Danger in the Shadows Part 2

The man crouches in the shadows, too focused on his knife throwing to notice someone approaching. Mint takes a few silent footsteps, then taps on his shoulder.

He spins around and is greeted by a young boy standing over him with his arms raised above his head. This isn’t the appearance the man expected from an assailant.

A doll-like face with big, teary green eyes, framed by downy, strawberry blond hair. He manages to think “Who is this kid?” before Mint’s staff collides with his skull.

ꕤ

Asa runs through the forest. Iris isn’t slowing down.

“Iris! Iris!” He calls, pushing branches aside.

She disappears into the foliage. “Iris?!”

He chases after her and runs into a clearing. Sunlight bathes yellowish green grass. The leaves rustle peacefully in the breeze. He looks around, but has no idea where she went.

“Where did you go?” He takes a few steps forward. Something tightens around his ankle.

Before he knows what’s happening, he’s suspended in the air. He feels a sharp pressure in his arms, legs, wrists, ankles, torso… Wire?

He manages to tuck a hand in between his neck and the wire before it tightens further. It acts as a cushion, protecting his throat from the pressure, but it’s still very tight. Someone emerges from the foliage, and walks into the clearing.

It’s Iris, but she’s different. A black and red wrapped leotard hugs her curves and a short, pleated half skirt adorns her hips.

Large, silver pauldrons give the illusion of menacing stature, creamy white fabric billowing from beneath. On her head is a circlet and a giant, decorative bow. The girl’s vulnerable and naive eyes are now cold and dangerous.

“I’m guessing your name isn’t actually Iris.” Asa rasps, humorously. There’s a bitterness in his voice.

“You don’t deserve to know my actual name.” Her childlike voice is now distinctly adult.

His face burns. He knows he shouldn’t let himself get riled up by an enemy, but he had helped her. He had shown nothing but kindness to her and she doesn’t even have the decency to be respectful while killing him?

“People like you are what ruins society.” Her tone is so venomous. So hateful and personal. He has no clue what he could’ve done to warrant this, enemy or not.

“Soft.” She wiggles a finger, and the wires tighten.

“Weak.” She tightens them more.

“Narcissistic.” And more. Stars fill his vision. His armor prevents the wires from cutting him, but that’s not going to mean much if the pressure smashes his throat. His diaphragm spasms, trying to get air into his lungs, but only creating a painful vacuum that crushes them instead.

“You were so focused on seeming like a good person, you didn’t notice I was planning to kill you. You didn’t care that Iris was fake, as long as she stroked your ego.” She walks closer and closer as she speaks. “People like you should die.”

The wire tightens significantly. His eyes go wide and veins pop from his neck. His teeth chatter as his jaw clenches. His body writhes instinctively, but to no avail. “Die, just die!”

The wires tighten A LOT. His eyes roll back in his head. His oxygen starved brain is convinced she’s in the process of snapping his head off.

Never in his life has he seen someone react with so much hate. What did I do that was so wrong?

He’s going to die and Mint’s going to blame himself for the rest of his life.

As his consciousness fades, there’s only one thought left in his mind. I’m sorry. I’m not going to be okay.

☼

Asa’s body has gone completely limp, only propped upright by the wire. She hasn’t loosened it any.

His head sags forward, a strangely peaceful expression on his face, albeit one with a hint of distress still lingering on it. All she has to do now is wait for his heart to stop.

That’ll only take about ten minutes. She’ll be a sitting duck the entire time, but he could become a real thorn in their side if he’s resuscitated.

Best to make sure there’s no possibility of that. Who could even get in the way? The only person who was traveling with him was that little kid and she doesn’t think he could do much.

Nevertheless, she shouldn’t let her guard down. He might be small and wimpy, but people can do unpredictable things when backed into a corner.

She’ll keep her eyes peeled, but for the time being, nobody’s here. It’s just her and Asa, hanging from her wires.

“This is boring.” She mutters. “If I pull hard enough, you think I can break your neck?”

