DEAD CITY SOULS

CHAPTER ONE: LOS SANTOS, HOME

Los Santos, a city deprived of its own morale’s due to the polar opposite equivalents dwelling within it.  There are people flashing their sports cars, sitting on private yachts, relaxing in their pools, you get the idea, the general upper echelon of society, riddled by their own greed to the point they are completely oblivious to the opposite side of the spectrum. The area of Richman, aptly named is often where you find the most upper class hanging out, along with the party central of Vinewod just down from Eclipse Towers, overall Vinewood Hills and its surrounding areas are where the rich relax and the wannabes and the try-hards live their lives slaving away to try to become the next celebrity, giving their very souls just to sell out for their “fifteen minutes of fame”. Los Santos itself is a national treasure in some respects, with virtually all of the iconic movie stars and musicians residing here. Home also to the Union Depository Bank and various other cultural landmarks such as the Richards Majestic movie studios, all the way down to the “soon to be built” mile high club in the centre of Los Santos itself just off Alta Street.

The crime riddled hoods of downtown Los Santos are a vast contrast to the northern area, where gangbangers have shootouts daily and car-jacking is the norm in these areas, such as Rancho, Chamberlain Hills, Strawberry, and the infamous Grove Street, all individually represented by their own gangs and sets, rivalling against each other for control of the streets. Dirty and depraved areas, its commonplace to see hookers and drug deals on the streets, and bringing a weapon is well advised within these areas especially headlines in the local newspapers of reading of stabbings, muggings and shootings daily.

However, despite all the crime and superficial approaches to the mentality within Los Santos, it also has a strong and productive trade industry with its own dock that although getting involved in a fair bit of arms trading, was naturally a good point for the city in the eyes of officials as they provided several jobs for people, as well as the oilfields and various warehouses on the eastern side of Los Santos providing much of the stock transportation and delivery within the whole state. The city was surrounded by beaches all rich with culture from bodybuilders to surfers, and Vinewood Hills itself was rich in its community with all of the higher ups living within it all safe and sound within their mansions and stilt houses, but north of it was Blaine County, a ruthless and almost barbaric county in which police brutality was often and hillbillies and meth dealers ruled the roost with various scrapyards and farms to run their operations. Sandy Shores, Grapeseed and Paleto Bay were all very different towns within Blaine county, with Sandy Shores being an almost desolate wasteland riddled with biker gangs and poverty throughout. Grapeseed was an industrial farming sector and provided most of the farming and food for the city of Los Santos, despite this it was still home to a few gangs of meth dealers. Paleto Bay was regarded as the quietest area within southern San Andreas and was home to the Clucking Bell factory which provided all of the fried chicken into the surrounding towns and cities and was the only real claim to fame the town had, minus a sawmill on the outskirts of the Paleto Forest. The officials within Paleto were firm and the crime was relatively low, only seeing a few car-jacking’s per month on average, all of which are caused by the crime ridden towns nearby.

Our story begins at Los Santos International Airport, the weather was warm and Los Santos itself is sunny with clear skies. A plane is scheduled for arrival at 2.03PM and is running slightly behind, coming in from Liberty City. Aboard this plane is a man just turned twenty-one years old last night, but instead of celebrating as one would seemingly think at this happy time, going abroad for a holiday with friends to a respected and iconic city despite its setbacks, or even just getting away from work... No this was a different feel all together, a low spirit clouded this man’s mind. He was looking for an escape.

The man in question sat back in his seat trying to relax, anxiously reading his magazine. Dressed in a bright blue hooded jumper, some ripped jeans and a set of dirty boots and looked around the plane to see if anyone was watching him. He stood at just over six feet tall and was slender in his build, he had long brown hair that he either wore tied up in a ponytail, or free-flowing with a headband to prevent his hair getting in his face however tonight it was all hidden tightly underneath a jet black beanie. Brown eyes and high cheekbones defined his face, with stubble forming a mild moustache and beard.  Feeling paranoid the man messed with his beanie hat and took out his wallet and he quickly searched for his boarding pass and luggage number so to make a quick exit and collect his belongings from the airport in rapid time. Upon getting his stuff together he looked down at the name on the boarding pass, with his thumb covering the last of his name the letter “J” was seen visible.

“Maybe this could be my escape, a new life away from all that shit” J thought as he took deep breaths to calm himself down. “I just need to make a new life here and move forward, forget the past, live for the future” he continued brainstorming as the captain of the plane announced they would be landing.

Arriving just after the scheduled time J quickly and thoroughly made haste in getting his possessions, which were merely just a few sets of clothes and enough money to rent a small hotel for a couple of weeks whilst he found himself a job. Upon doing this he made his way outside and hailed for a cab, getting in he directed the driver to any available hotel, preferably one somewhere quiet and docile so he would be able to relax and escape his past in essence. Arriving at a hotel just off the coast of Vespucci Beach J checked himself in and proceeded to remain low key whilst he found some sort of employment. Spending nearly all of his money in one go to ensure he definitely had a room for a few weeks even if it meant not eating, J immediately got to work looking for a job in this new town.

The surrounding area that J was living in was rough around the edges in the sense that daytime everyone would be happy and the bodybuilders would be out performing for crowds and that all of the bargain market stalls would be open and thriving with life and sales, however at night time the surrounding streets from the beach could often be found host to groups of Vagos’ poaching out the area for easy muggings and robberies.  J however didn’t let any of this deter him, focusing with a positive mind-set and a straightforward goal of moving on from the past he quickly found his way into working for a repo salesman. The salesman himself never actually spoke with J in person, but he texted him a list of cars that needed to be repossessed and the areas that they were located in and J was able to get to work with much efficiency. The jobs were simple, find the car, steal it and bring it back to the dealership where a collector would take the car and pay J upfront in cash, it wasn’t exactly an ideal exchange but where J was at the minute it was all he had and he took the opportunity, often only being paid bare minimum and more often than not being paid late which caused J various issues renting out the hotel room he was in however J still stuck by the job and worked at it until he finally had enough of the shenanigans when one day the collector on the job flat out refused to pay J.

“Thanks for the delivery” He grunted in a thick and raspy Eastern European tone. “Dealer say you owe; you no get paid” he continued as he proceeded to drive the matte yellow Tornado that was repossessed from Vagos’ territory into the dealership garage.

“Whoa? What the hell do you mean owe?” J questioned back not angrily but shocked as he spoke, following the collector inside the dealership.

“Dealer say you owe; so you owe, you no get paid no, you go” The collector spoke, more-so in what felt like riddles as opposed to broken English “you go go, before dealer come make you go go” he rambled on waving his hand out of the car as he did so attracting the attention of the other collector. The other collector who was now in view of the situation was much bigger in his build, he had a gut on him, but he also had arms like tree trunks coupled with a short buzz cut on his massive head and a tattoo going around his thickly built neck was enough to make him look dangerous and feared even if he was a guy in a hotdog outfit. He was the complete opposite to the usual collector who was very weedy and completely bald with a thin moustache to complement the equally frail figure. J was about to make a decision that could go either way, a complete 50-50 he thought.

“Listen here… Bro…” J mocked as he checked his belt for his switchblade. “I no fucking go go anywhere until you fucking pay pay me you see see?” He continued sarcastically as he confirmed he had his blade just in-case of an attack on him.

“Help! You came over here! He Hit me!” The weedy collector shouted over to his colleague the much bigger and bulkier collector “Help me!” he screamed as J backed up revealing to the larger man that he hadn’t don’t anything to him at all. The larger collector didn’t say a word and simply walked forwards, looking very intensely intimidating as he did, he came to about five feet within J before opening his mouth and firmly stating “Go now. Or I’ll make you go.”

J attempted to explain the situation, that he hadn’t done anything apart from his job and was being screwed, but the larger collector didn’t seem to want to know as he looked as his colleague who was pathetically crumbled in the corner to make the situation look a lot worse than it was. It wasn’t much of a back and forth argument, just silence after everything J said with a stern look from the collector as he kept looking back at his friend. After some time passed the collector took a big step forward and attempted to catch J off-guard with a sucker punch smashing his nose instantly, he followed up for another but J quickly moved preventing the attack from landing, quickly moving to a suitable fighting position in the centre of the room and drawing his switch blade, J quickly took hold of the smaller collector who was trying to make a run for it and took him hostage with his blade to his throat. Opposite before him was the collector blocking the door and stood enraged like a giant before J.

