My black hat was laying on the floor beside the staircase. Instinctively, I touched the top of my head and felt my cold and wet hair.
I picked up my hat and wore it back on my head. My lips moved to the sides as I felt a deep satisfaction.
Even though the thugs, Nackir and the others left, I couldn't help but think that I forgot something.
Glancing behind my shoulder, I saw the fat man, Jugör, muttering something under his breath but he was…. ' cooperating.'
'what is it?...what did I forget?' I asked myself over and over, However, the more I tried to remember what I forgot, the only thing that kept running in mind was the horrible things I suffered.
The thugs, the beatings, the moving stain which melted into my hand. The upside down hanging woman, the burning, the war vision. Everything that happened after.
But how did I kill him like that? He was beating me a second before he was dead.
'... Wait! My vision went blank before he was dead!.' I suddenly remembered the chorus saying 'kill!' and all.
I turned my left arm back and forth. There was nothing there. Just my regular hand. But I know, whatever that black stain was, it's real. And whatever is inside this is giving me some kind of…. 'Power.'
'That woman ... .did she take control of me and kill him?' My thoughts ran wild as I came to realize, I did not kill anyone! It was that woman!
For a while, I couldn't think about anything until a scream pulled me out of my own world.
"Aaaaaa! Let go!"
' Is that a child's voice?'
" What's a child doing here?" Jugör grumbled, but he did not raise his head to look out.
Suddenly my eyes widened as I remembered what I forgot. It was to save Laura, the magician. And I brought her daughter and she was still outside!
" How the hell did I forget something like her!?" Leaving Lali with pimp-like-policemen was not a good idea. They're bound to do something to her!
I paced around the narrow hall thinking what I could do. It would have been great if I could use whatever 'power' it was but….after I left that room, I can't see the colours. And I don't know how to use it.
After a second, Jugör caught my eye, ' Hey…. isn't he their boss?' I stared at jugör as my lips parted into a grin.
Jugör took a step back and put up his arms in front of him, " Wh-why are you looking at me like that!?" He asked.
Instead of answering the bastard, I kept grinning at him as I raised my left hand, showing him my palm.
I peeked out of the door to see Jugör pulling Lali by the arm and shouting at the two men. Their eyebrows arched as they glanced at each other like they were asking 'what did I do?'
I kept my eyes out till Jugör opened the door and came in with Lali. A gasp escaped from the little one as she ran to hug my knee.
While I patted her head I asked, " What did they try to do?"
Lali glanced up at me with teary eyes and her chin quivered, " Th-they…tried to put…me …in a sack." She said while trying to hold back her tears.
My eyes narrowed at Jugör when I heard that. He, however, just avoided my glare and coughed.
'These bastards….'
Lali was almost sold off because of me. Well…I got beaten up and almost burned myself.
" Lali, your mother is at the Naval base." I simply said.
Lali's ears perked up as she looked at me with her teary blue eyes. Without saying anything, she pressed her forehead on my knee.
After a few seconds she lifted her chin, " Is that blood?" She asked through her whimper.
It was only then I realised that, I may not feel any pain now, but I was definitely still bleeding. My expensive suit was drenched in my own blood.
I had to borrow, save, and even skip bread a few times to get this coat and suit. Now it's all drenched in blood…
To go out like this means, people will be suspicious of me. Well, now I have this 'bag' with me. Turning my head around I saw Jugör making weird hand signs at the two guards outside.
However, it was fruitless. They didn't even turn back to notice their boss.
" This is your place, right?" I asked as I glanced up at the staircase in front of me.
Jugör stiffened at my sudden question. He slowly turned around, ".... It's my father's…" His eyebrows furrowed as he answered.
'His father's…' He didn't say it was his but his father's…does this mean the father-son relationship isn't well?
His father's or not, they should have some spare clothes here. Heck! It would be great if I found some money as well.
I once again glanced at my clothes and the little girl, who was curiously looking around the old inn, and said, " Hey, I need to change. Where do you keep clothes?"
Lali first looked at me, letting me see the tear trail on her cheeks, before glancing at the half naked man.
Jugör stood silent for a moment before climbing the stairs, " follow me." He said when he was up two stairs higher.
I held Lali's tiny hand and followed after him. The wooden stairs creaked and coughed dust under our weight. Almost like cussing 'son of a….' at me. When I heard that, I stomped my foot on the next step even harder.
This time, instead of cussing, it went ' ooof' as it coughed even more dust.
At the end of the stairs, there were two doors to the left and three on the right. The hallway was even more narrow than its downstairs. It was so congested that the smell of the old wood was suffocating.
Jugör stopped before the door at the end on the right side. Me and Lali stood behind him, waiting for him to open.
Jugör, however, didn't open the door. Instead he looked at me. There were sweat on his drooping cheeks.
'How is someone like him, the young boss of a group of muscle men?' I held back my urge to slap him for looking at me. I quickly jerked my chin upward and slightly forward, motioning him to open the door.
With a heavy sigh, Jugör turned to open the door. The moment he turned the knob, suddenly, orange and red blinked in front of me.
In a split second, my body reacted. I kicked Jugör and rolled to the side with Lali in my arms at the same time.
The moment my back hit the floor, I heard a gunshot. I rolled twice with Lali in my arms before coming to a stop. I quickly hid Lali behind my back as I stood on my knees.
A foot away from me was Jugör, groaning as he was trying to sit up. He rubbed the back of his head as he leaned back on the wall.
On the wall opposite of the door where we were standing a moment ago, was a small hole. From it a small trail of smoke rose into the air.
A chill ran down my spine. It was a bullet. Somebody shot at me. If it weren't for me, I don't know who would have been dead.
I couldn't stand up no matter how much I tried. My legs shook whenever I tried to force myself to stand.
Fear has gripped my heart.
' I'm scared of a gun?...no…it's not that!' my thoughts caused havoc inside my brain.
The colours, the heat, the burning, and the woman inside the marigold field. I slowly looked at my left arm. The arm which now I believed was the home of a devil.
' I'm scared…of myself!'
My eyes widened at the sight of my left palm. The stain, which I saw dissolve into my palm, was there. But it was no longer an imperfect dark stain. It formed a perfect black circle on the back of my palm.
' What the hell is happening to me!?'
I heard the door creaking. I forced my eyes to look straight. The door was just an inch away from me and past the door was jugör who was still groaning.
A long , slightly tanned leg came out of the room, followed by the other. It was slim and smooth, I couldn't see even one bruise or mark on those legs.
I let my eyes trail those legs upward. The owner of those legs was a woman. She wore a towel around her that reached up to her thighs. She had black hair that matches her black eyes.
She raised her left hand and squeezed the knot of the towel on her chest. And on her other hand, there was a silver gun.
Lali tightly held on to my coat from behind me. Her little shivering brought me back to the world.
I looked at the woman and saw she was looking at me. She moved her disheveled black hair from her face. Allowing me to see the bruises on her face.
Her eyes were widened by shock and her cheeks were puffy. But the moment our eyes locked, her eyebrows furrowed. She raised her right hand which was holding the gun and pointed it at me.
"Wait-!!" Before I could finish I saw her pulling the trigger.
BANG!