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AUTHOR
BIO Born to Armenian parents,
the author was 25 when he migrated to He obtained a degree from His keen interest in how
societies function was the main inspiration for writing this book. Over time,
many questions such as the ones following were piling in his mind. How many
types of social order exist in this world? Why do some people prefer one society
instead of the other? What is the mysterious drive that forces people to want to
create a new kind of social order? Is it really true that people are totally
free for making their own choices? Or is it the influence of a given society
that moulds peoples’ minds for them? It is out of these, terribly delicate but rather forceful and provocative thoughts, that The Outcasts has been conceived.
Chapter One
Under blazing, colourful
lights, the city of Unlike the city, a few
kilometres south of the Square, the streets were dark and eerie. A blue sedan
made a left turn into Inside the car, two men sat in
silence. Expressionless, they gazed at the fireworks. Occasionally,
multi-coloured reflections flickered on their grim faces. “Why tonight, Boss?” Eddy
finally whispered. There was no response. “Out of all nights, why pick
this one, Boss?” His second attempt also failed. Leaning on the steering wheel,
he puffed noisily. “We should be celebrating!” “Says who?” whispered
Mervin, his eyes gazing into the distance. Nothing moved except his lips. The
tension in his voice sent a clear message.
Eddy fell silent too, but only for a moment. “It’s almost midnight, Boss,” he
said. “Maybe our man is sleeping right now. Or he could be out there somewhere
celebrating. Who knows?” As a response, Mervin opened
the door and stepped out. “Move your butt, Shortie. We have a job to do! And we
have to do it right now!” Eddy got out in a hurry,
locked the car and rushed to catch up with Mervin. They walked side by side.
Neither uttered a word. Soon, they stopped in front of a well-lit foyer, paused
for a moment, and then Mervin pushed the double glass door and entered. Eddy followed, rushed over
and pressed the elevator button. The door slid open immediately. Once inside,
Eddy pressed button number 24. The elevator responded quickly. A
sharp, painful whistle pierced Mervin’s eardrums. He hated elevators, especially
those high-speed ones. He shut his eyes and ground his teeth. There was a sudden
jerk. He looked up – Level 24. He took a deep breath. As soon as the door
opened, he almost jumped out into the hallway. Two women were rushing to
catch the elevator. Eddy stopped, held the door open and waited.
“Thank you,” said both women with a friendly smile. “Can we be of any help to
you?” This time it was the woman wearing thick glasses.
Mervin, already a few yards down the corridor, interrupted. “No, thank you!”
Short and dry.
“That’s okk-k-k-kay,” said the other woman. Despite her stuttering, she
continued, “We’ve never seen you around here before. I thought you m-m-m- might
need some help.”
Eddy had no idea how angry Mervin felt. “We’re visiting a friend. He’s in “Oh, good!” Her stuttering
didn’t seem to worry her at all. “As you turn left,” she said, “the third door
should be it.” It
took her ages to say it, but Eddy kept smiling until she finally finished. He
let go of the elevator door and it quickly slammed shut.
“Why don’t you keep your big mouth shut, Baldy?” “I’m sorry, Boss.” Eddy wiped
his shiny head twice and then rubbed his palms together. “It’s just…well; I was
just trying to look natural. That’s all.”
“Natural? Well, why didn’t you tell them why we’re here, stupid?” Eddy remained quiet. Sweat
ran down his left cheek. He looked restless. It was annoying Mervin.
“Settle down, Eddy, settle down. You’re making me nervous. It’s upsetting me.
And when I get upset, you do know what that means, right?” “Yes, Boss.” Just as the woman said,
after turning left, it was the third door. Calm as usual, Mervin glanced up and
down, and paused for a moment. An occasional laughter echoed from a distance.
Soon, it fell silent again. He nodded. Eddy wiped the tiny drips off
his cheek and then tapped on the door three times with the tips of his fingers. “Who is it?” Surprised at how quickly the
response came, both men looked at each other. “Police!” Eddy’s voice crackled
full of nerves. A delayed voice came through
again. “Do you have any idea what time it is?” His loud voice filled with anger.