“You wouldn’t dare…” The collector spat to J, looking at his blade pressed firmly up against the neck of the weak collector.

“I don’t have too. The payment. Now. OR I WILL!” J shouted, effectively holding up the car dealership with his blade spitting blood from his mouth with his delivery.

“Please…. Please came please let me go” the collector begged in J’s grip looking over at his work mate hoping he would save his life.

“DO IT! NOW!” J belted at the larger man backing him into the office after tightening the grip around the man’s throat and pressing the knife against his jugular.

The larger man despite having the strength and the size couldn’t do anything but back down in this situation, realizing the death of the co-worker would be a whole lot worse than actually paying the man his due wages.

“Okay…. Okay…You win” He spoke humiliated as he emptied the register and proceeded to count out and pay J $200 for his work onto a table in-front of them.

“Ha. No. All of it” J demanded looking fiercely into the eyes of the collector as he watched him empty the entire thing. $5765 total was there, and it made J a very happy man to see it as it would ensure him a home and food, basic necessities but things he would deem a luxury after being ripped off for quite some time. He finally felt as though he was moving forwards after the limbo he had found himself within upon moving to Los Santos.

“Okay take it, let him go now!” the collector barked at J who put the money bag onto his back and slowly backed out of the dealership ensuring nothing went wrong and there was no come backs on him. Upon exiting the dealership J pushed the weedy collector to the floor after stabbing him in the shoulder blade and then running as fast as he could towards Alta Street to jump on the tram and ride back to Vespucci Beach to go to his hotel room and relax. Looking back snappily he saw the larger collector being ruthlessly shouted at by the smaller man and J can swear that he saw the larger collector punch the smaller one in the mouth with a massive amount of force leaving him both stabbed and with a broken jaw most likely. J didn’t look back after that and made haste in his escape lying low for a few days afterwards, fixing up his nose. The adrenaline and the rush of the job like that was the reason J used to live, but that was then and J was looking to put an end to all of that, he may have accidentally just ignited a huge fire however.

It was around this time that J felt he would find an actual place to live within the city, as opposed to renting out a hotel room at a stupidly expensive cost. He found himself a nice place just up from Vespucci Beach in Del Perro. A small one-bedroom apartment that wasn’t very appealing to the eye from the outside was no better on the inside. Worn furniture and old ragged wallpaper and curtains decorated the small place which had the living room and kitchen all in one, not for any practical purpose just literally due to space. The bedroom was tiny and featured a single bed, a wardrobe and a desk with no room for anything else. The bathroom needed a good clean but served its purpose as best it could. The living rooms main focus however was its TV, both poor quality and awfully sounding J quickly assumed he wouldn’t be watching much whilst he was here but he still ended up catching various shows he had come to enjoy as he grew up in Liberty City. Upon moving in J decided to check in with a few of the locals and to see what was happening in the surrounding areas. He came up short in terms of work various times but he had managed to find that the local area had no gang trouble and this was something J greatly valued as it would ensure he would be under the radar should he decide to get involved in any jobs.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER TWO: THE STORE

J decided that after the bust up at the car dealership that it would be time to lay low and actually find proper work but with the past J had normal jobs weren’t easy to come by and he greatly struggled to the point that the money he had made from his robbery of the dealership was running low and times were slowly slipping from manageable to desperate. J was sat at home one evening, doing nothing of relative importance, smoking a bong and watching some of the Republican Space Rangers that was aired on the TV channel CNT Network. J was dressed in slacks and a tank top and had already taken a few hits from his bong and had a beer or two throughout the day to help him manage with past events and to help him relax and adjust to the new life he was facing. He took a trip to the local convenience store in order to get himself restocked on more Redwood Cigarettes and a few Pisswasser Light Beers. The store itself was only a block away from J’s apartment and he noticed that it was quickly becoming night-time so he would have to be quick as he grabbed his jacket, beanie and wallet and headed out.

Arriving at the shop J instantly felt tension, this was a store that J had held up many a time over his past, but this wasn’t the time for that now, this was a simple walk in and walk out job restocking some supplies to go home and get wrecked ordeal. J shook off the feelings of anxiety he had and looked around the store, noticing the shopkeeper behind the counter and a single customer within the store, nothing unusual and nothing to incite the feelings J had within him. Picking up a case of Pisswasser and walking up to the cashier in order to get his Redwood Cigarettes and to pay for everything, however just as he took out his wallet in order to pay he was confronted by the feeling of cold steel pressed against his skull.

“Don’t. Fucking. Move” spoke the lone customer, who cleverly concealed his face in a dark balaclava with his back turned so neither J or the cashier knew what he looked like, pressing his pistol against the left hand side of the skull of J. “Don’t. Fucking. Move” he repeated enforcing his dominance over the situation at hand. “Empty it, now!” he demanded keeping the gun pressed against the side of J’s head and motioning for the register to be emptied quickly! “Come on you fucking idiot I don’t have all day” he continued.

J stood and thought that he anxiety was due to his past, not some weird premonition and it shocked him to find himself in a situation he had placed others in several times before. Looking around and trying to think of a plan he spoke calmly to the robber.

“Hey man, listen you don’t have to do this.” J spoke softly attempting to get a reason or at least a reaction to give the shopkeeper time to react in defence.

“Shut up!” the robber spat back “Or ill blast you right in the face, watch your brains turn to mush huh?” he continued in venom.

“Whoa man. I aint your enemy, I was just like you once anyhow” J continued reasoning and explaining to the robber noticing that the safety was still locked onto his handgun. “Except I never left the safety on” he finished.

“What the?” the robber snapped, checking and reaffirming that he had indeed left the safety on his gun. Naturally embarrassed at the rookie mistake he had made he retaliated in anger “FUCKING MOVE” before taking the safety off and blasting a round into the ceiling of the store, terrifying the shopkeeper and forcing J to shield his ears from the minor shellshock he had just got and backed himself up a couple of steps as the cashier had finished emptying the register and had passed the money over to the robber.

“Lucky you didn’t die today huh?” the robber mocked in his question as he checked the bag for the cash and slowly backed himself up. “Or should we shoot just to see?” he continued striking more fear into the shopkeeper.

“That’s not necessary” J spoke boldly. “You got what you want, now leave.”

Looking up and down at J, the robber totted his handgun towards J’s face but not drawing any sort of reaction that the shopkeeper was giving, just calm and collected. “I mean the way I see it, you’ve got sixty seconds before the cops are here, silent alarm went off the second you pulled out the gun” J spoke firmly and with reason, seeing the robber look down and think for a moment before he ran out of the store silently and made haste down the alleyway next to the store. J fled after him quickly, not for revenge by any means, but for the thrill of the chase that had somewhat again been reignited within him. Every time he attempts to flee and live a normal life, he is sucked back into this somehow, a calling to the lifestyle potentially he thought to himself.

Rushing after the robber who had just gotten onto his getaway vehicle a Sanchez motorcycle, J attempted to stop him by jumping in-front of it to potentially see him stop, however the bike easily evaded J and he made his way down the alley ripping through the streets nearby. J noticed that in fashion almost too coincidental to be true there was another bike of similar style behind the one the robber had just stolen, putting two and two together he realized the robbery was ill equipped and had most likely stolen the one he was riding to begin with, J quickly opted to do the same as he heard the police sirens incoming and jumped on the bike and proceeded to follow the robber.

Chasing and tearing through the alleys of Del Perro through to Mourningwood and even ending up in a brief spin through the graveyard itself J managed to keep up with the robber and the two almost fled the police who arrived on scene in unison as they escaped. After quite some time riding the bikes the two had ended up just off Del Perro Beaches Pier and the robber eventually pulled over after realizing they were in the clear underneath the pier itself. As J dismounted his bike the robber looked over to J and said boldly “Listen, if you’re after a fight bring it”.

J looked stunned at the robber “Who me? Nah man I followed you because what I saw then reminded me of what I used to do all the time back in Liberty” he continued excitedly.

“Liberty City? No wonder you’re so jittery, too much sun, lack of all that damp air you guys have all year round” the robber mocked light-heartedly as he stepped back from his bike and took out a smoke to offer to J. “Sorry, I don’t quite think I let you buy your pack, on the house” he said as he chucked the cigarette over.

J catching and then lighting it took a deep drag and then thanked the robber. “Thanks man, yeah I guess you kinda owe me this” he joked as he placed his lighter back into his jacket pocket before continuing “I know you had a slip up or two, but you showed decent passion and prowess, I used to do some pretty big jobs over in LC, but I gave that all up, and you reminded me of what it used to be like” he spoke with passion, revealing an inner conflict within himself.

