"Wake up......"
"Wake up, child! Can you hear me?"
"Can you hear me?"
......
Buzzing, sizzling, something was rumbling in her brain. She wanted to stand up, but failed to even think. The only thing she can feel was pain, pain from the head to the feet, her bones were burning like firewoods.
"Hold on, hold on! Keep your eyes open, don't fall asleep!"
Cool liquid poured on her head, choked her nose.
"Good girl......you'll be fine! Trust me!"
She felt his kiss, right on her forehead, leaving a scalding trail.
......
It's hurt, dad......so hurt. I'm dying......
Blood coughed through throat, like a volcano hidden in her body bursting out larva.
I'm dying, dad.......I, I, I......
"Don't give up, child!" He let out a raspy roar like an injured beast, "Come on, it won't be hard......just hold my arm and I'm bring you out!"
She could not help blinking, with tears vapored in the heat. Through thick smoke, she saw him surrounded by flame, with his nude muscle scorched to red like an iron. She raised her hand, with all her strength, and embraced his waist.
Watch out! Your back!
A glimpse of shadow, came across the wall of fire. She pushed her father away, fast than a knee jerk. An extinguisher smashed right at her arm.
"NO!!!!!"
She saw him rushed to the shadow. "Run!" He shouted, with heavy fist punching at his rival and pushed him back and back. She held herself up, covered her broken arm and stepped back.
"JUST RUN!"
The shadow kept the body firm again, drew out the dagger. The blade slited his face, with a long trace of blood flying in the air.
The fire land was invading, inch by inch, circling them in.
I'm sorry, dad......
She turned back.
I can't help......can't do anything......
His voice echoing in her mind. With nose and mouth covered, she staggered through the heavy smoke and burning fire.
Help! Help!
Anybody there?
Then, she a siren alarmed out through the heat.
Help! Help! Here's civilian inside! Can anyone hear me?
Help!
Then, a blast of burning wave pushed her back. She felt her body was thrown out upon the air, lighter than a feather fallen on snow. Her mind floated in the vacuum, then all pain had gone, all consciousness had faded, only the siren still alarmed far away, hurting her nerves......
......
Help......Please......
"Are you all right?"
Save me......
"It's OK, Natasha! I'm here, right here."
A cold hand touches her face, shocks her to wake up. Only Weiss stays close to her, with her one knee down, looks at her in sorrow.
"What......no siren," the girl mumbles, feels herself damp with sweat, "Just......fire alarm?"
"Electric short, I guess," Weiss looks back at the kitchen, "It seems the carpet is burnt to fire. I tried to get the extinguisher but then......yeah, hear you screaming out."
She shakes her head, stands up to bring the extinguisher on hand. The girl rises up, wipes her wet bangs that cover her eyes, sees Weiss holding the switcher, fails to open it up by several try.
"Mind me give a hand?" she asks, "Why don't you open the window there. It won't stop if the smoke is around."
Embarrassed flush emerges on face, Weiss put the thing down and walks to the window. Chilling December wind floods in door, makes the girl's nerves awake a bit. She yawns, targets at the corner, and releases the carbon-dioxide out through the burning wire, the carpet, and the inside of oven.
Smells good......The girl gets closer, snuffs around. She opens the oven and checks the plate. Cookies, several has been charred, but still half survived. She tears one piece, cautiously tastes it by her tongue.
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Yum......Yummy! Best food she ever tried!
Feels like someone's sight stings at her back, the girl turns around. Weiss gets in the kitchen, can't help herself giggling.
"Hey......How do you like my cookies?" She asks, "Feel free to take, Natasha. It's for you after all."
"Smells good," the girl wipes her lips, but still licks the remaining crumbs as much as she can, "I mean......wonderful."
Weiss heads down a while, takes the plate out of the oven.
"My little sister's favorite type. God knows how much she likes it." Her voice straightly turns to a melancholy tone, "Everytime taking her to the Marie & Jane's Backery is a festival. She just loves those cute, sweet little thing, even they often caused her toothache. When the Marie & Jane's was going to shut down three years ago, I begged the owner, Ms. Marie, if she would teach me the cookie. Unfortunately," she silences a bit, "My little sister never had a chance to taste, thus......no way to test if my cooking reaches Marie & Janes'. I'm afraid she will be disappointed, because she has the most hypercritical stomach in the world."
Weiss stops by here, ends with a heavily sigh.
"So.....she's not with you?" the girl warily asks.
"We separated." Seems like Weiss would not continue, the girl ceases her question. "Well......I think she would like it." she says, "I haven't eaten too much tasty food but......it's the best thing I've ever had."
Weiss stares at the girl. Her green eyes shimmer light, but soon the light fade out.
"Thank you, Natasha." She sits down, turns her sight on the desk, as if she lost her mind, "For my first customer."
"I'm the one who should say 'danke', Miss. You might not understand, but indeed, you've saved my life."
"I thought it going to be a complaint, for I taking your house."
