Divine Retribution

Written By: Kevin Ramsden

“The Greys” is a 1970s-built concrete aberration of an estate that is home to any number of miscreants and lowlifes impossible to house anywhere else. It is also base camp for the PS20s, a fiercely territorial postcode gang, top of the tree in the surrounding area in anything drug, protection and robbery related. The upper echelons of this crime corporation, however, remain resolutely hidden from view, delegating all street level activity to the foot soldiers, or “Baby PS20” as they are collectively known. Kingpin among the junior members is one Mikey D, a 25-year-old career thug with a hair-trigger temper and a penchant for extreme violence, which he employs on a regular basis to keep his crew in check.

One afternoon in particular, Mikey is sitting in his usual spot halfway up a climbing frame in the kids’ play area, long abandoned by local children and their parents in deference to the mini-overlord. He’s clutching a can of cheap lager in one hand and twirling a large spliff around the fingers of the other. Today is very slow in terms of business though, as Mikey is currently being denied a full re-up by his superiors. Punishment for skimming a little too much off the top of his last take. This has left him in a really foul mood, and his youthful charges are wisely keeping their distance. One, however, is unfortunate enough to have been given the job of containing the exuberance of Mikey’s true love – his dark brown XL Bully, Thor. Mikey bestows more affection on this animal than either one of the two children he has fathered with different mothers and Thor is loyal to his criminal master to the point of death. Tragically, it is into this scenario that a shy young man by the name of Ishmael is about to intrude.

Ishmael is a 13-year-old refugee from Sudan and, along with his family, has been resident on The Greys for barely three months. Hailing from a poverty-stricken village at the very heart of the conflict in his embattled country, he has already seen more than his fair share of terror in his limited time on the planet, and views his new home as something of a safe haven away from the bullets and bombs that had become the backdrop to daily life. Nevertheless, he misses his friends and the simple life of the village, as grim as it was, and being a child of the land, misses the animals he grew up with the most. So, when he spots the sizeable form of Thor from a distance, he rather inadvisedly changes direction to hopefully share a moment or two with the dog, if the owner allows.

As he draws nearer and starts to extend an arm toward the hound, Mikey looks down from his perch at the boy and demands, “Whaddup, little man? Why ya minding mi dog, Fam?”

Ishmael is still unfamiliar with the local dialect and screws up his face to show his miscomprehension. For some reason, known only to Mikey, he takes this harmless enough gesture as a personal affront. Leaping off the climbing frame, he snatches the leash from the hand of his subordinate and starts tugging hard on it, causing Thor to choke and snarl ferociously. Ishmael throws up his hands in alarm at this and starts to back away. Mikey advances on him with the struggling hound foaming at the mouth, much to the amusement of the Baby PS20 who are whooping and hollering in delight at this sudden turn of events. Ishmael finally realizes the danger has now become very real and takes off running as fast as his little legs will carry him. Mikey gives a short laugh and letting the leash slip from his fingers, aims a hard kick at the dog’s rump, shouting loudly, “G’wan boy”.

Needing no further prompting, Thor sprints after the terrified child and within seconds has gained on him, bringing him to ground, savagely tearing at the clothes on his back and neck with tooth and claw. The attack itself is ferocious but thankfully short lived, as some courageous bystanders step in to help, allowing Ishmael to survive the onslaught – but only just. By the time police arrive on the scene, there is not, unsurprisingly, a single witnesses with the PS20 present and watchful, and very little to investigate as Thor has long been removed from the scene and is in the hands of friends on the estate. But Ishmael’s family cannot simply let it lie. With one of their own lying in the hospital, horribly injured and scarred, they start to reach out to the small local community from the old country, seeking out one who will give them the justice they deserve.

Several nights later, The Baby PS20 are gathered back in their usual spot, and the gang have cobbled together a rudimentary fire pit to beat the chill. Mikey D is back on his perch, and the air is thick with the smell of weed. Mikey is berating his crew for smoking out the area by adding wet cardboard to the fledgling fire when he spots someone approaching through the gloom, backlit by the one functioning street light left on the estate.

The man circles the fire before standing in front of the posse, and certainly cuts an impressive figure. Exceptionally tall and muscular, he’s dressed in a simple sackcloth tunic tied at the waist, with long dreadlocks framing his face and draped over his shoulders. In one hand he grips a long wooden staff, and in the other a bag of the same material as his attire. Mikey looks him up and down coolly, before questioning him, “Hey bredren, you lost or somefink?”

As the rest of the gang chuckle inanely at his comment, the man drops the bag he is clutching, sweeps a long finger in a broad semi-circle at the assembled thugs and booms, “In the name of the innocent, I bring the spirit of an ancient one to deliver unto you retribution. Know you have brought this upon yourselves!”

And walks slowly back directly through the fire and away, leaving the stunned Baby PS20 open-mouthed behind him.

Mikey jumps down laughing and gives the sack a tentative poke with his toe, leaping back as it starts to move and open. First a long hairy snout appears, teeth glistening yellow in the firelight, eyes a startling amber in the gloom. Then amid the stunned silence, an otherworldly creature slowly emerges, swelling in size by the second, its fur bristling and cracking with energy. Limbs once freed start thrashing wildly, as it rears up to tower over the wannabe gangsters who, having backed away from their leader, are now rooted to the spot in terror.

Standing alone in the face of the monster, Mikey stares open-mouthed before finally blurting out, “What the …?” his protestation cut short as the goliath lunges forward with a roar and devours him whole.

This is Plesiogulo, a mythical giant wolverine of the ancient world summoned and born anew, and all those of evil intent will soon know its wrath.

Kevin Ramsden resides in Kyoto, Japan, and is a professor of Global Studies at a university in the city. Other than writing, his interests include listening to reggae music and complaining about the performances of West Ham United football club. He has also self-published a collection of short stories titled “Here Comes Kenji – Stories from Contemporary Japan”, some of which have found homes in Japan-based journals and magazines along with a number of other pieces accepted for publication around the world.