“So you’re outta the game then huh?” the robber spoke back. “I coulda done with a running partner at the minute, got some thorns in my side, that’s the only reason I’m doing this shit, I’m no crook who am I kidding?” the robber spoke remorsefully, feeling a sense of disappointment with himself.

“What are you saying?” J questioned, still smoking his cigarette and genuinely taking an interest in this persons struggles as he also had his own. Maybe the two would work well together he thought to himself.

“I’m in debt…” Spoke the robber quietly before growing increasingly angry in tone and spitting. “To some nasty folk up in Grapeseed, I live just on the outskirts and they rented me a little home there… But as time went on they wanted more and I didn’t have it and now I’m here holding up stores miles away from home to try and keep some angry meth dealers happy” he carried on with sadness and anger both conflicting within his tone. He was an angry man who had been wronged by his situation, a lot that J could relate too, but you could also sense he was deeply sad with this situation, and wasn’t a cold blooded killer by nature, he was a man of good intentions and J saw that right away.

“Listen… I don’t know you. But for some stupid reason I cant explain I want to help you.” J explained to the robber confused himself as he did do. “I had darkness to in my past but I assure you there is always a way out… I want to help you, and I’m going to.” he comforted before asking “What’s your name kid? You got one?”

“Uhh thanks I guess, yeah its Adam.” He replied revealing his identity by taking off his balaclava and stuffing it into his bag filled with the money from the store robbery. Adam stood slightly smaller than J and wore glasses, he had a slim frame and short brown hair, he also had various visible tattoos on his arms after rolling up his sleeves. Adam didn’t look necessarily intimidating, but neither did J in all honesty and the two wouldn’t attract too much heat due to their “normal” looks as such.

“What’s yours?” he then questioned back before J had time to speak.

“My name is Ja… My name is J, just J. The letter J.” responded J quickly cutting himself short of his first thought but confidently in his approach. “Adam n J huh?” he then questioned allowed before laughing. “First things first though we need some arms, and we need some details of your enemies if this is gonna go down. I need to prep” he continued brainstorming off the cuff.

“Just J?” Adam questioned before realizing what else had been said “Oh…err yeah” he thought before speaking “They’re located just outside Grapeseed like I say but I can get hold of some specifics and stuff for you over the next few days if you like?” he offered as he took out his phone ready to write a memo for himself.

“Yeah it’s just J” J reassured before exclaiming “Great idea!”

The two exchanged numbers and J told Adam that he would be in touch over the next few days to see what he had managed to scope out and find out regarding the job at hand.  Adam gave J a sum of the cut for offering to help him and the two separated with J keeping his bike and Adam heading back up north. J returned home with his small sum of money and pondered on the various ways they could potentially field this job; would they attack under nightfall rigging a demolition charge on one of the enemies’ operations, or would they be more gung-ho and assault with whatever the two had at their disposal. J was slowly regaining his criminal mind again, his talent when it comes to details and his natural approach to jobs, the beast had been fully awoken again and J found himself toasting to the new life he would have here. So long as his past didn’t catch up with him, everything would be smooth and everything would be fine. J drank and smoked himself to sleep that night but however made sure he awoke early each day to find potential leads into any jobs available.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER THREE: RETALIATION PLAN

It didn’t take long for Adam to gather the necessary intel for the operation at hand and when he had his enemies’ whereabouts coupled with their area of operations under surveillance he knew it would be time to call and arrange the job with J. J had also been hard at work getting some materials together for which to pull off the job.

 It was evening when Adam made the call as he made his way back over from his home in Grapeseed, if you could call it that, over to Los Santos.

“Hey man” He said speaking proudly “I’m ready to move on that thing, I know exactly where them farmer boy pig fuckers are at, and its time.” He confirmed as he wiped his mind of negativity and focused at the task at hand of building himself a better life.

“Good” replied J “I’ve got a hold of some toys, ill meet you at our little spot under the pier in an hour” he said giving the go ahead for the plan.

“No sweat, I’ll be there” confirmed Adam as he continued riding down the Los Santos Freeway past Sandy Shores and into Los Santos.

Upon arriving in the city Adam sped along the freeway all the way until he reached Del Perro, getting off there and making haste towards the pier. Adam was not a man built for revenge, but he both wanted and needed it at this point and he truly felt that this could be a way out of the perils he had been facing. Somewhat in awe of J’s approach he eagerly rode on excited to hear about the plan.

The two met up just under the pier where they last left off, J approached Adam confidently as the two were long-time friends and greeted him with a friendly fist bump. Firm in its approach it connected well and the two made eye contact before nodding and J proceeding to open the boot of the car he arrived in, an old banged up Glenndale to show Adam the merchandise.

“So you like what you see?” J laughed as he showed Adam a brief look into the boot before closing it rapidly with force and stating “Well… follow me back to mine and we’ll get this done”

Adam didn’t speak a word, merely nodding and getting back onto his Sanchez before following J through Del Perro over to his house, when they arrived he said simply “Let’s do this” softly as the two went indoors and J Adam to his apartment.

“Not exactly much, but it’ll do” J reassured Adam who looked as though he had just walked into his worst nightmare.

“Yeah… A real nice place you got here” Adam joked “But as you say, we only need space to talk, not exactly plan a full scale war.” Adam continued as he looked around the dingy living room and sat himself down on the torn and tattered sofa, brown in colour to match the rest of the dark and dismal colour scheme within the apartment.

“These guys then, tell me about them” J said as he took a seat opposite the table from Adam, putting down two large duffle bags at the side of the table.

“They’re some bad ass dudes, The Rancher Fellas’ they call themselves, an all Irish gang who have essentially taken over the area in which I’m living” explained Adam, nerves flowed through his body, but he told the truth throughout and opened up to J in the conversation. “They have effectively got my life in their hands, and I can’t stand it anymore!” he snapped.

“I feel ya man, don’t worry” J spoke in a husky but comforting tone back to Adam, he could see that this man was no longer who he used to be, much like himself and saw a connection between the two in this way. He took a few items out of the duffle bag, placing them all evenly on the table. There were two sets of red coveralls, a strap each for the job and a set of masks for the two of them also. The overalls had clearly been stolen from the Bugstars’ company, brandishing their logo across the back and arms, the straps didn’t look ideal as they were simple pistols but no doubt somebody had them taken from them as they were already used and not brought first-hand from the local Ammunation, which naturally rang alarm bells within the head of Adam who spoke out confused. There was also a flare gun and two earpieces that J put onto the table between the two of them.

“Where the hell did you get these from?” He pointed as he said towards the table which was now stacked with gear, in this time J had also pulled out a switchblade and tossed it onto the coveralls almost perfectly ready for his reply.

“Well… isn’t it obvious?” He exclaimed as he pointed at the logo that Adam had already made out across the coveralls. “Nobody got hurt if that’s what you’re thinking” he then convinced Adam. Reassuring him he wasn’t involved with a total psychopath he then began to explain.

“I got these from getting onto a work placement with the company, free work clothes and all you have to do is take a four-hour induction and you have your job clothes!” he explained calculated and with reason.

“What about those?” Adam motioned towards the two pistols sat atop of the table.

“Those?... Well those were a little harder to come by. Nobody was hurt, but I had to pull in a favour and do some car repossession for the trade off if you follow me?” J returned as he took one of the handguns and passed it over to Adam, a Pistol .50 it was effectively a hand-cannon providing a massive impact with each shot it took. Adam looked at the gun and thought to himself that it was much better than the “pea-shooter” he currently had to defend himself and remained silent for a moment inspecting it, instantly noticing that there was no safety on the gun whatsoever, and it was a clean and untraceable gun.

“This is nice” Adam thanked J as he smiled a deep grin. “Thank you.” He said as he was instantly transfixed at the two masks on the table, he quickly moved along.

“What are they?” he said in both confusion and seriousness.

“Oh these?” replied J as he picked the two of the masks up and turned them face up. One was a full headed wolf mask, the other a clown hockey mask. “These are something I just picked up at the mask store down in Vespucci Beach, they’re pretty cool aren’t they? Thought they’d provide both a surprise and a scare for your boys!” he continued boosting morale into Adam both getting him prepared mentally and excited physically. Adam looked at the wolf mask and instantly realized it was that which he wanted.

