EVIL SYSTEM

It didn't take long for a very soft melody to begin playing, accompanied by the movement of Ben's fingers.

The rhythm was slow but intriguing.

Although it was just a guitar solo, it caught the attention of passersby because there was a marked difference between Ben's and Dante's skills.

"They all laughed as he turned around slow," Ben's voice was soft but distinctly raspy, giving the song a mysterious touch.

"They said, (You ain't welcome 'round here anymore / You just might as well go)." Ben's voice and guitar skills began to attract many people, some of whom took out their cameras to record him.

"He wiped the blood from his face as he slowly came to his knees." Ben took advantage of this part of the song to make a gesture of wiping his face, but in reality, he just adjusted his hood and lowered his head. All without stopping singing or playing.

"He said, (I'll be back when you least expect it)." Ben briefly looked at the people around him and stopped playing completely.

He waited for the tension and expectations to rise before singing a cappella:

"¡And hell's coming with me!"

Ben's body relaxed, and he stopped hunching over as he played. His fingers began to move with great agility, playing in an incredible way.

The small, delicate notes resonated beautifully through the station, attracting the attention of most people, whether they were entering or leaving.

"Hell's coming with me."

His fingers danced across the guitar, caressing it like old lovers reuniting to reminisce about old times.

The guitar solo captivated the people until, suddenly, the rhythm began to slow down, and everything fell into a brief silence.

The people hadn't even started to feel disappointed by the sudden stop when Ben quickly changed the rhythm.

"There is a hill at the bottom of the valley." The guitar and the sounds it emitted seemed more lively and cheerful.

"And if you listen real close, you can hear 'em like a ghost / And you're never gonna make it out alive."

"There is a town at the bottom of that hill." Ben kept singing the song, and the people around him got into it, clapping along. "They got a secret that they keep like a slave."

"They got a black magic preacher, / We'd do well to let him teach her, / You'll be heading up that hill to the grave."

"And it is well with my soul, / You line your pockets full of money / That you steal from the poor / And on your way down the hill / You hear me ring the bell / I'd pay the devil twice as much to keep your soul."

Ben took a breath and continued playing his guitar masterfully.

Leaning closer to the audience, he began to sing the next part as if telling them a story.

"There was a drifter passing through that little valley."

"He had promised he was coming back to town (coming back to town)."

"They didn't know him by his face or by the gun around his waist. / But he'll come back to burn that town to the ground."

"First there was fire." Ben leaned closer to the audience and whispered as if sharing a secret. "Then there was smoke."

"Then the preacher man was hanging by a rope."

"And then they all fell to their knees / And begged that drifter, begged him please / As he raised his fist before he spoke."

Ben stopped completely for a second, took a deep breath, and shouted:

"¡¡I am the righteous hand of God!!"

"¡¡And I am the devil that you forgot!!"

"¡And I told you one day you will see / That I'll be back, I guarantee!"

Ben swayed to the rhythm of the song, completely immersed, and shouted with all his might:

"¡¡¡And that hell's coming, hell's coming Hell...!!! / ¡¡¡Hell's coming with me!!!"

His fingers kept moving across the guitar without stopping for a second.

Slowly, the sounds became softer and softer until there was nothing left.

The subway fell silent for a long time until someone started clapping, and many others followed.

Ben bowed with the guitar against his chest, and people began tossing coins into the guitar case.

Some even threw bills.

When everyone left, Ben handed the guitar back to the guy with a smile.

"Thank you."

"No," Dante took the guitar with a dazed look. "Thank you for letting me hear that song."

Ben shrugged and began counting the money in the guitar case.

"Did you write it?" Dante asked excitedly. "What's it called?"

Ben kept counting the money and shook his head.

"It's a song by a band called Poor Man's Poison, and it's called *Hell's Comin' with Me*," Ben smiled. "It's pretty cool, right?"

"Just cool?" Dante was very excited. "It's incredible! It tells the story of a man's journey to revenge."

"How come I've never heard it before? More importantly, why isn't that band famous yet?"

Ben shrugged again and finished counting.

"124 argens. Will that be enough to buy a ticket?"

"Where do you want to go?" Dante asked, intrigued.

"To Karto city"

Dante shook his head.

"You can't get there by train; you'll need to take a plane," Dante looked at the money in Ben's hands. "And that's far from enough."

"Oh," Ben scratched his head.

How much would he have to sing to gather enough money?

He didn't like being the center of attention, so the thought of doing this several times in a row tired him out just thinking about it.

"But you know what it *is* enough for?" Dante leaned closer to Ben and tapped his shoulder.

Ben looked up and asked, "What?"

"Some good burgers!"

++++

Ben and Dante sat together on a park bench. Both held a burger in one hand and a large cup of soda in the other.

"These burgers are amazing!" Ben couldn't help but praise.

Only when Dante mentioned it did Ben remember that he hadn't eaten anything in several days.

The only reason he had been able to keep going as if nothing was wrong was his superhuman physique.

But with a burger in his hand, he devoured it in seconds.

The one he was holding now was already his fifth burger.

"Hahaha, of course!" Dante laughed. "You have a voracious appetite. With all those burgers you've eaten, it's even harder to save up for a ticket, even one out of the city."

Ben lowered his head, thoughtful and worried.

Now that he thought about it more carefully, he didn't even have an ID, and without that, it would be impossible to buy a plane ticket. It would even be hard for him to find a place to sleep.

Dante stared at him for a few seconds before suddenly speaking up.

"I have a proposal for you."

"Hmm?" Ben looked up curiously.

"Join my band, and I'll take you to your destination."

"No way," Ben shook his head. "I don't want to be in any band."

"Why not?!" Dante raised his voice. "You're amazing at playing the guitar, and you have a great voice too. If you join me, I guarantee we'll be famous in no time."

"Maybe," Ben nodded, thinking about the songs in his head. But then he shook his head. "The thing is, I'm not looking for fame."

Dante looked at him as if he were an extinct animal.

"You're a weirdo, you know that?"

Ben clenched his teeth.

"What's so good about not being able to go out and buy a burger because people won't stop asking for autographs? Sorry, but that's not for me."

"You're right about that," Dante bit into his burger with an expression of immense pleasure. "Burgers are the best food in the world."

"Well, I wouldn't say that," Ben objected. "For me, that title goes to pizza."

"Now you're definitely a weirdo," Dante pointed at him. "Weirdo."

Ben wanted to beat the guy up, but he wasn't sure if he could hold back if he did.

"Well, if you don't want to be part of my band, how about we meet halfway?"

"Like what?" Ben asked.

"Come with me," Dante smiled excitedly. "I have a car; we can travel by road to get to your destination. In the meantime, we can perform in subways or bars to earn money for food and gas."

"That doesn't sound too bad," Ben admitted but looked at Dante with suspicion. "But why would you cross the entire country just to take me there?"

Dante laughed.

"I'm a wanderer," Dante proudly thumped his chest. "In fact, I'm not from this country. I travel everywhere, and I aspire to become a great singer."

"And you call *me* a weirdo?" Ben pointed at him. "Who does that kind of thing these days? Are you a hippie?"

Dante didn't seem affected by his comments.

"Do you accept?"

Ben looked at Dante's outstretched hand and then at his smiling face.

"I feel like I'm going to regret this decision, but..." Ben took Dante's hand. "I think I don't have another choice."