Chapter 4 (Choices of blood)
Zack
tugged on the tight jacket of his last clean, summer suit. He glanced at Andrew
as they neared Nishi-Funabashi station.
With
the grace of a flying brick,
Andrew danced around an old lady then a young married couple. He huffed, his
jiggling belly brushing the passersby as
if he were in a hurry to waste his money. Would Andrew really take Miyuki, his
girlfriend, to Deco
in Shibuya tonight?
Zack’s
hand found its way into his pocket, and he pulled out Yura’s business card. He
brushed his fingers across it, going through a list of restaurants that
wouldn’t seem cheap while not destroying his wallet like Deco would. Global might work. He swallowed. I hope she still wants to have dinner
tonight.
Around
the station, more random people milled about in an undulating mess. No
organization. No eye contact. Just a back and forth of individuals and families
moving in every direction. Some strolled into the apartments on his right. A
few walked into the pharmacy to his left. Most made their way away from the
station down the long road.
He
nudged Andrew in the side and pointed at Yaki-NJ’s stand. A grin split Zack’s
face, and he sniffed.
Mesquite.
Barbecue chicken on a stick. An open
grill. The heavenly scent of yakitori hung thick in the air.
Zack’s mouth watered, and he licked his
lips. “Your girlfriend doesn’t have to know we grabbed a few sticks of yakitori
before you leave.”
Andrew
wrung his hands together. “A stick or three couldn’t hurt.” He smiled.
“My
thoughts exactly.” Zack strolled over to Yaki-NJ’s stand and waved. “How’s it
going,” he said in Japanese.
Yaki-NJ
dried the sweat from his face with a white towel then tied it around his
balding head like a bandana. He pulled on the collar of his black T-shirt that
read, ‘Fuck that. Life rocks. Can
you see the squirrels?’ His gray eyebrows arched. “You look much better today.”
Had Zack stopped by here yesterday? He
looked up and to the left. The haze of depression was still too thick over most
of yesterday’s events. “Yeah. Andrew here —” He patted Andrew on the back. “—
did a good job of cheering me up.”
“That is a lie,” Shinji said. “We all know I carried you out of your
crybaby state.”
Are you talking to me again?
“No.”
A
smirk tugged at Zack’s lips. Asshole.
“I’m
glad you don’t have that I’m going to
jump in front of a train look on your face anymore.” Yaki-NJ pulled out two
basic yakitori, dipped them in tare-sauce and laid them on the grill.
Zack
nodded. “Yeah … .”
“Look.
I know how hard breakups can be.” Yaki-NJ
turned the two sticks of yakitori. “Especially when the relationship lasted as long as yours did. But
you will find better girl.”
“I
hope so.”
“Chin
up.”
Zack reached into his pocket again then stopped himself. If he thought too
much about tonight’s date with Yura, he would surely fuck it up. Thump-thump.
His heart began to beat faster. Was she as beautiful as he remembered? Stop thinking about it! Thump-thump-thump.
Better question, was she as sweet and caring as she appeared to be?
Andrew
shoved past Zack, and a fake-looking scowl covered his flabby face. “Geeez,
Zack. You’d think we had all day,” he said in English before looking at the
menu. In choppy Japanese, he said, “I want a chicken-and-onions, a liver and a
chicken skin.”
Yaki-Nj
nodded then dipped Andrew’s order and tossed it onto the grill. “I have to
thank you for helping my best customer out.”
Through
the corner of his eye, Andrew peered at Zack. “Well, it was only half —”
Zack
elbowed Andrew in the side.
Andrew
grunted. A moment later, he nodded. “It was only half dirty jokes. The rest was
just convincing him that he smelled like shit and had better things to do with his time. Like go on a date tonight with a
beautiful girl.”
A turd
grew in the back of Zack’s throat. “Now you jinxed me.”
Yaki-NJ
laughed, doubling over behind the grill. “I like this one, Zack. You should get
him out here more often.”
“I
would if his girlfriend didn’t keep such close tabs on him.”
A real
scowl tugged on Andrew’s lips. “Better than how —” He snapped his mouth shut
and stared at his feet. “Sorry.”
Pain
scratched at Zack’s heart, but he
forced himself to smile. “No worries.”
Yaki-NJ
flipped the yakitori.
Zack dropped two-hundred yen on the counter.
The two silver coins clattered before settling in place.
Andrew
pulled out three-hundred and forty
yen then set it beside Zack’s money.
