The next few months working for Corneo were pleasant at best, Reno wasn't exactly happy throwing people out of the Honeybee's but he had to admit, his duties there were far more pleasant than his duties inside the mansion. He hated guarding Corneo with a passion, the man would make them stand outside his door while he held 'auditions' for his new 'bride'. Most of the women were willing but some of them weren't. Reno hated when they weren't, that meant Corneo would just rape them. Reno hated listening to the pleas of those women and their frightened screams would echo in his head for hours after.
Tonight however, was a good night for Corneo. Someone actually wanted the slob and all Reno and Rude had to do was make sure they weren't disturbed. Reno was disturbed though, very very disturbed. Something he let Rude know about every five seconds.
"This is messed up yo." Reno said for about the fiftieth time that hour.
"So you've said." Rude sighed as he leaned against the wall, trying to block out the sex sounds coming from the other side.
"I know yo but it's still fucking wrong!" Reno crossed his arms and glared at the wall.
"Lower your voice, we can't disturb him either." Rude shifted as Reno's glare was turned on him.
"I don't think they give a damn, they're a little busy." Reno's tattoos made his glare even more effective.
"I hate this just as much as you do, but working here was your idea." Rude countered with a glare of his own.
"I know yo, I don't regret it though." Reno sighed. Being a thug might suck, but it was worth it. Rude wasn't being abused anymore, Fay actually got time to herself now because Reno and Rude made enough money to support them and any money she made was for extra things that they didn't need. Their home was better now, Reno and Rude spent their free time fixing it up and making it comfortable. Fay was still against them working for Corneo, but only half-heartedly. She couldn't deny that the job paid well and had marvelous benefits for both of them. She was still upset about the occasional drinking binges Reno would have but so long as Rude brought him home in one piece she couldn't complain to much.
"Me neither." Rude agreed, looking down at the floor.
Reno sighed and gave a wane smile, "Whatcha wanna do after yo?"
"We should go see mom." Rude shrugged.
"Sounds like a plan yo." Reno leaned his head against the wall and closed his eyes.
"You hear about what's gonna happen to Arty and Chase?" Rude continued surveying the empty hall. He and Reno had been at odds with the pair since Corneo had made them fight as a job interview.
"No what?" Reno raised his eyebrow and looked at Rude.
"They're being taken out. Got hooked on the drugs some of the Honeybee's are selling and went apeshit. Hurt a couple of them and you know how Corneo is about people hurting the girls." Rude said this as nonchalantly as he could.
Reno nodded, "It's their own fault. They shoulda known better than to fuck themselves up on drugs. Especially when some of the girls tamper with the drugs. Lace 'em with only the gods know what so they have more to sell. Everyone knows that."
"Knowing about it doesn't mean it's going to stop you." Rude pointed out sullenly.
"Yeah." Reno looked at the floor and sighed heavily. He didn't like Arty or Chase but it was still strange to hear that they were going to get killed. He didn't think much of them but he had been sure they wouldn't be that stupid, almost no one was. "This is messed up yo."
"So you've said." Rude sighed and stretched, he was starting to get tired of how repetitive Reno was getting.
They ended their shift when someone brought in another 'bride candidate' for Corneo and they grabbed their things and left for home without any second thoughts. Reno was excited to see Fay as he and Rude hadn't seen her in a few days due to all the work Corneo was having them do now. Rude led the way home with a small smile that Reno hadn't seen him wear in a while. Rude was still caught between a battle of his morals and opinions and he was frustrated by it most of the time. He didn't let it show, but Reno knew he was struggling without having to see it.
"WE'RE HOOOOME!!!" Reno bellowed into the house as they entered.
Fay didn't greet them at all which was strange. Usually she was home and even if she was asleep when they came home she would get up and see them. They knew she wasn't scheduled to work that night and she hadn't left a note so they immediately began to worry. Reno continued calling out for Fay as he roamed the house with Rude in tow. The first sound they heard in reply was the gentle roar of the shower from the bathroom and Reno immediately began to pound on the door.
