I grew up in a family of law enforcement and military veterans, with the only acceptions being my mother and my older brother. It was almost a guarantee that I would follow in their footsteps. One of my personal hero,s was my uncle Brian. He was a Navy seal. My uncle and I are very similar. We both want greater things out of life, we hate it when things are too easy, we both thrive under pressure and we are both adventurous men. When I was a teenager, I worked at a party city. It was a decent job with decent pay but I wanted something with more excitement. I decided to join the military on my 18th birthday. The only problem was, I didn't know which branch to join. It was between the Air force, the Marines and the Navy. I was smart like an Air force recruit, strong like a Marine and had the sea navigation skills of a Navy recruit. After I got into the right circles, I instantly removed the Air force as an option for two reasons. 1. Air force soldiers live in luxury compared to the other branches and because of that, the majority of them are snotty and privileged. Everyone hates them. 2. Air force combat classes aren't all that good, compared to the Marines and the Army. Originally, I wanted to join the Navy, but when I went to sign up, the recruiter told me that there was no room for me. So I chose the Marines instead. That was arguably better, because it would be a more realistic goal I could accomplish and I would still be respected. Basic training was relatively easy at first, but it was plenty challenging, especially during hell week. I made friends who I would gladly die for. 3 years into my contract, I decide I wanted to try out for the Marine Raiders. Its a relatively new special forces unit for the Marines, but one of my commanders, captain Shott was hesitant about letting me sign up. At first, I thought this was just another scheme to keep me under his thumb, but I would soon realize that he was looking out for me. I sign up for the Marine Raiders and I passed training. It didn't take me very long to figure out I had made a huge mistake. It turned out that the Marine Raiders were controlled by the M13 gang. If you haven't heard of them, M13 is a ruthless gang that cuts up its victims into 13 pieces. That includes traitors and snitches. Donald Trump tried to scare them off a while back, but it obviously didn't work. How do I know this? because as soon as I passed training, I was brought into a tattoo parlor with the rest of my Comrades. I told them a didn't want a tattoo, but they strapped me down and tattooed the M13 logo onto my inner forearm. it was small but it was definitely noticeable. I tried to fight, but my tattoo artist pressed a knife against my throat.
" Know your place. From now on, you are a member of M13, the lowest of ranks. your ass belongs to us now. snitch and your dead, you tell your family about us, your dead, try to escape us, your dead. You do as your told, period. " she grabs my dog tags and rips them off. " you won't be needing these anymore " and puts them in her pocket. Normally, I would have demanded that she give them back, but if I did, I would have been beaten up until I could barely move. The woman who tattooed me leans to my ear and wispers " by the time I'm done with you, you will be my obedient little bitch. " I respond to that by biting onto her nose tightly and hard enough to break the skin. She,s screaming in pain and drops the knife. She punches me over and over, but I hold my grip. I bite through the cartilage bridge of her nose and let go. The woman is crying and holding her nose with blood gushing all over her face.
" LOOKS LIKE YOUR MY BITCH NOW!!! " I yell.
I was punished by being locked up in solitary confinement. They blasted loud sirens in my cell for 10 hours a day. I was in there for 3 months before the woman who tattooed me actually visited me. Her nose had bite mark scars along the bridge. " oh, its you. " I said with disgust. " you want me to cut it off completely for you? " I asked. " oh please, if I wanted to, I could have snuck in here and slit your throat without you ever waking up. you got lucky. " she said. " your just saying that because you lost to someone strapped down to a chair. And out of the two of us, who,s practically missing their nose? " I asked like a smart ass. I expected her to be angry at that remark, but she smiled and chuckles. " I think im beginning to like you, Taylor Shott. maybe you do have potential here. " she said. " how do you know my name? " I asked. she pulled out my dog tags from her pocket. " how else? " she said. she tosses them back to me. The only difference was that they now said Marine Raiders on it instead of Marine Corps. " New dog tags. you,v earned them. And you,v earned my respect. Call me Liz. " the woman said. She closes the door but opens my window. " don't worry. you only have one more week to go in here. Your tougher than you look. most people would have gone mad by now. That's impressive for someone so young. " Liz said.
I was released in a week just like Liz said. I was checked over by the doctor and he was astonished. other than my hair being 3 times as long as it was, I was exactly the same as when I got in. " no muttering nonsense, no self harming of any kind, no noticeable changes In behavior, definitely no rabbid foaming. Have you been In solitary confinement before, mr. Shott? " the doctor asked me. " no, but my uncle was a Navy seal. He taught me how to survive in solitary confinement under the most extreme conditions. I could survive for years in confinement if I had to. " I said. " So that explains it. Well, we won't make THAT mistake again. " one of the M13 hitmen said. At dinner, I go to sit down at a table but a big black guy stands in my way. " you the punk who bit off Liz,s nose? " " listen, I don't want any trouble. " I say. the guy goes to shove me, but Liz hold him back. " its ok Denzel, we're cool now. No hard feelings. " " Are you sure? " Denzel asked, gripping a knife in his pocket. " yes, im sure. Go sit down. " Liz said. " ... yes ma,am. " Denzel walks back to his seat and minds his own business. Liz offers me a seat in front of her and I sit. " Sorry about Denzel. He,s had a crush on me forever. when you bit off my nose, he took it pretty personally. " Liz said. " Oh, so he,s not your boyfriend? " I ask. " well... we dated briefly, but he wasn't comfortable being the submissive one. " Liz said. I crack up. " whats so funny? " Liz asked. " sorry, I just had an image of you dating. I pity the poor bastard that breaks up with you. " I said. " thank you! At least someone gets it. I knew I liked you. " Liz said. she punches me hard in the arm, but I knew she meant it in a playful way. " Ow. " I said. My plan now was to observe and learn as much as I could, just like I did in regular Marine basic trainining. Sure, Liz was being nice to me now, but I had no idea if she was just faking to get me to lower my guard around her. Something similar happened to me where I rejected this girl In high school. She claimed there was no hard feelings, but 2 weeks later, she tried to cut my dick off. I decided to keep my distance from Liz as much as possible. I kept a close eye on that knife she carried. I made sure to never be alone with her in an area where there were no camera,s. One day, Liz cornered me in my room. " OK, whats up? every time I talk to you, you eye my knife like you expect me to attack you or something and you barely sleep. " Liz said. " Look, if your gonna get even with me, just do it already! The suspense is wearing me out. its been 2 months Liz. " I said. " what are you talking about Taylor? " Liz asked. " on the day that you visited me in solitary confinement, you said that you could have snuck into my cell and killed me any time you wanted, and after I got out, you were being so nice to me, it made me suspicious. people are only this nice to people who have wronged them like I have when they have something planned for them. something sinister. " I said. " is that what this is about? your paranoid that I will take revenge on you? " Liz asked. " why not? I scarred you for life. literally! " I said. " look, Taylor, I was raised in this gang. scarring your initial attackers is a show of dominance. Its how the new recruits can quickly rise in rank. that's how it works. only the tough rise in the ranks. its similar to asserting dominance in prison. The reason I was so mean to you was just to test you. We had to weed out the weak ones to see who the leaders and followers were. Out of all of the Marines that came before you, you were the only one who has ever passed the test. " Liz said. I start to relax. " oh... Oh thank God. " I said. then I realized what that meant. " wait, what rank did I rise to exactly? " I asked. " well, your old rank was private, which is usually everybody,s bitch, but the moment you bit my nose off, you became a private first class, which is the apprentice enforcer. that means your my right hand man. i,Il teach you everything you need to know about how to survive here. " Liz said. " and what rank are you? " I asked. " im a specialist which is a bounty hunter. I get paid to retrieve escapees, and traitors. I usually have the choice to bring them back dead or alive, but the pay is better for the live ones. " Liz said. so escaping was not an option at the time. if I did, Liz would most likely find me out here In this vast dessert. So for the moment, I had to play along. To those who have met me in real life, and those watching this confessional tape, you may be asking yourself, what is your point and why are you telling it? well, I did end up escaping, but not until years later and the point of this whole story- besides clearing my conscience- I ended up meeting my future self. well, one version of my future self. you may find this hard to believe, but its true. I became good friends with Liz, and it wasn't fake. She took me under her wing and showed me the ropes. My relationship with Liz started to change after a while. I began to see her as more than a friend, even though she was also technically my boss. I'm embarrassed to say, but I was a bit submissive to her in the beginning of my crush. Not to the point where I would let her abuse me, but it was with little stuff, like when she would ask me to do something, i,d do it without question. we got to be so familiar with each other, that she even let me call her Elizabeth instead of Liz. That was a major symbol of trust for Liz. The only other people who called her Elizabeth was her parents and her closest friends. I was the only man her age that called her that. She even trusted me enough to let me sleep In her bed and not try to fool around with her when she was wearing seductive underwear. Eventually, Liz grew to trust me completely and I had no intention of betraying her trust. Eventually, I decided to try and ask her out.
