Chapter 9: First Soul

One week earlier…

"Again. Again. Again!" Bone commanded.

Harvey's breathing was fast and labored; his blue shirt was sweaty. His shins were red and raw; his feet were in no better shape due to having removed his shoes. Harvey continued roundhouse kicking the strike pads held by Bone. It was a difficult task considering the speed at which his Teacher moved and the various positions and heights he would hold the pads in for him to strike.

"Focus on your accuracy! Your kicks are starting to become sloppy!" Bone yelled as he continued to push Harvey.

Harvey could only grunt in acknowledgment; his focus could not be broken less if he made a mistake. This continued for another 5 minutes until Harvey's legs shook and collapsed. He then started to take deep breaths of air until he stopped and started to control his breathing.

"Good. Take a breather. Next, we will work on your forward and back kicks."

Bone walked off as he took off the strike pads and placed them on a table. The table was cluttered with different forms of exercise equipment and water bottles. A young boy with dark skin ran up to Harvey and handed him a bottle of water.

"You alright, Harvey?"

"Yeah… I'm alright, Just out of breath. Thanks, Jared." Harvey gratefully accepted the water bottle and eagerly drank.

"Don't push yourself too much, son. You have to pace yourself!"

Harvey turned to look at Roberto. In the beginning, Harvey was surprised to see the kind older man at the address his Teacher gave him. Roberto lived in the apartment building alongside a few other residents. His Teacher was staying here while he conducted his business. Roberto was surprised when he heard Bone take in a student but was pleased to see Harvey. They played some chess after he was done with his training every day. Harvey also got to know the rest of the residents of the building.

"It's okay, I can handle this. I have to learn as much as I can from Teacher before he leaves." Harvey said as he stood up and stretched his limbs a little.

"Still. Bone is pushing you too hard!" Roberto said from his chair. Jared nodded alongside him. He saw how exhausted and hurt Harvey was after every session. He couldn't understand how Harvey kept up and hadn't quit in what he thought was training from hell.

"Yeah, Harvey! Look at your legs! They're all red!"

"Enough. Harvey can handle this much." Bone told them as he walked back with a larger strike pad. It was thick and wide, perfect for absorbing powerful kicks and punches. "Back to training."

"Yes, Teacher!"

•••

"That's enough for today."

Bone told Harvey, who was lying on the ground, breathing heavily and exhausted. Harvey nodded to his teacher and slowly got up. After controlling his breathing, Harvey looked up at his teacher and bowed slightly.

"Thank you very much, Teacher. Good luck tonight."

"Hmph." Bone nodded and walked into the building to change into new clothes. Pinball would soon be here; he had a few fights lined up tonight.

"Another hard day, huh, Harvey?"

Roberto joked as Harvey walked up to the table with a chessboard. Harvey sat in the open seat and moved his pawn forward. Roberto responded by moving one of his own.

"Nothing I can't handle."

"You say that, but your legs look like they've been through a few rounds with a bat."

Roberto pointed out as he looked down at the young man's red and bruised legs. Harvey also looked down and winced; it wasn't a pretty sight. A woman walked out to the porch holding some pain relief cream. She was Tamara Johnson—the landlady of the property.

"Here you go, young man. This should help."

The woman smiled lightly at him, and Harvey accepted the cream with a smile. The woman was apprehensive of him at first. The situation between him and his Teacher didn't sit right with her. But after giving her a slightly less dramatic version of the story, he gave his Teacher. She came to an understanding of his situation, allowing them to train on her property.

"Thank you, Ms. Johnson."

"...and that's checkmate!"

Roberto then took Harvey's king piece with a laugh. Harvey looked down and was a little upset at being defeated again; even after 12 chess matches, it seemed like he was no closer to beating Roberto.

"How is it that you keep winning?"

"I warned you, Harvey. I'm always thinking three moves ahead!" Roberto boasted after placing his hands behind his head and leaning on his chair.

"Yeah, yeah." Harvey then looked up at the sky. A beautiful sunset washed over the city. It would soon get dark. "I should get going soon."

