Failed Observation

Lucius looked about him, his eyes darting left and right rapidly. There was no real danger to him for all it's worth, but it was just something that he had developed a long time ago while he was still with 987. It was impossible to walk along the streets then without actually paying that much attention---987 was at a war with the Red Knives, and there had been many brothers from both sides who had died from varios confrontations. As one of the sergeants, he was a prime target for the men-at-arms for the Red Knives, and so he did his best to stay out of the way.

But that was the past. A truce had been negotiated by the two Bosses, with the territories partitioned carefully and boundaries defined clearly. Word had been passed down to the very lowest footmen of the two organisations, but Lucius knew better. The Bosses may say one thing and demand that their underlings follow, but it was rare that everyone would actually be that obedient; there was a reason they were all in the whole shadow organisation structure in the first place. Already there had been talk from Lucius' men that some of the Red Knives have been spotted to be loitering on 987's territory. Respecting the truce, the 987 members did not do anything except keep watch on the interlopers, while the Red Knives seemed to be content at rattling their sabres, albeit cautiously.

Lucius had thought of reporting it up to his lieutenant, but thought better of it. It was only three people who were in the way, and they were not doing anything particularly aggressive other than merely trespassing. Reporting up was likely to cause his lieutenant to initialise some kind of action to capture the interlopers---his lieutenant was a particularly vicious and ambitious man, and Lucius feared for his immediate superior's recklessness. There had been stories of his lieutenant's exploits that were whispered among the rank and file of 987, and it was also rumoured that the reason why he was still there was that there was a very strong connection between him and the Boss, and that the latter had bailed him out on occasion before from the more serious consequences.

One thing was sure though, his lieutenant managed to get results, something that even the Boss greatly admired.

Lucius looked both ways of the road before crossing it. His well-honed observation skills failed him when he most needed it when the three reported interlopers suddenly dragged him into a nearby alley and stabbed him repeatedly with knives.

``Red Knives, motherfucker!''---that was the last that Lucius heard before passing out.

(Based on an exercise generated by WriteThis - 2014-06-26 17:41:45)