Disclaimer: Well, gee, what o you think?

Damn, Not Again!

Ch. 6

The bar was as filthy as I remember i'. Lookin' 'round for a momen' a' the squalid refuse tha' ev'ryone was havin' a jolly old time in, I shook my head and walked t'wards the bar.

Luckily, things haven' changed much, and I still knew the bartender.

"Hey, Falcon. Who d'ye have t' screw t' ge' a beer 'round here?" I called ou', noisily. I watched as he stopped wha' he was doin' and turned slowly t' look a' me. He looked intrigued.

"Rae?" he asked, and I nodded, givin' him my usual salute. "What are you...How...I mean..." he stammered for a few seconds, while I stood there and enjoyed ev'ry second of i', before finally se''lin' on, "You cut your hair!"

Damn.

I cringed as I ran my fingers through my now much shor'er hair and sighed.

"Tha's act'ally a bi' of a long story. Is Mouse in?"

"Upstairs, but she's busy."

I looked a' Falcon, somewha' confused before I caugh' the saddened expression on his face. So, she'd finally los' her dignity. How horrible for Falcon. He was a good man, he didn' deserve a sister like her. I shook my head, clenchin' my teeth.

"Damn." I said. He nodded, sympathe'ic'lly. "I should never've lef'." I sighed.

"Ah, you were smotherin' her." he scoffed, bu' the humor was a mi'e forced. "She wanted to experience everything and now she has."

I slammed my fist onte the bar and took a sea', broodin'. Mouse was barely seventeen, prostitution should no' even've been an option t' her. Falcon sighed and se' a bo''le of beer in fron' of me. I gave him a weak smile.

"Yeh're a good man, m'friend." I said. He shrugged.

"That's what they pay me for, you little Wildcat you." he responded, and I smirked. Wildca'. I hadn' heard tha' name in such a long time.

"Cheers, F."

I glanced 'round the bar and then stopped, whippin' back 'round again t' look where my eyes had passed no' a momen' earlier. I though' I'd seen him. Apparen'ly no', though.

Damn.

He was ge''in' inte m'head. I didn' like tha'.

One of the doors upstairs opened and I glanced up a' Falcon t'see tha' he was tensin' up. So, this was Mouse's... 'customer.' I watched 'im walk down the stairs and flip a couple coins t'Falcon.

I bristled, hand clenchin' on my bo''le o' beer. No one trea's my friends tha' way. I go' to my fee' and se' my bo''le down, hard enough t' crack i'. F looked up and star'ed t' warn me off, bu' I was already on my way ou', followin' the bas'ard tha' would dare touch ana of my friends.

I picked a knife off of a passin' customer and slid i' inte my boo', pushin' the door open as I stalked my prey. He seemed confiden' for someone abou' t'be castrated.

I saw our destination and rushed pas' the man, knockin' him over and inte the alley. Then I doubled 'round and slip in after him. As soon as he sees me, he drew a gun. Bloody coward. Dive, tuck, roll, draw, kneel, aim, throw, and he's disarmed. Ain' a person alive can take me down.

Excep' one.

Damn.

Can' think abou' tha' now, I go' a job t'do.

I stuck t' the shadows so tha' he couldn' see m'face, and then rushed him again when he reached for his gun. I grabbed i' firs', along with the knife I nicked from the bar pa'ron. Af'er disassemblin' his weapon, I tossed i' down the alley some. The pieces cla''ered all along the ground and he looked a' me.

"You will never go back t'tha' bar again. D'ye understand?" I growled, my hand clenchin' on the familiar jeweled handle of the knife in my...

Familiar?

Heck of a time t' realize tha' yeh're holdin' a weapon tha' ye left somewhere else. Tha' was my da's knife in my hand. Which could only mean tha' the person I nicked i' from was...

"Is there a problem?"

Damn.

We both looked a' him, although my look was more of a glance, and the man who I'd come so close t' killin' seemed no' t' no'ice tha' his 'rescuer' was a goggled black man in merc clothin'.

"No, ge' lost." I snapped, and he til'ed his head a' me, as if considering how t' answer.

