The Social Media Murder Corp

by Stephen Signorelli

  “So these are your precious gifts to the world?’ he asked.

  “Yes, the one on the left is Marcela, the one on the right is Gabriela. They are fraternal twins, which is why they do not look alike.”

  “I know what fraternal twins are,” the old man scoffed.

  “He looks weird,” Gabby stated.

  “You both look weird to me,” the old man answered in perfect Khmer.

  “Oh damn,” Marcy sighed.

  “Girls, English please,” Stepan said.

  “Sorry papa,” the twins said in unison.

  “They have spirit, though that can be broken easily under the right conditions,” the old man said, rubbing his chin.

  “I don’t want their spirit broken,” Stepan stated.

  “Then what do you want?” the old man asked.

  “I want them grounded. Their ability is…”

  “Overrated, you exaggerate,” the old man dismissed with a wave of his hand.

  “We can totally kick your ass old man,” Marcy said with a smile.

  “Marcela Anna Rosita!” Stepan growled.

  The old man started laughing.

  “Oh Stepan, it is nothing. I seem to remember you insinuating the same thing to me many decades ago. And I remember putting you in your place, as I will now do with your daughters.”

  “I am sure you will,” Stepan said quietly.

  He bent down and looked at the twins.

  “Girls, this man is known as The Bell of Saint Mark. He is going to instruct you today. You are to do everything he asks, without question. You will not be harmed, he is an old teacher of mine, and he can be trusted.”

  The twins looked at the old man suspiciously and then up at Stepan. Marcy motioned for Stepan to lean in closer, so to whisper in his ear.

  “Yes dearest?” Stepan asked.

  “We are going to kill him,” she whispered softly.

  Stepan pulsed raced, his eyes widened just the slightest, and he took a small breath.

  “I know,” he whispered back.

  Stepan stood up and looked at the Bell.

  “These are my daughters…..MY daughters,” he said proudly.

  The Bell dismissed him with a wave of his hand, leaving the old man with the twins. He stood there, watching them, studying them, judging them. The twins stared back, their eyes never moving from his.

  “You have no fear,” he stated.

  The twins continued to stare at him, their eyes drilling into his soul.

  “With no fear comes no caution, and this leads to recklessness. When you are reckless, you can and you will get hurt or killed. Fear tempers you, make you smarter.”

  “Fear makes you weak,” Marcy said.

  “Fear clouds your judgment,” Gabby added.

  “Which one are you again? Marcela?” the old man laughed.

  “MY name is Danger,” she said.

  “And MY name is Destruction,” her sister added.

  “How original, pet names. Fine, I shall play along. You will be tested. Your test is simple: to make me give up. If you do, you pass your test. If, however, I make either of you give up, you fail. Understand?”

  “We understand,” Destruction stated.

  “And how are we going to do this?” Danger asked.

  “Anyway you wish. Though, as your father has stated, no one here is dying today.”

  The twins both smiled.

  “Of course,” Danger laughed.

  “Whatever you say,” Destruction smiled.

  “Go prepare your selves with whatever you need. When you are ready, feel free to initiate combat,” the Bell stated as he knelt on the floor and placed a canvas bag before him.

  The twins disappeared into the shadows and began to plan.

  “He’s icky,” Danger frowned.

  “I don’t like him. We are going to kill him right?” Destruction asked.

  “Oh yes, I told papa we were.”

  “Really, what did he say?”

  “He said I KNOW.”

  “Damn he must hate this guy. Papa said he used to teach him.”

  “The universe wants him dead, it demands it.”

  “Then we have to kill him. You think it will be easy?”

  “I don’t know. He is pretty old.”

  “I dunno all those martial arts movies we watch it’s the oldest guy who is always the most dangerous.”

  “Yeah but this isn’t a movie, I bet this guy wears diapers.”

  “Well, anyway, we should be careful and give him the benefit of the doubt. Never underestimate your enemy, that’s what that Art of War book says.”

  “Ok, let’s get our weapons and kill his ass.”

  The Bell knelt, his mind at peace. For over 65 years he had trained fighters, assassins, terrorists, anyone who could afford his services. He had amassed such a fearsome reputation that the mere mention of his name would send shivers down the spine of the most hardened individual. Now, as he entered his 84th year of life, he was still at the top of his game. He had defeated the ravages of old age by being in a constant state of training, both physically and mentally. His body and his reflexes were tuned to a level that were unmatched in recorded human history. He was easily capable of defeating entire platoons of the most battle experienced soldiers single handedly.

  He had come to Cambodia at the request of his old pupil, Stepan, not for any sense of nobility or reminiscence, but to see for himself these so called “super children” he claimed to have and to embarrass them in front of their father. In all his decades of tutelage, Stepan was the one who had come the closest to matching him, to defeating him, and the Bell never forgot that. He wanted to break these two girls and leave them as crying, whimpering shells of themselves at their father’s feet. This would make the cold dead heart of the old man beat once more with joy, and he wanted it so.

  He detected a slight change in air pressure around him. Smiling, he opened the canvas bag before him and placed his hands on his weapon, ready to begin the game.

