Requiem for a Mouse (20 page)

SASHA

I’m sure drawing a lot of attention today.

Sasha looked around at the gamblers in Hawk’s Lair staring at her. It felt very reminiscent of the last time she was here. Once again, she didn’t know if she would make it out alive. But this time, there was nobody depending on her to save them.

Sasha felt like a child. Her legs dangled loosely below her. The guard’s embrace was so tight she found it hard to breathe. She felt herself being carried away to wherever The Dragon’s Pit was. It didn’t sound like a five-star resort.

“What’s The Dragon’s Pit?” She asked. The guard carrying her didn’t stop. With every step he took, his arms dug deeper into her ribs until she thought they would crack.

“It’s the place we send all the rule breakers of this city.” A man with thick glasses responded. He was the same man who had come out with Lao, probably someone pretty important.

“Yeah?” Sasha responded. “Well, what rule did I break?”

The man with glasses seemed offended that she even asked. “You tried to kill The Dragon. Our very first rule forbids violence.”

“He’s still alive isn’t he? And it’s not because you guys stopped me.”

“Then what was it? Because you had a sudden change of heart?”

“Mice don’t kill.”

“Enough.” Lao stepped in front of the spectacled man. Whatever humorous facade he previously had was gone. All that was left was the cold king of the city. “Do you honestly believe you can talk your way out of this one?”

“Lao,” Sasha said. “A king is the embodiment of his ideals, a slave to them. Those are your words. How do those ideals feel about you killing an innocent girl?”

Lao sighed and gave her a gentle look. He brought up his hand and rested it on her head in a soft pat. His face twisted in anger. He grabbed a clump of her hair and yanked it down, exposing her neck.

“You will not call me Lao,” The Dragon growled. “You will show me the respect I demand.”

Sasha stifled a scream. It felt like her hair was being torn apart. The smell of gasoline hung off The Dragon like cheap cologne.

“Nobody in this city is innocent.” The Dragon continued. With each word, he tugged even harder until Sasha was looking at the ceiling. “So you read a few words from my book. I wrote that a long time ago, back when I didn’t know any better.”

Between The Dragon pulling her hair and the guard squeezing the air out of her body, Sasha found it hard to talk. “You still believe in something, don’t you?” She uttered.

To her relief, The Dragon let go. “I believe that two is greater than one. I believe that ideals are as cheap as the people who believe them. I believe that great things come at great cost. The only choices in this world are the lesser of two evils. If I believed that I was the greater evil for this city, I would put a bullet through my brain right now.” With a nod, he stepped away so the guard could continue escorting Sasha. “I should have ended you long ago.”

“So why didn’t you?” Sasha screamed breathless.

The guard stopped. The Dragon stepped in front of them. “You reminded me of something I once believed in. And now, when you disappear, I can finally rid myself of those false beliefs.”

“What beliefs? That you’re allowed to toy with our lives for your own pleasure?”

“Sasha, you only know half the truth. I do these things for the same reason I became The Dragon, to save this city!” The Dragon leaned in close and growled into Sasha’s ear, “You still believe that life can be fair. I lost my naivety long before you were even born.”

“I never believed that.” Sasha muttered to the ground, tears returning to her eyes. “Of course life isn’t fair. From the time we’re born, the cards are already stacked against us. We’re born with different talents, into different families, at different times; all of which may determine our future more than we ever could. I don’t need you to remind me of that.”

Just as her first tear fell, she brought up her eyes to face The Dragon. From deep within, she found the strength to yell. “Yet we still choose to live! We wake up every day and rage against the lives we were given. We play the shitty hands we were dealt and when beat by impossible odds, we smile or laugh or cry, but we always wait for the next round. It might not mean a thing to you, but that’s how we live!”

For the shortest second, the only sound in the entire casino was the sound of Sasha’s uncontrollable sobs.

At last, The Dragon responded, his words slow and deliberate. “There is no beauty in that struggle, only suffering.”

“How would you understand our struggle? You’ve never been at the bottom. You don’t know what it’s like to stay up, wondering if your family will make it back tonight. You have no idea what it’s like to risk our lives every week just for a bit to eat. So don’t mock us Mice!”

