The World Below [DNF]

Chapter 20: Empathy is overrated

George POV

It wasn't as if the suspension from school was surprising, but it certainly made George's life worse. He'd never been a fan of school. However, it had granted him a break from the life that his dad was trying to push onto him.

The distraction was gone and his dad took every opportunity to drag George with him. George had also refused to respond to the texts from any of his friends, causing him to feel extremely isolated. He hoped that they were ok and that they didn't end up in too much trouble. It would be a lie to say that he didn't miss them, especially Clay. They'd actually made him feel like a normal teenager for a while.

But his current life sure made a good job at aliening him from everything that could be considered normal. He'd guessed that his dad would've put him in house arrest after the incident at school. But his dad hadn't even gotten mad.

It was currently Tuesday, three days after the incident. George had spent most of the day looking through maps, which was the most boring task he'd been given so far. The maps covered the majority of LA. Seven red spots were marked and the explanation was that they represented the biggest underground facilities. His dad had strictly informed him that their placements needed to be remembered and to never be published on the internet. Everything to make sure that their placemats remained hidden. Even a digital note containing their coordinates was forbidden. George though that it sounded a bit excessive, but his dad was a paranoid man. George had asked how anyone even got ahold of the locations in the first place, however his father left the question unanswered.

They went around to visit them, supposedly to show George what all of them contained. The thing that connected them all was the base-idea: gambling. Or as his dad called it "making money from weak-minded people." The biggest facility was the one that George visited his second day in the US. It was like a boxing stadium with some people betting and others fighting. Everything was rigged, of course. His father spoke about the importance of playing the long game. Laying low, mapping out who's the best fighter, make sure that people knew that this fighter was the best so they would bet on him. Lastly, bribe him and make sure that person got would get enough money that they'd lose on purpose. Questions regarding what happened to the fighter after they lost was also left unanswered, but George had his suspicions. It didn't seem too farfetched to believe that the fighter would get killed. Either by the people who lost their money or by his dad's minions.

"Make sure to always pin the blame one someone else." Was apparently his father's mantra. To make people that gambled believe that they're the once in control. It was fascinating how naïve people seemed to be when it came to money. Even if someone lost a fortune, they kept fighting for it back.

The evening arrived and George made his way down to the kitchen to grab something to eat. He knew that his dad would take him somewhere new tonight. 

It was as if it suddenly existed an entirely new world underneath the one that everyone else lived in. Everything was connected and as far as George new, his dad was the leader of it all. It was mind-blowing that the man wasn't dead yet. 

He figured that it must stem from the terrifying and merciless facade that his father projected towards the world. The respect that he infused in others was obvious. Even George would be lying if he said that he didn't fear his dad. The man was coldly analytical, and empathy seemed to be non-existent. 

That his mom could've ever loved that man was difficult to believe. He was as close to a sociopath that George had ever encountered. But despite the horror that he exposed George to, he couldn't deny what the conflicted feelings that his dad's sudden interest in him caused. Despite all the morbidity, it felt kind of nice to know that his dad actually valued him and his abilities.