Chapter
4 – Evil’s Many Singular Faces
The house I find myself in is a
two-story house between the middle and upper-class areas of the city. It’s
nothing that sticks out or of particular note, just like how the New Boss likes
it. I knock on the door, and someone immediately comes to answer it. It’s a
pale, bald man, dressed in a dress shirt, jeans, and boots with no hair on his
head or eyebrows, just like the other impostors, but this one is special. I can
already tell just by the first memories in his mind. The man looks around to
see who rang the bell and is confused until I grab him from behind and make him
fly into his kitchen and put him through his kitchen table. Standing over him,
I manifest as a dark, featureless shadow and pin him to the floor.
“It’s good to finally meet you, New
Boss,” I say with a grin and dark, piercing eyes manifesting from my face.
The man takes a second to collect
himself before saying to me, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I know you’re one of the impostors
who pretend to be the New Boss. Don’t think you can hide when you have the same
non-hairstyle as the rest of them.”
“Okay, you got me, but that doesn’t
mean I’m him. You said it yourself. I’m just an impostor.”
“You are, but at the same time, you
aren’t. I see into your memories and see that you’re one of the few who know
the truth about the impostors.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Few people know that the New Boss
has impostors and even fewer that all the New Bosses are impostors. There is no
New Boss, never was.”
“What? Of course a New Boss is
running the crime in the city.”
“You’re partially right again. The
original was called something different, but his methods were the same. Get a
bunch of people to pretend to be him, carry on his legacy, return to Meridian
to pick up the pieces, and repeat the process under a new title. I was
wondering why all the stories I heard in people’s memories were different. Some
thought the New Boss was a poor man using crime to help those in need, others
thought he was a rich politician or businessman who wanted more than he already
had, and others still thought he was actually a woman. All are true and false
because they were each different people who carried on the legacy of the
original in their own, yet similar way.”
“Why did you come after me if I’m
just another impostor? What makes me so special?”
“Nothing, other than you know the truth
more than the others. I wanted to confirm it for sure by looking into your mind,
so I can tell my allies the truth, while knowing it to be completely true
rather than just a theory.”
“What now? You lock me up, and the
New Boss’s legacy will continue. How about we work together? I only inherited
his legacy because one of them wanted to keep the crime in this city under
control. I wanted there to be less drugs pushed on kids, less violence on the
streets, and to push politicians and businessmen to think of the people, even
if it meant doing so with a gun to their head.”
“Criminals for the common man is
not a noble motivation. Evil can never be done for the sake of good. It merely
gives you an excuse to do whatever you want and pat yourself on the back
without realizing the harm you do to your own and people’s souls and livelihoods.
In all my years of work, I’ve put down criminals like you and probably put away
or killed the original New Boss without knowing, so you’re bound to fail in the
end anyway.”
“What? Who are you?”
I reveal my old appearance, a
shadowy man with one completely black eye and another that’s dark grey and
black, with a scarf covering my mouth and a cloak of darkness around my body.
“I am L’Obscurité. This is my old
appearance, but here is my new one.”
My appearance changes as both my eyes become completely black, a bullet hole appears in the center of my forehead, a long hat rests on my head, my scarf is lowered to reveal the long, grinning mouth beneath it, and my cloak is more like a long coat.
The man swallows and sweats at the
realization of who I am and then says, “I thought someone like you would understand
forcing society to be good.”
“Forcing them to do so through
virtuous actions rather than sinful ones is the difference between us. Even though
you may believe differently, this is the truth. All you have done has worked
against you. You now reap the results, and I am your executioner.”
“Please! I’m sorry for what I’ve
done! I’ll pay any price to live! I’ve got loved ones to take care of!”
“Pray to God for mercy. As for me, I
can only give you your penance, which is death.”
I shoot the man in the head with my
pistol, ending his pathetic, hypocritical life. Looking behind me, I see the
man’s wife and teenage daughter.
“Remember well what you have heard
and seen, or I will be coming for you next,” I tell them, before laughing, entering
the shadows and getting far away from the house.
From an alleyway where no one is, I
call Raymond and tell him everything I discovered and did.
“I doubt that’s the end of it if we
don’t know how many impostors there are. There could be some outside of the
city who could be backups. I mean, my men and I have arrested and killed around
ten of them tonight,” Raymond says.
“They’ll never be an end to crime
as long as men have a desire to do evil in their hearts. That’s why we’re here
to enforce justice and leave a lasting legacy to ensure that others do the same
as us in the future,” I say.
“You’ve really grown up after all
the years we’ve been working together, haven’t you, kid? I guess I shouldn’t
call you that.”
“I’m fine if you do. I still have a
lot to learn and there’s much more work to be done, but tonight’s work is done.”
“For you it may be, but I have to
clean the mess we created. I owe you for actually bringing the New Boss and his
latest operation down in a single night.”
“We’ll share drinks and food with
friends and family later this week.”
“I’m looking forward to it.”
With that done, I go back home for
a good night’s rest. As I enter my house, I find Darcy waiting for me in a
black and pink nightgown.
“I heard that L’Obscurité is back
and has utterly destroyed the New Boss and his whole criminal empire,” she
says.
“You heard right, and I’m sure you
didn’t hear it from the news. Your contacts told you?”
“Yes. I do have eyes and ears
everywhere after all. Now that you’re back home, you’re going to have to pay
the price for denying me your love when I asked for it.”
“Come on, Darcy. The kids-”
“Are being taken care of by my
parents. They want to see many grandchildren just as much as your parents did.”
“Ah. Guess I’m really in trouble
then, that not even my powers can save me from.”
“No, they can’t, now get over here.
You have a lot of love to give me, and I’m going to get every last drop.”
Darcy pulls on my tie and to our room.
By the next morning, Darcy has to get me up by making my kids crawl on me since
I’m so tired from everything she put me through last night. At the breakfast
table, I smile at seeing my wife and kids happy, a good reminder of what I fight
for and the rewards of living a faithful life.
The End
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