Peng Bohai tightened his grip on the stranger's wrist and stared at him intensely. He had no knowledge of the outcome of his future being entangled with this misfit. Even his gut insisted he refuse this greenhorn. There was something about the look in his eyes that exhibited danger. A danger beyond his wildest dreams.
The night market's ambiance protected both individuals' existence for the time being. The beating hearts of Peng Bohai and his accomplice raced against time. And in that moment, Peng Bohai only hoped he wasn't on the receiving end of this stranger's demise.
Uncanny beads of sweat trailed down the stranger's temples but he didn't allow his discomforts to stop him. His mission, his sole objective was to escape his predators and hopefully his "associate" knew where he was going. The pace of which their feet carried them wasn't fast enough for his taste. In fact it left him wide open. And so he opened his mouth tiredly, whispering, "Why are we walking so slow!?"
"Sometimes the best hiding place is in plain sight," Peng Bohai explained and directed them swiftly through the crowds. Adults and their children chatted wholeheartedly to their heart's content, teens on first dates or cliques hanging out after school, merchants obtaining customer's attention and the night covered up their tracks. Neither Peng Bohai or the stranger spoke, only walked carefully and panted from nerves fluttering about in their stomachs. As much as Peng Bohai had confidence in losing the pursuers in the crowd, his mind was plagued with conspiracies. Whose to say these pursuers weren't waiting for this hunk of flesh attached to his watch outside this area?
"Where are we going?" The stranger asked.
"Where does it look like," Peng Bohai retorted, slipping through one of the backways of the stalls. The stranger had an inclination; his accomplice's desire was cooperation and silence. A sigh escaped the stranger's dry, chapped lips and he hoped they'd reach their destination soon. He hadn't the slightest clue of how long he could keep going. He needed to rest. He needed to recuperate. It was only an amount of time before he collapsed but he knew that he couldn't give up. His life was on the line and allowing them to capture him all because of a little lack of sleep, left him feeling disgusting.
He was stronger than that. He's fled from these imbeciles for eight months and still survived. He resided on the streets of Jakarta hopping from one place to another, slept in the nooks and crannies on Rainbow Bridge in Japan and communed in shelters in Singapore. The fighting spirit within him wouldn't allow such a trifling commodity as exhaustion defeat him.
"Here!" Peng Bohai said and slammed both himself and the stranger inside a vacant one person restroom. The click of the lock notified the stranger they were quarantined and safe, for now. The stranger couldn't believe it. He actually escaped his pursuers. He knew it wasn't a complete victory. But he still was grateful for such a small feat.
"I need to rest," The stranger said panting, his eyes glued to the taller, more broad man.
"We need to unclip you," Peng Bohai replied, gently pulling along his excess weight to the restroom mirror.
"It's useless," The stranger said with a serious tone. Peng Bohai ignored him and began fiddling with his watch. The thread that belonged to this hooded figure was tough. No matter how many times he tried to rip the thread apart, it wouldn't budge.
"It won't break!" The stranger yelled and pulled his arm away, yanking Peng Bohai in his face. The stranger glared and almost snarled. He thought his "helper" would be smarter than this. Instead, he fooled himself into believing he crossed paths with a clever being. Guess he was wrong. As the saying goes, "A fool judges people by the presents they give him." And the present he was given by this idiot was an assumption without any proof of his competence.
"Calm yourself!" Peng Bohai yelled back and forcefully took a fist full of the stranger's collar. Anger and rage ignited inside of his heart. He couldn't believe the gall of his prisoner-not-by-choice. Not only did he decide his fate by tying his future to this runaway but he also risked his own safety by association. "You ungrateful little punk! You think you can waltz around and start barking at me huh!? Don't forget you owe me!"
Both men glared and fire sparked between these dragons. Neither one of them backed down from the staring contest. Survival of the fittest flocked to their very beings and nothing seemed to persuade them otherwise. Neither the hooded man nor Peng Bohai dared to make a sound and disturb the tension amongst their fighting spirits. Fire churned in their abdomens, rising higher and higher. Their temperature became erected and the anger coursing through their veins kindled fiercely and violently. However, if they weren't on a timeframe it would've prolonged. For both their pride as men were hurt and offended.
Despite the possibility that Peng Bohai left this man behind with his watch would satisfy his fury, his honor was bound to his word. And no matter how he felt, he guaranteed this punk's safety. Whether gratitude birthed itself in his existence or not. He was a man, and a man's word was final. That was his motto.
"Don't get too comfortable talking to me like one of your friend's punk," Peng Bohai said and slowly released the stranger's collar.
