by Nicol, Andy
He seemed to be struggling more than usual.
“Soul, you don’t need to force yourself when you speak to me. So, they told you to go to the base, and they gave you the office?” He swallowed hard and nodded. “And that’s when you got an email about getting rid of various warriors?”
He squeezed his eyes shut and nodded, with a slight whimper. “The bird refused. It would be wrong! But the monsters found the bird and … and…” He started hyperventilating and grasping at his shirt with shaking hands.
“Soul, relax! It’s just me, K9.”
He shook his head violently and gasped for air again. I placed my hands on his cheeks and he started to calm down, keeping his eyes shut. “Who were the monsters?” I asked. “What did they look like?”
“Didn’t see … too dark. They burned the crow … said he was dirty, a no-good animal. A monster like them.” He let go of his shirt and jabbed at the air in front of him with shaking movements and slim fingers as he tilted his head to the side, slightly.
“They burned you? Where?” I could feel my heart speeding up, my stomach knotting with every word he said. Whether the burn itself was bad or not, it must have been a terrifying experience. He pulled the collar of his shirt down to reveal a really bad burn in the shape of what looked like a skull, right smack on the left side of his chest. I put a hand over my mouth and felt a chill run down my back. “It doesn’t still hurt, does it?”
Soul still didn’t meet my eyes, but he tilted his head back and forth before giving a small nod.
“Crow, I promise that we will find Dr. Frankenstein and his monsters —”
“The crow is a monster,” he said quietly, shoving his hands into his lap. I placed one hand on his cheek again, smearing ink over him and myself.
“No. You aren’t a monster. You do the dirty work because you have to, not because you want to. But you are a crow: you are brave and strong, and you’re just protecting yourself. You are far more beautiful than a simple animal, far more important. Animals have no morals … just like monsters. And that’s not you.”
His eyes were wide with wonder and his cheeks went pink. I ran my thumb over a small cut and then dropped my hand to my side. He didn’t take his eyes off me as I stood and stretched. It was night now, and I knew I should probably get back if I wanted to grab dinner at the cafeteria instead of preparing a meal for myself. Which would be nice, considering I can’t cook.
“Did you get some rest yet?” I asked. Soul got to his feet and nodded, keeping his shoulders hunched. “Good, we have a lot of work to do.” I gave a soft smile and he nodded. It would be nice to see him smile; I wondered what that would look like.
We climbed down the fire escape and left the building. My life was a mess. But I found it fun. Or I would if Soul wasn’t being hurt because of this. I lightly patted his arm as I walked past him and back out toward the market. Hopefully, I could make it home without any further incidents.
Five
As I walked through the market, I got hit in the head with a bouncy ball. Considering how many kids play here, it wasn’t a huge surprise. Rubbing my head, I bent down and I picked it up. I saw a few boys run over, along with one girl. Probably the culprits.
“We’re so sorry, Miss K9!” one shouted.
“Hey, I used to do the same thing not that long ago. Don’t apologize for living your little lives while you can.” I smiled at them. The little girl looked completely dumbstruck, and the boys were just giddy.
“What happened to your hand? I watch all your fights, and it didn’t happen there!” the girl said.
I glanced at my wrist. “I’ll let you in on a secret…”
I bent down to their height so we could see each other evenly. “You’ve heard that people are getting hurt and leaving, right?”
They all nodded.
“Well, the same thing happened to me. The only problem is, I don’t think the person who’s attacking everyone is completely sure of what they’re doing. I don’t think they want to be doing it.”
“Do you know who it is?” the girl asked, as I rolled my shoulders.
“Maybe.” I smiled at her. “What’s your name?”
“Rosie,” the girl said. “But my warrior name is Razer!”
“Well, Razer, it’s all going to come out soon, and I don’t want any of you to jump to conclusions. Find all the facts, the who and the why, got it?”
“Are you going to get in trouble?” one boy asked.
“Aw, come on, you said you knew all about me! Of course I am … just trust me.”
