The whistle sounds of the faint but present high pitched tone slowly drives nails into my ears before I twist the top to adjust the frequency. Gosh this is really starting to hurt my ears. I place the dog whistle on my lips, continuing to call for both dogs. I'm really starting to get worried now. Both of them have excellent hearing, Jett more so than Jaiden, but I can't find either of them. I walk down streets and paths, ignoring strange looks from people around me. I-I'll be just fine. I need to find my brother's dogs.
I continue to whistle for hours, constantly searching for them. Nowhere ... I can't find them anywhere. I walk into a large clearing in the buildings, spying a massive structure that looks strangely like a train station. I look to the right, noticing a sign with the words Train Station on it. Well, that's obvious labeling for you. I blow the whistle and stare through the doors, nearly inhaling the dog whistle as I spy movement. J-Jaiden? Or maybe Jett? I run up to the doors and try them all, finding every single one of them to be locked. It's completely possible for them to be in here. They know what a train is. They've been on them often enough and, most times, I take them to meet my oldest brother for when he gets home from work on the subway. They might be in there, waiting for the train that won't bring him to them.
"J-Jaiden, Jett hierr!" I order before blowing the whistle and staring at the window. Another flicker of movement catches my eye, making me desperate. What if they are in there but they are hurt? What if they are pinned down somehow? My eyes steadily study the glass, unable to see a bullet proof insignia on it that would otherwise make me rethink my plan. I slip off my shirt and wrap it around my right hand, staring at the door.
... I am so sorry to whoever owns this door.
I bring my fists up before whipping my right arm right into the glass, watching the entire glass door crack from under the pressure. Pain weakly radiates through my hand as I pull back and grip the railing on top of the stairs leading to the door, smashing my foot right through the glass.
Most of the glass weakly shudders but the pieces that make direct contact to my foot are blown all over the floor inside. I'm willing to pay for the replacement if that's what is needed. The momentum sends me forward a bit, scrapping my ankle against the sharp edged glass but does not reach my skin. Well that's it for my skinny jeans. But that's alright, I can always cut them into shorts.
I wrap my shirt all around my arm and slip it through the hole, patting along the door before unlocking the door. It swings open with an ominous groan, presenting the completely empty Train Station. A shiver crawls down my spine as I step inside, feeling a pair of eyes staring and judging me at every corner for what I've done. My heart trembles, feeling the heavy invisible eyes before I hesitantly speak up.
"I-I-I-I'll pay for t-the door." I promise to the empty halls.
That won't help.
Didn't you see her barbaric nature?
She just punched right through the glass!
That's trespassing.
Who's going to believe that lie?
She broke in because she saw a cat with an injured leg that conveniently ran off?
Lies
It's a lie
IT'S aLl LiEs.
"I-I promise ... ," I quietly swear, feeling my past anxieties begin to crush me. My breath shakes as I step inside, clutching a fist over my chest as I stare at the shattered glass on the ground. Sorry ... I'm sorry.
"H-Hierr." I softly cry in a trembling voice. "J-Jaiden, Jet, p-please, please hierr." Tears begin to sheen over my eyes as I blow a trembling breath into the whistle, listening to padding paws across the hard ground. I walk inside, looking around for any signs of life.
"I-I-I will pay, I promise. I w-will pay it off, I promise." I repeat amongst my calls for the missing dogs. My head whips around as I spy the lights in a nearby room flicker on. My fright nearly makes me jump out of my skin as I stumble back, hand over my racing heart and eyes glued to the light. O-Oh my goodness, someone is here?!
"I-I'm sorry if I scared you. I didn't know if a-anyone was here and I-I thought my dogs might be here." I say, eager to explain my reasoning and anxious for them to believe me. I carefully watch the windows, searching for any kind of movement before spying a penny on the ground. Oh, a penny. I bend over and pick it up, hearing a painful whistle come and go past my ears, barely grazing my cheek. My focus shifts, spying a sharp edged knife buried into the concrete ground.
