Ch 9: High Five!!

The ring of the shot was deafening, trailed by a high-pitched whirring.

Gooey, fleshy remnants everywhere. A canvas painted with splatters of carmine and human pieces.

Ace wiped the warm residue off his face, flinging the slimy pieces that were now covering his fingers. He swallowed the saliva that was scuttling up his throat, but there was more coming. Unable to fight the urge, he curled over, emptying all the Bocari Sweet he had drunk earlier.

Among the bloody scraps was a small glimmering item. Allowing the nausea to pass, Ace picked it up, wiping the blood hiding its shiny surface. It was a gold pendant. Curious, he pressed the button on the side, causing it to open.

Inside was a family. A young man with an exemplary smile, accompanied by a beautiful wife and a small child. Without a doubt, the young man was the same one in front of them right now.

Brains splattered all over the floor.

“Hey,” Hiro placed his hand firmly on Ace’s shoulder. “Don’t think about it too much.”

Ace breathed in as if about to speak, before releasing an exasperated sigh. There was nothing he wanted to say.

“Not everything went to plan, but hey, mission accomplished. High five!!”

Really? High five, after that?

Not wanting to leave him hanging, Ace reluctantly raised his arm.

Their palms landed with a wet slap.

“You see, we got the money! I told ya everything would’ve worked out. Perfect. Not everything went to plan, but it worked out.”

Suddenly, Ace remembered something.

“Oh. Erm. About that…”

“About what?”

“You uh…thirsty?”

“Huh? I guess I do with a drink after that. Why’d ya ask?”

“Erm…Well, lucky you. I've got just the perfect thing.”

Ace presented a small blue and white card.

“No way! We got what we needed from the mission, and this as well? How’d ya get it?”

Ace dropped his head into his hands.

“Erm, so. You remember how I was magically summoned here from another world, right? Yeah, so when I went to collect your bounty, I wasn’t on the system. So, I had to choose either that or 50% e-book vouchers….”

“What the f*ck? You didn’t go with the e-book vouchers?”

“Huh? Really?” Ace’s eyes jumped up.

“No dipshi*t. I don’t care about that. So, there’s really no money?”

“Well…no…But if you want, with the Bocari Sweet, we can start a drop shipping business...”

Hiro strolled over to one of the black cars, flinging the mangled corpse out of the driver's seat. He sat in, hands examining the steering wheel.

“So uhhh how much is one of these worth anyways?”

                                                                              ***

Sector 8 – One Day Later

Ace twirled the pendant’s chains around his finger. Over the past day, he’d used it as a fidget toy, popping it open and closing it again with a click. Studying the faces of the happy family inside: a joyous man, a beautiful woman, and their petite child. On the table in front of them sat a small cupcake with a singular candle.

If we didn’t decide to do that mission…Or if we did it on a different day…Would he have made it back to his family that night?

The answer was obvious. But he didn’t want to accept it. Perhaps everyone who died that day had family waiting for them. He knew that. But knowing didn’t make things any easier.

Could they still be out there? Waiting for him to come home just like my family must’ve been. Some place far, far away from here?

The burning feeling of selfishness pooled in his heart. Some of the blood was on his own hands after all.

Voices murmured from Hiro’s room. Ace sat up, trying to make out what they were saying. Unable to discern the words, he tiptoed over the jumble of wires to the door, pressing his ear to the cold metal.

A raspy, weathered voice scoffed, “Utterly pathetic.”

"They were moving to eleven, not nine. When I tried to find out why, the guy just
blew his brains out; he was rambling about being watched by something." Hiro replied.

“Eleven? Must be a blunder. An addict. You should pay it no heed."

"But it was exactly as you said. He came from another world with her, and they got split up. He's not on the system, so he’s not lying. I even tracked him in Sector Seven for a few days to make sure.”

A resounding cackle burst out, sharp and unexpected.

"Finally, the time is coming, Hiro. For both me and for you.”

“The thing is, though, we still haven’t deciphered the rune circuit. What makes you so sure about him?”

“Are you questioning me, Hiro?” The words were razor sharp, tapered towards Hiro’s slight insolence.

“No, it's not that, it’s just…I don’t think it’s the case.”

"This is not the time to take risks, Hiro. You should lay off the premonitions as well." The words were effervescing like water beginning to boil.

"R-Relax,” Hiro let out a jittery laugh. A tone Ace hadn’t heard from him, even in the heat of battle. “E-even if it is, I don’t think he’s aware of it.”

"I will not tolerate your recklessness. Not when we’re this close. There has been a drastic surge in disappearances lately. Proceed with caution and don’t meddle with things you don’t understand.”

“Yeah, I get it.” Hiro’s voice was slumping, shrinking back.

“The library opens again in a week. This is our chance. It's perfect. Almost too perfect. Where is he now?”

“With me.”

“He can’t hear us, can he?”

Ace’s stomach twisted into a knot. As soon as the words reached him, the jumble of wires became a gauntlet of traps. As if the blood in his veins had turned to sludge, maintaining balance was a struggle.

I need to get back to the sofa.

One step at a time, he backed away from the door. Wary of each of the metal trinkets that dotted the floor.

Planting himself softly on the sofa, Hiro’s door slid open.

Ace flicked the pendant’s clasp, attempting to seem preoccupied.

“Still thinking about that? I told you you’re not going to get far in this world if you get stuck up on things like that.”

“Uh…Yeah, I know.”

The fridge door swung open, releasing a wave of cool air that revealed rows upon rows of blue cans. “You want one?” Hiro asked.

“Nah, I'm ok. I've already had seven of them today.”

“You can have an eighth,” he said, throwing a can slightly too high. Ace stretched to reach it.

“Just because they're free now doesn’t mean you have to drink so many of them.”

Hiro took a seat opposite him, Bocari Sweet in hand.

“I have a lead on where we might find Cecilia.”