He woke up to the sound of an alarm blaring, causing him to growl I'm annoyance.
"Fucking clock." He smashed his hand on top of it, finally silencing the assault on his ears.
He sat up and rubbed his face, looking at the clock. "Why do I have you set at 8:00 in the morning?"
He threw the sheets off and sat at the edge of the bed, cracking his neck before standing up. He looked around the room, examining it. "Not bad of a deal, honestly."
The room was slightly bigger than your average hotel room, even if the place was small. There was a queen sized bed, a stand next to it with a lamp and a god forsaken alarm clock, on top of it with one drawer. There was a medium sized dresser embedded into the wall, with two bigger drawers at the bottom and a double doored opening to hang your other belongings. A TV stood on a stand across from the foot of the bed. A mini fridge was placed in an area with a sink and microwave, making a small kitchen area. Then there was a door on the opposite side of the entrance, which led to the bathroom.
He checked his scroll to see if he got any more assignments. "You have: 0 new messages." Said a robotic female voice from the scroll. This was odd, since for the last week he had stayed there, he had usually gotten one or two assignments
He got up and changed into some more casual wear than what he had on before. He put on a white T-shirt with three black jagged slash marks across the chest, and a pair of grey sweatpants with sandals.
"Not my usual decour, but eh, casual wear." He thought to himself. He went for the door, but stopped and looked at the scroll on the bed. "Better take it, just in case." He's done jobs without his equipment before, it just that they were...messyer.
Leaving the apartment, he headed down the hall towards the dining area to get some of the breakfast that was served.
When he got there, it was empty, which was normal, since most times people didn't stay at the place for more than a night. They either slept in and got food later, or left around this time, just getting a quick snack.
After getting a plate and silverware, he walked up to the buffet, noticing the sound of something cooking in a skillet. "What she plan to do, feed the town?" Thought Jake with a smirk.
He started to move down the buffett, placing breakfast goods on his plate. "You know, I don't I'll be able to eat all this!" He called into the kitchen through the opening in front of him. A head poked out, leaning backwards, with white hair with black streaks tied in a bun under a net, accompanied by dark red eyes.
"You better, since you're the only one here!" She yelled back, waving a spatula.
"Sorry, not that big of an appetite Jasmine."
"Make it big! And it's Jaz, not Jasmine!"
A smirk on his face, Jake sat down at one of the tables in the room and started to eat. "Not bad." He mumbled through bites.
About a couple days into staying there, Jake learned her name was Jasmine, but preferred to be called Jaz. "I like the simple things in life. Jaz is simple, so use it." She told him after he called her Jasmine one to many times, threatening him with a hardcover book.
He rubbed the back of his head. "That shit hurts." He thought.
He also learned that she actually inherited the place from her parents after an accident a few years back, resulting in their deaths. She was able to keep the building, thanks to the small fortune left behind by her parents, but started to actually work there when she was legally old enough. Since then, she's been working here, "preserving her parents dream" she says.
"But, with you just here, it won't be long until things become too much." He told her. She just smiled and shook her head. "Even so, I gotta keep doing it. It's what I want to do."
She confused Jake that way, with that kind of thinking. "Why take such big risks? Take the path of profit and luxury. No ones obligated to carry on the will of the dead." He never said that, but that's what he thought to himself.
As he ate, he heard the sound of clattering plates. He turned and found Jaz grabbing a plate herself, along with some foods from the Buffet.
"What? I haven't had breakfast yet." She told him as she walked to his table, noticing the funny look he was giving her. She sat across from him and started to eat.
"So, you taking a day off today?"
"So far, yeah. How'd you guess?"
"You always wear that sketchy coat and hat when you go out. You not now, so I guessed, and I guessed right." She said with a triumphant smile at the end.
"Hey, I do not look sketchy." Jake said, pointing his fork at her with a piece of sliced cooked ham on it.
