Vol 2 Chapter 2.2 (1/2)
[Novel] NO. 6 - Vol 2 Ch 2 (b)
This is a continuation of PART A.
Please excuse my, er, butchered attempt at British dialect... as long as you get the feel for what kind of people these are...
The rain let up before noon but the clouds still lingered, and the ground remained cold as dusk approached. Nezumi was walking briskly through the throng. s.h.i.+on was doing his best to keep up behind him. He was out of breath. He was jostled, b.u.mped, and yelled at; he felt the gaze of countless curious eyes raining down on his head; the smell of a dozen things reached his nose, so mingled and melded into each other that he couldn't tell what they originally were; the muddy ground tripped up his feet; a sprawl of barracks and tents lined the road, and from them, thick smoke billowed rudely into the pa.s.serby; in the air, angry bellows, seductive coos, and merchants' cries clashed clamorously. He felt dizzy.
The older district of Lost Town, which was where he took up residence after being forced from Chronos, was also bustling and lively. But compared to what he was seeing now, it seemed like a tranquil getaway.
In No. 6, there were designated roads and paths for both people and vehicles going in each direction, and as a fundamental rule, stopping suddenly or going the opposite way was prohibited. Everyone walked in the same direction, in the same orderly fas.h.i.+on. It was rare to ever b.u.mp into anyone, or be stopped by an acquaintance. Nothing occurred suddenly or unexpectedly. Everything was managed to prevent such things from occurring. No. 6 was that kind of place.
A roar of voices suddenly erupted close by. s.h.i.+on was shoved violently aside. He lost his footing, and fell forward onto his knees in the mud. Several men thundered past him. Something fell from one of their arms, rolled, and came to a stop in front of s.h.i.+on. It was an orange.
”Thief!”
A man burst out of one of the shops in the barracks, holding a gun. He was towering, and very fat.
”Them thieves!” he roared. ”Someone catch 'em!”
No one moved. Some smirked as they looked on, others showed no interest at all, others were shouting unintelligibly; and all the while, the so-called thieves were retreating further away into the crowd.
s.h.i.+on's breath caught in his throat. The gigantic man was taking aim with his gun. Pa.s.sers-by who saw him squatted hastily to the ground to take cover.
Is he nuts? s.h.i.+on couldn't imagine this man being in his right mind to open fire into this crowd of people. But the man's face was set in determination. The long muzzle of his outdated firearm was pointed straight before him. The fleeing men b.u.mped into an old woman and pushed her aside as they continued running. She yammered something at them, then returned to hobbling down the centre of the road. She was oblivious to the gun that was pointed her way. The giant's thick finger wrapped around the trigger.
s.h.i.+on threw himself at the man just before his hairy knuckle jerked to fire the gun. With as much strength as he could muster, he knocked the muzzle of the gun upwards.
He felt a heavy impact slam his hand, and a shot blasted in his eardrums. The muzzle of the gun spewed fire into the darkening sky. s.h.i.+on staggered. His feet were swept from under him, and he was slammed to the ground. His breath died on his lips.
”The h.e.l.l do you think yer doin'?”
The man towered over him with his gun raised, filling every inch of his vision. s.h.i.+on rolled quickly to the side. The giant moved nimbly for his appearance, and s.h.i.+on was met with a firm kick in the ribs.
s.h.i.+on grunted in pain. He couldn't speak. His stomach lurched.
”One of their little friends, eh?” the giant snarled. ”Little f.u.c.ker, takin' a swipe at my merchandise.”
The man's boot gave off a greasy, animal smell. And it was swinging straight toward his stomach again.
”I'm not one of them!” s.h.i.+on screamed, barely dodging the blow. I have to scream, or else he'll really kick me to death. There was no hint of hesitation in the blows that showered down upon him.
”I'm not― I'm not one of them,” s.h.i.+on persisted.
”Shut up!” the giant bellowed. ”Now those b.a.s.t.a.r.d thieves 're gone. Thanks to yer gettin' in the way.”