" Hey, Liz? " I asked. " Taylor, I thought I made it clear that you could call me Elizabeth from now on. " Liz said with a smile. " is there a rule against switching names? " I asked. " no, but... I,v grown to like you calling me by my real name. " Liz said. " OK, Elizabeth. " I say with a wink. Liz blushes. " So uh... I don't know if there's a rule against this, but I was uh wondering if you would like to... go on a d.. d.d.. " " are you trying to ask me out on a date? " Liz asked. " .... maybe? " I said. Liz laughs. " is that a no? " I asked. Liz responded by kissing me on the mouth. " yes. I would love to go on a date with you, Taylor. " " YES!!! " I shout. I didn't care how much I looked like an idiot, the girl that I was into had said yes.
Liz and I went out to this Chinese restaurant i used to go to frequently. We had a good time. We admitted our feelings for each other and agreed to start dating. Right after we left, I bumped into captain Shott. " Lance corporal Shott! Taylor! " " captain Shott? " " oh good, you escaped! Its not to late to save you! Quickly, we can still get you out of the country. " captain Shott tries to pull my arm, but I yank it back. " I didn't escape. I'm still with the Marine Raiders. " " what? your willingly staying in that cult!? " captain Shott asked. " that cult happened to bring out my true self. I'm respected there. I found true love there. sure, it was hard at first, but i,v earned my place among them. in the regular Marines, you used me like a servent for 3 years. I wouldn't have minded it if you took me on the field once in a while. " I said. " I was trying to protect you! Deture you from being interested in being a battlefield soilder. I knew the majority of the special forces programs of every branch had members of M13, but I wasn't sure which ones they were invading at the time. I found out too late that the Marine Raiders was one of them. by the time I found out... I assumed you were already dead or dying. I tried to rescue you son, I really did. but the Raiders kept moving every few days. " captain Shott says. " wait a minute. how did you know that M13 has spies in every branch of the military? None of the branch commanders even know that. " Liz said. " because I was roped into that same cult. " captain Shott pulled out a pistol and shot Liz right between the eyes. I start crying. " Elizabeth... " captain Shott punches me in the temple and I black out. When I woke up, I was in a car with my hands tied up. We were still driving. " Well hello sleeping beauty. " captain Shott said. " you... you killed Liz!!! " I shout. " look kid, I understand your mad, but in a few minutes, you wont even be thinking about that broad any more. you deserve better. " captain Shott said. " better? Liz was the only woman i,v ever loved that loved me back! We had just confessed our feelings to each other and you took her away from me. Do you really hate me that much? " I asked. " On the contrary, Taylor. You may not see it right now, but I just did you a huge favor. In the future, she ends up becoming paranoid about you betraying her and she keeps you locked up in a dungeon, only coming down to feed you and have sex against your will. " captain Shott said. I forgot about my anger to process that. " .... wait, what? What the hell are you talking about? " I asked. captain Shott drove me to a house, but... it was my old house. it looked abandoned, like nobody has lived in it for decades. In fact, a lot of homes were abandoned. " captain Shott, whats going on? why is my house condemned? " I asked. " you mean our house. " captain Shott said. I look at captain Shott like he,s a pedophile. " if you think im gonna live with you, you,v gone crazy. " I said. captain Shott punched me in the jaw, hard enough to badly bruise it. " arrgg! What was that for? if anything, I should be punching YOU, you pedo! " I shouted. " my God, was I really this stupid when I was young? " captain Shott asks himself. " im not asking you to live with me, im you from the future. Or at least an alternate future. Why do you think we have the same first and last name, kid? Nobody except our family has that name and your the only Taylor Shott that has ever existed in our family. " captain Shott said. " what? no way, that can't be true. " I said. " why? because I'm old? " captain Shott said. " no, because you look nothing like me. " " yeah, sorry, I had plastic surgery to change my appearance. it was a risky move since plastic surgery is outlawed in my time. " captain Shott said. " OK, if your me, then prove it. tell me something that only I would know. " I said. " your actual first kiss wasn't with Mia bits, it was with your sister. She was also your first time. " captain Shott said. " .... I never told anyone that. " I said quietly.
" so... are we in the future? " I asked. " your very perceptive. welcome to the year 2067. " future me said. " we,re 47 years in the future? How? " I asked. " I put up a time portal here after you disappeared. I put it up in case I found you alive and could drive you here. Take a good look, Taylor. " I look around and all I see is empty streets, empty parking lots, houses that haven't been lived in for who knows how long and I thought I saw a few human skulls laying on the sidewalk. " what happened to my home? I don't understand. " I said. " M13 is what happened. In my time, I accomplished my dream of becoming a Navy seal, but what I didn't know is that M13 had infected every military branch and eventually, they got so powerful, they even put one of their people in the oval office to become president. they were patient. they purposely didn't tattoo their spies so they wouldn't get kicked out. they were instructed to become the strongest of their branch so nobody could stop them. All who failed would either die by the gang or die by the military. Unfortunately, there weren't a lot of failures, so it was hard to weed all of them out. Eventually, it got to be that only M13 gang members were running the special forces programs either because the legitimate veterans retired or they were killed off when discovered. When I joined the Seals, this was just starting to affect them, so I didn't notice it at first. I was just about done with my 2nd tour, when my commanding officer, lieutenant Gonda was suddenly killed. He was replaced by this man who called himself corporal Hernan. He was much younger and wore a business suit. He immediately started talking down to us as if we were dogs or something. I had the courage to stand up to him and call him out. Instead of being angry at me, he just snapped his fingers and all of my teammates raised there guns at my head. " oh don't be so surprised. they all work for me and M13. captain Shott, you have two choices. either become a member of M13, or die with your entire family thinking your a traitor. " he said. do you know what I said? I said " see, this is normally the part where I'm supposed to bow down and kiss your feet, right? if you had done any sort of research on my family, you,d know they are crooks and theives. My father is a registered sex offender and so are his two brothers who are Navy vets. my mother is an alcoholic whore who used to beat me for showing her affection and I have a brother who is a serial killer because of her. My sister is a female sexual predator that raped me as a kid. Solitary confinement won't work, because im pretty much used to it from my childhood and the only friends I had were imaginary ones. There is nothing you could do to me that hasn't already been done. I have nothing to lose. " Hernan studies me for 10 seconds. " let him go. he,s of no use to us if we can't use his family as leverage. "
" my former teammates lower their guns and walk out of the room. Hernan walks up to me. " my future self said. " you are one lucky bastard, captain Shott. But don't think this means we won't be watching you from now on. a man of your skills is dangerous if un checked. if you see anyone bearing the M13 tattoo, just walk the other way and we won't bother you. do we understand each other? " Hernan asked. " .... yes. " my future self said. " consider this, your early retirement. your military checks will still come as normal as long you stay out of our business. " Hernan said.
" so, you took the deal? " I asked. " I didn't have much of a choice. they said either retire early or I would be given a dishonorable discharge with no pay. And who are you to judge? you willing became one of those thugs. I heard on my police scanner that you cut some poor woman,s pinky off? " my future self asked. " I was just following orders. Liz is my superior, if I didn't obey her orders, there would have been consequences. " I said. " do you know how psychotic you sound right now? Your justifying dismembering body parts like Blake. " my future self said. " leave Blake out of this! He was your brother too. " I said. My future self shakes his head. " I should have gone back in time to make sure you never join the Marines when I had the chance. Or the military in general. " my future self said. " why can't you? " I asked. " because.... the time portal is one use only. time travel is still pretty new in my time. This was actually a prototype a friend of mine designed. once I close it down, thats it, it will never open again. " my future self said. " so anyone can go through and go to the future or visit the past? " I asked. " basically, yeah. But nobody has come down this street for years. " my future self said. " does this friend of yours know that your testing this out? " I asked. " yeah, he asked me to test it out. as you can see, it works perfectly. But that,s not why I brought you here, Taylor. " my future self opened his glove box and brought out 3 cassette tapes and a recorder. He hands them to me. one of the tapes is blank. " what are these? " I asked. " these are the confession tapes of other versions of ourselves. I have gone to many different time zones and different alternative timelines to meet versions of us. in almost every one, their lives ended up ruined by M13. these are the confession tapes of the few who either successfully escaped or ended up fighting the gang. you are the most recent one. " my future self said.
