"I'm sorry, what is this kid called?"
"Fagod."
The young man, who came from the city, is utterly horrified by what the villager said. This young man is the younger Miguel. He opens his mouth...
Now...
Beatle finishes up encoding into his research about a beautiful flower. The jeep stops by the next barangay, a humble barangay who were non-violent.
"Beatle..." Said Billy. "Where are we?" She warms her cold shivering hands above the fire's crisp ember.
"We need money... So we're here to do a job."
"A job?"
"Easy. No breaking of ANY commandment. Our beliefs will not be affected. No act here is considered evil."
"Good..." Billy sighed in relief.
The group settled in the barangay's inn, which is next to a wooden and cobblestone barn brimming with a rather gamey odor. It smelled like a horse's bottom with a foul smell. People could be heard working in the barn, trying hard to survive in the snowy wasteland. The people looked shady and corrupt, which made Billy fear them.
Billy is the told by Beatle to do the job himself. To search for a boy who was lost in the woods, named "Hommo".
"Uh, Beatz... I am not comfortable using the word."
"Well, you gotta do that. Go, child."
"Can we at least change their name?"
"That is the name given to them... Now imma go butcher their cat."
"Beatle, what the hell is wrong with this place?"
"Nothin'. Stay open-minded. These people don't care about your culture. This is their land. Their beliefs."
"They are sinners..."
"They do not kill people."
"They're weird!"
"They are not a cult."
"They don't have values."
"They do. They just do not align with thine. Now, go find that child."
"They are rude to you! They named their son Homo as a joke!"
"And you're a Vampire who drank you enemy's blood. Welcome to the Philippines. This is not a problem of third-world countries."
"That's a very old offensive term..."
"That term was always used here for years. It refers to us, after all. The only reason America censored the word is to censor its own power over us. In reality, we are slaves. That is our N-Word. Say it, since you are my child and brethren."
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
"NO!!!"
"Again. Stay open-minded."
"Why!?"
Beatle sighs. "When I was a child, I had a similar experience. Looking for a cat to vaccinate for rabies. Name was Fagod. I opened my mouth. I was nearly pulled out for my internship. My job for academic purposes. Your culture is nothing to these people. But your job, sadly, is to do a job for them. The customer is always right. So, do so with respect to their customs and etiquette."
Billy sighs. "Okay."
Later...
"GODDAMN IT, BILLY!!!" roared Beatle, as the entire group runs away from the dangerous tribes of people chasing after them.
"ALL I SAID WAS THAT THE WORD THEY USED WAS OFFENSIVE!!!"
"THAT WORD WAS THEIR FAMILY MEMBER'S NAME!!! DAMNED BRAT!!! Sorry for shouting, I know I'm terrible-..."
"NOT THE TIME!!!" roared Black.
The next day...
The Crusaders sigh, relieving themselves as they eat fine-cooked classic American Pork and Beans with ketchup, mustard, and molasses.
Black soars down from the sky and lands before them. "No tribes nearby. But 'least we got paid before Billy uhm... spoke out."
"I'm sorry... I'm just not... used to... their culture and stuff."
"I understand."
"Kid's got problems," sighed Prometheus. "If you wanna survive out here, you have to stop being a pathetic little bitch all the time."
"How about you shut up?" asked Beatle.
Prometheus sighs. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to remind the kid that this is real life. Real life's all about do or don't. And when don't wins, you fuckin' die. There are no such things as maybe's or try's."
"You ran away."
"Yeah. If I came back to my world, she would've destroyed it."
"Why leave in the first place?"
"Oh, Beatle. Don't act like you didn't even think about that..."
Panthera and Green Day stayed silently watching, as Beatle sighed and facepalmed, dusting the shavings of wood off his boot.
"It was either you ran away or I did. We're just Dracula's test subject. Where Drac failed with you when Pop-Pop died... Drac succeeeded with me."
"What do you mean?"
Prometheus smirks. "He killed our grandpa, Beatz. He did it to manufacture your life... Make sure you were abused by your Mommy and Daddy from all the stress... Made sure you're nothing..."
"Where is he now?"
"I killed him. Crushed his head."
"Then problem solved."
"Don't you care? DON'T YOU CARE THAT ALL THAT STRESS AND BLAME MADE YOU INTO A SCAPEGOAT!?!?"
"Prometheus, you're 71. I'm 900. We both have different ways of coping with trauma, knowing how much we've experienced."
"You're saying you're better than me!?"
"I'm saying I learned. You didn't. Like you can barely handle Miguel."
"Wow. And you can?"
"I try. That's all I've ever done. I tried. And it's never enough, but 'least we're happy."
"Save me the hippie-dippy bullshit, Beatle. I have... NO ONE who ever CARED about me!!!"
"And what gives you the right to make them love you?"
"What gives them the right for me to love them?" asked Prometheus. "They rejected us, Beatle. Let it go. The world doesn't have a place for us anymore. Religion and faith are obsolete."
"I never asked to be the Messiah."
"That's why you are better. You always were."
"I never said it didn't hurt."
Prometheus sighs. "I know... But sooner or later, one of us will break. It just depends on who pulls the trigger first."
"What makes you say that?"
"I just told you how your Grandfather was murdered. Surely, you are angered by this. Remember...? No, you don't. He changed out memories... We were told he died from a disease or cancer, even... No... He ate Lolo, Beatz... He ate his liver... drank his blood like the brute he is."
"I am."
"So, do you blame him... or yourself... ergo, me?"
Beatle grabs his blaster and points it at Pro's head.
"Beatle, what the hell are you doing?" asked Black.
"Beatle?" asked Billy.
"Dad, stop!" yelled Gabrielle.
"You wanna play that game, Pro? Because damned straight I do."
"Dude, chill," said Death Leopard.
"Shut up," said Beatle.
Prometheus smiles. "One thing you forgot. Unlike Jesus, we're just... Human."
A loud bang was heard throughout the forest.
The group fell silent, watching Beatle barely shred the surface of Prometheus' cheek from his blast.
Prometheus' breath went shaky as he gave a loud sigh. "Felt good yet, Beatz? Feels good, doesn't it? The rage... The... Kulam."
"Fuck off." Beatle turns and walks away.