Shivhead's Lucky Day: Violence and Gold

Another wet morning in this mold-infested basement, but we have what we need to survive.

My name is Shivhead, or so they call me… I’m living in this basement with my wife and kids in these rough times, and I may seem like any other guy trying to scrounge up enough to feed his family during this depression – but work was never something compatible with my lifestyle.

My career?

Extortion, beatings, collecting protection money, you name it… I’m just an errand boy for the Disfavored, a gang of thugs operating through racketeering through fear, violence, and a lot of blood-filled creativity.

Being a footsoldier doesn’t pay much though, so it’s time I get to work.

I grab my lucky gold pendant, one of the only things my old man left me, I kiss my wife and kids goodbye and wonder if I’m ever coming back…

The sun’s rays kiss my crude and scarred face as I greet my partner and we head off. I look at my lucky pendant and wonder what luck is going to elude me today. Yeah, the damn thing doesn’t work, as you can tell by how my life is going.

“- What’s the gig?” – I ask my lanky partner.

“- We’re gonna drop by Ezekiel the Jeweler, he’s been late and we need to entice him to pay!” – he replies with a menacing and yet satisfied grin.

Man, just what I needed, instead of the smell of hot-brewed coffee I get to relish my senses on the scent of blood and terror.

We get to the door and it seems Ezekiel has been paying for protection after all, just not from us.

Two bulky men stand shoulder to shoulder, pig-faced, bald, cauliflower ear, you name it… they are the stereotypical thug you see in gangs, but they sure as hell aren’t in one, this is Disfavored territory.

“ – We’re the Disfavored “ambassadors” so to say, so step aside and let us deal with the lovely shopkeeper in there, little fellas”.

My partner addresses them with his diplomatic voice… he’s full of crap, but the Sgarrista above us seems to think he’s good at speeches so he does the talking while I just look menacing behind acting as an intimidatory meat bag.

Suddenly, as I roll my eyes thinking I’d witness another one of his speeches where he blatantly disrespects everyone just because he’s a Disfavored, the pair of thugs jump at him, one of them drawing a knife.

Before my lanky partner could think, the knife is already through his chin, right up to his eye socket, dripping with warm crimson blood running down his wide-open mouth, sighing his last breath in awe and surprise.

They turn to me, but they don’t call me Shivhead for nothing… I draw my own shiv, dodge the first blow, stab the armed thug on the stomach and use my weight to balance his own arm to thrust upon his friend’s jugular.

The pair is down and Ezekiel squeals like a rat, throwing me all the money he had in him.

I looked at the bag… there’s more in it than I ever saw in my whole life.

Hell, the amount in here could get me out of that moldy basement and into a proper house for my kids and wife to live in… and since my partner is dead, he isn’t going to talk as he always does, nobody needs to know. Guess my old man’s lucky pendant is lucky after all.

This is my lucky day… I’m running full speed and I get home.

I show my wife the bounty and she hugs and kisses me, thanking me for always looking out for the family and dreaming of our new life…

Heck, I may even use this to stop being Shivhead and get a real-life, becoming Joseph again.

I lay down in my bed as the night approaches and my muscles are sore from the fight… I start daydreaming as I fall asleep…

…but in the middle of the night, I hear a knock.

I open up and it’s Drummond, the Sgarrista.

“ – Hey Shiv… Boss is angry and he needs to talk to you, your partner LooseLips was found near death and he had some strange things to tell”.

I swallow dry, I know exactly what he means… a bag that big and I didn’t tell about it, the Sgarrista may just as well have shown me my death sentence.

I grab the money to return it, it may save my family’s life…

… I take off my pendant as it’s gold, and I leave it inside the house, braving the night for one last time.