Look out! On the ceiling-! A voice nearly shrieks in my head. I whip around and snap my head up towards the ceiling. A dark figure with bright topaz eyes that seemed to glow in the dark falls from the ceiling, another blade in his hands.
"EEEEEEKKKKKKKKKK!" I scream at the top of my lungs before leaping back and narrowly avoiding the sharp weapon. His eyes flash before lunging forward, skimming the weapon right across my ribs. My body instinctively rams my knee up into his chest and my elbow into his spine, taking advantage of the large opening he mistakenly left on his pull back for another attack. He shuddered, taken off guard by the attack before making another swipe across my stomach, forcing me back from him.
"H-H-H-Hey, wait, wait I'm sorry I broke your door!" I shout at the top of my lungs, my pitch nearly squeaking at the end as he makes another gutsy charge. I hop back before shooting in right at him, again taking him off guard as I make a hard low kick against his arm. The force knocks the blade from his hand but his other arm scoops up my leg, using his own momentum to throw me off balanced. My eyes widen at my rusty mistake before I shove a hand against his head and push it back, lashing my other arm out and punch him right across the face. He grits his teeth and continues to run with my leg, forcing the fight to the ground.
And this is where it ends.
I wrap my long legs around his waist and press myself up against him, slipping my arm right up between our heads before hooking it around his neck. Choking him out seems like a better option than breaking an arm right now. My forearm presses right up against his adam's apple, closing his windpipe.
The second he realizes that danger he's in he brings his fist back and punches hard into my waist, making another hard punch closer to my rips. I pull his waist down and pull up with his head, forcing his body to stretch and make movement harder. I can already see his ground game is not up to my level. If he had kept the fight on our feet he would have cut me up with his knives.
His fingers wedge under my arm and try to undermine me but I latch a hand to my wrist and keep it steady, making sure he can't tuck his chin under my arm. He grips my elbow and tries to pry me off as his other hand wedges between our stomachs and attempts to get some distance so he can get a real punch in. I keep myself tight, using my own weight to anchor his wheezing head down and against the concrete ground.
"I-I-I'm not here to h-hurt you." I hesitantly speak up, trying to talk to him a little bit before he chokes out. He hardly rasps an inaudible answer in return, his body growing a little more limp as he desperately makes some kidney shots which, if only a little stronger, would force me to let go. Thank goodness he's deciding to do the kidney shots now rather than earlier on when he would have really done some damage.
"I'm sorry for breaking your door a-and I was hoping my dogs were in here. I'll take you to a hospital I-I promise." I say, feeling his body sag. His heavy body lays more and more against mine as he begins to lose consciousness. He'll only be out for about ten minutes at best. He'll be dazed, I'm sure, but that will be enough time to give him the money I owe for breaking the door.
I wait a few moments, loosening my arm slightly before suddenly tightening it, making sure he is out completely. My cheek presses against his as I fall silent and hold my breath, listening to his light wheezing before letting go completely. I sit up and scoot out from under him, breathing a little harder as I stare at his unconscious face laying on my lap. Phew~ well, that definitely woke me up a bit. I lazily pat his head and look around the halls, still finding it void of people. Where is everyone? And before, I could have sworn I heard a voice in my head say 'look out on the ceiling'.
"Y-You did ... ," a voice hesitantly calls out. My head snaps up, spying a silver haired child poking his head out of the office door located up on the second floor. He flinches back but takes a deep breath before stepping out onto the small deck in front of his door.
"C-Come here, Avery, and I'll explain t-t-things. My older self told me to do this s-s-so bear with me." He cutely says before retreating into his office. I stare at the door before back at the unconscious man. Did the kid just not see him? Oh goodness but I can't just leave him here. I weigh my options before slipping out from under him and moving my arms under his knees and shoulders. Geh he's heavy! I waver to my feet and walk towards the office, being careful not to knock the man's head into anything. A shiver crawls up my spine as I step onto the deck, moving aside so I can open the door. I feel awful for hurting him b-but he will be fine. I only choked him out and he's still breathing alright. I lean against the railing and push the handle down with my foot before wedging my foot into the door to open it.
