by Jamie Wang
“We finish the drop,” Maverick answered. “No matter what.”
“And how are we supposed to do that?” Prince shouted.
Maverick gave him an empty stare.
“Knives.” A whisper, barely audible even in the silence.
It took Prince a second to realize that it had been Bolt who said it.
“If we can’t run, the only alternative is to fight,” Bolt said. With every word, his gaze dropped further to the ground. He pulled out a knife, its tip charred black, and dropped it in front of him.
“No.” Sasha’s voice was resolute. There was nothing left of the sheepish girl from just a few minutes ago. She glared at Bolt with a look they all knew too well. There was no fighting her. “Do you plan on stacking bodies until we win? I won’t let you.”
Bolt shrank away from Sasha’s stare. “But we can’t lose,” Bolt muttered.
“Killing is for Lions and Hawks. We’re Mice and Mice don’t kill.”
Bolt pressed his lips together. “Alright,” he said. “Forget I said—”
“Is dying for Mice then?” Prince asked. He thought back to his encounter with John. Without a knife, he wouldn’t have made it out alive. “We’re the only Mice I’ve ever heard of going on drops unarmed and we can’t fail the next one.”
“So you’ll just cut every Hawk that gets in your way?”
“Better than losing everything. Better than getting cut.”
Sasha crossed her arms. “I’d rather take a few scars than become killers.”
Prince stole a quick glance toward Sasha’s scar. I won’t let you. Before that scar, he may have conceded, but now, he glared at her with embers in his eyes. “And if the alternative is being killed?”
She returned his glare in kind.
“There was another murder last week,” Maverick said. The sudden change in topic surprised everyone. “Another Hawk. People are calling him The Slasher. My point is, the city’s dangerous. We need to be able to defend ourselves.”
“No. We’ve already made it this far. We can do one more.” Sasha’s voice softened as she looked at Prince. “Please.”
Flower and Bolt gasped at the word. Sasha was never one to plead, she rarely even asked. All eyes fell on Prince.
No more scars.
“Fine,” Prince lied. With one hand in his pocket, he crunched up his gambling winnings. It afforded him three good knives. “I mean, Sasha asking nicely? How can I say no?”
Sasha’s teeth crunched together. She stared daggers through him. “You’re not fooling anyone, Prince. You’re going to buy the knives anyway, aren’t you?”
“No way.” Prince gave her a blank stare.
Sasha stood and stepped toward Prince, looking down at him. “And with your gambling money?” Her question sounded like an attack.
Prince stood as well, the tip of his hair reaching her forehead. “You don’t have to worry about how I spend my money.”
Sasha stepped toward Prince, looking down at him. “Hand it over.”
None of this surprised Prince. Even when they were starving, Sasha refused to touch his money. She didn’t want to encourage his gambling. He had thought that hunger would break her, but she lasted until they got paid, three days later. He both loved and hated that part of her.
Prince looked around, unable to meet anyone’s eyes. Sasha’s word was final. After all, they owed their lives to her. In particular, Prince owed double that and a new eye. Still, repayment came in many forms, even if it meant butting heads. He bit into his knuckle as his thumb slipped the ball of money into his mouth.
“Your move, Prince.”
The dollar bills tasted salty. He could only imagine the places they had been. With pretend reluctance, he reached into his pocket and spilled his spare coins onto the ground.
Sasha stepped forward, shaking her head. “The rest of it.”
Prince didn’t say a word. Sasha knew him too well to give in to his tricks. His face crunched up with fake anger. He reached into his pocket and this time flung a twenty-dollar bill directly at Sasha’s face. She didn’t even blink.
“Prince.” Sasha drummed her fingers impatiently.
It’s no use.
“What?” Prince growled with clenched teeth.
He shot his hands into his pockets and turned them inside out. Strings of linen floated down around him. Before Sasha could continue her search, Prince turned and ran. He felt the edges of Sasha’s fingers graze him.
MAVERICK
Leave it to Prince to make such a scene.
One look at Sasha and Maverick knew what was coming. “Okay, okay, I’m on my way.” Maverick sighed and followed after Prince. He could never understand why Sasha cared so much for Prince. All he ever did was cause her trouble.
“We should be running.” Bolt jogged behind him. “We’ll lose him at this rate.”
“No we won’t. I know where he’s going.”
“Where?”
“The only place in this dump that sells decent knives.”
Bolt scratched his head. “But he gave all his money to Sasha.”
Maverick rolled his eyes and sighed. It wasn’t worth explaining to Bolt. Only an idiot would take Prince at face value.
By the time they arrived at the store, the sun had nearly set. There was barely enough light to see ‘Jynx’s Shop’ carved into a large clay building. Jynx’s Shop took up the space of three houses and looked like it belonged in the stone ages. Crude squares pocketed its sides as makeshift windows.
Maverick gave the door three sharp knocks, simply out of habit. The knock Mice used at the end of every drop.
“We’re closed,” a female voice shouted.
“I’m here for Prince.”
Just as Maverick was about to knock again, he heard a click. The door swung open to reveal a young woman. Maverick caught himself tracing the length of her body. She wore a sweat-stained button-up and black skirt that fell right above her knees. He forced his gaze back to her eyes. Emerald and violet twinkled inside her irises like stars. Beautiful.