The first tape read " pastor Shott. " I put it in and played it. * tape plays *
" test. My name is Taylor James Shott. whatever lies you,v been told about me, I would like the world to know the truth. I joined the Army at age 18 and joined the Army Rangers. but what I did not know was, the Rangers were being led by a terrorist group called M13. I know this because I overheard one of my teammates talking to someone on the phone. I couldn't hear what the other person was saying but at the end of the call, my friend said " hail M13 " and hung up. I kept my discovery secret because I had no idea who was a real Ranger or who were the M13 spies. I decided to try and find out who it was. I was the team leader so I had to flush the imposters out. I tried to find any paperwork that confirmed that any of my teammates had ties to a criminal organization, but I found nothing. I decided to interrogate each of them the old fashioned way. By beating the information out of them. I went with Benjamin Toll first, since I already knew he had ties to M13. I chained him to a chair and beat on him with brass knuckles. He mocked me saying that my punches felt like pillows. I decided to try a Kevin Hart trick and I said " you might as well confess, we got your ass on tape. " yes, Benjamin was black. That immediately drained all color from his face. " OK, I admit it, im a member of M13. " I had to resist the urge to shout " Aha! The traitor confesses! " " how deep does this go? who else is with you? Give me names " I said. " I can't! if they find out I ratted everyone out, I will be the first to go! " Benjamin shouted. For the first time during this entire interrogation, Benjamin was crying. " look, I know this is gonna sound harsh, but you joined a military branch. the military is all about sacrificing yourself for the sake of others. Grow a pair and be a man! " I said. Benjamin stops crying. " so what is it gonna be soldier? you gonna live the rest of your life being a puppet for M13? or are you gonna step up, be a man and help me salvage this branch? " I asked. " do you have any idea what these people do to rats? " " yeah, I watch the news. " " if I do this, I will never be safe. " " yes you will. you can go to Canada. there's a safe house for M13 escapees at the boarder. " I said. " you think its that simple? countless others before me have tried to make it to Canada and were cut short. they can track my credit cards and plane tickets. " Benjamin said. " not if you use an alias and use cash. Tell me the names of the members and i,Il do the rest. " I said. Benjamin gave me over 300 names, which was way more than I expected. it was worse than I thought. most of the names were my commanders and drill seargents. The rest of our team were also on that list. I decided to hunt them all down 1 by 1. I started with my enemies, so I wouldn't feel bad about killing them. I gave them quick deaths so they couldn't run and report me. I worked my way down to aqauntainces and friends. I used a silencer so others wouldn't hear it. I took no pleasure in killing my comrads. I still cry about it to this day. I gave them the Curtisy of burying them and mailing their dog tags to their family with a written explanation and apology. Killing the drill seargents was tougher, because they had reflexes like boxers. I actually had to fight them to kill them. each one put up a good fight. I almost lost a few times. I was only able to win because I got a lucky shot or I got a lucky stab. These were the few victims I had taken so far that I felt no guilt over and even held a bit of pride. I killed the majority of the army itself. by the time I killed off the 300 names, I was a wanted man. I was on the FBI,s most wanted list. I would have gladly given myself up if Benjamin hadn,t lied to me. We made it through the airport without much hassle. I expected someone to start shooting up the plane, but nobody did. we made it to the safe house unharmed. " well, that was easier then I thought. " I said. Benjamin started laughing maniacly. " what is so... funny... " I said the last part in horror, realizing why. " you... you tricked me into murdering 300 innocent people? " I said in disbelief. " oh no, 150 of them were M13 members, that was true, but I added the other 150 just in case you did end up proving that they were M13. I did it for two reasons. 1. So I could spread this gospel to Canada too, so their would be no safe places to hide. 2. I just wanted to see the look on your face when you realized you just killed your friends for nothing. your already a wanted man Taylor, and even if you prove you were set up, the minimum sentence will be 20 years with the max being death row. " Benjamin said. I was furious. " YOU THINK IM GONNA LET YOU WALK AWAY AFTER THIS!?!? " I shouted at the top of my lungs. " you could kill me, but that would only add to your sentence. " Benjamin said. " WORTH IT!!! " I shout. I take my knife and slice Benjamin,s neck. Benjamin bleeds out and falls backwards. I fall to my knees and cry. Not for Benjamin, but for my friends.
I went into hiding in Canada. I changed my name and tried to live a normal life. I became a pastor dispite being an atheist at heart. I read the lines I was supposed to, I tried to sound upbeat, but deep down I was saying to myself " dear God, you sound so stupid. " I must have been pretty convincing, because all of the church goers responded to my praises with enthusiasm. after the first year or two, I actually started to like being a pastor. for one, everyone is honest in a church. i,v heard so many confessions over the years, some of them minut, some more serious. but I doubt there was anyone there with a bigger secret then me. part of the reason people kept coming to my church was because I kept my true life secret. They knew my name wasn't my real name and small things like that, but I never went into detail about my life like other pastors do. Until one day. A woman who was a regular at the church approached me. " ah, hello sister Serena. " I said. " care to help me set up for the evening corous? " " no thanks. pastor Riley, when are you gonna share more about your life? It's been 6 years. " Serena said. " I don't think that's a good idea. in my past life... I,v done things im not proud of. Things I can never attone for. " I go to walk away but Serena grabs my arm. " Taylor Shott. That's your real name isn,t it? you knew my sister, Ally. " I cry. I turn to Serena. " Serena, I can explain. if you,v come here to confront me about Ally,s death- " Serena hugs me. That just made me cry even more. * crying noises * sorry, I still get teary telling this story. Serena cries too. When we separate she says " I forgive you. " * sniffle * " why? Is it because im a pastor and I preach about forgiveness? " I asked. " because of your letter. It makes sense that you would want to make sure this didn't spread any further. plus... Ally WAS one of the spies. " Serena said. Serena took my hand. " I don't think your the murderer the news paints you to be. " " I killed 300 people out of a traitor,s word for it, and I ended up with 150 innocent victims. I was tricked. " I said. " tricked by who? " Serena asked. " Benjamin Toll, Ally,s boyfriend. " I said. " ug, I never liked Benjamin. he was an asshole and a sociopath. " Serena said. " yeah, I found out the hard way. " I said. " Taylor, you should turn yourself in. the laws are different in Canada. you wouldn't even get 20 years at the max. " Serena said. " you don't understand. if I turn myself in, the authorities from the United States will demand that I be turned over to them and I don't know if you,v noticed, but Canada doesn't exactly have a strong army like the U.S. Even if I do prove that I was tricked, M13 could blackmail the judge and put me on death row. I might not even make it to prison. " I said. " Canada may not have a strong army, but the U.S would have to obey Canada,s law. if an American fugitive is arrested on Canadian soil, the Canadian government gets to decide how to punish them. Do you have any proof of this? " Serena asked. " I have a recording of Benjamin listing the names, but it won't imount to much in court. I got it without his knowledge and I tricked him into confessing. before that, I tried to beat it out of him. " I said. " its enough to start a case. if you pass a lie detector test, it will prove your story is true and you may even get immunity. you don't know this about me but, im a lawyer. I can represent you. " Serena said. " wouldn't that create conflict of interest? seeing as how I directly affected your life? " I asked. " I wasn't a Canadian citizen at the time. That doesn't count. " Serena said. " are you a good lawyer? " I asked. " i,v worked 100 cases so far. I haven't lost one yet. " Serena said. I decided to hire Serena. I turned myself in to the Canadian police and a trial was held. I had to look the familes of my friends In the eye. I was asked to apologize to the families, which i happily did. The jury believed that I was set up and that I had just gone a bit too far with my method of flushing the imosters out, but agreed that it would have been an affective method if the information i got was accurate. I was sentenced to 5 years in a maximum security prison. Prison wasn't that bad. I made friends and I even converted them to God in the meantime. I was easily the toughest person there, so people rarely messed with me. I was nicknamed " Father Blood " because of the body count i left in my wake. I even got a large tattoo on my back to memorialize it. I met my wife in prison. Her name was Elizabeth. She was the daughter of an M13 leader and she was arrested for 19 counts of murder charges. but she was only in for 6 years because 11 of those murders were members of M13 themselves, including her own father. the other 8 were because she had a probation officer who was loyal to her father and she was there watching her all the time, so she had to go through with the murders or die herself. When we were both out of prison, we had a proper wedding and we settled down in Canada. we had 2 daughters, Peyton and Serena. Serena was named after my lawyer Serena, who became a close friend of the family. I kept running the church for 20 more years with Elizabeth, now with more followers then ever thanks to my trial and prison. But.. my happiness didn't last forever. eventually, M13,s reach breached Canada,s boarders too. My family was butchered in front of me. they left me alive so I could suffer. They framed me for the murder and now im on the run again. Recently, I met with a man who proved to be me from an alternate future where he is a former Navy seal. I'm leaving this message with him to give to another version of myself as a warming to hopefully stop this organization before its too late. * tape stops *
I look at the recorder with wide eyes. I couldn't believe it. alternate timelines actually existed. I look at the next tape. It was titled, " Air force Taylor. " I pop it in and hit play. This time the voice sounded younger, maybe in his early 20,s. * tape starts * I hear shivering and crying. * crying and shivering *
