O — (#3) Blood-Orange
For master is the hand with hanging strings, as we are the puppets and his dancing beasts
-The Fox Clan-
Bie lost his consciousness as he was hanging on Papiss shoulder. Probably because his head constantly bumped on Papiss back while they were running.
Bie didn’t know where Papiss was taking him. He remembers trying to convince Papiss either to bring him to nearest hospital or just drop him off the street. “I-I can’t!” Papiss would tell him while running through the shadow of the building. Papiss tried to keep them on the dark as he was worried someone would see them. Bie tried to scream everytime he saw people, but Papiss dropped him to the grownd and cover his mouth then said “G-g-ghost told me t-to k-knock you out if I m-must. B-but I don’t want to do that. P-please?”
When Bie woke up, he was already lying in a small room. So small that it only consists of a bed and a chair. His head was heavy and wobbly. He confused, at first, then he remembered what had happened. He hoped it was only a dream but then he sighed heavily when he saw the large figure of Papiss across the room.
It wasn’t a dream.
“You have to go now!” Apparently another guy was there, he was dangling on the window with his body leaned in.
“C-can’t we wait until h-he woke?”
“No, everybody is on their way. You’ll meet them outside in a moment.” The man then jumped out on two level of the building, landed firmly, then ran and disappeared onto dark street.
“Y-y-you’re awake! L-let’s go!”
“Wait! what?” Without hesitancy, Papiss ducktaped Bie’s mouth.
Papiss then place him on his broad shoulder. He then stretched his body out of the door.
They found themselves on a narrow urban street. The street was surrounded by high buildings, giving an extinct exposure from the moonlight. In fact, the main source of the light was from the streets lamps which light in a desperate. Oddly, it was crowded with people.
Why are there so many people? Wasn’t it nearly dawn already?
Some of them were homelesses sleeping on the street floors. Some others were couples of group dressing casualy, chatting and smoking cigar. Some others looked like the weren’t belong there, dressed in suits holding a phone to their ears.
Hesitated, Papiss walked through the street trying not to invite suspicious glares. Of course, that is imposible when somone is hanging on your shoulder. Bie tried to move around and make a sound to attract attention. But, Papiss’s hold was to firm and his face shut directly at Papiss direct shoulder. So, it was pointless.
“Big guy!” A young girl, seemingly japanese, suddenly rushed into them. As she came, she stroke a cold gaze at Bie. It was a hatred gaze. Bie didn’t know why she did that. She then took the gaze away as they continue to rush through together.
As they ran into the mouth of the street, five other had joined them. Each of them greeted and confirmed an info.
“He’s on his way.”
“He got plan, don’t worry.”
“Be cautious.”
They were running in a formation with Papiss and Bie on the center throughout the crowd of the street.
The sight of people running in formation surely will do attract atentions. They look bizzare. As Bie looked around, all of the people has already observing them. But, as he looks closely, it wasn’t observes for curiosities.
It was rather a blank stare.
They pupils are dilated like a black hole absorbing the universe. It not a human stare, rather a carnivore stare. They head tilted down but their eyes was fixed on them. Their posture was still.
Then, they slowly follows the group, as they started whispering.
To be on my knees, then rose high above
I became nothing as I rise from my cove
Their whispers was low and all at once.
My paws are death for those who against
My fangs are blades for enemies grits
And my fur is a fire sparking on your last feast
They whispers as they got no souls, like zombies or vampires. Their eyes are as blank as the moon. They sounded solemn. Bie could sense the frightening wills on the air. The atmosphere turns darker and the air got colder. Everything else accept the whisper went quiet. Every single hair on your body would erect in horror by this vision.
I stand rose as to stand the ground
Of the infiniteness of our invisible realm
For master is the hand with hanging strings
And we are the puppets and his dancing beasts
As Bie’s group reached mouth of the street, some of the people was already stading in their way, staring at a loath.
As the whispers stop, it was mere silence.
“You guys should stay out of our way.” One of the man on Bie’s group said.
There was no answer, instead, they pull a mask and put them on. It was a fox mask.
