Sil grabs hold of the kid, pulling them just out of arms reach as the woman swung her claws. Sil knees her as hard as possible in the stomach. Knocking the wind from her. She dragged the kid from the doorstep, straight into the nearby alley. They needed to get to Sprig’s, if not that, anywhere that these people couldn’t follow. “Tena, don’t let her get away!” Ferin spat out, coughing as he managed to pull himself back onto his feet.
​
The woman swore under her breath, about to give chase when Laz grabs hold of her arm, his grip strong enough to keep her in place. “Where do you think you’re going?” He asked, his tone cold. She pulled, kicked and swung her other arm at him, missing his body by mere inches. Her swings continued only managing to lightly dink the metal clasping onto her. She couldn’t budge, with each attempt to hit him, he tightened his grip. The two running still in the corner of her gaze, she frantically tried again, pulling and kicking, a loud scream or two escaping her in sheer frustration. This hulk of a man was beginning to scare her, what happened to the bumbling idiot they had watched these past few days. His grip tightened, she could feel her bones starting to give, they were being crushed with no way out. “It ain’t your jobs to terrorise the kids in the area” Laz growled, his expression darkening. He stared down his nose at her, failing to notice a figure from behind.
​
Thud
​
Potting mix hit the floor, various ceramics following suit. A small trail of blood fell from the side of Laz’s head. “Let her go” Ferin barked, tossing whatever remained in his hands to the floor. Laz turned sluggishly, glaring daggers at Ferin, who was now severely regretting his decision.
​
From behind, the shorter lacky of the group had taken off after the two down the main road. Only narrowly sneaking past. As Laz was distracted by Ferin, something jammed into the top corner of his metal arm, releasing his grip. Tena sacrificed two of her claws, jamming them into one of the joints at the only exposed wire she could find. Laz’s arm was still working; however, the hand was immobile.
She jumped backwards, increasing the distance between them. Laz loosely glanced at his arm, he bent his elbow, propping the arm up a little. He stuck two fingers into the same opening the claws had gone into, tossing them out and hitting a latch. The hand popped off, gliding across the floor near Ferin’s feet. The large opening left behind after the hand was gone, replaced by a strange glowing purple crystal, not one he’d seen before. It was still making a bizarre pulsating sound.
​
Laz spun the end of his arm, clicking it into place. “You started this fight. I don’t want to hear any complaints. “ Ferin gulped, taking a step back involuntarily. This guy. He knew very little about Laz. He was part of the army; he was friends with the city’s elite… he had a dealing with almost everyone in the area, and everyone loved him. Even his boss had a need of him. If he just disappeared, there would be trouble. They needed to get past him, but it didn’t seem feasible without knocking him out. “Surely we don’t need to resort to this.” He tried to smile; “I think we do. You just attacked one of my customers.” Laz scoffed; voice more gruff than usual. He clicked his knuckles on the hull of his other arm. It’d been a while since he retired from this kind of life. He wouldn’t say he missed it, but the adrenaline rush was nothing to complain about.
Huff, huff.
Sil forced herself forward, hand gripping the smaller one following behind, she trudged both of them along the main road, running past closed stores, empty streets. She needed some kind of population, a crowd, a person to hide them, anything, but these streets were dead silent. They had a little bit of time, Laz had kept the scary woman back, they had already managed to go a few streets over without any issues. Her arm dragged, pulling her backwards. The kid’s feet hit the ground with a thud as their pace slowed. It’d been a while since they’d run anywhere, so it wasn’t surprising that they were already starting to tire. “We have to keep moving.” She spoke softly, masking the worry. A tired nod was their response.
​
They reached the edge of the main road, steps leading down to another sector of the city. The city was in full view. One lit building in particular stood out near the city entrance. Sprig’s. She took a quick glance back in the direction of Laz’s Street, her stomach dropped.
A stockier man was heading straight for them, definitely not Laz. She tugged at the kid’s arm, rushing toward the stairs. “C’mon”
“STOP! GET YOUR ASSES BACK HERE!”
The two hurried down the stairs, the kid once again becoming more and more sluggish from behind. Their right leg hitting the ground harder and harder. Sil was focused only on the street in front, she kept pulling the kid behind her, an attempt to keep them at her pace. Suddenly all that extra weight was gone.
