Chapter 2: Set the World on Fire

Six months have passed, and the news of that nightclub’s tragedy has left the minds of the masses. The media has found a bigger story that has news reporters flying towards the New Bilibid Prison, in Muntinlupa, Metro Manila. After decades of being in power, Leonardo Balthazar -  the Philippines’ most wanted crime syndicate leader - has finally been caught and sentenced to the death penalty. He was responsible for the many cases of drug trafficking, weapons trafficking, and murder that have occurred in Metro Manila.

Tonight, he is about to die.

Two pairs of footsteps echo through a narrow hallway of a basement, ever so desolate. The lighting and walls were both white, the bright color bounces off the walls,  glaring down at a man in orange, escorted by a single warden.   

“Since I’m about to die, can you at least tell me the name of the bastard who snitched on me?” The convict asks, his voice sounding bored. The warden remains silent, not even sparing a glance at the man beside him.  

“Come on, don’t act like you don’t know me,” Leonardo speaks again after letting out a wry chuckle. Receiving the silent treatment more than once, he rolls his eyes and continues to face forward.

 “When the news of my death comes out, the families of my least trusted subordinates will be killed.”

The warden pauses in his footsteps, staying behind by a couple of steps. That one declaration from Leonardo was more than enough to disturb him.

“Why did you wait until now to say this?” The officer asks, dread lacing his voice. His face was frozen, only staring at the gray cement floor they stood on.

“Solitary confinement didn’t give me the time I needed to say this, Officer Ines,” Leonardo  says in a matter-of-fact tone, “It’s nice to know that I won’t be dying alone though.”

“You’re bluffing,” Ines looks up to meet Leonardo’s unbothered eyes- They were old and weary, but it held up with so much promise. He wasn’t sure if it was his eyes or the lack of ventilation in this hallway that was making him sweat. As they continued to stare at each other, trepidation begins to settle in Ines’ throat.

“Bluffing? When I’m at God’s mercy?” Leonardo says, chuckling “I pride myself in staying true to my word.”

The man in orange began to walk on his own, towards a steel gray door, where his execution will be held.

“What do you want?!” Ines asks, feeling his voice jumping out of his skin. Leonardo takes his turn in giving back the silent treatment as he fiddles with the steel door in front of him. It was locked, but he knew that before he even laid hands on it.

“Hey!” Ines shouts, stomping towards Leonardo to grab him by the shoulder. He forces him to face him. Leonardo in return raises his brows at him.

“Release the name and a picture of the snitch to the press, “ He orders.

Ines scowls, and lets go of him.

“It was an anonymous tip. How are we even going to do that?!” He reasons. Leonardo shrugs and casually leans on the steel door.

“You cops always figure out who to shift the blame on, so figure it out.”

Ines punches Leonardo across his jaw.  Something within him is set off - a sparking rage. In a swift movement, he grabs the convict by his orange uniform and pulls him in just to shove him back into the door.

“You know who’s in there to kill you?” Ines sneers, “ He’s fucking crazy. It took everything we can just to set him straight. He’s going to make you suffer so much that you’d think that death is a gift.”

He releases Leonardo and pulls out a key to unlock the door. He harshly shoves him in and slams the door. The clang of the steel hitting the door frame resonates within the walls of the hallway, reverberating through Ines’ body. It reminds him about the gravity of the situation; Leonardo’s death is most likely going to cause more problems. He runs a hand through his hair, wondering if his decision to rat out Leonardo’s whereabouts were actually a good decision. Ines locks the door and slowly turns to walk away,  with the thought of risking his family littering his mind.

On the other side of the room, Leonardo stands in the darkness. He blinks a couple of times, trying to see better through this strange room. He could see a red dot from a distance, from which he could assume that it’s a security camera. He looks around the room, and sees another security camera, right on top of the door behind him.

“Time to shine, Goldie.”  A voice suddenly speaks, sounding like it’s coming from a speaker. The room slowly gets illuminated by a soft yellow glow, finally giving Leonardo a clear sight of the room; It’s just one square room with no personality. The light that flickered is gentle, and it seemed to be coming from a young man sitting in a corner of the room, wearing nothing but a grey sweater and sweatpants. He looks worn out, and pitiful even. His hair is disheveled, his bangs fell to his eyes, but Leonardo could still make eye contact with him thanks to the yellow glow that reflected on his pupils. So this was the person Ines was talking about.

Leonardo couldn’t fully process what he was looking at. As he continues to observe him, he took more notes on his appearance. He estimates that this young man could be in his 20s, and has a fairly built body when it comes to muscle. He could see nothing that explains the glow that seemed to come from under his skin.

“Goldie” shifts from his position, making Leonardo flinch. The young man suddenly runs towards him, and in a panic, Leonardo punches him right at the nose.