The Xanadu

He looked at his reflection in the mirror; the whites of his eyes were interspersed with ruddy blotches. His expression was grim and his forehead creased. All he could feel was pain cutting through every nerve of his body. Helplessness surged through him and he wanted to shout out to the heavens but he knew that there was no one there to listen to him, no one to pay heed to his pleas, no one to comfort him. His eyeballs then slid down to his breast pocket. There were chips flowing out of it. He was standing in the villa of The Xanadu, a noted casino in Las Vegas. He looked back at his face in the mirror and then it all happened in a second. He now lay on the floor in the midst of his own blood and bone chips, the revolver next to his right hand. Pieces of his brain splattered on the velvety walls of the villa but he lay there motionless. His eyes were still moist, still aggrieved...very still.

 James Scott walked through the sweltering heat. His brow furrowed and his lips dry. The sun was right at its zenith and pouring its heat onto his body. Every step that he took was a struggle to survive. His suit was worn to shreds and his head stooped. He wanted water. Water was all he needed. He looked around. At first his vision was a complete blur but then it started becoming clear. In bold letters he saw the words sprawled across a colourful board. He was at the steps of the biggest casino in the world. He was outside ‘The Xanadu’, a place that people visited from all the parts of the world. He was in Las Vegas. He peeked into his pocket and saw his last two bundles of hundred dollar bills and he strode in.

Curious faces met his eyes. They ogled at him and his condition. He now looked at them all, his posture suddenly upright and his glare fierce. He stood there, towering above the others. His perfectly chiseled features contorted as he walked towards the elevator. His persona emanated a sense of fear amongst those around him. He ignored their curious glances and stepped onto the polished wooden floors of the casino. The gamblers were at their tables. They had finished making their weary business deals, binged on the sumptuous seven course meals in the gourmet rooms, taken their wives to the shows or struck them with dollar chips at the roulette wheel. They were all out of traffic.

Money in hand, he stood in the primary line of the table with the three cards. He glanced at a few people around, discerning their capabilities. He saw two men, rather boys jesting at the table. They seemed queer but James discovered his sudden liking for them. His impulsive nerves took over him as he called out,  ‘How about you two guys coming in with me?’, motioning towards Tim and his friend, Sean. ‘I’ll put the top limit and bet my cash in each chair. 90 units mine, 10 units yours.’

This meant that with the two thousand limit, James would be betting six thousand on each hand.

‘Are you crazy?’ Tim said. ‘You can go to hell.’

‘Just sit there’, I’ll give you ten percent of everything your chair wins.’, Smirked James

At that moment Sean came forward and said, ‘I’ll sit in the chair.’

‘You get ten percent,’ James scowled. And it began.

Tim stayed to watch. He neither had Sean’s courage nor James’ money. So he preferred to be out of harm’s way. Nonetheless, he felt slightly proud for being chosen by James from this huge herd. Keeping all these thoughts aside he concentrated on the game.

James’ cards kissed the green felt of the table as his eyes gazed at their backsides. It was almost like he had this unexplained, alien, x-ray vision. He now scanned the four ergonomic slot chairs placed around the lush green felt table. A voluptuous girl with auburn hair made her way onto the vacant chair. As she picked up her cards, he searched for some hints but didn’t get any. For a split second, he saw the twinkle in her eye brighten a little. If only he wasn’t looking at her so intently, he would never have noticed. There were no creases on her forehead and no trace of panic. She bet a good 2500 dollars on this first hand. That was impressive, he thought. Everyone had now made a bet.

His eyes darted towards the chair to her right, there was Sean sitting there. He looked extremely happy with his cards, the fool. He struggled to keep his poker face, but the smirk kept creeping in.

He picked up his cards. He had three natural invincible aces. “Woah, that’s one hot hand,” he chuckled. With a confident stroke, he threw the cards, face-up for everyone to envy. He had won the first hand, and HOW! He noticed Sean looking at his own three cards, they made such a pitiful sight in front of James’. He had a King, a Queen and Jack. He threw his cards too on the green felt, trying to emulate James’ style but with a touch of frustration.

But something was happening here. James felt his vision starting to blur now. He went into some sort of a trance. His heart beat increased and drops of perspiration meandered down his temples and down to his cheeks and neck. He was running. He had escaped them. Had to get away from them. They would kill him. The street was dingy and his spotless suit was in place. His revolver was tucked behind his back but right now wasn’t the time to fight. It was time to run. He remembered clearly, the face of the man he killed. The squat old fool thought he had changed him into one of his men. The look of angst on his victim struck him like a whip. The adrenaline rushed through his veins once again and he ran.

With a jerk he got back to senses. He noticed confused eyes staring at him. Some, looked like they were about to mock him. Wiping the sweat from his brows, he concentrated on his game.

The second hand lay there next to his pile of black and gold chips. They made a magnificent sight. Picking it up, he felt his jaw drop a little. Was this some joke? How was he getting these cards. There was something utterly wrong with the permutations and combinations. He stared down at his second set of invincible aces.

He threw them down face-up for the second time. Calmly and without any emotion James hit eighteen rounds of hands. By the ninth round, word had spread about his absolutely brilliant and unbelievable  fortune. The excitement was building as the crowd started pressing together to get a better view.

The air seemed stiff with tension and suddenly he felt a pair of hands close against his neck. Yet there was no one around. The trance took him once again. His body muscles flexed and his heart throbbed.