“I’ll take the wolf mask” he said, hoping that J hadn’t already chosen it.

“Sure thing man, clowns are more my thing anyway.” J returned taking a deep look into the face of the mask and then taking a deep breath.

“Forgive me, I haven’t even explained the plan, let alone anything else, grab you a beer?” he asked Adam apologetically.

“Its fine don’t worry, I’m not used to this kinda ordeal anyway, and please” Adam explained as he took the Pisswasser Light from J and took a sip before continuing.

“I mean, you said you were from Liberty City, I’m from Vice City myself” He continued, lighting up a Redwood cigarette after putting his beer on a coaster. “I have some good family over there, but things went a bit rough and now I’m here. It wasn’t forced but by choice and I had some good times over here, but things went sour quickly with the Rancher Fellas’. They had me burn down rival farmers barns and stuff in order to keep a home. They had me rob that store where we met just this past week.” He continued, noticeably getting sadder in his voice as he continued smoking his cigarette and taking a quick swig of his drink. “ I can’t take it anymore, my family are proud people, and I know how to handle myself, so lets get this done” he finished, as he necked virtually his whole beer and stood  up ready to take his revenge.

“Relax bro, just take it easy for a minute” J reasoned, calming Adam down and reseating him with a sympathetic pat on the back. J passed Adam the wolf mask and sat it down face up beside him. “You say your family are proud people, let that go for now, and become a wolf in a new pack and take back what’s yours” J spoke as stood before Adam ready to explain his plan.

“The way I see it is this, we can go in there at night-time, if not tonight then tomorrow.” J told Adam, who had also stood up and was listening in eagerly, as J continued to speak he pulled what appeared to be a flat-cap from his pocket and he put it on. This was a family tie with all of Adams back in Vice City and he would explain this to J if he asked, which naturally given the circumstances wouldn’t be long,

“We make a move on them and we have one of us use the flare gun in order to create a distraction, we both have a headset to keep in constant communication which you can wear underneath your mask… Is that uhhh, a flat-cap? ...” J continued before questioning in a confused manner almost instantly as Adam had guessed.

“Yeah it is, everyone back home dons these and so do I” Adam replied confidently. “I think it might look good stuck onto the head of this mask somehow…” he then thought aloud before listening back into the plan.

“I respect that, and it might actually be a cool idea if we pull this off, maybe try it out in future” J returned instantly implying that the two would remain friends, which gave Adam a feeling of comfort that he had a friend he could believe in now. “But anyway, we need to cause a diversion and then using the six canisters of gasoline I got hold of we rig their most prized possessions alight and then get the hell out of there. We’ll probably get into some sort of fight, but if these boys are caught off-guard, they’ll have no chance.” J continued, finalizing the plan before asking. “So where are these guys based then?”

“Grapeseed, they have a meth lab in the northern area, and they also have a weed operation with a small farm inside a lockup.” Adam replied confident with the intel he had gained.

“That’s perfect” said J back quickly as he began to speak with his hands and fully realize the plan for himself. “We move on them, cause the distraction and then after I’ve caused the distraction I’ll quickly move on the meth lab, this gives you plenty of time to get that weed farm lit up, we’ll meet up on the way out and the meth lab will keep them distracted long enough for me to get to you at the weed farm and getaway, sound okay to you?” J finished thinking to himself that he had got this soundly nailed.

“Sounds great to me” Adam agreed “I think we should set off tomorrow.”

“No problems” J replied without questioning Adams reasons, knowing it was probably due to him being unsure of the whole thing. J looked over to Adam and made him an offer.

“How about you hang out here tonight? It’s not perfect as you know but…” He said trying to get Adam to have a chill-out time with him and potentially get to know one another.

“I’d appreciate that” Adam spoke back with a smile as he looked down again at his mask and then over at the handgun J had obtained for him, he felt appreciative but he was also curious and potentially at this point concerned about J’s background, however he didn’t feel the need to mention anything at this point as he was comfortable in J’s hospitality and with his methods, even if they did seem a little higher profile than what Adam was used to back at home.

The rest of the evening between the two was spent drinking and smoking heavily whilst talking as they both grew to appreciate each other’s company fairly quickly. They both realized that they had a number of things in common, ranging from similar music tastes all the way down to their passions for professional wrestling. J and Adam got on like a house on fire this first night, and they both felt a strong friendship form as they connected in their interests. J had played in a band when he was younger as the drummer for an outfit called The Dead City Souls in Liberty City on the underground circuit as their drummer for a number of years before they disbanded and all went separate ways, leading primary to J’s involvement with the criminal scene through Liberty City and upon sharing this information Adam was happy as he was an aspiring guitar player, the two even had a small impromptu jam that evening with an African drum and an acoustic guitar.  They both were able to kick back and relax more importantly, which is something neither of them had been able to do for quite some time.

Awakening early the next morning the two were both hungover and felt quite rough, after making some food and having a quick recap of the plan they had conjured the previous evening before getting as wasted as they had done.

“Man I really need to calm that shit down” said J coughing both before and after the statement. He went to the kitchen and cooked up some bacon and toast to help ease the hangover as the two made a final check on the gear before opting to sleep some more in order to get some rest for the potentially hazardous job that awaited them later on. J woke up earlier than Adam and headed out to the store to grab some cigarettes, obviously choosing a different store slightly further away than the one that the two met at, to avoid arousing any suspicion.  Upon returning it was closing in on 3PM and Adam was up and ready, before explaining the travel times to J.

“Hey man! We better get going, it’s a four-hour ride minimum in your car” he remarked as he was packing his Pistol .50 into his bag along with his Black Wolf Mask and the switchblade that J had given to him. Adam had inspected the switchblade before J returned and had noticed it had a skull emblem and various markings engraved onto it, possibly from a gang that J had used to be in before, definitely however not a souvenir item this was something special. Adam chose to ignore this minor detail for now, focusing on the task at hand however.

“Yeah I know brother, we should suit up when we get there, get everything packed and we’ll move, want me to drive you give directions?” J replied to Adam as he offered to take the wheel on the long journey ahead.

“Sure thing man, thanks! When this is done by the way, I owe you one” Adam replied thankfully and appreciative of what J was doing for him. Adam had no idea that J was obviously scouting for a potential group from which to make some serious moves at this point, and he had no idea of the severity of J’s past either, but neither of those details mattered much at this point at least.

“Don’t worry about it” approved J as he finished packing up all the gear before making a mental checklist of everything in order to be fully equipped. The two also made sure the headsets were working before they left, and tried them at distance as J went to fuel up his car and return to the apartment just to keep all corners covered. The guns, the overalls, the flare gun and the masks along with a trunk full of canisters of petrol was all that the two would need to make some serious fireworks and get Adam his revenge against his enemies that have haunted him for what felt seemingly forever to him and as the two set off in the car he made a pact to ensure he wouldn’t kill anyone if it didn’t have to happen, something J both understood and questioned within himself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER FOUR: THE SAN ANDREAS GRAPESEED MASSACRE

J and Adam had arrived on the outskirts of Grapeseed just shortly after nightfall and the two quickly changed into their gear and then double checked their weapons after Adam had briefed J on the locations for where they both would need to be, along with a decent spot from which to make the diversion. J handed Adam a flashlight and equipped one onto his belt himself and stood proud next to his new friend thinking how great and cool they both looked as they were about to embark upon a mission together.

“Okay, this is it” Adam said as he took a deep breath attempting to relieve the natural anxiety that would come before a job of this calibre. He looked over to J for a response but he was involved checking his gear before he quickly turned around feeling the tension also and reassured Adam that their job would go just fine.

“Don’t worry about it man, you can count on me” he swore in allegiance like some misplaced solider lost fighting for a cause that wasn’t even his. “I promise you this will be done” he continued boosting morale within Adam as he smiled just before putting on his mask and nodding almost in comedic fashion with it on. “Let’s move out, I’ll speak to you over headset just after the diversion. Go steady Adam.” J then said which for some reason clicked in Adams head as he made his way over to the lot that stored the Rancher Fellas’ dope farm.

After roughly ten minutes they were both in position, with J hiding in one of the cattle yards noticing the water drain that he could hide in and call the diversion, then he would crawl through the drain itself around the back of the lab and get to work however he can whilst Adam was burning the weed supply.

