The Ghost King

“Do you fear death?”

I was asked this while I stared a single little jellyfish this massive tank which towered over me. Why was I here? The room was dim yet lit up enough from the neon lights at the base of the tank. The tank was large slab built into the concrete wall, standing at least seven feet tall and 8 foot wide. Obviously, it was the eye catcher of the room. My fingers were painfully tangled around each other the longer the question hovered unanswered. Why the hell was I here? My eyes fell closed when I heard glass gently clinked on glass, suddenly feeling an uninviting presence next to my right shoulder. It wasn’t the warmth that wasn’t, but exactly who is was that was uninviting. I reopened my eyes when he calmly cleared his throat and voice came smooth. “Beautiful, isn’t it?”

I reopened my eyes back on the tank, watching the jelly fish. I was to ask, but my throat went tight the closer I got to saying it. Finally after a moment, I gave up and sucked a breath in. My own voice came out weak and faint. “It is.”

There was another moment of silence amongst us, the dark room, and the tank. Here I was standing next to the Shark King. Word around the city, he was the one who was rightfully in control of the city. But who to say if that was true. I pressed my knotted fingers against my stomach, fighting not to throw up. “Come sit with me.”

A twinge of needles exploded to my stomach, seeing his broad shoulder as he turned away. Is this what he did with everyone before he off’d them? Stiffly, I turned back.

The man was wearing a white hoodie then a black dress jacket, dark denim jeans. His shoulders were broad and his torso long, his tall figure standing next to the coffee table as he poured himself a drink of Whiskey. The end of his black hair stuck up in the front as if gelled back and posed, his jawline was defined and clean shaved. I forced my frozen legs to finally move, walking over as picked up his drink. Just before the glass touched his lips, his eyes locked with mine. They were visibly dark sea-emerald even in the dim-lit room, swimming with danger within every inch of it. I felt myself sinking deeper and deeper in them, even when they narrowed like predator getting ready to pounce into action. This was him: The king of all loan sharks. “So you’ve come to ask me to break your brother out of jail, correct?” He gestured to the couch then took a seat himself. I nodded gently and sat down on the other, pinching my hands between my knees. The couch was more comfortable than I expected, feeling myself sink a little into it. I wonder how much he spent on just this furniture? Were they a gift or did they originally belong to someone else? I watched him settled his drink down on the black-tempered glass coffee table then leaned back into the blade suede couch, resting his right foot on his left knee and cocked his head to the side. There, there was a glint in his eyes as if he was trying to read me. “Why come to me?”

I gulped nervously, feeling my stomach flip flopping all over now. “Because he’s innocent. He’s going to be put on death row.”

The man’s eyes fell to his drink as he scratched his jawline, “What’s your name?” His eyes then darted back to me.

I instantly got a shiver down my spine, pinching my hands harder to the point it hurt. “Willow…Willow Conger.”

“Willow…Conger.” he murmured faintly, not breaking eye contact. Oddly, his left brow twitched up. He perked a little when he suddenly took a breath, “And I assume your brother is per say, Oliver Conger? The one who was caught in that manslaughter cas-”

“He didn’t do it.” I blurted out, instantly ducking my head down. There was a eerie silence which made my gut tighten, feeling the tension heighten a little. Now I’m gonna get it. I bit my tongue with regret, closing my eyes. “I mean…I know he didn’t do it.” I whispered it.

“…Do you know who I am?”

“They call you the Ghost King.” I reopened my eyes to my lap, staring at the black thick rug underneath my shoes. “Everyone calls me something differently…but my name is Sebastian.”

I slowly glanced up to watchin him throw his drink back then look over the empty glass. “Tell me something, Willow. Why do you think your brother is innocent? Why should I risk my name for someone I don’t know or honestly, don’t care if they die or not?” He rested the glass on his knee and softly smiled at me, laying his arm along the back on the couch. “How would this benefit me to put it in simple terms?”

“I’ll do anything.” I scooted to the edge of the couch, hearing the floor boards creak. I peeked over my shoulder when I saw a man standing next to the Livingroom entrance, half of his body visible from the shadows. I slowly turned back to Sebastian then who was still watching me. “Anything. Please, I just know he’s innocents.”

Calmly, he tapped the bottom of his glass on his knee. “So let me get this straight: you would swim with sharks during a feeding frenzy in order to save your brother?”

I swallowed and quickly nodded, watching him smile at his lap then. He inhaled long and dropped his foot to the floor. “Oliver Conger.” He announced clearly, settling his glass hard on the table that I jumped, Sebastian continued to speak to the table with a stern expression. “Bring him here, alive.” He glanced to me then, “I will be his judge, his jury, and possibly…his executioner.”

“W-wait!” I stood up, hiccupping when I got my arm grabbed by a bigger, burly man. “I just asked to break him out, that's it.”

“You did.” He stood up and clapped his hands against his thighs. I winched he pointed at me then, “And you said you would swim with sharks during a feeding frenzy.” He walked over, feeling myself shrivel in his shadow. “And that’s what is going to exactly happen. You’re going to watch the truth spill from your brother’s mouth, then both of you will go free. Like I said, how would this benefit from me? And what did you give me as an option? Entertainment?” His mysterious eyes marveled me up and down the, “Many offer money or favors in return, some off loyalty, and the desperate off sexual pleasure. But entertainment is not on the common list. So how would this benefit me? You can say a rude awakening will do.” He smirked, nodding to the burly man. I tripped over my own foot when I got half-dragged, double taking at Sebastian as he slipped his hands into his pockets and his shoulders relaxed. “One more thing.”

I felt myself stop in motion, little relief hitting me. “Do you know why I only have one Jellyfish in this tank here?…Because being alone is the both the best and worst power you can ever posses.”

“W-wait, I can make a better deal.”

“Please.” Sebastian snorted then waved his hand toward him, suddenly getting dragged back over to him. My heart was no battering at my sternum. What was worst: Leaving his presence or getting closer to it. I grunted when I got shoved forward, getting grabbed by the neck then. I went instantly stiff and breathless the moment I realized it was Sebastian who now holding me. His voice was soft and cold. “Clearly, you still don’t know who you’re talking to…I control who gets thrown in those bloody waters. I am the one who set our brother up for his death, because he thought he was smart enough to even think about stealing from me” He slowly raised his voice. “I hear every whisper, see every text message, every phone call to the police over this God damn city. I control the feeding frenzies…I am the king of the sharks in this ocean. Yet.” He pulled me closer, his cologne encasing me. To my surprise, his grip on my neck relaxed a little. He shifted his fingers to the point they begin to massage, closing my eyes and fighting not to grimace with sickness. “Sharks don’t always go after everything when it hits the water some do investigate first then swim away.” He slowly inhaled. “You never answered me earlier…Do you fear death?”

“Don’t we all?” I swallowed and opened my eyes on him, “Right before it happens.”

Sebastian smirked more to the right and his eyes lit up with amusement. All of a sudden, he let go of my neck, shifting his feet then leaned in. “Well, Oliver did say his sister was interesting.” He tipped my chin up. His touch was toasty yet gently, “But the fact he sent his own sister to come here and practically say his apology for own fuck ups by you repaying them” His smirk grew closer to his left ear as he narrowed his ear, “The things we do for family or love.” He scoffed and dropped his hand. We bumped shoulders and my heart lurched into my throat. At this point, I could only gawk at the luxurious furniture. How long did people survive while in his presence? Was everything I heard about him true? “Now if you will.” I turned around to Sebastian standing to the man. For a second, something flashed over his eyes. He gestured his arm down the hallway, “Let’s see how you can repay for his sins?”