I was running through a village covered in flames. My breath was bated and I gripped my tanto ever so tightly.
I scanned the area cautiously for enemy assassins who might pose a threat. Although I haven't seen any yet, the patrons around me were in full panic. They had witnessed their houses, shops, and other establishments go in flames. Now they're fleeing from the inferno that's destroying their village.
Although it was quite scary, I cannot dwell on it. I must concentrate on eliminating the assassins.
I made a sharp turn at the corner and spotted two men dressed in black jumpsuits rushing towards me. Without hesitation, I readied my tanto to defend myself.
With my weapon at the ready, I charged towards the men and easily dispatched them. They posed no challenge to me.
As I continued on my path, I came upon many people of all ages who were crying and screaming, most likely due to the fire.
Despite their cries and screams, I couldn't muster any sympathy as I viewed them as nothing but sacrificial lambs. I admit that I may have used them as a tactic to lure out our enemies. It's easier to spot them when they're drawn out like this.
"Minji!" Someone called out my name.
"Satoshi!" I cried.
A young man with blood-matted blonde hair and a black and blue gi covered in the same substance ran towards me. Despite his injuries, he was still alive. I sheathed my tanto and rushed to his aid, grabbing him.
"They killed everyone! Kim, Harumi, Ryuk, and Lee are barely alive and the villagers…they're all dead!" He cried.
"Who killed them?!"
"ME!"
Suddenly, Satoshi's face contorted into a demonic form as his eyes glow yellow and his teeth elongated. I tried to pull away but he held me tighter. His skin started to turn a burnt orange while white horns pierced through his head.
He pounced on me and pried his mouth open, unleashing flames that brought me closer. The heat scorched my face and I screamed out in pain as I was consumed.
I woke up in a cold sweat. I tore the bandages off my face to get some fresh air.
The sight beneath my wraps would have horrified most, but to me, it was nothing out of the ordinary. A mere skeleton was all that remained where the rest of my face should have been, with bits of flesh clinging to the bone. Only the right corner of my face remained unscathed, and I had long since grown accustomed to the grotesque sight.
It still felt cold, hard.
My mind was racing. I managed to put the bandages back on my face without having an existential crisis. The only time where I get a good night's sleep, it just had to be a nightmare. That was the second one in a row from this week only. Is this a sign of a memory from my past?
I saw Satoshi again as well as my comrades so that must mean something. The only thing wrong with the whole thing was that Satoshi was a demon and I know that's not right.
I found myself thinking back to when I was a kid and nightmares would come every so often. I would always run into my parents' room and ask to sleep with them for the night. It was quite silly but that's how I coped with them.
But with my parents definitely long gone I have no one to be comforted by except for myself.
I am truly alone.
I shook my head off the thoughts and finished putting on my bandages. Let's try to not think about anything depressing today.
I walked out of the building and into the alleyway. It's like I'm drawn to this place. I mean, I have nowhere else to go and my old home is probably destroyed by now.
The only thing to keep me company is some homeless people who try to act like I don't exist. It's pretty ironic if you ask me. Maybe they saw what happened to those thugs in those alleys and took that as a sign to not fuck with me.
Either way, I shouldn't care since I'm not getting bothered.
After turning the corner, I saw a bunch of people surrounding something. From the looks of their uniforms, it's easy to say that they are the police.
If that's the case then I might as well leave. I have no business here. But then again, whatever they were looking at piqued my interest so much that I couldn't leave.
I hid behind a dumpster as a few people took pictures of what seemed to be a crime scene. It was hard to see because of the crowd but what I could make out was a bloodied body lying on the floor. I thought it was one of the thugs that I roughed up not too long ago but there was no resemblance.
I ducked a little more as the police dragged the body away. His hands were cuffed and his feet were in shackles.
It was none of my concern. There's nothing I could do for him.
Before they could drag them away in their vehicle, I caught a quick glance of the man. There was a weird marking on his forehead.
It was the shape of a star. It reminded me of that nutcase I ran into not too long ago. What was his name? Nightmare or something? Maybe that was him.
Then again, this has nothing to do with me. So why should I waste my time and get involved?
I heard a low growl behind me and jumped.
"Shit, cat, you scared me!" I hissed. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that."
The cat ignored me, licking its paw. It looked worn out and hungry. It's a wonder that it's still surviving.
I decided to leave it alone. It looked like it needed some rest.
I was never an animal lover but I had some weird attachment to cats. They always struck me as mysterious and lonely.
Just like me, the feline was probably looking for a home. Probably was a wanderer too.
Another eventful night for me to be on the prowl again! This time, it is...
Killing. And people watching. And scaring a few people. Just tormenting people in general.