“Okay, here we go. I’ll be in touch when I’m at the lab” J stated over the headset as he finished his cigarette and scoped out the lab from his position. It wasn’t overly defended and it seemed to only have a handful of men guarding it, none of which seem to be armed with more than Micro SMG’s. However, they still outnumbered J which is where his diversion tactic came in. He released the flare and just as planned the patrols came to investigate with J crawling through the drain like a commando as he approached his goal. Adam was in the Glendale of J’s and had driven it over just off the farm from which the Rancher Fellas’ owned and operated. Security was a lot tighter on this area, but Adam knew that the lot was often left unattended after daytime, as not to arouse anymore suspicion than a murdering, ransoming, drug dealing and all round ruthless Irish fighting gang already does. Adam made his way quickly after leaving the car through the field behind the lot and was able to survey the area well, noticing only two people on guard of the lot itself, whilst the farm just opposite the road was where the entire gang was operating, and they based their entire field of operations from.

“Okay I’ve got through the gutter, fuck me I stink” J remarked as he approached the back of the meth lab continued “All good, moving in on the lab now. Where you at?”

“Same here all good, just two guys my way but they look to be going back to base.” Adam replied sternly before asking “How many you got?”

“I lost most of them, there’s one over here, but I got him.” J confidently explained in a gruff yet quiet tone. “Get inside and get torching, I’ll meet you at the rendezvous of the car okay?”

“All good, Go steady J” returned Adam almost making the “Go Steady” somewhat of a catchphrase between the two.

“Go steady” appreciated J, clearly understanding the gesture and motive.

J allowed the positive feeling to hang in the air and made a move around the side of the meth lab itself, an old wooden barn, it didn’t really have much defence as the patrols were out investigating the flare and as J approached the lone guard remaining he wasted no time in dispatching him by quickly sneaking up behind him and delivering his switchblade into the neck several times whilst he held his glove covered hand firmly and tightly up against his victims mouth to ensure he remained silent. Dressed in blood red coveralls the Rancher Fella gang members blood barely showed on J’s clothing, and with his clown mask, he looked like something straight out of a B-movie slasher film, straight out of Vinewood and straight into a bargain bin. But this was the real deal, and as J moved into the meth lab after disposing of the body in a nearby dumpster he knew he would have to be quick in thinking how to destroy it as the patrols would soon be returning.

Adam meanwhile had managed to break into the weed farm with no issues whatsoever, he had scoped and planned this out nicely, moving into the small warehouse as the guards were completely unaware. As he arrived inside he swiftly checked that the room was free of anyone before emptying his duffle bag with the canisters of gasoline, luckily not much if any had spilled and he was able to carry four of the six with him into the small facility. He then instantly realized that there was a killing in this small operation and started loading as much of the cannabis as he could into the bag. He then took the canisters of gasoline and doused the entire room making sure to allow himself a getaway.

J had now realized how he was going to destroy the meth lab, he had noticed that there was a really small fuelling station behind where the meth lab itself was situated and he had quickly unplugged one of the hoses and started spraying the small wooden shack that houses this ever so valuable operation.   Becoming aware of the guards returning due to their small talk of the flare potentially being alien lifeforms or something along those lines, J quickly lit the fuel trail with his lighter and sped off running away before anyone had realized he was even there. The fire started to blaze quickly as the Rancher Fella gang members came rushing over to inspect it. J hadn’t realized however that he was running directly towards the base of operations for the gang he had just caused such a hit too.

Adam was seconds away from lighting the gasoline as he was discovered by a gang member who was coming to inspect the crops.

“What ya doin ere fella!?” he spoke shocked in a thick Irish accent.

Adam shot him dead instantly before panicking for a few seconds and then opting the quickest course of action would to be shoot the gasoline alight. He did so and then took a quick look back before exiting the warehouse, knowing he was in deep shit he quickly contacted J on the headset.

“Oh shit man! I’m caught, busted!” he said, rushing his speech due to his situation.

“What happened? I’m on my way through the field now, big old ass abandoned house in-front of me” J asked before informing Adam he wasn’t far from his position, but also giving the realization that they may be in a worse situation than before.

“That’s their HQ! You’re headed to their HQ!” Adam shouted, as he took cover outside the warehouse, getting shots off at various Rancher Fella gang members.

“Well… Fuck it!” Replied J hastily “Shoot your way through, I’ll meet you halfway!” he continued as he made haste and started sprinting to the house just a hundred metres or so in front of him. The meth lab exploded behind him and as he watched for a brief second of it going up in flames he also caught sight of a threesome of trucks headed towards its position, they were all Karin Rebels, and the one in the middle had a machine gun turret equipped to it, these were some heavy grade hillbillies’ J thought as he laid low but kept moving towards Adams position rapidly.

“Okay, if you can head around the left hand side ill meet you at the barn” planned Adam, as he moved out of cover and took out the couple of attackers that had come his way, shooting them down with precision as he continued pushing forwards to the barn, he looked back at the pot farm completely ablaze and securing his bag with all of the stolen crops in before moving up the bank taking cover behind various fences of the farm along the way.

“Got it” responded J, as he brainstormed his own idea of that he was going to do in this potentially dangerous, but ever so exciting situation for him to find himself in.

As he continued fighting Adam heard gunfire from the far left, and was right in assuming it was J signalling his arrival to the farm house and its barn. Several Rancher Fella gang members left the house to the disturbance, also fairly confident there was an attack from before and started searching for what was happening.

J started opening fire on various members of the gang as they left the large abandoned farm house from which they based themselves primarily. They were armed with various forms of cheap weaponry ranging from stock pistols, pump action shotguns, and knock off assault rifles, but they all still packed a punch compared to what J and Adam were wielding. Taking down various members of the Rancher Fella Gang J managed to find himself held up behind the barn that Adam was presumably talking about. Hoping that Adam would return to meet him in one piece he continued fighting and shooting at the members.

“Kiss me feckin arse laddie” he taunted at the Irish gang, in comedic racism if there is such a thing as he shot another gang member dead before needing to stop and reload.

Adam was fighting a literal uphill battle and as J was situated behind the house trying to take down whoever he could Adam was taking down various men as they sprawled from the front of the house. Adams gun packed more of a punch, and each shot was virtually a one hit kill, whilst J was having to be more precise in his shots, either crippling people with kneecap shots, or killing them cold with a brutal and unforgiving head shot.

The shootout saw J and Adam working in almost psychic unison to work their way around the left hand side of the house and both being uninjured and fuelled on the adrenaline from the fight they were in currently J quickly informed Adam of the getaway plan.

“Holy shit what a fight! Let’s get the fuck outta here!” J exclaimed, taking another couple of shots at incoming enemies before questioning “What the hell, how many of them is there?!”

“I know right, lot of Irish in Blaine County apparently” Adam joked in his reply covering J as he moved forward into new cover.

“We need to move, see that toy over there” J shouted back at Adam whilst pointing over at another one of the Karin Rebels armed with a machine gun hidden away in a wooden barn not too far from their position “We need to get that and go!” he continued as the two continued fighting against the small army they were up against, no stronger than ten men left now the initially flurry of combat had worn off and J and Adam had found themselves in need to make the move now or risk being flooded by the returning convoy that was imminent.

“Yeah I hear ya!” Adam agreed as he moved in on J’s positon realizing that they had found a decent position where they were at stale mate with the enemy but closer to the goal. “Make a dash now!” he said with force as he nodded at J and the two ran shooting at their enemies but both being lucky to avoid being hit, the mystique of the costumes and masks playing no part in this whatsoever, but both feeling as though they did. Quickly scarpering through the barn and into the Karin Rebel J got into the driver’s seat and Adam mounted the machine gun that sat on the rear. This was a huge gun in terms of what either man had been used to using before, almost like a piece of military grade hardware that had fallen into the bloodthirsty Irish gang’s hands. Not that it mattered now, because it sat in the hands of the person that had come for revenge against them. Like an army of two J started the engine up and made out of the barn and proceeded to make a couple of passes around the house whilst Adam mowed down the remaining members that remained out of the lawn and hadn’t fled back inside their HQ.

“Okay keep going bro! We need to finish this now!” J shouted to Adam who was having the time of his life crushing his enemies and filling them with several hundred bullets as he fired the gun with ferocity screaming at the top of his lungs.