​
Inches behind her, the shorter man had caught up, and grabbed hold of the young kid’s arm. “Gotcha!” he snickered. “Gavin!” Sil shrieked, her hands swiftly attempting to snatch them back. Kenan’s expression dropped, anger replacing that once childish smile. It wasn’t the girl. They were absolutely duped. This was just a normal, stupid, kid. Gavin’s metal limb made contact with Kenan’s shin. His grip wavered, releasing Gavin. “UGH! You little punk!” he screeched, gripping his shin with both hands, hopping lightly. Sil seized Gavin once again, lifting him under one arm, she turned sprinting further down the road. Kenan’s face turned red. Veins swelled, threatening to pop on his forehead. “Fuck the mission”. He spat, racing after her.
​
Silence took hold of the street in front of Laz’s store. His stocky frame bathed in the light. Two bodies lay at his feet, bruised and battered; he turned back toward the darkness of the street. Fist dripping red. He walked into its depths, leaned down to pick up the metal hand that had flown off during the fight. He stuffed it through small strings attached to the sides of his trousers.
​
His gaze shifted back to Ferin, he seemed out for the count, his companion was still attempting to shift. He began to walk toward the store door, faltering as he stood in front of it. With a defeated sigh, he gave in to his own conscience. Turning back. He gripped Ferin’s coat, dragging him to the edge of the fence, propping him up in a sort of sitting position. He reached for the other, pulling them toward their partner. A wave of heat hit his side, followed by a sharp pain. Laz flinched, forcing his body to not react any further as his eyes grazed the source. A jagged claw dug hard into his side, a devilish smile staring straight at him. He dropped her, a cold glare as his foot collided with her ribs. CRACK. She soared into the fence with a crash. He turned toward the main street, leaving the events of the fight behind. His movements became somewhat sluggish, his legs buckling underneath him, he fell to his knees. The adrenaline had gone, between the wounds and his exhaustion gravity had won. He tumbled to the floor.
Tena began chackling through the coughs. She pushed herself into a sitting position. “HAHAHA! You ARE an IDIOT!” Her glee was loud enough to shake Ferin to his senses. Grunting, he opened his eyes. He looked at the source of Tena’s sudden amusement. It took him a few moments to spot the blood coming from his side. “That may be a problem. They were told to stall him, not kill him”. Leaning all his weight on the fence, he stumbled back onto his feet. “Don’t ruin this for me Ferin.” “We need to go find the other two. We still have a job to do.” He stated quietly.
​
Tena scowled at him. “You find them, I can’t even move, bastard broke a few of my ribs. I’ll just watch him bleed out.” She scoffed. “…Fine. Don’t let him die. Devin will kill us.” Ferin hobbled toward the main street, once out of view Tena grinned. She indolently made her way over to Laz, stomping a foot on his head. “Heh, not such a big shot now, are you?” She sneered; Laz made no movements. Her excitement dimmed; She leaned down, staring at his face. He looked down for the count. “How dull.” She poked him, her broken claws scratching parts of his skin. Quietly, the store door pushed open. “…L...az?” A small girl with short blue hair stood in the doorframe. The faded smile grew. “Who do we have here?” Tena gleamed, flexing the few claws left on her good hand. Caydence flinched, stepping further back into the store. “Don’t run brat. I won’t hurt you.” Her voice sickly sweet, while her murderous gaze gave her away. Caydence slammed the door shut as Tena threw herself at it. Clink Her shoulder collided with the steel; A high-pitched squeal squeezed from her lips as she bounced back onto the ground. “ARRG! What the hell!?” she spat out.
​
Laz pushed himself to his feet, tearing the claw out from his side as he stood with no issues. He raised his metal arm, his expression cold, almost robotic. His arm lit up a bright purple, and a hum emanated from it. “You should’ve left.” With one small click, a strong black mist erupted from the arm, completely engulfing the woman’s form. Thick, completely void of light, it swallowed the very existence of its target. As it faded, nothing was left. The world had already forgotten where she once stood.
​
He placed a hand on the arm, eyes closed, the white on his beard inched further into the grey, creating a thicker streak. Whispers plagued his ears, that horrid familiarity he all but wished would have disappeared with its target. He shook his head, pushing the whispers to the back of his mind where they belonged. The hum settling into obscurity as the purple glow faded.