I took a bite out of my ice cream as a couple with their child walked past the alleyway. I never had a taste for these sorts of confectioneries. They never seem to satisfy my hunger.
Food is another necessity that humans need to survive. Despite that, some people are picky eaters to the extent that they’d rather starve than eat what’s served to them. I always feel empty when I have a taste for food.
That goes for anything else that humans call "normal." Water, clothing, housing, having a family. These are the main things that lead to a "happy life." No matter how much they try to fit into society or do something normal, it never seems to truly fill the hole in their stomachs. That "hole" of course is called satisfaction.
You see, life is like a box of chocolates. You never know what's inside. Though, I like to see it as the lottery because of the slim chances that someone can get the life they desire. This ties beautifully into the chocolate idiom because there are some circumstances that wouldn't lead you to your "dream life." Not everyone can be rich, famous, beautiful, or smart. That's why people shoot for being normal. Having a boring 9 to 5 job and going home to deal with a nagging wife and bratty kids. Does that sound "happy" to you?" It doesn't to me.
Swiftly, I dashed down the street and took a sharp turn into the alleyway. Glancing over my shoulder, I noticed that the goons were following far behind. When far enough, I took refuge behind some garbage cans.
"Where did he go?" One of them questioned.
"Don't know. I'm pretty sure these bums here might've seen something," Another goon responded. "Let's call for backup! We'll corner this son of a bitch!"
The sound of reloading guns excited me a little.
I wonder what's gonna happen next.
I roamed around the alleyways and into the next one. I'm not even sure why I went there but I had no choice. Some loud noises that came from that alleyway urged me to look that way. It sounded like garbage cans being tossed around followed by some screaming. I ran down the alleyway and saw a bunch of men in suits ganging up on a homeless person. They were punching him in the face and head while one held him down. It was truly sad.
Why do people with authority abuse their power?
I watched as those men took whatever valuables he had on him and tossed him to the ground. He was barely conscious but somehow was still breathing.
I heard one of the men say, "We're not done with him yet, you know."
"Yeah, yeah. I know, I know," One of the men mumbled. He grabbed the homeless man and smiled. "Listen pal, all you have to do is tell us who killed our men and we'll leave you alone."
The bum could barely utter out a word due to the beatings he's received. But of course, this doesn't help at all as the man continued his assault on him once again.
I have to say, it was kind of hard to watch.
There was no mercy shown to that poor guy. Even though I felt a little sick to my stomach, it was none of my concern.
I wanted to walk away from the scene but was immediately halted by another memory. I felt my stomach lurch and my head feeling a little dizzy. I had to lean against the brick wall to keep my balance.
A man, just like him, was begging for his life but we didn't care. All we wanted was some answers. So we beat the fuck out of him until he was a bloodied mess. It was and wasn't my proudest moment at the time.
The scene in front of me cleared and the room stopped its spinning. I took a few deep breaths to calm down.
"Hey you!" The man called out. I turned around to see him point a gun my way.
I stood still which gave him the opportunity to approach me with caution. "You know what happened to them right?"
"I'm afraid not." I said wryly. I could easily twist his hand, disarming him but I’ll lend an ear.
"Not too long ago, two of our boss’ most valuable men had their throats slit by a mysterious man in black. We're just going around and looking for answers."
Do you think beating up innocent bystanders is the right way to "look for answers?"
"Sounds pretty bad but I seriously don't know," I spat. "Now if you excuse me."
I whirled around to see another man in the same outfit hold me at gunpoint.
"Don't move!"
I gave a careless shrug as the men surrounded me. I knew this would happen.
"Hold on! We're not done with you yet!" One of the men sneered.
I simply ignored them and walked away.
"We said stop you bitch!" He cried out.
Suddenly, a loud popping noise filled my ears and a searing burning sensation spread throughout my shoulder. Without thinking, I reached for it and noticed blood oozing out of the wound.
"Oh you're going to regret that, you know," I muttered.
I withdrew my hand from the bullet wound and balled up my fist as I approached the men. They shifted their focus from me to each other.
I smirked. "You know, I don't have to do this the hard way."
Surprisingly, those fuckers stayed stationary from that. Looks like they had some backbone afterall.
I used my other shoulder to tackle one down to the ground. The others tried to encircle me but I stepped out of their reach.
As they all pulled out their weapons, my body was hit by a barrage of bullets that sent me flying and crashing into a pile of garbage cans.
"Fuck!" I grunted.
I wasn't dead, but I certainly felt like it. I rolled around on the ground until I was able to stand up.
I looked down at my wounds and watched in amazement as the bullets popped out and my injuries began to heal. Regeneration is one helluva ability.