"Yeah you do." She said, grabbing the ham off his fork with her own.
"Real charming." He grumbled, eating his other food. She responded by sticking her tongue out and ate the ham.
They ate in silence, until Jaz spoke up. "So, you want to get coffee or something?"
Jake stopped eating and looked up. "Excuse me?"
"Well, if you got nothing to do, then let's go hang out. I got a friend I can call over that can watch the place, so in case someone comes, there's service."
Jake sat back and closed his eyes, thinking about his choices.
"Come ooon! All we do is work everyday. We deserve some type of fun, even if it's for a day."
After a couple of moments of silence, Jake sighed. "Fine, but only because you'll keep nagging me if I say no."
Jaz sat of and clapped her hands with a smile. "Great! I'll go get changed, then we'll leave. And also..." She flicked him in the head. "I don't nag."
She walked out humming, leaving jack rubbing the spot where she flicked him. "What did I just walk myself into?" He grumbled.
He then proceeded to wait for her at the table, drumming his fingers against it. "Ugh." He moaned in frustration. "What's taking so long?"
He then started to play with a spoon, flipping it around his fingers and balancing it on the tip of his index finger. "Hmm." He noticed his reflection in the spoon. "Should my hair be straightened out?" He brushed his fingers through his hair before stopping.
"What am I doing?" He thought, shaking his head. He didn't care what he looked like. Why should he? This isn't a date, just hanging out with a friend.
He leaned back and groaned. "Come on..."
He heard footsteps behind him.
"Alright, let's go. Had to dig through some stuff, but this is all I could find."
Jake turned around, and his eyes went wide.
Jaz wore a black T-shirt with dark purple design on the front in the form of a heart, with a white long sleeved undershirt that just reached her elbows. Her pants were light blue jeans, and her shoes were light brown casuals, resembling slippers meant for outdoors.
He must have stared for a little too long, cause Jaz seemed to take notice. "What, you like this outfit?" She said crossing her arms with a smirk.
"Uhhh...I don't know?"
She rolled her eyes and grabbed his arm. "Come on, let's go!" She half yelled, leading him to the front.
"We're taking your bike."
"Why? Don't you have a ride?"
"I'm not waiting fifteen minutes for the bus."
"Alright, give me a second."
He pulled out his scroll and selected an app with just the rim of a tire showing. It opened, showing a bunch of commands written out, with a voice activator at the bottom.
"Activate NightsGust, requesting pickup."
The sound of an engine roaring to life came from the back of the establishment, and the bike came driving itself out to the front, stopping in front of the two.
"Oh wow." Jaz whispered, staring at the bike.
"Yep. My pride and joy. Custom built so that only i can control it."
"And if someone tries?"
"You'll get...burnt."
She nodded slowly, looking it over. "Why NightsGust?"
Jake smiled, brushing his hand along the handle. "Cause when I ride this thing, I'm like the wind of the night: fast, and black as the shadows."
"I see. So, let's get that coffee."
"Alright. Hop on, and let's get going."
He got on and revved the engine, Jaz slowly getting on. "Your kinda slow at this."
"I never ride a motorcycle before!"
"It's fine, just hold on."
"Hold on? Hold onto wha-AHHHH!" Jake flipped the brakes and drove off, making Jaz throw her arms around his waist. He looked down and laughed, seeing as she was terrified.
"What, you scared?" He called over the wind.
"SHUT UP!" She yelled back angrily, causing him to laugh again.
After a couple of minutes of driving, they got to a little outdoor cafe, named The Roasted
Bean, which was odd, and parked the bike at the side.
"How'd you enjoy the ride?" Jaz smashed him in the arm with her fist.
"Shut...up." She stormed off into the cafe, leaving Jake to stand there, rubbing his arm.
"Violent..." He mumbled, a slight smile on his face as he followed after her. He found her waiting in line, a couple people in front.