  The Bell spun around, wielding his weapon of choice: a telescoping spring loaded steel staff. He thrust it forward, intending to knock whichever of the girls was assaulting him, out.

  His staff stabbed empty air.

  In an instant he re-calculated and flung himself to the ground, narrowly missing being stabbed by multiple small darts that flew at him like enraged hornets. His senses now at maximum, he kipped up to his feet and kicked his canvas bag into the air. With unnatural ability, he kicked the bag dead center, sending numerous small daggers racing into the darkness where he felt the presence of the girls. He somersaulted backwards into a defensive position and held his staff out as a shield.

  His eyes went wide as he felt the impact of a kick to the back of his head. He followed through with the force of the blow, tumbling forward, and reaching out with his hands, he grabbed Destruction by the throat and slammed her to the ground.

  Destruction flung her arms up and broke the man’s grip as she hit the floor and rolled to her side. The Bell spun his staff around, intending to impale the girl, only to find his arm seized by Danger, who used it as a pivot to spin herself around, kicking the old man in the chest with both feet.

  The Bell gasped and seized Danger by the head and flung her into the darkness, where he heard her land on her feet. He saw Destruction fade into the shadows out of the corner of his eye. He grabbed his staff and rolled backwards, into the shadows, where he contemplated the situation before him.

  “Give up?” a voice called to him from the shadows.

  “Tired already, if must be horrible to get old and lose so much,” another voiced mocked.

  “Your words do not affect me, they are merely a psychological defense children employ when they realize they are in a situation they cannot control,” the Bell replied.

  “If that is true….”

  “…why are YOU the one breathing heavy?”

  The Bell rolled to the side as fast as he could. He felt the presence of the knives
flying towards him. The steel daggers embedded themselves into the wall where the Bell had once been. He crouched back into the shadows even further. The girls were good, better than he anticipated, but not unbeatable. This would just take more effort than he originally thought, but a changing battlefield is always a possibility, so he came prepared.

  He backed off further into the room until he found his other bag. Kneeling, he opened it and removed a variety of weapons and smoke grenades. Sheathing a wicked looking katana, he slung a bandolier around his chest and discarded the staff. He opened a small pouch, revealing it to be fill or marbles. He flung the pouch’s contents across the room, and the marbles rolled everywhere. He unsheathed the katana and readied two smoke grenades. He threw one left and then on right and rolled forward. He got into a guard stance as the smoke grenades filled the room with purple fog. He smiled to himself as he waited.

  He never heard Danger behind him as she slammed her fists into the back of his head. The single word ‘impossible’ ran through his brain as she continued to pummel him. He turned and slashed at her with the katana, only to find empty air. His eyes tried to focus, not seeing Destruction to his side as she power slid into his legs, knocking him off his feet. Shouting, he twirled to deal with her, only to feel Danger’s hands gripping his sword wielding arm. Undaunted, he threw his arm forward, attempting to fling Danger over his head, but she let go, and his uncontrolled arm instead slammed into the ground, the force of the blow knocking the sword from his hand.

  Before he could grab his katana, Destruction had already taken it and she swung it at his head. Instinctively, he ducked and kicked up, catching Destruction in her stomach with his foot. He reached out to grab the katana by the blade as Destruction tried to slash into him again. His hands were torn by the blade and blood began to gush from them as he was locked in a death struggle for the katana, which was less than a foot from disemboweling him. With a roar of defiance, Danger brought her dagger down from the Bell’s side. The old man blocked it with his leg, letting the dagger sink into his thigh as he attempted to push both girls off him. His heart was racing too fast now, he could feel his chest tighten. He looked into the twins eyes, they were wide eyed with blood lust with smiles of demonic hatred. Their facial expressions were ones of almost orgasmic rapture.

  For the first time in his life, The Bell knew he was beat. In an instant he plotted out the future in his mind, going over every possible scenario that would take place. Reaching a conclusion, he did what he had to do in order to put his plan into action.

  “I yield,” he said.

  “Did he say something sis?”

  “I didn’t hear anything!”

  The girls pressed their attack.

  “Stepan control your girls!” the Bell shouted at the top of his lungs.

  “Quick kill him before papa gets here!”

  “I’m trying but…too late!”

  “Gabriela and Marcela stand down!” boomed Stepan’s voice.

  “Yes papa,” the twins said in unison as they backed off.

  The Bell was bleeding from his hands and thigh, he was on his back on the floor, breathing heavily. His chest felt like a ten ton rock was on it, he could see his heart beat through his tunic and he was drenched in sweat.

  “Girls, go outside NOW!” Stepan said angrily.

  “Yes papa,” the girls said. As they exited the room Danger looked back at the old man and made a slashing motion across her throat.

  Stepan got a first aid kit and opened it, attending to his former teacher.

  “I apologize for their excessiveness,” stated.

  “Do not lie to me, you are glad they did this to me, but that feeling concerns me not. What does concern me is them.”

  “I told you about their abilities, you said I exaggerated.”

  “They are not human. They are dangerous, they are fearless, and they have no remorse. They have no control mechanism inside them that regulates their moral compass.”

  “They are my daughters.”

  “Then you have raised two demons and let them loose upon the Earth.”

