"--don't you faint on me..!" A strained voice grunted as I was pushed off onto the cold floor, my jaw smacking against the wood with a clack. I curled onto my side, the pain causing my consciousness to click back in like a rusty gear. My ragged breaths had finally quieted, allowing the sounds of wind and the rustle of clothes to register, as footsteps tapped beside me. The strike of a match, the soft glow of a candle, and the crouching shadow that fell over me. I froze where I was, propped onto my hands and knees, a sense of dread grounding my attempt to right myself.
"You caught me by surprise..."
My eyes flicked to the stranger, a sharp breath leaving my clenched jaw as I realized the gravity of the situation.
Illuminated by the soft flame of a candle was a face that could be described as both aged but undoubtedly young. His gaze was unreadable, but his expression was calm, even as he crouched far too close for comfort. His eyes squinted slightly, stark black hair falling loose as murky eyes of the same shade scrutinized me.
I had just jumped out of the window, from the room were a man was murdered. In any bystanders mind, I was the culprit. Having a witness was a death sentence.
Lit by the flickering flame, shadows danced across the man's features, but there were two spots the light never reached, the scar-like lines of black bordering his eyebags and eyelids, and his eyes themselves.
"Or should I say, I caught you?" His cheery voice felt out of place as he spoke, inching a bit closer in the process.
The candle shifted closer, and I flinched back and to my feet, before the candle light revealed my face in full.
"Honestly..!" The stranger barked out a chuckle, raising to his feet only a moment later. "Where were you sneaking off to? The tea house? At midnight..? You do know how bad the nightlife is, right?"
I blinked, my mind still reeling as the man continued, not paying any mind to my stunned silence, or the look of incredulousness that crept across my features.
"In all honesty, you've got guts, scaling the wall like some newt! I admit, I got up from my midnight reading alcove here-" He gestures to a stool, and the desk that had been knocked over, scattering the assortment of books it held onto the floor. "-because I found it funny, but, are you daft? That pipe seemed ready to break any second..." The overfriendly man sauntered over to the window, rolling a shoulder which had likely bruised from either hitting the fall or cushioning my weight.
"...Daft..?" I croaked out, my flingers twitching over the outline of the revolver in my coat pocket, cold sweat starting to form on my back. I watched as the man propped his elbows on the window sill, looking out into the darkness as howling wind darted into the room, sending papers swirling around us. His eyes were closed, letting the wind sweep through his hair as I stood there, my panic pounding in my ears. While my eyes frantically searched for a way out, he seemed strangely nonchalant about the stranger in his room. Turning his back to a potential murderer, like it was nothing.
He was watching me? So he knows. He knows more than I do. Fuck. Who is this guy..? Why did he...catch me?
After a moment, he turned his murky eyes to me, smiling with a odd look in his eyes. "Daft. Not all there up here." He pointed to his temple, his smile pulling into a small smirk. "You're one of the guests right? Or an employee..? Either way, you really shouldn't be sneaking around at night."
"...Wanting a bit of fresh air doesn't make me...daft." I snarked without thinking, a flare of annoyance taking over, any care for maintaining anonymity lost to my ego. I was digging my own grave and I knew it. But the feeling that I was being played with was digging at my nerves.
He already knew my face, my voice, and from the tone in his voice, something more about the crime I found myself tangled in.
If he was to give a witness testimony, it was over. He must know that. The revolver alone would be self incriminating, and the finger prints...
Whether I did or didn't do it didn't matter.
Better yet, what if he was some kind of kidnapper? Isn't this room directly below where I was? Is that how I got here? Kidnapping?
HAHA. Is he a Holmes fanatic? Someone crazy enough to recreate a crime... Aren't I screwed?
My jaw clenched, my vision beginning to swim as I drove myself off the cliff of panic.
Bloody hell.
Shut up brain.
I locked gazes with him, the sharp sensation of pain shooting up as I clenched my fists, pulling my mind back from the precipice of panic. I couldn't stop my eyes from flicking to the door, scanning the brass knob for signs of being locked. The gears in my mind churned, faulty and clogged with numbness as his responding chuckle faded into the background.
If that door is unlocked, if I could get out, could I exit the building? I don't know the layout. If I was kidnapped, would it really be that easy? Am I here for ransom? Did I take a loan..? But I didn't. I'm not that desperate yet.
Some sort of...Yakuza deal...? Human trafficking? By the looks of this place...it wouldn't be an impossibility. Bloody hells...Its dark out...
Is...that auntie still out there..? She saw the...the...
My hands began to tremble, jerking away from outline of the revolver as if repulsed.
Not acknowledging my skittish mannerisms, the nonchalant man leaned out of the window slightly, seeming to stare at the cobblestone street below. "Luckily I caught you, or else your breath of fresh air would have left you quite breathless I assume, from this height." He adjusted the collar of his white shirt, glancing up to where I had fallen from.
