I shut the door to my apartment as I kick my shoes off.  I’ve lived in this place since I came to the city.  I’m not originally from here, the city or the country.  I was born and raised in Farcosa.  Lived in the city there before fleeing the place for the city here; I like here much better then my birth place.

  I had to scrape by at first to keep this place, but now as one of the highest-ranking members of the strongest gang in the city it isn’t so hard.  It’s a little hard to remember the days when I had to go without eating just to have enough to pay rent.

  I spent a year here alone trying to stay hidden and safe while training for when I knew they would find me.  And waiting another year after I met Ashiya before I really came into the underground fully and ended up at the top of a gang.

  But I still can’t forget my roots.  Where I came from and how I got here.  Sitting down on the couch I pulled my laptop off the table and set in on my lap.  I pulled the USB from around my neck out from under my shirt and plugged it in.  I let the files load before clicking the largest of the five files open.  The video that still has me cringing in disgust and hatred.

  There before me played the three hour torture of my parents and twin brother.  An hour devoted to each of them, an hour of pain, screams and blood.  I want to know what I did so wrong that warranted my family to be treated like this?  What did I do that was so bad that I had to watch my family die in the most brutal way?

  The last two minutes the screen were lit up with words I used to fear.  You’re next.  And what you saw was use being nice, we won’t be so nice to you when we find you Bang.  Those words used to have me fearing everything.  Now I can only laugh darkly as I read them.  They are right though, that was going easy, they let my family die quickly.  I’ve learned over the years in the underground just what it means to truly torture and kill someone.  How to make them suffer, and wish they were dead. 

  When I was still living in Farcosa after this happened I had to change the way I lived and the way I saw things.  I couldn’t live the rest of my life not knowing how to fight properly, how to protect myself.  I had to adjust to using a gun, and being able to take on opponents with twice my skill.

  Living on the streets I picked up a few things, I trained with some of the local boys and did everything I could to stay away from the people chasing me.  But they always found me, always knew where I was.  I couldn’t fight them all, not every time but I held my own; I’m still alive so I must have been doing something right.

  I left my home with nothing but a backpack with a few spare pieces of clothing, about three grand cash and the USB.  Kareen was the only place I knew I would be safe for longer than a few days, the only place I could get to without them finding me.

  I got this place with the money I had and scraped by for a year, laying low as much as possible.  They would never stop searching for me, not until I was dead.  I made a few friends around the area and trained with them, worked my stamina up by running a six mile course daily until it was no problem.  Strength training came from a small job I got moving small cargo around the shipyard.

  I was eleven when they found me again.  It was two days after I got that USB a year previous when they caught me on my way home from my job.  They hadn’t changed on bit, I on the other hand had.  My muscles were toned and lean, I had put my everything into being able to take care of myself, and I never went any where without at least a knife on me.

  But no matter how prepared I thought I might be, I was still no match for the men more than twice my age with even more skill.  I should have died that day.  I was never supposed to survive the beating they gave me.  Three broken ribs, my left arm broken, right leg fractured and my collarbone displaced. 

  Honestly I was tired of running and hiding, but I was never going to let them take my life away from me so easily.  I wasn’t going to let them win this game of theirs until I used everything I had.  I wouldn’t go down without taking a few of them down with me.

  I can’t say it’s an all to gory past, it was actually rather pathetic.  I could barely keep up with them I was mostly being bashed.  But at least I wasn’t as bad as Himchan; I don’t think anyone could have been worse then him.

  Sometimes I can’t help but think back to the first time I ever saw Ashiya.  It took me about two months before I ever saw her without her mask, but I didn’t need to see her face to know what beauty and grace she possessed.

  I couched, blood coming from my lips.  They found me, and this time they weren’t going to let me get away.  I thought I lost them and that they gave up, what a stupid thought; they won’t ever give up until they see me die.  I’ve fought them as much as I can, but one against ten isn’t going to be possible, and I know if I take one of them down two more will show up. 

  “Are you really going to give up so easily?”  Came the muffled voice of a girl.  I swear I had to be hearing things.  “If you are then you deserve to die.”

  The beating momentarily stopped, but I knew it wouldn’t last for long.  I knew they would start back up any mome