(26)Rainfall
Xiao sunk farther into the seat as Da pulled into the customary gas station. Whenever they visited their parents, on the way home they often ended having to use the same gas station. Except that they were far later then usual to visit the 24 hour station, and Xiao couldn't help but decide it was not safe. It looked deserted, there were only ever three cars there at most, and the white lights around the pumps flickered wickedly with the beat of the moths wings. "Sis," Xiao whined, twisting her great grandmother's ring around her finger nervously.
"Oh shush Xiao. You wouldn't be so darn scared if you'd do as I tell you and stop watching all those stupid horror films."
"But-"
"No buts. Go and get us something to drink for the ride home. Something to snack on too. I'll fill up the car." Xiao turned to whine more to her big sister, but Da was already stepping out of the car, her boots clicking on the concrete. Xiao gave a long, hard sigh before rising from the car as well. She made her way into the station, and cringed when the stupid bell went off. She glanced around, noticing nobody was at the counter.
"Hello?" she called before chewing on her bottom lip. "Is somebody working? Ya'll say this is twenty-four hours! Hello?" There was no reply. Xiao took some steps forward, and stood on the tip of her toes to try and look around, not quite sure what she was looking for. She continued to pull at the ring, turning to look over her shoulder at Da filling the car. A loud crash in the backroom had her stumbling over. Righting herself, her head whipped around to stare at the door. It was slightly ajar, and the blood drained from Xiao's face.
A fluffy white cat hopped up onto the counter, and stared at Xiao with the most bored of stares that only a cat could pull off sitting on a counter with Playboy and cigarettes behind him. Xiao glared at the cat as he started to lick his paws, ignoring her entirely now. "Stupid cat. Never liked cats. Giant balls of stubborn haughtiness is what they are. Hope you get your tail bitten off by a dog, you hear me!" Xiao pointed dramatically at the cat that didn't even glance up at her. "Fine! Be that way!" Xiao turned and stomped out of the station to go sulk in the passenger seat.
Da stepped into the driver's seat, and glanced around the car. "The refreshments?"
"Nobody was there," Xiao mumbled, still glaring where the cat should have been had he not moved.
"Alright then," Da nodded slowly, raising an eyebrow at her sister. Slowly she pulled out of the spot and towards the street. Glancing both ways she went to turn. Xiao gave a bloodcurdling scream. Da went to slam on the breaks, hit the gas by accident and then the breaks, both of them and all their items in the back flying around as they came to a dead stop in the middle of the road. "Xiao?"
"Nana's ring!" Xiao cried, holding up her hand. "I've lost her ring! Da!" She wailed, her eyes growing watery.
"It's alright Xiao we will find it. You had it before we left Dad's place right? Then it's either in the car or in the station right? It's okay, we'll find her ring. Don't cry, Xiao," Da cooed. Xiao nodded and turned on the light to look around at her feet as Da tried to get back to the station without crashing. As soon as the car stopped Xiao was up and rushing back inside the station. Da shortly followed, pushing her dark hair over her shoulder and glancing around as she entered.
"Where were you standing?" she asked, scanning the floor.
"Right here! Then the cat scared me and I jumped. It had to of fallen off then. It couldn't of before… I was fiddling with it! It couldn't have fallen off before."
"Okay Xiao. Don't panic. Let's just look for it okay? I doubt the kitty stole your ring," Da said with a reassuring smile. She then lowered herself gently to her knees and started to look. Xiao followed her lead and started to crawl around the floor. Da spotted the cat sauntering around behind the counter, and could only give it a glare as she sat on her haunches. Of course the feline hardly spared her a glance before disappearing again to the back room. Shaking her head, Da made her way to a table off to the side of the counter.
Trying to ignore the bottom of the table, Da bent down closer to the ground to try and see with the horrible lighting. Next to a box cutter and a keychain was a small golden ring. Smiling, giving a small thank you, she pulled out the box cutter and the ring together. It wouldn't do to leave such a thing on the floor. Da wasn't sure, but if children did come around the station it was a hazard.
The bell went off, and Da sat straighter and craned her head to look. Even on the floor, sitting on her haunches, Da could see the face of one of the men. Slick black hair, face red, and a long beard he looked fierce as he glowered down at something. But he wasn't the one to talk. "Get in there!" a rough voice said, and then there was a thud and a grunt. "Don't you be trying any funny business you hear?" More thuds and grunts.
"Oh my god!" Xiao screamed. The giant man's head whipped around. Da pocketed the knife and ring in her jacket and rushed towards her sister, the tapping of her boots giving her away. She couldn't make it to Xiao, but she was able to see what exactly she was looking at. Three men, one she was willing to bet was the owner of the station if she remembered correctly, were standing before a bloody mess of a man curled up in fetal position with his hands tied behind his back.