Bie peeks between Papiss arms to see a dozen people standing on their direction wearing a fox mask. It was the same fox mask was wore by the man who stabbed his tight early this night. They were holding weapons and shields as they were ready to fight.
Not long after that, a man emerged from the fox-masked group.
It’s him. The same thin figure. The same light movement. The same clothes. The same man. Bie sweats heavily as he saw this man. “Radew…” someone from Bie’s group whispers. It’s the man that stabbed him.
“Papiss, Papiss, Papiss. I knew you won’t disappoint me. I knew it!” Papiss grunted a little, Bie could feel the muscles on Papiss body got stressed. “Oh, what would Blanco say if he knows about your betrayal?” Radew resumed, as cheerful as the last time Bie remembered he was.
One by one every person on the street walk onto them. They took in positions giving no space in between. All of them then put on a fox mask.
“Well, furthermore, you betrayed him for Ghost, the man whom he hates dearly.” No one answers, He then took his sight from Papiss to Bie who was trying to peek between Papiss arms, “So, afterall, he was merely a distraction, huh? Who is he exactly? Why is he so important to you? Well, wait, wait, no need to answer, we’re going to make each of you scream about it along with every secrets that you once have while you are begging for your life. Besides, knowing that he is important to Ghost, makes me want to take him.”
Both group then whipped up their weapons. The fight has emerged.
Bie can’t stand an eye to eye with him, so he looked away and observed around. There must be around 25 people here. Bie then notices a silhouette was standing away on the shadow unnoticed, he is holding a portable-cannon. Who is he? He was so small, so either he is a midget or he is just a boy. he took a shooting position and started aiming. Then, out of the cannon, a massive fireball fires onto them like a bowling ball ready to strike the pins out. Panic, the masked group jumped aside to the walls including Radew. But Bie’s group was not moving.
It was like a slow motion. Bie’s group waited for the right moment to jump sideways, then back again and follow the fire ball direction. They are breaking away.
“Take left!” The silhouette shouts.
“Papiss, Nene, Go!” someone said as soon as they got to the mouth of the street.
“You fool! Get them!” Radew shout in anger as the masked started running towards them.
The cannonball hitted the building at the end of the streets, burned the wall and rang the fire alarms. The blocks collapsed cracking the ground beneath.
Without waiting, Papiss and Nene turned left, leaving the group behind.
Both group hesitated to attack, but Bie’s group then nodded at each other, like a team of wrestlers ready to rumble. Then, the fight starts. Each of them took three to six masked man. Some of them stands no chance, yet, fought with fiery eyes ready to be consumed by those foxes. Some of them superior to their enemies, it was like fighting a slow and brainless zombie for them.
Either way, none of them looked scared. They clashes their blades and axes and shots their guns. There was no rule on this fight, no common ground. They fight to kill however they have to. It was fighting ‘till death.
Then, one masked man successfully emerge from the chaotic fight. It was Radew.
Bie shouts beneath the ducktape in on his lips. He tried to warn Papiss and Nene desperately.
“Ugh!”
Nene stopped and turned to the chaos, determined to stop him. She rose her swords and mumbled a Japanese words. “You go ahead, I’ll stop him.”
Both the swords and her eyes reflected the burning fire in front of her.
Papiss kept running, this time, away from Nene and the bright fire and loud clangs. Nene closed her eyes as she was praying with his swords still held high towards the moon.
Just as Nene and Radew were going to clash, a man jumped acrobatically from the top of a building and landed right between them. It was Ghost.
He stands firm. He wore a hat and leather gloves with his body covered on a navy coat waving along the wind. His prensence was significant, bringing an utmost atmosphere on the air. Ghost shouted something at Nene and faced Radew who was reaching rapidly to him. Hesitated, Nene turns to Papiss direction an starts running again.
Radew and Ghost didn’t start to fight right away. They were staring at each other. Can he stop him? Radew looks like the strongest of them all, but he wishes Ghost is stronger. He might hate Ghost, but at least Ghost never stab him.
Ghost and Radew then accelerated to each other with a fist raised above ready to crush each others bone. Just as they are going to met, Papiss took a right turn leaving them unsighted.
