“Hey, newb! You better take that ego down a notch!”

“How do you expect to move up the ranks with that attitude?”

“Dude, don’t mess with that kid. Ryan’s orders.”

“Come on! He can’t be more than fourteen, fifteen?”

“Sounds like he’s bad news…”

That's all I heard day in and day out. They never got my age right – I was thirteen.

Unlike the rest of the guys here, I didn’t really have any interest in ranks or reputation. All I cared about was money. Money made the city function, and money would help me find what I was looking for. Who I was looking for.

“Hey Zaney, how about you tag along. Be good for ya to learn things on the job,” Ryan, the one in charge of our smaller group, offered. He was a lanky guy and didn’t really have a scary bone in his body, but his methods were… effective. As he tucked the pistol into his waistband, I caught the square insignia on the handle.

“As soon as I get one of those,” I shot back.

Tracing my line of sight, he realized I was referring to his gun and let out a boisterous laugh. “Really, little man?”

“Why not?”

Judging by Ryan’s expression, he was nervous by how serious I was.

“Why are you in such a rush, little man?” I hated when he called me that, and he knew it. “There’s nothin’ fun about pullin’ the trigger. It’s for protection only.”

I knew he meant that. To be honest, Ryan would be the last person I’d expect to be in a gang, but here he was, leader of his own group in Nova City’s Quads. “Tell ya what? When you get your tats, you’ll get one, okay?”

Even though he was a pushover most of the time, I could tell he wasn’t going to budge on the matter.

I sighed and let it go. “How much would I get if I came with you?” If the price was worthwhile, I’d do the job.

“Were you born this stingy?” Ryan chuckled.

“You tell me," I chided, giving him a cold stare. He knew me better than anyone. 

“Man, if looks could kill,” he sighed. “Zane, I know you’re eager to get into this gang business, but that don’t mean you gotta jump in so early on.”

“You’re the one that brought me in!” I hated that he could get me so riled up. “I have nothing else to be, so let me be a Quad already.”

“Come on, Ry, just let the kid join,” Ryan’s underling, Dalton, chimed in. “Boss doesn’t care much for charity anyways, so may as well have the kid pull his weight as an official member.” Judging by the brown stubble on his jaw, the guy was in his late teens, early twenties tops. Ryan was around the same age, which is why Dalton thought he could give his two cents without worry. He thought they were equals.

Ryan massaged his temples with his thumb and middle finger. “Dalton, get the others and gather out front.” Dalton grinned, as if it were a suggestion and not an order. “Now,” Ryan added firmly. Even though he was a lenient group leader, he could be serious when he wanted to be. His tone was enough to send Dalton out of the room, but not before he shot me a wink. I never really knew what to think about that guy.

When he finally left the room, Ryan cleared his throat to grab my attention. “Zane, when I brought you here, I didn’t expect you to be a Quad. You gotta find your own way. You don’t have to settle-”

“Don’t lecture me,” I interrupted. “You’re not my old man.” This earned me a mixed look from Ryan. A look that said something between “I’m sorry you’re an orphan” and “boy, you better check your tone”. 

“Alright, little man.” He threw me a gap-toothed smile. Even though he was kind of scatter brained, Ryan never held grudges. That’s why I actually liked him. “If you’re really all in, I’ll talk to the boss man tonight.”

“Really?” As soon as the enthusiastic reply left my mouth, I was embarrassed. I tried to collect myself again, but Ryan was already bursting with laughter at my genuine response.

“Yeah,” he panted between laughs. “Now let’s get goin’.”

* * *

The job was so easy, I wouldn’t have even called it a job.

Ryan instructed me to stay back and keep watch while he and another of his subordinates busted into a street ATM. Nova City had set restrictions to ward off street thefts like these, but Ryan was really good with electronics. He had a way of hacking into the last open account and using the fingerprints on the touchscreen pad to re-enter the pin of the card. He could steal thousands of dollars in five minutes flat.

After completing the job, me, Ryan, Dalton, and the other two in the group made our way back to the gang house. I was keeping to myself, toward the back of the group, but Ryan joined me after handing off the cash to Dalton.

“Tell me,” he started, an unlit cigarette hanging loosely between his lips. “Why this obsession with the gun?”

“Protection,” I replied curtly.

I caught him giving me a quizzical look. “And the real reason bein’ what?”

“None of your business.”

Lighting his cigarette, Ryan inhaled deeply, blowing a thin line of smoke above his head. “I think I should know, as your” he paused, trying to think of the right word to say. “...guardian.”

“You?” I almost laughed, but kept it together. “Yeah, you’re a great role model.”

“Come on,” he held the smoke with his fingers so he could grin. “Nobody’s a saint in this city.” He threw out the cigarette and replaced needlessly, inhaling and exhaling throughout the conversation. “So you really ain’t gonna say?”

“Maybe some other time.” I wanted him to drop the subject.

“Lookin’ to hurt someone in particular?” I could hear my heart drumming faster than before, and judging by his incessant staring, so could Ryan. “Don’t go down that road, Zaney.”

There was no point denying it. Ryan knew everything about me, and he could tell when I was lying.