The Dragon shook his head turned away from her. This was as far as she went.

Suddenly, a deafening crack resounded through the casino. It sounded like the earth itself had split in two. In a single instant, The Dragon’s ear disappeared in a flower of blood. He screamed and crunched over, clutching his ear with both hands. The guard threw Sasha aside as he leapt onto The Dragon; just in time for two bullets to lodge themselves into his back.

All eyes turned to see the shooter. Sasha’s breath caught. It was the same man she had seen the other day. He had on the same mask she saw that day too, except now, he had painted a curved smile on the faceless mask of the Lions. The smile shone blood red. His arm stretched toward her with the glistening metal of a pistol at the end of it.

“The Slasher,” someone said.

The room exploded into pandemonium. The gamblers of Hawk’s Lair pushed and shoved each other, climbing on top of tables and jumping into the crowd only to be crushed in the stampede. The Slasher disappeared amidst the chaos.

A thunderous noise filled the room and a fourth bullet smashed the chandelier right above Sasha. She covered her face as the chandelier’s teeth rained down upon her. A fifth shot erupted, shattering a glass window right behind Sasha.

Without a second thought, Sasha pushed herself off the ground, and sprinted toward the broken window. But before she could dive through the shattered glass, a hand snatched her arm and a large body fell on top of her, pinning her to the ground.

JYNX

It was The Slasher. Of all the people who could show up, it had to be him and it had to be right now. The gamblers of Hawk’s Lair were in a panic, scrambling over each other and on top of furniture to escape. The Slasher had disappeared inside the chaos. Around her, The Dragon’s guards had their guns out, pointed at their customers.

“Guns down!” she screamed. But she could see it in the eyes of the guards, they were just as scared as the crowd in front of them. Nobody could live in this city without hearing of The Slasher. With every retelling of the story, his deeds became more gruesome and his powers more amazing.

Beside the broken window, there was only a single way out of Hawk’s Lair, and they were standing in the way of it. Each person inside the crowd probably thought The Slasher was right next to him. It was only a matter of time before one of them decided to make a mad dash toward the exit and when that happened…

I have to get the guards to put away their guns.

Jynx stepped in front of them with her arms stretched to her full wingspan. “Put down your guns!”

It didn’t seem like they could hear her above the sound of panic. She watched the guards, half of them trembling at the knees, their faces pale and eyes wide.

She heard a gasp and then all the guns pointed at her. The entire room quieted. “Such ugly noise,” a deep voice said from behind her. “I’m sorry such a pretty girl has to hear this.”

Jynx turned to see a smile painted in blood on a blank mask. The Slasher gripped her sides with his hand, his jagged blade against her back.

“It’s funny how it works, when it’s only a single scream, it produces such a beautiful note. But together, it’s all wrong. Nobody wants to hear such dissonance.”

“What do you want?” Jynx asked. Now that the entire casino had gone silent, it sounded like she was talking too loud.

The Slasher laughed, his chest heaving with his laughter. The edge of his knife danced on her back but did not cut. “I am not a very possessive man, but the red-eyed Mouse is mine.”

Jynx nodded, though she wasn’t sure The Slasher could tell from behind.

“Put down your guns.” The Dragon said, finally escaped from under his guard. The guards did so. “So you’re The Slasher, I’ve heard stories about you.”

“Oh?” The Slasher’s words held a curious inflection. “And what have you heard?”

The Dragon stepped toward him until he was standing right in front of Jynx. “I’ve heard that you can walk through walls, disappear in shadows, and when you kill people, you steal their souls. Frankly, I’m disappointed. You’re only human.”

The Slasher giggled. “I can see why you’re disappointed then.”

“It seems that we are at a standoff.” Blood dripped from The Dragon’s ear onto his suit, growing the red stain already there. Half his ear hung off his body, held together by a single thread of flesh. “You have your girl and I have mine. That’s my daughter you have and I am an extremely possessive man.”

“Then I’d like to propose a trade.”

The Dragon snapped his fingers and a guard came dragging Sasha in tow. She yelled obscenities as her feet scraped against the floor, but she wasn’t strong enough to fight the guard.

