My eyes slowly opened, the sight of the rusted floor being the first to greet me. I groaned, my body aching as if I had been involved in combat. I reached my hand onto the wall beside me slowly getting on my knees.
My eyes ran around. I was in the shower. I had no idea how I got in there but here I was. Pain suddenly short on my forehead. I blinked, reaching my free hand onto it. I immediately felt the sticky substance on it.
I moved my hand away from my forehead and my eyes met the dry blood on it. I was certain I had fell and hit my head on the floor. I held on the wall, staining it with the dry blood that was on my hand, getting on my feet. My memory coming back. Knees, I had smoked excessive Knees resulting on losing touch of the real world.
"Fuck," I cursed, moving out the shower, pushing aside the clear plastic, heading for the sink.
I realized my flipflops I had on were torn already sticking on my ankles. "Fuck it," I cursed sliding them off and proceeded to head for the sink. My bare feet smacking the cold concrete floor.
My blue eyes lifted onto the shattered mirror before me. I quickly picked up the blood stains in the sink along leftovers of Knees. I reached my hand inside taking the three sachets, shoving them inside my jogger's pockets. It was a mess.
I reached for the tap, my eyes catching the sight of dry blood on my fist that I had used to shatter the mirror into a million pieces. A deep breathe left my lips, picking the million pieces of the mirror that were in the sink, pilling them together.
My eyes suddenly came across my reflexion from one of the pieces. I was a mess. My left eyebrow with a scar of my past match with Titus making things worse. For my hair, well...it was dishevelled and hung over my face like I was some creep.
I quickly turned the piece of mirror over unable to stare at myself no more. I reached for the tap opening it and cupping some cold water on my scrubby bandaged hands, splashing it on my face.
I needed to get myself away and refreshed. I then pulled the grey towel that hung over the sink, wiping my face. When I was done I hung it carefully on the sink before splashing water on the sink, clearing every blood on it.
Once I was done, I took the pieces of the broken mirror and walked out the bathroom, entering the messy room I slept and cooked in. I tossed the pieces of o the broken mirror I had on my hands inside the cardboard which was at the corner. I had placed it there and used it as my garbage bin.
The pigeons chirped, while flying around the cage that was situated a few distance away from my bed. I dragged my feet to my single bed taking a sit on it. My hands covered my face. I was exhausted.
How was I going to get to the FL200 so tired? I couldn't afford to miss it, not when it could boost my career. The knock on my door caught my ears. What now? I got up heading for the door.
"Who is it?"
There was not respond. "I said who is it?" I asked once gain.
Opening doors without knowing who was outside was a fuckin suicide in this part of Glim city. "I...It's me James, the guy from the elevator," he replied.
No, not this guy, I thought.
He was the last person I wanted to see, not after what had happened between us. "Leave me alone if you know what is best for you," I said, stopping before my door.
Guilty? Yeah, I was. Going around beating people was something I didn't do. I didn't condemn violence.
"Your bag of bird seeds, you left it on the passage," he said.
Fuck, I had left it on the passage after I had laid my hands on him. A sigh left my lips. I moved my hand onto the lock, unlocking my door and opening it. He came to my view, carrying the sack of seeds in his hands.
This time he wore an oversize black vest which looked like an oversize T-shirt that had it sleeves cut allowing me to see more of his body art that covered his left arm. I reached my right hand toward him, taking my bag of seeds from his hands and attempted to close my door but he held it.
"Listen Jin, about what happened earlier on, I wanted to apologise, I shouldn't have stuck my nose on your business,"
Jin? Oh, fuck he still believed my name was Jin. I felt my hands loosening from my door, my body relaxing a little. "Listen James you really didn't have to apologise," pinching the skin between my eyes.
"I know but it just didn't feel right plus I'm new around here, I don't want a big guy like you hating me," he said.
A short-tired laughter left my lips. "Yeah right,"
"I mean it," he said a laughter also leaving his lips.
"Well if you say so," I said, realizing how much his spirit was free.
"So, we are cool?"
"Yeah we are good," I said stretching my hand towards him.
"Finally, I shake your hand," he said shaking my hand.
