Here with an update for the new year. Thanks a bunch for the support with the follows, favorites and review, guys. It means a lot. Let's get to it.
Italics: Thoughts/Letters/Flashbacks
A bump made my eyes snap open and my head swiveled around wildly. To my left I could see Hail sparing me a look of mild amusement as she continued to drive. I'm not sure when I dozed off, but it was enough to pass the time.
Not too far ahead I could see dozens of buildings. The first sign of civilian life since coming here. A place where I would have to learn how to start again and make a living so long as my route to purification was in play. This would be the biggest challenge of my life and it needed to be met head on and accomplished.
"Almost there," said Hail.
My eyes trailed back to her.
"Where exactly is there?" I asked her.
She spared me another glance and sighed. It was one of mild annoyance. Before I fell asleep, she had to answer a good chunk of questions I had that popped into my head. It gave me a lot of insight of what to expect, but not once did I ask for the name of the town she was taking me.
"The place where I'm meeting my client to get paid," said Hail.
It may have been my imagination, but the mention of her client seemed to make her hands tighten on the steering wheel to the point her knuckles where a ghostly white. Yikes.
"That didn't answer my question," I muttered.
"I'm aware of that. Sorry. This client in particular has used our services before, but he always seems to be short on money when we come knocking. Personally, I think he's full of it," she continued with a shake of her head.
Let's try something else instead. Maybe she just needed to vent a little more before we got into the town?
"Who's this client?" I asked her.
Hail sucked her teeth and took another sip from her water bottle.
"Not worth mentioning. I swear, that cockroach must've made a deal with the devil himself to still be alive," she answered in return.
Okay, good talk.
I pulled my hat off to allow my matted, sweaty hair a breath of fresh air. God knows I'm gonna' need a shower before this day is done, and a new set of clothes. Walking through that desert soaked my clothes so bad that they became like a second skin that hardened to me on the drive. Not like they were worth salvaging anyway. Needed new clothes to be suitable for this environment, but at least that wouldn't be too hard. My fashion sense was as dead as disco.
My fingers ran over the curve of the bill on my hat and I gazed down at my treasured top. Hats were not something I invested in much when I was younger and I never started wearing one until I was required to wear my PC as a cadet in college. No. Dad was always the one that wore a hat. Far back from what I could remember, he would wear one every day he was outside working around the house or when he was leaving for work in the morning, and I never understood the appeal of them. Now though, I think I can safely say I know why he did.
They were convenient and voiced your opinion depending on the brand that was on the front. Much like my old man, my hat collection supported all Wisconsin sports teams. Badgers. Packers. Brewers. Hell, even one Bucks hat. But the one in my hand was currently a tossup favorite with my old camo colored Badger hat. My Milwaukee Brewers hat.
The large, cursive M was enhanced by the dark golden thread that outlined it and the strand of barley that rested below it. They may now be the new lovable losers of baseball, but my dad introduced them to me when I was a kid and although their seasons brought a lot of disappointment, I became a fan of them and eagerly awaited the day they would win the World Series just so I could say that I didn't jump on the bandwagon when it eventually happened. And I always dreamed I would be able to see it with my dad one day.
Sucks how life works out sometimes.
The tip of my thumb traced the letter and it became somewhat skewed. The familiar stinging sensation of tears prodded the corners of my eyes and I quickly rubbed them away. My family started to creep their way back into my mind for the first time since bleeding out on the gas station floor. Did they know I was gone now? How badly were they taking the news? What about the rest of my family and my friends?
The more I thought about it, the more it hurt. It's true that no parent should have to bury their kid. It was supposed to be the other way around. I wasn't supposed to be here because of a stupid gas refill gone wrong!
"Hey, are you okay?" Hail spoke up.
"What?" I looked back at her.
"Your hands were shaking. Are you feeling okay?"
About as good as I can be given the circumstances. My head bobbed with a light nod, if only just to steer the conversation away from possible follow up questions relating to it. It seemed to work though since Hail shrugged it off as she steered the jeep alongside a curb to park it.
She shut off the jeep and climbed out giving a long stretch. Her shirt and vest stretched up a little bit to expose her midriff. When her arms fell back to her sides she turned to the back seat and rummaged around for something. Her hands pulled out a fairly large rifle and she slung it over her shoulder.
"Well, it was nice meeting you, Dustin." She tipped her shades at me.
That's right. Our deal was to bring me to the closest town and she did that. Even though I just met Hail, it bummed me out. She was the only company I had so far and to see her leaving so soon filled me with a sense of dread and loneliness.