“Your yakitori is the best I’ve
ever had.”
Yaki-NJ
scooped up the coins and put them in his makeshift register. “That’s because my
yakitori is the best. Not only in Japan, but throughout the entire world.”
“If I
didn’t stop by every day to taste the rainbow and know the truth of your
words,” Zack said, “I’d say you were full of shit.”
Andrew
wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. Had he been drooling? “I can’t
pass by without my stomach throwing a fit.”
Yaki-NJ
gave Zach his basic yakitori. “And
with the size of your stomach, we wouldn’t want that.” He handed Andrew the
three sticks of yakitori.
A
piece of chicken caught in Zack’s throat, and a set of violent coughs shook his
entire body while he laughed. He held his fist above the counter.
Yaki-NJ
pounded it like Zack had taught him a few months ago.
Andrew
shook his head and patted Zack on the back with enough force to dislodge the
chicken and weaken Zack’s knees. “Ha ha. Funny.”
“I
thought so.” Yaki-NJ held out his fist towards Andrew.
“Me
too.” A tingling sensation danced across the back of Zack’s neck as if someone
were trying to tickle him. His neck scrunched, and he looked to the left.
The
usual crowd of parents, children and old people were fleeing the congested area around the station. Behind him, the
cutest little girl, no older than six, jumped around playing the Japanese version of hopscotch. She
scratched at her neck in the same place
the itch currently plagued Zack. Did she live in that twenty-five-story
mansion looming over the area? The apartments in a building like that would
probably cost him his entire salary not including the moving in fees.
Zack
studied the area around the little girl in the white Rirakuma T-shirt.
A
woman took pictures or something on her cellphone. An old lady stared at the train tracks as the
rumbling sound of an approaching train rolled
into Nishi-Funabashi station. A long metal pipe lay on the low wall near the little girl’s head. Had she been
playing with it?
After
turning back around, he took another bite of yakitori. Well, that’s not strange at all.
“I
guess it was kind of funny.” Andrew bumped fists with Yaki-NJ and sighed. “One
of these days, I’m going to be skinny.”
Yaki-NJ
put another stick of basic yakitori on the grill. “Not if you —”
The
itch rippled across Zack’s neck, and he lost Yaki-NJ’s words. Zack fidgeted,
scratching to no end. He glanced to the right.
Despite
the crowd, a large Japanese man with muscles to match Zack’s and the woman in
front of the man appeared to be the only
two people there. The bulky man stood a head taller than Zack with
shoulder length black hair. His brown eyes glistened under the lamp light and drew attention to the scar
running from the center of his upper-lip
to his left ear, giving him permanent duck face.
Zack
blinked.
The
man’s forearm was buried in a white oval as if he had stuck it into a different
room. He drew out a long dagger and angled it towards the woman.
Adrenaline
filled Zack’s muscles, and he
dropped his half eaten yakitori onto the counter. His fingers fumbled with the
buttons of his suit jacket.
Andrew
placed a hand on Zack’s shoulder. “What is it?”
As
Zack slipped from his jacket and tossed
it on the fence beside Yaki-NJ’s stand, he pointed at the large man. “That
guy’s going to stab that woman.”
Andrew
narrowed his eyes.
Yaki-NJ
leaned over the counter and glanced in the big man’s direction. “With what? His
fist?”
“Too
much to explain.” Zack stepped
forward.
The
big man slashed through the strap of the woman’s Louis Vuitton purse and
snatched it from her. She screamed, and he took off running in Zack’s
direction.
A sigh
deflated Zack’s lungs. “Guess he
is just a big ol Thiefsy.”
As
Thiefsy shoved his way through the crowd
towards Zack, not a single Japanese person lifted a finger to stop him.
Most actually turned away and pretended it wasn’t happening. The white dagger
vanished.
Zack
squared his feet then punched Thiefsy in the gut before the large Japanese man could make it past Zack.
Thiefsy’s
eyes bulged, and he doubled over, gasping for air.
Zack
slammed his knee into Thiefsy’s face.
A yelp
flew from Thiefsy’s mouth along with a wad of bloody spittle as his head jerked up. He landed flat
on his back, staring into the night sky. Was he unconscious?
And that’s that. Zack grabbed the purse
and stepped over Thiefsy, returning it to the woman. The itch scratched at the
back of his neck again.
“Behind you, fool!” Shinji’s
echoing voice clawed at Zack’s brain.