“Just drop it,” I said.

Surprisingly, Ryan said nothing. He just walked silently, but I could feel his eyes on me the rest of the way.

The city was quiet. A few regular, non gang people were on the streets, but they kept their distance. They all knew better than to get close to gang members. Being in our own territory, we didn't come across other gangs either. Enforcers never went outside the inner city, and we were close enough to the outskirts that we never ran into them. About four blocks from the gang house, the streets were completely empty. It was like a ghost town. 

With how empty the area was, we were all shocked to see a little girl stumble in out of nowhere. Dalton and the two other guys stopped dead in their tracks ahead of us. Before either Ryan or I could say anything, Dalton dropped the money and whipped out his gun.

“Whoa!” Ryan shouted. Throwing his cigarette to the ground, he tackled Dalton before he could fire a round at the girl. “What are you thinkin’, you idiot?” Ryan scolded, trying to wrestle the gun away from Dalton.

Not submitting, Dalton squirmed away from Ryan and regained his footing. “I’m not going to be ID’ed by a little girl.” He pointed his gun at the frozen girl before them. She seemed mesmerized by the sudden brawl before her, not a clue that her life was hanging in the balance. I could tell she was definitely younger than me. Her round face was framed by short blond hair, and the only thing that stuck out about her were her big, blue eyes.

Ryan got to his feet and made himself a barrier between Dalton and the girl. “You shoot her, you gotta shoot me.” It scared me to see Ryan so serious. His red hair swept across his forehead, and his long face lowered slightly, challenging Dalton. I was so used to his joking around, I forgot how terrifying he could be.

When Dalton lowered the chamber of his gun, I felt a surge of relief release inside me. All I could think about was why Ryan would risk his life for a stupid girl, who was still standing and staring at them like she was watching a movie.

“Okay, Ry,” Dalton sighed, lowering his gun completely to his side. “Don’t get all serious on me,” he added.

“Zane,” Ryan called out, snapping me back to reality. “Grab the bag.”

I nearly stumbled retrieving the bag, but followed orders all the same. The bag nearly sent me falling forward from its weight. It was easily fifty pounds, and if that wasn’t enough, the corners of the stacks created sharp edges against the burlap, poking into my hands and stomach.

“Don’t be like that, Ry-” Dalton was cut off by Ryan’s deathly glare. His superior turned to the girl and knelt before her. She probably didn’t realize she had been moments away from death; that Ryan had just saved her life.

As I was adjusting my hold on the bag, I heard Ryan trying to get a response out of the girl. Shaking my head in disapproval, I kept my attention on my shaking grip. When I finally got a sturdy hold, I heard a gunshot ring out, and as soon as I lifted my head, I wished I hadn’t. My eyes went from Ryan’s lifeless body, to the little girl lying underneath him, to Dalton, to the smoking gun in Dalton’s hand, its Quad insignia barely visible from behind his grasp.

Before I could even get a word out, Dalton turned the chamber my way and fired a round into the bag, sending me toppling backward. A resounding pain filled my chest from the bullet, the weight of the bag, or both. The only thing I knew was that I couldn’t move.

“Sorry, Ry.” Dalton’s fake sympathy filled me with rage. “Looks like this job was unsuccessful, right boys?" There was silence from the other two Quad members. I imagined them being as shocked as I was. “We were ambushed by Triads and Ryan didn’t make it. Neither did the kid."

Footsteps shuffled in my direction, and I forced my eyes closed. Dalton had to think I was dead, so I held my breath, actually praying that Ryan was okay, and that he wasn’t beyond saving. I imagined the men creeping over me, determining whether or not to shoot another round into me just to be safe. The anticipation was driving me crazy. “Leave the bag, boys,” Dalton instructed. “This job was unsuccessful, remember?” With that, the Quads walked away and followed Dalton back to the gang house.

I waited several excruciating minutes before opening my eyes. The first thing I did was turn my head toward Ryan’s unmoving body, noticing the growing pool of blood spreading out beneath him and the girl. My hands trembled as I tried to lift the bag off of me. Its weight intensified the pain in my chest so much, I felt tears forming in my eyes.

“Ryan?” I gasped.

There was no answer.

Finally getting the bag off of my chest. I superficially patted my body to make sure I was in one piece and not bleeding. Instantly, I realized the bag had blocked the bullet and saved me.

My feet moved slowly in Ryan's direction like I was in a trance. When I got close enough to see some movement from his body, my slow walk turned into a full on sprint.

Lying face down on the girl, I saw blood had soaked into his shirt. My hands shook as I turned him over, desperate to get him help as soon as possible. When I got a look at his ghost-like face, blood dripping from his mouth, I knew. My mind had been playing tricks on me when I thought I'd seen him breathing.

He was dead.

Zane was in a gang?! Did you expect this kind of history for Zane? I mean, he's known to be rough around the edges, but a former (unofficial) Quad?! Also, who's the girl? And what do you think of Ryan? Dalton? As you can see, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Side note: this is a very important chapter, not just because it's background information, but also because it relates to the sequel. Thank you for reading :)