Maybe it was a subconscious fear of being alone and venturing into the unknown that I was craving company, but I didn't want her to leave just yet. It was weird to want company for a change since I was used to being alone and never had the urge to find someone to talk to. Sure, I had friends and needed to talk to people every now and then to keep relationships strong and stay sane and normal, but it never bothered me much. And it was also something that Seraph listed as a weakness of mine.
Hail had long since turned around and walked down the sidewalk while I was lost in thought. Fortunately I caught her snow white hair round a corner and into a nearby building. If what she said earlier was true, that's where she was meeting her client to get paid.
I put my hat back on and made sure my pistol was ready to go just in case I bumped into some random thug or thief. This was Vacuo after all. You survive here, you can survive anywhere… allegedly. In a way I kind of viewed it as the Africa of Remnant. Too far? Well, whatever, it's similar either way.
Boisterous laughter met my ears as I reached the doors to the building. A quick glance inside painted something straight out of an old Clint Eastwood western. It was a bar that was packed with shady looking people who were partaking in many vices. Gambling, excessive drinking, fighting, some even looking ready to pull a knife or a sidearm from their hip as they glared at the person across from them. The bar was the only place I could see that had vacant seats and it would allow me to sit down to hopefully have a drink and collect my thoughts.
A scuffle broke out at the table just beyond the door. Two large and clearly drunk men had fistfuls of each other's shirts and were winding their arms back to punch each other wherever they had an opening. Fists went to the face, the shoulders, you name it.
Okay, I was definitely out of my league here. I didn't like to fight unless provoked into one, and I'm not one to gloat, but most of the fights I've gotten into I've come away the victor with the exception of three. One stalemate and two that were broken up after getting an ass kicking. This was a whole new level of wild that I wanted no part of.
Goddamn-it.
After taking a deep breath, I pushed the doors open wide and kept my eyes front towards the bar. My feet thumped lightly on the floor and I made sure not to break stride or shift my gaze. No need to start an unnecessary fight. It didn't help that I could almost feel every eye in the bar on me as I walked.
I sat down in the first open chair I found and leaned forward on the bar. The bartender came up to me a second later with narrowed eyes.
"Okay kid, I need to see some ID," he said with crossed arms.
Figures. That was something that sucked about looking younger than I was. You know how embarrassing it is for me to sometimes get asked that question when I bought a rated M game or going to see an R rated movie? Some said I should take it as a compliment, but it was still something that made me shake my head when it happened.
My wallet came free from my pocket a second later and I pulled out my ID. Hopefully he'd take it. Hell, I didn't even know what year it was here. The setting of the show made it seem like a modern or near future timeframe.
When the bartender took my card he gave it a long look. A thick eyebrow rose as he stared down at it and then back to me. His eyes reverted back to the card.
"What the hell is Wisconsin?" He asked me as he handed my license over.
"Nothing important now. Now can I please have a drink or are we going to keep playing this stupid game of twenty questions?" I put my license back in my wallet.
His eyes narrowed at me and he pulled out a fresh glass.
"Watch your tone around here, kid. You say that to the wrong guy, you'll be dead before you know it," he said as he slid the glass to me.
I'll be sure to keep that in mind.
A grunt of thanks left me when he poured what appeared to be whiskey into the glass. Fine with me. Whiskey and rum were my go to.
The glass touched my lips and the scent alone had a strong kick that shot up my nostrils and danced around my brain. A shudder went down my spine and I tilted my head back to welcome it. The muscles in my throat strained and I shook my head at the sharp bite it left behind. Sour as all hell, just like Jack Daniels.
"Vacuo's finest right there. Called Death's Delight," said the bartender.
Of course it is.
I swirled the glass after taking another sip and let the alcohol swish in my mouth to adapt to the taste a little better. Another look around the bar gave me more insight to the layout. It was always good to have situational awareness. It kept me alive long enough back in the gas station and it would keep me alive so long as I was here.
There was only one noteworthy exit and it was the main entrance. One side door stood off behind the bar, but it looked like it led to a back room. Other than that, there were only windows that would give me the stylish exit and lead to glass cutting into me. I would avoid that route as much as I could because getting cut or impaled with glass hurt something good.
Now that the layout of the bar was fresh in my mind, I started to look for Hail. The bar was packed and I had not seen her since she entered it. Maybe it was possible was in the bathroom? Not likely. Didn't see one when I scanned the place a second ago. Seriously, how hard was it to find a woman with white hair? She should be sticking out like a sore thumb!
