Demolition Act: Revised Edition

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Chapter One :: Interlude

Hong Kong, China

Black hoodie hung loosely on her body in order to cover her face. She walked carefully to the back of the store, never once allowing her step to falter or bring attention to herself. Her gaze watched the dirty and scratched linoleum, counting the steps in her head as her worn-out boots squeaked against the grime. A clatter made her jump, skin crawling with goose bumps as another customer apologized quickly, kneeling to grab everything. Heart racing, she looked away and made her escape to the last aisle. The compartment store was eerily quiet, the music that normally played was turned off as the echo from freezers hummed to the beat of its generator. She was relieved to know that not many were in the store, it made her life much easier. Red-rimmed emerald orbs took in everything, absorbing the cold aisle as she searched for what she wanted.

She was too tired to pay much attention to the older woman walking pass, cart wobbling away at a faster pace than the woman's feet. She was too tired to pay attention to the lady that dropped everything as she walked by towards the registers. She was too tired to do anything. Bringing out one hand from her sweatshirt, she pretended to admire the work on a box of cereal. Her eyes went up to the security camera just out of view, watching through the large bird-eye mirror. A figure walked around the corner a moment later, wearing a gray Nike sweatshirt. Their own hood covered their head, keeping their features obscured as they moved towards her. Taking a step away from the shelf, just out of view from the camera completely, she turned and smiled sweetly. She wasn't, however, too tired to fake a smile and get the job done.

Blue eyes took in her lithe form like a cobra, sizing her up before pulling out a small pack of cigarettes. She stared at it. A huff of annoyance left his pale lips before he flipped it over, revealing the cash on the other side. Payment. Something she hadn't seen in over a month. Her false smile died as she awkwardly glanced up at the camera, making him laugh. Too tired to appreciate his mood or his callous smirk, she held out the exchange for the gift, narrowing her gaze when he took his sweet time to take it.

In a matter of moments they were walking away with no one the wiser. He went one way, smiling and waving to the cashier loudly. Her heart raced as she walked down two different aisle's before pulling out the cigarettes, using her teeth to unravel the plastic wrap. Already she could taste the scum called menthols, inhaling the harsh mint as she spit bits of plastic stuck to her tongue. The older woman from before gave her a scornful look as she passed, one cigarette now between her chapped lips. Sliding the pack into her pocket she stopped, looking up at the cameras. The electronic moved in a half circle as it took in the front end of the store, recording everyone's movements. As soon as it hit the left angle, she grabbed the nearest lighter pack and took off running.

A yell came from the cashier. Another yell came from a male voice as she leaped over a snow pile, long legs carrying her away from the store. Her breath left puffs of white as she breathed out heavily, lungs burning with cold air as she took a swing around a pole and took off down the street. The yelling came to a halt, no one pursuing her theft. They either didn't care or they thought the cold winter air was too dampening of a mood to run. She didn't stop running until she came up on a busier, bustling street of black snow from cars and taxis.

Lungs burned hatefully as she slid on her boots and used the weight of her body to press into a brick wall, finally stilling. The bottom of her ribcage ached from the excessive exercise she wasn't ready for, heart racing as it threatened to find a new home outside of her body. Taking chilling breaths to slow down her breathing, she began to walk with the cigarette in her mouth. It hung against her lip and with scorn, she began unraveling the lighters form its stolen box. A couple people turned to look at her as she littered, letting bits and pieces of cardboard to fall to the ground. Eyes shot up as a car blared, startling her. She took in the snow built up on the curb surrounding her like a wall. Stepping over it lightly, boots crunching, she gave the nearest passer a strange look before dropping the last two lighters on the ground and lit her cigarette with the only lighter she needed.

She wasn't in the mood for confrontation. No one said a thing anyway and she had a feeling someone swooped on her trash for their own—they always did. The harsh coldness from the menthol seeped into her throat and down her windpipes. A stream of smoke left chapped lips as she headed for a run-down complex, slipping between the doors as an elderly couple left. Tired, she all but glared at the elevator with its yellow tape and sticky-note plastered to it a dozen times. Out of order. Again. Turning away from the only escape she thought from using her legs, she let out another stream of smoke and headed for the stairwell just around the corner. One-by-one she stomped her boots free of snow as she made it up the first set of stairs. Smoke left her parted lips like a breeze stinking up the small corridor and letting it soak up around the cement walls reeking with urine and stale beer.