“Come on in.” The woman moved out of the way to reveal a well-lit room. Strings of lightbulbs shone from the ceiling. “My name is Jynx.”
Maverick followed in after Bolt. It felt like he had hit a wall of heat. His feet burned on the floor and each stale breath urged him back outside. It was hard imagining anyone being in this house for more than a few hours, never mind living here.
Still, there were many strange artifacts around the room to distract him from the heat. Piles of books stacked in one corner, in another, were shoes of various colors. Strange tribal masks hung on the wall. Some were demonic, blood red with fangs. Others were completely blank, simply a piece of white wood with eye holes.
Towards the back of the room was a glass display of knives. Prince stood there, eyeing the knives intently.
“Now that we’re all here, let’s get some knives,” Prince said.
Bolt’s eyebrows shot up. “But Sasha—”
“Do you have the money?” Maverick crossed his arms. He could feel his sweat accumulating. But if Prince could stand the heat, he could too.
Prince nodded. “Enough for three.”
“Wait guys!” Bolt stepped between them. “Sasha said not to.”
Maverick rolled his eyes. “If you don’t want one, don’t take one.”
Bolt’s eyes dropped to his feet. He shuffled uncomfortably, biting the inside of his lips. “I don’t think we should.”
“Bolt, you need to learn to think for yourself,” Prince said. “Sasha can’t babysit us forever.”
It was strange hearing Prince use those words without spite. However sick he was of them, he couldn’t deny their truth. The era of blindly following Sasha was fast approaching its end, and these knives would finally end it.
“I am thinking for myself,” Bolt insisted. “It’s not a good idea.”
“To protect ourselves?” Prince frowned.
“To kill.”
“Bo
lt, if it was between me and a fucking Hawk, you can be damn sure I’m the one getting out alive. Hawks don’t deserve any better.”
Bolt clutched his bandaged arm, unconvinced.
“Look Bolt, I’m buying three. If you want one, it’s yours, otherwise I’ll just take two.”
Bolt looked around, unsure of what to do.
Maverick felt a smile creep onto his face as well. Their final drop was next week and he would be damned if he ran it like all the others.
About time.
JYNX
Jynx sat near a window with the breeze in her face. She swung her head back and swished the alcohol to the back of her throat. Before the taste hit, she swallowed. It was a good warm feeling, unlike the scorching heat of her home.
“I guess Sasha’s pups are finally leaving the litter.” Her voice softened. She glanced at Prince, still playing with his knife. “I hope they don’t think they can sleep here.”
Prince chuckled. “This place is an oven. Not even dogs would sleep here.”
He held his knife as if scared to break it. The twisting silver handle shimmered in the moonlight, highlighting the engravings carved into it.
“I’m the daughter of The Dragon, isn’t it fitting that I prefer the heat? Still better than sleeping in a tent like you.
“What’s better than sleeping under the stars?” Prince grinned.
Jynx returned his smile. “When this storm everyone is talking about hits, you’ll understand.”
“I’ve slept through storms just fine. We just set up our umbrella roof. It’s really pretty, you can see the rain through the umbrellas but because they’re all colored, it makes the rain look colored as well.
“If you say so.” Jynx threw the plastic bottle of moonshine at Prince. It was old, its plastic wrinkled beyond repair. Inside was a clear liquid thick enough to be syrup, revolting in both taste and smell. “Why didn’t you leave with your friends?”
Prince caught the bottle. It only took a small sip for his mouth to twist in disgust. “Ugh.” He complained, wiping his mouth. “I need Sasha to cool down before I go.”
“Look at you, already acting like a married couple.”
“Shut up.” Prince threw his head back, mimicking Jynx, as he drained a quarter of the plastic bottle. His mouth twisted once again, but this time, he bore through it without covering his mouth.
“What did you say your friends’ names were again?”
“The short one is Bolt and the tall one is Maverick.”
“Must Sasha give you all such strange names?”
“They’re fitting.”
“Did she give you yours because you’re so entitled?”
Prince gave Jynx a serious look. “It’s because I’ll one day rule this city.”
Laughter erupted from Jynx’s mouth. “Good luck, I doubt my father would let you.”
“First thing I’m going to do is knock out all those damned cameras.”
“Be my guest.” The camera towers all looked misplaced. They were worth more than most could afford. They watched the city day and night.
A calm silence fell between them. Jynx went back to gazing out the window. The moon shone as bright as the sun and every star twinkled as if winking. The sky didn’t look this beautiful in movies.
“To give him some credit, this place is much better than it used to be. And my father isn’t as harsh as he was back then,” Jynx said. Life was full of these little ironies; her father had softened up just in time for the brunt of the city’s hate.
“What?” Prince looked at Jynx like she was crazy.
“My father. There used to be guns and gangs everywhere. It was completely chaos.”
“Thank God someone came and killed them all, took all the guns, and then held us all at gunpoint. Much better,” Prince slurred.
“I never said he was perfect.”
“You should know that better than anyone.” Prince placed a single finger onto his thigh, nodding towards her.