“ARGGGGGGHHHHH DIE YOU FUCKERS!” Adam shouted with everything that he is as he slaughtered the remaining survivors and trashed the HQ with the machine gun rapidly firing and not taking a break until he was certain there was nobody left. When he felt ready, Adam stopped shooting the gun and he took a deep breath and sighed loudly before becoming under the realization that the convoy had arrived around the front of the house. This didn’t deter J and Adam however as they ambushed the convoy from the rear killing virtually most of the people within it, including the other gunner on the mounted in instantly. Any survivors were soon taken care of brutally before they could properly react and this time Adam continued shooting at the house until it started to set fire, presumably from the gas leaking and then lighting. As the house went up in flames Adam stood proudly in the back of the Karin Rebel as he laughed at the fact he had actually realized his revenge and seen it through. J as drove the truck away Adam looked back at his enemies in ruins and made a very strong mental note that J had helped him with this, and how sweet his victory truly was because of that. The Rancher Fellas’ had been wiped off the face of the earth after losing their meth lab, their weed operation, their homes, and lastly their lives with not a single survivor remaining from any of the firefights despite the group looking so well outfitted.

Moving quickly under midnight darkness before the police could arrive J and Adam returned to the Glendale and they started driving back out to the city after abandoning the truck, Adam had revealed that he stole the weed from the lockup to which J was very happy for two reasons; One being they had a smoke, the other being they could sell a good portion of it for a great deal.

“Good going on that job man, that was hectic!” J said as he drove down the Los Santos Freeway just after removing his mask and rolling up the sleeves on his coveralls. Adam had also removed his mask, and placed his flat-cap back onto his head.

“Yeah man! I mean thanks so much J!” Adam replied relieved all his troubles were over and in much appreciation of J’s help.

“Don’t worry about it, you did most of that anyhow up there” J explained to Adam, attempting to convey the idea that Adam achieved his own victory, which he did to a certain extent.

“Thanks anyhow man, listen I owe you so if you need some help, on a job or something, I got your back…” Adam thanked as he continued by asking “Listen, you mind if I crash on your sofa a while, I mean I can’t go back to Grapeseed” he explained, to which J naturally understood.

“No problems at all, brother” replied J who was happy to have such an ally with which he could bond and move forwards together with.  Adam thanked J once again and the two continued their drive back to Los Santos together, with a late night of high grade smoking as the plan as Adam turned on the radio and scrolled through various radio stations such as Blaine County Talk Radio which was losing its signal as they headed back into the city, Vinewood Boulevard Radio and then ending up on Channel X.

“Oh good God not this shite” Adam complained, rightfully so as J also resented the music on the radio station as it just didn’t feel like rock or metal music should do to the two of them.

“You don’t like it either huh?” asked J who was happy that Adam had a decent musical taste.

“Do I fuck. Fuck off Channel X, your music’s shit!” Adam spoke cockily to the car radio before changing the station over to Los Santos Rock Radio, a personal favourite of them both.

“This is what I’m talking about, proper music” said Adam in appreciation of the radio station that was playing Steve Winwoods “Higher Love” at the time.

“Haha! No way!” exclaimed J who motioned at the radio and started swaying to the music “This is my favourite song this station has been playing recently!” he continued showing his admiration for music as he air drummed the beat whilst driving.

“Exactly, like I say, proper music.” Adam reaffirmed as he started playing the air guitar as the two carried on with their drive. When they arrived back at J’s apartment they decided that being as it was a Friday night or Saturday morning depending on how you view things, they would see if they could sell any of the dope they stole the next day and hit the beaches and town for a look around and stuff, then see some of the nightlife in the evening together before making some plans for some jobs together in the coming week. J had no idea where he would be going from here in terms of making money, but seeing Adam as somewhat of a protégé was enough of a reason for him at least to try. J thought highly of Adam, a very nice and thankful person but he has the side that J would need to compliment him if he would be returning to the life of crime permanently so to speak. J saw loyalty in Adam and he saw this as a stepping stone to potentially bigger things in the future, but the idea J thought and explained to Adam that evening after they returned would be to start small, but slowly start thinking big.

 

CHAPTER FIVE: LIKE A BULL IN A CHINA SHOP

Over the weekend J spent virtually all of his time with Adam together and they went down to Del Perro pier for a visit at the carnival that it had on all year round. Riding its infamous “Leviathan” rollercoaster and just generally chilling out, they soon found their way over to the Bahama Mahamas’ to have a few drinks to round out the weekend together.  The bar was an extravagate and brightly lit area which had a large blue neon lit bar and several expensive glass tables all lit up with dark comfortable furniture to either sides of it complimenting the blindingly white dance floor that was in the centre of the room, a long corridor from the main room to the entrance was just to the left of the bar itself, which featured several ATM’s to naturally encourage people to spontaneously invest.

After buying a couple of drinks J and Adam sat down at one of the nicer tables in the bar, as it was mostly empty despite still blaring its loud and retro 1980’s pop music and the two had just clicked in general, excited to catch the professional wrestling show that Adam had been following on TV and wanted to see it live in a couple of months when it arrived in town. Adam suggested the idea to J who was more than happy to go along with it, but he quickly changed the subject to other things that he had on his mind as he sat dressed in a dark black shirt with its arms rolled up and jet black jeans, coupled with a set of red converse shoes that he had recently brought himself. He wore his beanie hat and he also had a pendent around his neck that looked to be made of solid silver, with the Liberty City logo upon it. As Adam sat opposite him, dressed in black bootleg jeans and a plain navy blue t-shirt complete with his flat-cap atop of his head he continued explaining.

“But you know how The Crusher has been lately? His streak is undeniable!” he said as he slammed his beer down reinforcing his point before J replied.

“I know, he’s one hell of a guy, but my favourite is a guy called Hardcore, he’s the best striker and gimmick match specialist out there, hence his name!” he reasoned and made in general banter with Adam who appreciated the conversation. “One hell of a finishing move as well, that double-footed stomp off the top middle of the ropes!” J got excited as he passionately expressed before quickly changing the conversation.

“We need a team Adam if we wanna start making some moves, me and you are one hell of one already” J explained to Adam gratefully as he continued “But we are going to need a couple more heads and we are gonna need to start scoping out some things.” Spoken firmly as J took another sip from his drink and looked at Adam awaiting his reply.

“Yeah, I’m open to that. A crew would be cool.” Adam boldly replied as he also took a swig of his drink thinking to himself about how J would sort all of this out.

“I have no leads yet” J said disheartened “but what I do have is something in the way of a job for us.” he then explained to Adam “I know of someone keeping some funds in a small bank just off the Great Ocean Highway. I know them because I used to work for them.” J then boldly revealed to Adam not letting on his true affiliations nor any of the events as he stated “But that was then… and this is now, and I know they have something held up there because I heard a couple of the guys mention that’s where there offshore accounts were located, and I know we can do this easy with the right people and at the right time, we just leave no traces” continued J as he unfolded minor fragments of his past to Adam who didn’t necessarily seem concerned with the idea of robbing a bank, but more how they would accomplish it, taking a deep breath before finishing his beer and looking around Adam returned. “How are we gonna do it?” completely unfazed by the potential idea of a bank job, which J replied in a confused manner.

“So that’s it?... You just want to know how we do it? I like that man, real calculated.” He reasoned towards the end of his conversation with a smile on his face. The smile quickly turned sour as J looked behind Adams shoulder at the bar and had the sudden realization that one of the men at the bar was the larger collector from beforehand, the one that J had robbed from the dealership and taken the money he used to get his apartment and Glendale and to fund the Rancher Fellas’ job. Quickly turning his face, he said to Adam quietly as he looked down.

“In three seconds, turn around. That man built like a mountain is the guy I robbed in order to pay for my home and my ride… and that gun you have back at the place as well.” Turning away so that the monstrous car collector didn’t see his face and recognize him as Adam turned around and looked at the behemoth of a human being before replying.

“You jacked that beast over there?” Adam continued in astonishment “How the fuck did you do that?”

“It doesn’t matter how I did it, we just need to move before he ID’s us, let’s go quick” said J in a hurried manner as he stood up and made a move with Adam in tow for the exit which would involve the two sneaking right past the collector as he stood dressed in an oil stained grey t-shirt and black slacks coupled with a set of steel toe capped boots, and a cap atop of his huge head. Not that J was scared of this man, but he felt intimidation in the sense that this could turn ugly quickly, and may turn into a horrible situation in a heartbeat.

“Okay, keep with me” J spoke to Adam as the two walked right past the collector, all seemed fine as the two made their way over to the set of double doors that led to the main corridor out of the bar. A few seconds passed and the two had nearly made it when J felt a strong hand grab the back of his hair and pull him backwards by his beanie, confirming to the collector that he had found his long awaited prey.