The kids looked at each other and then back at me. “Why are you telling us this?”
I shrugged and smiled. “I guess that’s so the most important people, the kids like you, will believe in more than just yourselves. Even K9 needs a team sometimes.”
“Nothing’s black and white anymore,” Rosie stated. Smiling, I patted her head, tousling her flame-red hair. My attention was drawn away suddenly as I stood in the cool air.
A shout from a booming and hoarse voice that I only recently came to know forced me to turn my head. “K9!”
I straightened up and saw Soul at the end of the street, a look of fear and anger on his face.
“You kids need to go.” My nerves tightened in my gut once again.
They nodded. “Is that him?” the shortest boy asked.
I looked back at them and grinned before sliding to the ground and swinging my leg out behind me. Sure enough, someone fell to the ground with a thud. The kids scattered, shocked, and people ran as I stood again and looked towards the person who had attempted to attack me. There was a knife next to his hand and, even though he was wearing a hood, I could tell he was disoriented.
“Let me guess…” I sighed. “You’re one of the monsters?”
“That’s one way to put it, Vixen.”
Vixen. That voice rang through my head, that thick Irish accent. It was one I’d never forget.
“Hyde,” I growled. My voice shook, but I was still strong enough to stand my ground.
The figure recovered to his full height and flicked his hood back.
He smirked and stalked towards me, his shoulders hunched. A crooked, gnarly grin distorted his face. “Someone has to stop your little game. Tsk tsk, little doggy. Attacking fellow warriors? Really? Someone has to stand up for justice.”
I stepped back, and a wave of anger came over me. Nothing about Hyde or his twin could ever be called “just.”
“What do you know, Vulture.”
I felt a hand on my shoulder and spun to defend myself with a punch. A second figure staggered back as I struck him in the nose. He looked up at me in a rage. Jekyll, Hyde’s ugly twin. He rushed forward like a bull. He was a huge man. Scars covered his face and his hair hung just above his ears. He radiated ferocity. Laughing was all I could do to keep from panicking.
I stepped to the side and tried to hold in a light giggle. “You’re wasting your time here.”
A thick arm wrapped itself around my neck from behind — Hyde made another move. I dropped all intent of making fun of them and kicked backwards, hitting his knee and causing him to drop me, though Jekyll was now standing upright, ready to strangle me.
“Hey, bozo!” A small voice called out from behind them.
Jekyll took a step forward as a piece of wood splintered across the back of his neck. He took a sharp breath as he slowly twisted his body around to see the young girl Rosie, who was with her friends, holding a shattered piece of wood.
“Rosie, run!” I shouted at the girl, startling her. She backed up and grabbed the boys before she could get caught by Jekyll, swinging his long arm out behind him.
I took that opportunity to kick him in the face and then turn back to Hyde and jump on his back. Once I compared our sizes, I realized this may not have been the best decision. The two are unnaturally large men. He grabbed at me but I squirmed away from his grasp, so he threw himself back against one of the market food stands, with me still holding
on tightly.
With a shout of pain, I let go and hit the ground, cracking my wrist for about the fourth time today. Jekyll threw his own knife up and caught it, then leaned over me, threatening me with it. I promised I’d never be a victim again, as scared as I was … I wouldn’t. I gave one last-ditch effort and kicked my legs up, nailing both of them in the chest and knocking them backwards a couple steps.
Sitting in the dirt, I watched the twins grunt and wheeze. By the time Hyde’s rage returned, Soul had made his way over and tackled him before he could make another move. They grappled a moment before the larger of the two (so … not Soul) had the other pinned down. Hyde’s hooting and hollering was deafening as his brother tossed him the knife he had been waving. He was ready to slash Soul’s throat.
Soul pushed his hand against his attacker’s face.
“What’s wrong, dirty little bird?” Hyde taunted, laughing and holding onto Soul’s cheek, his knuckles white. “Not as skilled as you thought?”
