Element: Season One by Nick Venom (ebook reader with highlighter .txt) 📕

  Guardian cast a new spell, unleashing it on the assassin. The assassin dodged the attack, turning on Guardian and firing off a few shots. Guardian dodged the shots, but soon noticed the assassin’s disappearance. The assassin had plunged the backyard into darkness, hiding in it. He was now given free rein of the battleground.

Gus walked by Max’s house, debating on whether or not to knock on his door. After some slight hesitation, he went up to the door. 

“I hope he’s doing good. Both Skylar and Max have been going through some hard times. I’ve been fortunate enough to have nothing bad happen to me, but will that ever change.” He knocked on the door. “Well, I should make sure Max is okay first. Then, maybe, we’ll go pick up Skylar and go to the amusement park. They both need to keep their spirits high. I hope this will help them. Or, at least get them closer. Love will help them out in the long run.” 

The door opened. 

TBC…

Todd entered a house, dropping his bag on the ground. “Honey, you’re here?” A woman’s voice asked from the kitchen.

“As always,” He walked up behind her, hugging and softly kissing her neck.

“Honey, I’m cooking.” His wife remarked, dropping the utensils in her hand. 

“I know,” He turned her head and stole a kiss. She reacted by kissing him back. He pulled his face back and released her, walking towards the stove. He wafted the steak’s smell towards him, basking in its scent. “Smells good, honey.” 

“How was work?” She asked him.

“Terrible as usual. My boss wants to work me to death.”

His wife shook her head playfully. “As long as you're getting the necessary hour of exercise, I could care less.”

“Ha!” Todd exclaimed. “You would bawl your eyes if I went out and never came back. Hell, I’d imagine you’d write me some song.” He pressed a hand to his chest and stood up straight. Oh, how great my husband was. Oh, how better he was. He was the most handsome man in the world, oh how lucky I was.”

“Ha!” This time it was his wife’s turn to exclaim. “None of those words rhymed and you’re spouting out nonsense. If you want to mock one of my songs, first figure out the right tempo. God, what an idiot of a husband that I have.”

“Man, that college degree is really talking right now.”

She walked up to him, leaning in and kissing his forehead. She then ran her fingers through his grayish-white hair, before standing up. “You’re right about one thing. I would bawl my eyes.” She turned around and walked back to the stove. She looked over her shoulder at him. “That’s why I would have to go first.”

A black car zoomed around, taking wide turns and nearly smashing into mailboxes. The car zoomed past a typical wealthy neighborhood. The car stopped at the end of the neighborhood, reversing back several houses until they reached their target’s house. The windows facing the house were lowered, several guns appearing from within the car. Triggers were squeezed, allowing a bucket filled with bullets to fly towards the house. It wrecked the door and broke the windows. Blood-curdling screams and gasps could be heard from inside the house as the bullets made contact with flesh, tearing it apart. One of the gangsters, nicknamed ‘Big Bone’ after a rap group, got out of the car and pointed his gun, sideways, at the house. He fired off an automatic machine gun, spewing bullets by the millisecond. A few bullets missed the target house and flew into neighboring houses. 

Once they were satisfied with the sort of drive-by situation they were in, Big Bone got back into the car and they zoomed off. Police were called on the spot, but, by then, five people were dead. The target house was then revealed to be a rival gang’s headquarters. The Lane Gang’s leader was inside the house, but he wasn’t killed by any of the shots. However, to survive the onslaught of bullets, he shielded himself with one of his subordinates' bodies, making it out of the situation alive. 

The house to the right saw no casualties while the one to the left was left with one. The house on the left saw Todd’s wife shot in the stomach by a few bullets that Big Bone intended for the target house. Unfortunately, the recoil moved his arm and threw a few bullets towards Todd and his wife. Todd was protected by a miracle, the bullet cut through the chair he was sitting on, minutes ago. He stood up to assist his wife, escaping death. His wife, on the other hand, was in a different situation. One of the bullets flew through a window in the kitchen, on the right, and was embedded in her stomach. She collapsed as blood spewed from her body, soaking her dying self in it. 

Todd rushed to his wife’s body, holding her hands as police sirens roared in the distance. He quickly grabbed a phone and dialed 9-1-1, contacting the police. He informed the operator of his wife’s situation, holding his wife’s hand tightly. He screamed at the operator, wanting an ambulance, but it was too late. She bled to death in front of him. Her grip loosened, letting go of her husband’s hand as her life was extinguished. She passed away at that moment. 

