to sea after a few months if I knew this was going to happen." He said, his voice loud while caressing the back of his neck as if from a long tiring day...

"Aye, running away will only worsen this, Sam. Let us not stray from the urgent matter. You're the strongest in your clan now, do not pin this on your father again, he is too old and exhausted." He said, his voice deep and strained. "We stopped this demon before, but with the aid of your father. Now it's only the two of us, you need to accept your blood's heritage, Sam. I still have the location of the horn, and we could-"

"How sure are you, Atheros? That it is truly him? I don't believe this." He said briskly, he stood up and started pacing within the room while his left hand continues to caress the back of his neck. "I did not study in college for four fucking years to become a medicine man."

"Aye, yet you did not study to become a slave either, that is why you quit. And medicine man is an unworthy word to use in the identification of your bloodline; you were never a slave, none in your family." Atheros said in a lectured tone.

"A curse."

"It is a gift now." Atheros insisted. "In this dark times." he continued.

Samuel sighed with frustration, he sat himself yet again on the couch and pressed his palms against his head, caressing it, his eyes closed bitterly and sighed, then he looked up at his friend. "We did not kill him, we made sure of that." He said, changing the subject.

"I remember still how it went, Father said to never kill an entity that can manipulate the physical and the spirit realms, especially one so powerful such as this. Death itself resurrects it, but imprisonment assures us certainty that it would never comeback. What you're implying is impossible."

He looked down on the floor, he knows Atheros-he would never mess around about something like this. For just as much as he is; Atheros dreaded the idea of having to fight again the match they won with pure luck and help. No matter how powerful he is, or what his origins maybe, Atheros did everything to forget that fight, even refusing to learn from the memories. He is much of the coward that he is too.

"You sound more like your Father as we go on." Atheros said fondly. "I did not know what released him from his chains; I tried to rid myself of the fight immediately right after we won. Ask your father about it, how he cast the chains of binding. I hate this as much as you do, but we have no choice; there is more at stake here than you know." He said, his sympathy returned.

Feeling great pity at Samuel who's leaning on his worn couch; looking up at the ceiling again, his face worrisome. "I've always wondered, why I could not go back to my own family after the fight." Atheros said trying to lift the mood. "Why still, I remain imprisoned. I've wondered all these years since we won, Sam. I thought it's because I helped your kind, but I never regretted it. It was a sacrifice I willed to make knowing probably I'll never come back, but I was wrong all along, now I finally found the answer, or it finally found me. It's not that my father doesn't want me anymore, but it's because I'm still not finished. It brings me a bit of comfort at the thought, my sulking ended." He said with a smile.

Samuel looked at him endearingly, but puzzled at what he's trying to say.

Atheros leaned close. "Go to your father while you still can, Sam. He's still alive. He is still in your reach. Hold his hand, kiss him on his cheek, show him how much grateful you are, I know I am. We are alive because of him, you have a son too. You know how it is to be a father. This might be the last, and I admit, I am not hopeful for another victory if it breaks in another fight, but if we ever, you could still see him, and win or lose, I can finally go to mine." He said calmly.

Samuel stood up and focused at his friend. "I'll do my best to bring you rest, Atheros. One way or the other, you will go home." he said as he looked down. They clasped hands and brought each other in embrace. Samuel released and started towards the door. Just as he pushed his way outside, he turned. "What will you do now?"

Atheros sighed, his brows furrowed. "I will try to find it before this all goes out of control. This is not an earthquake or any kind of known calamity, Sam. There's the possibility that," he paused and gulped. "there's the possibility that, if this is not contained, other... 'powers' might stir."

"I understand." Samuel nodded, looking away. "Well, don't start without me." he said, half-smiling.

IV

The smile from his face faded as soon as he went out Atheros' office. He needed to distract himself quick, needed to quell the panic in his mind, for a foe has returned. As he walked the exit and leveled at the lusty housekeeper, he did the one thing he never did before: he loosened his belt, and zipped down his pants.

He grabbed the girl while she was mopping the floors; not noticing him in her concentration, the girl was suddenly startled at the strong hand that grabbed her waist, questions flooding her mind in a panic, asking what she did that reprised such rough response, was it because she used the water from yesterday to mop the floors? Or maybe she was a bit late going in? She realized that her skirt was being handled roughly in an upward motion, her apron lifted up and saw a handsome face atop her, rugged of jaw and unshaven, his hair messy and tied into a short ponytail.

her confirmation came when all those movements ended in her thin silk undergarments being swiftly pulled down while everything she wore was ruffled up, only then she realized that she's about to get fucked. The answer shocked her into a panic not believing this was happening, but there was also a silver lining of excitement of the thought that sex unexpectedly forced its way to her, into her. Oppressive, with no regard if she is willing or not, she was completely dominated in an unfamiliar way, almost bestial. She screamed. Her voice only brought him animalistic thirst and craving. The next thing she knew her screams were cut by the hardest pole ever to penetrate her. The rod was pulsing with warm heat and power, she was reminded of Zeus, the character from the romance novel she had been reading countless times because she cannot afford another book.

Only after that she noticed that she was laid on the small round table she just shortly cleaned, her screams turned to moans as her eyes begin to close courtesy of the seeping pleasure. Her moans grew louder and louder as he thrusts ever harder, he lowered his head to hers in a kiss, she did not kiss back. The cold of the morning burned away and self-respect and dignity along with it. He penetrated faster and deeper, grabbing her waist to hold her in place while his other hand crumpled her breast, the hand forcing its way under her clothes. The lips of her flower salivated as if gagged while it hugged his rod every time he pulled back for another thrust, each stab of his hard and angry pole only brought her heights of itchiness, then it got faster and faster and the itch reached its peak and the penetration went home, and she bursted. Samuel came shortly after her with a low yet strong moan. Her thoughts, previously nowhere and flat lined, now loud and clear, her moans; high as a mountain fell faster like a waterfall as soon as she came. After that her morals came back and she felt invaded, but it came back too late. Only then she noticed her fellows watching her in disbelief.

"If this is to be my last moment on earth, damn if I care about anyone saying anyhow, that includes you, Hun. Sorry I did this to you. If its any solace, don't worry we'll all die soon."

With that he chuckled and laughed a little, he slipped his manhood out from her and caged it in his pants, still soaked of her juices. Then he started his way out and drove away. Not even looking back. She looked at her fellows, her breath catching, the man at the bar looked at her with his jaw dropped, envy flared across his cheeks. Tears started to form at the corners of her eyes, her fellow housekeeper ran away as she tried to form words of excuse but she find that she could not, what for? The bartender started moving away from the bar, not minding the glass falling and breaking on impact on the floor, the insides of his mouth salivated with excitement at the thought of how easy that was, getting sex out of her. He couldn't believe at what he saw, he craved for her all these two years, and a man out of nowhere; a complete stranger, fucked her with no strategy or formed bond to let him deserve such reward, he did not need so, he simply took it, and both hate and envy flared. He was too kind to rape anyone. But is it? She did not struggle, she was shocked.

Too awed to make response.