Chapter 1: The Heist

The chances of winning the lottery are 1 in 14 million. But even then, way more than 14 million people play the lottery, which dilutes that margin immensely. When faced with that egregious percentage, most people feel like giving up. Others try to fix the odds by buying multiple tickets. In the end, it’s all down to luck and nothing else. Luck is the name of the game. The people who have won the lottery in the past were all random people, with only a couple in history having direct familial ties to the lottery association members.

One man has no plans of playing.

The city was a living, breathing centre of hustle, people everywhere turning their heads in anticipation of the big announcement. They had all gathered in front of the mall, ready to listen to the announcement.

Apart from the common heads and the casual huddling crowd, there walked a figure unlike any. Dressed in a simple white shirt in the center was an emblem of a terrifying, bestial cat, and the words “Rip & Roar: GNASHER, he trundled towards the middle of the crowd, his hands clinging to a sheet of paper like the others. He brushed his light stubble, his witty blue eyes focused on the announcer.

“Hey…that is my spot!” a stingy voice caught his attention as he backed away, looking at this oversized woman with a menacing stare. Whatever he had planned today in this crowd, he was surely going to give some of it to this giant lady.

“And move!” she pushed him, sealing the deal. He took another step in his loose grey trousers, drifting away from the spot. Robbed of the advantage, he knew he would have to improvise. For a moment or two, he scanned this entire environment for the hundredth time, eying everyone around for once. This was the hustling commercial plaza, the hub of malls and eateries. The night was still young when the announcer announced the big event. He had made it in time, just to witness the razzle-dazzle that had deafened the neighbouring malls. Huddled in front of the Higa Mall, the crowd was wild as the announcer checked the mike and let out the statement.

“The seventeen winners of the lottery shall be announced today!”

Desmond winked at her from a distance, watching her connect with him in a brief moment with her bright green eyes. He winked at her in return, both exchanging a few unspoken words. His hands then moved to the remote control in his hands. Right at a distance, away from this place, something blinked in the dark alleys. There were a few teenagers there, kissing and making out right until Desmond introduced them to his tiny inventions, and then they scrammed as if their life was on the line. He stifled a giggle, imagining their silly faces when they ran away. He loved dropping unexpected bombs on people…like he had done with those teenagers, and like he was going to do it now.

His hands grew weary of the wait as he took a stone bench nearby, never minding its chilling touch. The weather was changing, and a few clouds hovered above the mall. He hoped it wouldn’t rain that soon. All his plans would hit a massive snag if the drops fell from the sky.

“Hey! This is my seat!”

Another redneck emerged from behind with a girl, grabbing his collar and shoving him to the side.

“Jesus, all of you are freaking horrible people!” he exclaimed at the big man whose girlfriend giggled at the statement.

“Get out!”

Desmond had no choice but to go away, but not before he winked at the fat man. He had been marking targets, storing something special for the big woman over there, and this chubby fellow here. Who else now! Who else would pick a fight with him and reap the consequences?! Well, there were many, and he steered clear of them. He simply slid to the least troubling spot and bid his time. Sooner or later, the big event would come, and he would have to execute his plan. No more distractions now.

The lights all flickered around, and the lass in the velvety red dress on the stage finally neared the mike, checking it one more time.

“Hello! Are you excited?!”

He remembered her shrill voice and her unfulfilled promises. A liar…a cheater…those words filled his mind, but he knew he had to keep calm. She was going to help him today with her expertise…she was going to help him cheat…the thing she was an expert at.

He tried not to wince, noticing her raven locks of hair or the shining glimmer in her eyes. She winked at him, and he winked back, his heart pounding.

“I said…are you excited?!” she asked once more. The crowd filled with excitement, some flirtatious and some hysterical. Desmond checked out his targets, the fat woman and the redneck man…both on their respective positions. He smiled, imagining delightfully the hell he was about to unleash here.