His caramel hair was sticky with blood, face hidden in his knees and chest. Road rash covered his arms, his sleeves torn. Da covered her mouth as she gasped, stepping back as she looked up at the three men.
"What are they doing here? More of them?" a short, stout man hissed, stepping forward with clenched fists.
"Step down brother. These two are no threats. A hindrance, no doubt, but not a threat," the giant one said, looking down at them from over his nose.
"This is a twenty-four hour gas station," the third said, seemingly the kindest of the three as he glanced at the other two.
"It's far too coincidental though," the heavy one hissed.
"They don't make them that young," the giant shrugged, though still glaring.
"Could've been born into it," the stout argued, grabbing Da by the upper arm. Startled out of her shock, she gave a scream and tried to pull away. Xiao ran forward, tears streaming down her cheeks.
"Stop it!" she cried, scratching at his arms.
"Fei!" the giant boomed. "I will not have you attacking defenseless girls."
"Well then what are we going to do with them, if you're so sure they ain't a darn freak?"
"Yu?" the kind, shorter one asked, looking up. "How do you know?"
"Ping has spoken more then once of two sisters, resembling these too. They have gone to see their parents, have you not?" the giant, Yu said, turning to the two.
"Yes," Da said, holding Xiao now. "Yes. Please, don't hurt us. Please." Da fought the tears as Xiao hid her face in her shoulder.
"A bad time," Yu mumbled, rubbing his beard.
"We won't hurt you," the kind one said, smiling gently. "We aren't here to hurt the innocent. You shall have to forgive Brother Fei though. He has been on edge since we have found… him." He glanced down at the man on the ground. "If you will just do as we say, we won't hurt you at all. Come this way," he said, and tried to usher them away.
"And you," the stout one, Fei, kicked again the man on the ground. "Come one. You got to move." He wrenched him up by his hair, and the man gave a strangled scream. Blood dripped from his mouth, and down from his hair. Da gave a gasp, stopping dead in her tracks looking at the damage. He would have been handsome, with a strong jaw and chiseled features. His goatee was dirty, mangled even, and his skin was covered in street, mud, and blood.
Fei dragged him to his feet and pulled him to a pole near the counter to tie him up some more. The man opened his hazel eyes, and after a moment focused on the two girls. "God, more innocents," he mumbled, spitting some of the blood to the side. Fei kicked him, and the man's head banged against the pole.
"Stop it!" Da cried out, rushing towards him.
"None of that!" Fei yelled, wrenching her away. "He ain't trustworthy, ain't worth your heart. Don't be going near him wench!" Da struggled against him, trying to help the man as he let his head drop to his chest. "He's just acting. It's just a play to him!"
"Let her be," the giant said, watching the road. "They'll be less of a hassle if they are allowed to do as they please, to an extent. Besides, they'll all be together. Far easier to take care of if they get any ideas." He turned slightly, showing the butt of his gun.
"Aye, let her go Fei," the kind one said, stepping away from all of them. Stopping behind the counter he sat in his chair and pulled out a book. "The others will arrive in a little bit, and then we can get started. We'll have to move the girls away then, though. I will not stand them being harmed." He glanced from Yu to Fei. The giant nodded, not turning away from the glass. Fei huffed, and let Da go as if she repulsed him and stepped to the beer section of the store.
Da fell to her knees next to the man, Xiao stopping beside him as well. "Get me some wet clothes, please Xiao," Da said, looking up. Xiao always felt better if she was doing something. Returning to the man, she lifted up his head. "Please, sir, I need to see your eyes. It's the only way for me to see if you have a concussion. Please." Slowly he opened his eyes, blinking unsteadily at her.
"You got to get out of here," he mumbled, trying to move his shoulders. They were probably stiff, though Da had no idea how long he had been tied up. "These men, they're loons. You aren't safe,"
"I've got that," Da said, pushing his hair out of his face as Xiao came out of the back with the wet paper towels.
"Here," she said, dropping to her knees unceremoniously. Slowly the two started to wipe away the blood.
"I'm not kidding," he said, trying to get away from the cold paper. "These guys think I'm some kind of werewolf that's killed people." He spoke quietly, under his breath. But Fei had come back, a bottle in his hand.
"You have killed people!" he roared, shoving Xiao away and giving him several kicks. "You killed my wife, you bastard!"
"Stop!" Da yelled.
"You're crazy, damn drunkard!"
"You'll pay for her! You mongrel! Blasted dog!" Fei struggled to get his gun out of his holster.
