xXx
Bar Haven: 2nd Floor (Orphanage)
Breaking News: Along with the serial killing case of Saccharide Heinz, the hidden illegal drugs and weapon organization was finally found by the police after a mysterious caller gave the exact address of the underwater factory. The man behind this organization Mr. Fausto Seariel was shot dead in the raid. All the workers were sent to prison with charges.
"RAINE!" Dione exhausted as hell, called the girl's name outside Aquilla's room, "Open the door! You can't just hide there forever!"
It was just 5:00 in the morning and he is already howling like a wolf. Well... That's why they call him, 'The Howler'
Dione spent his whole night cleaning up the alley and burying the heavy body in the cemetery. And now he's going to spend the day calling the girl inside Aquilla's room. The mattress that the girl uses on the floor was untouched inside his closet and there were bills on his desk for the night rent.
He kept banging the door until it was opened by the bandages wrapped green-haired boy.
"Apparently, she can do that," Aquilla cackled as he opened the door wider.
"And now you can walk," Dione sarcastically cheered and clapped his hands.
Once he spotted the same shirt Raine wore hanging neatly near the cupboards, Dione frowned and pushed the male in front of him out of the way.
"How do you think I go to the bathroom?" asked Aquilla, looking at the white-haired male in disbelief as he closed the door and limped his way towards his bed.
The white-haired male looked around, his eyes immediately darted at the only place the girl could be hiding from him.
"I don't know!" Dione exclaimed and knocked on the bathroom door again after knocking 3 times in a row, "Maybe you ask somebody to drink your stuff!"
"You're pretty homophobic for a boy who likes to the dirty behind the dumpster with some aged drug lord," Aquilla teased as he reminisced Raine's story from last night.
Dione's face turned red and kept kicking the door instead of knocking while yelling, "Raine! You tattletale!"
"She needs to let out the story last night. Don't worry... I'm not going anywhere," The green-haired male reasoned before tucking the keys away under his chest bandages. The truth is Raine wasn't inside. They just locked it from the outside so, it would look like she was inside.
"Your reassurance doesn't help especially, now I know that you can use your goddamn legs!" said the pissed Dione before turning to face Aquilla.
"Where are the keys?" He presented his hand and asked for the keys.
"They're inside with her," Aquilla lied convincingly and held within him his laugh.
"Shooting star!" Dione got back to his innocent curses as he furiously continued to kick down the door.
Aquilla sighed and caressed his dagger gently on his hands before calming the raging white-headed teen, "Come on man, you made her kill a person!"
"Oh, boohoo!" Exaggeratedly, Dione acted like a crying baby before shouting, "Hey Raine! Don't act so clean. I knew you stole Walter's head underneath my bed!"
"Say what now - ?!"
The last words startled Aquilla, but Dione didn't bother to answer. The white-haired just blushed and scraped his teeth against each other before getting back to Raine, "Get out of there because we have so much to do," he reminded partnered with a forceful kangaroo kick.
"Don't you mean there is someone to do you?" chuckled Aquilla.
"Don't be too cocky, Aquilla!" snubbed Dione while his left eye twitched.
Aquilla didn't stop teasing him with his signature mocking laugh, "Won't you just love that, huh?"
"Ugh, Raine!" Dione called again.
This time, he gave up knocking and just leaned his body against the door, the tired boy gulped before calmly saying, "Today's Saccharide's Arraignment!" His patience didn't last long when a flash of the girl's angry face appeared in his mind, "If you don't get out of there then I'll just get a hobo from the streets to be the goddamn suspect!"
His knuckles were sore from punching the door so, he just threatened his way, "Hey!" he called, "Raine, get out of there! I'll break down the door and you'll pay for it!"
Aquilla can't help, but to laugh at the farce show presented in from of him. He stood up and decided to have a glass of water from the cold pitcher Raine left for him before she excused herself for a task.
"Damn!" Dione shouted and ruffled his hair, "This door is hard to open!"
Then he heard keys jiggling-
"Shit!" cursed Aquilla.
xXx
Sneaking wasn't her thing. Raine knew nothing is legal about carrying a decapitated head inside her backpack, but she had to use her courage. The smell might attack some rodents and mutts, but Saccharide always reassures her that baking soda will do the trick in getting rid of the stench.
"I'll give you a decent burial," she promised Walter before carefully wrapped him in a plastic bag full of baking soda.
She would constantly look behind her shoulder to see if Dione already discovered the bathroom lock. As she finally made it to the exit Aquilla instructed her to go, a new scenery welcomed her where all the orphan children were planting vegetables while others were enjoying catching up with monochrome butterflies. Her eyes sparkled at the sight. The kids noticed her and pulled her to join them with excitement.
Suddenly, a beautiful woman with a sun hat asked them to get back on their tasks and let the young female continue hers.
"Hi dear," she greeted before eyeing the black bag hooked on her arm, "Going somewhere?"
"Yes! Aunt Maesan," Raine beamed her a smile.