My heart leaps into my mouth as his hand suddenly grips my arm, his topaz eyes rolling open to searing hatred deeply imbedded within his bright irises. Oh, my gosh he looks mad!
"You b****-!" He starts as my foot whips the door open in shock. Oh no wait he's going to hit his head! I spin towards the door, trying to get his head out of the way but the hunk of metal lined wood smacks right against his temple, making him slightly convulse in an attempt to remain conscious before falling utterly limp once more.
"SO SORRY!" I scream, mortified as I already begin to see a lump forming on his head.
"K-K-Kid! Do you have ice?!" I demand, feeling my heart flutter anxiously for the man. Oh my gosh that hit his temple! What if he's dead?! I know he would have been fine because of the way I choked him out b-but I hit his head really hard against the door-!
"Eeek! W-Why would you bring him here?!" He nearly shrieks before ducking underneath the table to hide. "Nooooo get him away from meee~!"
"W-What? H-Hey, calm down." I reason before taking a step towards him.
"NOOOOO! Don't come any closer with him-!" He cries, sounding mortified before letting out a soft cry. W-What's wrong? Why is he so scared of this man?
"C-Can you at least-," I start but a soft whining cry comes from the desk in response. Oh gosh I didn't scare him, did I? I hesitate to leave. I can't let this man suffer for that long. He needs ice on that bump as soon as possible. Oh gosh I really hope I didn't kill some of his brain cells or something!
"I-I'm so sorry for taking your time. I will leave a-as soon as I treat him." I say before heading over to the cushiony couch in the room. The little kid's no help and I feel terrible for scaring him so much but this man needs medical help right away. All I need is some ice and something to hold it in.
"No, no go away nowww~!" He comaplains, popping back up from the desk with a frightened look. "He's dangerous! And mean!"
"And he's also hurt." I shoot back, giving him a much harsher glare than I meant. Arguing with my brothers did at least something for me. If I have something I want to fight for I must be confident and stand strong. And this is somewhere that I will not budge. A shiver visibly crawls down his spine as he ducks back under the desk without another peep. My heart aches, troubled. Oh gosh and yet another person I've frightened. B-But that's alright. I can deal with him after I get this man the help he needs.
I gently lay the unconscious man on it before heading towards the bathroom where I hope medicines and other things may be at. The cabinets turn out to be empty, much to my surprise. All there is in here is toothpaste and toothbrushes. I frown at the find and move to the drawers, thankfully spying a small ice bag. Perfect. I take the bag and trot back into the room scanning for the tiny refrigerator I caught a glimpse of earlier
"I-In the corner ... ," the small voice says as I spy him shakily approaching the dark haired man.
"Thank you." I say, walking in the direction he instructed. Wait, did I ask out loud about it? I guess I did without realizing it. The small boy crouches and stares hard into the stranger's face, daringly reaching out and poking his cheek. The ice freezes my finger tips and wet the bandages around my hands as I slide the cubes into the bag and walk over to the man.
"Shoo, shoo." I brush the little boy aside and take a seat on the couch, resting the man's head on a pillow.
"He has more knives." The little boy suddenly says, staring hard at his leg. More of them? I look down at the man's thigh, spying a strap with sharp knives. He attacked me before but why? And he attacked so viciously too ... it makes me doubt that he's a normal guy. Oh, wait, and both he and the kid have eyes.
"That's because we are both Role Holders." He says, fumbling with the man's straps to get the knives off his leg. I gently sweep his hands away and smoothly slip the weapons off, handing them to the child.
"Role Holders?" I ask, patting the man's body down for more weapons. The least I can do is disarm him and then ask why he attacked me. It's a good thing the kid pointed out the weapons on his leg.
"My name isn't kid, it's Nightmare Gottscotch." He huffs, sounding insulted. "and I'm the Role Holder of this territory so you have to t-treat me with respect!" He cries, pointing an accusing finger in my direction.
"H-Huh? But I didn't call you that." I say, slipping out another four blades hidden near his ankles.
"Yes you did! In your mind!" He cries as I set the knives on the table. His eyes flash, swiping the blades up and running off towards his desk.