"Well, Chekov want me out for long time so, I can imagine that, it's not your fault," the girl sits by her, she can finally feel free to have some cookies now, "I just don'texpect he will throw me out tonight. He knows it. That's killing me."
"Sounds terrible! It must be hard to live beside the man like him, who always keep distressing you."
"We distress each other, it's fine. He just takes the advantages tonight, and I'll pay it back. Someone would piss me off too if he owes me €3,000, same effect. The rule of jungle is here, Miss, no light of civilization or morality survives in the midnight of D37. We all have to fight for our benefit."
"Why, does everybody has to treat you like that?"
"Miss, luckily you meet me," the girl is a bit displeased about her sympathetic tone, "You should celebrate yourself, cuz you're a lottery winner tonight. You know, you could have been beaten, been raped on one of the dark corner, or been murdered inside the house which does not belong to you, who knows? They said there's blood under the carpet, maybe from someone like you, probably here was some drug workshop, and they will kill any witness and intruder......"
Weiss pouts her lips, in a mixture expression of fear and anger. Feels ther words are too hard for her, the girl shuts up, a little regret for treating someone harsh who is so friendly to her so far.
"So......how long do you plan to stay here?"
"Not sure yet."
"Weeks, or months?" No response from Weiss, the girl utters, "It's not some vacation paradise. I mean seriously, you need a guide like me. Since you've made my life easier, I'll to do the same to you. Where do you intend to go? Who do you wanna have a meet, or just stay inside the apartment? I can show you some safer place here, relatively of course, and the route of daily patrol. Here," she turns on her cellphone and open the GPS map, "Some routes show on the map are inaccurate......"
"Natasha," Weiss heads up, interrupts the girl's lecture, "I have a question."
"What?" the girl is held still, "Oh, sure. I'm a know-it-all in this place."
"Not about the place. It's about you." Weiss says, "Natasha, who are you?"
"Who am I?"
"I know it is not your real name, Natasha. You are a native speaker, in at least three different languages, even you tried to speak in a slow and blur tone, German, English, and Ukrainian, but you can't hide the accent. You know why Ukrainian? Natasha, you are not a Russian. My Russian friends always criticize me for my wrong pronounciation, because my Russian teacher online, was actually a Ukrainian."
Weiss moves her seat, closer to the girl's. She can't tell how much sorrow hidden inside Weiss' green eyes.
"So, what is your real one, Natasha?"
"Miss.....name is simply a code here." the girl says, with every word cautiously considered, "Like 1,2,3, or x, y, z. Natasha sounds beautiful, so I picked it."
"Name is far more than just a code," Weiss shakes head, "It's about identity, and the past. It's part of your life."
"That's true, though. Different names brought me different life styles. Natasha is a common one, and I have plenty of names set for plenty of people."
"What about your original one? The one your family calls you? What kind of life does it bring to you?"
"Miss. Miss," the girl says, "I think the topic should end by now."
"Why? Is that name really hurts you?"
"When I say stop and you should stop," the girl says in louder, "Miss, you're too excited. You'd better hit the sack and get some rest."
"I'm not excited, you are," Weiss mutters in peace, "Look at your hand."
A faint pain hit her nerve. The girl lowers dow her sight, finds her fist clenched involuntarily. The sharp edge of the crescent pendant, pricks her palm. She hides her wound back, puts the bloodied pendant aside, and stands up.
"I'll repay the €3,000 to you, within a week I guess," She holds the extinguisher up, "Since you don't need my labor. Earning money often takes more time, but as soon as I collect the amount, I'll make up for you."
"Natasha, I don't say anything yet," Weiss says, "You were in trouble that time, and I was the only one possible who could help you out. That's all. I don't want you to be in debt with that."
"But for what? I gotta have a reason."
"How about the sacred and inviolable freedom? I have the right to handle my salary whatever I want."
"That's not quite convincing."
"To me it is. What about you? How could you gather those amount? Won't be easy for you I suppose, otherwise you would not have to beg the landlord."
"Does it matter? Do I have to tell you everything I'm about to do?"
"See," Weiss smiles slightly, "Quite convincing, isn't it?"
The girl chokes to wordless, leaves Weiss the shadow of her back and walks out.
"Strange Miss......spending €3,000 to help a first met," She murmurs, "What does she want?"
We've never met before, that's for sure, and I have no sense what she gonna do here. What if she's dangerous?
But the cookies, the smiles on her face......I see no killing in her eyes. My sense never betrays me.
Ahh......maybe I have to leave for a while, at Nikolai's place. But he has to drive his damn "friends" away first. OK, done.
She returns the extinguisher in box, picks her cellphone and calls Nikolai.
Suddenly, a tiny crack sound catches her attention. The girl shut the phone call immediately, hold her breath and listen.
The elevator, someone is coming up. But who would come at midnight?
It's like a dark whisper, a ghost talk. A ghost always warns her before danger, and this time she hears the same whisper.
The elevator stops at three. Before the girl could react, a shadow rushes in. She feels a sharp blade is put right before her throat.
"Move a finger, and I'll cut your neck."
The shadow behind her speak in low voice.