Zack’s
legs felt like stones, but he forced himself to turn around.
Thiefsy
lunged at Zack with a smaller white knife.
As if
the world dissolved around the two of them, silence screamed in Zack’s ears.
His breath caught. His heart pounded against his chest. Was he scared? Or excited?
Smack!
Thiefsy’s thundering footstep cut through the silence like his dagger had cut
through the woman’s purse strap.
Like his new knife would cut through Zack if it touched his flesh. A long
moment later, Thiefsy’s second step landed. Smack! He edged closer.
Zack
gritted his teeth and grabbed Thiefsy by the wrist. Zack twisted his body and
made his arm parallel to Thiefsy’s, allowing their elbows to touch.
Thiefsy
scrambled to slow his momentum forward.
With
his free hand, Zack hyperextended Thiefsy’s elbow. Pop!
The
white knife clattered to the ground.
Thiefsy
howled then jerked his flopping arm free. He reached for the white knife.
Zack
kicked the knife through the fence on his right. “I don’t think so.”
Wide
eyes. An open mouth. Flaring nostrils. The look of surprise spread across
Thiefsy’s face as he stumbled backwards. “Y-yo-you can see it?”
A smirk drew the corners of Zack’s lips up, and he winked, pretending to
be calm. “You didn’t think you were the only one, did you?” Did stopping
Thiefsy fall into the realm of wearing tights? Or was Zack just doing his duty to society?
“Light,
Shadow, Fat Ass or Heathen?”
Is Fat Ass and Heathen a type of magic?
Zack’s brow furrowed. “Why would I tell you?”
Thiefsy
snorted. “Because, our kind shouldn’t be protecting the Blind. We should be
ruling them!”
“How
does robbing equal ruling?”
“With
the Families choking our kind, you
should know better than anyone that we need to gather resources to oppose
them.”
Shinji
made a spitting noise. “That is, how did
you say it, bullshit.”
Zack
tilted his head to the left. “That doesn’t make stealing right.”
“Sometimes
it is necessary.” Thiefsy grabbed onto his dangling arm and pulled on it. Pop.
Did he have to set the bone like that?
That
sound. Like when my grandfather … . Nausea twisted Zack’s stomach. A haze muddled his vision, and his
throat burned. The back of his neck began to itch. He scratched at the tingling sensation then wiped his eyes.
Fire burned in his muscles. Andrew was wrong. It’d be a while before Zack was
in good enough shape to return to
the ring.
A
Piece rolled into a white brush,
and Thiefsy took it in his left hand. He ran the brush across his face and along his injured arm. The rabid smile gave him
a monstrous appearance. He flexed his right arm as if it had never been
injured.
Shinji
whistled. “Wow. That is
a rare talent.”
What is? Zack took a step backwards. Healing?
“No,” Shinji said. “Healing yourself. Anyone can heal others.”
The crowd had given the two men
space while Andrew hung up his phone. Yaki-NJ shook his head, pointing at
Andrew. More people flooded from the station and the space around Zack and
Thiefsy diminished. Shouldn’t they be running away or something?
Thiefsy
massaged his shoulder. “I guess I have to get serious.”
“Scary.”
Zack’s voice cracked. He coughed and settled his nerves. He reset his striking
stance, rising to the balls of his feet with both fists raised up to his jaw.
“Let’s see what you’ve got.”
“Very
well.” Light streamed from Thiefsy’s fingers.
The
itch danced across the back of Zack’s neck. He ignored it and charged forward.
Thiefsy’s
hands worked, crafting two Pieces with longswords in their center. They hung around his outstretched arms, just
below his shoulders.
“Like
I’d allow you to make another one of those knives.” Zack jabbed twice, catching
Thiefsy in both shoulders.
The
Pieces didn’t falter, but they moved down
to Thiefsy’s waist. Thiefsy spun and tripped Zack then scrambled
backwards. “So, you’re a Light Artist.”
Zack
tumbled to his feet. So much for that
idea. He sprang forward and threw a hook.
Thiefsy
moved like liquid, avoiding the blow as his fingers danced.
“Not
bad.” Zack pushed forward with a
one-one-two combination followed by a step kick. His boot landed on Thiefsy’s
sternum and doubled the large Japanese
man over.
Thiefsy
clambered for air, and his Pieces
wavered, but they didn’t vanish. He took a deep breath and balled his hands
into fists, uppercutting Zack.
Zack
caught the blow and spun, backfisting Thiefsy.
