VIVERE
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chosenone58
- Posts: 3769
- Joined: 28 Nov 2018, 19:06
VIVERE
Ball is life
Bro listened to someone get murked on the phone & ain't budge an inch. 
Nobody's safe in these streets
Sorry for the slow updates lately. I've been busy with work. The upcoming parts are the one thing I did not want to half ass in this chise
VIVERE
Chapter 9
A middle-aged stomach growls after its owner detected the aroma of lasagna baking in the oven lingering into the living room. Waiting for his wife to prepare dinner, Coach Larson leaned back on his recliner as he brutely flipped through the channels, trying to find the one that will be showcasing the Washington High School All-Star Game. For someone who has coached for almost 20 years, he has never experienced coaching someone on the caliber as Danny Mortisson. Not only is Danny an All-State player, but he was awarded this year’s Washington Mr. Basketball.
The TV finally landed on FOX Sports just as the game was about to tip off. Boys and girls high school basketball all-star games have been played all day at Mountlake Terrace High School. The Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association has saved the best event for last: the Class 3A vs 4A game. To everyone’s surprise, five-star recruit Michael Porter Jr. and his brother Jontay Porter, who had reclassified to the Class of 2017 recently, have decided to play in this all-star game. Some people theorized that the Porter brothers are doing damage control after their disappointing season. Other top players that have opted to play tonight include Garfield’s dynamic duo of Jaylen Nowell and Daejon Davis and West Seattle’s Nate Pryor.
“And here are your starting lineups for the Class 3A vs 4A Game. If you’re just tuning in now, there was a last-minute change for the 3A team. Washington Mr. Basketball recipient Danny Mortisson will not be playing tonight for unknown reasons. Just before warm-ups, he was seen running out of the gym. Nate Pryor will be starting in place of Mortisson at point guard.”
“What in the hell?” Larson takes off his glasses to wipe them off and puts them back on to reread the starting lineups displayed on the screen.
*Ding-dong*
“Honey, could you please check who’s at the door?” A faint female voice asked from inside the kitchen.
Larson walks over to the front door and slightly opens it to peek out. Who he saw outside his doorstep was not who he would expect to see at this moment.
“Hey, Coach,” Danny grinned. Droplets flowed down his face as rain poured onto his uncovered head.
“Danny? What are you doing here?” Larson steps outside and closes the door behind him. “You’re supposed to be at Mountlake Terrace.”
Coaching Danny for the past four years, Larson noticed something was off about him. Staring into his eyes was like looking down at a bottomless void. His hands were clutching something tightly inside his parka pockets.
“Yeah, I was. But something came up and I have to take care of some business. Your house was on the way there, so I came to visit.”
“Okay, how about you come inside and dry yourself off first? You’re soaking wet.”
“I appreciate the offer, but I’ll pass,” Danny shakes his head. “I just wanted to tell you something.”
“Well, what is it?”
“Thank you.”
“Thank you for what?” Larson scratches the back of his neck in confusion.
“Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for letting me rejoin the team. Thank you for being such a great coach. Thank you for being a father figure to me. I’m forever grateful for what you’ve done for me these past few years.”
“Now hold up. You’re scaring me a bit. This feels like we'll never see each other again.”
“I just felt like it's a good time to tell you.”
“Don’t give me that bullshit, Danny. I know you. What kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into this time?”
“I can’t tell you,” Danny tilts his head down.
“How come? If you need help, you should tell me right now.”
“Can’t do that, Coach. This is something only I can handle.”
“No, no, no. There’s something wrong here. You’re in some deep shit, aren’t you? You should stop right now and let the police handle this.”
“The police getting involved will only make the situation worse. I’m the only one that can do this.”
Danny pulls out an envelope from his left pocket and checks to see if it got wet.
“Here,” Danny hands over the envelope to Larson. “You don’t have to open it now, but make sure to open it before the last week of November.”
“Why before the last week of November?” Larson waves the envelope around the wall light to see the contents inside.
“You’ll know when you read it,” Danny takes a few steps backward before turning around to the gate. “Sorry, I interrupted your night. I’ll be heading on my way now.”
