Chapter Eight (Xed)
A bloodcurdling scream tore through the midnight air, causing rats to scamper and scurry away in fright.
I tightened my grasp on the throat of the oni that had tricked me into getting into his cab. I pressed him against the brick wall of a building, watching him squirm and writhe to escape. He clawed at my arms that healed rapidly as a response. He choked and gurgled on saliva, his eyes bugging out as he kicked at the wall behind him desperately. I narrowed my eyes at him, threatening to kill him if he didn't tell me which way Newell had gone.
"N-Never." He choked. His loyalty was commendable, but it was also the end of him. I only gave a slight nod to achknowledge his answer before I clenched my fist and crushed his windpipe before the pressure of it all caused blood to gush from his nose, ears, mouth, and eyes. I squeezed tighter and seconds later, his head was rolling to the ground at my feet. I let go of his corpse, letting it fall in a crumple to the ground.
I shook the blood off my hand and turned, scanning the streets with narrowed eyes.
I had absolutely no idea where I was at. None of it was familiar and I couldn't ask anyone. I used the oni's shirt to wipe the blood off my hand and while I normally would've eaten the creature, I didn't have time to.
Newell came first.
I left the alley behind the parking lot that the oni had taken me to and came to the sidewalk that was bustling with activity. People were singing and chattering excited about something called a Christmas tree. I made my way down the street, searching for some sort of map or booklet that could possibly lead me back to Alaric's. Surely he would know where Newell was being kept, because after memorizing the map, I realized they were not taking Newell to their hideout, but somewhere else.
I walked down the sidewalk, looking and searching for some way to get back to Alaric's when I recognized the shop that Newell had taken me to for my new clothes. I took a sharp turn to the left and walked a couple blocks before I spotted Alaric's store with the name of it glowing in bright red. I paused outside as a couple of young humans came out dressed in all black with spikey black hair and chains around their necks and wrists. They both gave me hungry stares that I'd seen the other humans do, but I didn't care for them right now and only nodded to them before walking inside to the thick scent of alcohol, smoke, and blood.
I walked past the shelves of novelty items and bags of mini-headstone candies to the front desk where Alaric was just receiving payment from a customer that held a fake human skull with rat shaped candies inside. The customer passed me an intense stare before dodging past me and heading for the door. Alaric turned to give the change back to his customer, then shrugged when he realized the man was gone, noticing me out the corner of his eye.
"Hey, big guy. Where's your little imp?" Alaric asked casually, leaning on the counter and giving me a long, hard stare. I frowned and shook my head, pointing to my mouth. Alaric stared at me for a moment longer, then snapped his fingers.
"Right! Merman. Can't talk. Well, fuck. How do you expect us to talk? Do you think I just have a pool in this joint?" He asked. I said nothing, just stared at him and he stared back before rolling his eyes. He gestured with his finger for me to follow and I frowned, using the door shaped like a coffin beside his window to go back with him. He used one of the doors and walked into a small, narrow staircase. He led me upstairs into a studio apartment then to a bathroom with a large bathtub. He gestured to the bathtub as he turned the knobs on to let the water rush out.
"Get in so we can talk. I can't understand sign language." He added, folding his arms over his chest and leaning back on the wall. I nodded and pulled the hat off my head, throwing it on the ground along with the pants and shirt and the strange garment Newell called underwear. I ignored Alaric's flushed face and wide eyes, stepping into the tub and sitting down in the water. The tub was big enough so that even I could fit in it.
And instantly I felt the transformation taking place. I ground my teeth together, feeling them sharpen and I pressed my legs together to lessen the pain of the skin mending them together. I could feel the bones from my waist down crack and twist, skin ripping and stretching and pulling. I felt the scales rip through my flesh and hug my body tightly. In a matter of minutes, my tail was back. Unfortunately, a bit of it was still sticking out of the tub. I managed to roll over onto my stomach, leaning on the edge of the tub to look at Alaric, who was watching me with interest.
"They took Newell." I stated. Alaric shivered, waving a hand in his face and blinking rapidly.
"Wow. Your voice is incredibly attractive. What kind of accent is that? Greek?"
"Alaric. The oni took Newell."
"Oh, right. Him. Well, what did you come to me for? I gave you the blueprints."
"They did not work. They took Newell somewhere else. I did not have the chance to follow them. An oni jumped me while I was on my way and I lost track of them. Do you know where else they would take Newell?" I asked, staring at Alaric intently as he hummed thoughtfully. He tapped his chin, then snapped his fingers and pointed at me.
"The market." He stated. I frowned, confused.
"The market? What is a market?"
"No, not a market. The market. The black market."
"There are different colors?"
"No, no. The Black Market. It's a market where usually illegal, dangerous, and rare objects or people are sold. The yakuza make a lot of money selling things through the market and I bet my money they're going to use Newell to sell to Zephyra for quite a heft of money considering Newell's, well, you know, wanted and all." Alaric explained. My eyes widened at the thought.
