Modern Day - NewYork 2001
"Freaking hell Mars, why the heck are we in this part of town." I asked, looking at the surrounding area. Every step took us away from the warmth of our parked car. Bringing us even deeper into the slums of the city. If anyone asked me, this whole place should be burnt down and paved over.
I cursed, scraping the bottom of my leather shoes to the nearest of anything.
Fucking hell!
I struggled with the damn ledge and shoe. Also whatever the fuck had stuck on my new pair of leather Italians. Agony because I had paid a small fortune for them too. Close to shouting, I instead glare dagger at the damn person whose fault all this was. Not that he gave two shits.
Mars, the bastard, just stood there with his cigarette in hand. His black flinty eyes just stared back at me. Damn handsome bastard.
I grunted in disgust.
"Just shut it." He said, not at all flinching at a look that would leave other men cowering in fear.
"Listen you bastard, you brought us here to look for who knows…" I snapped back, already irritated because we had been searching for some damn elusive person. He had me trailing behind him like his damn tail. And like a dumbass, I was doing just that.
All because of my loyal nature, any mother would be proud. Instead my mother, for some unknown reason, praised the wordless bastard beside me.
Just because he was the boss's right hand man, he thought he could do whatever he wanted. In hindsight, he wasn't wrong.
Mars had risen the ranks of the organization fairly fast. Almost out of nowhere. Even the boss who had been cautious had taken a liking to the guy.
I mean I would too if the guy saved my life on multiple occasions. The supernatural ways he managed to do so was beyond my own comprehension. While he did this, he made the mystery surrounding him bigger. Show off, if you asked me.
Three hours of driving and three hours of just walking the damn cold pavement in this smelly part of town. Regardless, we were still empty handed on whatever or whoever we were looking for. But even if we had, I had enough of Mars tight-lip shit and I was going to let him know it too.
"Listen assh…" I started to say, only to turn to a loud yelling and commotion.
"Brat! Stop her!" A heavy set man, waving his fist in the air. His bulging face seemingly out of breath. The bastard looked close to a heart attack.
"What the fu…" I didn't even finish what I was saying when I felt something the size of a large dog slam into my leg. I snapped my head down only to be even more in shock to see a scraggly looking dark blob try to move around my leg and then STEP ON MY DAMN SHOES REPEATEDLY!
Fuck!!!!!
I reached down to get the damn feral animal off me, who somehow became tangled in my legs. For the sake of all that is holy, the thing instead started to fight back. Making sounds like a choking gorilla. The worst of it was that I could smell it, making me more aware of how its dirty paws were ruining my damn new suit.
"Grab the damn kid!" I turned startled at the gasping man who had made it several feet away from where I had the damn thing and was now trying to escape the grip I had on one of its scrawny limbs.
"Leg go!" It screeched, surprising me because I was certain it was a wild animal.
"Hand that damn thief over! It'll be the damn last time, fucking things needs to learn a consequence. Hand her over."
That instantly turned my blood cold, now staring at the fat man. The instant change was noted as a silence settled in the surrounding. The thing that had been struggling, went slack.
"What did you say?" I asked calmly, sounding as if I didn't hear it. Lifting the corner of my lip to mirror his. Now looking at the man, who had on a dirty apron and beady looking eyes.
After several seconds the brat started struggling again.
I looked down at it, taken aback as I clashed with eyes that shot daggers into me. Almost throwing me off at how intently they shone.
Eerily reminding….
"Let go!" It snarled at me. Making me widen my eyes. If he could bite me with just words. I believe I would have been bleeding by now. Lifting my chin at the bold audacity. The dirty kid had spunk, noting his other fist holding on to something in a deathly grip.
"Hmph." I looked back at the store clerk, nodding at him. "You were saying." I shook the devil child. "Stop!" Snapping at him, giving him a warning look. Only to growl back in defiance.
I pinched the bridge of my nose exhaling at the lunacy of this scene.
Snapping my head to look at the person whose fault this all was. Mars, cigarette in hand, staring at us, his whole expression masked with the shadow. I doubted he was going to step in.
"Just hand over the kid, so you men can go on your way." There it was again.
Feeling the irk inside of me dissect his words.
I snapped back at the kids. "Hey kid, what did you take?" I asked. Knowing the greasy look asshole wasn't going to let it go.
"Don't worry about it, give her to me." It happened again. The irk.
Fuck. Wait, this thing was a girl? Titling my head to maybe see it…Under all the dirt maybe?
Still… that wasn't what had me irked. Looking closer at it.
I lived a fairly lavished life. Even the gangster life I lived now was padded by silk sheets and nice things. That's what made me a good gangsta, if I didn't say so myself. I paid for my money one way or another.
In my line of work, I wasn't a hero. I knew wasn't a sane man either. One thing that had taken me this far was this "irk"I always had. It never failed me.
"Just hand her over."
Yeah their it was, still holding on the the brat, I turned the fat fuck. Ready to handle it, but I guess I didn't have too…
"You were saying?" Mars spoke in his deep calm voice. While I silenced the atmosphere, he took the oxygen out of the air. Close to murderous.
"No…I was mistaken." The trembling words slipped out of his mouth, as he perspired. The man's eyes looked ready to expire where he stood as he pale significantly. With one look at Mars he moved back his hands up. After several moving some distance he turned around and full on ran to the security of the store. Disappearing from our sight.
Damn, now I didn't have anyone to unleash my damn anger onto.
"Fucking creep." I spit out, oh right. My attention to the kid who had seemingly stopped struggling. Now tentatively pulling her arm out of my grip.
"Let her go." Like a command, I did just that. Stucking my teeth, but more than happy to let the dirty brat go.
Shooting a disgusted glare at Mars, who was now in some sort of weird standoff with the brat.
I didn't bother to look more into it, instead focusing on the damage my poor pants and shoes had suffered.
"Whats your name?"
I jerked my head up in surprised, still patting the pants leg of my trousers. I raised my brow, wondering why the hell Mars would even bother to ask the damn brat her name. Damn it, the damn brat had managed to get something sticky on my pants. Still struggling to get what ever it was off.
Shit, the only way was if I washed them, or just throw them out. Plain and simple. No way I was going to make it back home before the stains had set in.
I froze suddenly, raising my head again as my senses told me something was happening. Something I couldn't humanly explain. Every nerve in my body standing on edge. Edge of what though?
I wasn't a religious man. Far from it. Ghost and shit of that sorts were not my thing. Even life and death had only one meaning of its own to me. A hospital bed and a box in the dirt.
I was pragmatic about life. No heaven or hell deal in my book.
But something about this moment made me think otherwise. As if I was witnessing something beyond comprehension. The child spoke with a calmess about her. Even as the sound of a bell rang and gust of loud wind rushed through air. I could still hear her speak the name clearly.
"Priscilla."
Goosebumps broke throughout my body. For some reason I knew we had found what we were looking for.