Marked by the devil

It was Axel's first day working at Treys; he got assigned to the position of an assistant to a senior accountant. Axel was incredibly nervous; it was his first day working there, but the old accountant, Nicole, who was in his late fifties, was a kind and warm soul. Axel was glad he got assigned to him. The whole day, Axel just sat beside him and helped him do the menial tasks of arranging the documents and books, getting him coffee, running errands for him, and just observing how he worked. Nicole took a liking to Axel and his eagerness to help him. Nicole taught him a bit, when they were on break, about the tasks he had and how to do them in general.

Soon it was evening, and Axel still couldn't believe that he got a decent job that paid him enough to take care of all the major expenses and a bit more. Axel was over the moon with joy. The employees wrapped up their work by four in the evening and were leaving; it had been a long day of working since eight in the morning. Axel was drained from being overexcited during the day, but he left the office smiling from ear to ear nonetheless.

Just as Axel was on his way home, he noticed the reapers on the chase looking for someone, and judging by the look of things, whoever that other guy was, he was as good as dead. It was just another day in the city for everyone, except for Axel. He was scared out of his mind. He was scared of the possibility that they were searching for him; after all, they had seen his face the other day, and if they found out his identity, they would also have connected the dots—his motive for revenge. Axel decided to take the long way home, which would make his trip from a ten-minute walk to a thirty-minute walk. Axel didn't want to take the risk, so he put his safety before all else.

The rest of the evening went like usual; he cooked dinner right about the time his mother came back from work, they ate together, had a chat about Axel's new workplace, and went to bed. Axel, who was disturbed by the incident with the Reapers that evening, couldn't find the peace of mind to just close his eyes and go to sleep. It kept bothering him; he couldn't shake the feeling that something was amiss.

The next day went just about the same, but today Nicole let Axel take care of the minor calculations of different ledgers, which Axel did enthusiastically and happily. To him, it was the sign of Nicole acknowledging him, and more importantly, it felt like he was becoming independent and finding his path in life.

Axel was a quick learner when it came to learning something new, but he was really bad at reading between the lines. On his second day of joining the office, Axel became the cause of the breakup between two lovers just because he pointed out to the Bret that the girl he was dating wasn't putting in as much effort as he was. Axel told him this to his face after having to hear the guy brag to him about his love life; it irritated Axel to listen to Bret ramble. This became an issue between the couples, and by the lunch break, Axel heard through the grapevine that Bret and the girl had made a dramatic scene in the office before they broke up. But, what made it interesting was that, while ending the argument, Bret said, "God bless Axel for opening my eyes; I would rather die alone than be with you".

Nicole heard it from another employee who decided to drop in, and he started laughing, holding his belly, till tears came out of his eyes; Axel was flabbergasted. When Nicole calmed down, he looked at Axel with a smirk. "Kid, Thanks for the laugh, but seriously! All this on your second day at work?" then he started laughing again. Axel was desperate to defend himself; he couldn't bear the embarrassment. "He was bragging to me about her, so I just told him that both of them should put in the same effort if he wants to brag about it non-stop. I swear I did not intend for this to happen." Axel sounded so honest and sincere that Nicole started laughing even harder.

To rub salt in his wounds, when the guy in question, Bret, came to them during the evening break, Nicole was barely holding her laughter, despite his hard efforts to save face. "Thanks, man. I am grateful for you. Without your help, I wouldn't have found out that she was cheating on me." He looked sad for a bit and paused, saying, "Anyways, here is a gift; enjoy!" He left him a box of muffins and sounded grateful to him. As soon as he left, Nicole laughed to the point that Axel considered stuffing cloth in his mouth. The day ended, and Axel was about to leave the office with Nicole. "The evil cupid", Nicole whispered in his ear, and he started to chuckle, trying hard not to burst out in laughter. Axel took the box of muffins home; muffins were still one of his favorites.

