It was night in Essos. Several RAV-6 armored SUVs, with six wheels and imposing size, were parked outside the Mengjon house, bearing Cameroonian government plates. Inside the Mengjon family home, in the dining room, Mr. Mengjon and his son Jase were reading the pact given by the forest ranger. The ranger stood up and served himself more from the pot. He thought, "His father cooks really well—maybe he was a woman before," then smiled and said to himself, "No, I'm joking. Anyway, the kid looks promising even if he'll have trouble fitting in at school. They don't have a choice." He finished serving himself and began eating.
Mr. Mengjon asked, "Can we make money by accepting this pact?"
The ranger replied, "If it's on the pact, then yes, you will get it when you sign with your son."
"How much?" asked Mr. Mengjon.
The ranger took a mouthful of his food and said, "Something like 10,000,000 FCFA."
Mr. Mengjon and Jase opened their mouths in surprise.
The ranger added, "Only my mother cooks Eru this well too." (Eru is a traditional African dish made of maize couscous and a sauce with water leaves, meat, and red oil.)
Mr. Mengjon asked, "Will I get that after Jase finishes school?"
"No, you'll get it when Jase starts school. And stop interrupting me," the ranger said, continuing to eat.
Jase and his father finished reading, and his father said, "Go get a pen, please."
The ranger laughed and choked, then drank water and said, "A pen? What for? You sign with your blood."
Jase and his father were shocked; Jase wondered if they were making a mistake.
The ranger said, "Give me your hands."
They gave their hands, trembling. The ranger took a table knife and made a small cut on both their thumbs.
"Now put your blood on the signature section of the pact."
Jase and his father signed with trembling hands.
They both thought, "Are we making a pact with the devil?" Their hearts beat faster than usual. As soon as they signed, the pact glowed.
The ranger wiped his hands, stood up, and said, "It always surprises, doesn't it? Well… good evening, everyone." He took the pact and left the dining room.
In the living room, the ranger said, "Let's go."
All the cars in front of the Mengjon house left, and the family wondered what was happening. Someone even asked, "What is the forest ranger doing here?"
Jase and his father remained in the dining room, still shocked. Jase was less shocked, with many questions running through his mind, but he understood that everything was about to change again, just like two years ago. Jase decided to go to sleep.
An hour later, the Mengjon house was strangely calm. They were asleep. Mr. Mengjon dreamed of his wife and son Jase. His wife wore glasses, was brown-skinned with a slightly strange smile, but he loved her that way. She was preparing Jase for school. Mr. Mengjon was at home, well dressed and groomed. The sun was rising.
Suddenly, Mr. Mengjon searched his pockets and saw he had no money left, then his wife disappeared, and Jase ran out of the house.
Meanwhile, Jase also dreamed of his mother but was running to catch her. He woke suddenly and shouted, "NO, STAY!!" Shocked by what was happening, he thought, "This dream will haunt me. Does she think about me right now?"
Jase got up, went to the kitchen to drink orange juice, then went back to bed but could not sleep. He took his phone and saw several messages from McLarence, Emmanuel, and Eliana. Starting with Eliana's message, it read, "Damn," followed by a photo of Jase being arrested by the police, then "I told you to stop," and many deleted messages.
Jase decided to reassure her and replied, "I found a way out, don't worry." Then he read McLarence's voice message: "Damn Ace, Trevis wants our heads. I don't know when they'll release you or if they'll kill you, but if you look for me, you can find me where you always wanted to go."
Jase wondered, "Where do I want to go?"
He started thinking about moments with McLarence and remembered a gang attack in Franky's shop where he was shot in the rib, but McLarence carried him despite being shot in the ankle.
Jase reflected and recalled a 'special' memory.
It was an ordinary evening at Franky's shop. Jase and McLarence were laughing around a bottle behind the counter. Franky was trying to flirt with a girl, saying, "How are you, madam?" The girl ignored him, talking on the phone.
Franky put a robot at the entrance and joined Jase and McLarence. McLarence said, "You can't even flirt with a regular girl."
Franky said, "Shut up," and spun the bottle. "Truth or dare?"
Jase said, "Dare."
Franky said, "The next girl who enters the shop, you hit her on the butt."
McLarence and Franky laughed, waiting a few minutes. Then a girl entered.
Jase stood and said, "Good evening, how are you?"
The girl said, "Fine."
Jase said, "Can I hit your butt?"