​
His leg buckled, causing him to catch himself. He took a moment, clinking the fingers still tucked away in his pant strings to unlock the door. He tiredly pushed it open, stepping in to see Caydence on the floor inches away. He reached out, she pulled back with a whimper. He was a monster in her eyes. He paused, head lowered, gaze avoiding hers “C’mon. We don’t have long.” He tugged at a small bag near the entrance, he headed back onto the street. Caydence cautiously followed, steps behind him. Her eyes fixated on the spot Tena once stood.
Laz walked toward an alley a short distance further into the street. “You’ll… be safe soon.” He muttered through laboured breaths, his steps heavy, dragging across the pavement. Caydence observed him, red covered his left side, his knuckles and parts of his hair drenched the same. She watched his steps with a sadness she couldn’t really explain. Caydence panicked as he stumbled, she swiftly picked up the pace, lightly tugging the bag from his hand. Laz released it with no qualms, a tired smile shown for her consideration. She cradled the bag in both hands, walking at his side.
​
His knee buckled once again, world refusing to stand still while a headache seemingly began combatting the whispers. He pulled his gaze to the floor, an attempt to keep himself from falling over. He lightly shook his head, his body hesitating to move. Mind going wild as the whispers conflicting with his thoughts. This was only going to worsen, they’d barely moved. He could still see the light from his store. All the preparation was for nothing. The route planned was a long walk.
​
Caydence sent a flurry of words in his direction, adding to the mess that was his current state of mind. He raised his hand, stopping at least one source of noise. “We’re turning around” he mumbled, half out of breath. He pushed his hand against the raised knee to force himself back to his feet. “…Try to keep up” he chuckled, followed by a pained grunt.
​
They made their way back toward Laz’s store. Thankfully the street was still empty, it wouldn’t be for long. He hobbled forward, heading further toward the streets end. As his eyes returned to the floor, a few more drops of blood fell in view. A sudden jolt hit him; he’d been foolish. He was leaving a literal trail. His arm began tapping around his pant legs, a hope of finding anything he could use to stop the blood. After finding nothing, he began to panic. His breaths shortened, they were already strapped for time, and now one stupid move on his part could be his undoing. He wrestled with the fatigue, his thoughts, those whispers, trying to push it all away as he tore at the end of his pant leg. It came off jagged, not optimal, but enough. He pressed it hard against his side, holding his breath. With one problem vaguely solved, he pushed forward.
​
His legs wobbled, struggling to catch the weight with each step. His breath becoming more, and more ragged. If Caydence didn’t have her hand on his side, he’d be walking like a drunkard. Her voice picked at him once again, he could make out some sense of concern, but it took everything to just move. His mind couldn’t handle both tasks at once. Sluggishly, they made their way to a run-down shack. It sat in the dark where no light could hit, lost among the rubble of the surrounding buildings. A blanket of dust and webs across every surface. “We… made it.” The moment they walked through the entryway, the world stumbled into a pitch black. Thud. "Laz?!”
Help. Someone please help. Anyone. Please someone just open your door, stop this bastard. DO SOMETHING!
Sil’s thoughts ran wild, her footsteps losing momentum as her calves burned. She’d been running for what felt like forever. Both arms desperately holding her kid brother. A mad man screaming behind her, all but drowned out in some vague hope he’d just disappear. This wasn’t going to last. She was exhausted, everything ached. Sprigs was still a distance. No one had left their house to even glance at the noise. Her legs finally gave out, sending her and her kid brother across the pavement. Her breaths laboured, arms shaking, legs refusing to move. They were goners. It was over. Everything is over. He’d kill them in the middle of the street. She couldn’t even protect him. She couldn’t pay back Laz. That was it. “Stop! “Keep your hands off my sister!”
​
Silvia snapped back to reality, the sound of a metal twang. The strange man was standing a hairs breadth from them, angrier than before, clutching the same shin. He looked like his mind had snapped. He began mumbling something incoherent, his body shaking. He swung his fist, colliding it with Gavin’s stomach. “GAVIN!” Sil caught her brother, clutching him with dear life. The two sat on the ground, the brute inching ever closer as he pulled back his fist again. We have to run. She rolled to the side, pulling her brother with her. She tossed a small metal toy from her pocket, hitting Kenan in the side of the head while he was off balance. As he tumbled, she jumped to her feet, pulling her brother behind her.