"That you should, young man. Better hurry along. You don't want to get caught out there at night." Ms. Johnson said.

"Yes, ma'am." Harvey nodded as he stood up. His legs throbbed, but the pain relief cream provided some relief.

"We'll see you tomorrow, Harvey. Take care."

Robert said. Jared waved at him from beside Tamara. Harvey waved goodbye and made his way down the porch steps. He broke into a slow jog and ran around the corner. It would take him a while to get home; he was worried about getting mixed up with someone along the way. But with his speed and stamina, he could easily outrun them.

'Harvey.'

Spirit spoke after thirty minutes of running; Spirit's sudden voice jolted him in surprise. Spirit always stayed silent throughout his training, something about not letting him lose his focus.

"Yeah? What is it?"

'To your right.'

Harvey stopped jogging and looked over to a small group of people; he then slid over and hid behind a trash bin. It appeared to be some drug deal.

"Wait a minute... isn't that- uh. What was his name? Todd! Yeah, Todd. One of Thompson's cronies from school. What's he doing here?"

Todd slid some money to a guy in a black hoodie; he was then given a small bag filled with some pills. Todd nodded and then walked off to a car that was parked not too far from him. He got in, and then the vehicle drove off. Harvey raised his left eyebrow, a little confused but didn't care too much.

"Now, what could that prick have bought?" Harvey wondered. "Whatever it is. It has nothing to do with me."

Harvey then slowly backed up and returned to the sidewalk. He broke into a light run. If he hurried, he could make it back in time to get some homework done before his next at-home training session at home.

•••

The Present...

"...Todd?"

Harvey whispered as he crouched next to the dead body of his classmate. Todd was lying on the ground. His body was still warm. A bullet hole rested on his forehead, a look of horror on his face. Harvey then looked down and pulled up Todd's shirt; another bullet hole rested in his stomach. There was blood pooling around his head.

"Oh no."

Harvey kneeled next to his classmate and shook his head. How could this have happened? Suddenly, he remembered what happened last week. Was Todd involved in a drug deal gone wrong? Harvey stood up and looked down at Todd's right hand. A small bag of pills was clenched tightly.

'It appears you were right.'

"Spirit."

'...yes?'

"...I don't feel anything. Is that normal?"

'I'm not sure. Perhaps it's because of how he treated you in the past. Who's to say? Right now, all we can do is find the one that did this to him.'

"Yeah. You're right. Let's get this bastard."

•••

"God damn, punk!"

A man said as he threw his motorcycle keys to a nearby couch. He had pale white skin and was of average height; he wore a black shirt and a grey hoodie.

"Now I have to go look for a new spot!"

He then threw himself down onto the couch. He laid there and looked around his oversized garage; it was full of expensive items. His possessions ranged from a large flat-screen television with a gaming system. Several arcade games sat alongside the east wall. A line of motorcycles were parked beside each other, alongside a couple of high-priced cars. Towards the back of the garage were some stairs that led up to a room, The man's main living area.

"Gaahh! That location made so much money! By tomorrow all those damn cops will be all up in my business. Now, what are you going to do, John? What are you going to do?" The man, John, asked himself. "Oh, I know! There's that big hot shot! What was his name again? Hm... Oh! That's right! Derek Keyes! If I can meet with him, I'm sure I'll be able to expand my business!"

John stood up and clapped his hands; he then pulled out a couch cushion. There were stacks and stacks of money underneath; it was his personal bank. His trusty couch! He grabbed two stacks and waved them around.

"After all, Money talks!" John then started laughing and threw the money unceremoniously back. Suddenly, all the lights in his garage went out, plunging him in complete darkness. The only light that came in were from the windows that were lined up near the roof of the building.

"What the hell! I know I paid my bills last month!"

Crack!

John turned to the right, where he thought he heard the noise. John pulled out his Glock 17 and aimed it in that direction.

"Who's there!? You better show yourself! I ain't playin'!"

