by Jamie Wang
Her pursuing Hawks ran through the alley completely oblivious to her. When their footsteps faded, Lissandra crawled out.
“I’m not a Mouse,” Lissandra muttered. It’s what Jynx had told her. Though she was doing a drop, she wasn’t doing it as a Mouse. Instead, she was something entirely different, a delivery girl for a purpose Jynx wouldn’t say. But it must’ve been important because Jynx had doused her bag with gasoline and told her to burn it if she were caught.
Lissandra circled back toward the dirt streets. She was less familiar with this part of the city. In the dark, it was hard to recognize even the buildings she had once been to. They all just looked like shadows, black structures blending into a black background.
Lissandra looked back every few steps, certain that at any moment, Hawks would burst from the darkness. And then she heard a soft crunch behind her. Footsteps!?I Her breath caught in her throat. She whipped her head around and stared into the shadows. Nothing stirred. All she could see was the faint outline of buildings.
I’m going crazy.
She reached into her pocket to fidget with her lighter, but she found it only made her more nervous. The prospect of playing with fire when wearing a fuel soaked backpack was anything but calming.
“I’m probably just being followed by the Slasher,” she chuckled. But already her hands had balled into small fists.
Lissandra went down the open street, deliberately walking in the moonlight. It felt as if the moon could ward off her fears. She looked over her shoulder again to stare into the shadows, scrutinizing every detail. By now, she had lost count of the number of times she had done this.
“It’s all in my head.” But no matter how much she tried, her mind would still conjured up the occasional footstep. And every once and a while, she would see a slight movement in the darkness, just the flickering of a shadow.
Why am I so paranoid?
She knew why. It was the way Jynx had inspected her before giving her this job. She had stared into Lissandra’s eyes as if to look into her very soul. It was equally bizarre that Jynx wouldn’t even tell her what was in the package. All she knew was the address she was to leave the bag at.
Then there was the thunder, or fireworks, or whatever it was. But the night was filled with the occasional burst of sound, like God clapping his hands together in slow applause.
Lissandra shivered. She reached into her pocket and squeezed the handle of her knife. She had never used one before, except to cut vegetables. Squeezing its metal now gave her comfort. The cold iron anchored her back to reality where there were no phantom footsteps and shadows didn’t flicker.
“Hello Mouse.” A male voice said.
Lissandra jumped and twisted her head to see a pair of eyes from inside the shadows. She blinked, making sure she wasn’t just seeing things.
“You’re quite the airhead aren’t you?” Another deep voice said from behind her.
Lissandra turned back around to see the street blocked by a dark figure.
“You should really be more aware of your surroundings.” The two voices took turns talking as they slowly approached her, their footsteps softly crunching against the ground.
“But don’t worry, we’re nice Hawks.”
Lissandra turned to see a tattooed face walking into the moonlight. He was bald, with a strange symbol drawn into his head in red ink. The lines twisted together like two serpents trying to squeeze each other to death.
“Yeah, we won’t take everything you have.” The other Hawk laughed as he too stepped into the moonlight. He flicked his wavy blonde hair out of his face with a knife. “Just most of it.”
JAKE
Jake watched Bryce circle around ahead of the Mouse. It was hard not to appreciate how guileful Bryce was. Even though Jake knew where he was going, it was still hard to track him. All that Jake had to go off of was the occasional flickering of a shadow.
He stared at the swishing blonde ponytail in front of him. For some reason, this Mouse was avoiding the shadows like the plague. She walked stupidly out in the open, completely illuminated by the moon’s spotlight.
When Bryce was in position, Jake stood up from his hiding spot. “Hello Mouse.”
The Mouse jumped, her mouth open and eyes wide. She looked like a deer caught in headlights.
“You’re quite the airhead aren’t you?” Bryce called out from ahead of them.
The Mouse jerked her head so quickly that Jake thought it might snap off. Only now did she understand her predicament. Her eyes scrambled from side to side, looking for escape. She would find none.