“Danny, wait!” Larson calls out as Danny was halfway through the gate. “You will be able to make it to your college decision tomorrow, right?”
“Ah, I should tell you this, huh?” Danny tilts his head back in Larson’s direction. “I’m not going to college.”
“What?!” Larson screams at the top of his lungs. “You’ve busted your ass these last four years to not go to college?!”
“That’s right,” Danny chuckled. “I’m not going to college because I’m gonna go pro!”
“Huh, pro?” Larson was taken aback.
“I’m signing a contract with this Italian team called Germani Brescia. Remember that phone call the last time I was in your office? It was from them. One of their scouts came to Seattle to visit family and happened to watch one of our games in person. This team just got promoted to the top level of the Italian league and are looking to strengthen up their roster to stay up. As much as I would love to play in college, I need the money for my mom’s bills. I can’t wait a year before going to the NBA to do that.”
“Ha, now that really sounds like you. If only college athletes got paid, it’s too bad. I would’ve loved to watch you play in March.”
“Well, see you later, Coach,” Danny waves at his coach as he starts walking into the pitch-black street.
“You’re going to be safe, right?” Larson shouts out to Danny whose silhouette is starting to be enshrouded in darkness.
Despite Coach Larson’s loud cadence, he received no reply from his star player.
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chosenone58
- Posts: 3769
- Joined: 28 Nov 2018, 19:06
VIVERE
Chapter 10
Few hours earlier…
Danny put on his jersey and then reached for his phone and headphones in his bag, raring to listen to some music during warm-ups. As he browsed through his playlist on Spotify, his phone started ringing deafeningly. His phone screen greyed out and showed the name “Louise.”
“Hey, what’s up?” Danny answered the call and walked out of the locker room. “Make it quick, though. I’m about to start warming up.”
“D-D-Danny!!!! My mom! She’s……and Cassius…” Danny could not understand anything through the call as Louise’s words were drowned out by her sniffling and hyperventilating.
“Deep breaths, girl.” Danny remained silent for a few seconds as Louise caught her breath. “Alright, now tell me what’s going on.”
“Cain….he came to my house and shot my mom. She’s lying on the floor and there’s blood everywhere on the floor and walls.”
“You’re joking, right?” Danny stepped into the restroom, deprived of people around to listen to his conversation. “Cain? He wouldn’t even hurt a fly.”
“It’s the truth! My mom answered the door and Cain just shot her in the head without even blinking!”
“Are you safe?”
“My leg is all busted, but I’ll be fine.”
“Fine?! You’re not fucking fine at all. Where did Cain go?”
“I-I don’t know where he went. He just took Cassius and left.”
“He what?!” Danny clenched his phone relentlessly as if it would snap in half. “Why didn’t you say so in the first place?! Hang up and call 911 if you haven’t already.”
“What are you going to do?”
“I’m gonna teach that bastard a lesson.”
“Danny? What do you mean by that-”
Putting his phone into his pocket before Louise could finish her sentence, Danny slammed the bathroom wide open and stomped back into the locker room.
“Yo, DM! Where ya been, man? We’re about to- Whoa!”
Danny shoved someone who was probably one of his teammates for tonight’s game. Whoever it was did not matter to him in the slightest at this moment. He continued moving toward his bag and started packing his things.
“Where you going? We got a game to play!” Another voice called out to Danny as he started to walk out of the locker room with his belongings in hand.
“Game?” Danny stopped in place and gazed at what he perceives as blank silhouettes. “I don’t have time for shit like that.”
The players in the locker room shivered as they stared into his cold eyes. It felt as if their bodies were pierced by a dagger. They were frozen in place, unable to stop Danny from leaving the locker room.
--
*Ding-dong!*
“Wow, Danny Mortisson! What a pleasant surprise,” A woman with a bob cut and an apron exclaimed as she opened the door. “How may I help you?”
“Good evening, Mrs. Morris,” Danny waved and promptly put his hand back into his pocket. “Is Cain inside?”
“Cain? He’s not back yet. He’s been gone all day.”
“Is that so? Sorry to have bothered you then.”
“Oh, don’t be sorry, Danny,” Mrs. Morris stepped to the side of the door, uncovering the hallway behind her. “How about you come inside and wait until he comes back?”
