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for a good time. But from up close their faces were tense and they walked with the steely resolve of men preparing to go into battle, silently psyching themselves up on the inside for whatever violence they might now be preparing to face. The so-called “Wild Cats” were the number one drug-dealing gang around the campus—the only actual gang there was, if they could even be called that—and therefore served as the primary obstacle standing in the way of Sal and his crew moving in. There could no half-measures now if they wanted this dealt with and out of the way quickly, they could show no mercy. They’d have to crush these guys completely, not just enough that they’d retreat for today but so much so that they’d never have the nerve to even attempt a retaliation sometime further down the line. And, even more importantly, to ensure that they wouldn’t try to turn them in to the cops once it was all over. That would be an offense worth killing for and nobody wanted that. It was bad for business if nothing else.
     
     
    The party was really jumping. Outside a huge crowd had gathered in a ring around a particularly boisterous bout of beer pong and the drunken revelers cheered and roared at the contestants inside their makeshift coliseum.
    “Good,” Eyeball said, “a distraction.”
    They pushed past a couple of drunk frat-boys on the steps and went on into the house. “Hey,” one of the guys protested and when Ferret turned on him, the kid shut his mouth in an instant. Yes, their first university assignment could prove to be a little easier than what they were used to, but it was early days yet and only time would tell.
    Sensing the thought, Eyeball spoke out as they entered the party. “How this goes all depends on how many of these assholes are in here—their meeting room’s upstairs, right Lou?”
    “Yeah,” Lou nodded, glancing furtively around to see if there was any trouble on the horizon. Nothing but drunks and dancers for now.
    “We should just go in and pop em all,” Ferret spoke up, “Bang! Bang! Bang! That’s it. Easy.”
    Eyeball ignored him but looked at the other two closely. “You guys ain’t packing heat, are you?” he asked, “Remember we said no guns.”
    “No guns,” Romeo nodded, “we won’t need em anyway.”
    “I do got this though,” Ferret grinned, taking his hand out of his pocket to show a brass-knuckle on his fist, scratched from ample usage, and paradoxically spelling the word “IRISH”.
    “Nice piece,” Lou said.
    “Yeah, you say that now,” Ferret replied, “But I bet you wouldn’t want to take a closer look, would you?”
    “Try me,” Lou smiled.
    Romeo stepped towards the staircase, either not noticing or deliberately ignoring the two girls who were frantically twirling and stroking their hair trying to get his attention as he walked past them. “Come on,” he said, “let’s get this over with…”
    He began to climb the staircase, stepping aside to let a rather large young man dressed in only a bed-sheet and a paper crown pass by on his way down, as the others followed Romeo.
    “Hail Caeser,” Ferret signaled to the frat boy and the guy returned to him a puzzled gaze.
    After checking a number of rooms (and disturbing more than one offended couple from the throes of their sensual pleasure) they opened a door onto a large rec-room type area, complete with a pool-table, bar and huge sofas facing a home cinema screen hooked up to a variety of games consoles. On the projector screen the Grand Theft Auto avatar was just in the middle of boosting a car when they stepped in and Ferret smiled to see it. He loved that game.
    “Who the fuck are you assholes?” somebody grunted. “This is a private room for Gammas only. Party’s downstairs.”
    Eyeball smiled as he narrowed his eyes. “No it ain’t,” he said, “the party’s right here. Or at least our kind of party is anyway.”
    The four of them stepped into the room and got ready to teach the