He continued taunting her with Bryce, each slowly advancing toward her and each taking turns talking. They did this until they had left the veil of the shadows.
“Don’t be such a stranger,” Jake chuckled. “After all, we’ll be spending the next few hours together.”
Bryce laughed, “Few hours? Don’t give yourself so much credit Jake.”
“Fuck off Bryce.” Jake waved his knife in front of him. Bits of white powder dissipated into the air. “So Mouse, what’s your name?”
The Mouse remained silent. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crude knife. She continuously pivoted so neither Jake nor Bryce could approach her back.
“Careful now.” Bryce said. “You shouldn’t play with knives.”
“Mouse, do you remember me?” Jake ran his eyes down her body. He inched toward her, now close enough to lunge forward and grab her.
The Mouse turned to face him. She took her backpack off and dumped out what looked like a brick wrapped in a brown paper bag. With a single push, she slid it over to Bryce.
Bryce stopped the package with his foot. He looked up, his mouth twitching with a laugh. “Jake, this is—”
Before Bryce could finish his sentence, the Mouse fell onto her bandaged knees and started sobbing. With her knife still in hand, she covered her face, her body shaking. Jake smiled at the sight.
“Giving up so soon?” Jake flicked close his knife and slid it into his pocket.
“Wait, Jake,” Bryce held up the package for Jake to see.
But Jake didn’t look, it didn’t matter to him. He had been denied this prize for too long. And now, there would be no stranger to save her. “It’s alright Mouse, this will only hurt at first.”
He grabbed her backpack and slowly took the straps off her shoulders as if undressing her. “Let’s get this off of you.” To his surprise, there was no resistance. The Mouse had resigned herself to her fate. She even stopped crying, though her face was still covered. Jake flung her backpack onto his back and slid his hands gently onto the Mouse’s bare shoulders.
He became more adventurous with his hands. His fingertips occasionally brushed the soft clasps of her bra. The slight touch sent jolts of electricity through his fingertips.
“Don’t worry Mouse, you’ll thank me later for this.” Jake whispered.
Without warning, the Mouse launched herself backwards so her head collided with Jake’s chin. His teeth slammed together in a hollow crack. She turned, the knife in her hand swinging toward him, but her inexperience showed with her speed. Jake grabbed her arm and lunged on top of her, pinning her onto the ground. He threw her wrist into the ground.
“You still want to fight?” Jake screamed. The pain in his chin flared with every word. “You bitch!”
The Mouse swung her free hand at him, but he turned to block the blow with her backpack. The Mouse continued to struggle under him, but it was no use, he had won.
Then Jake smelled the fire. It was as if the smell itself triggered his pain. He yelped and jumped up, dancing in circles. He twisted his head expecting to see a thousand needles stabbed into his back, instead, he saw an inferno.
“Don’t worry, you’ll thank me later for this.” The Mouse’s foot swung up and crushed his genitals.
Jake crunched into a ball. His knees buckled and he fell groaning on his side. Movement became impossible. Just breathing threw him into a compulsive shudde
r.
The smell of burnt flesh lingered in the air.
BRYCE
With a single punch, Bryce crushed the girl’s nose. She went down in a heap. He ripped the burning backpack off Jake and threw it away. The fire had left Jake’s shirt in strands revealing ashen skin. Nothing life threatening, but he would need medicine.
“Mouse, do you even know what you were delivering?” Bryce circled the groaning girl. She held her nose with both hands. Blood spilled out from the cracks between her fingers. He kicked away the lighter she had dropped. “It was a god damn brick! I’ve never seen anything like that in my life.” He hooted. “You risked your life for a piece of rock!”
But it seemed that the Mouse was more worried about her nose than about what Bryce had to say. He took a seat on her belly and pried her bloody hands to her sides, pinning them to the ground with his knees. Her nose bent awkwardly toward the right.
“Listen to me when I speak to you. First off, what’s your name?” Bryce asked.
Without giving the Mouse a chance to ignore his question, Bryce twisted her nose. The girl let out a shrill shriek. “Don’t worry girl, I’m just trying to straighten up your nose is all.” Bryce laughed and pinched her nose.