After the third flight she was winded and ended up smashing what was left of her cigarette into the chipped railing. Licking her lips from top to bottom, she continued to the fifth floor. Heat was making her body numb and itchy, her hands vibrating as they shook. She wanted her sweatshirt off. She hated wearing them, they ate her away like life itself. An emergency light blinked an orange color as she continued to ascend. A "no smoking" sign hung by a single nail against the alabaster wall, a familiar pink sticker plastered to the center. She smiled, swiping it as she pushed opened the door to the fifth floor. Her note. Her life. She never did like people knowing she was gone, but it was an assurance to certain friends in her life to know she wasn't in. Cold air beat at her as she crumbled up the pink sticker, scanning the doors for her own.

567, 568, 569…570. Fishing for her key, one ear on the soft sound of steps as a neighbor walked around next door, she lightly dug it into the lock and turned. The moment the door was opened a wave of stale cigarettes and lavender incense came rushing towards her. Wrinkling her nose, she shut the door with her butt and stomped into her kitchen. As if on cue, a black cat came running from the bathroom—his place of hiding. His piercing blue orbs lit up the kitchen like a kid on Christmas, expecting the love and attention she always gave him. Reaching down, she held her cat before he pounced onto the counter.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm hungry too. Just wait a minute will ya?" She made a face, slipping out of her sweatshirt. "Anyone come knocking, Suppi?" she asked aloud. The cat stared and she sighed. "Of course not, why would they?"

The whoosh of her freezer made her shiver as she shoved the money into a container, only keeping enough to have on hand. As she let the door shut again, her eyes wondered to the red light across the counter indicating four missed calls and two voicemails. Her cat's tail swished in rhythm to the missed messages, waiting patiently for food. Kneeling, she opened the bottom cabinet and fished for food. Almost immediately Suppi dropped down, purring loudly in anticipation. Guilt gnawed at her stomach. She'd left her cat for two days alone and without food. It wasn't her fault. There was a job to do, money to receive. By now the cat was used to it, but it still hurt to know her laundering was causing her loved ones to suffer. A girl needed money to survive.

The moment food trickled into a bowl, Suppi was digging in. With a sad smile she sat back on the floor resting her back against the cabinets. "Just a few more jobs and we're home free." She promised the cat. No answer, no response, only the gobbling of food. Sighing, she stood and walked towards the other half of the single room. Her large golden chow was sprawled on the couch, paws dangling over the televisions remote. As she sat down he stretched, digging thick nails into her jeans. "I suppose you're too lazy to beg for food, huh Kero."

A mess caught her eye and she frowned staring at the destroyed dog bag. "Apparently you found your stash." Curling up next to him she rested her head against his behind, taking in the warmth of his body and the soft fur of his coat. "Can't keep buying you fancy food if you keep destroying it when I'm gone." She yawned, dozing off.

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Her lungs burned as she ran down the hall, banging on every door. After two seconds she went to the next door. She didn't have time to wait, people were after her. Long black hair spilled from a bun down her back, brushing against her winter coat in a scratchy motion. Long legs carried her down the dimly lit hall half ridden with cold and mildew. Snow drifted from the open balcony, making the cemented ground moist. Rounding a corner, she banged on anything her fists touched. No one answered as she created chaos, sliding across puddles of melted snow. Her body hit the balcony as she whirled to go the other way, threatening to dump her to the ground. Dipping over to see if she could find her pursuers, she scanned the dark courtyard taking in the shadows and doors she'd already hammered on. Not seeing anyone, she made a run for the next door. It slammed open forcing her to go up another flight of stairs.