Predictably, he doesn’t answer. She isn’t going to do it either way. It can be hard to judge how much force it takes to break someone’s neck and if she overdoes it… Things can get pretty messy.

She’s not making that mistake again. So all she can do is sit and stare. For some reason, his face unsettles her.

The faces of people she has to kill always do, but his is worse. Something inside her writhes and squirms.

It’s a part of herself she’s been trying to kill, and she’s killing it. Right now. As the seconds tick by, it squirms more and more, attempting to escape its death.

It squirms and squirms and writhes until her guts are churning. She knows that if she kills that annoying part of herself, something terrible will happen.

Something much, much worse than death. She doesn’t know what exactly, but the possibility fills her with dread.

It eats away at her resolve. She grimaces. I can do it this time! I can! I can’t go back empty handed!

With a flex of her fingers, the wires tighten. Asa has no response, besides a lifeless roll of his head as it’s jostled by them. His face is uncanny.

He can’t open his eyes. Can’t move. Can’t speak. Can’t even think. Acid’s eating away at his cheek and he doesn’t even notice. It’s like he’s an object. The writhing in her guts reaches a boiling point and she feels like she’s crawling out of her skin.

She grits her teeth and pulls.

☼

Mint and the mysterious woman crunch through the grass. Spots of sunlight speckle their skin from the canopy above.

“You did so good. I’m proud of you.” She says, in a way that straddles a bit close to doting. Mint looks pale.

“I think I killed that guy.” He says with a thousand yard stare.

“Nahh…” She waves a hand dismissively. “Those guys have thick skulls.”

“And Asa isn’t where I thought he’d be. What if he’s hurt?”

“If he is, he’ll be okay. He’s tough.” She says this with a strong warmth and unwavering faith. She must be really familiar with him.

“I still can’t believe you know Asa, too.”

“Sure do. He’s one of my favorite people.” Her tone is one of pride.

“Who is he to you?”

The woman smiles fondly. “My most precious friend.”

There’s an opening in the trees. It leads to a clearing with yellowish grass. They walk through it, the woman holding a branch aside for Mint. “Wherever he is, he couldn’t have gone – “

“ – far…” A few feet away, Asa lies in the grass, unmoving. His limbs splay out and his eyes are closed. His face is covered in injuries, including a large, bloody lesion on his cheek.

“Asa?” She whispers, stunned.

“Asa!” Cries Mint, breaking into a mad dash. The woman joins him.

☼

The woman who strangled Asa runs through the forest with inhuman speed. The type only an Animaguard could provide.

She runs away from the scene of the attack with practiced precision and stealth, each step made with purpose.

This is the stride of an assassin, silent and disciplined.

⟡

If Asa’s lying on the ground and no one else is here, that means… Mints eyes snap to the partially corroded travel pack on the forest floor. No, they couldn’t have.

They couldn’t have taken the Key. Asa would’ve stopped them. He would’ve fought with everything in him.

If the Key is gone and Asa is still here, that means he’s… He’s… “Asa!”

Tears spring from Mint’s eyes. The woman runs faster than him.

She makes it to Asa’s side first, dropping to her knees. “Asa!”

She gathers his face in her hands. “Asa? Can you hear me?”

She gently pats his unwounded cheek. “Asa. Hey. Say something!”

Mint attention is stuck on the bag. His legs tremble as he approaches it, helplessly trapped in morbid fixation. He puts one foot after the other, almost stumbling. The bag. If the Key isn’t in the bag then… Asa is…

ꕤ

As the assassin makes her escape, her mouth twists in bitter frustration and humiliation. Her brows squeeze together, almost looking pained. Images flash in her mind without her control.

A woman, tangled in her wires, brown strands of hair pulled loose from her ponytail. Kind eyes and a compassionate smile, trying to get through to her even though she knew she was going to be killed.

He has the same, openhearted eyes, ones that still reach out to someone who’s hurting him. What kind of idiot is he? There’s no logical reason to help me.