" hi, uh... my name is Taylor Shott. I'm an air force veteran. I don't know much time I have before food runs out so i,Il try to finish my story as fast as I can. In case I'm dead when you find this, please, give it to the police, or anyone not associated with the people i am about to mention. The criminal organization known as M13 has invaded the military. All branches of the military as far as I know. I have learned that they have sent in spies from every state. I am not one of them. in fact, I was the only legitimate recruite of my platoon. I know this because I stumbled upon a secret meeting. I was still a clueless private then. Drill seargents and soldiers of every rank were there. they were standing in front of a black flag with the M13 logo on it. My 1st seargent stood at the front. " tonight, we welcome a new member of M13. When I call your name, step forward to receive your official M13 badge. Carla Willson. " I almost gasped. Carla Willson was my new girlfriend. Carla stepped forward and the seargent pinned a skull badge on the inside of her dress uniform and shook her hand. So this was the special club she was trying to recruit me for. I recognized everyone there. everyone in my platoon was there. But now that I knew who the imposters were, I knew who not to trust. I slipped out without being seen. The next day, Carla tried to talk to me, but I gave her the silent treatment. She tried to get me to talk to her for hours. The only thing I gave in response was a middle finger. Eventually, Carla got so mad, she screamed " WHAT DID I DO!!! " I just responded with " you disgust me. " I could tell I broke her heart with those three words. She cried and walked away. I expected her " club " friends to gang up on me, but they never did. I became paranoid that they would find out i had seen their meeting. I decided to steal a jet and get as far as I could. You can call me a deserter, you can call me whatever you want, but I would rather be a deserter than being cut into bite sized pieces. I had to knock out another pilot who tried to stop me. Some of the Air force commanders saw me stealing the jet and tried to blow me out of the sky, but I dodged the attacks. I flew straight to Costa mesa. Why Costa mesa you ask? because I,v flown in the forth of July beach air show they have every year. I had friends there. I made it to Costa mesa just in time for the tank to run out. I crash landed on the beach, but not hard. one of my friends from Costa mesa runs out to help me, but stopped when he realized it was me. " Taylor? " my friend Sébastien asked. " Sébastien! Oh my God, I am so happy to see you! " I said. Sébastien looked furious. " whats wrong? " I asked. " you... you killed my brother. " Sébastien said. " what are you talking about? " I asked. " I got a phone call yesterday from Brandon's drill seargent. He said that you killed him in cold blood in front of everyone and fled. " Sébastien said. " Sébastien, that wasn't me! The air force is trying to frame me because I discovered that they are controlled by M13! " I said. " come on Taylor, i know M13,s reach goes far, but they couldn't have gotten into the military. your just lying to me! " Sébastien yelled at me. " I can prove I wasn't there when Brandon was murdered! When did you get the call? be exact. " I said. " ... 3:50 p.m. " Sébastien said. I get back in the jet and go through the navigation log. When I get to 3:50 p.m it says I was in Texas at that time. Sébastien watched me as I searched through it. " see? I was flying above Texas when you got that call. I left the Air craft carrier at 10:00 a.m yesterday. When did he say Brandon was killed? " I asked. " around 2:00 " Sébastien said. " there,s my alibi. " I said. " but... if you didn't kill Brandon, then... holy shit. you were telling the truth. " Sébastien said. " I have no idea how long it,ll be before the military hunts me down. a few days at most. they,v probably frozen my savings account by now and are portraying me as a traitor and a deserter. im miles away from home and I don't have a dollar on me. " I said. " I can help you escape bro. my dad has a hunting cabin way up in the mountains. its deep enough to where you cant reach it by vehicle for miles. I can come by once a month to bring you supplies. " Sébastien said. I took him up on his offer. for months I lived in this cabin, with my only companionship being Sébastien once a month, but after the 8th month, he stopped coming. I know its not because he abandoned me. He was likely killed by M13 for helping me escape. If he had given my location, I would have been dead by now. I have about a days worth of food if I ration it. I'm too far away from any fruit bearing trees to last even if it was summer. I am leaving this message as a warning to anyone who finds it. Find a way to escape at all costs. " * tape stops *
This one had me In tears. " I found that tape next to his courpes. he had decided to commit suicide to avoid starving to death waiting for help. He died alone. And these were some of the better versions of our future, can you imagine what's in store for someone like you if you keep this up? " my future self asked. I break down crying. I had never cried so hard in my life. My future self took the other two tapes out of my hand but left the blank one. " now, make a choice. Are you gonna make something better of this life, or are you gonna live this life as a villian? " " i,Il change my ways, I promise! " I said. " you had better. because im not bailing you out a second time. your on your own from now on. I can take you to Canada, but thats as far as my help goes. what you do with your life is up to you. " my future self said. " i,Il make something good of myself, I swear. " I said.
My future self kept his word and took me to Canada. before I got out of the car, he spoke to me again. " kid? " " yeah? " I asked. " im.... im sorry I was so hard on you. I was only hard on you because I wanted you to be the version of me that had a somewhat happy ending. Every part of my life was filled with pain. I never got the kind of happiness that pastor Shott got or the bonds that Air private Shott got. Hopefully you will be the one version of me that does get a happy ending. " my future self said. he saluted me and I saluted him back. We both had tears in our eyes. I removed my dog tags and gave them to captain Shott. " it was an honor serving you... captain Shott. " " have a good rest of your life, kid. "
I left his car with the recorder and the remaining cassette tape in my pocket. I did end up living a good life. I got a job as a police officer and I soon became captain. I married and had a family. my son Shawn wants to be a Marine, but i,v always talked him out of it. He never understood why until I told him my story. I didn't tell him the full story, because I knew he,d never believe me. but I decided to use that last cassette tape to record my version of my future for him to listen to, so that if I die again by M13, he will continue the fight in my place. i,v taught him everything he knows. he,s a brave kid. if he wants to try and risk it out there In America, I won't stop him. but I might give him this tape to listen to when he enlists. if not, he,ll probably listen to it on my death bed. To my son, please, whatever you do, do not join any special forces units.
submitted by DC Next Presents: SHAZAM!
Issue 3: Banjo and the Boys Arc: A Boy Named Shazam Written by
TreStormArt Edited by
BoiledInk ,
AdamantAce , and
Voidkiller826 WARNING: This story has content potentially harmful to those sensitive to these topics. For those who read on, remember these kinds of people are real.
"Alarms are raised--what's going on down there?"
Her heels bang a steady, confident beat on the marble. Her servants scramble as she barks questions and orders into the mouthpiece.
Static… "
What are you imbeciles doing?!"
On the other end of the line is a charred corpse. Dozens of them. The building is rubble.
The room once containing the vault now consists of dust and death. Nothing more.
Adam lands with a treasury upon his shoulders.
"Father, how? What is this?"
"Conquest, boy. You missed that part of your station," he drops it on the hard packed sand. Dozens of workers begin carrying stacks of currency, "Wait."
They freeze. They shake. What punishment awaits them?
"You all dress in rags. Your wages multiply today. Osiris, go tell the relevant men. Every unemployed Kahndan will be offered a position to rebuild what you've ruined. This age of prosperity starts here."
Osiris shuffles away in bewilderment. His father invites power struggle. The unruly masses will have the power to challenge their masters. All his work to keep the spirit of Kahndaq broken is now forfeit.
CLAP Osiris bounces in a cloud of sand.
"You will carry out the restoration of my people with pride, grace, and resolve! After your long dynasty of failure, you're more than lucky for this redemption."
How dare he? In front of the slaves? Peasants watch his humiliation. What is Osiris to do? This is an unacceptable affront for a king!
A
god, damn it!
He shuts his mouth, drops his gaze, and flies away to do his father's bidding.
Black Adam spends the rest of his day, ensuring the workers in his palace can feed their families.
A generous king is a good king, indeed.
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
There are thousands of confused faces.
Loud music, balloons, entertainers, and journalists litter the stage. Mayor Morris boils beneath the surface with a stern smile guarding his pride. His mustache is trimmed, and the milky remains of his hair have been neatly slicked to appear a consummate professional.
His tight fist jitters and shakes and Lance Corporal Reid leans in, "Sir, they're starting to file out."
A startled panic grabs hold for a moment as he silences the musicians, "Uh, well, I think it's safe to say he's out there saving another life. Thank you all for coming and don't forget to vote!"
He keeps his smile fixed in place as the curtains draw and once he's hidden so too is his face within his hands, "Don't forget to vote… Don't forget to vote?"
"We should head to the dressing room."
"I just told the public to vote after making an outright fool of myself…"
"Sir, we need to go."
"Where is that cocky little shit anyway?"
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
Billy is as still as the headstones. The frosty drizzle thumps his layered clothes. His tremble is unrelated to his temperature and his thoughts are dark.
The man beneath his feet had a family. He had children. Billy murdered him out of carelessness.
Shazam is no hero. Billy is no hero.
Billy is not Shazam.
RIIIIIIIIIIIING "Yeah?"
"Why the hell weren't you in class, alborotador?"
"Oh, hi Rosa," luckily Billy has started planning ahead for these conversations.
"Responde mis preguntas! Where are you?"
"Looking for my biological mom."
A beat of silence before she can respond, "Ah, ya veo… She's in the city?"
"Yeah…"
"Pequeño, you want to find her?"
"Yeah."
"I can help you on the weekend, but you have to get back home. Bueno?"
"Yeah."
She's probably too tolerant. Victor will be annoyed for sure.
When he gets home he's greeted with a vibrant living room. Eugene and Pedro play Mortal Koil as Freddy is backseat gaming on the couch sandwiched between them. The boys sitting in height order don't notice Billy until Freddy pipes up.
"Sup! Dinner is almost done."
"Cool," he tries to reach the stairs before he has to talk to anyone else.
"Oh, Billy, check out a meme I made!" Eugene pauses the game, much to Pedro's dismay, and taps his phone around before picking it up again.
Ping! Billy opens his lock screen to see Sterling Morris in the rain below a poorly superimposed wedding altar with the caption: Poor guy got left at the altar.
Billy replies with an emoji, "Since when do you care about politics?"
"Since it flooded my timeline!"
Pedro tosses the controller to Freddy in frustration, "Cheater..."
"Git gud, salt boy."
Billy turns to the stairs once more when his worst fears come.