With lightning speed, white bandages shot out of my arm and wrapped around one of the guns the men were wielding, throwing it to the side. The other bandage lashed out, wrapping around someone's hand and slamming them into a nearby brick wall, leaving them visibly shaken. This was exactly what I wanted them to feel. I could already anticipate their next move: they were going to try and shoot me while questioning my existence. Therefore, I had no choice but to kill them before they could do the same to me.
I charged at the men, bracing myself. They fired their guns, but it was like shooting a brick wall. Their bullets couldn't even faze me. I deftly dodged their shots and swiftly kicked one of them in the face, shattering his nose. As he crumpled to the ground, I leapt up and landed a powerful punch on another man's jaw, rendering him unconscious.
Good. I would've crushed his skull if I applied more force. But it doesn't make a difference anyway.
As the remaining men in suits charged towards me, I reached into my sleeve and retrieved a blade. It was time to test if my skills had deteriorated after spending an unknown amount of time in the grave.
I sliced through their necks in a single stroke, causing blood to splash everywhere. The men screamed in agony as I kept slashing. A few more heads could've been detached from their bodies but I had no intention of killing anymore.
I walked up on them slowly. I could hear their muffled cries for help.
Well, I could hear one cry for help. The others were obviously dead.
After scanning all the bodies I was able to find the source of the pleas. That weasel was trying to use his comrades as a shield to hide himself.
I gave him a look that said "Do not fucking move" and he froze where he was. His eyes bugged out of their sockets as his mouth opened in an O shape. That slash wound I inflicted on him was pretty nasty, making him choke on his own blood.
I knelt beside him.
"You and your pals over there should've listened to me," I hissed. "You all wouldn't have this situation if you did."
I grabbed the weasel by the collar and picked him up. I held my knife up to his neck.
"Who's your boss?"
The man's eyes went wide as he started to panic. He was probably hoping that he would be able to talk his way out of this. I pressed the knife deeper to his neck.
"Answer me! Who's your fucking boss?!"
"It's Kija!" The man cried, confirming my answer.
"Kija," I repeated the name that was given. "Well, since you're the only one alive, I'm gonna need you to play messenger for me. You don't have much of a choice since you're banged up."
My grip on his collar tightened as I slammed his back against the wall.
"I need you to go to Kija and tell him that I killed every last one of his goons," I said, venom dripping from my words. The man's eyes went wide in fear and he started to whimper. "Don't worry. I'll let you live long enough to fulfill your task."
I let the man free from my grasp, resulting in him falling to the floor. I watched him scrabble himself up and stagger out of the alleyway.
When he was out of my sight, I glanced down at my bloody tanto.
The red liquid tainted my reflection as I gazed at myself. I was covered in dirt and blood, with a deep gash on my shoulder. It was far from a pretty sight.
I look at the dead bodies one more time before leaving the alleyway myself.
Rubbing the back of my neck, I let out a tired sigh. That fight really wore me out huh? It must be the healing factor that's wearing on me 'cause I usually feel quite energized after scuffles like these.
Suddenly, I heard someone clapping their hands. I quickly look up to see that Nightfall guy approaching me.
Damn, it's like I can never get some peace around here. I mentally cursed.
"That was magnificent darling! Excellent!" He cheered like he just saw a play or something.
"Thanks." I said sarcastically.
"No, I mean it," Nightfall took a few steps closer. "The way you took down those guys was beautiful. They didn't stand a chance."
"No shit Sherlock" is what I wanted to say but instead I shot that clown a dirty look.
Nightfall gave a short chuckle. "We're the same, you know that?"
"No we're not." I denied his claim.
"Yes, we are. We both enjoy this, don't we?"
"Enjoy what? Killing?"
"Of course." Nightfall circled around me like he was about to do something.
I backed up to avoid his advances. "I don't enjoy it. I do it because I have to. You do it because you want to. We're not the same."
His brows furrowed. It was hard to tell because of that mask but I think I pissed him off.
Being covered in someone else's blood always felt out of place for me. Even back in the day when I was an assassin, bloodshed meant nothing to me. I killed because it had to be done. I didn't do it because I liked the thrill. I was only carrying out my…my…
I don't know what I was carrying out. I just knew that I had to do it.
Nightfall shrugged his shoulders. "I think we are but believe what you want to believe. We'll be in touch."
He walked away from me, giving a final wave as he left the alleyway. I didn't think much of it when I heard his last few words replay in my mind.
What does he mean by that? Is he referring to that corpse with the star on its forehead that the cops hauled away? That idiot did mention that he performed some "work" similar to what I did to those punks awhile back. However, I've had too many bizarre experiences to trust what some guy in a mask says at face value.
Just the thought of it made a chill run down my spine. I'm definitely not taking any chances with him.
Feliuon· Jan 16, 2023