“Thanks for the offer, but I’ll pass for tonight. I’ll find him later.”
“Danny, wait! Before you go, may I ask you one thing?”
“Yeah, of course. What is it?”
“Have you noticed anything different about Cain?” she concernedly asked while struggling to keep a smile on her face.
“Different?”
“Recently, there have been moments when I feel like someone else is in my son’s body. Some nights, I would catch him praying. He would say names that I’ve never heard before. I got curious and tried googling those people. Turns out they lived during the 1800s.” Tears started to run down her face while Danny, her audience, remained unfazed at the story being told.
“Where has he even heard of these people before? I’m thinking of taking him to a psychiatric doctor. I’m so sorry for saying something crazy. I don’t know what has gotten into me.” She wiped her sobbing eyes with her sleeve.
“Do you have any idea where Cain could possibly be?” Danny broke his silence with a question.
“Hmmm…well…I don’t know…wait, he did ask about our old home recently.”
--
Present
A scorched door stood before Danny, reminiscing about his childhood memories spent in this now rundown apartment building. Playing against each other Madden and NBA Live from dawn to dusk, watching the SpongeBob Lost Episode hundreds of times because it was the only DVD of the show Cain owned, suplexing a neighbor’s dog which resulted in it developing a subdural hemorrhage. Memories ran laps around Danny’s mind before he slapped himself back into reality. This place was no longer his best friend’s old home. It was a decrepit old building scheduled for demolition this year.
The creaking of the door echoed through the hallway as he pushed the door open and stepped foot into the complex. Concealing his footsteps was quite the task as he attempted to avoid stepping on the shards of broken glass littered all over the floor. He knew that entering this building with a flimsy lead was a huge gamble. Not only Cain may not be here, but there was the risk of encountering squatters lurking the premises. Orange caps and used syringes laying on the floor verified the presence of drug addicts here previously.
Danny slipped to the staircase and climbed his way to the fourth floor. Without any issue, he made it to his destination: Room 412. He grabbed the doorknob and slowly turned it counterclockwise. While gradually opening the door, he scanned the room, spotting a small faint light at the left end of the hall. With each step closer to that light, his heart thumped harder and harder. There was no turning back from this. After taking a deep breath, he peered through the entryway where the light was coming from. All his assumptions were correct.
“Well, well, well. Look who showed up to the party!” Cain jubilantly applauded the arrival of his long-awaited guest. To his side was an unconscious Cassius tied up to a chair.
“What the fuck have you done, Cain?!” Drops of sweat plopped to the floor as Danny took cover behind the wall.
“What happened to manners, Danny Boy? How can you greet me while you’re hiding over there?”
“Let Cassius go right now!”
“Do you really think you’re in any position to command me right now? How about you come out here first?”
“Tch,” Danny reluctantly stepped out of cover and entered the room.
“Great! Go take a seat while I bring our dinner here,” Cain walked over to the kitchen, ignoring Danny’s cold glare. “And don’t even think of doing anything funny.” He unsheathed one of the knives from the rack on the wall and swung it around in Danny’s direction.
After coming back from the kitchen with the food and kitchen, he started to set the table for him and Danny. On the center of the table was a plate of a giant lump of smoked meat.
“Here you go,” Cain handed over a plate of the brisket to Danny. “I know you haven’t eaten yet. You must be STA-AR-VING right now!”
Danny sniffed and probed the meat in front of him, skeptical of its content and edibility. “Tell me. What is this?”
“Oh, come on. Do you think I would poison it?” Cain only received a scowl as a response. “How about you take a bite and tell me how it is first?”
“I’m not gonna eat something without knowing what it is.”
The smile on Cain’s face disappeared. “Is that so? Maybe this will change your mind,” the edge of a knife was now an inch above Cassius’s neck. “Eat.”
Danny hesitantly sliced through the meat with his knife. He gulped as he held up the small piece of meat to his face. Closing his eyes, he swiftly bit the meat off his fork. With each chewing motion, he was trying to figure out this unfamiliar flavor. It tasted like pork but with a more beef-like texture. He did not want to admit it, but he was tempted to continue eating.