One minute he was welcoming the old squat fool into his chambers and then suddenly he took the pistol and shot him right in the forehead.

He was concentrating on escaping but his mind kept racing back to his victim.

The man had once called him his child and beaten him at the same time. His sadistic smile used to give him the chills. He was wicked deep within. He had slain so many people with that satanic smirk. He had butchered his only friends and given him their fingers, liver and kidneys to keep as friends. The insensitive, cruel old Son-of-a-bitch that he was. They had snatched him away from his father. Where was his father now? He wanted to reach him desperately.

He had no memory of his father except that of a man immaculately dressed, with green eyes and a wry smile. He had been taken hostage so that his father would pledge his alliance to these beasts.

He hated them. They tried to get him to their side, muddled his mind. But he was smart, at least smarter than they thought him to be and he had taken his revenge.

He was back in the streets of New York. He was running and he was running hard. Where should he go? Which way? His pulse grew by the second. Then, his sides started hurting with the effort but... he ran.

This time, Sean did not stop himself.

‘What’s the problem mate? I heard you mumble something about them not getting you here in Vegas. What’s up?’ asked Sean.

People were now blatantly staring at him.

James ignored his question and picked up his newly dealt hand. Sean had stacks of gold hundred dollar chips in front of him. The croupier counted out chips against each of their chair numbers. It was over fifty thousand dollars. James had made a record in The Xanadu that night.

His mind raced. He looked around and saw people glaring in his direction. He had had enough. He got up from the elegant oval table and walked back. Every step he took seemed very heavy. He weight was wearing him down. Suddenly, he felt there was someone following him and he turned back with a start. It was Sean. He let out a sigh and looked at him in a questioning way.

‘I think you should go up for a nap. You look like you’re gonna black out right here.’ said Sean.

‘Yeah. Thanks! I think I’ll do just that.’

He turned back and tried to make his way towards his room. Sean was concerned. He wondered whether he should go help him get to his room, but he resisted the temptation. It was better to stay out. James was a strange man. It wouldn’t be wise to go looking for trouble.

James walked towards the elevator. He waited there but it took too long. As he made his way towards the stairways, he heard muffled footsteps right behind him. He turned with the revolver in his sweaty hand. ‘Who is there?’, he called out. There was no one. His heart beat increased and his pupils dilated. From the corner of his eye he saw a shadow creep in right behind him and his muscles flexed and he bounded up.

His legs shivered with the effort as he sprinted. He could feel them right behind him. They were right there. He knew it. He took four steps at a time and his hands gathered to fists. He reached the fifteenth floor and darted towards his room. He would be safe there. His heart came in his mouth as he accidentally dropped the key to his room. Oh great GODS! Why is this happening!!? Those few minutes almost felt like a good long hour before he finally swiped the door open. He entered hurriedly and slammed the door shut. He sighed heavily and locked it. They couldn’t enter the room. He was safe. Whew! That was close.

He then looked at his reflection in the mirror; the whites of his eyes were interspersed with ruddy blotches. His expression was grim and his forehead creased. All he could feel was pain cutting through every nerve of his body. Helplessness surged through him and he wanted to shout out to the heavens but he knew that there was no one there to listen to him, no one to pay heed to his pleas, no one to comfort him. His eyeballs then slid down to his breast pocket. There were chips flowing out of it. He was standing in the villa of The Xanadu, a noted casino in Las Vegas.

On his right was a man in a perfectly fitting Armani suit sitting on the soft, fluffy, Victorian couch. The had green eyes and a wry smile. They looked at each other and James froze. There was no more running. This was the end.

‘I really like playing hide and seek with ya, James. I would really do, y’know. But, I don’t like dancing to ya tunes, buddy.’ he said without a hint of aggression.

‘But ya know the rules James.’ he screamed his lungs out.

‘Did ya think this game would never end?’ he sighed, softly.

‘I’m sorry.’ Cried James, searching for words. This man seemed so familiar but why couldn’t he place him?

The man with the revolver gave a funny laugh. It was almost like a giggle. If he didn’t have the gun in his hand, you would misunderstand him to be a rather foolish baboon.

‘Never ever mess with the Guilianos. Never James. Do ya hear me? Betrayal is the seed for contempt. Why do ya think I let ya go with them. These Guilianos are dangerous people, James. And when they hate ya, its the end..that’s the reason why I’ve come for ya after so many years, my boy.’ He whispered.

‘All die those who betray Guiliano.’ He spat with a sudden fury.

James felt the earth below him shifting as he recognized the man in the immaculate suit, green eyes and wry smile. They were the same green eyes. The same wry smile.

‘FATHER!’, gasped James his voice chirping with relief.

‘I just wanted to see if ya recognized me James. I’ve come to take you away. Don’t ya worry.’ He said, as his voice drowned in emotion.

He had missed his son. He wanted to hug him close to his heart. It was going to be nearly thirteen years since he gave him a bear hug. He took a step towards him and then it all happened in the tenth part of a second.

Before he knew it, he was tripping over the royal blue carpets and hit his head on the bedpost. His fingers tightened on the trigger as he tried to regain his balance and it fired loudly.

He was sprawled there, motionless, overlooking the scene – aghast.

James now lay on the floor in the midst of his own blood and bone chips, the revolver next to his right hand. Pieces of his brain splattered on the velvety walls of the villa but he lay there motionless. His eyes were still moist, still aggrieved...very still.