A week after her death, Toby had pressed every person he knew was connected to the underground, about his wife’s killers. He wanted justice and knew the police couldn’t do it for him. The police were drawing straws to decide on which dead-end they’ll investigate. They wouldn’t be able to help him.

He asked the Lane Family about the drive-by but his simple request was trashed. The leader of the family was blinded with anger, preparing for retaliation against the gang. This, however, helped Todd as the name of the gang responsible was leaked with ease. He stayed close to the leader and his subordinates for a month before he was given the name of the four individuals that participated in the attack. 

Now armed with the knowledge, returned to his family’s home. As he entered the house, his mother came over to him and hugged him. She cried as she checked up on him. His family heard about his wife’s death. 

However, Todd didn’t return for simple pleasantries. Instead, he was back to collect something. His father could tell what he wanted, handing him a gun box and boxes of bullets. He thanked his family, his eyes glazed over the entire time, before heading out. Since that day, he was stalking and assassinating every gang member until he reached the four individuals responsible for his wife’s death. The gang was being torn apart by Todd, diminishing by the second. He had killed every gang member for no reason aside from that they belonged in the same gang as his wife’s killers.

One night, half a year after his wife’s death, he was prepared for his encore. He entered the headquarters casually, shedding the shadows and sniper. This time, he wanted to kill with his bare hands.

He approached the survivors, finding them clumped up in the old headquarters of their once-prosperous gang. The survivors noticed his arrival and brandished guns at him. They shook their weapons and threatened him, but were frightened by Todd’s dead eyes. He no longer cared for appearances, disgrading the clean-shaven and well-kempt look he had only a half-year ago. Now he was more of a beast than a man. This beast was unchained. 

He tortured the four for five hours before learning that Big Bone was his wife’s killer, taking his time with him. He slaughtered them all at the end before police were called, arresting him on sight. They dragged him to the police station with an open-shut case. However, for some reason, the charges were dropped and he was released. That’s when he first met with Kenny Smithson. Kenny was responsible for getting him out, dragging him to Smithson Industries. There he asked Todd for assistance, which he refused. Todd fulfilled his revenge, only wanting to put an end to his life and reconnect with his wife but Kenny stopped that. Kenny prevented his plan of committing suicide. 

“So, you won’t help me?” Kenny repeated.

“Just let me die,” Todd remarked, his eyes cold and lifeless.

Kenny smiled a twisted smile. “I wouldn’t want that. I couldn’t use you if you were dead.” He then flashed a photo of Todd’s sister, Annebelle. She was known as a gambler, but she claimed she had it under control. Or at least that’s what she told her family. In the photo, she was beaten and bruised. “Your sister has a half a million-dollar debt to her name? Work for me and we can slowly close that debt. Once we do, you’re free to do whatever you want.”

Todd did care about his younger sister who was always blessed with random luck. Every point in her year was decided randomly. She had extremely high points and the lowest of low points. She was half-blessed and half-cursed. 

“I’ll do it, but nobody can touch my sister during that point. I’ll become your-”

“Assassin,” Kenny turned away. “You have good skills with guns, so how about… Marksmen.” He turned back around. “Oh, what luck that you joined me. I must be the luckiest person in the world.”

Todd remembered his wife, killed by random luck. She was never the target, the Lane Family was. It was all random luck. 

“I’ll become your Marksmen.”

TBC…

The darkness circled them, constantly shifting to avoid attacks. Max stayed close to Skylar, protecting her. Guardian, meanwhile, closed his eyes, searching for Todd. He was trying to pinpoint him to no avail. Instead, he sensed for Max’s location, sprinting to his side. 

“Don’t you have some kind of large explosive spell?” Max asked him when he got close. 

“I can’t, my powers in this world are limited. If we left Earth, I could use my strength to the fullest.” Guardian retorted.

“Okay then, do you have a spell to get rid of the darkness? A light skill?”

“Torch! That’s the only light spell I know, but it’s a low-class one.” Max shook his head before closing his eyes. He built up elemental essence in his fingers, discharging it in front of him and creating a wall. The darkness slammed against the wall, revealing the shadow within it. 

Todd wasn’t expecting a wall to be created in his way. He