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Left or Right – Part 03

Halfway up the staircase, he stopped abruptly. “Oh, yeah, this thing. Let me show you what I was talking about earlier, Linlin.”

Kazuya furrowed his brows in confusion. Coup de Grâce pulled out a black skull mask from his pocket and showed it off with a proud grin. He looked excited, like when Bon Vivant shared his sketches or told stories.

Coup de Grâce slipped on the mask and draped himself in a black cloak. He resembled a villain who had jumped out of the pages of a comic book into reality.

Kazuya puzzled over the scene, while Troll and Mary exclaimed in awe and retreated, impressed yet unnerved.

“Whoa, it’s a perfect fit.”

“It’s almost too perfect, Coup de Grâce. It’s kinda creepy. You’re like a different person. Enough already, take it off!”

“You’re like the spitting image of the guy!”

Kazuya remained perplexed.

Keeping the costume on, Coup de Grâce pressed on ahead. The trio trailed him, bewildered.

Speaking from behind the mask, he said, “While Bon is all about Wonder Girl, I, on the other hand, am more into Grim Reaper.”

A gust of wind swept through.

Comprehension finally dawned on Kazuya. “Oh, the villain from the comics. Uh, I believe he’s an ancient evil god that’s been resurrected and plans to destroy the city. And that’s what he looks like, huh?”

Coup de Grâce vigorously nodded, his robust frame quivering. “Yup. That evil god, who’d been sleeping underground for ages, started stirring as he hung out with Bon. Uh, I mean, it was the rumbling of the subway that woke him up, and then he built his evil empire… Um…”

Kazuya glanced up at Coup de Grâce, intrigued.

“In essence, Grim Reaper represents old grudges, things you can’t undo. Everyone talks about the future of the New World being all sunshine and rainbows. They’re so excited about showing new power to the world that they even build these skyscrapers. But the brighter the light, the darker the shadow. The past, like a ghost, sneaks up from behind, and exacts vengeance.”

“So old stuff is like ghosts?” Troll asked, wearing a puzzled expression.

Coup de Grâce nodded, his profile shadowed. “That’s my whole thought process when working on Wonder Girl every month.”

Each nod seemed to send shivers down his broad shoulders. He paused, wiping sweat from his face with his arm. Among the four, only Coup de Grâce looked like he’d taken a dip in a pool. He squinted at the stairs.

There were still piles of planks stacked up. Despite calling it a completion party, parts of the building still needed to be tidied up. A warm breeze drifted by, rippling the tail of his wet coat. They resumed climbing.

“Whenever I think about Nonna’s struggles and my dad’s tragic end, I wonder why misfortune hits certain people, families. It just seems weird to me. So, one day, I went to church out of curiosity. The preacher said in his sermon: misfortune is a punishment for sin.'”

“That makes sense,” Mary nodded thoughtfully. “Sins have to be atoned for!”

“Yeah, exactly! But neither Nonna nor my dad did anything wrong. What choice did little Nonna have, after being robbed and abandoned? The one who sinned, and keeps on sinning, is that woman. Sixty-five years ago today, the wicked woman who sailed on the same immigrant ship!”

Kazuya lifted his gaze. “Did you say sixty-five years ago today? The day Nonna arrived in the New World? But that’s the same day La Guardia immigrated. Um, what does that mean?” He furrowed his brow, perplexed. “So, did your grandmother and La Guardia come to the New World on the same day?”

Coup de Grâce didn’t respond. It was as if Kazuya’s voice didn’t reach him, lost in his own monologue, arms outstretched. His black cloak billowed ominously.

“That vile woman tricked, betrayed, and robbed my Nonna! It’s not our family that deserves punishment. It’s her, the one who committed a terrible sin in the opening act of our immigrant tale. The thief of destiny. The family that clawed its way to great wealth on the foundation of a tainted legend!”

“Uh…”

“It’s the Bluecandy family!”

“Coup de Grâce?”

“My father, Toto, who ended up being brutally killed by robbers after a life of poverty, was that woman’s first son. He was Emigré‘s half-brother. And I, as the son of the eldest son Toto, was supposed to be her direct male descendant. Bon, the son of my father’s younger brother, is actually my cousin.”