First of all, land creatures actually sold each other as if they were objects? What kind of world had I gotten myself into where something like this was allowed? Even if it was illegal, it happened anyway. It was yet another thing from this world that I could not comprehend.
And secondly, if Zephyra got their hands on Newell, they would do worse than kill him. They would eternally torment him for his crimes against their organization. I had worked with them long enough to know this.
"We cannot let that happen," I told Alaric firmly, making me frown, "I need to know where this black market is."
"Well, the market itself doesn't have a specific place, but the yakuza have a place to do their business, but it's bound to be heavily guarded. These guys don't mess around. They'll shoot you on sight. They like to keep their business under the table, if you know what I mean."
"I do not understand what you mean, but that is not important. Right now, Newell is in danger and I need to get to him as soon as possible, whether he has your stupid kitsune or not." I added angrily, making Alaric's eyebrows go up in surprise before he frowned.
"Newell knew how dangerous it would be once he got into it. I see no reason for me to help him--"
"If you do not, I will eat you," I threatened darkly, lifting myself up and balancing on the side of the tub and making Alaric take a big step back, "You do not like threats, I understand that, but I do not like any threats coming to Newell. And do not think that calling in favors will save you from me. I am nearly impossible to kill, no matter whom you may choose to call for assistance. If something should happen to Newell, I promise you that you will never be able to escape me." Alaric stiffened and I expected him to react the way he had before when I threatened him, but this time, he looked around a bit frightened, then held up a finger before leaving the room.
I frowned, waiting to find out that he had fled the building, but much to my relief, he returned to the room with a small hand held device. He touched the screen and it blinked and moved around before he showed me a map that I instantly committed to memory.
"This is the way to get to the place and all its entrances. If I were you, I'd get a far away view before you go running in there like a crazy person. These guys will shoot the living hell out of you and while you say you're invincible, it won't stop them from trying." He explained, handing me the device to cradle in my palm. I studied the map for a moment longer, then looked up at Alaric, eyes narrowed.
"You are not helping me out of the goodness of your heart. You are helping me because you want your kitsune." I answered in disgust. Alaric stared at me, then folded his arms over his chest.
"You don't understand and I'm not going to try to explain it. So believe what you want, Nemo, but sitting there arguing me won't save your boyfriend." He replied, then flipped his black hair over his shoulder before leaving the room. I looked back at the device, then lifted myself up onto the edge of the tub. I closed my eyes and lifted my tail out of the bath water and out over the edge.
Instantly my lower half tingled and quivered at the loss. I breathed a long sigh, closing my eyes as the transformation reversed in a much more painful fashion than it had been when I was changing before. I waited until I could wiggle my toes and bend my knees before I rose to my feet, wobbling for a moment before I pulled my clothes back on. I did not stop to speak to Alaric again because I knew he was angry with me, probably for threatening him, but it had gotten him to talk and that was all that mattered.
I went through the front door and almost bumped into a human dressed in leather that steadied me for a moment, then nodded his apology before going inside. I looked up and down the street, remembering all the twists and turns that the map had required I make in order to make it to my destination.
A few humans tried to stop and talk with me, but I only shook my head and left them to their frustrations. I did want to say something to them, to apologize, to explain that I was assisting a friend, but I couldn't. It was one thing I despised about this existence.
I wanted most of all to talk with Newell more often than we did. We only had few chances to talk and I felt that my face did not expression what words could. I wanted to tell Newell how much I had come to value him, and at the same time, the idea of saying it frightened me.
What if he did not want to be told he was valued? What if that only made him bleed further? What if he told me to go away? What if he hit me? While a smack from Newell would only feel like a gust of wind on my arm, it would be the feelings behind it that would hurt the most. I wanted nothing more, than to spend eternity with Newell, even if it was just simply at his side.
Even if he would never allow me to touch him, just walking behind him, just listening to his voice, and waking up in the morning to see him curled up for a moment of peace... It was enough for me.
I drew nearer and nearer to the place that was on the map. The putrid scent of dead fish, smoke, oil, and rotting wood filled the air and burned my nostrils. The buildings around me had become shorter and older. Most of them were empty or had tarps across their windows to signal they had been abandoned.
I noticed a dock on my way past a rusted, ruined fence. I could hear the filthy water splashing up against the wood and concrete, the smells of death wavering from it like a thick cloud. I turned away, then slowed down to see just a couple warehouses down, a building that appeared newer and smelled cleaner.
Several cars sat outside the building as well as a dozen armed men in black suits. A few more were sitting on nearby rooftops, talking or sharing a drink.
This was it.
This was where Newell was, if Alaric's information had been correct.
But it was getting in without getting us all killed that would be a challenge...