“Lissandra,” the girl shouted between heaving breaths.
“Lissandra,” Bryce played with the word, as if feeling it out in his mouth. “What a pretty name. Lissandra, I think your nose is a little crooked.” Bryce grabbed her nose and jerked it until he heard a pop. The girl’s screams reached a fever pitch.
“Do you think that someone will help you if you keep screaming?”
He looked around at all the houses beside them and grinned. Some glowed orange with light, others were so dark they looked abandoned. He knew that all of them were full of people, but he also knew that none would come out.
“Normal people don’t care what happens to Mice and Hawks, scream all you want Lissandra, nobody’s coming. So, let’s go apologize to my friend.” Bryce grabbed a clump of her hair and dragged her toward Jake. She fought him every inch of the way. With his free hand, Bryce plugged an ear, unable to stand her cries. “Jake, get up. You can go first.”
Jake shook on the ground, his face still half-submerged in his own vomit.
Bryce shrugged, “I guess I’ll go first then.”
He stepped around Lissandra, grinning from ear to ear. In one motion, he ripped the buttons off her shorts, sitting on her stomach to pin her to the ground.
As soon as the buttons on her shorts popped out, Lissandra erupted into a fit of hysteria. Her screams became even more strident. She flung her head from side to side as she kicked her legs, desperately trying to squirm her way out of Bryce’s grip. But Bryce was much larger than her. He easily held her down.
In a single swing to the gut, Bryce knocked the breath out of Lissandra. Her thrashing arms died down and her hysteria reduced itself to a fit of coughing. “Lissandra, I hope this isn’t your first time.”
He loved that Lissandra was so helpless under him. But every now and then, her body would twitch, squirming away from him. Her teeth would grit together and those emerald eyes scrambled from side to side, still looking for escape. But Bryce preferred it this way. Hope was just another thing he could take from her. He placed his hands on her hips and dragged her shorts down.
“Bryce!” Jake screamed.
A glint of moonlight caught his eye. Bryce ducked as a knife whistled over his head. He fell into a roll and jumped backwards to dodge the second strike.
Bryce stumbled up to see a blonde-haired boy. His attacker was young with a loose-fitting shirt. In his right hand was an elegant silver knife.
“Who are the fuck are you?” Bryce asked wide-eyed.
“My name is Prince, I’m a Mouse, and if you touch her again, I’m going to rip your throat out!”
PRINCE
Prince wanted to investigate the screams, but Bolt came first. No matter how fast Bolt was, nobody could outrun a bullet. But as the screams grew more horrific, he found himself drawn to them. Before he knew it, he had made it to their source.
“Lissandra, I hope this isn’t your first time,” said a gruff voice.
Prince peeked around the corner. His breath caught.
“I can’t tell you what happened. Prince, please forgive me.” Sasha’s voice filled his head. She was crying back then, apologizing to him even when she hadn’t done anything. And she wasn’t one to apologize ever.
Back then, it was raining, a soft mist whose droplets tickled the skin. Sasha had staggered back in that rain alone, her shoulders down and eyes glued to her feet. “I’m so sorry, Prince.”
Prince dug his nails into the palm of his hands. Before he knew it, he was already charging.
“Bryce!”
Prince swung his knife at the bald Hawk’s head. The Hawk ducked just in time, but before he could reorient himself, Prince lunged at him. The blade missed again.
“Who are you?” The Hawk asked after stumbling backwards.
Prince didn’t miss a beat. “My name is Prince, I’m a Mouse, and if you touch her again, I’m going to rip your throat out!”
“You know her?” Bryce asked, pulling his pants up.
“Have you ever met a red-eyed Mouse?” Through his tears, Prince could only make out the outline of the world around him.
“And what if I have?” Bryce inched backwards toward the empty shells of the street vendors.
“Did you ever do—” Prince looked at the girl he just saved. She shook on the ground as she silently sobbed to herself. “—this to her.”