The last of my whiskey raced down my throat and I set the glass back on the counter.
"Another one." I flagged the bartender down.
The refill came quick and was to the brim. I would have to slow it down after this one. As much as I love whiskey, I'm not in college anymore and can't drink like I used to. You wouldn't believe it if you saw my size, but you're looking at a guy who drank a two hundred and fifty pound frat boy under the table. One of my drunk crowning achievements outside of doing seventy second keg stand and drinking a whole handle of rum in one day. Definitely not something to be proud of, but I got that party side from my old man.
I sipped the whiskey down enough to keep it from spilling on the counter and set the glass back down. With another look around the bar, I finally spotted Hail. She was dwelling in a booth that was hidden in the corner near a window. Her shades were up and her eyes were fixed in a piercing stare as she looked at the person across from her. She was not amused and it was clear that the client was giving her the runaround like she mentioned earlier.
Taking a look at the guy across from her, he didn't seem like much. He was tall, but not bulging with muscle like some of the other guys in the bar. His form looked more lean than anything as his toned arms were clear under his white t-shirt and black vest. The man's fiery orange hair was unkempt.
I couldn't help but stare at the man Hail was talking to. Something seemed familiar about him. His body language reeked of smug confidence as he leaned back in his seat with his arms resting on the leather of the booth. There was also a small trail of smoke coming from his mouth. A smoker with orange hair…
Wait a minute.
I craned my neck and was able to get a full view of the table. In front of the man was a black bowler hat with a red stripe going around the base. My eyes widened in surprise. Now I knew who it was.
"Roman?" I could only blink in disbelief.
Man, what happened to him? He didn't look anything like he did when the show first started. In fact, the guy looked like a bum. Some random lowlife thug that was looking to make a big score.
My mouth was hanging open in silent shock. It was still hard to believe I was looking at one of the most loved and one of my favorite villains of the show in front of me. This was something that would leave the most hardcore fans shaking with excitement. Almost like meeting your favorite actor or rock star.
In my silent shock, this kind of clued me in to my current situation. Seraph dropped me in Remnant, that much I knew, but the timeframe didn't come to mind until just now. Roman was alive and he had no signs of damage that would have been present if he somehow survived getting swallowed and blown up in volume three. This was sometime before shit hit the fan, and by the looks of it, it was way before it. Probably even before volume one.
"Holy Mary Mother of…"
The sentence died in my throat courtesy of a light tap that came from my shoulder. Turning my head enough to see who was trying to get my attention, I was met by air. Before I could turn back, a streak of pink and brown met my eye.
A quick look down almost made me spill my whiskey in surprise. There beaming up at me with a cute smile was Neo.
"Uh… hey," I said with a small smile.
The smile on her face widened and she climbed into the empty seat next to me.
Okay, I needed to pick my jaw off the floor here. Not one, but two of the fandoms favorite characters were now in a bar with me. If I was still back on Earth, this would be a great story. Not that anyone would believe me, though. Either way, it was still a sight to behold.
Neo's clothes were a little different, too. She still wore those brown pants that hugged her hips, but she also donned a black tank top that hugged her petite frame.
With a snap of her fingers she redirected my attention to her face. The smile was gone and was instead replaced with a small scowl. That's what happens when you stare at a woman too long and she's not interested. In this case I was more focused on her new outfit than anything, but that excuse wasn't going to do jack for me in this situation.
"Sorry. You look cute, is all."
The words were out of my mouth before I could even think. That was another problem I had. My mind was always going a mile a minute and with so much crap flying around my head, I talked without thinking my words over. It didn't help that I was naturally a fast talker, either. Often came off like a bumbling and nervous teenager.
Thankfully my words seemed to please the smaller girl as the smile came back to her lips. She then pointed to my glass of whiskey and I rose a brow. That's right, she's mute as far as everyone knows. People often took creative liberties when writing her and I was no exception. I always had Neo talk using her scroll as if typing a text message, but she seemed keen on using her hands this time around.
"What am I drinking?" I tried to guess what she was saying.
She nodded.
"Death's Delight."
Neo grimaced and her face scrunched up disgust. Guess she wasn't a whiskey drinker at the end of the day. Her pink and brown eyes turned back to the selection of liquor on the other side of the bar. Following her finger, I saw her pointing straight at a bottle of clear liquor.
What was that? Moonshine? Vodka? Gin?
