"Stand him up, boys," The Capo said, his voice tight and clipped. Two goons slammed Eddie Rizz against the Wall, with its surface pocked with countless acts of Capo's vengeance and those of his fore bearers. Rizzy Barely felt the slug that still burned somewhere deep inside his hip. The goons retreated to join their fellows in a crescent-moon, pointing their tommies' single dark eyes straight at him. "Ready, boys?" The Capo asked, then paused. A high, metal shriek rose up around them. Rizzy was the first to understand, as he felt the rust-stained Wall behind him descending into the ground.
- start -
The gang of thugs stood frozen for a moment, as their killing wall slowly lowered. Blood seeped from the seams as it moved. Old and thick - more akin to mud than water. It seeped around Rizzy's shoes. He felt the day-old lobster he had for lunch rise up from his stomach.
Today was not a good day.
"This some sort of trick, Rizzy?" The Capo shouted, the first of the mob to regain composure. Who could blame them, though? The Wall, or at least a part of it, was moving. That wasn't supposed to happen.
"Do you think I really have this kinda power, Capo?" Rizzy pleaded. Hands still in the air. Why stop cowering now? Whatever was happening wouldn't be good.
"You're right." The Capo chuckled. "Boys, close your gabs and kill this no good chump."
Really not a good day.
The world seemed to slow as Eddie watched the goons ready their weapons again, and prepared themselves to fire. Even slower as they pulled the triggers, almost in unison. Eddie saw the barrel of each erupt in flame, and again, and again. Each flash of light slowed time even further. Empty shells rocketed out of the sides of the Tommy guns, smoke billowing in the low light of the alley.
Little dots made their way towards him, it felt like hours waiting. It was honestly somewhat boring, if you asked him. Wasn't he supposed to see his life flash before his eyes? Maybe visited by the ghosts of past, present, and future? He didn't know the specifics, but death was supposed to be more exciting than this.
Was this some sort of punishment? You only got the good stuff if you actually accomplished something in your life? Maybe that was it, because Eddie had done jack. No, his brother got all the good genes. All that was left for ol' Rizzy was a quick tongue that wasn't quick enough and a penchant for gambling that would eventually lead him right here.
Time had stopped completely at this point, but it took another few minutes of self-loathing for Rizzy to even notice the bullets were no longer advancing towards him.
"I swear," He said. Throwing his hands like a child in a tantrum. "I don't know what you want from me, God. But at this point I'll die of boredom before these damn bullets get here."
Rizzy wasn't sure which God he was talking to, but he'd take any one that would listen.
The Wall completed its descent with a bang that could shatter eardrums - that shook the ground so hard he almost fell to his feet.
And then a god answered.
No more Killing.
Eddie Rizz did not hear this voice. He felt it. Deep, in his atoms, hell - he felt it in whatever it was that made atoms. To say that the voice knocked him to the ground would be an understatement. It would be better to say that the voice masterfully orchestrated a series of events, starting with his birth, and ending with him now flat on his ass.
"Th-That is really good to hear, all things considered." Rizzy turned to face the..void...that he presumed was the source of this voice. It was, completely empty. More than, you might say. It wasn't even black - it was the true absence of color.
It wasn't the most uplifting scene, but at least his day was looking up.
"What should I call you? Master? God?" He asked, doing his best impression of a subservient bow.
None of these things. There is no Word.
"Oh." Rizzy's bow became a scratching of the head. "Why me?"
Right Place. Right Time.
"I'll take that." Rizzy would have accepted a quick death only moments ago. He turned and gestured down the alley. "What about these fel-"
They were gone. Though that wasn't the right word. They were currently in the processes of becoming "gone." Dissolving, might be a better word. Into some sort of black dust. Everything, The goons, their guns. All the casings and all the bullets that had been flying towards him. All dust the color of nothing. It was moving towards him, like a floating river made of sand. He turned, following the path of the black dust as he did. It poured into the opening where the Wall had been.
"Ah." Rizzy had answer enough.
"You get used to it over time." Rizzy heard another voice. This one was much less, impactful. In fact, it almost sounded like himself.
And then a man stepped out from the other side of Wall.
"Who the hell are you?!" Rizzy yelled, half in surprise. What was one more weird thing on top of this. Still, whoever this man was, he wasn't from Southie. No one in the 6th Borough would be caught dead dressed like that.
"The name's Fez! Or at least it used to be. I thinking somethin' different here. More...smooth. Cool sounding." The man walked closer, and Rizzy moved further away.
There was something different, about...Fez. He didn't sit right. It wasn't just the outfit - Though the bright neon patchwork of colors didn't help.
"Where are you from?" Rizzy asked.
"Planet 6, Garbage Town. Worst place in all the Twelve Planets." Fez answered.
"Sounds like Southie." Rizzy added. At least they talked like each other.
"Is that what you call this place?" The man called Fez wandered around the alley, a wonder in his eyes, as though this were his first time seeing something like it. "It's so small."
"Southie is a lot more than just this alley," Rizzy shot back in defense. "But admittedly, it is a lot like this. Why are you here?"
Relocation.
It took a few moments for Rizzy to compose himself. "What does that mean?"
Fez shrugged. "I think it means that I live here now, and that you have to go."
"Bullshit." Rizzy flared up in anger. "I have to go in there?"
"Seems so."
"And I have no choice?"
"Well, its better than dying right?" Fez smiled. "The Wall here was going to wait until you died, and then have me step in."
This is true.
Rizzy almost felt as though the Wall had said that with a smirk.
"But you see, I can't stand death. I hate it. I made it agree to relocate you just like it did me." Fez had meandered his way further down the alley, and had now put himself between Rizzy and the Wall.
"Somehow that doesn't make me feel better," Rizzy could tell when he was between a rock and a hard place. "But it beats dying. What do I have to do."
"Just walk past the Wall. Yours is different than mine but that should do the trick."
"Wait!" Rizzy threw up his hand. "What about my girl? and my brother? What are they going to think."
"Most likely, they'll forget you - at least mostly. I don't know a lot about this stuff, though."
That's probably for the best. Alfie hadn't talked to him since he got mixed up in this Mob stuff, and his girl could do a lot better. "I suppose that's for the best then."
"That was easier than I thought it would be, if I'm being honest with you." Fez gave that smile again. "If you are at a loss for where to go, my old haunt would love a guy like you."
"I'm sure that will make sense at some point." Rizzy replied. He started towards the Wall, his feet dragging. Right as he was about to cross the threshold, he paused and turned.
"Marco."
"Huh?"
"For a name. Ain't nobody that screws with a Marco." Rizzy gave a smile, not unlike Fez's.
"I'm sure that will make sense at some point."
- end -
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