​
“Ugh. It hurts.” Gavin whimpered, clutching his stomach as he ran behind her. “I know. We’ll be okay, I promise. Just run as fast as you can!”. They turned another corner, the lights in full view. A figure stood in its centre, big bushy hair, and muscles twice Kenan’s size. “DUCK!” a woman’s voice bellowed. Sil did as told, dropping to the floor as Kenan jumped at her, they tumbled over one another, as he stood his face collided with an outstretched fist. She took a glance to the right, a tall bulky woman stood over the two of them. She huffed, cracking her knuckles, Kenan lay motionless on the floor. Sil slumped forward, hugging Gavin ever closer. They were okay. “Thanks Deb” she sniffled. Deb softened, helping the two up. “No thanks required. I’ve wanted to punch that guy all week.” She chortled. An arm around each of them.
Ferin arrives at a distance, hunched, loosely standing as he clutches one side. He ducks behind a building as he sees Deb checking over the kid. He caught a glimpse of the two they’d chased as they’re bathed in the taverns light; it was her brother. They’d been duped. He hastily returned the way he came, leaving his companion behind. They’d been led on a goose chase, but the damage they did must have slowed him down.
The night was beginning to fade by the time he reached the street. Laz’s store light was still on, but the street was empty. He scoured his surroundings, looking for any kind of clue as to where they could’ve gone. They couldn’t be far, not with the old man in that condition. His eyes stopped on a dulled red, spots of it trickled across the floor from their fight. “…Right. She stabbed him.” He murmured; a small collection of spots drew his attention further into the nearby alley. Part of it seemed to cut off in another direction. “It goes in two directions.” the shadow lurked beneath his feet bolted through the alleyway. “…I guess I’m going this way”. He shuffled further into the street, no one lived at the far end, stacks of rubble and trash littered parts of the road. He wandered to the only remaining building, a small run-down shack. He inched closer, steps as quiet as he could make them. A musky smell flooded the air. A quiet draft seeped through the building, bringing it to life with its many groans and creaks. Splintered wood, broken furniture littered the floor, everything partially covered in a blanket of cobwebs. He loosely took a glance around the room, even the dust on the floor seemed untouched. Another creak of the floorboards, his attention drew to the corner. There was another smell that lingered in the air, something metallic. He advanced, staring hard at the corner cupboard. A small spec of red just barely missing his gaze.
Leave… C’mon…just get your ass out of here.
Laz cradled the kid in his arm, his one good hand covering their mouth, blood smeared on their cheek. They sat a breath away from the intruder. Their eyes locked, Laz used all his strength to keep Cay seated, his own breath held. As Ferin drew closer, Laz felt his heart drop. It was over. He shut his eyes. His thoughts spiralled, all his mistakes running to the forefront.
Step,
step.
“Hey. Yeah, I can’t find him. He wasn’t down- …. Uh huh. Yeah. I’m coming” His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Ferin’s frustration. He hesitantly opened one eye, just in time to catch Ferin walk past the table back toward the door. The shack grew quiet, Laz’s hand relaxed, releasing Caydence. She pulled forward, gasping for air. With the threat all but gone, all the adrenaline that was keeping him conscious began to seep away. The lack of energy pulled him into a slump, his back resting not so comfortably against the cupboard door. The wood groaned under him. His vision began to blur, all he could do was to let rest embrace him.
Whispers plagued every inch of his thoughts. The world surrounding him had all but dissolved, blacker than night. An empty void. Laz sat at its centre. “Devour them” That ungodly whisper grew louder. “Devour” It Repeated, that thought chipping away at his sanity. “…again”. He sighed. Focus, push it back. Like all those times before.
​
How many times had it attempted to sway him? It was stronger this time, edging its way into his thoughts, was it the fatigue? No, the arm. He’d always detached it after it swallowed someone. A precaution he’d been too tired to remember. This thing had never stared him in the face with such arrogance. A shadow of himself, an essence void of life, sat in front of him. It inched ever closer, voice raising in intensity. “Devour” it repeated. Multiple voices coming from one source with a constant hum. This thing, it was him. It looked like him, it did what he wanted, in its own way. Devour the problem. “Devour them” That phrase was tugging at him, how many had this thing taken? How many times did he ask? How many would it take in the future because of his selfish whims. Its words echoed again; The sound was deafening. He needed to stop thinking about this, anytime he considered its words, they grew louder. “Devour” He shook his head. “Stop!” “Dev-”
“Shut UP!” he snapped, swinging his arm through the figure before him.