She pointed at it again and kept her eyes on me. Ah, so she was that kind of girl. Sparing a quick look back at Hail, I saw that she was still engrossed in her conversation with Roman. She wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Might as well see if Neo would be willing to keep me company for a bit.
Going off instinct again, I gave her a small smile and swirled my whiskey around.
"Can I buy you a drink?"
Neo nodded happily and the smile that came to her face threatened to split it in two as the bartender came back with a glass of the clear liquor. Once she had it, I raised my glass towards her.
"Cheers."
A small chime came as our glasses met and we took a long drink.
(Hail)
My fingers tapped the table lightly in a slow rhythm. Roman was late, as usual. God, he had to be the worst client we had. I respected Stump with all my heart, but I did not see the appeal of keeping Roman as a client. If it were up to me, I would have cut ties with him ages ago. Especially after the cockroach and his pint-sized partner ducked out of paying us for the first job.
It was the same song and dance. He'd hire us for a job and say he had the money, but we never saw a single piece of it. The contract he signed with us when he became a client gave him the ability to pay us after the mission was done. It was a stupid rule for mercenaries, but we had to follow the code. Every client had to pay the mercenary after the job, but if the mercenary failed the job, they didn't have to be paid. Every time the job was completed, Roman would claim he wasn't satisfied and didn't pay because he 'neglected' to mention a small bit of information that acted as a safeguard.
This guy was using us as his henchmen to do his bitchwork and it made my skin crawl. If I wanted to take orders from some boss that had a sense of self-importance, I would have taken a boring office job.
A small smirk danced on my lips. He may have pulled a fast one on us, but he failed to realize that we're not stupid. Before I took the last job he requested of us, I took the liberty of hacking his scroll when Stump had him occupied and found the little loophole he planned to use. The target I had to take down was allegedly transporting a shipment of dust and cash to a group of bandits that he wanted to be brought to him, but the truck was bone dry. What Roman didn't tell us was that the target was set to complete the shipment three days before the start of the mission.
I took out the target and the small group of bandits he was meeting with and took the shipment for our group to turnover for profit. My job was to corner Roman and show him that we knew he was lying. It was our way to show him we were going to come after him after he lied to us. Although I wanted my money, part of me wanted him to refuse so it would give me a reason to blow his head off.
"Ah, Hail! I've been looking for you!"
Speak of the asshole.
My fingers lifted my shades to rest on the top of my head and my eyes bore into his. He had that cocky smirk on his face as he twirled his cane lightly.
I took a deep breath to calm myself before smiling up at him.
"Well, you found me. So let's get down to business."
Roman clicked his tongue and took his hat off as he sat down across from me. He rested his hat on the table and kept his cane close to him. He may have been a conman, but he was not a pushover. He had taken down huntsmen and made it look easy.
"There's no need to rush, my dear. You just had a long trip, so why don't we have a couple of drinks? I can't imagine you're eager to hit the road so soon," said Roman.
The man was smooth and had charm that could fool any ditzy girl, I'd give him that. That wasn't going to work on me, though. I've been trained to read people and I've become very good at it. This could be used to my advantage though. To my knowledge, he had no clue that I got the jump on him with the job. If he knew that we did, he wouldn't have bothered to show his face.
"I suppose one drink couldn't hurt. You're buying, though," I said with a light shrug.
"Of course. I'm a professional and a gentleman, sweetheart. You should know that by now," Roman answered back, putting a hand on his chest.
"Yeah, I'm sure all the ladies tell you that."
Roman brushed off my remark and whistled at a nearby waiter and beckoned him over. Once the waiter got to the booth, Roman offered me a hand.
"Ladies first." He grinned.
God, I can't wait to wipe that look off your face.
"I'll have a glass of gin," I said to the waiter.
The waiter nodded and turned to Roman.
"Whiskey for me, and don't water it down."
The waiter soon made his way to the bar to fix our drinks which left us some time to talk.
"So, how was the drive?" Roman leaned back in his seat.
"Scenic," was my curt reply.
"The Grimm?"
"Big and scary."
"When was the last time you got laid?"
"Last night. Your mother's a wonderful woman."
This was the shtick he did ever since we first met. He would try to wind me up and he was good at doing it at first, but now it was just like dealing with my brother. Stupid and pointless conversation that led to verbal lashings that would put old drill sergeants to shame. The trick to dealing with that was to play along and try and get a zinger on the one screwing with you.
"What about you, Roman? Can't imagine you got any whores lined up since you're broke," I said.