"Big brother!!!" The little tasmanian leaps from a few steps up and is barely caught, "Mary taught me to braid hair! And I did a picture on the fridge! And I drank a whole bunch a milk! But then I puked! And then-"
"I'm glad someone's having a good day! Did you get a gold star?" He walks towards the kitchen with her.
"No, because Sarah said I put boogies in her hair but I didn't and Ms. Rebecca said I was gonna get a red star so I said sorry but I didn't do it!"
He sits her on the chair and looks into her eyes, "You did good. Next time you see Sarah, tell her she's your friend and give her a hug."
He tries again to reach the stairs but Mary is halfway down, "Well, well, well, little Mr. Truant felt it worth his time to come home for dinner."
"Well at least my standards are set somewhere in the realm of reality," with that he squeezes past her.
"Not your grades, though."
"Yeah, yeah, ye-"
"Órale, Billy!" Rosa appears atop the stairs, "Andale! Coat, shoes, dinner! Vamos, pequeño!"
They all rush to the table where Victor is setting plates, "Bill doesn't get dessert, but everyone else gets cheesecake."
"YES!" Darla screams.
They sit, have their meal, and Billy goes to bed as soon as possible.
Freddy flips on the news while they eat the cheesecake.
"Of course I have no hard feelings for our hero! He was busy, and that's fine! He still has the Sterling seal of approval!"
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
A glass of whiskey shatters against a wall, "FUCKING PRICK!"
"You alright, Sterling?"
"That bastard thinks he can make a buffoon of me?! I built the media! I own City Hall! I am Fawcett City, damnit! If he thinks for one second I'm some kind of mooncalf, he's got a surprise on the way! This won't stand!"
His pearly hair doesn't quite match his scarlet complexion. He glistens and sputters and gasps for air.
"Damnit David, what should I do?"
"Sterling, I'm a military man to my core. Now, you see this guy as an opportunity. I see a threat. A damn big threat, we don't know what he can do. He could be the next Superman for all we know."
"-And we could be the next Metropolis! Whiz News could be the new Daily Planet! I could have statues of gold, both me and this lightning kid! My son could be President off the back of my legacy! That's what I see!"
"What if he isn't? What if he's the next Hal Jordan? What if we're the next Coast City? If you survived you'd be the guy that sponsored him. What kind of legacy would that leave?"
"If I turn on him now, I lose the next election, it's that simple."
"He's a reckless vigilante! Powers or no, he won't speak with the police, he won't meet in public, and he won't even stick around after killing a guy!"
"After killing a scumbag! He's either shy, conceded, or worried about people like you. Do you seriously expect me to issue a manhunt? The public loves the guy! This morning my secretary showed me one of those mee-mees comparing him to Christ!"
"The right move is rarely the popular one-"
"In politics, the only move is the popular one! You'd have me ruin my image, throw away my livelihood"
He drags a cigar and has a thought.
"Find him. Make work with us. If he says no, we work on a defamation campaign and I flip my stance."
"No. This is stupid. I'm not doing it."
"You're a war hero, sure. But you got one arm and a bad attitude, how far you think you'll get without my good graces? Find him. Make him cooperate, or you're fired."
He stands, "That a threat, Morris?"
"A promise."
Reid draws his sidearm.
"You know what they say about a politician's promises."
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
"Billy, check it out," Freddy points to an empty table in the cafeteria, "No drama club."
"A lot of freshmen didn't show up," he bites into his cold cinnamon roll with a loud crunch.
"Maybe they set up a freshman ditch day?"
"Don't care, either way."
"You okay, man?"
"Astonishing."
"I haven't seen any reports of Captain Marvel-"
"Don't call him that."
"Colonel Zappy."
"No."
"Power Guy?"
"Stop.
"Voltage!"
"Seriously."
"Reginald."
"What did I say?"
"Super Shock?"
"Shut up!"
"Corporal Lightning!"
Billy snatches his blue bag, drops his food in the trash, and storms off.
"We'll figure something out!" Freddy finishes his soggy french toast sticks.
Billy is leaving the parking lot and preparing to jaywalk to his shortcut home when he hears a warm sound.
The playful plucking of a jolly banjo and a smooth hum draw his eye to a run-down old van. It's red with a white dragon painted on it, wrapping around the frame. The sliding door is open wide and there sits a man with a red ball cap, a cigarette, and a pristine banjo.
Billy isn't Shazam. He wants to do something bad.
"Mister, can I get a smoke?"
The melody doesn't skip a beat, "How old are you, kid?"
"Old enough."
"Heh! A load of horse shit," he plucks a short riff with one hand and tosses a pack of Red Apples with the other, "Need a light?"
"Sure," it flies at him quickly, and he takes a long drag. Followed immediately by a dozen coughs. Very rarely does he regret a choice instantly.
"You make a habit of breaking rules?" His calloused fingers dance between chords.
"As much as anyone."
"That'll get you places you don't want, trust me I've been there."
"Jail?"
"Prison. Gangs. Living out the back of a van."
"You don't look homeless."
"Just cause a man lacks residency doesn't mean he can't be hygienic. It just takes some doin'."
"That why you're parked outside a school?" Doesn't look the type.
"Nah, that's because of the dozens of free parking spots at night. Waiting for em to wrap up in there so I can get some sleep. Get towed if I do it here."
"What's your name?"
"Banjo. You?"
"Bill. I'm gonna head out, been good talking with you."
"You ever feel alone?"
Weird question. Red flag.
His foot scratches its twin and his gaze drops, "Everyone does."
"Not lonely. Truly alone. Powerless. Forgotten. I'm a vet, some of us feel that quite often."
He has a cozy bed waiting at home, "Yeah, I guess."
"I know some kids you'd like. Troublemakers, rule breakers. Comradery is important at your age."
"I'm good, I don't need friends," not a conversation worth continuing.
"But family?"
Billy freezes. Family? He's had dozens. But, true family? He hasn't seen that yet.
"You're not talking about a gang are you?"
"No, not a gang. It's more of a club. One full to bursting with like-minded individuals."
"This club got a name?"
"A. S. P."
"Don't be coy."
"American Socialist Party."
"Ugh, a political thing? I got a few years before I have to care, see ya," he turns to leave when the music stops.
Wood splinters against his ear with a final thunderous note. Before he can notice he's been struck with a banjo, let alone landed on the ground, a large boot lands on his face.
"We tried it the easy way, didn't we?"
This guy looked small a second ago, but he wasn't joking about being ex-military. His boots are akin to baseball bats. Stomps rain, and there's a splash of blood.
Billy can feel his skin tearing, his abused flesh expanding, his teeth loosening, his eye closing, and finally his jaw dislocating.
In a matter of moments, he's been reduced to a puddle of bloody lumps.
Why? He just wanted a rebellious cigarette. He just didn't want to join a political party. So, why?
Banjo slams his steel toe into the child's ribs.
"Shhaaa-"
"Sha-sha-shut the fuck up!"
"Zaa-"
He snatches Billy from the ground and throws him into the van.
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
Freddy runs through the door in tears. Rosa holds him close.
"Qué esta mal, bebé? Why aren't you at school?"
"I went looking for Billy at lunch! And, and, his backpack!"
Victor grabs the bag from him. It's covered in blood, "Oh, God…"
"Take it slow, pequeño. Where was it? Que pasó?"
"It hic was in the hic gutter! Cuh-c-covered in blood!"
She holds him tightly as tears stream from her face and Victor makes a 911 call.
They spend the rest of the night calling anyone and everyone they can imagine. By morning everyone is exhausted and drained.
Every tear has been shed.
Every prayer has been said.
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
It's dark. He slowly rises in a daze. His blurred vision isn't helped by one locked eye. Beneath the cold steel floor is a rhythmic thumping. Train tracks?
He rubs his good eye and it adjusts. His good ear catches it first. He's in a metal box filled with crying boys. They're all children his age or younger, not many are injured but some are worse off than he is.
Breathing, moving, thinking; all painful. Billy thinks back to history and the second World War. Suddenly he's filled with panic. The train leads nowhere good. Time to think.
One crack of light in the roof, a sliding door, likely bolted, little room to maneuver. One steel door on the far wall, likely the next train car.
"Evvrone ohhkey?" Intense pain. Talking is a bad idea right now. Maybe get one word right? No, he can't say it. He's in a steel box with children in it. Who knows what might happen if struck by lightning? Too dangerous.
"You okay, kid?"
He snaps to his right, "Is oo?"
The same kid from the dean's the other day, only a few scrapes on him, "Name's Lester, you're that kid from school right? You look messed up, man. He break your jaw or somethin'?"
Billy nods. Words are becoming something to fear.
Lester leans in, "I don't know shit about doctor stuff, but that looks bad. Can I pop it back in or somethin'?"
Billy takes a big step back as his eye goes wide.
"Bad idea? Nevermind."
Billy sees only one way out, up.
In the next car over, Banjo enjoys a delicious beverage and a huge sandwich when his phone vibrates.
"Banjo singin'."
"Evening Mr. Banjo."
He chokes a moment and spits his food out, "-Minerva!"
"Try again, darling."
"Sorry, Ms. Minerva."
"Better. Train on schedule?"
"Yep."
"How many should we expect in this batch?"
"Twenty-seven, ma'am."
"What? You couldn't even harvest thirty? What are you, some amateur? Last month alone you brought a healthy stock, sixty strong! Many of them have graduated up river already. I need more soldiers!"