Jynx looked down at her own thigh, the black mark of her branding more noticeable than ever. She kept her mouth shut, nothing she could say would ever stifle Prince’s hatred toward her father. “But if I had to choose between the way it was and the way it is, I’d pick the way it is.”
“The way it is, I can’t even fart without The Dragon hearing about it.”
“He doesn’t care about that, he only cares about his three rules.”
“So why are Hawks allowed to hunt us down then? Doesn’t that count as violence?”
“It’s not a perfect system and they’re just kids.”
“Tell that to Mice.” Prince rolled up the sleeve of his t-shirt to reveal pale ridges all along his arm. “Tell that to the kids they carve up.” With a grimace, he swung his head back and drank the rest of the liquor.
Prince threw aside the empty plastic bottle before continuing to talk. “Either way, as long as he has his comfy seat at the top, it doesn’t matter who’s at the bottom holding his weight up. We’re just pawns to him.”
“Yet we’re still better off with him at the top.”
“Sorry but his scraps aren’t good enough for me. Perhaps if I was a dog, I’d come when he whistles and beg when I’m hungry. But I’m human. I won’t live underneath him.”
“Humans were always meant to live underneath each other,” Jynx said. “It’s the natural order of things, that’s why history is ruled by kings.”
“Yeah? So where are those kings now?”
“We’re still ruled by kings, we just call them something different.”
“Fuck, I’m too drunk this.” Prince slapped his hands on his face and rubbed his eyes. “Jynx, if you want to be a dog, do it. But I was born human and I intend to act like it.”
Jynx rolled her eyes. “You sound like Sasha.”
“That’s because she understands what it means to be human.”
Jynx paused for a while, thinking of a response. When she opened her mouth, her words were slow, each syllable carefully enunciated. “What it means to be human is to be ruled. The king will always try to remain the king, while the ruled will always try to become the king. All men wish to rule. My father understood that.”
At least he used to.
“Fine Jynx, then here’s a promise. I’ll show you what it means to live as a human.”
“I didn’t realize I was talking to Sasha.” Jynx looked away, trying not to laugh at the drunken Prince. “Anyway, it’s getting late and I have a meeting with my father soon.”
“Alright, alright, I’ll leave.”
Jynx watched him stumble out the door. He was so young and in spite of all he had been through, still so innocent.
“Goodbye Prince.”
LAO
Of all the casinos he owned, Hawk’s Lair was his favorite. It stood in the center of the city’s plaza like a monument. Soft magenta carpeted its floors and immediately upon entering, the stench of the city disappeared into a cool lavender fragrance. It was like walking into another world.
Lao stood at the top of the twisting staircase that led to his office. There was no second floor, only a large platform with his office at the end of it. It let him overlook the casino and watch the chandeliers split the sunlight into a million shooting stars.
But he didn’t have the luxury to appreciate that now. His daughter stood behind him, waiting for his meeting with Salib to finish.
“We lost a man,” Salib read from his report. His voice was a crude reminder that the meeting was still going on. “He was a dealer at Hawk’s Lair, he fell ill fighting the fire and passed away this morning. We’ve already sent the rest of his pay to his family. Shall we give them anything more?”
“No.” Lao’s answer was immediate. “How was our firefighting?”
Salib scratched the paper with his pen. “Not good. The drought has turned houses into kindle. Right now, all we can do is take buckets to the river.”
“How archaic.”
“We don’t have the money to do an
ything else.”
Lao frowned and stood silent. It always came back to money. Times like these reminded him how fragile their city was. “And how goes the murder investigation.”
A silence filled the air. Salib looked away. “No progress,” he finally said.
“We have a camera on every single street and alley, how can there be no progress?”
“We don’t have the budget to leave on all the cameras. You were the one that cut our power budget.”
Lao grimaced, he didn’t need to be reminded of that. “Have you at least discovered something new?”
“All we know is that the victims were Hawks.”
“Useless.”
Salib stared at his feet. “Sorry.”
“I don’t want apologies; I want—” Lao paused to think for a bit. “What are people calling him?”
Salib gulped. “The Slasher.”
“Tsk. He sounds as ridiculous as the boogeyman.”
“We’ll find him. We just need time.”
“Fine. But keep in mind, our number one priority is still the gun Owen had. Figure out how he managed to get a gun into my city. If I was to guess, the same people are responsible for smuggling heroin through my walls.”
Salib nodded as he retreated from Lao. “Is there anything else?”
“No. You can go,” Lao said, the edges of his lips turning to a chuckle. “I want some quality time with my daughter.”
Lao raised his hand, getting the attention of the two guards. With a slight nod, they stepped aside to let Jynx through.
“What’s your status?” he asked her.
“All drops are going smoothly.”
“And Sasha?”
Jynx’s mouth twitched. It was all it took to betray her annoyance. “She failed her last drop.” Her words were steady and her face blank. “The little one, Bolt, couldn’t complete his leg of the drop again.”
“That’s the one responsible for the fire, right?”
“Well, the fire was made to flush him out. With one more success, they complete their contract.”
Lao’s lips stretched into a small grin. “The first Mice ever.”
“Should we do something about it?”