Thiefsy’s
knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground. Blood dripped down his chin. A
feral growl rumbled from his throat, and he glared at Zack.
The
burning exhaustion in Zack’s muscles fled. Reinvigorated, he turned his hips
and brought his fist down onto Thiefsy’s nose before he could throw his hands up to block. I have to knock him out before my unused muscles give out. Zack
rained blows down on Thiefsy’s face.
Blood
masked Thiefsy’s nose and mouth until his thick arms covered his entire head.
Zack
kneed Thiefsy in the chest then
soccer kicked his exposed leg.
Thud.
Thiefsy crashed onto his back in the middle of the street. His tense muscles pushed against his shirt, and he moved to sit up with a grin on his face.
What’s this guy made of? Zack leaped
into the air to stomp on Thiefsy’s chest when the hair on his arms stood on end.
Thiefsy
held a thin white dagger only inches from the bottom of Zack’s foot.
Zack’s
mouth dried. His arms shook. He
hobbled backwards and fell into a defensive stance, hands out in front of him
with his rear foot planted solid
on the ground. How did he complete his Piece without moving
his hands?
“Are you talking to me now?”
Shinji’s voice carried a hint of amusement.
Funny.
“Well, some people can paint without using
their hands.”
You mean with their mind alone?
“Yes. Though, the stress of doing it is far
greater.”
I see. Icy spider legs skittered down
Zack’s back. An audible gulp climbed past
his lips. He glanced in the
direction of the metal pipe. Could he hit Thiefsy hard enough with it to knock
him out?
Thiefsy
climbed to his feet, his two Pieces out to either side of him. “You put up a
good fight, but I’m going to make you pay for what you did to my face.”
“Are
you mad that I made you look pretty?” Zack forced a smile. He shuffled to the right. Was he fast enough to
get to the metal pipe?
Andrew
edged forward, his knees
trembling.
Zack
held out a hand towards Andrew. “Get to the station. I —”
A
boisterous laugh bellowed from Thiefsy’s lungs. “You think I’d let your little
friend go?”
“He’s
not a part of this.” Zack stepped
forward. Focus on me. “I came to stop
you on my own.”
“Then
he’s just unlucky that he knows you.”
“Can’t
we —”
Thiefsy
threw the tiny white knife then reached into both Pieces, pulling out two more
small knives. The blade flipped
through the air.
Zack
turned and grabbed Andrew by the shoulders, jerking him to the left.
The
white knife landed between a random passerby’s eyes. Blood shot from the entry
point and covered the sidewalk. As the lifeless body fell, a young couple
splashed through the red puddle and screamed.
Zack’s
heart fell into his stomach. He wanted to vomit. Dead. Dead. His fault. Dead. His throat burned, and a sour taste
stuck to his tongue.
Two
more daggers flew forward, clipping an old woman and a young one.
Tears
filled Zack’s eyes. “Get out of here!”
He pressed Andrew against the fence and leaned in close. “Hide among the crowd or something.”
Four
daggers.
Zack
twisted and danced around, avoiding each attempt on his life at the cost of
those around him. Each death compounded the weight on his shoulders. He had to
stop Thiefsy, so he slogged towards the
metal pipe.
Six
daggers.
With
the white hand, Zack reached towards his Ecstasy Well until the image of his ruined fridge appeared in his mind. He
froze.
Eight
daggers. Blood covered the streets around him, crimson fountains of death
displaying his folly.
The
black hand in his mind reached into his Ecstasy Well.
Zack’s
thoughts began to slip into the
handicapped bathroom, but he gritted his teeth and growled, holding himself in the present. What are you doing?
Shadow
flowed from Zack’s left hand. “Helping,”
Shinji said, “though, you don’t deserve
it.”
Thiefsy’s
eyes quivered, and he glanced to
the left and right as he scratched at his lower-back. “Shadow?” He glared at Zack. “Where did your friend
go?”
Zack
shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“While I finish crafting the Chain, you keep
him busy.” Without moving Zack’s hand, Shinji crafted the Chain.
“I’m
the one that matters, right?” Zack eased to the left.
Thiefsy
lobbed a knife towards Zack while huffing. Was Thiefsy tired? “Unless you have an accomplice waiting to —”
Shinji
finished the Shadow-Chain and tossed it to the ground beside Thiefsy. Black
arms climbed from the Piece and snaked around Thiefsy’s legs.
