Madness (Suicidal Book 3)

Chapter 5: Total War

The mansion was dark for the most part, but a single light lit up the seemingly endless darkness.  And not just because of the moonless night, but because of a deep and personal loss. Zira lost possible the only person she could call a friend now. Her right-hand man,  Antoine d'Coolette, disgraced son of the elder house of the Coolette nobility of the old kingdom of Mobius. Disgraced after his parents discovered their beloved son was a con artist and swindler, a damned  common criminal, they kicked him to the street. He tried to steal from one of Zira's crooks, and she caught him. Almost killed him, too. But...he grew on her. Now, he was dead. Murdered. 

She sighed. She supposed she had realized that this might eventually happen. After all, running a major criminal empire was extremely risky and dangerous. It was bound for one of her guys or another got killed at some point. Hell, even she might get murdered. Scar did, and those damn hyenas didn't even get justice. Not until she killed most of them. Left a small portion of their gang, some teenagers who were all murdered last year by some crazy gay homicidal psychopath. Turned out to be the guy was friends with her son. The mayor's kid. She had never really liked him. Always seemed...too depressing and suicidal for her likings. No way in hell would she want her beloved kids hanging out with life-taking scummy bitches like that. She had no respect for people who killed themselves. If you had problems in your life, you dealt with them, not kill tousled if you couldn't handle them. Suicidal people were weaker people than the rest of the world. But not murdered people. 

She shrugged on her long brown coat. Time to go to the funeral. She nodded to her somber butler as he opened the door and she walked out of it, only to be mobbed by a bunch of the media, the press vultures, photographers, and other hangers-on. Two of her bodyguards came rushing out of the crowd and helped her get through the crowd, shoving and ramming into people to get them out of the way as they slowly reached her limousine. One of them opened the door and she climbed in and he slammed it shut before getting into the passenger seat next to the driver, her chauffeur, and directing him to get them quickly to the funeral. He nodded, and drove off quickly, and Zira watched as the nosy bitches' reporting and photographing vans and cars faded from view as they drove out of sight of her big mansion, which is kind of hard to do. 

They reached the funeral and Zira sat entirely still throughout the entire reading. The only people to show up were some of his non criminal noble friends, Zira, and some other con artists and crooks. No parents or family, save for his loan shark uncle, who was the only one - besides Zira - who actually seemed really shaken up about his death. Sure, his friends were sad and all but they were trained not to show any emotion, they were taught that emotion and feelings are a weakness. But Zira and Antoine's uncle didn't care and showed real sadness on their faces all throughout the funeral, which Zira felt was eerily surreal. After the funeral ended, and most of the people were gone, a hooded figure walked up to her and handed her a small slip of paper with a note written on it. She took it and looked down. 

Dear Zira, I am sorry for your loss. Please accept my condolences. Your son's old friend. No name was signed, but Zira automatically knew who it was. "Kion," she growled. "You murdering little motherfucking sonuvabitch! I'll kill  you!" She looked back up, ready to ask the stranger who gave him this note, but he was gone. She snarled and stomped angrily over to her limousine. Her chauffeur calmly opened the door, unfazed by her furious raging anger, she climbed in and sat down, glaring furiously out at the cloudy day, thinking of all the ways she would kill that murdering little gay wretch, Kion. When her driver asked where she wished to be taken, she snapped back to the present and out of her daydreams. "Take me to mansion and have my butler call all the local gang leaders together." The driver nodded, and the car once again pulled away, and Zira watched as her only friend's grave slowly disappeared out of the back of her car's windows. 

When she got back to her mansion, she shoved open the large mahogany doors. Her butler, Jenkins, was standing there. When she looked at him as he helped her out of her coat, he spoke. "They're all in the back room waiting for you, Ms. Zira. I took the liberty and summoned some of the gangs not under your control yet as well." She nodded. "Thank you, Jenkins." And she hurried off to the room underneath the second living room, right next to the kitchen. She walked into the room and everyone stopped the conversations and looked at her. 

Everybody was there. Shimo and his wolves, ReiRei and her jackals, a new hyena leader she thought was named Tano (he looked a bit young, but who cares), Kiburi and the crocs, Grim and the dogs, and Makucha with his leopards. She walked to the middle of the room, where all their chairs were arranged in a U-shaped semicircle around her. 

She paced the floor in front of them. "Alright everyone. As you all know, my right hand man and one of the best swindlers ever, Antoine d'Coolette, was murdered yesterday. I was then given a note from the murderer by some one who may have gotten it directly from them. We are now going to be devoting our soldiers to track down and kill him. Any questions?" 

A hand rose from the back. It was Grim, the leader of the dogs. "Grim," she nodded. He burped and she wrinkled her nose. 

"I'd just like to say," he slurred, his body swaying a bit. "You're looking mighty fine right now." The room was completely silent as the other gang leaders shook their heads and gulped as Zira's eyes narrowed at him. Suddenly, she grabbed her gun and pulled it out, shooting Grim straight through the forehead and watching as he dropped to the floor. 

"Razor, you're the new leader. Got it?" The smaller dog saluted and nodded quickly. "Let this be a lesson to you all. I do not tolerate drunks and womanizers in my presence, understand, everyone?" 

Yes, ma'am!" They all shouted. Zira grinned. 

"Good, now go kill Kion. Now go get ready for war."