When his mother came home, she looked at the box of muffins and was curious. "What is the special occasion, Axel? Did your girlfriend give it to you?" Axel was startled, and his eyes went wide in surprise at how close she was to the topic of discussion. Lily was more surprised by Axel's surprised look.

"Wait! You have a girlfriend?"

"No, I don't!" Axel said, with an embarrassed face. "And as for the muffins, it was just a thank-you gift from Bret for helping him out with stuff at the office. Don't ask me for details; it would be bothersome to explain." Lily was determined to tease him more. "Are you sure that it was just a guy and not your girlfriend?" Axel caught on to her intention. "Yes, I am sure, and you can have one too." He stuffed her mouth with a full muffin, and Axel still felt even more embarrassed about what happened at the office. But this let him put his mind off the Reapers and let him have a peaceful night of sleep.

A few weeks had passed, and Axel was now a capable assistant, and even Nicole acknowledged it. He had gotten the title of 'Evil Cupid' from other employees; most of the employees never even bothered asking him for his real name and called him Axel with his new title. Axel glared at Nicole when he first heard it. "Not me!" Nicole said he was raising both hands in the air to claim his innocence. But Axel was definitely suspicious of him.

Overall, things at work went well, and Axel was satisfied with his current life. Nicole even told Axel that after two years, with his recommendation, he could be promoted from being an assistant to an actual accountant, which made him extremely happy because it meant he and his mother could live a better lifestyle.

His time at home was also pleasant, and things had started to take a turn for the better; at least they were supposed to. One day when he was walking home, a reaper bumped into him to just pass some time. Axel was partly scared, but he still kept thinking of a way out.

"Let the kid go, we have work to do," the man in the back said, who Axel immediately recognized as Marcus, Drake's right-hand man, and the same one who he fooled a few weeks back when Drake was dying. Axel's heart was beating like crazy; he didn't want to get caught and was already thinking up excuses that would sound like valid reasons if Marcus asked him any questions.

But surprisingly, the man moved away, and they let Axel pass through; throughout all this, Axel never made eye contact with Marcus. Axel went to his home, taking the long way home, just in case they were following him. He didn't let the tension and fear show on his face when his mother came back; he didn't want to let his mother worry about it.

He went to the office the next day and did his work as usual; by now he was used to people calling him the evil cupid' or just 'Cupid' instead of his real name. That day, when he was going back home from work, he was stopped by the reapers, but this time by Marcus himself. Axel swore to himself that from tomorrow he will take the long way back home, even if it meant that he would have to walk for twenty more minutes. A cold sweat started running down his skin.

"We have met before, right?" That one question from Marcus sent shivers all over his body. 'Did he find out about it the other day? He suspects me of killing Drake? Does he know that I am Benny Fletcher's son? Damn it! How should I get rid of this mess?' Axel's brain was running at top speed, trying to find a way out of this predicament. "I have seen you a few times around the area, but I don't think I have personally talked to you." Axel tried to fool him with confidence, but he was too terrified for that; his voice was filled with weariness and fear, which was normal for anyone talking to Marcus. Axel felt like he was a prey standing in front of a predator.

Marcus was taller than most men, and his build was that of an athlete. Having him stare down at you was intimidating enough to never walk in his way again, and for Axel, it couldn't be closer to the truth than it already was. "Oh, I remember you! You are the kid who misled us the other day," Marcus said, putting his hands on Axel's shoulder. Axel's heart was beating harder and felt heavier. 'Please, let me off, Axel wished Marcus would just let him off. "Why did you lie, kid?" Marcus' eyes looked like those of a tiger about to kill and deliver the final blow, knowing all too well that its prey can't move an inch. "I don't remember you, but I told you to go the wrong way because the man told me to tell the people coming for him to go the other way. I am sorry for not telling the truth, but the man looked terrifying, so I did only what he asked of me and left."

Axel put on his best act, and what he said was technically true; he just left out a few key facts about the whole truth. Marcus took his hand off him and relaxed his facial expression; Axel felt that he had passed the storm in one piece. "Here is a quick question; where do you work?" Marcus asked him, leaving no room for Axel to escape. "The textile office, called Treys, is two streets away from here."