"Lucky for me as well, or we would likely go without running water for two to three days, until the plumbers are called that is. Although...perhaps a few more days should be added to that estimate, Mrs. Masamoto does despise such expenses."
"I...what? What exactly are you on about..." I glanced out the window, noticing nothing but the outline of a moon, shrouded by murk, and the silhouettes of buildings from this building's apparent higher vantage point.
He gave a light sigh, turning away from the window. "The pipe, its connected to the water main. If it broke, it would have damaged it. And the old lady doesn't like to spend money on repairmen."
My eyes flicked up, following the path of the pipe as it ran up the wall, before disappearing into the roof.
"Ah. Right" I leaned on the window sill as well, staring down at the street below, which became sparsely lit the further it snaked away from the building. The streetlights were spaced apart, like fireflies in the darkness, offered a semblance of life. The man's gaze followed mine, and for a moment, we stood in silence.
Either he's naïve, an actual lunatic, or he already called the cops. I don't see a phone in here...or a light switch. No electrical wiring, plug ins, nothing....What kind of rundown motel doesn't have electricity...?
"I'm not daft." I broke the silence, my ego not willing to let it go just yet. More so, it was the silence getting to me, it left room for thought, and my mind was something to fear, as irrational as that may seem.
He let out a laugh, turning back towards the room, where the candle still burned. "Alright, alright. Whatever you say!" He shifted slightly, stretching his arms and letting out a small yawn. "So...care to tell me why you were sneaking around at this hour? I doubt it was the sudden manly urge to drink tea, at midnight no less."
I tensed slightly, but I couldn't help chuckling at his last comment, likely due to the panic, or was it because I laugh to cope? My gaze remained on the street below, my hands gripping the windowsill as I tried to appear relaxed.
"Just...had a bad dream, I guess."
"A bad dream? You were sleep walking? Or more specifically, sleep crawling along the side of the building?" He chuckled, setting the candlestick on the bedside table. "Were your newt instincts calling you?"
"Yeah. Something like that." I muttered, my eyes scanning the brick wall below the window ledge.
"Huh. How unlucky."
Unlucky...isn't that the word. I really am...f**king unlucky.
"I wonder...did you hear something..? To make you jump out a window like that? Sleepwalking doesn't exactly work like that, as far as my 'expertise' on the subject goes."
"Hear...?" I trailed off, my eyes fixed on the ground below.
"A gunshot"
I froze in place, my eyes widening as they flicked to the young man's smiling face. His eyes were closed, not particularly looking in my direction, but the hair on the back of my neck bristled. Seconds stretched into minutes as I stood there, my fingers digging into the window ledge.
"Hm...? Are you still there? You're being awfully quiet."
"No." I stared back down at the two story drop, deciding whether or not I can make it down far enough to not break something from the jump.
"No? So you're not here? Good to know." He snickered, nodding slightly as he moved towards the candle on the desk, the only light in the room. There was a tapping sound very time he took a step, echoing within the confines of my panicked mind.
"It...was a revolver...a six shot type. So approximately, four, no, three bullets left?" He tapped his chin, his dark eyes staring straight at me.
"...What?" My voice came out gravely, mixing with the scraping of my nails on the wooden ledge.
"Two shots, in succession, and another...shortly after, If remember correctly." His fingers grazed the candle light, casting a dancing shadow on the wall opposite to him. "Perhaps it was someone firing at crows...the ones in the vicinity are quite large..."
My jaws clenched, a chill running through my spine as he glanced back at me, that same smile plastered on his face.
"...Does it happen often? Shooting at crows?" I forced my voice to sound neutral, my eyes shifting to the street below as I leaned out of the window slightly.
The young man chuckled, shaking his head. "Not particularly. But...it is quite the odd thing to do, isn't it?" He blinked and tilted his head, not seeming to notice my form leaning halfway out of the window. "Not that I mind, crows are such nasty birds."
"...Nasty..?" I muttered, my gaze flickering to my own bloodstained hands, the cuts from pipe rust stinging as I gripped the wood, blood trickling down from a wound on my left arm, my eyes fixing on the window ledge of the room below.
"Yes, nasty. I'm surprised you haven't seen any. They're everywhere, and quite the nuisance. They make such a fuss when you feed them."
"....huh." I swung a leg over the window ledge, the cuts stinging as my grip on the smooth wood tightened. My arm ached, the remnants of a gash that went deeper than I assumed.
"They are quite the gluttons you see. I've tried shooing them away, but they keep coming back. As if they don't know I'm feeding them out of spite."