Pipe
or — Zack charged, years of martial
arts training and experience in a kickboxing ring pushing him forward.
Thiefsy
slashed through the arms of Shadow and whipped one of the white knives in front of him, gashing Zack across
the ribs.
Pain
screamed through Zack’s body, and the world lurched. The hot pavement clawed at
his back as he stared into the clouds and clutched his side. Darkness dimmed
the street lamps and narrowed his vision.
Thiefsy
bit into his lower-lip. “Where is your accomplice? The Shadow Artist.” He
threw a pair of knives to the left. Four to the right. Four ahead of him. Two
more to the left and four behind him.
Screams
filled the night sky. A coppery stink hung in the air and burned Zack’s nose.
When he licked his lips, the coin-like taste stabbed at his mouth and made his joints ache. Yaki-NJ leaned over his stand, his mouth
working. The little girl picked up the metal pipe. Was she going to fight? No.
She needed to run.
“Where?”
Thiefsy glanced at Yaki-NJ. “The old man?”
The
breath fled Zack’s lungs, and the pain in his side became a distant vision. He
scrambled to stand.
Thiefsy
released two daggers in different directions. One flew towards Yaki-NJ. The
other one flipped towards the little girl in the Rirakuma T-shirt.
As if
a sledgehammer slammed into Zack’s chest, he gasped. Tears rolled down his
cheeks as he bolted towards the little girl. “Sorry, old friend.”
The
little girl glanced up as if she could see the white knife. A squeal burst from
her mouth.
Zack
dove forward and tackled the little girl, scooping her in his arms. The knife bit into his left shoulder blade, ripping the strength from his muscles. His
left arm went numb.
The
knife landed in the chest of the woman holding the cellphone. Clatter. Her cellphone bounced off the
ground behind him. Boom! Something exploded.
Zack
turned, landing on the wound in his back. He gritted his teeth and bit off a
screech of pain. I. Can’t. Move.
“We have to finish this.” Shinji’s voice
trembled.
The
little girl cried into his chest. Black smoke rose from Yaki-NJ’s ruined stand,
his severed arm sticking up from the
rubble.
Zack
convulsed. Was he breathing? An inferno gripped his heart, and he found himself
stirring the little girl into motion. “Hide.”
She
nodded then climbed off him. She
paused behind him and knelt down for some reason. A moment later, she bolted
into a little alley beside the massive mansion.
Zack
pushed himself into a sitting position.
The fog of death hung over the area.
Shit. Blood. Rotten meat. The stench was thick enough to taste. Among the
corpses, only two stood. Thiefsy and Andrew.
Thiefsy reached into one of
the Pieces floating around him and grinned at Andrew. “Either you’re out of ecstasy or that other foreigner is an —”
Andrew hobbled towards the
station. Had he been hurt?
No! Heat raced through Zack’s veins, and a torrent of blood slammed into
his brain. Rage contorted his vision, lacing
it with red. “I won’t let you take
another friend!” He reached into the Ecstasy Well and fought off the Ecstasy
Dream with ease. A scream burst from his mouth, and he snapped together the
Piece with a forest background and glob
of energy across the tops of the trees. The intense power pulsed as the
Piece turned into mist and wrapped around his hand.
Shinji
whistled. “The strength of your Beam is unreal. If I didn’t know better, I’d
assume you had an Artifact.”
Thiefsy
glanced at Zack, and his jaw dropped. “A-A-Abomination!”
“Both of you, shut up!” Zack pointed the white glove towards
Thiefsy. “You! Out of my sight!”
Beeooon! A massive Beam of energy erupted from the white glove and ripped
through Thiefsy’s chest. Zack’s Beam
evaporated.
Andrew
scrambled to the station and up the stairs. He was safe.
Splat. Thiefsy’s right arm flopped towards the
tracks. The rest of his
body fell forward.
The
rage gripping Zack’s thoughts
died, and he gasped. What … have I done?
Despite his injuries, he stood and stumbled over to Thiefsy’s corpse. No. No. No. No. This can’t be real. No. I
know everyone dying was my fault, but I didn’t kill them.
NEE-eu
NEE-eu! NEE-eu NEE-eu! NEE-eu NEE-eu! Police sirens cried out down the road.
“Get ahold of yourself. We need to get out
—” The blood staining Zack’s hands drowned out Shinji’s voice.
Zack’s
mind reeled, and the next thing he knew, he was trudging through the back alleys, taking the long way home.
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