“You read my mind.” The Slasher said. “But now we have to figure out a way I leave here alive.”

“My word’s not enough?”

“If your word is all you can offer me, then I’m afraid I’ve wasted your time.” The Slasher giggled again. “So, are you going to try to kill me first, or should I go first?”

“How about neither.” Sasha declared.

Both The Slasher and The Dragon gave Sasha an incredulous stare.

“Oh? Did you forget that I’m not just a bargaining chip? I can still talk, you know. I don’t know about you guys, but I intend to live.”

The Slasher threw his head up and laughed. “Do you not see how I am taken by this girl? Dragon, you heard the girl, let us do what we came here to do, and bargain.”

LAO

“Why did you let them go?” Jinx screamed. Now that they were in the privacy of Lao’s office, her volume control went out the window. Not even Salib’s presence had quieted her down.

Lao snickered. “To save your life.” He winced as he pressed the bandage onto his ear. It was a crude job, but there was work to be done. Right now, he had to figure out what to do about Sasha and The Slasher.

“There was a million things you could’ve done, but you let them both just walk out the front door.” Jinx’s hands flailed violently. Whatever composure she had kept during the negotiations was long gone. “You’ve always had a soft spot for that girl and now it’s going to cost us everything!”

“She doesn’t know enough of the truth to cost us that much.”

“But to give her another drop, knowing that she knows this much. Are you insane?” Jynx yelled. “What happens if she tells the other Mice?”

“She knows what will happen if she tells anyone. She should keep quiet if only to protect her family.”

Jinx threw her hands up and slammed them down on the table in front of her. “As if that girl follows reason! She marched into here with a knife to kill you!”

Lao ground his teeth together. “Then I’ll break my promise.”

“You’re taking a risk because you pity this girl.”

“You’re forgetting who you’re speaking to.” Lao’s icy gaze honed into Jynx’s eyes.“I think
you
need to remember.” Jinx remained unafraid. She lifted up the hem of her shirt to reveal a black dragon seared into her waist. “You’ve grown soft, Dragon.”

“Not soft enough for you to be talking to me like this.”

Without the formality between them, Jinx seemed foreign. It reminded him of back when she was still young and wild. The last time she had gotten like this, he had her branded.

“You used to be a feared king. Now look at you, bullied by a little girl. If you’re not strong enough, someone else will take your spot. All men wish to rule.” Jynx lowered her shirt and stomped out the room.

Lao watched her leave. When Jinx was well away from his office, Salib spoke. His voice sounded awkward in the tense silence. “Dragon, I –”

“Salib,” Lao’s voice waned as if he was too tired to properly finish the sentence. “Do you also think that I made the wrong choice here?”

Salib looked away a little too obviously. “It’s not my place to say.” After a brief pause, he turned back toward Lao. “I just wonder why it is that this girl is so special. Sasha.”

Lao sighed and fell back into his chair. “Before I was The Dragon, I was a boy that believed in legends and heroes. I thought that if I could save this city, I might go down in legend. I was a fool to believe there was anything grand about that.

“I had thought I killed that boy, but every time I see Sasha, how desperately she clings to hopeless ideals...” The Dragon sighed. “So hopeless it’s tragic. But there is beauty in her struggle. Jynx wishes for me to do away with her, like she is just another one of the rats that that run through my city. You tell me that if it’s between this city and her, it’s an easy choice. But, I’m not so sure.”

The room fell silent. Salib stared at his hands. Looking up, he said, “Please, tell me about how you met her. The guards still tell stories about it, though I’m not sure how much of it is exaggerated.”

“Okay.” Lao closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. “Then listen carefully, because I will only tell this story once.” His heart jumped just remembering the story. It was a story about a girl whose eyes burned hotter than hell itself. In his mind, everything played out just as he remembered it.

It was perhaps almost three months ago now. The most surprising thing was that he had never heard of this girl until then, a teenage girl who led the most successful group of Mice to ever run the streets. By the time he had arrived, she already had the knife to her eye.

“You have such pretty eyes,” her attacker had told her…