It was around three O’ clock in the afternoon. The narrow alleyway was filled with a deadly silence.

A regular person could barely tolerate the stench that permeated the air, an aroma full of piss, shit and blood.

The smell of dead rats and dead men made one vomit just by being there.

But this was the natural smell of air to the people living in the slums.

Two men stood in the alley, apparently unaffected by the horrendous smell. 

They were wearing decent clothes, at least in comparison to the rest of the slum dwellers.

“You heard about it, Rey? Boss beat her again last night, her condition is critical.”

The lanky thin skinned man said as he exhaled a puff of smoke.

His companion, a muscular man slightly taller than him, sighed.

“It’s the sixteenth time this month. This one won’t last long either.”

His voice was one of lament but his face showed no such expression. He seemed to have heard too much about the topic.

“But I really envy that fucker…. Fucking so many chicks, each hotter than the other. And he breaks them like dolls.”

The lanky man was visibly frustrated and full of envy, cursing out loud.

Unbeknownst to them, someone was eavesdropping on them right outside the alley.

The alley cut into another narrow street, and from there a youth was peeking at the duo with the wall as a cover.

He was squatting against the wall with a revolver in his hands.

His cold eyes made his motive apparent.

The men were showing him their backs and their guard was down.

They didn’t expect someone to shoot them in their territory.

And he was there to prove them wrong.

The black haired man eyed the gun strapped to the lean man’s waist.

[The tall one might be hiding a gun under the overcoat, but there is no time to confirm. I need to take out the shorter guy first.]

 The lanky one was known for his marksmanship and he lived upto his reputation.

And the tall guy was a muscle brain.

But that doesn’t mean he won’t carry a gun. However, he was wearing an ankle length overcoat, so the youth had only one way to find out.

[Shoot them both in the head, get closer and shoot again to make sure.]

The youth slowed his breathing. His face lost all emotion. His eyes turned colder than ice.

He aimed at the head of the lanky man, who was still ranting about his dreams of riches and women.

He felt the trigger with his index finger. Supporting his right hand with his left, he tightened his muscles and braced for the recoil.

The surroundings all disappeared. So did the smell.

Soon, all he could see were his targets. His prey.

The young man exhaled noiselessly and pulled the trigger.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

The sound of the gunshot echoed throughout the street and into the slums, followed by the sound of the bullet piercing into a human’s head.

Blood burst out of his brain and he fell to the ground with a thud.

The youth couldn’t see his face, and he didn’t bother with what his face was like.

His expression didn’t change even the slightest as he looked at Rey.

The black haired man immediately turned the muzzle towards the tall one, but he was already running towards the other end of the alley.

The one called Rey had a sharp mind. Though he was shocked by the sudden gunshot, he wasn’t dumbstruck. He had made a run for it the moment he saw the crimson liquid.

“Fuck!”

The man cursed. He hid the back of his head with his arms and ran using every ounce of his strength.

[Let me give you a new hole.]

The gunman thought in disdain.

He synced the muzzle with his vision and took another shot but Rey had ducked just before he pulled the trigger.

The bullet hit thin air disappearing into the street.

This prey had good intuition.

He shot again but his target felt the looming danger and leaped forward.

He ducked left and avoided yet another bullet. He had been in many shootouts and was very experienced in escaping gunfire.

“Tch.”

The shooter couldn’t allow Rey to escape the alley. He knew he only managed to off the lean one with the element of surprise.

He couldn’t allow Rey to leave the alley because it would be a lot harder to kill him in a wider street.

“Die!”

He finally managed to land a hit on the man’s back, but the sound of the impact was not of metal hitting flesh but rather of that of metal meeting metal.

[He’s wearing armor!]

The shooter now realized why Rey was protecting only his head. He was wearing breastplate.

He was out of bullets and there was no time to reload.

The youth wasted no time. He threw away the gun and pulled out a pocket knife. With a cold glint in his eyes, the man rushed into the alley at his target.

He was a few feet away when Rey turned towards him. He was shocked when he figured out his identity, but his shock was replaced with a grin.

That was the look of a man certain of his victory.

[Don’t tell me…]

The youth realized something but it was too late to turn back now. He could only drive the knife in now.

“Die, you bastard!”

Rey took out a gun from his overcoat pointing it at the youth.

[Fuck!]

The man maintained his pace and tilted a little to the left. The bullet pierced into his left shoulder. His right shoulder was soaked in his own blood but he disregarded the pain and reached Rey.

“William, you piece of shit!”

His target wanted to shoot again but the youth named William thrust the knife at his face.

Rey leaned back to avoid the thrust and tried to grab the hand.

But the William took a step forward thrusting further towards his face, forcing him to duck.

A knee to the face awaited him when duck, which he blocked with his left hand.

The black haired assailant changed the thrust into a vertical pierce but Rey hit his stomach with the muzzle and pulled the trigger.

“AHHHH!”

William couldn’t hold back the scream this time.

The bullet lodged itself deep into his stomach, causing the blood to flow out.

[I will take you with me!]

The pain wasn’t enough to break his momentum as his knife pierced into Rey’s skull.

His enemy died without making a sound.

*******

[Fuck… it really fucking hurts god damnit.]

William was in an abandoned house deep inside the slums. He had lost too much blood, and his injuries were grave.

He could barely keep his consciousness and somehow managed to walk till he reached this rundown building.

Though he lost all his strength when he reached here.

[Eight days to set that up and this is the result. I fucking suck at ambushes.]

The handsome young man was on the verge of death but his eyes were clearer than ever.

He was sitting with the support of the wall.

The floor around him was a pool of blood and there were bloodstains all the way to the gate.

He was not worried about someone following him though. Because firstly, bloodstains were commonly seen here in the slums and secondly, he was beyond saving.

[Only a high grade potion can save me.... but it’s worth ten times more than the likes of me.]

William was a strong willed man, but even then his face was colored in despair when he sensed his nearing end.

[Hell, if only I was born rich. I could’ve eaten the best food, drank the best alcohol, and fucked the best chicks. I really wanted to eat that braised chicken at Moonlight. They say the meat melts in our mouths like butter. That pure delicacy can drive one crazy with gluttony.]

[And that Martha, with her beautiful face and hot body. That thick butt and those huge soft looking breasts… I should have fucked her while I had the chance. Now some rich upstart will pick her cherry… god damnit….]

[I didn’t even finish the whiskey I stole from Derick. From what I heard it was very expensive.]

His eyes lost vision, he couldn’t feel his limbs anymore, and there was no more pain.

He was only left with the taste of iron in his mouth and nose.

[This is a fitting end for an orphan, I guess? We all die in the slums, don’t we? We live only to survive and die in the gutters.]

He could no longer taste the iron, or smell it.

His heart stopped beating.

It was utter darkness.

He saw nothing and he felt nothing.

And he was gradually losing consciousness.

[I lived but I was not alive.]

The last strand of his will broke.

He took his last breadth.

Then, he woke up.