“What the?!” J shouted as he was thrown backwards to the floor, before rising upwards and taking a strong right hand to his chest as he did so, he was also hit by a kick that sent him back as he jumped onto one of the glass tables by this giant of a man. Adam quickly responded and hit the collector in the back three times with rallying punches and then jumped on his back and proceeded choking him out. The security at Bahama Mahamas’ was light anyhow, and the collector had recently been employed as his only bodyguard after losing his job at the repossession company so he was in essence the security, in the eyes of the bartenders taking down two rowdy folks.

The collector after being dazed for a moment after taking a few strong shots to the face from J as Adam was choking him out jumped backwards and put Adam through the glass table that was rested behind them, obliterating it and causing a massive noise and impact as he did. Sat atop of it were various bottles and glasses that smashed along with the table seeing Adam writhe in pain as he was literally buried under the monster of a man they were fighting, seizing the somewhat inevitable foreshadowing from the conversation before, J took a leap of faith from the table he was stood onto the collector delivering a brutal double stomp onto his chest narrowly avoiding Adam in the process of connecting, which was a tribute to his wrestling icon Hardcore. Crushing the chest of the collector he was flipped off of Adam clutching his chest and tried to pick himself back up, coughing and spluttering as he did so. J rushed over to Adam to aid him up.

“Quick man, we got a moment, we can move” J hurried out of breath from the fight as he picked Adam up out of the scraps of wood and glass that sat before him, passing him his glasses back as he did.

“Thanks man, we aren’t done yet though” Adam spat as he scraped glass from his arms putting on his glasses and then running at the collector, kicking him in the gut and back several times. This merely angered the beast who stood defiantly and delivered several strong punches back at Adam, who was able to cover up, but still bombarded and sent up against the wall sending his glasses and flat-cap flying from his skull as J intervened with a few kicks to the midsection and then managing to direct the collector to come after him, which was a stupid move as he eventually caught one of J’s kicks and then spinning him around before locking his hands around his waist and delivering a German-Suplex to him onto the dance floor smashing his shoulders into the glass floor, noticeably busting out the light within it. As the collector picked J up to hit him again, targeting his fist like a ballistic missile to his skull, J hit him with a low blow in a desperate counter manoeuvre and as the collector fell to his knees he was struck from behind by Adam who had hit him with a glass bottle across the back of his head, sending him down to the ground. J looked at the collector and didn’t feel the need to continue the fight, he looked around at the few people who were still there; the bartenders and cleaning staff mostly who quickly scarped to the back but J couldn’t remember due to adrenaline exactly how many people were there, just that he felt somewhat guilty for this. The collector was still holding his groin in agony as it was a strong shot J hit him with, and he had started bleeding from his neck. Adam now holding the broken bottle was also feeling the need to end the fight, and he looked over to J as J sighed.

“This isn’t who we are Adam” as he looked down again at the collector who was just about getting to knee height again, still obviously in pain. “He isn’t an enemy, and I’m sorry I wronged you before.” J explained talking now to the collector himself who looked up at J in anger but listened on.

“Listen brother, that was one heck of a fight, and a know you’ve got one heck of a fighting spirit in you. “J continued as he backed up now stood side by side with Adam, feeling the tension die down however. “I could do with someone like you helping us guys out.” He then offered to the collector.

Standing now on his feet but not ready to continue the fight the collector looked over at J and Adam with a firm and stern face, he was noticeably beaten up, but all three of them were and this was regarded as a no contest between all three men as they all took a moment to consider themselves equals before the collector replied.

“Help you?” He spat back at the two with venom “Why the fuck would I do that?” he then questioned angrily.

“You don’t have too. But I remember from before, you’re a hell of a driver, you’re a fighter, and I bet you know how to use a gun” J complimented to the collector before looking around at the now completely vacant bar, thinking to himself they should probably get out soon due to the police arriving. “We ought to move, cops may be here soon if anyone in the back has made a call” J said before Adam nodded in agreement before he smiled and then told the collector.

“I’m sorry about this too” he said jokingly as he dropped the broken glass bottle onto the floor, and the collector wiped blood from his neck with a rag on the bar.

“It’s okay” he replied. “Was a good fight” he then said confidently as J looked over, realizing they may have reached compromise.

“So what dya say?” J asked the collector. “What’s your name anyhow brother?” he then asked, attempting to build an initial bridge.

Looking over at the two after finishing cleaning up his wounds and taking a seat and lighting himself a rollup cigarette the collector took a deep drag and replied.

“It’s Cam. Who the fuck are you two?” he revealed before then raising his voice.

“I’m J. This is Adam.” returned J who also introduced Adam.  “He’s a real cool guy. Good solid gunman and a great head on his shoulders” he then approved as Adam smiled after he had finished cleaning up his t-shirt and putting his flat-cap back on, he wasn’t hurt badly, but his back and arms had various cuts.

“J and Adam huh?” Cam then questioned before laughing and stubbing out his cigarette. “Okay cool, take my number, get the fuck outta my bar and call me!” he then shouted as he stood up before exchanging numbers with J. Adam looked over at J and said.

“Real friendly guy J, you sure he can handle the job?” he then mocked before looking over at Cam. “You sure you can handle it?” he then asked Cam himself seriously.

“What you got planned?” Cam replied firm faced before taking out a cannabis joint out of his pocket he had not obtained from the low grade medicinal marijuana shops out in Vespucci Beach, but some real high grade off the streets grown up in Blaine County stuff. He lit up the joint before asking “You smoke?”

“We do” replied Adam looking over at Cam, not necessarily thinking he was on track with the task at hand, but appreciating his gesture to have a quick smoke. “We wont have some right now though, when we talk again.” He then said looking over to J for his opinion.

“Good call” agreed J, as he then explained to Cam a brief lowdown. “It’s a serious job, you’ll make a bit of money or ill cut you some smoke to sell if that’s what you want?”

“I’ll take both ideas. Now go.” Cam then exclaimed to the two, as J and Adam walked through the double doors and out into the main corridor, they didn’t speak until they were sure they were clear outside, and they walked to the Glendale that was situated in the car park of Del Perro Heights.

Getting into the car Adam said to J “Don’t you think he may be a bit of a wildcard.”

“We can work with him, I’m sure he’ll be fine, he has a hell of a game face, and that can be something we could use to the advantage of our goal. After this we could have enough to live comfortably around these parts and get ourselves located up at Eclipse Towers.” J explained as he started driving back to the home they both shared.

“Yeah, I see your point, he is one hell of a fighter, and if you know he can drive he might be a good driver for that bank job?” Adam then replied as he put on Los Santos Rock Radio which was playing The Cults “Rain”.  “I love the rain” echoed through both men’s heads as J confirmed.

“Trust me, he can drive” J said confidently. “He’s a hell of a driver.”

 

CHAPTER SIX: A SILENT WARRIOR

Upon arriving back home J and Adam were exhausted naturally from the fight, both injured and suffering fatigue the two both had showers and then passed out for well over a whole day before awakening to what felt like a coma between them, they had both taken a beating in that fight, something that both they both saw as a sign they had found someone who could handle themselves. They didn’t need to speak about it, but they knew. Nothing much was said between either man as they found their bearings as they clicked in that they had slept for quite some time, and they were still feeling it.

J informed Adam he would be calling Cam that evening whilst Adam had opted to make a scout back up to Grapeseed on his Sanchez to see if any of the Rancher Fellas’ had survived the massacre, that was now being distributed hourly across local radio stations as just that. Adam took to his dirt-bike and he made for Blaine County quickly.

“I’ll let you know what happens, don’t count on there being much though” Adam explained just before he left, he was getting onto his bike in the garage that J had attached to the apartment, it wasn’t pretty but it was somewhere to keep Adams Sanchez and J’s Glenndale for the time as he continued “We killed a ton of men out there, and as you know it’s being made out as state-wide news now, I’ll keep a low profile and chat on the headset” he said just before signalling he had his headset on and then putting on his motorcycle helmet before leaving, dressed in black clothes to keep himself hidden at night time.

