Guests, like fish, began to smell after three days.
Every house guest brings happiness. Some when they arrive, and some when they are leaving.
Flashy and Pablo entered inside a house, technically, as guests and they definitely didn't bring happiness.
Flashy told Pablo they weren't the only guests and Pablo expected that as the door was already open before they came.
Flashy then stepped aside and Pablo moved forward.
They were on the corridor and on their left side was the hall of the house, the living room.
Pablo and Cupid looked inside the hall and Cupid's eyes widened.
Pablo showed no such reaction as he saw it coming and Flashy, well, he was the first one who saw so he wasn't that much surprised as well.
In the hall, three chairs were placed in the center and on those chairs, were three people.
Their mouths, hands and legs were tied and all three of them were tied together.
Pablo shoved Flashy inside the hall and he followed behind him.
"Only these three are here it seems." Flashy said.
Pablo came closer to the three people.
One was a man, one was a woman and one was a kid.
The man was the same age as Luke whom Pablo killed back in the slums.
"Only these three are here in the hall, Flashy. The people who tied them are somewhere else."
Pablo looked at the man.
"Am I right?"
The man nodded vigorously. Pablo was right.
Pablo then looked at the woman, tied beside the man.
"Why don't you both use your Ego?" Pablo asked.
At this, the woman motioned her eyes to her hands.
Pablo looked down and saw white colored handcuffs on both the woman's and man's hands.
They were not really handcuffs but he had no other words to describe them.
"Oh. Right. These are the infamous and nasty Ego Defiler. They can stop people from using their Ego. It is put on the criminals to make them behave." Flashy revealed.
"Hmm. So can anyone get their hands on these? I mean, it must be hard to get one of these. Right?" Pablo asked.
"Well, you can get them if you pull some strings. But these only work on people whose Egoes are in the light color shades. People who have a darker Ego remain fearless of this thing."
"That's nice to know. Then what about those criminals who have a darker Ego? What is done to restrain them?" Pablo asked a logical question.
Flashy sighed. "Nothing. They roam free."
"That's… also nice to know."
"Emmmggghhhh!!" The man let out a muffled cry and diverted attention to himself.
A cloth was stuffed inside his mouth and the same was the case with the woman and the kid.
"What to do with them?" Flashy asked.
"Help them of course." Cupid answered.
"Let them be." Pablo ignored her and gave his own answer.
Cupid's mouth went agape and before she could complain…
"Emmmggghhhh! Ghhghhhh!" The man let out all kinds of noises and Pablo knew those noises were nothing but pleas for help.
"He looks desperate. We should hear him at least." Flashy suggested.
"Free his mouth then." Pablo ordered.
Flashy obliged and removed the cloth from the man's mouth.
"Help us! Four men are in our bedroom and they will take all our money. Everything. I won't be able to pay taxes to the Count. He will kill my family. Please hel-"
"Alright. Shut his mouth again."
"What? Why? Help him." Cupid shouted. Pablo didn't even listen to the man properly according to her.
Flashy, however, listened to Pablo and shoved the cloth inside the man's mouth as the man flinched violently.
The man let out more muffled screams but Pablo didn't move.
"You were speaking too loud. And too fast. Those four men would have heard you." Pablo said and the man finally stopped screaming.
Pablo then stood in front of the man.
"I am going to ask a few questions and you will answer them in just yes or no. Got that?"
"Emgghhh." The man muffled again but Pablo understood what he said.
"Right. Your mouth is gagged. You can't speak. Then nod as a yes and shake your head as a no. Understand?"
The man nodded.
"Good. So my first question, did the four men come just a few moments ago?"
The man nodded.
"And their faces are covered?"
The man nodded again. With vigor, this time.
"Are they strong? Like really strong?"
The man nodded once more. Even the woman nodded this time.
Pablo then asked the next question.
"And your kid is mute and deaf, right?"
"What?"
"Really?"
Cupid and Flashy exclaimed and the man and woman widened their eyes.
And they nodded like a chicken.
"Emggh?" The man spoke and it was clear he was asking how Pablo knew about his kid.
"How did you know that?" Cupid asked as well.
And before Flashy could ask the same thing, Pablo spoke on his own.
"It's obvious. The kid isn't reacting to our voice. He is facing that side and not once did he look at any of us. And he didn't say anything as well even in such a situation. This only means he is deaf and mute. And his parents confirmed that just now."