Roman scoffed and pulled out a cigar and lit it. He took a long puff from it and blew some smoke in my direction. That was his little submission to the talk. He was not one to verbally lash out and instead opted for a more subtle approach.
The smoke hovered around my head and I could feel it sting my eyes. It wafted into my nostrils and tickled the back of my throat. That's two, Roman. Don't get to three.
"I'm far from broke, honey. Since you and your gang of professionals have been playing like the B-Team, I've saved a lot of money," said Roman using air quotes for emphasis.
The waiter returned with our drinks and high tailed it after doing so. He had to have sensed the tension that was growing between us and wanted no part of it. Wise on his end since it had the chance of blowing up quick depending on which buttons were pushed.
I picked up my glass and took a long sip. The gin filled me with a comforting warmth and made my muscles relax. This was just what I needed to keep my head level long enough to deal with the man in front of me.
Roman's brow furrowed a little as the whiskey hit his tongue. He smacked his lips and set his glass down.
"Believe it or not, the B-Team is capable of being an A-Team," I said.
"Really?" Roman rose a brow with a small smirk.
"Yes, really. I know it might be hard for you to comprehend, so I'll try to explain this as simply as possible."
Roman chuckled and sipped his whiskey again.
"Here's the deal, Roman. Stump sent me out here to collect the money you owe us for this mission and the last couple you said we botched. You're going to give me that money before I leave the bar," I said.
The conman laughed and wiped a fake tear from his eye. He was clearly enjoying his perceived victory, but we'll see how long he can keep a straight face with what I had to tell him yet.
"I don't owe you anything, Hail. It says so in the contract. You mess up, I keep my money. You blew four jobs for me and I know you blew this one, too," said Roman.
I took another drink of gin and smirked at him. This made the man look back at me with mild amusement.
"And how do you know that? You gave us all of the information before we carried it out, right?" I challenged him.
My arms crossed under my chest as I leveled him with a flat stare. From what I could tell, I had his attention. His eyes were somewhat narrowed as he stared back at me.
"Of course I did," Roman answered back with a toothy grin.
You're so full of it!
"Are you sure, Roman? Because if you're lying to me, you're really not going to like what happens next," I told him.
"What are you going to do? Kill me?" He smirked back.
My head swayed as I shook it. He was going to be in for a nasty surprise.
"As tempting as that is, no. I'm not going to kill you," I answered him.
"I thought so," Roman said as he brought his whiskey back to his lips.
"But Stump told me to bring you back to him if you were."
Roman's mouth twitched into a grimace and cough escaped him a second later. He put his glass back down on the table and lightly thumped his chest to clear his throat.
"You're bluffing," he said.
"Am I?" I pulled out my scroll and went to my text messages.
My hand held the scroll up for him to see and his eyes darted back and forth across the screen. The message Stump gave me was clear and it was one of my tools of persuasion to use again the worm. Stump told me to show Roman the message in case he called me out. My boss never lied and Roman knew that very well. It was his own personal business statement with every client that contracted us. With that in mind, you can bet that I enjoyed every second of it as some of the color drained from his face.
The crook grimaced and swallowed lightly.
"Your target is dead. Same goes for those bandits he was taking the cargo to," I said.
Roman only blinked back and took a long drink from his glass. He was on the ropes now and I was sure he was planning his escape. Not that he would get far, anyway. I had a jeep and I could chase him down and bring him to the extraction point where Stump and the rest were waiting with a Bullhead.
"Not bad, Hail," said Roman.
It was subtle, but I could see his arm move slightly. His hand was inching towards his cane and he was getting ready to fight his way out. Another quick look around the bar made me reassess the problem. If he instigated a fight with a gunshot or provoking some random guy, it would turn this place into a bloody brawl.
I polished off the last of my gin and my hand rested by my hip. My fingertips graced my knife. He was probably counting on me to use my gun, but that as only for a distraction. The only way I was bringing out my rifle was if he got away and I needed to put one in his ass to drop him.
"We know you've been lying to us. If you come with me now, Stump will be a little more merciful. If you run, consider your contract with us terminated," I said.
For a fleeting moment, Roman seemed to consider the decision, but I knew better. This man would risk making a break for it if it meant staying alive and free of a debt. He was a coward like that.
"Can you live with yourself if you do that?" Roman's tone was calm once again.
His quick shift in demeanor was a red flag. Was he getting ready to run?
"What do you mean?" My eyes narrowed at him.
