[LJ Idol, Week 8-6] The Inductee
"Ok asshole, I'm not gonna argue with you on this!"
Dan shook like a rag doll from the end of Steve's fists, which were balled up quite firmly in the front of Dan's jacket.
"We all went through this, and as the new guy it's your turn to too. All this whining is getting on my nerves!" He gave Dan a bit of a push and let go, sending him sprawling in the dirt. The flock of Dan's goons stood around and laughed at him as he laid there, sneering their lack of respect at him.
Dan gathered himself up off the ground, hunched and sniveling as he brushed himself off. "I didn't want this, I just wanted to be left alone." This earned him a kick and a snort from Steve.
"Nobody fucking cares what you want. Not me, not the Order or Barbah, and definitely not the universe at large. Shit happens, and here we are! Your choice is do it, or die. That's it. You want to take a crack at death?"
Steve took a step forward, staring down at Dan, daring him to say something. Dan shuffled his feet a bit, keeping his eyes averted, and eventually mumbled out a piteous "no."
Steve slung an arm around behind Dan's shoulders and dragged him along at a quick pace through the woods, while the crowd of Dan's lackeys followed a couple steps back. "Good, I knew you'd see it my way! I understand what you're going thru, I really do. All your life you're taught what's right and what's wrong, and now everything's flip flopped. We do what we have to do to survive, and who could blame us for that?"
Dan shrugged and looked up at Steve, who gave him a huge flashy smile. "Come on! And I gotta tell ya, you're gonna really be glad you went through with it after you get a taste of the prize tonight. It'll stay with you for all your days, the first is always your best. After that, all the others will bring you back to this moment, tonight, when you made the decision to be what you can be."
They suddenly slowed down, and crouched down a bit as the trees started to thin. Up ahead through the foliage they could see where the street began, and just past that the produce stand that was their goal. "Ok buddy, you remember the drill? Smash, grab, run. We get what we want, nobody gets tagged. Got it?"
Dan looked up, squared his shoulders as he stood up straight, and gave a nod. "Yeah, fuck it. Let's do this." Everyone else gave a broad grin as he finally became as one of them, part of the Order. As one they surged from the woods, a mad dash to the small stand along the road. The proprietor screamed as they overtook him and flipped the stand over, sending fruit and vegetables scattering everywhere. They snatched up their loot and made a hasty retreat back into hiding, Dan in the lead with their prize. Steve laughed and clapped him on the back, then they all collapsed to the ground to have their feast.
"Awesome Dan, done like a pro! As the inductee you get to go first, have a taste! Just peel it back, crack it open, get a good handful and shovel it in!" Moments later Dan smiled around a mouthful of juicy, pulped deliciousness and laughed, his eyes sparkling with joy. The others moved in to have their share, hooting and sharing in the joy of the first kill. Soon the meal was just a taste, soon to fade to little more than a memory. Steven stood up in the center of them all and signaled for silence.
"Brothers, it is done! We welcome Dan to the ranks of the Order of Barbah, Brothers in Death, one of the Zed!" A raucous cheer went up from all, rolling through the woods until Stephen finally got them under control and silenced again. "While that was good, I think this day needs to be capped off with something special, a true celebration. I think I'm in the mood for a trip to the mall!" The noise that burst forth dwarfed that of before, redoubling and reverberating from the trees until all that still lived nearby quailed in terror. The mob hurried off through the woods, the body of the vendor completely forgotten except for one last wistful look from Dan on the way past.