The woman, whom she referred to as 'Aunt Maesan', heard the uneasy discomfort in the girl's tone and decided to ask, "You're not taking Dione with you?"
Suddenly, Raine felt as though her lips were stitched together and the desert sand engulfed her throat. She opened her mouth to speak, but they heard a glass broke from inside the bar before the shouting became audible for the two females.
"Where are the keys?! I heard them!" Dione screamed followed a shattered glass sound again, "Tell me! Or I'll wrap you in bacon instead!"
"Bacon sounds good! Is it good as what you do with Walter's head?!" Aquilla teased and another glass was tossed.
"It's a collectible! I have six more of them inside the cellar!" Dione reasoned and a thumped followed his statement, "I'll add yours if you don't open that door for me!"
Raine gulped when she heard the sound getting closer, "I really have to go. Excuse me," her voice sounded shaky.
"I was hoping I could talk to you," Maesan called her.
"I really have to go," Raine stopped for a while but continued walking.
That was before the white-haired woman pulled her inside a shed filled with sharp gardener tools and a few deadly pesticides. The only way they could see was a little light bulb hanging from the damaged ceiling. The door closed and all the sounds from outside became unclear. Raine couldn't believe that a disaster of a shed could make a good hiding spot.
"He won't find you here," the woman smiled before staring at her true business.
Raine's heart wanted to escape from her chest.
Dione's eyes annoy her.
Menthos's eyes soothe her.
Their mother's eyes paralyze her.
And they were all the same color and hue.
"Thank you, Raine," the woman kindly patted her head, thankfully not with the wood chopping axe, "Those shots are accurate. It saved me a lot of time," she complimented and offered a small stool for the girl.
...
After she sat, Raine looked up and wondered, "Why?" She thought out loud as the woman gave her a questioning look. The girl was reluctant at first, not until she saw the man's face after his death and how this woman danced on top of him while breaking his fragile bones again.
"Why do you have to kill them?" She asked again. She couldn't contain her anger and said without hesitation, "I don't care if they are drug dealers, rapists, or killers. They don't deserve death."
A laugh from the woman was not what she was expecting, the sound made her eyes hysterical, "Those people don't deserve anything, dear," Maesan answered, "So, I send them to eternal nothingness. I take them where there is no one they could hurt, kill or defile..."
How could a sweet voice say something as dreadful as that?
The older woman could ask the same thing about her as she smirked went from ear to ear after she saw the shadowed expression of the girl- How could a girl such as Raine Aksenov empty a revolver case on a poor helpless man?
Maybe, it was human instinct...
Or
Nature's way...
"They don't deserve anything, but hell deserves them," the woman added as she stood up and hugged the shaking girl.
Raine was shocked. Nevertheless, she needed it and hugged back. It was a hug that felt great and unnerving at the same time. It's like veins tickling you with their leaves, but at the same time, choking you slowly like a snake would do to their prey.
"You say that, but you deserve the same nothingness because you kill them," Raine clutched her bag close to her and managed to talk back to the older female, "If you just surrendered them to the authorities, you wouldn't have to take their lives and dirty your hands!"
Maesan laughed again before kissing Raine's forehead, "Authorities? It's just a label," there was a furious diction in her voice, "The letter A stands for Action, but clearly, there is none!"
The woman thought, 'Reality didn't strike her yet,' As she stroked the young girl's hair and felt calm. She was on the verge of cutting the innocent's head off, but whenever she remembers that this girl accomplished the last mission for her, she just couldn't stop feeling flattered and aroused.
"Here in this Haven, I do the execution. Many devils come in here to have unlimited fun without knowing their time is bound to be limited," she explained, "For years, no one suspects this place. No drop of blood can be seen!"
With each stroke, her nails dug deeper causing Raine to squeak. Upon hearing the mice-like sound, she stopped and hugged the girl tighter before whispering, "I know you wouldn't say anything. I made sure your fingerprints are preserved on the surface of that gun," her threat sounded more like a melody than a roar.
That's what's makes it more terrifying...
Raine opened her lips and bravely said, "You don't do the execution," Raine released herself from the bone-cracking hug and stood up, knocking over the wooden chair, "You make your son do it!
"It's his will," stated Maesan and smiled where the girl didn't give back.
"It's yours! Not his! Dione wants to be an artist, but he dropped out because he has to keep up with your will," Raine shouted. She was losing her calm as he stared at the other female's calm face.
"When this ends-" she paused and proposed bravely, "Please let me help him!"
The white-haired mother froze before smiling.
"Let me awaken his dreams of being an artist," the girl firmly said, "Don't worry I won't use conversion therapy on him. People who believe that is some form of cure is merciless..."
"So he told you about that too, huh?" asked the older female with crossed arms.
"He's very talented. I hope he won't waste it perfecting his aim to shot people," Raine whispered, but loud enough to trigger Maesan's limit.
"You're welcome to do so," the woman said and pulled the girl's closer to hers to dictate another warning, "But again, I said it's his own will..."
Raine pushed her on the side and opened the shed's door, "Goodbye, Aunt Maesan..."