*tink* *tink*
His feet clamored on as he desperately clutched his flimsy arm. The internal bleeding had turned the skin purple.
*tink* *tink*
He looked back. The alley they had been attacked in seemed endless. The darkness swallowed everything that stepped within.
*Tink* *Tink*
It was getting closer. The sound of his demise. This sound had immobilized his brothers. And now it threatened to finish him.
*Tink* *Tink*
In their last breaths, they informed him to run. Run far away and survive. But this thing had been slowly chasing him ever since.
*Tink* *TInk*
It was just behind him. He was sure he would be able to feel its breath soon. Then a new sound filled his ears. The hustle and bustle of a busy street. Bodies casually walked past as they conversed about their boring days and wild nights.
*TInk* *TINk*
He was almost there. Just one more corner to round.
Then it stopped. The small sounds of metal clanging against cement. The brick-and-mortar establishments had fallen silent. Had they given up? The monster that attacked them must have gotten bored. That was fine. He would make his escape and find an EMT for his brothers.
He hit the corner at a dangerous speed, sliding and gripping the ground with his good hand. He could see it. The dim blue lights that led to the main street. They were like the holy light of the lord, reaching out to deliver him to salvation.
Then a shadow stepped in his path. A somewhat small figure with a slim waist and wide hips. Their arms spread outward to block his escape. One of those devilish mitts housed a massive extension to their wingspan. A long rod that grew in width at its end and sported a joyful smile.
Then he heard it.
*TINK* *TINK*
His body went numb. The figure sauntered towards him as the metal bat tapped the ground rhythmically. He dropped to his knees and cried for her forgiveness. His insistent begging fell on deaf ears.
~--~
"Come on!" A child screeched as they rushed down the busy street. The sidewalk was open enough for them to dash along at top speed. Three tiny blurs burled past the many bystanders. One of the kids was a little girl with large bifocals, a litter of freckles, and a tiny notepad. Her hair was rustic brown tips dyed cerulean blue. The pigtails she had grown were long enough to play jump rope with. And of course, she wore clothes to match her nerdy demeanor. A red and white striped shirt that was mostly covered by blue denim overalls. She was lagging behind as the two boys kept up their feverish pace.
She came to a slow stop, panting heavily and reaching out. "Wait... *pah**pah* for me." The two boys skid to a stop. One signaled to keep going while the other quickly walked back to her. He crouched to her level, giving her a pity smile. She was embarrassed, "S-sorry..."
He placed a hand on her shoulder, "It's okay Milly. Take your time." Milly looked up to see teal green pools staring back at her. The warm smile he sported behind his dirty-blond bangs was enhanced by his pearly white teeth. The inside of his mouth shined like a Ken doll and his clothes looked like they came from the closet of American Boy toys. A Polo shirt with khakis shorts and white sneakers. The second boy was frustrated with how his friend constantly spoiled her.
"We can't just stand here. Rico's is gonna close in an hour and I want to beat my score on 'HYPER EUROBEAT'." He tossed his black hair to the side, punctuating his sentence. He blended in with the neon town thanks to the dark blue and black hues along his body. His black jeans were purposefully creased along the ends but the black Converse he sported had white soles. White much like his bright white pupils that were an inverse of his black cornea.
"Relax Don. We've got time." The stereotypically American lad answered.
*TINK* *TINK*
The three kids' heads snapped in the direction of the new sound. Its shrill and sudden arrival made their hearts jump. But it was the sounds that would follow that would freeze their souls.
They could hear something. Someone. Whimpering. Begging. It sounded like they were pleading for their life. But then a sick smack could be heard. The sound of metal smashing against bones leaked out of the dark alleyway. And with each shot another painful grunt could be heard. They stood there for what felt like a minute listening as something was brutally beaten behind the cover of darkness.
Then... there was silence.
Don was the first to move, tugging on his friend's shirttail. "Togo. Let's go."
Just as Togo moved a foot someone stepped out of the shadows. They all stared in awe at the woman. She was taller than them, but they could tell she wasn't much taller than their parents. Her black hair (bordering on blue) sat on her shoulders with a massive pompadour in the front. Her purple jacket was glowing from the neon lights in the road and the pink shirt she wore beneath radiated a blinding light. But the kids noticed that some of the darker patches shined a different hue.
The woman had sharp eyes that stared through all of them. And the metal bat she was toting had a little smiley face at the end. Covered in freshly dripping blood. The two boys couldn't move an inch. It was like she had stolen their nerves with her gaze.
Her eyes suddenly stopped on Milly. Taking her time to examine the girl. Smirking at her goofy outfit and strange choice of hair dye. Milly could feel her knees quaking. And she knew they could see. But her fear was morphing into something new.
This strange woman took a step toward her. They flinched as she patiently approached them. Togo tried to muster up the courage to jump in her way, but his legs were stuck in concrete. No matter what he couldn't fight this feeling. His fear.
"Eep!"
Togo shut his eyes. Scared of what had happened to his weaker friend. Upon opening them he noticed that Milly was okay. Don had jumped forward, putting his arms up and blocking her. Togo quaked under the goosebumps running along his skin. Yet somehow Don willed himself ahead. It was amazing.