"Yo Fay!" He called as he knocked. She didn't answer and he turned the knob and opened the door slightly. "Yo Fay!" He called louder. She still didn't answer.
He fully opened the door and a gruesome sight met his eyes. Fay was sprawled naked on the bottom of the tub, her eyes open and glassy with fear still shinning in them as her mouth remained open in an unheard scream. Her blood was splattered on all areas of the room; the walls, the toilet, the sink and it mingled with the water of the shower as it curled towards the drain. Reno took in the sight, horrified at the brutality of the scene. He could tell the killer had enjoyed every minute of it and Reno looked up at the ceiling, hoping to see something the was white and clean in the room but the killer had tainted that too by drawing a few smiley faces on the ceiling in her blood. The thick red faces gazed down at him, dripping and grotesque as they smiled happily.
Reno bent double, his stomach beginning to heave at the sight. Rude pushed past him and knelt beside the tub, turning off the water as he did so. He pulled Fay out and covered her damp, bloody, lifeless form with a towel. Reno saw his friends broad shoulders begin to shake as he silently cried. Reno could feel the tears falling down his own face as he took in the sight. He stumbled over to Rude and placed a hand on his shoulder as he fell to his knees.
Rude pulled Fay's body close to him and leaned on Reno with her in his arms, burying his head in his friends shoulder to avoid looking at the lifeless eyes staring blankly up at him. They sat and cried for what seemed like hours. He didn't think he would ever run out of tears and Reno's shirt was soon soaked.
Reno reached over and gently pulled Fay's eyelids shut and closed her mouth. She was beginning to grow cold and Reno chocked on his tears as he held her stiffening hand in his. He wrapped his other arm around Rude and held him tightly against his chest as he cried. He closed his eyes to try and block out the scene in front of him but it was carved into his brain and danced across his eyelids.
"I'm gonna find the bastard that did this and kill him!" Rude was almost screaming the words as anger began to take the place of shock.
"You wont have to look very far." A snide voice called out behind them.
Reno whipped around in an instant getting to his feet and pulling a knife out of his belt. Rude placed Fay on the ground before turning to face her killer.
They were shocked as they looked at Arty and Chase, drenched in Fay's blood and grinning from ear to ear.
"You fucking bastards!" Reno screamed as he clenched the knife tighter in his hand.
"You deserved it!" Chase screamed as he dove at Reno, his own blood coated knife in hand. Reno reacted quickly, dodging the blow and pressing his own knife into Chase's arm. Chase screamed and Reno pushed him away, barely ducking the knife that passed in front of his face.
Arty lunged at Rude trying to tackle him to the ground as he stabbed. Rude grabbed the knife and forced the point away from him and rolled over, throwing Arty to the floor and crushing him beneath him.
"What the hell was the point of this!?" Reno screamed as Chase lunged for him again. He dodged quickly and thrust his knife into Chase's back where it lodged itself into his shoulder blade. Chase turned around before Reno could pull it out and he lunged at him again, his knife scratching open Reno's arm all the way to the shoulder. Reno caught Chase by the wrist before the knife could cut his throat and he struggled to keep it away from him as he was pushed into the wall.
"You were gonna whack us!" Arty screamed as he pushed Rude off of him and reached for his blade. Rude grabbed Arty's arm and twisted it back as far as he could listening for the satisfying cracking noise that would tell him it was broken.
"What the hell made you think that?" Reno grunted as he used both his hands to keep Chase's sharp blade away from his face. The adrenaline rushing through his body kept him from feeling the pain in his arm but he could feel and see the blood dripping out of it.
"We heard! We heard Scotch say we were gonna get whacked! We knew it was gonna be you who did it!" Chase sweated with effort, his eyes dilated and dripping madness.
