Free Rise of the Beast by Kenneth Zeigler Page B

returned his leader’s gaze, but said nothing. He knew the rules; hedidn’t need a lecture, and he sure as hell didn’t need a blade.
    “Stand back,” warned Angel, turning to the crowd, which numbered over 50 men and women. “I get to be the first to mess this little traitor up. I’ll put so many bruises on him, break him up into so many pieces, that his own mama won’t recognize him.”
    Through all of Angel’s ranting, Julio stood there calmly. He didn’t seem a bit afraid of this muscular man that towered over him.
    Angel’s first blow was a right fist directed at Julio’s chest. He seemed astonished when that blow was stopped in mid-air by Julio’s open hand.
    “Don’t do this, Angel,” warned Julio, applying ever more pressure to the big man’s fist.
    Angel threw his other fist, only to find it intercepted like the first.
    Julio applied an opposing twist to each arm; that was accompanied by a sickening crack. An instant later, Angel had been cast into the crowd, with both wrists broken.
    The silence that followed was stark, even frightening, but it didn’t last long. Another gang member charged Julio from the rear, yet Julio swung around to sweep him right off of his feet with his left leg. Julio’s moves seemed superhuman.
    Julio’s swift rotation continued so as to bring his fist squarely into the chest of yet another attacking member of the gang. To his right, a gang member managed to plant his fist into Julio’s cheek, only to find himself thrown over Julio’s head, his right arm wrenched from its socket.
    Although Julio was at the center of the struggle, other totally inexplicable things were happening around the room. Pictures flew off walls and the concrete floor shook, for no apparent reason. Around the room, some of the gang members were fighting with each other. Still more inexplicable were flashes of light and shadowy ethereal forms that appeared randomly about the room.
    After a minute and a half, the fury was spent. Julio had put eight big men and a woman on the floor, while suffering only three punches. He had no other challengers; none were so foolish.
    Julio turned to Carlos, who had taken no part in the violence of the past minute and a half. “Is it over now?”
    Carlos was visibly shaken. What he had just seen was supernatural, and he knew it. “Whose hand is protecting you, Julio? Tell me.”
    “I think you know,” replied Julio. He turned to the others. “I didn’t want to hurt you, not any of you. I love you all. But I have a calling on my life, a calling from God. It’s his angels that have protected me. They’ve been here all along; they’re still here. I want you to know, they’re calling you, too. They’ll bless you if you let them.” Julio turned to Carlos. “Am I free to go now?”
    “You can go,” replied Carlos, who turned to the others. “No one stops him; no one hurts him, not now, not ever. Give him room.”
    The others made way as Julio walked from the room. Who was there to stop him, anyway?
    Julio was halfway down the long alleyway before he heard someone calling his name. He turned to see Salvador and Karina, two of the gang members about his age. He stopped.
    “We’re not going to hurt you,” said Salvador, approaching him slowly.
    “I know that,” said Julio, wiping a trace of blood from his lower lip.
    “I don’t think we could,” noted Karina.
    Julio chuckled. “Probably not; then again, I don’t think the two of you would want to anyway. You’re my friends. I know that.”
    “We are,” assured Salvador. “We saw what you did. Whatever it is that you’ve gotten into, we want to be a part of it. We’re with you Julio.”
    “Even if it means leaving the Kings?” asked Julio.
    “Even if it means leaving the Kings,” confirmed Karina.
    Julio placed his arms around his two friends. “I’m really glad the two of you are here,” he said. “My life would be a lot lonelier without you. I want you to be a part of what I’ve