The World Below [DNF]

Chapter 11: The line between good and evil

George POV

As the night arrived, George could feel his nerves acting up. He had essentially no idea on what to expect from the place that they were currently headed towards. His dad hadn't revealed any details and as of right know. All George knew was that he sat in a black car with toned windows. A black mask covered the lower half of his face and an unsettling feeling was growing in his gut.

They drove further and further away from the house and the area had quickly turned less glamorous. There were people on the sidewalk, who obviously didn't spend their time on the right side of the law.

The car eventually stopped. Upon first glace it looked like an abandon garage; the only light source seemed to be coming from a tiny window peaking up just slightly above ground. His dad, and what George could only assume was two bodyguards, stepped out of the car. George figured that it was most likely an indication for him to do the same.

As they began walking towards the building, his dad told George to lay low and observe. "Usually, I wouldn't come here personally. You don't want the cops to be able and link you to places like this." 

And after they had entered the building, George understood why.

The place was crowded with people. Laughter, shouting and fighting all happening at once. After further inspection, George spotted a boxing ring, gambling tables, dart boards. The best description would probably be an out-of-control pub. Alcohol that was thrown around and the "questionable" substances didn't escape George's attention either. It looked like a big-scaled version of the pubs that George had spent his time at back in England.

The boxing-ring was in the middle of the base. The basement consisted of two stories. They were currently standing at the upper one, looking down at the chaos.

This area seemed to be working as a form of platform for spectators who didn't want to get dragged into the crossfire that was going on below. The railing made it possible to get a good look at what was going on the lower level of the building.

His dad started moving away from their viewing point and headed to a dark corridor. The obnoxious noise faded as they got further down the corridor. They finally stopped outside a door with the sign "404" plastered across. George furrowed his eyebrows in confusing, but didn't get the chance to think to long about the peculiar sign before his dad pulled out a key and unlocked the door, revealing what looked like an office. It wasn't much out of the ordinary. A table with black leather chairs around it was placed in the middle of the room. His dad sat down and after some hesitation, George did the same.

After a while, curiosity got the best of him. "What are we doing here?" His dad turned his eyes towards him.

"Excellent question. I mentioned earlier that I tend to avoid this place as much as I can. But you could call this the headquarter of this entire work field. LA has a reputation of being a city of gambling and short-lived pleasure. So, why not use it to your advantage?"

"So, you run a gambling organization, presumable illegally?"

"You could describe it as such, but it would be a lie to say that it's the only thing people do at places like these. But that's none of my business, as long as I get what I want, I frankly couldn't care less what they do."

George got the sensation that he'd just been introduced into a completely new world.