Reno felt sweat mingle with the tears on his face as he strained against Chase. He heard a crack like a gunshot and a howl of pain echo around the small room as Rude pulled Arty's arm to the breaking point. He looked at Chase's face and saw the unearthly glow in the man's eyes mingled with the sheen created by whatever drugs Corneo's girls had sold him. "Rude they've got mako in them!" Reno cried out as he finally forced the knife away from his throat and into the wall.
"Mako?" Rude grunted and caught Arty's good arm as the man tried to strangle him.
Chase didn't bother to pull the blade out as he lunged for Reno again with a primal roar.Reno ducked Chase's first blow but not the second. The second sent him tripping back over Fay's body and into the tub stained with her blood. Chase was on him in an instant and Reno tried to protect himself as he felt hands wrap around his throat. He choked as he tried to pry Chase's fingers off his neck but he felt his airway begin to close off. He knew he wasn't much of a match for Chase normally but now that Chase had mako in his system Reno was at an even worse disadvantage.
"Rude!" He managed to squeak the name out before his lungs ran out of air.
Rude shoved Arty into the sink, cracking his skull. He then grabbed Arty's knife off the ground and shoved it into Chase's back before he pulled him off Reno and threw him to the floor. Arty charged him again and Rude slammed his fists into the man's head, breaking his already cracked skull even more. Chase was up in a second and Reno tackled him to the floor, forcing the knives even deeper into his back. Rude turned around and picked Arty up by the scruff of his neck and smashed his head against the sink once more before letting his limp form fall to the ground.
Reno straddled Chase and began to punch him with all the strength he could muster. Rude grabbed him and pulled him off before picking Chase up and setting him down in a sitting position. He grabbed Chase's hair and forced his head back. "Why the hell did you do this you sick bastard."
Chase seemed to have been forced back to reality by the pain from his back, "We heard you were gonna whack us. We figured we'd get you first."
"But why did you kill her." Rude's voice was dangerously low.
"He figured it would piss you off, throw off your judgement and make you easier to get rid of." Chase glanced over at Arty who was bleeding heavily onto the tiled floor. "We were high, Arty planned most of it."
Rude slammed his fist into Chase's face as hard as he could repeatedly. When he was done he let Chase's limp form sink to the ground.
Reno picked Fay up and carried her into her bedroom. He set her on the bed before his body suddenly gave up on him and forced him to vomit all over the floor. He fell to his knees and held his stomach as he felt his head swim.
Rude threw a blanket over Fay before sitting down beside Reno and rubbing his back. "You okay?"
Reno whimpered slightly as his stomach started to heave again. "Why?"
"I don't know." Rude got up and shut the bathroom door, trying to hide the grotesque mess from his retching friend.
"But Fay....she's..." Reno curled in on himself and simply rocked in the fetal position for lack of a more sophisticated way to show his pain.
"I know Reno. We need to leave." Rude pulled Reno to a standing position and helped him walk to the door.
"Why?" Reno stumbled a little as he followed Rude to their bedroom.
"Eventually someone will notice they've gone missing. They'll blame us for the murders. All three of them. Considering the fact that I'm the only one left standing who actually killed anyone tonight it's probably not the best idea for us to stay here to long." Rude pushed his feelings aside and let his reasoning take over. Sorrow would come later.
"But what about Fay? We can't just leave her here! Not without saying good-bye!" Reno turned to go back but Rude stopped him.
"She's already gone to the lifestream Reno. There's nothing left to say good-bye to but a corpse. She wouldn't enjoy us saying goodbye anyways. No one ever truly leaves us Reno, the lifestream is in all of us, which means that the dead are always with us." Rude spoke with more conviction than he had.
Reno nodded and followed Rude to their room so they could grab their stuff and leave. Reno knew after tonight he wouldn't ever want to come back, for any reason. "Where are we going?"
"A hotel. We'll find someplace permanent tomorrow. Tonight we just need to clean up somewhere and go to sleep." Rude began shoving their belongings into bags.