"My goal isn't to argue with you," The stranger said, dusting his hoodie off tauntingly. Peng Bohai sucked his teeth and turned around, staring at his reflection in the mirror. His patience was wearing thin and he didn't know how long he could control himself.
"Could've fooled me," Peng Bohai replied and snorted.
"The thread can only be melted," The stranger said and lifted his bound sleeve up to show him. In which, Peng Bohai looked at his partner in crime in the mirror observing his actions. This was quite the information.
"You saying we need to make a campfire and get some marshmallows?" Peng Bohai snorted his reply and turned on the faucet.
"Why would we need marshmallows?" The stranger asked matter of factly.
"It was a rhetorical question," Peng Bohai said, wiping his face with the cool water. The feeling of refreshness flooded his body. This was exactly what he wanted. To submerge himself under his shower, as gushes of water washed his worries away.
"As I was saying," The stranger said, lifting some of the fabric up for his savior to see. "This thread can only be melted. I'm sorry to inconvenience you."
"Who are you?" Peng Bohai said, wiping his face with the back of his wrist.
"Who I am is of no importance," The stranger stated. Peng Bohai sensed the unsociable tone by the blob of flesh attached to his watch.
"If you don't give me a name, I'll come up with one for you," Peng Bohai retorted with more bite than intended.
"No need," The stranger said and Peng Bohai turned around, glaring. Triggering the stranger to immediately close his mouth. The wild look in his savior's eyes spoke unpredictability and sporadic behavior. He couldn't explain it but something in the deepest pit of his gut weaved some wisdom into his brain that said, "bite your tongue".
"It's decided," Peng Bohai stated dominantly in this small restroom brimming of male testosterone. "Your name is Chen Wei Yin."
"Chen Wei Yin?" The stranger repeated his "name" in confusion.
"Hm," Peng Bohai agreed and turned around and looked in the mirror. His abrasive yet tender eyes pierced into his own reflection. He wondered why he agreed to this task. What would he hope to gain if he and this buffoon attached to his watch, were to successfully escape death's claws?
Peng Bohai clasped some tissues from the Autumn Sky's box near the sink and let them soak under the lukewarm running water. His mind ran rampant like a child, pondering the outcome of his mission. Oftentimes his compassionate heart landed him in impossible happenstances as these. However, he knew he was stupid for agreeing to harbor this wanted man. He knew the risks. It wasn't like he was a reckless man who doesn't consider the consequences.
He was too old to play tricks. But deep down, Peng Bohai knew that the decision he made was right. Somehow, his unorthodox decision of aiding this wanted man, of which he knew unquestionably nothing about, conducted contentment. As if he knew they were going to make it out alive. The both of them. Hand in hand. Watch and thread.
"What do you mean when you say, Chen Wei Yin?" The stranger uttered out of his exhausted throat. Peng Bohai smirked at the stranger through the mirror and wiped the damp tissues on his torso. Even though adrenaline pumped in their veins, Peng Bohai still was sensitive to the smell of stinky tofu and Sour Mango. He knew the water wouldn't erase the unpleasant smell. But he felt less icky taking a partial sponge bath.
"Figure it out," Peng Bohai retorted. The construction worker felt a little giddy. The guy attached to his arm apparently had no indication at his insult. It gave him hope for his miserable future. The long hours under the sun as him and his brother's in arms built new civilizations. New places, new homes and etc.
"You're beginning to get on my nerves." The stranger stated. Peng Bohai winked at the excess weight attached to him, turned off the faucet and dried himself off with more tissues.
"The feeling is mutual," Peng Bohai replied, turning around with a goofy smile. "Looks like you're upset Chen Wei Yin."
The stranger stayed silent and glared at his savior. There was something about Peng Bohai's mouth that pissed him off. It was more than his wit. It was more than his rude demeanor. It was more than his thunderous personality and conduct. He couldn't pinpoint the exact area of his savior that pissed him off.
Or maybe it is his savior as a whole that pissed him off. He respected him for aiding him in his escape and he knew that helping him was an inconvenience. But he thought that perhaps, he was different. Again, he assumed too much.
"Got nothing to-?"
Sharp banging interrupted Peng Bohai's and the stranger's verbal jousting. Their hearts began to race and thump harshly in their chests. Peng Bohai knew this kind of banging did not belong to someone who desperately needed to use the restroom. The stranger knew the bang all too well. Because the rhythm of the bang… was primal.
"Looks like we're in for a bumpy ride," Peng Bohai said, tightening his fist.
"Hm," The stranger said, waiting to make the first move of action.