”If I didn't intervene, someone could have been killed,” s.h.i.+on protested. ”Opening fire in a place like this ― what if you'd hit someone?”
To his astonishment, the man started laughing. Laughter rose from the crowd that lined the streets as well.
”And so what if I did?” the man roared, emanating his beastly odour. ”What's that got to do with me, eh?” His expression suddenly darkened, and he roughly grabbed s.h.i.+on by his hair. ”You and yer strange mop o' yers. I don't like the looks o' you.”
He was pulled to the ground forcefully. His scalp burned with pain, and it felt like it was being torn off. But even stronger than the aches on his body were the feelings of wrath and humiliation that seethed within him.
”Stop it!” s.h.i.+on yelled.
Stop it. Let go of me. How dare you treat me like cattle.
s.h.i.+on threw himself at the man again, and slammed his body into him as hard as he could. He felt his elbow dig firmly into the man's swollen gut. The man let out a m.u.f.fled groan and fell on his knees. The crowd had formed a ring around them. Clapping, whistling and raucous laughter erupted periodically.
”That's the spirit, young'un. Give 'im what he deserves!”
”Kill 'im off, ol' man! There's no use wastin' time here!”
No one tried to stop them. Everyone was enjoying the spectacle from a safe distance. s.h.i.+on searched the jeering crowd for a pair of grey eyes. He couldn't find them.
”You little―”
He heard a booming roar that sounded more animal than human. Then he felt a blow bludgeon his cheek. Sparks burst before his eyes, and his vision went dark for a short instant. Something warm was filling his mouth. Unable to bear it, he spat it out. Saliva mixed with blood splattered and oozed over the dirt.
”Playin' funny tricks!” The man's face was flushed red, and he was shaking in rage. His eyes were bloodshot, and his veins were raised and throbbing over his skin like a crimson web. The murderous intent that radiated from him was unmistakable.
”Yer gonna pay for this,” he growled. The gun was aimed right between s.h.i.+on's eyes. s.h.i.+on couldn't close his gaping mouth. He felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest. And still, no one stopped him. In this crowd of people that surrounded them, not a single one stepped in to stop the man. He felt nauseous. He couldn't tell whether the muzzle before his eyes was real or just an illusion.
”Hey,” a deep voice punctuated the din. It belonged to a man who was roasting meat at the front of his store. Pieces of blackened meat covered the grill, which was billowing thick, sooty smoke. ”Don't be makin' a mess in front of my store,” he said.
”I en't makin' a mess,” the man growled.
”You were 'bout to, you were. If you go blowin' brains and blood all over the place, everyone's gonna lose their appet.i.tes, they is. Take it somewhere else.”
The giant scoffed. ”No one's gonna have any appet.i.te for yer half-rotten meat anyway.”
”Wha.s.sat?” The man shot back. ”Rotten meat? You's the one selling rotten fruits and vegetables, you's sure one to talk.”
”Our produce is fresh.”
”You must be kiddin' me! Even i' this season, theys flies swarmin' all over 'em. If they's not rotten, theys must be right withered.”
”What? You little―”
The men lunged at each other. s.h.i.+on raised himself off the ground and started running.
”Hey! d.a.m.nit, you come back 'ere!” The man bellowed angrily. s.h.i.+on had no time to turn around to check. His body bristled in fear of being shot from behind at any second. He tripped.
”This way.”
He was grabbed by the arm.
”This way, quickly.”
He was dragged into a narrow alleyway between two buildings. s.h.i.+on leaned back heavily against the wall, and drew several deep breaths.
”Doing alright there?”
He lifted his face. A woman was smiling at him. Her red painted lips floated up vividly in the dim gloom. The lips parted wide again.
”Oh, dear. You've cut your lip, it's bleeding. Looks like you had a hard time back there. Poor thing.”
The strong smell of her perfume filled s.h.i.+on's nostrils.
”Thank you for helping me,” s.h.i.+on said to her, after his breathing had returned somewhat back to normal. There was a few seconds of silence, after which the woman suddenly burst into laughter.