“Who’s this now?” Jekyll asked. His laughed mimicked his brother’s but it was rougher, deeper. “That man — dirty black hair, scarred face — looks an awful lot like Danny-boy’s supposed attacker. How do you know him, Vixen?” Jekyll spoke loudly, like some kind of circus ringmaster, making sure the entire marketplace, and the newly arrived drone cams, could hear him.
Desperately making sure his face was hidden from the cams, my friend gave one last push, then spat in Hyde’s face. Reeling back, the attacker gagged as he wiped it clean, leaving Soul an opening to roll him over and punch him a few times in the face. Hyde’s knife hit the ground and bounced away.
“Monster…” Soul said. He started to recite:
“I’ve learned to fight the monsters in my head
But how do you fight
The monsters under your bed
When they start to scratch and bite?”
Can’t hurt the bird! Not anymore.”
I coughed and held my stomach with my sore hand as I crawled towards the knife. I grabbed it and began to shout loudly at the first attacker, trying to distract him and stop him from terrorizing the kids who had hit him.
“Get away from them and you’ll walk out of here alive,” I warned.
“You really think you can beat me, Vixen? You can’t even stand!”
He lunged forward, trying to grab me. He didn’t see the knife until it was too late. I slashed at him as he came toward me and caught him in the arm, carving a large gash into his bicep. He grasped at his arm, letting out an agonizing howl. Hyde growled, tossed Soul to the ground, and ran to his brother, grabbing him and holding him up.
Jekyll’s face was pale, and the amount of blood draining from his arm was enough to make him stagger. Hyde roared in frustration then turned and hauled his twin off down the street. A trail of blood followed them as they ran off.
I let my head fall to the ground and sighed in relief, even laughed. Soul did the same, before he pulled himself over to me on his stomach and sat on his knees expectantly.
“I’m fine,” I said, trying to suppress a cough. “Maybe a broken rib or two.” I hauled myself to my feet and yelled out in surprise as pain shot through my middle. “You’re not hurt?” I looked at Soul, who had settled enough to stop shivering.
He shook his head and looked around. “Too many people…”
“I know. You should go, and make sure you get your arm bandaged—”
“Excuse me…” I looked up to see the little girl standing in front of us. “You dropped this.”
She held out a piece of paper and he gently took it from her hand, unfolded it, and stared at the ink drawing with a smile. “Thank you,” he mumbled quietly.
I was holding myself up by his shoulder as he looked back at the paper, then at me. He smiled, folded it back up, and handed the paper back to Rosie.
“Soul, you need to go. Too many people have already seen us together.”
“The dog is hurt —”
“Just go! I’ve been through worse than this!”
I gave him a small shove and he nodded, a sly smile creeping onto his lips as he pushed his way through the crowd and, hopefully, to safety. I shook my head and started laughing. Rosie unfolded the paper and looked at the blue ink drawing. “What is it?”
She held it up. It was an ink-splattered crow with the outline of a girl dancing, and underneath it were the words “someday you’ll be a hero.” I smiled and watched which direction he ran in.
“Was that him? Was that the man you told us about?”
I looked back at the little girl and grinned. “Yes, it was. You helped us a lot today. Thank you. Someday you will be a hero, for more than just us.”
“You really think I could be like you someday?”
A wave of gentle pride swept over me, and I nodded my head. “I do. Just try not to get yourself into as much trouble as I do, for both our sakes.”
She giggled and started to walk back to her friends, before turning around and calling to me, “Tell your friend that he’s my hero, too!”
I smiled at her. She and her friends ran off home. I decided to do the same.
I stumbled into the kitchen, but no one was there.
Trudging through the tiled walkways to the lecture hall, I was about 100 feet away when I heard shouting. Rolling my eyes, I kicked the door open, ready to make my big entrance.
“I need all of you to listen to me!” I called out, interrupting their argument. “There is more than one person in on this!”