"Next shipment will-" the line dies.
He calmly places his phone in his pocket, takes a deep breath, and faces a wall. He drives his fist into the metal and his wrist sprains.
Two bald soldiers in full black, neither older than twenty, stand stiff behind the bar. He turns to the nearest.
"You. You're tough?"
"Yes, sir."
"Strong are ya?"
"Yes, sir."
"Devoted to the cause as well?"
"Yes, sir!"
"Wanna test yourself?"
"Yes sir."
He plants his feet and sends his injured fist through his disciple's nose, twisting it to the side. His head knocks back and blood poor's into a glass, Banjo promptly fills this glass with whiskey.
He pats the boy's shoulder, "Drink up."
The other soldier chimes, "Sure, I'd like to test myself as well."
"Either that or you're just thirsty, huh?"
He starts chuckling. Slowly the boys join in. After a merry moment, Banjo snatches the drink and shatters it against his head.
He drops but doesn't make a sound. When he returns to his feet, Banjo places a large bottle of whiskey between them, "You guys are alright."
Billy yanks at his shirt. Sporadic grunts and shallow gasps mark his lack of progress.
He hears a shirt shredding next to him, "Lucky I wear layers kid. Take it."
"Ank oo," he takes the strip of cloth and tightly wraps around his jaw and top of his head.
Lester plops down beside him, "You think we're gonna be sold? Like a slavery thing? Or maybe they're gonna drop us into the forest and tell us to fight. Maybe they are gonna use us for organs?"
Maybe it doesn't matter why we're here, just how we get out.
Billy taps Lester's shoulder and points up to the vent. He smiles and looks around, "Who isn't too injured?"
A dozen hands shoot up. The group of boys lift Billy ten feet and he grabs tight the vent. He punches and slams and tries to pry the lid, loud grunts all the way. His exacerbated cries must've been heard.
The thick steel door swings open to reveal Banjo and his goons, all holding machine guns except Banjo holding a shotgun, "Y'all boys actin' up, now?"
He steps in and most of the older ones seem to have the thought to swarm him. He cocks his weapon and points it to Billy, dangling from the vent, "Drop or get dropped!"
He tries to swing and kick but Banjo just grabs his ankle and yanks him to the ground. He rests the barrel on his forehead.
"Y'all listen good, now. Ya ain't shackled cause we want ya minglin' and ya ain't prisoners! You're workers! Soldiers! Ya ain't boys no more, you're men! Ain't no way off this train without my say so! Y'all wanna rebel? Get violent? I get violent and you get punished. I appreciate the strong will to carry on with your old lives, but it's over! Move on, new era. Y'all are gonna save this nation, damnit! Y'all are family now, deal it. I'll see ya in the mornin'."
With that, they leave. There's a long silence. A young boy says, "We're soldiers?"
Lester shouts, "We're men!"
A third of them cheer. Billy can't believe these idiots. One threatening speech and they believe every hateful word? None of them miss their family? None of them hate that asshole? Hopefully, they're just scared.
One thing has become clear: He's not gonna get them all out.
The next morning the train stops. The container slides open and fifty bald men, barely adults stand with Banjo. They line boys up in height order. They shake and some are still crying. Some of the boys defecated on themselves and some are covered in dry blood. None of them are dressed for the cold.
Billy notes the chain-link topped with razor wire. Climbing would be dumb. Even if he got out, they're in the middle of nowhere.
She is too tall, far taller than any of her henchmen. Her burgundy dress is flared and the bottoms are kissed with snow. Her heavy makeup attempts to mimic her youth forever lost to her. Her neutral, painted expression never waivers.
"Good morning, boys," she marches up and down the line, "The rules will be followed. I will be obeyed. You will hang on my every word, and there will be no weakness, no laziness, no cowardice, and no insubordination. You will work, you will do what I, or any member of my staff instruct. You will all visit our resident doctor for ailments and physicals. Are there any questions?"
A small boy raises his hand timidly, "Can I go home?"
She kneels to be only a head taller than the boy, "This is home. We are your family."
She makes her way to the smallest among them, "What's your name, dear?"
"Martin…"
"Short stack, ey? How old are ya?"
"Eight…"
"Aye, so you'll surely grow. You look like a healthy boy. No major injuries, no clear abnormalities," she points to a soldier, "Follow him."
She makes her way up the line, sorting the weak from the strong. Each evaluation is seasoned with warm affirmations and backhanded compliments.
"Shashmm, Shasham, shassam," each mumbled attempt is a hammer on his cheek. Though, he keeps trying with each breath.
He shuts up when he's sure she could hear. Sooner than he'd like her eyes are less than a foot from his.
She gestures to his wrapping, "Is this your doing?"
He nods.
"That's some good old fashioned problem solving, young man. I'm truly sorry for your injury. Mr. Banjo's brashness no doubt. I imagine it's painful to speak, but I'd like to know your name."
"Wuss oors?"
"Tenacious. Inquisitive. I'm willing to trade names on three. Deal?"
He nods.
She counts down on her fingers.
"Blly."
"Billy? Nice to meet you," she directs him to the healthy line.
She finishes up and takes a particular interest in Lester. Once everyone is sorted, "Gentlemen, the healthy among you are to go to the showers and the I'll of you are to see Mr. Who, our resident physician. Good night all, and I'll be seeing you for supper."
They depart. That was the last time anyone saw the boys who went to the doctor.
"Mr. Banjo, you're dismissed. Bring a better batch next time. If I ever get less than fifteen healthy recruits again, you're going to serve us in the House, rather than on the streets."
Billy and the rest have their clothing taken from them, they shower in a group. Some hold an odd sense of enthusiasm. They're outfitted with black sweat wear and escorted to the barber.
Once Billy has his head shaved, he's given a heavy dose of anesthesia. He comes too in empty barracks, jaw wired shut. First thing, find a weak point. There's a loose bolt he might be able to do something with, but it isn't much.
Before he can do much more searching, Lester knocks looking pretty unchanged by the haircut, and pretty unshaken by the abduction.
"Come on, kid. Pork and potatoes await."
When he gets to the cafeteria he realizes he can't chew, nor chomp. They gave him no utensils, save for a straw in his milk. He finds himself without a choice. He rips his porkchop into the smallest pieces he can, mixes them in with the mashed potatoes and milk, and slurps his 'smoothie' until completion.
It's about the least appetizing way to eat this, but food is food. Minerva never took her eyes off the process.
Ting ting ting ting ting. She taps a fork to her glass until everyone finally shuts up, which takes longer than it should. She doesn't address a small room of boys. She speaks to hundreds.
"Supper has concluded, and our newest arrivals have successfully accomplished their first day, she gives a pause, the boys give applause, "Sweet dreams, my sons. May you be the healthy future of the great race!"
With that word, Billy knew exactly who these people are. He might not recognize the name but this lady is definitely a white-supremacist and she definitely wants him to be one.
What's the best option here? Play along and earn her trust? He considers dropping under the radar, except he's already been noticed.
Pray for the Wizard?
That guy can't even figure out the correct champion after millennia. Even with magic, Billy is probably going to die in some sick conversion camp.
The boys all file out, "Billy, Lester, walk with me," she struts to her office, towering above them. Lester is relaxed but Billy is stiff as stone.
They enter her lavish office where she gestures to chairs as she claims her own. Everything in the room has a feel of generations passed. The grandfather clock looks antique in the truest sense, yet it chimes. Billy scans the room for a weapon until he faintly hears a click under her desk. Knowing his situation, angering her is ill-advised.
"You two boys enjoy a drink?" She pulls out a bottle of something older than she is, and definitely something Billy knows he shouldn't touch. Without waiting for a response, she pours three glasses and puts a straw in one.
Lester enthusiastically slams it back and his face sucks into itself as he processes that decision. Minerva allows it to air before taking a sip. She stares at Billy.
"Drink, darling. It won't hurt you. I promise."
He gently lifts the glass and pours it on the floor. Her expression remains neutral.
"You like to keep sharp, I can respect that. You're both quite tenacious. Strong wills are the backbone of this family and I know a stubborn man when I see one."
"Thank you, Ms. Me and Bill are grateful, even if he doesn't like to drink," that last line smacked Billy with a hint of scorn.
"Of course, my boy. It is in fact that gratitude which brings you both here. Some of the younger ones are confused, they don't feel that gratitude. However, they look to you both for inspiration."
"We will reassure them," he nudges Billy under the table, "and we'll report any broken rules."
One drink can turn a drug dealer into a snitch? Maybe it wasn't the drink.
She looks to Billy, "Are you both prepared for a leadership position in our family?"
The more she says family, the more vomit he has to suppress. He nods.
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
A few days go by. It starts slow. Anxious kids tried to escape and got caught on the wire. Minerva left them there as a reminder.
Lester buys into this insanity more every day. Kids who steal are beaten in front of everyone. Kids often disappear.
A week of this and Lester has assumed his position of authority in a dark tone. He's showered with gifts and affirmations every time he brutalizes someone. Billy has never witnessed this, but he hears the whispers.
This particular afternoon a young boy named Martin found digging quite difficult with the shovel as large as he is.
