Errand Runners

Chapter 33

“Déjà vu,” Taro grunted, leaning on Nole’s left side. Although the bullet had hit him square in the leg, the boy had refused to express his torment. Nole deduced that either Taro had a high tolerance for pain or he just really good at hiding it; much like he was hiding the pain in his shoulder and the numbness in his right arm.

“Focus on moving.” Despite learning of Taro’s innocence, Nole didn’t know how to treat him. After falsely accusing him of murdering Murphy and nearly stabbing him during their encounter in the alley, he was feeling an overwhelming sense of embarrassment and guilt.

It all made sense to him, even why Taro abandoned Betty and the other runners. In the grand scheme of things, he’d been protecting them. An image of Caden and Suri flashed in Nole’s mind, reminding him of the people he was living to protect. For so long, he’d wanted to improve their way of living. Nothing was ever good enough; they always needed more supplies. It never occurred to Nole that his flawed idea of protection was the very thing disintegrating the relationship between he and his siblings. Although Taro’s abandonment was justified, Nole’s daily, long-lasting excursions weren’t.

Clenching his teeth with every step, he longed to see them. For so long, he’d taken solace in his role as older brother for the sole purpose of redeeming his uselessness nine years ago when his mother passed away. Despite encouraging his siblings to move on and celebrate their mother’s memory, he’d done the opposite.

Even though he wasn’t as open about it as Caden, he too, had become fixated with his mother’s murder; constantly attacking random gang members with the bogus excuse of them deserving it. In reality, it had been a subconscious vendetta. When he lost Caden, everything changed. Although he was skeptical, he’d accepted Asteria and the Para gang’s assistance as long as it meant getting Caden back safe and sound.

“Sorry,” Taro apologized as his right leg buckled. Readjusting his stance, Nole led him through the lobby as Tom restrained Ryker. When Asteria and Marco burst through the main entrance, she looked petrified. Not saying a word, Taro lifted his free hand and pointed behind him, much like a hitchhiker looking for a ride.

As Marco led Asteria to Hadley, Nole couldn’t help but be impressed with Taro’s determination. After seeing how he’d handled Ryker the other day in the alley, Nole no longer had any skepticism for Taro’s abilities. Despite being exceptionally skilled in combat, he didn’t have the malicious aura like Ryker or arrogant derision like Zane.

Sidetracked by his thoughts, Nole hadn’t noticed Taro’s shaking. Tracks of sweat poured down from his wavy blond hair and he was panting heavily. Nole had no knowledge of medical diagnosis, but if he had to guess, it looked like Taro was at the cusp of going through shock. The red blotch on his pant leg grew larger and the hue deepened to a maroon color.

“This is bad, we need to get you help right now,” Nole urged, nervously hastening their pace.

“I don’t think I can move on it anymore,” Taro expressed in a coherency impressive for his current state. “I can’t…” he cut himself off by collapsing on the ground. Although he was still conscious, he could barely keep his eyes open. The grip on the injured leg tightened until his fingers were digging nearly an inch into his skin. "I'm sorry, Nole."

"We're almost there," Nole urged. "Just a few steps mo-"

"No," Taro interrupted. "I'm sorry... about Murphy. I'm, I'm so sorry." When Taro rubbed his arm against his face, Nole assumed it was to wipe away the sweat, but the reddened and bloodshot eyes told him otherwise. "It was my fault," he sniffled, unable to meet Nole's eyes. "He saved me. When Caswell showed up, he gave me his research, and saved me. I should've stayed. It was my fault."