1 Contract Signing

One starless night, in Litch street, sat a man pondering important life choices. His dulled eyes aimlessly examined every passerby. A group of businessmen going to the bar, a couple opening and sharing one umbrella, or the father that carried his two daughters rushing to find shelter from the rain. The sight of kinship made him remember his family, sending shivers through his skin.

The chill of the northern wind blew, throwing his wet hair in disarray. He gritted his teeth as the cold rain dripped all over him. Curled his fist as he stood up looking above the gloomy sky. Lorian decided to do his second unwanted option.

Lorian Moreno, currently age 25, was unemployed/job-seeking, and he grew up in the poor slums of Bagahi. At his young age, his life was simple but colorful even though they experienced a life of poverty. A loving mother, a responsible father, two cute twin little sisters, and a place that one could call home.

However, life liked struggles more than serenity. At the age of 10, his mother was diagnosed with an unknown disease. She became crazy and violent, and she couldn't recognize her children anymore. And finally, she ended up bruising her oldest son so bad he ended up in the hospital.

Their father took care of them alone and worked harder than ever to feed his family. With the severity of his wife's actions, he was forced to lock her up in a mental asylum. This made him stressed and without any shoulder to support him, he resorted to gambling. He became addicted to it to escape from reality while hoping to hit it big time.

But one tragic day, while he was working as a construction worker, his vision turned blurry and felt light-headed. Losing his footing at the 10th-story building, he fell to his death. Leaving Lorian behind with his two siblings.

As the eldest son of the family, Lorian is forced to stop studying at college. He decided to find a job or two and worked his ass off every week without break. Although tiring, he made his siblings his emotional support and pushed through every hardship he faced.

Unfortunately for him, all the jobs he had, fired him out of the blue. One of them cautiously whispered to him the reason, "It was the Four Finger Mafia."

Four Finger Mafia, the city's well-known mafia that owned every type of recreation. From bars, casinos, strip clubs, and many more. They're also known for human trafficking and selling organs to the black market.

Their members came knocking at their doorsteps after he was fired from his job. They told him that he was going to inherit his late father's debt, worth 5 million Fiar with 30% annual interest. Lorian just stood there in shock unable to reply a single word to the mafia members as they left him behind.

They didn't know that their father's addicted to gambling. He must have fallen into the easy money scheme of that casino. Lorian didn't want to blame his father, but to leave behind such large debt is overkill.

Lorian was in a state of emergency. The mafia was known to do shady things to people who didn't pay off their debts. Thoughts of his siblings being sold off as slaves or prostitutes made his body tremble in fear.

"I must find a job tomorrow, ASAP. If not I'll sell every organ possible to the black market, to pay off our debt," he said to himself.

Lorian went out, to and fro, searching for any physical labor jobs that were available. But to his dismay, nobody accepted him. They would only smile wryly like they were held at gunpoint.

At the drenched bench where Lorian sat down and raked his brains, he stood up with his head facing the sky. "There is no other way," he murmured.

As he was about to take his steps, an old man holding a Taro leaf sat next to him. Lorian turned his head to look at this weird sight. The falling rain parted and his surroundings became dry wherever he stood, the Taro leaf isn't that wide, yet this old man's clothes weren't moist at all.

The old man wasn't bothered by the peering eyes of Lorian. He pulled out a cigar and lit it up with his lighter. While he was puffing out smoke, the old man signaled Lorian to sit down to which he complied.

The old man placed a thick piece of paper on Lorian's lap and said, "I can help you with your problems young boy. I just need you to sign that paper with your blood and we're good to go,"

"Help? What help?" Lorian asked in surprise.

"Easy! I'll give you money and you pay all of your debt. We will also give your family an allowance of 30,000 Fiar every month. Sign that paper and work for me. Easy as 1, 2, 3 right?" the old man replied.

When Lorian heard the offer, he became dumbfounded, not by this old man who knew about his debt, but because the offer was just too enticing for him.

The crazy offer followed by the cold rain, made Lorian stutter his words, "Tha-hats. That's t-too good to-to be tu-true."

"I'm not scamming you or anything, I just need your service, that's all," the old man replied. He placed the briefcase on his thighs and opened it in front of Lorian.

"This is worth 5 million Fiar. I'll give this to you and you pay the mafia yourself. But first, you must sign the contract," he added.

Lorian's mouth gaped at the sight of money bundled together. "I'll sign it good sir," he hurriedly agreed, afraid that the old man might change his mind.

The old man handed him a needle and instructed Lorian to prick his thumb and leave his thumb mark on the piece of paper that was on his lap. He followed the instructions as he leave a bloody thumb mark on the still-dry paper.

The old man beamed at Lorian in approval. He gave him a metal card and said, "Pay your debts tomorrow. The day after that, come to the address written on the card. I'll explain the rest of the details of your work there."

The old man left the briefcase behind and walked away with his Taro leaf. Lorian hugged the briefcase just as though his life depended on it. He bowed to the old man who was, not even an inch, touched by the heavy downpour of rain.

Lorian hopped around, his joy was immeasurable. The rain conveniently hid his tears and snot flowing down his nose, as he kissed the briefcase like it was his long-lost lover. Lorian noticed the people around him and their weird glances. Ashamed, he lowered his head and proceeded to head back home.

When he arrived at the front of his house, he exhaled in relief. Lorian hugged his siblings tight, relieved from the thoughts of the dangers they might face if he failed to pay their debt. He was very thankful, super thankful.

His two sisters were skeptical at first but responded with an even tighter hug to their brother. They wiped his tears and the snot on his face. And pulled him to the table, serving him a bowl of rice and a jar of salt placed nearby.

Lorian heartily ate his fill as he proclaimed, "From now on, you two will never have to eat rice with salt ever again. Because your big brother finally found a job."