"W-What?! No I didn't!" I deny before realizing that I did. B-But I only thought that. H-H-How did he know?!
"Because I can read minds." He says as I hear a click near his desk. I pat the man's thighs down for more weapons, rubbing his stomach and lower back as I work my way up on his body.
"W-What? But there's no such thing." I blankly say, feeling a bulking objects under the man's armpits. Oh, I almost missed those. I part his long jacket to the side and unbutton his vest before slipping the blades from its holsters. Just how many knives can a single guy carry?
"B-But it's true! I can! I swear I can!" He cries, looking flustered at my accusation. I rub the man's shoulders and feel down the rest of his arms, finding yet another stash hidden away under his trench coat. My gosh there's so many!
"I'm s-sorry but I don't believe you." I say, setting the knives aside. Nightmare stubbornly comes and snatched up the weapons before running back to his desk and hiding them somewhere.
"Then think of something. Anything and I'll say it before you can say it." He reasonably argues. I gently lift Gray's head and sit down, resting his head on a thin pillow on my lap.
"Um, alright." I say, taking the ice bag and setting it over the man's growing bump. Ooh that looks bad ... ok, um, chicken berry butt skies down bumpy candy. Oh I feel silly doing this-
"Chicken berry butt skies down bumpy candy." He repeats immediately after. My eyes widen as I whip my head towards him, my jaw practically hitting the floor.
"You can read minds! WHY?! How?!" I cry, shocked. I didn't think reading minds was possible except in m-movies and book and stuff!
"That's because I am an incubus." He proudly grins while pointing to himself. "Now, what would you like to know-eek!" He cuts off, ducking under the table as I feel the man's head slightly twitch against my hand.
"O-Oh, are you awake? S-Sorry." I immediately apologizing before stiffening up under his intense gaze. Scary ... that's a scary look. He continues to glare at me, peeling back my layers of self confidence. "H-H-H-How are you feeling?" I stammer, my voice trembling slightly. The sound of my frightened voice makes his cheek twitch, satisfied with the fear his gaze alone instills in me before frowning.
"You took my weapons." He rightfully accuses.
"Y-Yes, I did." I gulp, keeping the ice pack balanced on his head as he sits up with a small, hardly audible grunt. I hesitantly follow him up and keep the ice pack on the growing bump, unable to help but notice his edginess.
"Why did you attack me?" I ask, getting ready to strong arm him if I have to. He remains silent and slowly glances over his shoulder, staring at my bandaged hands.
"Where did you learn that fight style? I've never seen anything like it before." He admits before reaching up and holding the ice pack in place. He turns around on the couch and sits against the back, staring at the ceiling.
"Fight style? Oh," I say with a small flush, glancing off to the side. No, I don't want to say it. If I say it, i-if I say it he'll know that I'm t-trained and I ... I can't go through such prejudice again. "I-I don't have a style. I-I honestly have no idea how I was able to b-best you." I stammer and watch for his reaction. His face remains cool and neutral as he stares at the wall, gathering his thoughts together.
" ... right. How else would you have bested me if it were not a fluke?" He asks aloud but it sounds more so sarcastic.
"R-Right. Um, I'll get your kn-knives." I shakily offer before getting up and heading over towards Nightmare's desk. I round the desk, spying Nightmare trembling and curled up in a little ball. He looks up to me, desperate as he puts a finger to his lips and continues to hide. Poor boy ... I must have really, really scared him. I look around for Gray's weapons, unable to find them except for a safe. Oh no ... don't tell me he locked them in a safe?
"You do know where my knives are, correct? Unless there was a little worm who hid them." He coolly says before Nightmare suddenly convulses, grabbing the nearest trashcan and heaving up blood. My eyes widen at the sight and stench of the blood, setting a horrified hand over my lips. Oh my goodness-!
"Don't think things like that!" He shouts in a loud whine towards the man's direction before heaving up some more blood.
"Oh my goodness you need help-!" I shout, picking the boy right up off his feet before dashing towards the door. He needs a hospital right now-! A flash of silver catches my eye as I slide to a stop, staring dumbfounded at the blade sticking out of the door.