​
His arm halted, caught by this seemingly intangible mess. It gripped his arm, a piercing sense of dread standing all his hairs on end. He pulled back, his arm unmoving. It gripped harder, pulling him further in. Its echoes becoming impossible to ignore, the tone so intense, his mind felt it was being torn asunder.
​
Calm yourself. This was so unlike him; Another tug pulled him from his thoughts. This thing was devouring him. He could feel his very existence shaking, this thing was trying to take over. Should he just… let it, be done with it all? It’d be easier to just, give in.
A familiar smile dragged him back to some semblance of sense. Glimpses of his friends, comrades and Caydence. He still had work to do. He pulled again; his arm gave an inch. Again. The sound that plagued him was being drowned out by pure stubbornness. One last pull, his arm finally came loose, tossing him backwards. The screams dulled, humbling themselves to mere whispers. The black surrounding them both spiralled, vague colours of light flooding in as Laz’s eyes snapped open.
His body wrenched forward; coughs battled against his ragged breaths as he clutched his chest. The metal husk hangs limply on the other side. The gears whirred, a purple energy slowly fading from within its depths. He pulled at his shirt, desperately trying to get air, to push the fear back where it should be. His heartbeat was deafening, mocking his struggle. Devour
That one line cut through everything. Panic raged through his system, he began violently tugging at the latches on his metal arm, fumbling as he flicked the fasteners off. Get it off, get it off, get it off.
​
A loud thunk hit the floor a short distance from him followed by the ping of a couple of screws. The whirring faded, but the struggle remained. His chest was still tight, the lingering pain persisted in his side, a splitting headache, and the fatigue he’d still not yet been able to sate. A very light pressure touched his arm, he recoiled. “Laz?” a quiet voice quivered.
​
His tired, pained gaze raised from the floor, two large sad eyes stared back at him. Shame dragged his gaze back to his feet. He forcefully took slow breaths, eyes shut tight so he could block out all other distractions. The breaths did nothing to quell the anxiety so he did the only thing he had faith in. He raised his good hand and slapped his cheek as hard as possible. The sting was fresh, but it had his full attention. Leaning forward, he got into a more comfortable sitting position. “Sorry kid.” He mumbled, barely audible. Caydence tentatively shifted herself until she was in his line of sight. “It’s okay” she said warmly. She sat herself in front of him. Laz looked away; the dread of their situation thrown back in his face with her smile.
​
“Why’d you slap yourself? That looked like it hurt!” Caydence leaned in further, staring at his bright red cheek. He waved her off, “Just… go pick up that arm for me, okay?”. She paused, staring, but as he refused to look her way, she gave in. Disappearing to pick up the clunky metal and its pieces from the floor. Struggling to drag it closer to him. He placed a hand on the injury on his side, running his fingers across it as softly as was possible. It still stung, but the wound itself felt like it’d healed over, there was an odd green colour smeared around the wound, almost like writing that’d been haphazardly written in a hurry. His thoughts began to linger on the night’s events, he blacked out. For how long? That question was bothering him, there was missing data, anything could’ve happened between then and now. He found himself unsettled, he no longer felt like he had all the pieces. “Did you see anyone?” he asked, inspecting the green paint that’d rubbed off on his fingertips. Caydence shook her head. “No, it’s just been us two. The scary guy didn’t come back.”
​
“…I see” he murmured. He began scanning the room, it was unchanged.
​
He sat in silence; They were further from Sprigs than where they started. The edge of the street made it harder to leave unseen. With a grunt, he leaned his weight forward, having to lean on his only arm to get into a position that’d let him stand. The closer he got to standing at full height, the worse the headache became. He fell against the counter, hand to his head as the room spun. “Gods… if the floor could stop becoming the ceiling that’d be great” He groaned. “The floor is still on the floor. Are you okay?” Caydence asked. Laz nodded, head in hand. “Mm. Just…really tired.” He took a quick look to the doorframe. They’d have to leave eventually; it was possible at this point that Devin’s last two cronies are waiting for him to arrive at Sprigs. In which case even if they got that far, it’d be an immediate game over.
Home isn’t far… but they probably know I can’t move much. He let his arm fall, head back. I’m out of ideas. His thoughts were scattered by a soft thud. An apple rolled across part of the table. It sat in a small clean circle amidst all the dust. “…Where’d that come from?” Caydence asked. Laz forced himself a few steps forward, the groans of wood loudly complaining under his weight. He picked up the apple, he gave a sincere, relieved smile. A solution, not a long term one, but one all the same. He held the apple out to Caydence; she took it tentatively. “You can eat it, it’s not poisoned.”