Viktor, Dan, and Louis stood in a circle in the middle of the hall. They jumped and turned toward me as I huffed in the doorway. Viktor looked annoyed at my intrusion.
“And how exactly would you know that, Miss Keanin?”
I looked at the front of the room as I held my side. “Mr. Viktor, I was just attacked by Jekyll and Hyde — in the middle of the market no less!”
He stood and gave me a cold, questioning look. “What?”
“Those goons jumped me! They tried to kill me!” It might be for the best if I leave out the fact that Soul had a hand in my survival. “Dan, did you manage to find anything else about the guys going after us? Those brothers are in on this. I can feel it.”
He ran a hand through his hair as a light flickered above him. “Not a damn thing.”
I nodded. Good.
“Are you alright?” Louis asked, putting out a cigarette. He walked towards me.
“I will be … I’m a bit hungry, but I’m good. It’s cool.” I took a step back. The last thing I needed right now was Louis “Ichabod” Crane in my business. Guy gave me the creeps. I shook my head.
Viktor chose that moment to speak again. “K9, enough wild accusations. Warriors have a go at one another sometimes. That’s how it works. You should understand that better than anyone.”
“Look at me! They clobbered me. Who just attacks another warrior in the street? We can’t rule them out!” I looked at Dan. It hurt to breathe, but my bones were burning with anger.
Viktor turned to Dan and Louis, completely ignoring my comment. “Crane, take a look at K9. Dragon, I want this guy’s head on a spike. The real culprit.”
I wasn’t going to let him have that. “I know you like to keep your lapdogs close, but there comes a point when they need to be muzzled! That point is endangering civilians.”
“Mind your position, Keanin!” Viktor’s arms fell to the side of his fancy vest as he hissed my name. “You work for me. I’m sure you don’t need to be reminded of how quickly that can change.”
His white hair, tied perfectly at the base of his neck, swayed as he stalked towards me with his head high. No one knew how old he actually was, but he still had strong hands and a posture that suggested a history in battle. One of those hands lightly pet my hair as he tilted his head and pouted, “You have a bump on your head. No wonder you’re being so rash; you’ve a concussion!”
“I am fine! I know what happened. It’s on camera!”
“Yes, well. I’m afraid we
did see the footage, but by the time it came in, it was horribly distorted. Couldn’t tell a damn thing. No need to worry, my dear. I assure you I’ll be looking into your claims regardless.” His half-lidded eyes creased in the corners as he waved for Louis to cart me away.
Damn old man used to be one of us. There used to be a code of honour here. I’d known him for so long, but I’m just not sure if he lied or not. It kind of made me mad.
I fumed at Viktor and cringed at the thought of Louis examining me. But I followed Crane to his medical facility. He made me lie down while he poked at my abdomen.
“You’ve been busy.” He poked hard above the bruises and I flinched.
“You did that on purpose,” I growled at him.
He snorted and looked down at me over his crooked nose. “I know what I’m doing, K9. I’m actually very good at my job.”
“No broken ribs?”
He shook his head. “Not this time, but if you keep getting into fights between your fights, you’re going to start suffering from exhaustion. Honestly, what were you thinking?” He shook his head.
I sat up on my elbows and winked at the exhausted medic. “You know I’m only doing it to make your life more difficult, Crane.”
He slowly leaned forward, his arms bent out at an unnatural angle and his back arched like a cat. His top lip curled a little bit. “I. Hate. You.”
Leaning back again, his face suddenly turned serious. He met my hazel eyes with his cold, icy blue ones.
“Do you really think that Jekyll and Hyde are involved in all this?” he asked.
I took a moment to think about the question. I had been purposely over the top with my accusations, maybe as a way of deflecting some of the attention from Soul and myself. I didn’t know if the twins were really involved. But the attack was strange nonetheless. They kept to themselves; they weren’t even part of the usual rotation. They’ve never interacted with me on any level since the day they joined the league. I was almost starting to hope they forgot who I was. Who am I kidding? I could never be that lucky.