Franky and McLarence at the counter laughed.
Jase said, "I'm joking."
The girl looked at him strangely and left, but Jase hit her butt.
The girl screamed, "Rapist!" and ran out.
Jase went back behind the counter and spun the bottle. It landed on McLarence.
"Truth," McLarence said.
Jase said, "Bruh, you're not funny," then asked, "What is your dream?"
McLarence and Franky said, "What kind of dumb question is that?"
Jase replied, "I want to know McLarence."
McLarence said, "You want to know me? Am I some kind of subject?"
Jase said, "Answer my question."
McLarence said, "I would go back in time to America when it was normal."
Jase said, "Seriously?"
Back to reality, Jase laughed and said to himself, No, that's not the right memory.
He recalled a question he asked McLarence: "If we died tomorrow, what would you do? I'd try to lose my virginity or finish the masterclass anime I haven't watched."
McLarence said, "I'd go to Santa Barbara to watch the sunset with a baby."
Jase said, "I've never been there."
McLarence said, "You don't even know what you're missing."
Jase returned to reality and thought, Yes, that's it.
He thought about how to find McLarence but fell asleep.
The next day, Mr. Mengjon woke up and noticed someone had already eaten breakfast. He found a message on the fridge:"I'll be back before 12 hrs. P.S. Jase, your favorite son."
At Santa Barbara, the sun rose. Jase looked in the taxi's rearview mirror to check if he was being followed.
Where could he be? I didn't even ask where in Santa Barbara… Yes, that's it — the best place to watch a sunset is somewhere high.
He asked a passerby, "What is the tallest building in the neighborhood?"
The passerby pointed to a hotel.
"Thanks," Jase said and thought, How did I not notice this five-star hotel?
He entered the hotel and went to the restaurant. He ordered hamburgers and tried calling McLarence several times, but the calls didn't connect.
The hotel was luxurious, with gold decorating all the furniture, and lights so bright it felt like the sun never set.
He wondered if McLarence was still alive and how to find out.
He saw a young woman cleaning, wearing a blue uniform and black braids — the girl he had talked to about superheroes at college during his GCE exams.
He went to her and said, "Hello, it's been a long time."
She was shocked because Jase had grown older and more mature in her eyes.
She said, "Yes, but do you still remember me? We only spoke once."
Jase grinned, "Yep, remember, I'm a genius. Looks like times are tough."
She smiled, "For real."
Jase showed her a photo of McLarence and asked, "Have you seen him here?"
She hesitated, "I'm not supposed to tell you."
Jase took out a wad of bills, "For real?"
She said, "Okay, he's on the top floor, first room on your left."
Jase gave her the money, "Thanks, I'll get your number later."
He walked away smiling, and she wondered, Okay?
A few minutes later, Jase stood in front of McLarence's hotel room and knocked.
McLarence opened the door and smiled. They did a fist bump.
"Come in, bro," McLarence said.
Jase entered and saw the room was beautiful — everything white.
McLarence said, "I figured you could find me."
Jase asked, "Why didn't you answer my calls?"
McLarence answered, "Because I have no phone or SIM anymore. Trevis gave them to me, so I destroyed them so they couldn't track me."
The room grew silent.
Jase said, "Damn, I have to get out of here."
Then — a faint creak of the door behind him.
He froze. A shadow slid across the white carpet, stretching toward the bed like a predator.
Jase turned, heart pounding — and Trevis was already there.
The dull pop of a silenced gunshot.
McLarence's head snapped back; blood splattered on the sheets.
Jase wanted to scream but couldn't.
The man who killed McLarence stepped forward, smoking his cigar.
"Thanks," he said, then turned to leave.
Jase pulled out a 9mm silenced pistol and fired, but Trevis dodged the bullet backward and spit on Jase's face.
Before Jase could shoot again, Trevis spat his cigar into Jase's eye, causing him to miss.
Trevis kicked Jase, disarming him, and said, "Here we go again."
Jase realized Trevis had set him up to be blamed for McLarence's murder.
Shocked by his powerlessness and Trevis's malice, Jase was arrested by the police minutes later.
Trevis sat in his autonomous private car, thinking, while ticking his lists; the list was filled with expanding the network, killing the traitors and he finally said "Good, the traitor is out of the way. Expanding the business with a new drug producer—thanks to Jase capturing him for me. I think I'll sleep well tonight, thank you Jase."