The fifth floor was the same as all the rest. No one answered. The only noise came from her shoes hitting the ground, splashing into puddles and knocking over neighbor's belongings, ironically chained to the wall. Not one person opened the door a crack to see who was disturbing the peace, not even the landlord. Once at the last door before it curved into the elevator, she banged and banged, waiting for a response. There was nowhere else to go except for the stairwell down which was across the way six doors down. There wasn't even a roof entrance. Catching her breath she turned, staring at the corridor as the snow landed and faded. It wasn't snowing hard enough to make an impact. Her breath could be seen as she shuddered, heart hammering against her chest in response to her anxiety. A dog barked a few doors away from the staircase, but no one answered him either.

What was wrong with these people? She stared at the door willing it to open, but all she heard was the click of more locks being placed. It was as if they'd dealt with someone running for their life before. Kicking the door in anger, she whirled and stared. Three men in black hoods came at her fast from the stairwell. Her eyes got wide as fear escalated. Turning she searched for her options: kick down the door and hope they had a fire escape or fight? She had no weapon, she had no phone. She was stuck. As if on cue, one of the men pulled out a glock and her heart dropped down to her gut. Option three then—elevator.

Hands shook as she pushed the down button over and over again. The men slipped over snow, shoving one another out of the way as they tried to pass over to get her. It was obvious they didn't want to shoot or they simply forgot they had the glock in their hand. When the elevator didn't respond to her excessive pushing, she swore turning to face the oncoming men. They were four doors away. She was five flights up, no way was she jumping. Aiming for the door again she threw herself at it and banged, panicking for help. The barking started up again and the glock came up, the men stopping as they realized she had nowhere to go. Cocky bastards, she thought miserably. Her foot connected with the door just as he fired. She dove, hitting the thick wall behind her with enough force to crack her back all the way down her spine.

The barking grew excessive, the beast throwing himself at the door. There was no way residents were going to ignore gunfire, although now it meant no one was coming to her rescue.

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Kero barked madly. His large body lifted onto his hind legs as he scraped at the door, forcing her awake. She hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep hard until her heart felt like it was going to pop out. She knew that bark—something was happening—that's when she heard it. Two shots rang out just outside her door followed by a girl shouting, "Bloody assholes!"

Kero went silent the moment the gunshot went off and Suppi remained on the kitchen counter, ready to pounce. Whoever was outside wasn't there for her and yet the animals thought it was. A weird emotion rose as she crept to the door. There were voices coaxing the girl to give up and in turn she cursed them. She couldn't judge the distance between them without looking. Through the peephole she saw only darkness, the snow falling in shades. A shot rang out, hitting the cement floor with a crunch.

"Just hit me asshole or are you really that bad of a shot!" Kero barked in answer.

"Shh—!" she warned her dog, listening.

"No one's here to help you. None of these residents care about you." A male voice spoke, ignoring the barking dog.

"Ya well…"

As she listened to them converse, their voices loud enough to pick up an echo from the hall, she slowly undid the numerous locks on her door. Kero whined. "Shh," she shushed him, turning the handle slowly. There was no light to illuminate the walkway. The outside light had been burnt out for the last month, giving her the opportunity to ease the door open a crack. Cold air rushed in and Suppi jumped down off the counter. Keeping her foot in the way she rested her body against the frame and peered out at the corridor in order to see.

A girl with black hair stood a door away. Her eyes were fierce as she stared at the other end. She couldn't see the men without revealing herself or opening the door more. Kero hovered next to her back leg and she winced, feeling him vibrate with anger. Droll slipped down the sides of his canines as he growled silently. The girl hadn't even noticed her as she opened the door another crack, Suppi at the ready. Closing her eyes, she counted to three with a silent prayer before throwing the door open and letting her pets out. Kero barked with a growling rumble, Suppi hissed, and a man swore. The moment they were distracted the girl lunged for the open door. One of the men yelled as the cat scratched and hissed, the dog keeping them at bay despite the weapon.

"Close it! Close it! Close it!" the stranger cried as she slid and stumbled into a table. The key dish dropped in a clatter and a book thumped, making her whirl around briefly before flipping on a light.