“What’s it to you?”
Prince erupted. “Answer me!”
Bryce gripped the leg of a wooden stool, flipping it upside down so he could carry it by just its leg. He gave Prince a toothy grin. “What are you going to do about it?”
It was like time skipped. A flash of white and then Prince found himself halfway to Bryce. With perfect timing, Bryce swung the stool. Prince leaned backwards as the rotting wood just barely missed his nose.
Prince screamed and jabbed his knife forward. The blow didn’t connect. Bryce dodged backwards with expert timing. This time, he used the stool as a lance, jousting Prince away from him. The blunt end of the seat hit Prince in the chest and knocked him backwards. Prince was still off-balance when the blunt end hit him again, toppling him to the ground.
Bryce raised the stool above his head, a smile on his face.
Prince rolled as the stool crashed into the dirt beside him. It exploded in an eruption of splinters leaving Bryce a sharpened wooden leg. Prince jumped to his feet.
“Your friend,” Bryce said. “She made sounds like no other. That slut begged me for more. She couldn’t get enough.
It didn’t matter that his legs ached. All that mattered was the picture of Sasha, apologizing to him over and over again.
Prince heard the blow before he felt it, the sharp crack of wood breaking across his cheek. His head hit the ground. He looked up at Bryce, the ground spinning underneath.
“Pathetic.” Despite how close Bryce stood, his voice sounded like it came from afar. He dropped the broken chair leg and stepped toward Prince. “I lied earlier. I’ve never met a red-eyed Mouse before. But I think it’s time I went looking.”
Prince tried pushing himself up, but the most he could manage was to simply hold his head up.
“Can’t you see how weak you are?” Bryce snatched Prince’s wrist and pried the knife out of his hand. “You have a shiny knife and all of a sudden you think you’re a hero. How can someone this weak save anyone? Listen Mouse, strength is all that matters.”
Behind Bryce, approached a dark figure. It was the girl.
“Die!” She screamed and swung. A brick shattered against Bryce’s back.
Bryce croaked and jerked toward the sky. He dropped the knife as both hands shot behind him to search for his wound. Lissandra didn’t go for a second blow, instead, she keeled over panting.
“Run,” she
whispered.
Bryce spun into a wild punch that connected with her jaw. She stumbled backward, her hands hung below her. It looked as if she was a doll. In two steps, Bryce was upon her again. The next blow hit her gut, folding her in half as she clutched her stomach on her way to the ground.
Get up!
Prince grabbed his knife and pushed against the ground, inching his way up.
Bryce turned around. “You want more?”
Prince grit his teeth. The world came in three blurry images. Prince took a small step forward and nearly fell back down.
“I’ll save you,” Prince muttered.
LISSANDRA
All Lissandra wanted was to sleep. She laid her head down and fantasized about closing her eyes. Perhaps she would open them again to find that this had all just been a dream. She chuckled at the thought. She would’ve conceded if not for Prince. She couldn’t give up when he was still fighting.
She watched Prince stagger toward her, slowly fanning his knife in front of him. His body swayed with every step. The outcome of the fight was obvious. Bryce waited patiently for Prince, his fists clenched tightly.
Thank you, Mouse.
Lissandra took a massive breath and screamed. “Run!”
No reason both of them had to die tonight.
Every breath was a chore but she forced her lungs to fight as hard as Prince. “Run!”
Prince opened his mouth to say something, but before he could, Lissandra screamed once more. “Get out!” She felt her eyes swelling with tears. “You won’t win.”
Prince stopped in his tracks, looking from Bryce to her.
You’ve done enough for me.
“You can’t save me, so leave me the fuck alone!” It was all she had energy left to say.
Her words threw Bryce into a fit of laughter. It held the opposite effect on Prince, he looked at her as if betrayed. And then, he took a single step backwards.
“Come back, hero.” Bryce taunted him. “Aren’t you going to save her?”
Prince took another step back and wailed, a sound that reminded Lissandra of an animal losing its young. He collapsed onto his knees and screamed into his hands.