​
She brought the apple close, checking it inquisitively, poking and sniffing it before taking a bite. A big grin came across her face as she began munching on it wholeheartedly. Laz took another quick glance around the room, spotting the bedroom just off to its side. Where there had once been a layer of dust, broken framework, was now a well to use bed, not a speck of dust in sight. It looked like the room had been recently renovated. He noticed parts of the room he was standing in was starting to do the same. One or two cupboards were now fixed and dust free. One of the chairs at the kitchen table looked brand new.
“Thanks doc” Laz muttered, quietly praising a seemingly invisible force. Caydence looked shocked; she had watched every change as it occurred. She spotted a glass of water on the table. “This house is alive!” she exclaimed; eyes wide with excitement. The anxiety of their situation beginning to dull. “I wouldn’t say that. There’s a ghost who lives here.” He said with a darker tone, she only grew more thrilled. “Really!?” she yelled. He used the one hand to hush her tone, it was unlikely that someone could come near them at this rate, but that danger still lingered. “What’s the ghosts name?” she asked. “Doc” “…that’s not a name” her hands firmly sat on her hips; eyebrow cocked. “The hell does a ghost care if it’s not a name-” he stopped himself, shaking his head. “Kid. I need you to do me a favour.” He crouched down, his face calm. “I want you to stay here. “
​
Her smile dropped, along with her shoulders. After some hesitation she nodded. He lightly pet her hair. “It’s okay. It won’t be for long.” He stood straight, picking up the limp metal arm, he hobbled toward the front entrance. “Stay put, if you see anyone, keep as silent as possible” With that, he took a step outside. He turned his head to check back on her, the shack in shambles, she was nowhere to be seen. Dust covered everything once again.
That familiar click. Laz pushed the door, met with the silence of home. Nothing amiss. He shuffled tiredly into the room; the familiar air was enough to relieve his anxieties for a brief moment. Focused, he tossed the metal arm in his hand onto the workbench. Moving to the back wall, his palm across it until his fingers felt movement. With a tiny click, the wall opened up part way, metal limbs hung from various hooks. Looking through the selection, he grabbed hold of one covered with various painted shapes. He brought the arm close to his shoulder, a few quickened breaths as he pressed the metal against the casing on the stub of his shoulder. He winced, air catching as his nerves attached to this metal husk. The moment his fingers could twitch, he set his sights on the old arm. Tearing the panel from the forearm, he exposed a purple crystal. He paused, his hand hesitating. Swallowing his resolve, he tentatively took it in his fingers, staring at it with a sense of hatred before holding it close to the new arm.
​
This arm had an exposed forearm, while maintaining a much larger frame than the previous one. The crystal tugged as it neared the opening, a few sparks catching the flesh of his fingers. He dropped it in, letting the arm flex and light up a brilliant purple. With his replacement all said and done, he gripped the small stool from behind the counter, dragging it loudly across the floorboards. Once it sat in the middle of the room, he set himself on it. Hunched, arms resting on his knees, staring at the door.
The hours dug at him, pushing that exhaustion further. He refused to fall to it, that purple tint being a constant reminder. The whispers had returned, stealing away the silence. The only bright side being, the pain had begun to dull. As the sun had both arrived and began to set, he questioned if this was the right decision. They’d have been to Sprigs by now. He let his head sink; eyes closed as he pondered his next action. He couldn’t tell how much time passed before a hum pulsated from his arm. He flicked his fingers, the door unlocking. “I didn’t think I’d find you here.” Ferin confessed. He tried to smile, but the glare from Laz sent shivers down his spine. “I’m glad you’re ok…” Laz’s silence set him on edge. “…I-I know we didn’t exactly have a good night, but you have to realize I was just doing my job.” Ferin raised both hands awkwardly smiling. Laz stood, glowering down at his guest. Ferin cowered, hands in front in a vague attempt at protection. “Look, it’s not like I wanted-” he stopped as Laz shifted his gaze to the stairs. He glanced at them, confused as nothing happened. Laz gave him a push in their direction. “You want me to go upstairs?” he asked. With no response, he took it as an order.