“Well? What do you think of my special meal?”
“It’s…good,” Danny muttered.
“What was that? I can’t hear you?” Cain pricked Cassius’s neck, now seeping a trickle of blood.
“It’s good.”
“Great! I’m so happy to hear you say that. Now finish the rest of it.”
“Wha-”
“Uh-uh-uh,” Cain waved his finger. “Finish your plate or I’m slicing the kid’s throat.”
Danny sucked his teeth and continued to eat the mysterious meat. Since his last meal was a banana in the morning, it felt like the most delicious meal he has ever eaten. In less than five minutes, he devoured the rest of the meat.
“You are one hungry boy,” Cain chuckled. “I’m glad you enjoyed it. How does it feel to have eaten Recks Black?”
“Huh?” Danny reactively dropped his fork and knife on the table. “W-w-what did you say?”
“I said how does it feel to have eaten Recks Black. You know, the missing basketball player from Fresno? 4-star athlete who was visiting U-Dub? What you just finished eating was a piece of his belly fat.”
“You’re lying.”
“How about you check that room for me?” Cain pointed over to the door on his right.
Danny ambled over to the door and slowly opened the door which released a cold breeze from inside. As he sprung the door open, his eyes widened at what stood before him. A headless skinned human figure was hanging from a rope tied to a bathtub curtain rod. It looked around 6’4” tall and had parts of its abdominal fat sliced off. On the floor below the dangling body were a pile of clothes, a scholarship offer to the University of Washington, and two pictures. One was a picture of a baby sleeping in a crib and the other was of Recks and two familiar looking people. Danny took a closer look at the pictures and then instantly remembered. They were the same people who were looking for Recks a month ago. Vomit poured out of Danny’s mouth after realizing what he had just eaten.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!! How does it feel to be a cannibal now?” Cain hysterically laughed, almost falling off his chair. “Instead of becoming a 4-time MVP and a 6-time NBA Champion, his fattass is A5 meat now! How hilarious. I wished I could’ve grabbed Khyri’s body as well, but the cops arrived way too quickly.”
“YOU FUCKING BASTARD!” Danny bolted back into the dining room and kicked the table over, causing the slab of roasted Recks belly to fly and splatter all over the wall.
“Hey, why the fuck did you do that?! I roasted that for 16 hours-” Cain was interrupted as a gun barrel now in front of his face. “This is a pleasant surprise.”
“Let Cassius go. Now.”
“You’re trembling,” Cain pointed out Danny’s shaky handle on his firearm. “You don’t belong here. Leave while you still can. That’s what Cain would want.”
“What? You’re Cain.”
“I am but I’m also not him.”
“Quit the philosophical talk, Cain. That’s not your thing.”
“Danny, I’m giving you one last chance to leave. You have a future. Don’t let it go to waste by doing something stupid.”
“I’m not leaving until I get Cassius back.”
“Danny…” Cain sighed. “I know you don’t know about Derek Baldwin already. What about Niko Starks? Does that name ring a bell?”
“No, who are they?”
“I thought so. What kind of messed up world did I end up in this time?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Jack Kennedy, Louis Carter, Morgan Sauce.”
“Who?”
“Lyric Houston, Carrick King Carter, Jeezy Hamilton.”
“Cain, what’s with all these names?”
“SHIT YOU WOULDN’T KNOW!” He grasped the front of Danny’s gun and planted it firmly on his forehead. “I BET TINY DOESN’T EXIST HERE EITHER, HUH!!!!! THIS WORLD IS NEAR PERFECT AND I GOT THE WORST REROLL POSSIBLE! I CAN’T EVEN GET INTO A JUCO OFFER WITH THIS FUCKING BODY! WHAT KIND OF SHITTY LUCK DO I HAVE?!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Danny, you’re not one of us. You wouldn’t know.”
Startled, Danny subconsciously took a step back. “What do you mean by that?”
“You really don’t know anything. You don’t even know what your father really does, do you?”
“In 2007, a child was born. The father was one of, if not, the greatest professional bowlers of all time, winning over 50 major titles before the age of 30. The mother was a track and field star, winning 6 gold Olympic medals during her short career. This birth was nothing more than an experiment. You see, the parents aren’t normal people. They were reincarnated.”