“We have all sorts of people here. Some hopeful, some leading an average life, and some people being one of the biggest failures who failed to find a good ground after engineering…no matter which one of you fits into this category, I welcome you all!” the announcer greeted everyone. Her last statement was a hit below the belt as he threw his head in her direction, finding her smiling at him. No matter! When he will have the money, she will come back to him, begging for love and affection. And he would have surprises up his sleeve! Even now, his lips widened with a smile, feeling her desperation. Yes! This girl was with him in his plan…but he damn well knew where she stood. Considering a chance with someone else, more prosperous and wealthier, she would run away in a heartbeat… She had done that before.

“And the winner is!”

His hands tightened on that remote control. Any minute now…except that the climax hadn’t come yet…

His hands went to his pocket, where he had to make an effort to conceal his accessory. The policemen had arrived much to his dismay, and they would make things three times more difficult for him. Not that he cared…he would, of course, give them a run for their money.

The girl with red dress, dreamy eyes, and flowing raven hair appeared on the stage once more, her eyes gleaming with anticipation. Oh, how he loved her once! She had the perfect pair of eyes…ones which he found unmatched in their beauty until she broke his heart. But, then…she was the worst wench he had ever seen…and there were plenty of girls far sweeter, and politer…as well as more beautiful than her.

His fingers were twitching with anticipation, and he knew he needed to wait. He needed to be patient…and above all, he needed a lid on his emotions. They always got the best of him!

He tried remaining as calm as possible right before something happened at the end.

“Hey! I won the lottery number!” that man was shouting.

He threw his head in that direction, his mouth tasting a very bitter pill. That redneck, with a blonde-haired girl on his side, jumped like all weight had been extracted from his body. In his hands, there was the slip of paper that seemed to be the source of his very bright smile. He jumped and jumped…until his trouser nearly fell off, and he had to settle down, the smile still stuck on his lips.

Desmond smiled, memorizing the weakness in his mind. He knew he would very easily take this man down…

And he had now the power to do so…

The announcements of the winners had started, as he had to now turn his head to the second winner, who stood there while glaring at the stage. Her frown wore off quicker than anything the moment she read those numbers on her lottery ticket, jumping like the redneck there.

“Why the hell do they feel the need to jump…do the good news set fire on their buttocks?!” he sneered, making plans to exact his very dangerous revenge on her too. Moment by moment, he found his ire increasing as more and more of them were winning the lottery tickets.

When he heard the last mention, he quickly glued his eyes to his lottery ticket. He was met with disappointment. A grand one. He hadn’t won anything!

Before he could throw a tantrum and rip that page apart, a sweet singing voice echoed in the air.

“And nobody should forget why you are here!”

Of course! She was right. He wasn’t here to win the lottery at all…no matter how much of a show-off he could be, rubbing the lottery tickets in the face of others. He wanted to be the next-level bragger…but fate didn’t allow it.

It was then when he realized the cold sensation of the metal in his pocket. His hands now clung around the clamoring remote control. Today, he would show these people what a true engineering marvel looked like.

He finally pressed the button, drifting as much away from the stage as possible. He threw a stern glance at the lady in red who was looking at him. She smiled, understanding the gesture and disappearing behind the curtains.

The crowd was getting wild. He had set seventeen targets, slowly sliding past them and placing small trackers on them…for some, he had to work extra hard.

Finally, when he was away from them at a safe distance, he pressed the button, lying on the bench nearby and awaiting the show. He knew it was going to be one hell of a play now.

And it started from the leftmost dark alley, from where something crawled out of the sewers. Then, one by one, they all crawled out, cladded with fur andwhatnot. They were pure abominations…as yelled by one of the women there.

The trackers attracted them the most. While preparing those monstrosities, Desmond had been ruthless…thinking of all the girls that had broken his heart…and all the time the world had ripped him off. He was too angry at everyone…including himself.

Currently, his lips widened into a smile as he glanced at the showdown. The mixed breed of cockroaches and rats unleashed hell onto the people, causing many to scram. But, his fingers were playing it as a game, controlling those insects to start crawling up the fat man, where some of them crawled into his underwear.

“Who would have thought!” he smiled, surprised over how low the man could get, stripping off those troublesome clothes and marching onto the roads.

