Alter Me III

Somewhere else in a different part of the world. A Volkswagen drives up to a motel in the middle of a desolate desert.

Nevada, Las Vegas.

A man comes out from the car, he's wearing a hoodie with a coat layered over it with fingerless gloves. He has long greasy black hair, he has a long scar going from his beard to his eye. He licks his dry lips and continues limply to the back of his car, opening the trunk. He takes something from the trunk and heads to the main counter to the motel.

A young woman wearing a red sweater sits at the counter, she appears to be chewing on a piece of gum. The young woman notices the man and asks why he was there.

"Do you know an Alpha and Artego here?"

She confirms that the people he is referring to are at the motel and are living on the second floor, three rooms down. The man thanks the woman, heading back outside and up the stairs.

He knocks on their door. The sound of panic, frantic yelling, and thudding, like objects are being thrown to the floor.

The man kicks open the door, taking out a pistol and opening fire to the two that are inside.

A skinny white man with a clean-shaven head wearing a basic black t-shirt and baggy jeans and a moderately sized Mexican man wearing a white hoodie and black sweats.

The Mexican man struggles to stay alive, blood seeping through his white jacket. He runs to the restroom after being shot, leaving his friend to die.

They both didn't make it out.

The white man was shot to death in the bedroom of the motel while the Mexican man was shot dead in the restroom, grasping desperately at the window seal. Murdered by someone unknown. In reality, all they know was that they were going to die. They didn't know why or who was going to kill them. An odd situation caused by unfortunate circumstances.

The man who killed them... he was named appropriately, Balrog.

***

"Who is this Balrog?"

Both the boss and Caçador are in his office. The boss lazily drooping his head over his desk while Caçador looks down on him with a furious expression. "Balrog is the guy who is after you! He's everywhere nowadays!"

The boss straightens himself out. "That doesn't explain who he is."

"He's someone comparable to you."

The room becomes completely silent, only the ticking of a crooked clock on the wall could be heard. The boss proceeds to laugh hysterically. "Excuse me!?"

"This is the guy that's after your head y'know!?"

"But you said comparable! Nobody is comparable to me! Not no fucking Balrog..."

"This man has easily taken out entire gangs on a whim and you still stay unconcerned for your own life?"

The boss gets up from his desk and heads over to Caçador. He pats him on the shoulder, "Thank you for being so concerned."

Caçador makes a pained expression. He looks to his shoulder to see the boss gripping it as hard as he could, laughing as loud as he possibly could. "LET GO!" Caçador shoves the boss away from him.

"Caçador, I don't need the concern of a lowly attendant. Plus, this Balrog wouldn't even be able to kill me if he tried. Do you even know who I am?"

"That doesn't matter. That man is essentially superhuman! I'm especially not looking forward to getting involved!"

"You don't have to..."

Caçador takes a moment to process what the boss just said. "What?"

"You're fired."