  The Bell stood up and regarded his wounds.

  “Stepan, they have to be killed.”

  “Excuse me, what?”

  “The girls, they need to be killed. They are too dangerous to live. They have to be killed now before their abilities grow to a point where they can’t be killed. I, you, and your Yakuza assassin should be able to handle them right now, but if we do not act, in time none of us will be able to take them down.”

  “They are only 8 years old! And they are my daughters!”

  “They are NOT, do you think me stupid? You are not their father. I can tell that just by looking at them, let alone their fighting style.”

  Stepan took a step back.

  “I will not kill them, I can teach them, and I can train them to control their abilities. You do not see their childlike side like I do!”

  “Yes they are children, so what. They have in them a force that cannot be controlled or harnessed with any form of training or instruction.”

  “I will not let you harm them,” Stepan said as he clenched his fists.

  The Bell smirked.

  “I am too beaten down to put up any sort of fight. And even if I did kill you, the girls and your Yakuza assassin would surely defeat me in my present state. But I warn you Stepan, these girls are not what they seem. It’s as if they are supernatural, they have something in them I cannot explain, but it makes them deadly, and it makes them uncontrollable. For your own sake, listen to your old teacher. Wait until they are asleep, then put them down.”

  Stepan shook his head.

  “It is time for you to go,” he said gravely.

  The Bell limped out of the training hall and into the night air.

  “I will leave. But mark my words, in a short time they will grow so powerful they will destroy you and everything you hold dear. Not because they hate you, not because they want to, but because they CAN. They are forces of nature Stepan, you cannot control them.”

  Stepan watched as the Bell walked to his car, the driver already holding the door for him. He kept watching as the car drove off the property and into the Cambodian night. Stepan sighed. Inside, he knew the Bell was right, the girls were far too dangerous. He looked at the clear starry night and sighed again. No matter what, they were his daughters, regardless of their parentage, and he would not harm them.

  He walked back into the house, closing the door behind him. Yuki was waiting in the large living room for him.

  “The girls?” she asked.

  “The Bell said they are too dangerous to live, he suggested they be killed.”

  “I will not permit that,” Yuki answered quietly.

  “Neither will I,” Stepan added.

  Yuki nodded her head.

  “What will we do?”

  “Train them as best we can, and try to develop some sort of guidance within them.”

  “It will be difficult, but we will succeed,” Yuki said with confidence.

  “I hope so, where are they now?” Stepan asked.

  “With the mistress,” Yuki answered.

  The twins snuggled up to Genesis, one of them on each side of their mother. She was running her fingers through their hair and they were talking.

  “I love you both so much, you are my precious gifts from heaven,” Genesis said softly.

  “Mommy you’re beautiful,” Danger said.

  “Yeah mommy, you are so pretty,” Destruction added.

  “My two angels, you are the best thing in my life. Did you know you saved mommy’s life?”

  “We did?”

  “How?”

  “Mommy was in a very bad place once. Where mommy came from was very bad, very hard, and very evil. One day mommy was hurt very very badly, and mommy was laying on the ground dying.”

  “You were?”

  “Mommy that’s terrible!”

  “I know, it was.”

  “Did it h
urt?”

  “Yes my dearest, it was the worst pain ever. Both to my body and to my soul. I was laying on the ground ready to die, but then I remembered, you were inside of me. And I realized I could not die, I could not give up, because you deserved the chance to live. There is nothing more precious than life, and it is the duty of any mother to protect her unborn child, not harm it, not kill it, but to save it.”

  “Mommy did you see death?”

  “Yes dearest, mommy saw Death coming for her. He was big and scary and had on a black robe with a hood. He worse a silver mask and had glowing eyes. And he came to me and told me it was time for me to go.”

  “Oh no Mommy were you scared?”

  “No, mommy wasn’t scared. Mommy was angry.”

  “Angry?”

  “Yes, mommy was angry that Death came for her. Mommy was angry because she knew she had you inside her and that Death could not take you. And so do you know what mommy did?”

  “What?”

  “Tell us mommy!”

  “Mommy looked Death in his glowing eyes and spat in his face. And mommy told him to go away and leave us alone, and that he would never, NEVER take you from her.”

  “Oh wow!”

  “Was Death angry?”

  “Death was scared, not of mommy, but of you. He could see inside mommy and saw how strong you both were and how powerful you would become. So Death walked away, and let us live.”

  The twins snuggled up closer to their mother.

  “Thank you mommy for fighting Death for us!”

  “Yes, thank you mommy, that was very brave.”

  Genesis smiled, small tears coming from her eyes.

  “Mommy will always love you both, and mommy will always be with you both. Even if you can’t see mommy, even if you can’t touch mommy, do not worry because I will still be with you, forever.”

  “We love you mommy!”

  “Yes, we love you so much mommy!”

  Stepan stood in the doorway and watched the scene play out in front of him. Ten minutes earlier the girls were on a bloodlust and were about to eviscerate The Bell, now they were like any other 8 year old children, cuddling with their mother. But in his heart, Stepan knew that in an instant, the girls could turn back into those soulless demons of death he knew they could be.