Desmond wasn’t done yet. He steered those furry friends to that fat lady, where they snatched that lottery ticket from her while the others crawled into whatever opening they could find. The woman was shrieking, and for a good reason…

He witnessed the same thing here as he had with that man…his cheeks reddened enough to invoke embarrassment. He wasn’t that embarrassed, though!

Moment after moment, he saw them all running like idiotic cartoons… He had the laugh of his life at their expense, watching them discarding those lottery tickets one by one. Then, finally, his targets had moved out of the way.

Perhaps he had gone too far. He didn’t realize it until one of his inventions crawled up to him, along with several others of its kind. He had indeed created a few monstrosities…as apparent by their structure and design. One by one, he collected the winning lottery tickets that they had collected for him…along with an underwear and bra, which he discarded quickly. He had no need for those…

Getting up, he shook his head, ready to put this all behind him. He knew within a month or two, he would become the happiest man alive here. With such cash, he would make seventeen times the average lottery winner made…

All he did next was to hire a cab and then rush off with those collected tickets. He destroyed the remote control, and with it, those fur abominations stopped working. He knew nobody would have the mind that he had…and nobody would be able to find out the main culprit. After all, he had secured Fs from one of the top colleges of the state.

When he was settled in the backseat, his mobile phone rang. The lips blossomed into a smile as his accent became cocky.

“Don’t want to talk about a thing!”

“You damn will! Where is my cut?!” a biting feminine tone met him with full throttle.

“I don’t owe you a shit!” he met with full-on. Then, for a moment, there was a brief pause.

“How you dare you! I made sure you were on this plan with me. And I arranged for easy cashing of those lottery tickets. Without my help, you would never even have found out about this main event!” she hissed. He remembered her feline eyes and the wild cat face she used to make whenever she was angry. He couldn’t feel any more delight than the current moment.

“Oh, but…I think I did. You were helpful but looks like an engineering failure is getting away with a scheme…and look how I am escaping right now! By the way, without my genius, you wouldn’t even have thought of pulling this off. So now screw off, and never call me again!” he repeated those exact words that she had once threw at his face, wishing there was a cold beer he was sipping to set the mood. He had never enjoyed humiliating her more than the current moment.

“Very well, shithead. Don’t dislocate your arm by patting yourself on the back! Also, sleep with one eye open.”

He turned off the phone, smiling at her threats. He knew by the time she would plot her revenge, he would be able to cash all that money and would be long gone to another state. He had committed fraud once and absconded with a lot of money. He remembered the last heist, setting the intention in his mind to never make that same mistake again. He would be very careful with his cash…very, very careful! He would find some nice property to invest in and maybe purchase a business. So that he would never have to indulge in these kinds of tricks again.

“Huh…this is an honest living but not that kind of honest…” he assured himself, realizing that he was making the right decision. He had to make sure that he was going to be alright, not just materialistically…but also morally. He had promised himself to donate a lot of money to charity. That would definitely spice things up with whoever was there…judging the mortal kind.

He lit a cigarette, wanting to take a few puffs. He had earned it…through hard work and determination…and fraudulent ways. Well, at least the engineering was put to some good use.

Before he could let his lips suck on the end of the cigarette, the taxi stopped violently, sending him flying off the seat.

“Mother…” he couldn’t complete, as his head met aggressively with the seat in front of him. He was shaken for a few moments, taking some time to adjust. The ears were ringing sharply…

His hand met with the congealing liquid when he checked his forehead.

“What the hell!” he shouted at the driver who was lying there with his head on the steering wheel. The car’s horn was relentlessly pressed, honking loudly. Had there been an entire hustling highway, he would have been approached by someone. However, much to his surprise, he was on an abandoned road…

“What the hell is going on!”

His mind spun multiple scenarios at once, all of them starting with something logical and ending at the black magic. He had just abruptly ended things with his ex, and now this had started happening. Perhaps this fog resulted from something supernatural that his witchy ex had conjured up from the deepest darkest corners of hell.