Reno grabbed a duffel bag and followed suit a little more slowly. "Sounds good." He paused, "Rude?"
"Yeah Reno?" Rude paused his packing and looked at Reno.
"I'm sorry. If it weren't for me making us go to Corneo's this wouldn't have ever happened." Reno looked down at the floor and continued, "You were right Rude. It was stupid and optimistic. It was wrong."
"I still regret nothing, and I don't blame you. Corneo allowed us to give her a house worth living in. She wasn't stressed out, I had never seen her relax until we were able to make ends meet for her. It might have been optimistic to think that it would last forever, but it was definitely worth it. She's not in pain anymore Reno. She's never going to have to worry again." Rude began packing again.
Reno resumed packing. I've lost two mother's now. The thought struck him suddenly and caused another tear to drop from his eyes. He didn't know if he'd deserved either mother, but he knew they had deserved better than him.
The trip to the hotel was quiet. Reno followed Rude without hesitation, even when Rude went into a random gas station and made him wait outside. Reno simply did what he was told and tried to stay out of the way. He knew Rude was trying to figure things out and he didn't think he had the mental power to contribute anything helpful.
The hotel they stayed at was decrepit and only offered one bed per room. Most of the hotels in the slums could only afford a bed per room, beds were expensive and few people with the money to pay for a hotel room visited the slums. The room they rented out for the night was cold and smelt bad but it had running water and Reno really didn't care about much else. He had only recently begun to realize the fact that he was coated in blood and that most of it was his own. He had forgotten that his arm had been cut open and he peeled off his shirt to inspect the wound. It wasn't deep but now that he could see it he could feel pain from it.
Rude saw Reno messing with his arm and once he saw the blood still oozing gently from it he dragged him into the bathroom. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me you were hurt Reno?"
"I forgot about it." Reno answered honestly as Rude grabbed a towel from under the sink and began to wet it down. "I can clean it out in the shower Rude it'll be okay. It's not that bad."
Rude wrung out the towel, "Fine. Just don't forget to tell me that sort of thing ever again alright? I just lost my mom, I don't want to lose my best friend too."
"You won't lose me that easily." Reno smiled weakly before stepping into the shower.
"Reno you need to get undressed before you get in the shower." Rude sighed as he left the room.
"I'm not getting undressed with you in the room you'll see my junk!" Reno laughed lightly.
"Can't see what's not there." Rude sat down on the wooden chair in front of the small TV in their room.
Reno laughed as he began cleaning up. It didn't take long for him to get all the blood off and once he finished he dried off and walked into the main room. "Your turn."
Rude looked up and threw Reno a duffel bag. "Most of your clothes are in that one. Your toothbrush should be in there too."
"Thanks yo." Reno started digging through the bag for nightclothes while Rude went to shower. He couldn't understand how they could both act so normal after the horrific events the night had contained but he wasn't going to fight against the idea. Normalcy was something that sounded like heaven to him.
Once Reno got dressed Rude had finished in the shower and came out in his pajamas. Reno guessed he had been smart enough to take them in with him. He went to the bathroom and brushed his teeth before crawling under the covers of their bed.
"Let me see that cut before you get too comfortable." Rude demanded as Reno adjusted himself.
"It's not that bad yo!" Reno stuck out his arm for Rude to see, "The bastard just grazed me. I've been hurt worse and we both know it."
"That doesn't mean I don't give a damn about it." Rude looked the cut over and poked it causing Reno to jump.
"What was that for?" Reno asked angrily.
"Shits and giggles." Rude chuckled as he got up to turn off the lights.
"Shits and giggles." Reno sighed, "You gotta be jokin' yo."
"Goodnight Reno." Rude sighed as he crawled under the covers.
"Goodnight Rude. You poke me while I'm asleep and I'll beat the shits and giggles right out of you." Reno smiled and went to sleep.