They say a change of scenery is good. I was always in a small town whether it is the Midwest or the Oil Ranch back home. Detroit was the only real city I've been to, and this city wasn't much of a step up. This place was awful, the sky was a gross shade of gray, the river we passed over was polluted enough to see a squirrel crawl in and a new X-Men walk out, and the city was so colorless I thought we were in an old movie.
Logan seemed at home while Patrick looked terrified as if we'd get jumped by a pack of gangsters or The Kids Next Door. I guess Logan has a plan of action. He always does.
He looked at his magical bronze compass. He pointed down the street, nowhere in particular. "East," He turned ninety degrees. "Or South," He continued to spin around. "That way," He pointed again.
He waved his hand to get a cabs attention. It promptly pulled up to our side of the curb. We all corralled in the back seat with Patrick in the middle and Logan and I on either side. The driver in front of us was a heavy set white guy with a handlebar mustache and a dirty brown haircut.
"You got payment?" He asked.
Logan pulled a twenty from the zip-lock baggy of money we received.
"Good enough, where to?"
Logan taking the lead looked at his compass. "Hey, what's back there?" he asked jerking his thumb behind us.
"That may cost ya. We'll need to go all the way around the old zoo. That place's owned by a really creepy guy. My friends little brother wandered in there and he's still missing"
Patrick's face turned pale. "That doesn't sound like a place we want to go."
"That sounds exactly like a place we want to go. That place, and step on it." Logan said raising a second twenty.
The man's face scrunched in the rear view mirror. "It's bad luck to go near there."
"And we all just drank a smoothie made of Four-Leaf Clovers before getting in here." Logan quipped.
"Look kid, if I go there and those shifty Asians steal my taxi, I'll find you and hunt you down so help me-" Before he could finish he was ripped out of the cab by a tall, thin hooded figure.
"Called it fatso," He floored the car with us in it. He reached below the dashboard and pulled out a revolver with a long wide barrel. "Ooh, good taste cabbie." He spun it in his hand and slammed the butt on the tender box. "So how you doin kids?"
I didn't see how he could be so nonchalant while kidnapping us. Well I might as well wait for it.
"I was doing fine 'til my cab went off route." Logan just brushed it off like it was nothing. I swear everyone went crazy and I missed the memo. I looked to the middle seat were Patrick was sweating up a storm because he, among few, was normal.
"Well were ya headed?" He asked half kindly.
"We need to get to the zoo."
He stressed his neck to the side to emphasize he'd be going out of his way. "I'll do it, but only for cutie there." He nodded to me in the mirror.
"I'm thirteen you weirdo." I shot at him. I don't think the guy who started the whole 'Let Teenagers Go On Dangerous Missions' thing, but apparently he didn't see any of us getting being around guys like him.
I saw I smile appear under his hood. "You don't look thirteen." He snickered to himself. "So where you kids from?" He asked.
Logan raised his hand. "Me and her are from Detroit," he grabbed Patrick's shoulder. "This is my cousin. We're visiting our Uncle Tim."
"Get out a here, I'm from Detroit." He took off his hood. "What part?"
"Up north, bout fifteen to twenty blocks from the border."
"Hey you know a Tasuku?" He asked.
Logan broke out into a wide grin. "Short little Asian with that yellow Vespa?" Logan replied. It does not surprise me that little 'Romeo' knows this guy.
"He's my brother."
"Naota?" This also didn't surprise me. "How you been?"
"Me and Haruko are doing fine. I got a good paying job. We need a couple of these to make ships across town."
Logan chuckled. "Same old, same old."
An old gateway was coming up. The statues of the animals were missing limps while the paint was chipping away. "I think this is our stop."