“Damn you!” he cursed her mentally.

The fog soon became curdled like milk, outright frightening him. Where had this taxi driver taken him?! He was supposed to enjoy a goodnight’s sleep on one of those hotels and hopefully cash the lottery tickets he had been carrying in the morning if the banks were opened.

But something had happened… hadn’t it!

He looked around, finding dark groves of whistling trees and brazen winds that carried strange scents. If he wasn’t wrong, this looked like a scene out of a horror movie. Perhaps it indeed was…

The more he looked around, the more fazed he became, unable to understand what had befallen him. It couldn’t be his ex…she wasn’t ever into dark arts.

When he noticed those flickering lights around at a distance, he realized he was definitely witnessing a supernatural phenomenon. His ex? Nope…she wasn’t capable enough.

Things became a bit fazing when he witnessed shadows whistling from around those standing long oak trees and sentinels. Something definitely was going on.

He breathed out a panicked scream, throwing his head here and there in anticipation of something gigantic crawling out of there. When he couldn’t think of anything else, the first thought that poured into his mind. He dashed towards the front seat, slapping the cheeks of the dazed driver who had started emitting mindless growls.

The first thing that startled him was the grey eyes, along with the scar in the middle of the forehead. He went back in his memory, searching for that exact moment when he had ordered this cab. But, of course, everything was fine by then…including this driver and his appearance.

But then…had he missed something after committing that heist? He had been delirious, and there might have been a chance of missing the driver’s monstrous look.

Before he could spend any more time in contemplation,he had to leap back and yank himself away from the unconscious driver as the man extended his arm and tried to land a punch on his face.

“What the hell?!”

He rubbed his eyes to the point of making them water. This wasn’t normal. Nothing around was!

“Grrrr….”

The driver stood on his two feet, clawing at the stunned Desmond, who had to resort to climbing to the cab’s roof, kicking away this zombielike creature. Definitely something unnatural.

“I am going insane!” Desmond declared the moment his ears caught that ringing sound reverberating from the shadows far away.

It was something akin to a calling, as Desmond found this dazed man running off with his mouth foaming to the wildness.

“What just happened?!” he asked himself the problematic question, flustered over not finding the correct answer. There was no possible explanation for what he had just witnessed, though explanations sprung into his mind, and he had to once more ponder over the possibility of dark arts.

His breath came to slow the moment he noticed those lights and fog drifting away. He came down, locking himself inside that cab until his madness passed away. Then, in the morning, he could go to the police and narrate the entire story, not to mention find a documentary maker and explain this all to him, possibly make money out of it.

The moment Desmond’s eyes went to that small shadow, not more than a foot, he found himself struggling with his morality. His conscience started gnawing at his brain from the inside.

“Let it go, Desmond. So, what if that is a child?! His eyes greyer than the driver…and look, there is another girl, and then there is a woman…all with foaming mouths and nasty scars on their foreheads…and I have to go check it out!”

He slapped his own head to keep himself from heading out. But, the moment he found himself on the cold road, he realized how useless that trick was.

“Dancing orbs, some freakishly thick fog, and now dazed people are running off into the wilds. What could possibly go wrong?!”

He had to track this possible madness now and claim the money later on as a hero who saved so many people. Maybe the police won’t investigate him about the lottery tickets as well…

There were other people, too, all hypnotized from whatever effect was lingering in the air. He could feel the metallic tang and the strange whispers in the shadows. Yet, for some reason, he kept trundling forward, not wanting to stop.

Staying behind those trees, he did his best to just stay there and not come out of the hiding. There were many of them, all dazed and looking like normal people. What had befallen them?!

He never knew the roadside groves led deeper into the heart of a forest, where there would be a pool of those limpid green and blue lights, all hovering above what seemed to be pods.

“But what is happening?!” he asked himself.