"What, you made me come out to get coffee. There had to be some sort of punishment involved in this." She still kept silent, facing forward with her arms crossed.
"Helloooo? Anybody in there?" He waved his hand in front of her face. She grabbed his hand and threw it down, still facing forward.
"Alright, how bout this." He cleared his throat. "I'm sorry for making you freak your shit and driving off before you had any type of grip on the bike."
She sighed and mumbled something, inaudible to his ears.
"You say something?"
"No."
They got to the counter, and placed their orders. Jake ordered a dark roast, while Jaz ordered an iced coffee. After they got their drinks, they headed to a table outside of the building out front.
"I don't come here often enough." Jaz said, sipping her drink. "What do you mean?"
She leaned on one arm. "I used to come here all the time. The iced coffees here are my favorite." She swirled her drink with a straw that came with the drink.
"Why don't you? If you got someone to look after the hotel when you're gone, why is it so hard to just come here?" Jake asked, adding some sugar to his coffee.
She placed her drink down. "Well, this person has a life of their own, so I can't keep calling into them. And really, it sucks to just go and do things like this on your own." Jake nodded, sipping his drink.
They then chatted about other things, like current events, and other things of the nature.
They then started talking about the local crime spike.
"But it's so weird! Not until recently, murders were at a minimum, but now there's one person found every other day."
"What, you saying there's a serial killer out in town?"
"Well, I not sure, but they're saying that it doesn't fit the motive, or something, like its too random. The only connections they can make are the fact that the majority of the victims were in the witness protection program."
"So you're saying is that we got a collector?" He realized what he just said, cursing under his breath.
"Yeah, I guess. It's just that you don't find that type In Vale. They're usually all in Atlas."
"Well, if you want my advice on the whole thing, I'd say not to get too into it."
She looked at him funny. "What do you mean?"
He shrugged. "They're the type that don't like people butting into their business. Cross the wrong one, and things won't end well."
"How would you know this?" Jaz asked, leaning in.
"...things happen, some I don't want to share."
"Oh...OH...I-im sorry, I didn't-" Jake held up his hand, a small smile on his face.
"It's alright." He saw that he finished his coffee. "Well, my coffees done, you done."
"Yeah, let's get going."
They left the cafe, heading back to the bike. when they got to where they left it, it wasn't there. "Oh, oh HELL no." Jake pulled out his scroll, looking through the app with a scowl on his face.
"Your bike got jacked!?"
"Seems that way."
"We got to call the police!"
"No need. This way." Jake said, pointing at a minimap on the scroll, showing a blinking light a block down. "But that's dangerous! We don't know who, did this, or what they're capable of..."
"We'll be fine. Come on." Jake waved his hand to her, motioning her to follow him. Tentatively, she followed, her hands against her chest, eyes darting around.
After a couple minutes of walking, Jake grabbed Jaz and pulled her behind a dumpster.
"What are you-"
"Shh." He hushed, putting his hand on her mouth. "They're right around the corner. Listen, do NOT come out if you hear anything odd, alright?"
She looked at him with both confusion and worry. "Why? What's happening?"
He peeked around the dumpster, observing the thieves.
They were Juniors men, that's for sure, wearing the trademark red glasses and black suits, four in total. Three of them held red katanas, one on his shoulder, one sheathed, and the other leaning on it in its sheath. The last one had a gun at his side, designed to fire dust infused rounds it seemed.
"Well, what we gonna do with it?"
"What else? Scrap the damn thing, sell the parts."
"Man, look at this thing." He went to sit on it, but the one with the gun smacked him over the head.
"Dumbass! You wanna get burnt again?"
"Hey, who you calling a dumbass?"
They started to argue, but the last one intervened. "Alright, alright! How bout this? You're both dumbasses."
Jake leaned back behind the dumpster, cracking his fist. "Just promise, you'll stay silent."
"But-" she didn't have time before Jake stepped out and walked towards the four.
