"Why won't they stop?"
"I don't have any reason to…"
"I'm not sad!"
"It doesn't hurt"
Reverberance
By Genki Kunoichi
Ch4 Clock, Forgotten
The snarling engine below him gave a groan of remonstration, turning to a soft drone as it sped past pedestrians and vehicles. His hands, tense and calloused, gripped the handles so hard that his knuckles, before a tawny shade, now shone a chalky, sallow tone. Keen eyes narrowed at the scene before him, vision marred with the added murky hue of sunglasses.
A few more miles, and Tsume would be rid of the 'Dead Town'. It's clawed digits grappled at his body, tearing flesh in its attempts to keep him. It wished to trap his soul.
He would have none of that. Memories would wither and weaken, over time, people could be avoided and forgotten, and places could be… He strayed from the particular word running through his mind. He refused to call his actions cowardice. Soon, it wouldn't matter. No one would recognise him, anyways.
The irresolute squeal of rubber alerted his mind back to reality and a flash of auburn drove his brakes back into use, hard. The large, ebony bike lurched forward a few more inches before coming to a halt, growling deep in its bowels at the harsh treatment. A child's body lay before him, now covered in the slick grime that had accumulated during the recent bouts of rain.
Now, he'd be arrested for manslaughter.
"Hey, kid, wake up"
His throat moaned piteously and he shifted in the tiny, dilapidated divan. His teeth gnashed together in the remnants of dulled pain as chocolate eyes slowly registered his surroundings. The walls gave off the pugnent smell of old liquor and he wrinkled his nose at the stench.
"Are you stupid? I asked you a question."
"Huh?"
The boy regarded him with a blinking gaze, eyes clouded over briefly.
"Toboe"
"What?"
"That's my name. It's Toboe"
The boy –no older than fourteen stared up at him, his eyes crinkling, the result of an elated grin.
"Nice to meet you! What's yours?"
"None of your business, kid. If you're okay, leave"
The youth stared up at him from his vantage point on the lumpy matress. His eyes scanned over hoary tresses. The older man had been glancing out the window for some time, face contorted into a frown. Somehow, he guessed that the man usually wore that expression.
"Did I do something to make you angry?"
"Kid, I'm always angry"
"Oh. Okay!"
Sitting up, Toboe's vision blurred and he winced waiting for the momentary discomfort to pass. He placed on precarious foot on the floor, slowly followed by another, and stood using the chipped, wooden bedpost as leverage.
"Can you walk?"
The boy nodded, squinting his eyes to keep focus on the scowling man. Stepping forward into the reflection of the old mirror he hadn't noticed in his earlier inspection of the shabby room, he cringed at the image presented. Countless scrapes and abrasions marred his skin. Purple, throbbing bruises made themselves evident in further inspection and he wondered if they would last until he got back to school.
"That reminds me." He spoke softly, unsure as to the older man's reaction.
"What is it?"
"I was wondering…If you could call my grandma to tell her that I'll be late?"
Silence ensued. Seconds ticked away on the old clock, forgotten in the moment's thick air. Tsume growled somewhere in his throat—to himself, maybe, he didn't really care. Maybe he could just scare the kid away and not have to even bother with his 'grandma'. It seemed to simple, and fate had never treated him so kindly. He sighed.
"Yeah. Follow me"
The words had never sounded so natural to either of them.
End Chapter: Clock, Forgotten
So much time has passed since I last updated this, I think that my writing style has even changed. I won't make any promises, but I will try to keep chapters going if I get positive feedback. I believe I no longer have the right to brag that this fanfic was the first continuation fic on Oh, I feel old.
Ciao.