The door remained shut. “It’s only a routine check, Mr
Stuart,” said Mervin, looking straight at the peephole. “I promise it won’t take
more than a few minutes.” After a short silence, the door opened slightly. A
pair of eyes appeared through the crack. “I’m sorry to cause you such
discomfort, sir, but this has to be done.” There was a pause. Then, as the door eventually
opened in full, Mervin could hardly believe his eyes. A giant of a man: over six
feet tall. Broad shoulders, muscles bulging out of the sleeves, he stood
squarely in the doorway. Shocked, Mervin quickly
smiled. It had to be out of fear, since he rarely smiled. However, it looked so
genuine. And it worked. Half-heartedly, the big man
stepped aside and gestured with one hand. “Thank you,” Mervin
whispered. They walked down the long corridor. The lounge room was well
decorated but not all that tidy. Mr Stuart went over and turned the television
set off. That was very polite of him. Then he stood in the middle of the room
and waited. Eddy took a few steps to one
side, slithered his way down further and positioned himself out of sight by the
window. “Would you like to sit
down?” Mr Stuart’s tone was not friendly at all. “Oh no,” Mervin was quick to
respond. “It shouldn’t take long, Mr Stuart. We’ll be out of here in no time.” “Sure hope so!” he murmured. Mervin forced a smile, the
second in one night. “I need to check your identity,” he said and pulled a tiny
scanner out of his side pocket. “Could you please hold out your right hand?” The big man hesitated.
“Before I do that, Mister, can I see your police ID?” “Well of course! Of course,
you can! I do beg your pardon.” Mr Stuart looked pleased
with himself. Mervin quickly turned to
Eddy and said, “Why don’t you show Mr Stuart your identification, huh?” His
voice was full of authority, yet saturated with sarcasm. Eddy wasted no time.
Instantly, he pressed the nozzle of his gun hard against the back of Mr Stuart’s
skull. The big man tried to turn, but Eddy’s warning came fast. “Don’t even
think about it, muscle man. One move and your head...” “Oh Eddy, Eddy! Manners,
please! Show some respect, okay?” Mr Stuart stood motionless.
He did not look amused at all. “Whoever you are, I want to know what...” The sound of the gun cocking
was more than convincing. Obviously, he was ready to
co-operate. “Good,” Mervin said,
smiling. “Now that you know who we are, be a good boy, huh? Your right arm,
please?” The big man obeyed. He
lifted his hand and held it out. Mervin hesitated for a
moment. Doubt crossed his mind as he looked into the giant’s eyes. He took one
cautious step, a second, then a third. Now he was well within reach. Every nerve
inside him quivered but, gallantly, he managed to keep the smile on his face. Eddy tightened his grip on
the handgun. Tiny beads of sweat formed on his shiny, bald head. With one hand, Mervin
carefully held Mr Stuart’s arm, with the other he placed the scanner on the
wrist and pressed a green button. Lots of numbers flickered, ran back and forth
and then a set of numbers began to flash. “Here we are,” said Mervin and took a
few steps back. “That wasn’t hard, was it?” he smiled, holding up the scanner.
“Stuart, FT – 31547912.” Mr Stuart looked anxious but
he had to wait. Eddy looked no different.
He, too, had to wait. Mervin, who now seemed to be
enjoying himself, placed the scanner back in his pocket and said, “Yes, Mr
Stuart. Perfect. Your ID tells us that you’re the right man.” A fake smile grew
on his face. “Well, I guess it’s all over.” “Is that it?” “Yep, that’s it,” replied
Mervin. Then after a few seconds he added, “Oh, I nearly forgot. Are there any
questions you wish to ask?” “Yes, one question only.”
There was silence. “How long before you and your little friend get the hell out
of here?” “Right now, Mr Stuart, right
now.” Mervin made a bowing gesture then added, “Okay, Eddy, it’s time. Why don’t
you let our friend rest in peace?” Eddy wasted no time: he
squeezed the trigger really hard. Puff-f-f-f-f-f! The noise of the silenced gun
wasn’t too impressive but it dug a large hole in the giant’s skull. He put the
gun away, unfolded a sheet of A4 from his pocket and carefully placed it on the
body. One word filled the entire
sheet. HETERO!
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