“You’ve been saying some outlandish stuff tonight, but this is ridiculous.”
“It’s 100% true. The proof is right in front of you,” Cain directed his eyes over to Cassius. “And how do I know? Because I killed his parents. He’s been slipping away from me until you found him. I must thank you for that.”
“This is all fucked up,” Danny shook his head. “This isn’t like you! You’re not Cain.”
“You’ve finally figured it out,” Cain uttered under his breath as he grabbed Danny’s gun tighter. “I didn’t want to do this, but he knows too much now.”
Cain yanked the gun to the side and slashed at Danny’s chest. Danny dodged away from the knife’s range but lost his balance after tripping over a knocked down chair behind him.
As Danny opened his eyes again, the only thing he saw was Cain lunging toward him. Danny raised up his gun and tried to pull the trigger but was interrupted by a swift swipe at his hand, dropping his gun in the process.
Cain booted the fallen Danny into the refrigerator like a striker shooting at the goal. Danny grimaced, clutching his stomach in pain, but he knew he could not remain idle for long. He took a deep breath and rolled into Cain’s legs. Cain stumbled back a few steps, which allowed Danny time to slowly get back on his feet.
Danny frantically scanned the room for a weapon, spotting another gun laying on the kitchen countertop. He scurried over and grabbed the gun. He flipped the safety off and pointed it in Cain’s direction. Cain did not flinch and lunged at him. Danny pulled the trigger, but nothing came out of the gun. Before Danny could react, a blade pierced through his stomach. He wailed louder as the blade dug deeper. He had never experienced such sharp excruciating pain before.
With his body against the countertop, he was unable to move. The knife slid out of his body and impaled him again. Again, and again. He started to feel lightheaded. His breaths continued to become faster and faster, struggling to gather any oxygen.
Danny felt helpless. In his mind, he had already given up. He was in checkmate. After finally getting his life together, he ended up in this situation. Going out like this was a pathetic way for him to die.
The job is not done.
For the first time in two months, that mysterious voice popped up in Danny’s mind. He did not know what “job” he was tasked with or if he was just going crazy; however, it was enough to not give up yet. A new-found energy surged through his body.
Unconcerned by the knife rupturing any organs, he pounced forward and launched a right hook at Cain’s jaw which sends Cain plummeting to the floor. He snatched a frying pan hanging from the wall rack and plopped down on his knees beside a knocked-out Cain. Raising up the pan above his head, he slammed it down at Cain’s head. He lifted the pain up and clubbed Cain’s head again. This routine continued until the head looked like a crushed tomato.
Once Danny confirmed the death of his ex-best friend, he crawled toward Cassius, unable to exert enough energy to stand up. Danny untied the ropes and feebly shook Cassius around to wake him up.
“Geez, you’re a heavy sleeper,” Danny jested as he sees Cassius starting to open his eyes. “How do you sleep through all that noise?”
“Erm..mmm…Danny?” Cassius yawned but fully woke up after noticing the knife stuck in Danny’s stomach. “Holy shit! You’re-”
“Oh, that’s nothing. It’s just a flesh wound. Don’t worry about it.”
“That shit ain’t nothing! Where’s your phone?”
Cassius checked all of Danny’s pockets before finding his phone in his parka, the screen completely cracked and unable to turn on.
“Goddamn it!” Cassius threw the phone at the wall in anger. “Give me your arm,” he tried to lift Danny to his feet and helped walk him out of the room.
“Hey,” Danny softly muttered.
“Don’t talk, Danny.”
“You regained your memories, didn’t you?”
“Huh? How did you know?”
“The way you talk...you’re swearing.”
“Damn, you really noticed that.”
“Of course I did,” Danny triumphantly raised his arm. “I’m Danny fucking Mortisson, baby!” They checked the elevator, but alas there was no response after pressing the button. Unfortunately, they now have the tedious task of using the stairs. Reaching the staircase, Cassius slowly helped Danny each step.
“Hey, Cassius. Let’s play in the NBA together in the future.”
“How about let’s go to a fucking hospital first?”