He got his answer the moment they all reached the clearing. He had managed to keep himself concealed, moving tree after tree. Just around the corner, where they had all disappeared, he was about to get his answer…just around that century-old oak…

His foot got tangled, and his mouth tasted the moist soil and the damp forest moss. He spat a few times, cursing the unnatural phenomenon that had been plaguing this part of the city. Pressing on his palms, he took the support of the tree, crawling out of that position. He breathed slowly, making as little noise as possible. He had to be sure that he wasn’t attracting attention. Some of them had noticed him, but whatever lay at the center of this dark and clammy forest attracted them more.

Feeling like a drowning man taking the support of floating planks, he made it to the last tree, gawking at whatever went on in the heart of the forest.

He heard many rumors…and he has been very blatant in disregarding them. If he hadn’t seen it himself, he knew he would never have believed in it.

Right in the middle of it all, he could vividly sight that strange rock formation…

A giant circle…made of up rocks with a hollow center. That was what he observed. They have all gathered around, growling monotonously.

“Is everything ready?”

The voice invoked fear…probably because it came echoed in multiple voices at once. In addition, the accent had a biting tone.

“What is going on here?!”

That was the best he could manage, seeing what stood in front of them. Right beside that standing stone circle, he observed the lion’s mane and the eyes emanating an intense red sparkle. This thing…was a man, as he could observe. Standing on two limbs, he cast a stern inspective glance at the surroundings.

What was that thing?! The closest thing that emerged in his imaginative mind was a chimera. With long goat horns, lion’s face and limbs, and the hissing tail, this masculine creature stood on its two limbs, the eyes strangely human.

“I said, is everything ready?!” he asked in an earth-shattering voice, the words seemingly capable of pulling a person’s soul out.

“Yes, my lord….”

A shrill voice responded with obedience. One stare at the henchman was enough to freeze his breath.

There wasn’t a body…or anything, really. It was just a floating smoke with glaring eyes, like the embers of a banking fire.

“Soon, you will have a body…” the chimera whispered, and the creature responded with something that might have been a whisper…or a giggle. Desmond couldn’t really tell.

Before he could take a step back and run away, never to return, he realized he couldn’t breathe…

For a few moments, he tried to calm himself. Fear was getting the best of him…but it wasn’t fear, though…it was something else entirely that controlled his limbs and legs and made him crawl forward.

“What do we have here?!”

The chimera’s green human eyes were focused on him, along with the glaring red eyes of all those fazed humans that roamed around. Desmond had walked into that clearing, the strings of his body pulled by some strange supernatural force.

“Well…I am one of these mindless people all growling and acting like they got no brains…you see, I am one of you!”

He yelled, not knowing what else to speak. Unfortunately, words didn’t seem to cooperate, especially when his tongue was all tied due to the fear.

“Oh, is that right? And I guess that cell phone in your hands was also recording this all by itself? I don’t remember implanting that into these slaves…” the chimera’s biting accent was too overwhelming, probably because he had crossed the distance between himself and Desmond with one giant leap and had landed only a few steps away.

“No…I…” words had now wholly failed him.

“Take him to the rest. His mind is stronger than any I have seen. But it needs to be broken…a strong slave he will make…” the chimera ordered.

That was when Desmond found out about the unnatural force lurking behind him. It was another one of the minions, formless and red-eyed. Apparently, shrouded behind that darkened cloak was something that resembled an average human…or that was how it felt.

Desmond’s heart clamored against his chest, his neck all stiff and his breath now about to die down. He knew this was the end…

“Wait…I have a terrible disease. I will fetch for a terrible slave. I have this ailment in which my blood becomes poisonous…and if you put me with other slaves, I might end up infecting them…” he cried, wincing about his made-up situation.

“Then I shall feed you to my pets!” the chimera thundered.

That was the end… wasn’t it!

Before Desmond could try begging one more time, a screaming howl froze everyone in their steps. For a few moments, there was this visible ire on the chimera’s face as he roared, his golden mare and the face resembling that of a real lion. The viper on his tail hissed!

“My sister is here! She has tracked us here!” he growled.

The two minions floated away within the blink of an eye, leaving Desmond at the mercy of that chimera.