Roman finished his whiskey and put on his hat. He turned his eyes back to me and a smug grin spread across his lips.
"Can you live with yourself if someone innocent dies here because of your little bone with me?"
His eyes then flicked to the bar and lingered on one man in particular. Next to the man I could see Roman's partner Neo, happily conversing with him. Her umbrella was by her hand and looked ready for a quick stab. The man turned his head and I immediately frowned.
When did Dustin get here?
"You try to do anything, Neo kills your lay. We saw you two talking by your jeep earlier," said Roman.
Damn it! This was quickly turning back on me and it was all Dustin's fault! Whether it was because he followed me or was just trying to find help, he got involved in the worst possible way. By getting in the middle of a job.
"Go ahead," I answered back. "He means nothing to me."
Roman blinked and hummed under his breath. He then burst out laughing and his hand grabbed a hold of his cane.
"Damn, Hail! You really are the Ice Queen, aren't you?" His fingers drummed the table.
"That's right." I nodded back.
Neo had her umbrella ready to go and Dustin looked too distracted in talking with her to notice it. Come on! If you made it through the desert in one piece, you should be able to watch your ass in a goddamn bar!
He was probably drunk from talking to Neo for so long.
"Well, I hope he was good enough in the sheets for ya'!"
It happened fast, but I was long since ready for it. The table had flipped up and Roman had fired a quick shot from the tip of his cane and hit a man in the back. When the man shot forward from the hit and collided with another, the tables nearby erupted into a fray that spread like a wildfire. Guns and blades were drawn and the bar was filled with angry yells and shouts.
A gun went off with a loud bang and then came another and another. Bullets hissed and glass shattered as they hit the windows and any glasses on the table. Roman was gone, but that wasn't my concern.
My rifle was aimed high and aimed for Neo. The small woman met my gaze and her eyes widened in slight surprise. She must have expected me to go after Roman, but her partner successfully called my bluff.
The tip of my finger ghosted the trigger and pulled. A growl escaped me when Neo shattered into pieces, leaving a stunned Dustin to fall out of his chair and stare at the spot the girl had been a moment before.
There was no time to check on him.
I bolted out of the bar and my hair flipped wildly as I looked up and down the road. Far in the distance I could see Neo and Roman round a corner and out of sight. There was no way I could hunt them down on foot and if I took the jeep, they would be long gone.
My rifle shook lightly in my arms and a shaky sigh escaped me. The anger that filled me was strong and I was having a hard time calming down.
I had him! I fuckin' had him!
My rifle retook its position on my shoulder when I slung it. The wood beside me splintered as the side of my fist slammed into it a second later.
Unbelievable!
Just like that, my scroll vibrated in my pocket and I pulled it out a second later. After seeing who it was, I took a deep breath and answered it.
"Do you have him?" A gruff voice asked me.
Teeth pushed their way into my bottom lip and my knuckles cracked as they formed a tight fist.
"Negative. I had him and he managed to get away," I answered.
A long pause filled the line and my heart pounded hard. This was the one man I did not like to fail. Every time I did, he would give me a disappointed look. He never chewed me out, but I honestly wished he would do that instead. The silence and disappointment made it feel as though the level of trust between us was diminishing. Like if I kept failing, he would keep me from doing important jobs and shift me to more manageable ones where the pay was not great.
"What happened?" He asked.
"He targeted a civilian and used another one with Neo to bait me."
No point in lying. He always knew when I did.
"Okay. Meet us at the rally point," he said.
"Got it. I'm on my way back now, Stump."
The line clicked as he hung up. I folded my scroll and tucked it back in my pocket. Just great.
Not only do I fail the mission and disappoint Stump, but I did it because I decided to save some guy I don't even know. If I didn't do that, Roman would be currently be bound in zipties and I would be driving to the rally point with a big grin on my face.
Speaking of the guy, I turned to look back in the bar. He was stirring on the floor and clutching his head. At least he was still alive.
I entered the bar again and made my way over to Dustin. He opened his eyes and squinted up at me as I loomed over him.
"Hail?" He groaned out.
That's right. You and I are going to have a little chat.
My leg raised high and I drove it down. The bottom of my boot connected with his head and sent him to the floor. He lay sprawled out and his eyes were in rolled to the back of his head. Better to make do with the guy that caused me to fail in the first place than go back empty handed.
With a little difficulty, I managed to sling Dustin over my shoulder and got ready to make for the exit.
"Hey!" The bartender called from behind me.