Flashy and Cupid both nodded and the man and woman found hope in their eyes. The man, Pablo, in front of them could save them. He had the wits to do that.
"Flashy," Pablo said. "What are the chances of those four thieves killing these people?"
"It's very likely. They must have kept them alive to ask where the money was. After taking all the money, they will kill them."
Pablo nodded and looked at the man.
"Where do you keep your clothes?" He asked.
The man gave a muffled answer and Flashy again removed the cloth from the man's mouth.
"In the bedroom. Why are you asking that? Free us! Help me." The man started asking for help again and Flashy shut his mouth once more.
"What now, Boss?" Flashy asked. And he created a new way to address Pablo. Not that he knew Pablo's name. He once asked that but Pablo didn't tell him.
Pablo did not mind the new way of Flashy and answered :
"Now we wait."
"For what?" Flashy asked.
Pablo sighed. "For those thieves to kill these three."
"What?"
"Emmghhh!?"
Cupid and the man exclaimed.
Flashy didn't react like Cupid but he had questions as well.
But Pablo was generous enough to answer. "Like this man said, those four people are strong. And I will surely die if I fight them. We need clothes and a house. And those four men will kill this family and leave. Then we can have this house for ourselves. Just without money but I'll manage."
"Oh. Right. Very smart." Flashy praised Pablo and he was on board with Pablo's plan.
"Mmmghhh!" The man roared.
"Gghhhhh!" The woman cried.
"No. You can't do that. They are asking for help. At least save the kid. Don't do this, Pablo. They are good people." Cupid said. She was desperate just like the man and woman.
'Good people, you say?' Pablo replied. He didn't ignore Cupid this time. 'Watch this.'
Pablo removed the cloth from both the man's and woman's mouth and before they could beg again, Pablo stared directly at the man's eyes and said :
"I am from the slums."
And as soon as those words left his mouth…
"How dare you filth touch me?"
"Leave my house this instant."
"I should have known from your clothes. Beggars"
"It stinks. Pathetic bastards."
"I would rather die here."
"I will kil-"
Pablo shut their mouths again and glanced at Cupid.
'These are your good people, Angel?' He asked and Cupid stayed silent.
Pablo scoffed. 'I can tell their nature just by looking at their eyes. They are close to their deaths and yet they won't take help from me after knowing where I came from.'
Cupid was still silent and she was just staring at the man and woman. Their eyes were filled with disgust towards Pablo and Flashy. Their previous cries for help turned into curses for Pablo.
"I don't know what to say anymore. I didn't know it would be like this." Cupid just said this and went silent. Though, the feather on her diary moved consistently.
Pablo didn't bother with her anymore and focused on the next things.
"Flashy," He said. "Let's get out of here."
"Sure. They want us out of here as well." Flashy commented about the man and woman.
Flashy walked forward and Pablo followed behind. Cupid silently floated beside Pablo.
"Wh-What about the kid?" She meekly asked and Pablo shook his head.
'That kid can't survive here anyway. He is deaf and dumb. He will be eaten alive. Those four thieves will probably give him an easier death than what he would receive after coming out in the real world.'
Cupid went silent again and Pablo kept walking.
The man and woman didn't shout for help anymore and Pablo finally came out of the house.
He looked around and fortunately, there was no one around.
There were trees and greenery all around and Pablo spotted the tallest tree on his right side.
"Flashy," He called. "Jump towards that tree and reach it in only one jump. We will keep an eye on this house from there. It's not that far."
Flashy nodded, put Pablo on his back and jumped.
He made no sound and in three seconds, he landed on the branch of the tree. In only one jump, just like Pablo said.
Cupid just flew to their side and now they were not in front of the house anymore.
Pablo came down from Flashy's back and kept his eyes on the house.
It was night, darkness was all around but Pablo could make out the scene in front of him.
Flashy was also doing the same thing.
"Just to confirm, we are looking for those four men to come out and go away, right?"
"Yes. After they leave we will go back to that house and live there like nothing happened. I am sure those four men will take care of the bodies after killing the family. If not, then that's another pain. But I'll manage."
"You will manage? And I still can't believe people are not safe even inside their house. It's literally robbery."
Pablo nodded.
"True. But it turned out well for us. After all, One man's robbery…" His lips curled up as he saw four silhouettes coming out.
"Is another man's treasure."