John yelled as he looked around nervously. Could someone have broken in to steal all his stuff? Well, he wasn't going to let them! He worked too hard for everything he owns; whoever is here better be ready to die!

"I swear to god! You better not be here to steal my shit!"

John fell to the ground immediately, a sharp pain erupted in his leg. John cursed but spun around and shot his gun aimlessly.

"Show yourself!" John kept shooting until he emptied the gun's ammunition clip. "Where are YOU!"

"Here."

A voice spoke from behind him. John spun around only to receive a punch to the face. John fell back and clutched his nose; Intense pain was all he could feel as blood poured from his nostrils. He then felt a strong blow to his stomach, causing him to lose his breath. John's assailant climbed on top of him and unleashed a barrage of punches and elbows.

"Stop! Stop it, Man!"

John yelled as he tried to protect his face from whoever was attacking him. Suddenly, the blows stopped, and the front of his shirt yanked him up. John looked up and saw a person in a leather jacket. His facemask and hoodie bathed him in darkness, but his eyes glowed in the darkness. John will never forget the eerie orange glow staring at him. It felt like they were gazing into his very soul.

"W-Who are you?"

John asked in fear.

"I'm vengeance." The figure spoke, but what he said next caused him to sweat bullets. "Look into my eyes... Your soul is stained by the blood of the innocent... Feel their pain."

"Ugh! Gah! AAAGHHHHH!"

•••

Harvey sat on John's couch. The lights inside the garage were back on. He rested his face in his hands, his body rocked back and forth.

"Spirit... What was that? Why did I say that?"

'That was the penance stare. It induces every negative action, behavior, sensation, and sin to the pain of others that individual has ever committed.' Spirit answered. 'I'm surprised you can use it outside our true state, Although it's much weaker.'

Harvey turned down to look at John. John was currently in a fetal position, rocking back and forth, all the while crying and mumbling.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sor-"

"It's stronger than this?" Harvey said as he looked tiredly at the mentally destroyed man.

'Yes. Usually, his soul would have been entirely incinerated by our Hell Fire, Doomed to be forever punished.' Spirit explained.

"...You keep saying 'Our true state'. What are you talking about?"

Harvey asked as he stood up and walked over to look down at John; he felt no pity or remorse for what he did. But when he used the penance stare, he watched all the sins and acts of evil John had performed in his life, but then it was turned onto him. Punishing by having him experience it all at once. It was a lot to take in.

'...I'm afraid I can't tell you that, not yet.'

"...I see."

Harvey looked around, and a few things caught his eye, especially the stacks of money and John's vehicles. Harvey saw a large duffel bag and walked over to grab it. He then made his way over to the couch and threw off the two remaining couch cushions. He started filling the bag with all the money. Once Harvey was done, he zipped the bag up and walked over to the vehicles.

'Nice rides.'

Spirit said; Harvey could only nod. Harvey then walked down the line of motorcycles and stopped in front of one. It was a black 2012 Kawasaki Ninja 650. It was one of the most beautiful things Harvey had ever seen. He then walked around it and found the key in the ignition. After a quick look around, the other vehicles also had their keys in the same place.

"This guy sure wasn't bright."

Harvey twisted the key and started the engine; he smiled as he felt the engine's purr. Harvey's mind flashed back to when his father would spend time with him when he was younger, showing him the Harvey Davidson he owned. He even promised to take him riding one day. The memory caused Harvey to frown and quickly shove the memory down his subconscious. Harvey turned the engine off and walked over to John, he then searched his pockets and pulled out his phone. Harvey dialed the police and waited for them to answer.

"There's a man with a gun shooting everywhere! Please, send help! Hurry!"

Harvey then hung up the phone and threw it on John's chest. The police would trace the phone call and find this place. Harvey then walked back to the Kawasaki bike and started the engine. After ensuring the duffel bag was secure, he pushed the button meant to open the garage door and waited for it to lift completely. He slowly drove out of the garage and went to the main road. Once he was sure his hoodie and face mask were on securely, he stepped on the gas and sped away. He has school tomorrow, so getting some sleep would be much appreciated.