“What?”

“If I hadn’t gotten close to Bon, mine would’ve just been a revenge story I dreamed about at night. They’re the elite, after all. They live above the clouds. But this isn’t just a dream anymore. No one can stop me from taking revenge, not even me.”

“Um…”

“It would’ve been lonely going back up alone. It’s been fun. But this is it for you three.” Coup de Grâce shook his head. “I was supposed to be up there in the grand hall. To make La Guardia confess to her sins. If she didn’t, I’d kill her along with all the bigwigs in New York. That’s why I planted the mother of all bombs in the Apocalypse. But thanks to you, Troll, messing around with the Miracle Car, I ended up down there. And because you just couldn’t stay still, I couldn’t get back up in time. So, here I am, trudging up these stairs.”

“Wait, that’s my fault? But what did I do exactly?” Troll asked, completely lost.

Coup de Grâce spun around, his eyes flashing dangerously behind the mask. He snatched the key hanging from Kazuya’s neck and, with arms outstretched like wings, soared up the stairs like a jet plane. He kicked at the wood leaning against the landing with all his might.

“Ahh!” Mary shrieked, and without a second thought, she shoved Troll out of harm’s way. Troll yelped in pain.

“Don’t follow me anymore,” Coup de Grâce growled. “This is Grim Reaper’s time from here on.”

The wood crashed down with a thunderous noise, smashing the lamp and casting everything into darkness. The path ahead was now blocked.

Kazuya, Troll, and Mary could only gaze up in shock.

“Hey!”

“Coup de Grâce!”

“What’s going on?”

Snapping back to reality, Kazuya lunged towards the fallen wood. He reached through the gaps and groped for the stolen key in the darkness. As he tried to pull it, he heard a whoosh and instinctively dropped to the ground. A bullet whizzed past his ear.

Mary, shining her flashlight, yelled, “Linlin, get away! He’s serious. He was actually aiming for your head.”

As the flashlight illuminated Kazuya, another bullet streaked towards him. Mary pulled him down just in time. A tuft of her hair was cut off. The faint scent of gunpowder hung like an ominous cloud.

Mary quickly switched off the flashlight. Pitch-black darkness enveloped them like a shroud.

From above, a chilling voice descended. “Have you ever danced with Death in the dark of night?”

Kazuya lifted his head and listened close. He could hear footsteps receding into the distance.

“Coup de Grâce!” he called.

The footsteps paused briefly. Silence descended, broken only by the sound of their own heartbeats and breaths.

Then, from beyond the wooden blockade came a dark and icy voice. “I have. My family has been dancing with Death all this time!”

“What was that about? I-I don’t get it.” Mary’s voice quavered in the darkness. “Did Coup de Grâce cause the explosion at the top of the tower? On the day of his partner’s family party? But why?”

“I can’t believe it,” Troll muttered. “So Bon and Coup are cousins, and Lady La Guardia is an impostor?”

Kazuya rose to his feet. “I have to go save Victorique!”

He reached out, searching for a way through the barrier of fallen wood. But it wouldn’t budge. Mary and Troll joined him, but even their combined efforts couldn’t move it an inch.

Kazuya ceased his attempts. He stared up at the pile of wood that seemed to proclaim he couldn’t go any further. With wide, jet-black eyes, he beheld the pitch-black mound, the stairs extending far beyond it. Victorique was up ahead. Was it possible he might never see her again? He remained frozen in place.

Their conversation on the ship echoed in his mind.

“Yes. You used to be the one fussing over someone passing away. Have you become a cold, resigned mature man? Or perhaps…”

“Is the old you still lurking in the forests of the Far Eastern island country?”

And the words they exchanged on the streets of Manhattan.

“I… I want to help when I can. But I’ve learned there are times when I can’t do it alone. I’ve grown to know prudence and limits. So when faced with tragedies beyond my control, I pray.”

Kazuya shook his head. “It can’t be… I’ve made it this far. I have to get past this. I have to find a way to save Victorique.”

He looked up.

“This… This can’t be happening. But what do I do?”