"Hey jackasses, I'm pretty sure that's my ride." Jake called, making all four turn on him.
"The hell is this shit?"
"This brat talking to us?"
"No, he's talking to the trash cans."
"Let's just kill the fucker already."
The closest one, him holding a sword, ran at him, bringing the sword down in a downstroke. Jake sidestepped and stepped on the blade, knocking it from the man's hands. Jake then kicked the man in the gut, making him bend over coughing. Jake finished him off by bringing his foot up and smashing the man's head into the cement, sending cracks out from underneath. "Now..." Jake grabbed the sword, examined it, then pointed it at the remaining three. "My bike. Give. It. BACK."
The three took a step back, raising their weapons.
"This is looking bad guys."
"Shut up. There three of us and one of him. He's fucked."
"Doesn't his voice seem familiar to you?"
They didn't get to answer the other ones question, since Jake was rushing the nearest one, who wielded a sword. Jake came with and upwards strike, which was blocked by the man, who brought his knee up to Jakes side. Taking advantage of this, Jake used his speed and kicked the man's other leg out, making him fall to the ground.
The other one struck from behind, swinging sideways. Jake noticed and ducked, swiping the man's feet from underneath him with a low kick. The man fell on his side, and Jake rolled away, a bullet whizzing past him from the other one. Jake grabbed a nearby trash can lid and threw it at the gunner, smacking him in the teeth, causing blood to quickly flow from his mouth.
"Fucking shit!" Yelled the man through his hands, trying to stop the flow of blood.
Jake returned his attention to the other two, who started to get up. As they did so, Jake rushed and shoulder bashed one into the other, making them fall on top of each other. Jake finished them off by stabbing the sword right through both of them, pushing the handle in as well. Then a bullet caught him in the arm, making him drop the sword.
"Alright you fucker, that's it!" Yelled the man with the gun, holding his mouth with the other hand. "Hand up, or this bullets gonna make friends with your brain cells!"
Slowly Jake raised his arms, wincing as pain flaring in his arm. "Didn't go through..." He thought angrily. He felt that his arm was probably shattered by the bullet, but he had to worry about that later.
"Turn around." Jake followed the orders and turned, facing the gunner.
"Walk in front of me, we're gonna go see my boss." He moved behind Jake, shoving him forward. He was too close now for him to dodge the bullet, and the pain prevented him from concentrating.
"When we get there, you're in so much sh-"
CRACK!
Jake whirled around, and found a sight he didn't expect to see.
Jaz was standing there, a look of fear and slight anger on her face, holding a lead pipe, and was standing over the rag dolled form of the gunner.
"Holy shit." Jake muttered, slightly impressed by Jaz. She then started to get some sense back, and started to worry.
"Oh god, I-I didn't know what to do! Is he dead, I think he's dead. The other guys are dead, and you killed them. You killed them and your shot. We need to get to the doctors, call the police, call..." She started to ramble on, shaking slightly from shock at the scene that surrounded her.
"We're not calling the police." Jake said sternly, gripping his arm. "We head back to the hotel.
"But-but these people are dead!"
"Dead mobsters aren't a rare thing. Besides, thats a very bad idea." Jaz started to get angry.
"Why, why is it a bad thing!?" Jake sighed and headed for the bike.
"I don't even got time to explain that, I gotta stop this blood flow." He revved the engine.
"Then let's get to the doctors!"
"Also a bad idea. They won't help either."
"What's so bad about the doctors!?" Jakes vision started to swim.
"Just...get to...hotel. Stop it...there."
He couldn't hear Jaz's response, since the world started to dim. "Shit..." Jake collapsed, the muffled sound of Jaz's yelling being heard.
Yeah, hey guys. Sorry for the lack of posting, but had things to deal with. Don't really expect A New Beginning to be posted in the next few posts, cause I kinda hit a wall on that one. Plus, I'm also working on a fourth story, so expect another person to show. Until later, Blaze out.