The woman didn't show such appreciation. But she did pause, quickly dropping to a squat in front of them. Now Don could see the tight black pants she wore. Enamored at how they hugged her legs like they were trying to contain her thighs. A faint blush appeared on his face, but he shook away the feelings. Now gaining a bit more control of his emotions.
She looked him over, stopping to stare deep into his eyes. Looking at her Don noticed that she didn't have pupils. That or they were so dark it made her eyes look like two black dots in a white pool. Their strange eyes battled for dominance. Well, it would have been a battle if Don wasn't constantly looking away. Unsettled by her stoic stare.
She craned her head to the side, looking at Milly. "Hi." Her voice was sweet like sugar and warm as a heated blanket. It instantly calmed down the kids. "That's a nice notebook you got there." She reached out her hand, "Can I see it?"
Don moved to block her hand. His hero complex frustrated her but she didn't show it. Milly was the one to defuse his fears, moving past and shakily presenting the notebook.
Though she took her time retrieving the book Milly still jolted at the proximity. She laughed when she noticed how much blue the girl was sporting. Her hair was blue, her notebook was blue, and even the pen she used in the notebook was blue ink. As she flipped through the pages she noticed that there were drawings of objects one could find around the house. Then they evolved into people. Crudely drawn, but well done for a girl her age.
She noticed that one of the characters was a woman that looked similar to her, a smile creeping across the older woman's face. The next page showed the girl drawing weapons. Some of the images showed the girl from the previous pages with a weapon in hand. Lots of question marks could be seen showing the uncertainty of the design.
Once again the older woman chuckled in the face of Milly. Marveling at how the girl's drawings were a window into her mind. She swiped forward a few more pages and found the rest were blank. She quickly ripped two pages out of the book.
Don got defensive, "Stop!" He took a step forward to challenge her but instantly backed down when she shot him a sharp glare. Again they just passively watched as she did as she pleased. She handed the notebook back to Milly, then used the ripped-out paper to clean the blood off her bat.
She presented the paper to Milly who politely declined. A nonchalant shrug was her goodbye as she strolled down the primarily empty sidewalk. She twirled her bat as she went which gave her a silly idea. Just before she turned the corner she threw some advice Milly's way. "Try a bat."
With that, she casually walked down the sidewalk. She absorbed the glaringly bright neon lights and the smell of greasy goods along the strip. Her destination, a tiny convenience store in a hidden pocket, finally came into view.
The old lady at the front perked up when she saw her, "Bibi. Where did you go?" The woman was most likely born in Eastern Asia from her heavy accent. Her squinted eyes were frustrated with Bibi's constant hijinks. Bibi pulled a bunch of wallets from her pockets, placing them on the counter. "Where did you?"
"Remember those boys last week?"
"...You didn't."
Bibi grabbed a pink package of bubblegum, "Relax. They'll live." The old lady gave her a skeptical look. Luckily a set of sirens accompanied by red and blue lights flew past. Bibi popped one of the sticks, "Now they will."
The elderly woman quickly swatted the girl's head, "You can't keep punching all your problems away."
"Actually, I can. It's worked fine so far."
"Those boys weren't doing any harm."
"Ms. Ikuyo, those boys were harassing me."
Ikuyo facepalmed, "That's what you thought that was?" Bibi gave an emphatic nod. "Bibi. They were flirting with you."
Bibi's visibly shut down as she tried to understand what she said. The rusty cogs in her head whirred to life as she connected the dots. Her face contorted in disgust when she saw the truth, "Ew."
Ikuyo pinched the bridge of her nose, "If you would take the time to observe others closely. You would see that your view does not match theirs."
"Of course, we have different perspectives, we're facing different directions." Bibi quickly retorted.
Ikuyo wanted to groan but saw an opportunity, "Yes. And since you are facing different ways you are seeing different things. You want to know how they see the world?"
Bibi pondered that question. She mulled over the old lady's words for a few minutes. Enough time for another customer to bring items up for purchase. Bibi came to her conclusion upon hearing the scanner's beep. "Nah. I'm right so who cares how they see it."
Ikuyo sighed, watching as Bibi blew a casual bubble and checked her phone. As soon as she pulled it out her ringtone blared. "Yo."
"Bibi?"
"Yeah. That you Bull?"
"Yeah. I got a job for you."
"How much?" Bibi said with a smile.
"Nothing."
"... I'm sorry you must be in a tunnel. Did you say-"
"I'm paying you nothing for this job."
Bibi put a finger up, walking away from the counter and deeper into the aisles. "Why are you calling me?"
"Because this is something I know you can handle."
"We're friends Bull. But I don't work for free-"
"It's 8-Bit."
Bibi choked on her breath, "What?" She peeked around to see if anyone was close. "What happened to 'Family First'? I'm not offing a friend," she whispered.
"This isn't a hit. It's a rescue mission." Bibi wanted to ask more questions, but Bull continued. "It'll be easier to explain in person. Meet me at Rico's in fifteen."
He hung up with that, leaving Bibi to interpret the message. What was going on? Why was 8-Bit involved? Who would hurt the bot? Bibi didn't know what was going on, but she knew where she needed to be.
Ms. Ikuyo caught her attention as she tried to rush for the door. "I'm sorry I have to leave. I'll see you later." Bibi burst out of the sliding partitions and burled through the civilians. Bull said to be there in fifteen minutes. With how fast she was moving, she'd make it in ten.