“Come back! You cowards!” he roared to no avail. Desmond knew where his eyes would turn next. He tried to run, but that beast was too fast, grabbing his wrist with brute force and throwing him near that portal.

The wolf’s howl screamed again as the chimera threw his head around.

That was Desmond’s eyes connected to those green orbs, the fierce glare and the moonlight fur on that tree. It disappeared into the darkness, the orbs around fading.

The chimera rushed forward to the stone circle, his hand connecting to the leftmost boulder.

Desmond knew he couldn’t be surprised anymore. But there was room for more startling occurrences. Green circles appeared in the center, as he grabbed one of those people and threw him in the circle.

One by one, he started throwing them in there. Desmond knew his turn was going to come soon. He wished whatever disturbance had invaded this process would arrive sooner.

He got his wish…reminding him to be wary of what one wishes for.

The white fur appeared in front of the portal, knocking off the chimera momentarily. He cast a glance at the graceful she-wolf, and her glaring eyes. Despite the chaotic scene, he couldn’t help but glance at the beautiful creature that stood there on all fours, bearing an ireful expression. She howled at the portal, turning the green circles into rose-shaded arcs.

He would never have thought that this feral canine would give him a chase. Desmond screamed the moment his wrist was grabbed by an array of razor-sharp teeth. He winced, wailing loudly, pleading that she-wolf to let him go. She wasn’t going to…

Instead, she dragged him all that way to that active portal, strangely pulling in the people into it.

“Not so fast, Tangerine!” the chimera got up on his two legs, launching himself at the wolf. She let out a faint cry when he landed a claw on her, but she managed to fend him off with her powerful hindlimbs.

He fell back like a chopped log, hissing! She then leapt into the portal.

Desmond witnessing his eyesight fading, the ambiance turning into darkened corridors…endless hallways, and then the verdant meadows. Before he could throw up, he found himself on a cold marble floor; his eyes all widened due to the impact. Where had the wolf taken him?!

He looked around, connecting to the green meadows and the sight of the hills at a distance. He was lying in centre of a beautifully built bandstand.

At a distance, the wolf let out a cry, gaining his attention. He forgot to breathe, watching her drift closer. His left wrist hurt like hell…probably dislocated for enduring that pain.

She sniffed him, making him close his eyes in fear. Any moment now, she would bite his head off. Luckily, such a moment didn’t come.

Instead, something appalling occurred. The sniffs of an animal transitioned into a human’s loud breath, and the aromatic scent started spreading…making Desmond open his eyes.

“Holy shit!”

Her skin graced the sun…sharing a darkened and more human version of it. Her eyes were like onyxes, and her long raven hair flew behind her back.

“How did this dress appear on your body…and why is there such a gruesome injury on your side?” he exclaimed, watching that white fur dress cladding her from neck to toe.

She was barefoot, but she walked unfazed. Coming closer, he connected with him in an intense stare.

“Fangar’s mind control fog didn’t affect you the slightest. Are you a wizard?” she asked, denying the statement later on the moment she watched him cowering momentarily.

“No…a master of Vespa would have defended himself. You are someone…far more frantic….”

“Done with your analysis? Now could you please drop me home?!”

His words put a partial smile on her face.

“And a little bit random too. You are not his henchman, but you are not a magic-user either Such an interesting occurrence… Call me Tangerine Aucrulethen, the third daughter of the leader of our order.….”

For a few moments, he was startled by her beauty. She was graceful and strong, unaffected by the bleeding injury to the right side of her body just above the stomach.

He got up as she extended a hand towards him, throwing his head around. Where exactly was he?

“Can you walk?” she eyed his wrist, which he held in his hand, wincing at the pain.

“My feet are down my legs, not on my wrist. Can you please walk me home?!” he let out a frustrated expression, squeezing those lottery tickets in his hands.

“Cause I need to cash these and get a harem of women at my feet.” Desmend declared. “Or did I blackout after my heist, and I’ve just been on auto-pilot, being dragged around by secret lotto officials and their super-secret cartel-style army to make sure I don’t make them look bad because I didn’t win it fair and square?”