"Great! See you tomorrow then." Marcus let him go after that. Axel left as soon as he was allowed to; he didn't want to stand there a second longer. He was worried about what Marcus said; he had a really bad feeling about that.

Lily didn't fail to ask Axel about his frowning face when they were eating dinner. Axel brushed it off as if it were just the stress from work and went to bed. He blamed himself for taking the shorter route and for answering Marcus' question earlier; Axel had a hard time sleeping that day.

The next day, around noon, Axel was called to the manager's office. "Oh! We meet again." A familiar and unpleasant voice greeted him when he entered the manager's cabin. Marcus was sitting on the table while the manager was quietly sitting on the chair, feeling threatened and scared by him. Compared to Marcus, who felt like a tiger hunting for its prey, the manager was just a bird weary of the tiger. Looking at him, Axel looked confused and bewildered. "Oops! Am I interrupting the business? Manager, please continue with what you called him here for." The manager had an apologetic look on her face as she looked at Axel. "I am sorry, kid. Since our budget was reduced, we have to ask you to leave the company."

The manager looked at Axel like he was sending him to his death. Axel was enraged as to why Marcus would mess with his livelihood, whereas Marcus was just smiling like a saint. "You left out the important part, manager; please continue." 'There is more?' Axel was furious. "As consideration for your loyal service, we will transfer you to work at Paradise Land... It pays more than your current job." Axel understood what happened, but the question 'why' was bothering him a bit too much. "Why did you choose me?" Axel asked, looking straight at Marcus. "I just think you are suitable for it." Markus didn't bother to hide the fact that he wanted to pick on him.

People in that city considered the Mafia to be a better alternative to the police and the government. The Mafia didn't indiscriminately kill anyone unless they tried to go against them; they didn't damage anything in their city or the cities around them, so there was nothing to hate them for. And finally, they didn't let any other groups run wild in the city; it was their turf, and in case they found someone, dying would be the least of their worries.

The people of the city even preferred it if one of their family members was in the Mafia; it meant they had the Reaper's protection and a higher status than the rest of the population; moreover, Paradise Lands was the business the Reapers ran in the city, and they even paid their employees. And what's more? They paid even more for a select few, but the only catch was that you had to be a member of the Reapers and help them with their underground business instead of working in their stores. The people of the city respected the Reapers and their members. The only exception to this rule was Drake and the bunch under him. There was even a rumor that the Reapers left them as a necessary evil.

"Ah! I almost forgot, if you don't want to come alone, we can make preparations for your family to come along with you too." Axel almost swore at him; almost. 'You are now threatening to hurt my family and take everything away from me. I curse you, and your men die the worst of deaths.' Of course Axel didn't say a word out loud; it was all in his head. "So, when do I join?" Axel tried his best to suppress his anger, fear, and worries and asked Marcus to his face. "Two weeks from now, in the evening. You can come here... But I would prefer you send my men to your home and escort you on your way here.' Marcus was passionately explaining it to Axel. "I will be here." Axel cut him short and excused himself from the room. Axel had determined in his mind to see it through, whatever it may be.

That evening, the news had spread throughout the company, and many came to wish him farewell. Nicole cried seeing him go, and Bret, the cause of Axel becoming the 'evil cupid, gave him three boxes of muffins as a farewell gift. Looking at Axel's surprised face, he added that his family runs a bakery in the town. The manager added a bit of extra money to his pay as an apology for letting him get caught by Marcus. Axel thanked and bid farewell to everyone.

That evening, Axel told his mom that he got a job to work in Paradise Land. Everyone knew it was just the Reaper's money laundering machine, but what mattered more was that Axel was now under the Reaper's protection, which put Lily in a good mood, and of course, Axel hid the fact that it was Marcus, one of Drake's henchmen, who took him in. He couldn't imagine what his mother would do if she knew that, and he didn't want to imagine it. But strangely enough, surprising even him, Axel was more composed about it than he expected him to be.