"Hey, short stack! Pick it up, and get to it!" He smacks the kid, "What are ya waiting for, Christmas?"
Billy gets in his face only to get shoved back. Lester smacks Martin again and gets a shovel in return.
By the time Lester reaches his feet Martin is sprinting. Billy catches Lester's ankle mid chase and catches his shoe in the skull as a reward. Billy takes the shovel and chucks it at the running lunatic. He takes out the knee. A loud pop and he hits the ground. He doesn't stop his pursuit.
Billy chases. A soldier tries to stop him but Minerva grabs his gun, "I want to see how this plays out."
He runs as hard as he can and slams Lester to the ground.
"What the fuck is your problem?"
"You -tacking kidsh," he pummels Lester until he catches a sharp elbow to the nose. Lester trades a few shots with him until he gets the upper hand. Billy is beaten for a minute, but he punches Lester's injured leg, soliciting a yelp and enough time to land a crotch shot.
The boys scrap on the ground for a few minutes until, "Enough!"
The guards pry them apart.
"We are going for a walk, and we can have a chat regarding loyalty, responsibility, and family," her men drag Billy and Martin into the snowy woods. Lester is handed a baseball bat and told to wait.
"What did poor old Lester do to deserve this betrayal? What did little Martin do to deserve this favoritism?"
"You know nothing abou- family. Family protecsh."
She slaps him, "I've tried and tried with you, William. You don't understand this family at all, so now there's a choice."
Martin is tied by his hands, and hung from a branch, "Billy, help! Help!! Don't let them-" he's gagged with a ball and a belt.
She presents a revolver, "There's one shot. Hope your aim is as honed as your attitude. You miss his head, you won't survive the week. We won't make it easy either."
He holds it in shock. This is insane. He's just a kid. Martin is too young. Billy is too young. Just shoot her. But… there's a firing squad here, ready to execute him at the slightest provocation.
He tosses the gun to Martin's feet.
"Lester. Go easy on the head. Keep him breathing."
He spends the next ten minutes tenderizing Billy's flesh, cracking his bones, and laughing as he does it. Eventually, he gets bored.
"Billy, was it worth it?"
He tries to spit blood but it hits his locked teeth. Minerva lifts Billy, angling his vision to Martin as Lester picks up the gun. Martin has been sobbing all this time and now Billy is.
"Pleash!!! Don't!" He shoves his works through nonconsensually gritted teeth, "You monshtersh…."
"What makes us monsters, my child? Our strength? Or the willingness to root out and terminate the weak? We are the chosen. We are the future, the past, we are God, and Death. You are a petulant child. That thing you call Martin, is a slimy worm. He couldn't just dig? You couldn't just let him take the punishment he earned? The brazenness of it. The gifts I've given. You spat in my face. I spit in his."
BANG! His gaze aims below the Earth, focusing on some other place in some other galaxy or some other dimension. He has chosen to remain silent.
"Billy. Billlyyy? Look what you've done, my dear. Poor little Martin needn't perish as he has. He could've been beaten and sent to bed without supper. He could've lived to my age, but you just had to do the stupid thing."
He's dragged through the camp, in front of everyone. They're mortified by this bloody, swollen mess. He's tied to the flag pole and lifted to the top.
He spends the frozen night trying his utmost to say that magic word that can save him. Why does it have to be exact? He's condemned because his Z's sound like S's? This is unfair, ridiculous.
Where are you, Shazam? As his eyes can no longer remain open, and his mind can no longer focus, his mouth takes over its pointless task, and his vision shifts into Mount Olympus.
"What are you doing?"
He stands at the base of the pole.
"I'm dying."
"So melodramatic. What's happening is awful, but there's a reason you're my champion."
"Yeah, you chose wrong."
"If I'd chosen incorrectly, you'd certainly believe otherwise."
"So what? Rip out the wires and shout your name is a singsong voice? Save the day from creepy wannabe Nazis and declare myself the hero of America? Scream out for the heroes of the world who either don't know about us or don't care about us?"
"The first one will do nicely."
"Oh, screw you! You're not even here…"
"When did I give you the impression I could affect your realm? I'm thousands of years old. I step foot outside the Rock of Eternity, my old age will likely catch up to me. I can see this. It breaks my heart. I've seen worse. You will not disappoint me."
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
The Vasquez family pray at dinner. Even Eugene, a decided atheist. Rosa is hollow. She reassures her children but is far too drained to do much more. Pedro is crying and Mary has been. Darla is luckily young enough to not know how bad the situation is.
"Freddy, can you pass the-"
Freddy snatches a salt shaker and tosses it into Victor's food.
"Come on, man."
"What? What's the problem, huh? You got your salt."
"I know we're all upset-"
"Billy is a brother. I let him get caught. I could've talked him into going to class. You know nothing about how upset I am."
He silently walks up to his room, slamming the door.
Victor can only sigh, "He's gonna be okay. We're gonna be okay."
"Today Major Morris claims the rise in kidnappings is coming to a swift end. Links between this spree of abductions have been linked to a gang called the American Socialist Party, a white supremacist organization that is known for abducting and recruiting caucasian boys between the ages of five and fifteen."
Victor clicks the television off and trudges through his meal.
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
When the sun raises, Lester is alone at the bottom of the flagpole. He cranks the lever until a shivering Billy is eye level with him.
"Hey, bud. Hungry?" He offers a blended mush meal through a straw, which Billy slowly accepts.
"Why?"
"I could ask the same question. You were given better food, a better bed, better shoes, a better coat. Why throw away your life over some lazy kid?
"You help when peole need help. Ish called a conshence."
"You chose death. Plain and simple. You decided to die, and you took that kid with you."
"Member hish name?"
"The kid? No. Obviously not. He was a shovel with legs."
"Martin wush a shmart, ambishush kid. Sure he wushn't athletic but he had a family that worried for the worsht. You took him from them."
"Last night I was in a cozy, warm bed. I woke up to donuts this morning. You backed the wrong horse."
"Heesh not a horsh, he wush a kid."
"Yeah well, this is my first chance to be someone important. You're not gonna fuck this up."
"You can't be imporant. You can do imporant thingsh."
Minerva arrives above them, "Good morning, William. Are you ready?"
"For?"
"Your trial."
"Ugh… Thish ish gonna be good."
They untie him and drag him into the center of the courtyard, with hundreds of children encircling him. Lester cracks his knuckles.
"Only one of you walks away. William, you will kill or die. Will you cling to your conscience?"
She tosses him a knife. This does not at all balance the scales. Billy is barely standing. He is nearly frozen stiff and one eye is swollen shut. Lester has a bum leg and a full belly. He's revved up, ready to go.
Billy takes a stance and sends a few feints into the air. Lester tackles Billy and starts his assault. Billy has one advantage apart from the knife. He is numb.
Billy has to stop himself from passing out. He blocks a punch with the blade. The fight continues and Billy does his best not to use the knife again. Lester keeps the upper hand until he takes a huge kick to the injured leg.
Billy creates some distance as Lester tries to hobble back to his feet. He kicks him in the chin, pins him and beats him.
"Finish it, coward!"
Minerva cares more about breaking Billy, than recruiting Lester. The knife shakes in his hand as he thinks about Martin's eyes.
He lifts the blade to the knotted chicken wire on either side of his jaws and his jaw clearly isn't fully healed. He severs the wire in an agonizing, bloody mess until he can open his mouth wide.
"SHAZAM!" Lightning strikes.
The snow and fog don't clear before the guns around the camp begin snapping in half. Guards begin flying into walls. Minerva turns to run but finds a large hand around her throat. The lightning in his eyes teaches her the chance of escape or lack thereof.
Hundreds of children stand stunned and confused as their captors are assaulted and restrained.
"These people were never any kind of family. You've all gone through something horrific, and some of you don't think so. You're all victims. You can all be better than these monsters. Some of you may never recover, but most of you will be good and healthy people. Spread kindness."
He leaps a mile up, feeling like himself again. He sees the nearest building is miles away. The phone in Minerva's office connects him with the nearest police department, who he informs of their location and spends an hour sending bolts into the sky.
Red and blue lights crawl up the train tracks and Shazam ducks behind a building and transforms.
The kids pool around the convoy as officers and paramedics begin checking them.
Shazam runs up to an officer, "Shir, there'sh a body in the woodsh."
"Ok kid, we gotta get you to a hospital."
"The kid'sh name wush Martin," he points to Lester, "He killed him."
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
"We're here to see our kid, his name is Billy Batson."
"I.D.?"
Victor hands it to her and receives a strange look.
"Foster parents, I have the papers if you need them."
"Whatever, he's in room 230."
The family power walks that way, "Wow, what if that was a total bluff?"
"That dama es super mala at her job," Rosa has an uncrackable smile.
They reach the room and Darla runs in first.
"Bigbrother bigbrother bigbrother bigbrother bigbrother!" He leaps with all she has and crushes his lungs.
Freddy nearly trips over her crutches, he's zooming so fast, "Wow, you're fugly! Look at that jaw!"
"Oh god, pequeño! The people who did this were caught, si?!"
"Most of them. I don't know if they found the guy who caught me, to start with."
"Which reminds me, I have about thirty hours of stranger danger videos we need to watch, I forget you guys didn't grow up with the D.A.R.E program," Victor probably isn't joking.
⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡⚡
"Well, today I'm proud to announce the bold return of our hero!"
Shazam lands on a stage between Sterling Morris, happy as ever, and a crowd of hundreds. Likely would've been more if most people didn't assume he'd be a no show again. The clapping fades and Billy grabs a microphone.
"Sorry, Sterling for my absence last time. There was this horrific kidnapping operation I simply couldn't let continue. It was difficult to be sure, but justice was served to the best I can."
It turns out, pleasing a crowd just takes a sense of bland optimism.
"And we thank you for bringing many of our boys back to us. Now, for a less important, yet highly controversial topic, what the heck should we call ya?"
At this moment he realizes he hasn't exactly been workshopping this, so he says the first thing that comes to mind.
"Uh…. Captain Marvel!"
The Adventure Continues in the Next Issue:
Fawcett Flames Part 1 - Coming December 2nd
submitted by I want to first thank anyone who can give any insight or thoughts regarding planning for my wedding. My partner and I have been doing distance on and off for our whole relationship because we are from two different countries. We were originally planning on getting married in Western Canada because that's where my fiancée is from --however, following COVID we've found a lot of venues either aren't reopening to large group events for the foreseeable future (so they won't take make any reservations) OR cost a lot more than we anticipated. Since our families live in completely different places our wedding will feel like a destination wedding no matter where it is. (About 70% of our guests would have to fly to the wedding no matter where it is.) We found what looks to be amazing venue in Italy which excites my side of the family a lot in particular because it's very close to the area my grandparents are from, but we are really nervous about the cost.
Here is sort of a rundown of the costs we've been given for a 70 person wedding.
Reception dinner (includes aperitifs at wedding venue, appetizers, a pasta course, meat course, dessert table in lieu of a cake) = $78/per person (total: ~ $5500)
Wedding ceremony venue (includes chair rentals, officiant, setup): $450 **
Reception venue: $2200-2800 (price varies on if we do it inside or outside, but includes linens, tables, chairs, catering staff, set up/cleanup)**
Alcohol: $2000 (Our guess, the venue charges $17 per bottle of wine and $4.50 for a 650 mL bottles of beer. They recommended budgeting 1 bottle of wine per person for dinner and then we just added more for after)
Photographer: $1000~ (One of my best friends is a wedding photographer who said he'd be willing to do the wedding photos if we paid for his flights)
Wedding dress: $1000 (Hoping this price will include alterations and shoes. I don't want accessories really and already own the jewelry I'd want to wear)
Transport: $300 (Rental car, I have been saving airmiles and have enough to cover our flights)
Favors: $200 (If anyone has ideas for favors please let me know! We aren't too sure what we can do for them since we likely won't be able to buy them until we get to Italy.)
Bridal party gifts: $200 (if anyone has ideas for this again -- we have no idea at this point)
Flowers: $500 (We are only doing bouquets. Our wedding venue is beautiful and they have previously done weddings were they just cut olive branches and bought a crate of lemons and used them to decorate the tables)
Rehearsal dinner: $2000 (For this, we are planning on just doing something laid back but were planning on inviting all of our guests so 70 people. It'll likely be a pizza dinner or something by the pool since where we would be staying is beautiful)
Music: We would be renting speakers and still need to get costs for this, but are planning on hooking up a phone or computer with a playlist. We are also considering if its super hot and nice just doing a pool party after the dinner and an hour or two of dancing back at where we are staying...for the ceremony my partner is a musician and will likely be asking a friend(s) to play the ceremony. It might just be one of his friends on a violin or something simple.
Lastly, because it's in Italy we are trying to cover some of the accommodation for our guests. This is what is stretching our budget and making our budget hard to figure out. We would be paying for two nights for everyone at essentially a big castle thing in the town. We would be booking the whole place so there wouldn't be anyone there who wasn't invited to the wedding. It works out to be $7860, BUT it would mean everyone would be in the same place. The rooms are beautiful, there's pools and kitchens so everyone can make food there if they want to grab cereal or something for breakfast or go out to eat. AND it is within walking distance of the wedding venue and the reception. (Parking is also free.)
So projected wedding total is: ~$23,210 (USD)
** Note: One thing I do like about the venues is that there is a Plan B for both if the weather is bad. If it rains it would actually be cheaper, but they are set up that we don't have to panic or find a backup if it rains since we'd prefer to do the ceremony and dinner outside.
Other costs considered are that we are doing Evites so those are free, I'm planning on doing my own hair and makeup, we've already signed the marriage certificate because we needed it for immigration, we don't want videos, my partner has a suit already, and we aren't including wedding ring costs in this.
Anyone who has done a destination wedding and has any advice please let us know. I feel like if we weren't covering accommodation for guests it'd feel really reasonable ($15350), but we're worried that asking guests to travel for us will already be asking a lot financially so we were hoping to make this less stress free for everyone invited. Also, the reception dinnevenue are set prices. You can make it more expensive, but they said they do not have a cheaper option. We are going to see if there are any other restaurants in the town that could do the dinner, but for now this is the number we have.
Thank you soo much again for any advice or help or just good karma you can send our way because wedding planning is more intense than I ever anticipated lol.
submitted by 10 Inspiring Dessert Table Ideas to Make Your Wedding Reception Unforgettable Sherrie Giddens Updated: Aug. 14, 2018 Add tasty flair to an elegant or rustic wedding reception with a dessert table that tantalizes guests while reflecting your unique personality. Dessert bars are a popular choice for couples who want an alternative to the traditional wedding-cake stand—and we understand why. The dessert table usually ends up being the most frequented Some brides go for a big extravagant wedding cake, others ditch tradition and go for a desert table. We have gathered 24 beautiful wedding dessert table ideas from boho chic and vintage, to modern wedding themes to inspire you. No-one said you can’t have wedding cake and have some fun with it. Jun 27, 2020 - Explore The Perfect Palette's board "DESSERT TABLES", followed by 268296 people on Pinterest. See more ideas about dessert table, wedding desserts, wedding dessert table. How to Setup a Wedding Dessert Table: 7 Fantastic Ideas. There are many fabulous wedding dessert table ideas where to obtain some inspiration. These ideas and tips will help you to setup a wedding dessert table with the simplest or the most elaborate decor. Either way, you dessert tables will look stunning! 1 Shabby chic, boho or vintage decor a white and blush wedding dessert table with blush roses and tasty romantic sweets in simple white porcelain a rustic wedding dessert table of weathered wood, with crates and boxes and lots of sweets Second, your sweets and cakes should coincide in the style and looks, too, somehow. 27 Amazing Wedding Cake Display & Dessert Table Ideas Whether you’ve chosen one or several wedding cakes, displaying them to advantage is an important point for wedding decor, especially if you are going to organize a sweets bar. Planning a DIY Wedding: 5 Simple Dessert Table Ideas. I think one of the most exciting parts for me in planning my own wedding is the amount of creativity I have in creating the wedding design, programs, and catering options of course. Choosing the food is probably going to be one of my top 5 favorite aspects of the whole planning shebang. Jaimie Mackey was the Brides real weddings editor from 2013 to 2015. She also worked as a luxury wedding planning producing over 100 high-end weddings and events over four wedding seasons in Colorado. 15 Awesome DIY Wedding Dessert Ideas Like any sane and well-adjusted soon-to-be-wed, you’ve always dreamed of treating your guests to a reception laden with a myriad of tasty desserts – tables spread with of decadent cupcakes, decorative towers of butter mints, books full of bonbons; your dream candy buffet ideas come true.
http://www.bestforbride.com/Wedding decoration ideas for banquet halls, synagogue, churches and more including wedding cake decor, head table decor, boutonni... ♡Hey You guys Welcome to my channel! I really hope you all enjoyed this video♡♡Thank You for all the LOVE & SUPPORT ♡ PLEASE DON'T forget to give this video ... In this video, I will share with you how I style a dessert table from start to finish.... I hope that you all will enjoy!To learn all of my secrets sign up f... I hope this easy Dollar Tree Dessert Table perfect for birthday party, New Years Eve, holiday, etc. will inspire you with so many beautiful, budget, cheap, e... How To Cake It Yolanda Gampp and guest creators show how to set up the sweetest dessert table ever! Dessert tables are the perfect addition to any party - th... ♡Hey You guys Welcome to my channel! I really hope you all enjoyed this video♡♡Thank You for all the LOVE & SUPPORT ♡ PLEASE DON'T forget to give this video ... Here's an easy, budget friendly way to make an expensive looking dessert table!GENDER REVEAL PREP VLOG: https://youtu.be/GhZfzFhweYILINKSWhite Gummy Bears: h... Bring a sweet touch to your reception with a dessert table. Amy Adams, dessert table designer, talks us through the secrets to a perfect dessert table.For mo... WELCOME TO YUMMY.TODAY'S RECIPE IS 4 Easy No Bake Dessert Cup Recipe Eggless Dessert Idea Yummy#dessert #nobakedessert #dessertboxidea #yummy #easyDesser... ♡Welcome!! I hope you enjoyed this video cuz i sure did enjoy making it for you guys!!-Thanx for the LOVE & SUPPORT ♡ -PLEASE DON'T forget to give this video...