”I wonder how long it's been since someone last thanked me,” she chuckled. ”It feels like years. By the way, you've got interesting hair, sweetie.”
”Huh―? Oh... I've been through a lot of, er, things...”
”We've all been through a lot of things. And so have I, here―”
Despite the biting cold, the woman was clad only in a thin dress that bared her shoulders. She pulled her neckline down to show him, and a pair of voluptuous b.r.e.a.s.t.s appeared. Their whiteness stood out even more than her red lips. s.h.i.+on's eyes stung.
”Look, you see there's a burn mark? A man did that to me with a hot metal rod, a long time ago. It was h.e.l.l, I'm telling ya. But look, see, doesn't it kind of look like a snake? Like a snake is slithering over my chest.”
I've got a snake too, and it's coiled around my whole body.
He thought so, but he didn't put into words. The woman continued giggling softly.
”Sweetie, don't you have any experience with women?”
”Huh?”
”Shall I give you a lesson? My place is just up ahead. Why don't you come over, and we can have a good time. How's that sound?”
”What?” s.h.i.+on repeated dumbly.
”I'm asking if you if you want to come over and have a good time.” Irritation crept into the woman's voice. ”I haven't got anything to do until nighttime either. Don't worry, it won't cost too much. So why don't we enjoy ourselves, hmm?”
The woman's arms reached around s.h.i.+on's neck. He was pushed back against the wall. Her lips pressed firmly against his. The strong scent of her makeup washed over him. He felt faint. Her warm tongue glided in between his teeth and mingled with his own. s.h.i.+on found himself reflexively pus.h.i.+ng the woman away.
”What was that for?” she said indignantly.
”No, I― Well― this isn't...”
”What're you mumbling on about? I helped you, didn't I? Being my customer is the least you can do.”
”Customer? But... I―”
”I'm not gonna force you if you don't want to. But you still owe me money for the kiss.”
”What?” s.h.i.+on asked incredulously.
The woman's lips twisted, and her voice turned sugary sweet.
”Now, don't be disagreeable,” she purred. ”You're a man, aren't you? Come on, let's take it easy. I'll make sure you have a good time, so come on over to my place, sweetie.”
”N―No thanks, it's really...”
Her white arms came clinging onto him again. s.h.i.+on was frozen rigid even more than when the gun had been pointed at him. He couldn't move.
”Would you mind?” a voice spoke. ”That one belongs to me.”
Nezumi was standing at the entrance of the alleyway. The woman furrowed her brow.
”What?”
”He's mine. Could I get him back?” Nezumi extended his hand as if to beckon s.h.i.+on over. The woman drew her chin up and smiled thinly in realization.
”I see. No wonder I was getting such a slow reaction. Sweetie here isn't interested in women.”
”What? Actually that's not true, I'm―”
Nezumi pressed a hand over s.h.i.+on's mouth and smiled at the woman.
”That's right. He's so head-over-heels for me, even the most beautiful girl couldn't attract his attention right now.”
The woman hunched her shoulders as if to say 'oh well'. She glanced at s.h.i.+on. ”Money,” she said.
”I don't care which way sweetie swings, but I still need payment for that kiss. One silver coin.”
Nezumi laughed softly.
”One whole silver for that kiss? That's pretty expensive.”
”That's how much it's worth. If sweetie can't pay for it, you better pay up for him. You're his lover, aren't you? Footing the bill once isn't gonna do any harm.”
”I guess you're right. Yeah, sure. Could I get change, then?”
”Change?”
Nezumi leaned in toward the woman. He grabbed her arm as she tried to back away, and drew her close.
”What―”
The woman's lips, parted in mid-sentence, were met by Nezumi's. It happened right before s.h.i.+on's eyes. The woman resisted for a moment, then was still. Only her bare and exposed throat contracted slightly as she swallowed. A dog was barking somewhere in the distance. A sewer rat scurried its way past s.h.i.+on's feet and disappeared. Nezumi drew away from the woman.
”How was it?” he asked.