​
The living room was empty, save for one sleeping hound in the corner. It was as messy as he’d expected. Three plates set on the table; cups included. That would’ve been Silvia and her brother from yesterday. There was nothing amiss, no signs of a fourth person ever being here. Shamefully, he returned downstairs.” I told you.” Laz said, seated back on his stool. “I just did as I was told.” “Call Devin here.” He stated plainly. Ferin flinched, his eyes darting to the shadow beneath his feet and back. “I really can’t do tha-” the click of the lock echoes through the store. Both of them stood in silence.
​
“Devin. I know you can hear me.” The shadow faltered in shape. “Either you come here, or you lose another set of eyes.” Ferin stumbled backwards. “Look… We can just… talk this out. There’s no reason to go that far. Right?” he stammered. He shuffled back further, his back colliding with a few boxes. As minutes of silence passed, Laz let out a sigh. His arm whirred to life while rising to his feet. Ferin scrambled back up the stairs, tripping more than once. Calmly, Laz followed him.
​
The entire building went silent, the purple light dimmed from Laz’s arm. The shadow in the centre of the room was now nothing more than a pitch-black shape on the floor, no body above it to cast the humanoid shape it took. It held the shape of Ferin’s last moments. Slowly it began to slink away, vanishing down the stairs and out the door. His arm quietened; whispers took its place. Tiredly, he tugged the crystal from his arm, dropping it on the counter. He leaned over, putting the majority of his weight on it as he battled the fatigue both mental and physical. He had won. Devin had left, Caydence was still safe, he could relax. The blood on his fingers caught his attention, walking through town like that would be unwise. He hobbled back up the steps, more wary than before, preparing to wash the blood off before picking Caydence up. While out of the room, the crystal on the counter hummed quietly.
​
All cleaned up, he returned to the street, grabbing the crystal and a few other supplies on his way. He did his best to hide his wary state as he walked down the beaten path. It caught him by surprise to see Caydence in its centre. She grinned as she spotted him, running up as fast as she could. “Laz! You came back!” she beamed, wrapping her arms around him. “How-” he caught himself. It didn’t matter, no one was here, she was still safe. Everything was fine, it didn’t matter if she had come looking for him. “You should’ve stayed put.” He said, tussling her hair. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood” He led her down the original alley they’d tried the day prior, following the path he’d set out. It didn’t take long till they reached the main street near Sprigs. As the sun disappeared from the sky, they swiftly made their way into the tavern doors.
They stood at the bottom of some stairs, underneath the main counter. A passage leading off under the city. Laz had taken a seat on the bottom step, his fatigue still high, and now that the danger was gone, he was ready to give in and finally rest. Caydence stood next to Deb, hand in hers as Sprig spoke to them both. Instructions on which direction to go, and who would take Caydence home once they were out. It had only occurred to Laz now, that she didn’t have the sack that contained the blueprints with her. It being left was something they couldn’t fix, but he knew it meant her hardship was for nothing. He hung his head; he should have been more on top of things. If he’d been sleeping better, it would have turned out differently. He felt a light pressure touch his arm, followed by warmth as Caydence pulled him into a hug. Her arms around his neck now that he was a similar height. “Thank you” she sniffled. Laz wrapped both arms around her, patting her back. “You’re welcome squirt.” They pulled away, Laz giving her a tired grin. “Stay safe.”
​
“You too, old man.” They both chuckled, Deb took hold of Caydence’s hand once more. They began walking down the passage, Caydence turning to wave before they were out of view. She had mouthed something he couldn’t quite make out.
​
Laz couldn’t remember much of what happened after. His mind was fuzzy, somehow, he’d made it home onto the couch. The next few days were a blur. He slept a lot, someone seemingly stopped by twice to check on him, food was left on the table, the room was cleaned. The fridge was restocked. He barely left the couch, sitting up once or twice to eat something then sleeping some more. With his thoughts back in order, he was able to get back to his normal duties. Tinkering with a few bits and pieces downstairs. The house felt empty, he had been so used to the chattering of someone else. He did his best to make his rounds, finish a few projects. As the day began coming to an end, he decided it was about time to close up shop. After locking the store, putting his metal arm on the counter, he started up the stairs. Pausing. He turned back around, glancing to the front door. After a moment of silence, he continued up the stairs. He plopped himself down on the couch after grabbing some foil covered food from the fridge, fork in hand. The hound lay at his feet, propping its head up once in a while as Laz offered him parts of his meal.
Once the food was all but gone, he relaxed on the couch, soon falling asleep before the sun had even fully set. As the night dragged on, he began to stir. The whispers returning as they had started the night prior. The lack of fatigue had made them louder. Attempting to drown them out, he tried thinking of anything else.