Mouse's ex-customer babbled on like an idio' as we regarded each other, and then, suddenly, a spray of blood splashed across m'face and the customer fell t' the ground, floppin' abou' and graspin' his neck.

I look up a' Goggle Guy and no'ice the bloody knife in his hand, in conjunction with the reserved and detached look on his face and fear floods me.

Damn.

He looks a' me t'see wha' my reaction was t'be and I reached up with a shakin' hand to feel the flecks of arterial spray on my skin.

"Fuck!" I yelled, and then took off down the alley, knowin' tha' he could kill me jus' as easily.

I could hear his heavy footsteps behind me as I made off a' a reckless speed. I picked this alley for a reason. There was a quick ge'away here, and, supposedly, only I knew where i' was.

This alleyway had an access byway, which had a fire escape, which was connected t' an entire ne'work of li''le innocuous escape routes. Again, I was the only one who knew abou' them. So, all I had t'do was t' lose the goggle man and I could circle 'round t' Falcon's bar.

I hopped the fence with li''le difficul'y and turned inte the byway, checkin' over my shoulder t'see if he was followin'.

DAMN! I forgo' again! Should'a learned the lesson by now.

Pumph!

I ran inte somethin' and bounced.

I'm a ligh'weigh', I admi' i'.

Quickly scrabblin' t' my fee', I looked t' see tha' he was standin' there, lookin' smug abou' his li''le capture. Or maybe i' was my reaction. I'm still covered in blood, I abrup'ly realized, and, despi'e the fac' tha' he's the las' person I wanna do this in fron' of, I turned t' the alley wall and dropped t' my knees, hurling up anathin' I'd eaten in the las' couple hours.

Damn.

There was a hand on my arm and one on my back and I knew tha' i' was him, bu' I was in no shape t'complain.

Blood.

Covered in my own and I'm fine, bu' the though' of sheddin' another's made me violently sick.

This from the kid who was previously goin' t' castra'e a man.

"H—How'd ye ge' ahead of me?" I asked, lookin' over my shoulder a' him. He til'ed his head and pulled a small worn book from where he'd tucked i' inside his bel'. I cursed as another wave of sickness washed over me and I went back t' gaggin'

Of course. I'd mapped ou' every escape rou'e in my diary.

Damn.

Done bein' sick, I pushed myself t' my fee' and looked a' him, wipin' my mouth and spi''in' t' ge' rid of tha' acrid taste.

My limbs were rubbery feelin' as I tried t' walk away, bu' he grabbed my arm, and when I pulled, he squeezed.

I looked a' him.

He looked amused.

"I told you," he said, "If you ever stole from me again, the punishment would be more severe."

Fear shot through me, cooling my blood, and I try no' to le' i' show in my eyes tha' I'm terrified, bu' he already knows because I star'ed t' tremble the minu'e he stopped talkin'.

Damn.

He moved like a gian' ca'. All sinewy muscles tha' bunch up under his skin as he moved. A' leas', tha's wha' I would've no'iced if i' hadn' been for the fac' tha' he was slammin' me face firs' inte the opposi'e brick wall.

A' leas' I wasn' gonna be slaugh'ered in my own vomi'. Gods wouldn' tha' suck.

I feel a sharp pain in my neck, where i' met the shoulder and I bi' my lip t' keep from cryin' ou'. No way was I gonna die screamin like a baby.

Except I wasn' dyin', despi'e the pain. I was...i'...was he bitin' me?!?

Tha's disgustin'! I's vulgar! And there's no way t'hide i' from Falcon or Mouse! Tha' would be...humilia'in'.

Damn-damn-damn-damn-damn-damn-damn-damn-damn-damn-damn-damn!!

I was qui'e aware tha' I was bleedin' from both my neck and my lip when he stepped back and surveyed his handiwork. I' occurred t' me tha' I was still holdin' onte Da's knife, and maybe I could've scored him deep before he killed me.

If only I weren' so fond of livin'.

I was determined, however, no' t' le' him win. I held my chin up, despi'e how much i' hur' t' stretch my neck now. I winced before I could hold i' back.

He laughed in response, and i' was mos' disturbin' t' see flecks of m' own blood on his teeth.

I couldn' take i'.

I ran.

Damn.