They left the clashing sounds of blades, the gunshots, and explotions behind. It’s odd that none of the people who lived on the streets woken up by this mess. There should be some of them at least took a peek from their window wondering what is happening. There should be a panic attack by now with the siren of police and ambulance. Their building is on fire, Goddamnit! Were are the people?
“A transmitter. Ghost said they might have hid a transmitter on neither both of you. That’s the only explanation.” Nene said as they got away, still running.
“I-i-i could’ve been f-f-followed!”
“No! We already assured that!”
“B-b-but I’ve searched us, no-nothing!”
“There must be something! What happened there?”
“N-nothing m-m-uch, aside that nasty man s-stabbed t-this poor boy!”
“That’s it! Wait!” They then stopped. “That must be it, let me take him, I’m faster than you are. You go back to them. They need you.”
“B-b-but..”
“Fast!!”
Bie is extremely uncomfortable with this. Nene is the same height as him. But, Bie should be heavier. And she’s going to piggy bag him? Embarrassed, but he is in no position to complain at all. He could barely walk and being taken by a masked man is the last thing he wanted to do. Right now, Nene is his last chance. But, how fast can she run with Bie on his back?
“A-a-are y-you sure?”
“Go!” Papiss then turned his gigantic body and ran.
With him, the fight must be finish soon. He could crush a man’s head easily. Aims a bulldozer hit at many of them on a swipe of an arm. Well, At least he looked like he could do that. Bie looked at Papiss dissapearing on afar, he was the only familiar faces he could trust among others. He saved him.
“You! Pull up your feet, you are making me hard to run!” She grinned and pressed his finger to Bie’s wound, hard and seemingly on purpose. Bie grunted.
Surprisingly, Bie seemed to make no difference to Nene’s pace. She runs lightly, taking turns left and right without hesitated. After 15 minutes of running, they turned into a narrow alley. They barely found anyone on their way. They then climbed the fire excape, into the rooftop, and jumped between the buildings. Bie would strenghted the grip when Nene took a jump to another building. They could’ve fell and die tragically. She then jumped into another building and took many levels of emergency stairs after that. All done effortlessly.
As they reached the cityscape, she dropped Bie carelessly and pushed him to the wall. “Straighten your feet!” She commands then tore the ducktape on Bie’s lips. Bie lays his feet straight and stares at his wound creeping from the hole on his blood-stained jeans. It’s already stitched. Must be Papiss doing. He didn’t realize that.
“I hope you enjoy this.” She pulled a knife, and stabbed right to Bie’s stitched wound. Bie howls on the pain as she sliced the wound until it opens enough.
“No! Stop!?” Bie cries.
Nene smiles, but a bitter smile. A hateful smile. She then put the knife back on her belt and reach put his fingers into Bie’s opened wound. She moves her finger around on his flesh, reaching. Bie tries to resist by pushing her away but the pain has already drained his energy up. After a moment of reaching, she finally find something.
A chip.
“Trust me. I could’ve hurt you more if I’m allowed to.” She grinned, then stepped on the chip causing a buzzed cracking sound.
“Why? I know nothing, okay? I swear I know nothing. What did I do? What do you guys want from me? What?” Bie shouted with tears in his eyes. “I know nothing. I did nothing wrong. I have nothing to do with this.” He started crying.
Nene looks at Bie waiting for their eyes to meet.
“You see the sky?” She then said finally. Bie looked up, it was no longer dark. It was blood-orange. It was the clear sight of the sky as they were in a rooftop. The sun was rising. It must be dawn already. “Even the sky was painted in the fusion of orange of the foxes fur and red of the blood shed by my friends. That what happened back there. And that was your fault. My friends, my family, fought the most scarifying clan on the city for your safety. I might loose them. I might loose my friends and family. I might loose all that I have left, now.”
Bie looked into Nene. Her eyes was already soaked in tears. She breathes heavily in hatred. Deep inside she knows Bie doesn’t know a thing. But, she couldn’t help but hate him anyway.
It’s because of him. All because of him. This fight. My brother’s death.
She then collapsed into the ground, covered her eyes with her hands still stained with Bie’s blood, and cried.