Such a child, speaking of a child, he looked younger than I had thought. A familiar female's voice suddenly yelled his name from the dim passage.
"Coming!" he yelled before turning to face me. "Got to go."
I nodded, moving my upper body forward, watching him walk toward the familiar woman. Our eyes met. Her face tensed, anger and hatred could be seen. Shaved hair and body art. A...Alexia? What was she doing here? at this side of Glim city? And James? Were they dating?
In fact, I was going to go head on with her at 10pm. She didn't like me from the time I debuted in the FL200 and she never bothered hiding it. I watched them walk down the dim passage talking, while Alexia handed the young man an oversize grey hooded jacket which I had seen her wear in the FL200 a number of times.
~ ~ ~
I ran my hands on my clothes that scattered on the floor. I smelled each one of them. They all smelled bad. I needed to take my clothes to the launderette. "Uh damnit, really?" I said, annoyed pulling my old black military boots, wearing them.
There was nothing clean for me to wear. I had one choice, going to FL200 in the same clothes. How about a shower? It was too cold and I was certain the water in the shower was cold with all the hippos around our building.
I moved my arm up and smelled my armpits. They smelled but I could manage. Who was going to go around sniffing my armpits? exactly, no one.
"You'll have to bear with me," I mumbled.
My phone thrilled. I quickly ran my hands through my jacket. "Where are you," I said through gritted teeth.
I finally felt it cover and pulled it out. Morgen's name appeared on the screen. Fuck he was probably checking where I was. I had agreed to arrive early at the FL200 tonight since it was an important night. I quickly slid my thumb on the answer button and placed over my ear.
"Morgen," I answered, moving towards the cage of pigeons, stroking each one of them.
"I hope you haven't forgot about our agreement," he said.
"Arriving at 9:30pm, relax I got it,"
"Good then, I don't want you missing this opportunity,"
Drafting, it was tonight. This was a process of picking fighters from level four to join level six where the pros were, including people like Titus the Wrecker, Zoe, Agore and his four minions. Only if you won your match, then you would be drafted to level six.
In this level you were to get a sponsor which was some rich individual that would sponsor you with new combat clothes, get paid double or tripled according to the contract that would be given to you and then you would be fully a FL200 fighter, meaning your career would be full time not part time like me and the other level four fighters. Shareholders of FL200 were also going to be around to watch all level four battle it off.
"I won't," I replied.
"Jason will come and get you,"
"No, I'm already out, don't worry I'll be there in a few minutes," I lied, letting go of my pigeons and headed for my motorbike.
"Okay then," he replied sounding unconvinced about my response.
"Sure, see you at FL200," I said.
"Kid,"
What now?
"Yeah," I replied feeling my body tensing.
I hoped he wouldn't say anything that would upset me. I didn't want to fight with him, not today at least. "Be careful,"
I could sense worry in his voice. I knew he had not liked my idea of moving out from his gym and leaving in Farewell street. A street with the most fatal incidences. Incidences caused by those we called out-liners, a group of black-market psychos prying for those who look weak or those who walk alone.
Crazy, they would even slaughter you in broad day light. Police? They never came to Fion section. It was as if we citizens of this section weren't even part of their map. No police station, no clinic or hospital just store, stores owned by foreigners and high killing rate along high rape cases swept under the carpet. "I will,"
He switched off the phone so did I. I slid it inside my jacket's pocket. I then pulled my motorbike but remembered I had not finished putting it together, the wheels on the back were still missing and the engine still needed repair.
"Argh Hyphen," I cursed, my right hand going through my hair, feeling annoyed.
How had I forgotten? What now? How was I going to get to Section Ordit? A taxi? No taxi or bus came to Farewell street, the owners of the taxis feared for their lives and also getting their taxis ripped apart.
"This is fucked up," I cursed, pulling out my phone and glanced at the time. 8:30pm.
I could cover if I moved out now. I quickly headed for the door, pulling my gym bag from the floor and hung flung it over my left shoulder while I slid back my phone in my jacket's pocket, zipping up the pockets.
Waterproofed, my pockets were waterproofed. I left the lights on and pulled the door open walking out. I locked it after I was out and scurried down the empty dim passage.