“Okay brother, I’ll sort out this with Cam in the meantime” replied J as he groaned as he straightened and stretched out his arm trying to relieve the pain of an injury sustained in the fight, how Adam was ready to make a scout out J thought was completely crazy considering he sustained equal if not more damage. J put this down to him having the past experience and injuries to deal with, but realized that Adam was a fresh face relatively from what he could tell, not to exploit but to have him allied and help him on little missions like this as J would organize the relations side of things. “If you find anything salvageable, guns, drugs, money, bring what you can back here and we’ll get looking into selling some stuff out.” He then explained as he finished his stretch and went back into the apartment leaving Adam with a firm but friendly.

“Go steady Adam”

It was some time before J actually called Cam, brainstorming the ideas of what his pitch would be to this man that he had wronged before. J wondered would Cam just be in it for the thrill of having a betrayal at the end and seeing J left either in jail or dead in the dirt but he didn’t ponder too much on that, as he seemed competent on the job and as of now he wouldn’t be required to do more than drive and hold a gun which would ensure him getting away too resolving the idea of a betrayal. J took a couple of bong hits before ringing him on his cell phone.

“Hey, this is J… Cam?” Said J affirmatively as soon as he heard the phone answer, in a gruff tone almost chewing his words as he sat on his couch rolling a Redwood Cigarette between his fingers.

“Hey. How’s it going?” Cam replied strongly and firmly in his approach, yet still somewhat friendly.

“It’s going good. Listen, I’m gonna need you for a meeting sometime soon to discuss this job opportunity. It’s a small bank on the Great Ocean Highway and it’s got some funds I believe we could split very evenly and live well on.” J reasoned down the phone as he took a deep breath then finishing. “I think you’d be a good driver you know? Boosting cars and that how you have. We need to do a small bit of prep-work so I could do with meeting you and scoping it out together. Maybe a beer one night?”

“I like it, I’m in” responded Cam without a hesitation for even a split second “We’re gonna do this, and then you’re gonna rebuild my bar deal?” He then bartered to J.

“Listen man, you know that place opposite Bahama Mahamas?’” J then quickly returned.

“Del Perro Heights, sure?” Cam replied confused.

“You’ll be living there, that bar wont mean a thing” J then confidently told Cam revealing to an extent the scale of the operation at hand, as those apartments would cost anywhere between two and three hundred thousand dollars, something that wouldn’t come past every day of the week.

“Say no more” Cam responded boldly. “Ill give you a text and we’ll meet up this week coming okay?” he then questioned but more-so told J.

“That’s fine, I’ll catch you soon” J finalized with Cam before warning him. “Don’t try and fuck this up bro okay? This is a favour I’m putting you in for.” he said sternly.

“I won’t, I might be a bit rough, but you can count on me” Cam then reassured J before saying goodbye and hanging up. As J had made the phone call Adam was arriving on the outskirts of Grapeseed and during it had found out some quite interesting sights. Adam had attempted calling J a few times to let him know all was well but J was on the phone to Cam at this time and unfortunately the outdated headsets the two had didn’t allow for a voicemail option, just incoming and outgoing calls. Adam had dismounted his bike not too far from the Rancher Fellas’ farmhouse HQ and he made his way on foot with a small armament containing his Pistol .50, his switchblade and a flashlight, along with his mask to wear just in-case he was spotted.

As Adam approached the seemingly desolate farmhouse; covered in crime scene tape and ripped to shreds from the heavy machine gun fire as well as seeing its main floor completely destroyed with the 1st floor mainly collapsed onto the floor below it, he realized that he was walking amongst what was mainly ruins and he began inspecting the area around the house for anything of value. Turning up his search empty he decided to enter the house itself and made haste wandering around the dark and dirty home that was also coupled as a huge meth lab. Inside the home itself whatever rooms weren’t covered in sprawled out filthy mattresses were filled with cooking chemicals to facilitate the production of the meth that the Rancher Fellas’ owned. It was eerie as Adam looked around the junk for anything that he could contact J in regards to. He took a few steps around a dimly lit corridor and was faced with rubble from the collapse.

*BANG* 

Adams heart raced as he feared the worst, had someone shot at him? He looked around frantically before realizing the sound had come from him kicking a large metal container on the floor and panicking, not seeing it has he rose his gun in fear as the natural anxiety kicked in before trying to radio into J who was no doubt still in conversation with Cam at this time he thought.

“It’s okay, I’m fine” he muttered under his breath. “Just an old spooky house is all” he then reasoned to himself before taking another few steps forward and noticing the creaking within the wood panels beneath his feet, looking up and seeing the staircases completely obliterated in the firefight previously. “Wow some damage huh? Quite proud of that” he then complimented himself still keeping his wits about him and moving through the room before noticing a basement area that seemed completely untouched. Adam thought to himself that it may hold a jackpot and he wandered through the room ahead of him, carefully moving the crime scene tape that had ridden the house throughout as he did. He knew the cops had been here since, but since the house was a complete ghost town he had no issues in checking his corners accurately and efficiently as he moved towards the staircase that lead to the basement.

The basement area was effectively the meth lab, and Adam could see that it had been vastly tampered with, the majority of it being bagged in Blaine County Police evidence bags and all wrapped up secure. Adam didn’t initially think much of the operation itself, not being into heavy drugs but he did quickly notice a bag at the bag that stood out to him. He approached the bags and his thoughts were confirmed as he realized he was stood before a small weapons cache.

“What do we have here?” He exclaimed in excitement as he rummaged through the weaponry. There were various weapons amongst the pile, including an Assault rifle, a Pump Action Shotgun and several Micro Uzis that Adam was able to load into his bag he had brought with him, there was also a small stash of money around five thousand dollars bagged up that Adam put into his bag and made haste leaving the room just before leaving a quick text for J.

“Leaving now. Got some tools for you to take to work.” The text message read as Adam put his bag on his back and quickly looked around for any more potential finds before realizing that he had better get the hell out of there as he had just stolen something from the most brutal police force in the state and they would no doubt be back soon. Adam made a move for the stairs on his way out when he felt his leg gripped and he was sent onto his chest and face, smashing his forehead onto the stairs. He realized he was being attacked, although it was strange, no shouting or anger was heard, there was nothing just a trip and a quick fight.

Adam received some cheap shots to the back and managed to throw his attacker off of him who was noticeably smaller in size than he was, a child he thought? The attacker swung for Adam again hitting his wolf mask which covered up a surprising amount of punch damage he instantly realized before swinging back at his attacker with his head down as he made a grab around the waist and took his attacker to the ground. Adam smashed into the table and threw him attacker onto it, who was quick to rise and kick at Adam who now having gained his bearings and drew his Pistol .50 against him was stood in fear of the gun as he was unarmed, not even holding one of the police secured weapons to defend himself. Adam looked carefully down the barrel of his gun at his attacker and noticed upon his neck was a large wound around his throat area, this was a recent wound as even Adam could tell and it was the most striking visual about this person stood before Adam, who clearly could be no more than sixteen years of age.

“What’s up with your throat?” Adam questioned in a sympathetic tone, still holding his gun to his attacker as he backed off the table and moved to a distance where he wasn’t in reason to grab a weapon nor attack Adam as he raised his arms and shook his hands frantically.

“…..”

“What? Talk to me? Hello?” Adam then said attempting to get an answer out of his attacker, who just stood before him now, taking a look around and then pointing to his throat and then to his mouth, before shaking his head and looking solemnly down at the ground.

“You…. Can’t speak?” asked Adam confused and feeling regretful “Man, I’m sorry” he then said to him. “Listen I aren’t here to attack you or your home, that was beef with higher ups and I’m sorry for doing what I’ve done to you. If you can forgive me…” Adam spoke with a sad and sorrowful tone, really feeling for this kid “Then I’ll see about maybe getting you a job” he then offered, feeling as it was the only reasonable thing to do, as-well as feeling that J would understand this choice, and would probably do the exact same in this situation.

The attacker shook his head to confirm Adams question before taking a small SNS Pistol from his pocket and handing it over to Adam pointing at the handle as he did so, which was inscribed with three letters forming a name; Pat.

“Pat?” asked Adam, fairly certain as he handed the small gun, fitting the young character back to him.

Pat nodded his head in confirmation and raised both of him thumbs as Adam made a call out to J who had now gotten off the phone to Cam after explaining the deal in brief.

“We better get outta here” said Adam as he realized the line was connecting.

“Hey bro, listen…” Greeted Adam before he was cut off by J.

“Adam you need to move now, me and Cam are on the way up to you now! Move! Cops are surrounding the farm” Shouted J in his reply frantically.

“Ohhh shit” exclaimed Adam worried as he motioned over to Pat. “We better get outta here…Now!”