"What?" I glanced back at him.
"That guy owes me money after those drinks!"
"How much?"
"Seven thousand lien."
Jeez, well, there goes the rest of Dustin's money. Actually, now that I think about it, I don't think he has that much. He's just a little short. Well, it's not my money at the end of the day and this will do him some good. Hopefully he'll learn something from all of this.
I sat Dustin back down on the chair and pulled his wallet out and pulled out the rest of his money and slammed it on the counter. I picked him up again and made my way for the door, but the bartender stopped me again.
"He's short!"
"By three hundred lien. I think you'll live," I answered back.
"You're not going anywhere until I get my three hundred lien, lady!"
Quick as a flash, my free hand pulled out my knife and I pointed the tip of it at the bartender's nose. A small drop of blood oozed out and trickled down my blade.
"I think you'll live. If you're that bent out of shape, I'll make sure to send this kid back with the three hundred lien later. But one way or another, I'm leaving the bar and he's coming with me," I said with a slight edge.
The bartender closed his mouth and swallowed lightly as he glared back at me. He took a step back and wiped his nose free of the blood and gave a curt nod to me.
"Fine. Get out of here." He jerked his head to the side.
On my way out of the bar, I made direct eye contact with everyone who sent a look at me. They were quick to turn away, but I knew it only had to do with the tattoo on my shoulder. They knew who I was affiliated with and that if they attacked, it would be like kicking a hornet's nest. One person didn't just engage a mercenary for the hell of it unless they wanted to die a painful death. Mess with one, you mess with all. The only way one would attack a mercenary is if they were labeled as a traitor by the group and a bounty was placed on them.
Mercenary bounties varied depending on the individual's skill, group affiliation and reputation. I'm not trying to toot my own horn here, but if Stump decided to just one day up and throw me to the wolves, I'm sure I'd easily be worth five hundred million lien. Maybe a little more if people knew parts of my past.
The blistering heat met me and I could already feel the sweat forming inside my shirt as I carried Dustin back to the jeep. Once I made it back, I dropped him in the back seat without much care. A muffled grunt escaped the unconscious man and another one came after I ziptied his wrists.
The jeep roared to life and a plume of dust trailed behind us as I drove to the rally point. The sun was starting to set. This was a good thing, namely because no one would be willing to follow me out to the desert at night. Grimm activity picked up along with bandit raids. It was a perfect opportunity to make a getaway.
The rally point was ten miles away from the town, hidden in an old quarry used for dust mining way back in the day. Only one way in and not a good place to hunker down unless you had an aircraft to get you out, which we did. Stump made good on a job a while back where he asked for possession of five fresh Bullheads instead of cash. Something about faster transportation to a job or shipments of cargo. Either way, it was a good trade for one cash job.
Ahead I could see the road fork off to the left that led to a series of dunes. Beyond that was a large drop off where the quarry was hidden. Almost home.
The jeep made its final turn after coming down the twisting path of the pit. In the center of the quarry was a new Bullhead with its ramp down, ready to take me back. On the ramp I spotted two people.
One was my twin brother, Frost. God, I can see his puffed out cheek from here. He loved his dip, but it was a filthy habit. He raised his empty bottle at me as a greeting before spitting a deposit of his chew into the container. Again, gross.
Then on the other side of the ramp was our boss, Stump. The man was nearing fifty, but don't let his age fool you. He's the strongest and most sound man I've ever met in my life. His large frame was lean with muscle that could overpower even the most buff man. His thick brown hair was showing signs of grey at the tips. The cigarette between his dry lips burned as he took another puff.
When I pulled the jeep into the Bullhead, Frost shut the ramp behind me.
"Who the hell is that?" He nodded at Dustin.
I climbed out of the jeep and stretched again.
"The guy who screwed up the mission," I answered him.
Stump's eyes stared down at Dustin for a long moment before he let out a rough grunt.
"Good. Hopefully he's useful," said Stump.
The large man worked his way back to the cockpit and sat in the pilot's seat. The Bullhead hummed as it fired up and hovered in the air before ascending into the sky. Once it was facing southwest, it took off.
I sat down on the closest seat and propped my feet up on the hood of the jeep, all the while keeping an eye on Dustin. He should be out cold long enough to be put in containment.
(Dustin)
Aw, man… did anyone get the number of that truck that hit me? The light that met my eyes was strong. It was similar to a migraine with how sensitive it was as it felt like knives piercing my brain. None of my concussions or hangovers topped this uncomfortable feeling. Okay, that was a lie. One bad concussion and one Christmas break hangover in college was worse than this, but you get the idea. It hurt like shit.