Suddenly a loud thud silenced the whispers, startling him. He surveyed the dark abyss that was his living room. It was unchanged. The banging came again. He clambered off the couch, hesitantly walking down the stairs in the dark. Grabbing the metal arm, he reattached it. Cautiously he moved to the door, clicking his fingers and pushing it himself. Something launched at him, knocking him backwards onto the floor. “LAZ!” a familiar voice squealed.
​
The shock took over, being replaced by a pit in his stomach. “Cay?” he stuttered. Receiving a big smile in response. Why was she here? How did she get here? His thoughts raced, body unwilling to move as he sat there stumped. He caught himself, swiftly moving to lock the door, but a foot stopped the floor from closing. His arm whirred to life, a purple glow lighting part of his face as a figure stepped into the room with them. Their shadow curving along the walls. Laz pulled Caydence closer, getting between them as he stood full height.
​
“You let your guard down, brother.” Another’s voice filled the air.” I decided to take up your invitation.” A tall male stood in the room, closing the door behind him. Half of his hair dark as night was slicked back, the other covered part of his face, with a white edge; He wore a lengthy trench coat, a turtle-neck underneath. Along his chest was a belt fitted with small holders for vials of various sizes. He pushed up his thick glasses, staring Laz down with a smile. “Caydence.” He murmured quietly. Laz looked to Caydence, who was jumping up and down on her feet. “I fixed our problems!” She cheered. Laz stood dumbfounded; the dread accumulating. “Young Caydence told me everything. “He began, “…how?” Laz voiced his thoughts. “You really shouldn’t leave kids by themselves in such dusty environments.”
​
She wasn’t in the shack when I got back. Devin had known where she was. “You… broke your promise.” He muttered sadly. His head lowered in defeat. “I know, but Mr Devin said we could fix everything-” “It doesn’t matter! I told you-” he caught himself. She inched toward Devin. Unaware of the danger she was in. He stopped, clenching both fists. “…What did you want Devin.” He asked quietly. “I came to renegotiate our old deal.”
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“… Caydence, upstairs.” Laz said, his voice shaking “Please.” Reluctantly, Caydence went up to the second floor, leaving the two to talk. “Her safety, what did you want in return?”.
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Caydence stood upstairs, glancing down to the bottom every few minutes. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but Laz was slumped in place, everything he said seemed mumbled. She sat herself down, bored of waiting. As the night dragged on, she fell asleep hunched against the stairwell bannister. The only thing that woke her was the creaking floorboards of someone walking by. She cracked one blue eye open, groggily spotting him stumbling into the kitchen, hand to his face. “Laz?” she asked. “Are you gonna-” he disappeared into the bedroom in the middle of her sentence, closing the door behind him.
The next few days were awkwardly quiet, Laz barely left the room. Anytime Caydence tried to initiate some form of conversation with him he returned to the bedroom. He had come out to make sure she had something to eat but that was all. He had a piece of gauze over his right eye. She eventually found other things to pass the time, playing with Bruno, reading any book Laz had in his horde of boxes downstairs. While she stared quietly at the ceiling one morning he finally came out of his room. She sat herself up, watching him as he sat himself at the top of the stairs. She pottered over to him. He stared down at the ground floor as she took a seat next to him, curious but cautious. The passing silence was unpleasant, she wanted to break it, but couldn’t find the words to do so.
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“You’re going home today.” He murmured. “I’ll be walking you back. I got permission…” he continued. Caydence smiled, jiggling in her spot.” You can come see my house, and I can show you my mom and dad, and my little brother and my friend-” his face brought her back to reality. He looked sad his body was still in the same kind of slump from that night.
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“Mm” he took in a deep breath, lightly hitting the sides of his face. “I’m sorry for moping.” He gave a faint smile. “It’s okay.” She tousled his hair, the same way he’d done earlier. He chuckled before offering his metal hand for her to grab. She took it, wrapping her fingers around two of his metal ones. He led her down the stairs and out the door. Clicking it shut behind them both. “So can I not come back?” she asked as they walked down the street. “…You can come back. Me and Devin came to an arrangement” “So you don’t mind if I come visit?” “Mm.” She smiled to herself, a small skip picking up in her step. She hadn’t noticed him look away, leading her down the road in broad daylight. His mind drifting. I just may not be here.