A snort left me before I could get my bearings on the ledge below, and I froze, half of my body dangling out of the window. "I...think you've misunderstood them.." I continued, trying to play it off, hoping to distract him from looking this way. It was a futile attempt, as stupid as jumping out the window for a second time. But I could see no other options.
"Misunderstood..? How so?" He raised an eyebrow, looking away from the candle and turning to me. His expression didn't shift in the slightest, his murky eyes looking at me, but not noticing my precarious position on the window.
Is he...? Can he not see me...?
My eyes widened with the realization but I kept my voice steady. "Well...I'm not a bird expert or anything, but they seem pretty smart." I continued, my voice straining as I shifted my weight onto the ledge below, slowly, sitting on the edge of the window as I tried to gauge the distance. "If you...feed them out of spite, they'll keep coming back. And you'll be stuck...feeding them out of spite..."
I leaned forward, my hands gripping the windowsill above as my legs dangled over the drop.
"Essentially, you're...perpetuating a cycle...inadvertently."
"...Ah." His eyes widened slightly, and for a moment, I thought he had caught on. But the man just nodded, letting out a laugh. "Then...how would you recommend I get rid of them? I doubt a gunshot would do the trick." His smile widened as he spoke, his eyed darkening in a way that felt like he wasn't referring to crows anymore.
I grit my teeth, my hands straining as I leaned farther down. "A scarecrow...? Maybe?"
"A scarecrow..?" He tapped his chin, glancing towards the candle again. "I don't think that would work..."
"...Huh."
How many second would it take to fall, assuming I could keep my body facing downwards. If I can grab onto the ledge below, I can stop myself, but if I can't...its a two story drop. Can I land on my feet? I can't tell how far away the ground is...its too dark...
"You aren't thinking of jumping out the window, are you? You don't have wings."
I tensed, my gaze snapping back to him. He was staring at me, his eyes narrowed, face shadowed by his inky hair.
"No...I'm not a bird."
"Exactly my point. What do you thing you're doing, Mr. Imori?"
"....I'm not a newt either. Don't call me that"
His eyes narrowed further, his hand cupping the candle flame, dimming it, almost as if threatening to snuff it out completely. "You didn't answer my question. What are you doing?" For a brief moment, I thought I saw the glow gold eyes, four more than the two that were closed, resembling a spider. Glaring at me, as if finally registering my lies.
"...Sitting."
"On the ledge?"
My eyes flicked to the candle, straining to see with the dimming light it offered.
"Yes"
"Why?"
I took in a sharp breath, looking back at his face, two murky eyes returning my gaze. The gold was gone, like it was never there. "...To think"
"About?"
I grit my teeth, my grip slipping as my hands began to sweat. "About birds."
"Birds?"
"And crows"
"Ah. About how to help me get rid of them?" He chuckled, the candle light dancing as a gust of wind swept through my hair, the white strands fluttering about. Seeing the color, I inhaled sharply, but chose to ignore it.
"...I guess so" I stared at the street below, my eyes catching on the outline of a crow in the darkness. It was perched on the lamp post, looking up at me with beady eyes that seemed to shine almost red in the darkness.
"...And.."
"And?"
"Why I'm here." I blurted out, before swinging my legs and letting go of the ledge. I heard him shout something, but I couldn't make out the words as the wind whipped by my ears, and the ground came into view. My body twisted in midair and my hands shot out in front of me, grabbing on to the ledge of the window below with a clatter.
"Damn it..." I hissed under my breath, the cuts on my hands stinging and my arms protesting as my weight pulled on them. I glanced down, noticing the cobblestone street only a few feet below me, and the crow that was perched on a lightless lantern, watching me with its beady eyes. I felt my grip falter for a moment, but I quickly regained it, hanging on by my fingertips as I tried to find my footing.
"You really are daft. Or are you just a fool?" His voice came from above me. It had a low but amused tone to it, an annoying type of amusement that was hinged on my misery.
"Shut it..!" I hissed, my jaw clenching as I glared up at his face, now obscured by shadow, the candle left discarded somewhere inside the room.
The crow cawed, and I flinched, my gaze snapping back to the bird. It hopped off of the post, flapping its wings as it landed on the windowsill, staring at me with a curious look. I grit my teeth, my eyes narrowing as my grip slipped, and I fell.
The ground came rushing to meet me, and I rolled to lessen the impact, my shoulder slamming into the cobblestone street as I tumbled across it.
"Shit..." I groaned, rolling over onto my back and staring up at the building. The crow was gone, but the window I had jumped out of was still open.
Is he...still there? Did he go to call someone? security? I can't tell.
Arg...My arm...
I pushed myself to my feet, stumbling slightly as my shoulder protested. I rolled it back, wincing as I turned away from the inn and towards the street, where the crow was hopping along the side walk.
"I should...get out of here..." I muttered, pulling my coat closer as I started walking, blind into the darkness.