"Kero! Suppi!" she yelled in answer. She barely caught sight of the girl taking cover behind the kitchen wall, the only wall separating the single room. She didn't wait for an answer from the animals and began shutting the door. Kero forced his large weight in just as the cat skittered in a spitting hiss of madness down the way.

She slammed the locks back into the placed and dropped to the floor, leaning her back against the door. the door jolted against her back and she squealed, eyes tightly shut as she pushed harder for the door to remain close. Curses could be heard from the other side, two bodies ramming against it as the third swore vengeance. Kero growled at her feet, brown orbs a darker bliss of madness as he anticipated an intrusion. The girl she saved popped her head around, breaking hard. Dark circles marked her pale face and a thin line of blood marked her cheekbone. Her head banged in response to the thundering pound on the door, the locks jangling as they remained in place. Eyes widening the girl crawled over to her, avoiding Kero by a hairsbreadth and pressed her back against the door to help keep it shut.

"Thank you," she said through clenched teeth. Opening her eyes she met the girl squarely.

"Yeah," she held in a breath as a bullet pierced through the cheap wood, missing her foot by inches. Kero barked as he pranced backwards angrily.

"Is there a way out of here?" the girl asked, biting her lower lip as two more shots were heard hitting the door.

"No," she got out tightly and frowned when the girl cursed, slipping in a slump. Her jeans were ripped, the hems damp. "If worse comes there's a panic room just by the bathroom."

"Serious," the girl blinked, astounded. Shrugging her shoulders she shifted to get a better grip on pushing against the door. Shots rang out, making her tilt her head in confusion.

"They aren't hitting the door."

"Idiots." She mumbled then turned her head as an audible thump hit the door. "Wait…" Kero began whining taking steps backwards into the main part of the apartment. "I think…I think they left." A sudden pounding at the door made both girls shriek, the dog barking madly.

"Meilin! Meilin are you in there? Open up!" a male voice yelled. The girl Meilin looked up at the door locks above her head, contemplating an answer. "Damn-it Meilin!"

"Um…hold on please." She got out snidely. The phone rang angrily before shutting off, her automatic decline forcing the call to her voicemail. Both girls stared at one another before getting to their feet. Kero backed up further, sitting down calmly with his head cocked to one side. "Thank you for helping." She could only nod, unlocking the sequence of chains. A shadow loomed just outside the door taking a step back as she opened it wider.

Brown orbs widened at the sight of her before visibly sucked in a breath to calm himself. "I'm sorry, but is—Meilin!" he growled as if switching a personality button, his gaze narrowing at the sight of his friend. "I told you not to go where there's civilians." His voiced changed drastically as he approached the black-haired girl. Kero growled, coming closer and forcing him to stop just at the foyer.

"Kero," she warned softly and smiled as Suppi came trotting into the apartment, right on cue.

"It wasn't my fault! They practically blew up my bike and chased me all the way here." Meilin grounded, arms crossed. "What was I supposed to do? I was tired of running." She glanced at the animals with respect as they watched the male in the doorway. "I was gratefully saved, no thanks to your demand I leave my weapon home."

"Don't start blaming this on me. It was you who wanted to go clubbing." He seethed, eyeing the cat wrapping around his legs. Meilin huffed, glancing at the girl.

"Sorry about all this, thank you so much for helping me." Her hand stuck out, suspended in air as she held her gaze.

Taking her hand and the cold depths of her fingers, she grinned. "Sakura, my name's Sakura and you're welcome."

"Meilin and this rude individual is my cousin, Syaoran." She eyed the animals then her. "Do you seriously have a panic room?"

"Meilin," Syaoran got out as he stepped back out into the night. Sighing, she followed him.

"Thanks again!" Sakura could only nod watching them drag each other away. Her eyes went to the floor stained with blood and shells. Brows knitted together she stepped over her cat sitting at the doorframe and glanced down the hall. No bodies, only blood.

"Kinomoto!" a voice rumbled from the elevator and she winced, hearing her landlord. She was in deep trouble now.

To be continued…

Hey guys, thank you for reading my story.

I am in the process of revising the whole thing. It may take time, otherwise it is definitely complete. Thank you!