Air swarmed my nostrils and a long groan escaped me as I managed to pry my eyes open. The moment I did, my head slumped forward and a blur of colors met me so fast that I almost vomited. Okay, great. Minor concussion for sure. What does one this make for me now, number five? Sounds right.
My eyes cleared up enough to show me the floor from the chair I was sitting in. When I tried to move, I found my arms bound behind the back and my legs tied to it. The chair scuffed the floor as I pushed back in surprise.
What was going on? How did I even get in this state?
Let's see, I was at the bar keeping an eye on Hail and Roman. Then I met Neo and we had some drinks… wait, I didn't get roofied, did I? It was kind of a blur. One minute I'm talking to Neo, then all of a sudden it's like Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Bullets were flying all over the place and people were wailing on each other like they were amped up on PCP.
That's right, then Hail came back and next thing I know, I'm waking up here.
"Hey sleeping beauty, you up?" A young voice met me.
With some difficulty I managed to pick my head up and turn to the person who talked to me. What I didn't expect was to see four people in front of me. I immediately recognized Hail as she sat on the wooden table far in front of me, looking back with an icy glare. The other three were guys. Two of them looked around my age, give or take a year and the last one was a big guy, towering around six five like my old college roommate.
"Who are you? Where am I? And why the hell am I tied up?" I asked.
Three short questions that I wanted answered.
A small click met my ears and my eyes drifted to the tallest member of the group. A zippo lighter had ignited a cigarette between his lips before it clicked shut. The tall man lowered his smoke and his boots made heavy thumps as he walked on the stony floor to me. When he came into the light, I got a better look at him. Tall and lean, probably in his late forties or early fifties. What really got my attention was the tattoo on his left shoulder. It was the same as Hail's.
Taking a chance, my eyes went to the other two in the room, and I could make out the tattoos on their shoulders as well in the small light that reached them.
"I suppose introductions are in order," said the tall man.
He pointed to the first guy.
The man had thick, wild red hair and a strong jaw. Like the others in the room, his body reeked of fitness. He tilted his head up to greet me.
"That's Sonny."
The leader then pointed in the direction of Hail and another man with white hair just like her. In fact, they were probably related. Same eyes, same hair color. The guy had some chew in his mouth and was swishing the bottle of it beside him.
"Those are the twins, Frost and Hail."
"Sup, guy?" Frost smirked at me.
The man turned back to me and took a long drag of his smoke before breathing out a steady stream of it.
"And I'm Stump. Leader of the Desert Fox mercenary group." He finished.
It was becoming clear what this was leading to. They had me bound to the chair to keep me from running and to possibly interrogate me. Hail's glare seemed to burn into me, and that only add fuel to my belief. This probably had to do with her losing Roman and she was taking it out on me. It was almost childish, but that's what happens when you piss off someone who's passionate about their job.
Wood screeched on the floor as Stump pulled up another chair to sit in front of me and plopped down in it. He pulled his cigarette from his mouth and let another wave of smoke leave him.
"You're currently being held in containment on our group's compound, no way out. You're tied up because you caused one of my best to fail a mission," Stump continued, all the while jerking a thumb back at Hail.
He then leaned forward and his eyes narrowed into a stern glare. One that was eerily similar to one my dad gave me whenever I fucked up. What followed was a punishment or verbal lashing that made you seriously question whether or not God turned his back on you.
"So, we're going to have a nice long talk and I'm going to ask you some questions. I want you to give me straight answers. You do that, we'll work with you a little bit. Deal?" Stump crossed his arms.
"Got it." I nodded back.
"But don't lie. If you do, I'll get mad and believe it or not, I'm capable of expressing it in creative and physical ways. Clear?"
That was unpleasant just thinking about it. If I had aura it was locked, which meant I would be getting an ass kicking and then some if they felt I was lying. Here's hoping they didn't ask me something unreasonable.
Guess I'm not out of the woods yet. Still have to hit the bottom on this long day.
"Clear." I nodded again.
That's the chapter, folks. Hope you liked seeing Roman and Neo in the chapter. We also got to see a shift of characters to Hail and we see the rest of the other OCs that'll play a big part in the story towards Dustin's development into his new persona. One thing to note is that whenever I switch point of views in this story, you'll be able to know who it is before the next passage. Let me know what you thought via review. Follow, favorite, and I'll see y'all next time.