"3 drms!"
A hoarse voice crackled with fury.
"2 drms. Otherwise, I'm walking to the city."
Matthew matched his fury with a sneer.
The cab driver spat as he spoke,
"Yer dead by the time ye reach the city boy."
"I'll take my chances."
With that Matthew grabbed the door handle but it was locked. The man grumbled.
"Fine boy. 2 drms it is."
The man started the cab and drove.
Matthew looked at the review mirror. The man wore a hoodie and a black glass. As someone who always prided himself on his sense of fashion. He found the disguise insulting.
Something to note is that the term sense of fashion is used loosely.
'Even in the day, this man would be prosecuted for suspicious activity.'
Matthew glanced outside.
'A whole bunch of nothing. I choose a commission to the middle of nowhere.'
"What's yer name boy?"
"Klein."
Almost as soon as he said his name the car tumbled a bit.
"You okay?" Matthew asked with fake concern.
"Why wouldn't I be?" The response was filled with a quiver.
'You sure don't sound like it.' Matthew thought to himself. He felt the gaze on him as the man said the name,
"Klein."
Matthew smirked inwardly.
"Klein. What about yours?"
"Just call me Bob."
"Nice to meet you, Rob."
Matthew slouched back in the seat.
"It's Bob." The man growled a bit.
"What did I say?" Matthew asked with ignorance.
Instead of arguing he changed the subject.
"What brings a youngster like ye to this city? Klein." Bob put an extra emphasis on the name.
"You know the usual. Business and stuff," Matthew said with a small shrug.
Bob chuckled,
"Business in a city filled with ghosts?"
Matthew glanced at the review mirror and said,
"Well, thank the One, my business is with the living."
"The living eh? Gotta love the living." Bob commented.
Matthew remained silent not wanting to continue this conversation. But Bob continued,
"Have ye ever tried meat before? Klein."
He asked out of the blue. And once again, emphasizing the name.
"Yes, of cou..."
"Not that synthetic shit." His growl was a bit thick now.
"The real meat. Red meat with the goods still dripping."
Matthew could hear the saliva in Bob's mouth. He carefully hid his disgust and said,
"Expensive stuff."
"Aye. Pretty expensive. Just a pound cost 200 drms."
Bob glanced back. Or that's what Matthew assumed.
"But do ye wanna know what true meat is like?"
His voice was getting deeper. Out of some morbid curiosity, Matthew shook his head. Encouraging Bob to continue.
"The true meat is odorless. I believe that meat is the tastiest of all meats. It doesn't have that peculiar smell."
He started to describe the meat.
Matthew kept listening without making any reaction.
"I ate some the other day. It tasted great."
The man slurped some of his salivae. Matthew didn't doubt that the man found the meat tasty.
"Do ye wanna know what is the best part?"
"Enlighten me, Rob." Matthew grabbed the doll in his pocket as he spoke.
Bob became slightly agitated,
"It's Bob. Anyway, the meat on the thighs tasted the best, the neck was also a delicacy. But the real kicker was the tongue." Bob shuddered at the thought. Or so Matthew thought.
"I ripped the tongue and chewed it raw. It was soft, sweet, and very tender."
Matthew nodded as he watched the man making some weird noises.
"Ah! Sorry about that. I always get so passionate when talking about meat."
"Understandable."
Matthew took out his doll and was ready for anything funny.
"It's been a while since I have eaten any meat..." Bob said with true earnings.
"You don't say."
Matthew was ready to chuck the doll at the guy. But to his surprise, the man went quiet and drove him to the location.
"Drop off. Now." his voice was calm and all the doors clicked open.
Matthew got off quickly and fumbled in his pocket to bring out two drms but Bob sped up and left him without taking the money.
In the can, Bob pushed on the accelerator as if his life depended on it. After he was a sufficient distance from the boy he dropped off, the black hand on his neck slowly slithered away into the darkness.
He was ready to attack the boy yet the moment he was about to attack two hands gripped his throat as a feeling of indescribable dread washed over him. It was as if he would die before he could touch the boy. As soon as the hand disappeared Bob felt much better.
Back at the cemetery, Matthew watched with confusion at the speeding car.
'Well, that went well.' Matthew turned around and walked into the cemetery. He failed to notice his shadow blending out of the darkness before returning to normal.
'Kinda anticlimactic. But I'm glad I'm in one piece.' He reached the center of the cemetery.
Matthew saw several graves and a bunch of people around the graves.
Some were standing away from others, some were standing in a group, and some sat on the tombstone.
Matthew was sure some were way younger than him as they were old.
But they all had one thing in common. They all wore more armored suits and had all sorts of weapons on them.
And almost everyone stared at him. Well not exactly at him. At his hair. Although rare it is not unheard of for someone to possess red hair.
But compared to all lackluster black, brown, and dirty blonde, his fiery red stood out like a flame in the darkness.
Matthew ignored all of them and stood in his place as he took out some food and started to eat.
Almost all of them had their mouth agape. Matthew ate crackers and he thought back to his experience.
'That kid was definitely more dangerous. By using his name I managed to unnerve that creepy bastard.'
Matthew put a cracker in his mouth.
"Hey! You there?"
'But he didn't attack me. Why? Did he sense my trump card? That couldn't be it.'
Matthew ate another cracker as the voice once again rang,
"Hey! Redhead!"
'How should I deal with Rob and Klein...'
Matthew was thinking when someone waved a hand in his face.
"Rude. Do I go around and wave my hand before your face?" Matthew commented as he glanced at the owner of the hand. He was a head taller than him. He wore light armor with a short sword on his hip.
"Maybe you do not. But after calling someone a bunch of times, I believe it is the best course of action."
"No shit. What do you want?" Matthew purposefully acted like an ass. In case someone has some funny idea.
The boy sighed as he took off his glasses. Under the pale light, his eyes shone with a slight green tint.
His honey-blonde hair was short and messy.
"You're standing on a grave."
He cleaned his glass and put it on. The glow disappeared immediately.
Matthew looked down and around.
'Oh! Oh damm.'
He steps off.
"My apologies. Someone, you know?"
"I do not need to know someone to show respect."
Matthew looked the boy straight in the eyes. His eyes were gentle. His calm smile gave off the impression of being easygoing and caring.
"Right ~"
Matthew ignored him and pondered his predicament.
"First job?"
The boy asked Matthew.
"What gave it away?"
Matthew asked offhandedly.
"Your lack of preparation."
"No point in denying that. But what about you?"
Matthew looked him up and down,
"From the getup, it seems this ain't your first job."
"Three successful jobs so far."
Matthew raised his eyes.
"Successful?"
"Failure is a part of the job. You can't always be prepared." The boy shrugged as he spoke.
"No. No, you can't," Matthew extended his hand,
"Becker."
The boy glanced at it and grabbed Matthew's forearm.
"Clyde."
"Wanna team up?" Matthew proposed.
"I see no harm in that. It is always easier to get away from danger with one additional person."
Clyde said with a smile. He smirked at Matthew and said in an amused tone,
"Since I am taller, I am pretty sure I can outrun you. So I see no harm in that."
"Saving your back while cutting competition?" Matthew snickered as he replied,
Clyde let go and shook his head,
"Just looking out for myself. Rule number one of being a Free Agent. Never trust a Free Agent."
Matthew offered a cracker,
"Wisdom from seniors. What an honor!"
Clyde took it and chuckled,
"Be sure to remember it."