"Stop it Fei," the giant said, taking a few steps their way, the kind owner already around the counter. "We need him alive."
"I don't condone beating people, but I understand it Fei. I understand you're in pain. But Brother Yu is right. He's our only link to the others. You've got to calm down. Put the gun away. You're scaring the girls. Calm down," the owner said, hands raised in the universal sign of peace.
The gun shook before Fei spit on the man and stuck it back under his jacket. "Don't you doubt it. I'll make you pay." He turned and stomped away. Da watched him go before reaching for Xiao.
"I didn't even know he could have a wife," the man said when he stopped coughing blood. Xiao gave a small smile.
"What did they do to you?" Da asked, patting the cut on his head again. "Xiao, get him some water won't you?" Xiao nodded and rushed again to the water.
"I was walking, and they jumped me. Nothing overly complex," he said, staring at the floor. Da dropped the bloody towel and sat back as Xiao tried to give him some water.
"Don't be getting attached," Fei grumbled.
"I must agree with him," the owner said, though with a frown. "We plan to show the world the truth. They turn when they are in danger, though he has been very good in showing no signs. You girls need to realize he is a danger to society, a monster and a beast. If he did not think you could somehow help him, then he would not be so kind."
Xiao twisted around and glared at them both, and consequently spilled some of the water. "Oh! I'm sorry!"
"It's not as if my pants were clean," he said slowly, as if talking was hard for him. Xiao chewed on her lip, and wiped away the tears before they could fall. All of them were surprised when the thunder clapped outside, but only Da and Xiao jumped.
"Damn," Fei mumbled.
"It shall take longer for the others to get here now," Yu mumbled, pulling at his beard as he stared up at the sky.
Da glanced to Xiao, and reached in her pocket to pull out the ring. "You're going to rip your lip. Stop it Xiao." Xiao grabbed the ring with a smile and gave Da a hug before slipping it onto her finger. Da slipped her hand back into her pocket and laid it on the handle of the box cutter thoughtfully. The man seemed to read her expression, and gave her a large disapproving frown.
"Should I get more towels?" Xiao asked, appearing much calmer then before. Da glanced her way, and then to the outside where it had started to rain. If they were going to get out, they had to do it before reinforcements came. But Da couldn't think of a plan. Mutely she nodded to Xiao who stood back up and made her way to the back. Da glanced at the three watchers. The owner was reading his book again, the giant was still watching the road, and Fei was getting drunk leaning against the counter. He was the only one with a good view of Da and the man. Xiao came back empty handed, and made her way slowly to the counter so as not to freak out the already tense Fei.
"Sir?" she said to the man reading.
"Yes?" He smiled to her, putting a finger in the book.
"There are no more towels in the back. I have some money; can I pay for some from out here?" She pointed in the general aisles of the stations.
"Why yes, of course. Please, help yourself." Xiao nodded and jogged over towards the front where the paper towels would be. Da watched her go, the man's brows furrowed as he tried to see the top of her head.
Xiao made her way passed the giant, who paid her no mind as he glanced in the direction she assumed the others were coming from. Spotting the paper towels she reached for some generic brand and smiled at them before turning. Looking out into the pumping station, she screamed and fell back against the shelves. The giant reacted the quickest, jerking around to see why she screamed. "There's something out there! It moved! It saw me and disappeared. But it was there! Oh my god! Its real isn't it? Oh my god!" Xiao repeated, tears forming as she clutched the paper towels to her chest and tried to stand.
"What did you see?" Yu asked, kneeling with his hand on his gun. Fei and the other rushed over.
"I don't know. It was big and looking kind of round, like arching… Its eyes… they weren't human. Human eyes don't have that kind of blood lust does it? Ho my god. It's… this is a joke right?" Xiao tried to breath. "We're all going to die!" She buried her head in the paper towels, still trying to remember how to breathe.
"I didn't think more of them would come. How'd they know?" Fei cursed.
"And with the rain, it shall be even harder to fight them. This is bad," Yu said with a nod, looking out into the pumping area as well. "You. Return to your sister. Take her to the back and hide. This isn't good. You only saw one?"
"I think so," Xiao mumbled, rubbing her eyes, her jaw shaking. He yanked her to her feet and she stumbled away from the glass, looking over her shoulder and desperately looking for the shape again. She slid to her knees when she neared Da, smiled, and winked. "And you said horror flicks were bad for my health," she whispered. Da smiled back and pulled out the box cutter to try and get the man untied.
I have no claim on the characters.
This one is actually pretty long, and I like it. Got to love a cunning Xiao. And, amazingly, I found a way to make Shu the bad guys!