"It's impolite to go snatching up my prey." He coolly says before standing to his feet and drawing out another three blades from his hips. "And you should have done a better job seraching me."
"B-But I checked those!" I argue, shocked as he turns to look at us. W-Wait, prey? I stare in shock as I imagine the poor boy dressed up in a Lolita outfit with a chain around his neck. Oh my goodness please don't tell me it's that kind of prey-!
"Pedophile?!" I cry without meaning to.
"BLARG!" Nightmare shouts, twisting in my arms and throwing up in a conveniently placed trashcan by the door. I set him on the ground and look back to the approaching man, shocked.
"I do not need his body in that way. I only need him not breathing ... if you catch my drift." He coolly says as he flips a blade in his hand and walks towards Nightmare. I step right between him and the boy, frightened out of my wits. K-Kill ... he literally wants to kill a child? Why?
"K-Kill ... why would you want to kill a little boy?" I ask, unable to think of any way that this would be allowed. He's just a child! The frightening man slows his pace and stops just in front of me, raising a blade up to the side of my neck and gives a soft nudge to the side. I refuse to move, my fingers trembling as I stare the killer in the eyes. Oh my gosh this is scary~!
"Move aside," he coolly states before leaning up and muttering into my ear, "unless you too want to be slain as well?"
"BLARG!" Nightmare cries as he heaves up more blood into the trashcan. I grit my teeth and hold firm, my gaze turning sharp towards him. His topaz iris flash, excited at the sudden conviction in my eyes.
"He's ill and he's throwing up blood. Can't you see that? The poor kid probably isn't going to last much longer so why do you want to kill him now?" I honestly ask. If Nightmare, as sad as it is, will only die soon then what's the point of killing him?
"BLARG don't use that kind of logic for this argument!" Nightmare whines before hysterically coughing and hacking up blood. The man's cold eyes glance over the clearly ill boy before letting out a faint sigh.
"You're right. There is little thrill killing someone so sickly." He says, sounding disappointed before whipping his arm to the side. I jolt as it shoots through the window, making a figure in the short distance falter before sagging over. "Deals off." Gray says before kneeling down. D-Deals off? Huh? I remain stiff as he crouches down, staring at the child before patting his head. "So I will wait until you get healthier before killing you."
"T-That's hardly better!" Nightmare cries with tears sheeting over his eyes.
"Come here. you need rest." He orders, tucking Nightmare under his arm and hauled him off to the bed.
"O-Oh, so, um ... you're not going to kill him?" I ask, making sure as I follow behind him and anxiously stare at Nightmare.
"I see no reason to for the moment." He coolly says before gently tossing Nightmare onto the bed. "I will be back by Afternoon. There is business to take care of." He says before leaving without another word and shutting the door behind him. I stare after him in shock, looking back to a shaken Nightmare. He turns to me, frightened out of his wits before he starts crying.
"Avery, Avery I'm so scared-! I couldn't read his thoughts just then-! Wahhhh!" He adorably cries, pulling out his hanky and shakily dabbing the tears away.
"O-Oh! D-D-Don't cry, um, don't cry-!" I try to soothe, hurrying to the bed and letting him through himself at me for a hug. I wrap my arms around him and let him sob into my shoulder. W-What do I do? I want to comfort him but I really have no idea how to.
"Hug me~!" He cries, "he was going to kill me, Avery! Kill me dead! I don't know if he's telling the truth about becoming my subordinate o-or wants me dead!" He wails, burying his face in my shoulder.
"U-Um, it's alright, Nightmare, it's alright." I softly comfort, rubbing his back in a reassuring manner.
"Don't leave. Wah~ please don't leave me with that monster!" He sobs, hiding his face from view.
"I-I won't, I won't I promise." I say, patting his back as I look around for something to distract him with. "Shh, shh it's alright." I gently say, letting the little Nightmare hug it out with me.
What in the world did I just step into?
‡
Awe~ I thought that was cute. 10 REVIEWS for the next chapter~ and who thinks Jericho would be a better match? Or Gray?