“You’re what, like 9 or 10?” Danny ignored Cassius’s reply and continued rambling. “It’ll be a while before we’ll get the chance, huh? Well, I need to make it to the NBA first too. Oh right. Did you know I’m going to play in Italy instead of college?”
“That is cool and all, but you should really stop talking. You need to conserve your energy.”
Danny remained silent for the rest of the climb down. As they walked down the hallway, Danny started to lose his balance. Danny’s gait was too unsteady for Cassius to be able to support on his own.
“Sorry,” Danny said as Cassius slowly helped lower him down.
“It’s okay. Imma go run and get some help, alright?”
“Cassius.”
“Yeah?”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet, dumbass. You still got a knife stuck in your stomach right now!”
“If I never met you, I would’ve never given basketball another chance. These past two months have been the most fun I’ve ever had in my life.”
“Tell me that again when you’re in the clear.”
“Hey…can you tell me your name?” Danny asks. “If you got your memories back…you know your real name, right? Can…you…tell me?”
“□□□□□. That’s my name.”
“Huh? That’s strange…I couldn’t hear it clearly…” Danny’s breaths slow down and weaken. “I feel cold…”
“Danny?”
“Wow…it’s really getting dark.” Danny’s eyes struggle to remain open. “I can’t see…”
“Danny, stay with me. Don’t close your eyes.” Cassius slaps Danny repeatedly to keep him conscious. “Don’t go, please!”
“I’m gonna…take…a power nap…Wake me up later…”
“No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Danny, stay with me!”
“Let’s…hoop together later…okay?”
Your job is finished. Thank you for your services. You may rest now.
A soft gasp left Danny’s mouth as his head sagged down to the side.
“Danny?” Cassius shook Danny’s body and slapped his face vigorously to wake him up. “Danny?”
Danny did not respond.
“DANNY!”
VIVERE
Scars wrote: ↑06 Jun 2024, 06:41“Danny…” Cain sighed. “I know you don’t know about Derek Baldwin already. What about Niko Starks? Does that name ring a bell?”
“No, who are they?”
“I thought so. What kind of messed up world did I end up in this time?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Jack Kennedy, Louis Carter, Morgan Sauce.”
“Who?”
“Lyric Houston, Carrick King Carter, Jeezy Hamilton.”
“Cain, what’s with all these names?”
That's GinyuScars wrote: ↑06 Jun 2024, 06:41“SHIT YOU WOULDN’T KNOW!” He grasped the front of Danny’s gun and planted it firmly on his forehead. “I BET TINY DOESN’T EXIST HERE EITHER, HUH!!!!! THIS WORLD IS NEAR PERFECT AND I GOT THE WORST REROLL POSSIBLE! I CAN’T EVEN GET INTO A JUCO OFFER WITH THIS FUCKING BODY! WHAT KIND OF SHITTY LUCK DO I HAVE?!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!”
Get ya' boy..
... Kobe?
VIVERE
a lot to digest huhThe JZA wrote: ↑06 Jun 2024, 17:27
Scars wrote: ↑06 Jun 2024, 06:41“Danny…” Cain sighed. “I know you don’t know about Derek Baldwin already. What about Niko Starks? Does that name ring a bell?”
“No, who are they?”
“I thought so. What kind of messed up world did I end up in this time?”
“What are you talking about?”
“Jack Kennedy, Louis Carter, Morgan Sauce.”
“Who?”
“Lyric Houston, Carrick King Carter, Jeezy Hamilton.”
“Cain, what’s with all these names?”
That's GinyuScars wrote: ↑06 Jun 2024, 06:41“SHIT YOU WOULDN’T KNOW!” He grasped the front of Danny’s gun and planted it firmly on his forehead. “I BET TINY DOESN’T EXIST HERE EITHER, HUH!!!!! THIS WORLD IS NEAR PERFECT AND I GOT THE WORST REROLL POSSIBLE! I CAN’T EVEN GET INTO A JUCO OFFER WITH THIS FUCKING BODY! WHAT KIND OF SHITTY LUCK DO I HAVE?!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!”
I haven't played starfield yet but they do seem similar from what i read