Rinzo’s shop was more of a canopy over his front door. Sure he had a counter and shelves built up for his merchandise but the real stuff was inside. They flipped open a flap on the side of his canopy and gestured towards the front door leading inside. “Head on in Sam, I just have to close up real quick.”
Sam glanced back to see Rinzo throwing blankets over all sorts of valuables from the wastes. Most were just machinery and electrical parts that people would pick up for their own tinkering but he also had items that would be considered less valuable too. Toys, games, puzzles. Most weren't complete but that was common. Not many people bring anything back from the wastes that wouldn’t have an immediate practical use. Hince the only four plants on Sam’s “porch.”
Sam took the rusted door knob and let himself in. Inside of Rinzo’s place wasn’t much better than the cluttered counter of his shop. Extra parts for all sorts of machines scattered the living room. It looked like there was even a half built generator on top of a tarp where a coffee table normally sat. Where he was able to procure a generator or even the parts to build one was far beyond Sam’s purview.
He moved a couple fried circuit boards and a pile of loose papers off the corner of a couch and took a seat. Rinzo walked in soon after. Locking the door he turned his head over his shoulder towards Sam. “So, what was it? You never told me.”
Rinzo had a fascination with Pulsers and conversely with Bleeders as well. He always made a point to have Sam describe in great detail how he died and the pulse back. Sam supposed it was only normal for someone to wonder what dying felt like. Especially if there was a living breathing source that could recount that information.
Sam leaned back on the couch with a smile. “Sorry old man. They’ve got my lips tied tight on this one. Besides, you know how it works. I barely remember any of it myself.”
“No no, now that’s not true!” Rinzo finished locking up the front door and moved into the living room. “You’ve described in great detail how you’ve died to me before. A few times in fact!”
It would seem the old man’s memory has not gone with him into age yet. Sam wasn’t exactly sure when that started happening but mid to late 40’s seemed like a good enough age as any.
“It was only twice! I think. Maybe three.” Sam shot back trying to hide a grin. Rinzo just gave him a questioning look with a raised eyebrow. “Okay, Okay. So yeah I remember how but I still can’t tell you! 13’s orders.” Sam leaned forward resting his arms on his knees. “But the rest of that memory stuff you know is real.”
Rinzo was diving into a fridge in the kitchen at this point. “Yeah, yeah. Something about key points. You want a drink?” He held out a bottle of something. It looked dark brown in color but didn’t seem to have a label.
Without even waiting for an answer he closed the fridge and made his way towards Sam. “But the death you always remember, right? So are you gonna tell me or not!” He handed Sam his drink then sat down across from him in a creaky old recliner.
Sam waved his hand towards Rinzo in a dismissive fashion. “Sorry Rin, this one I have to hold tight to my chest. If even the slightest bit gets out to the public, 13 will send me out on scrap runs until I die for real.”
Rinzo leaned back in the chair in an attempt to recline. All it did was strain for a few inches then pop, swinging him forward and almost out of the chair. He mumbled something Sam couldn’t quite hear but he doubted it was anything of substance. Pulling a craft half full of what looked like springs and bike chains to prop his feet up on he spoke up. “Yeah whatever, that woman has been up my ass for the past two months about some parts she needs. I can’t blame ya for wanting to stay on her good side.”
Choking on a laugh Sam twisted the top of the bottle but couldn’t get the thing to budge. Even using the classic cap and shirt maneuver only got him a red face and a sore hand. “Did you glue the cap shut or something man, what is this?” Sam asked, still trying to open the bottle.
“It’s not one of those twist caps son, this is old school.” Rinzo said with a smirk while retrieving a metal tool from his pocket. “Here. You gotta use one of these.” He proceeded to loop a portion of the tool over the cap and bend it upward. There was a slight pop, then the cap came fully off. He tossed the tool over to Sam.
“So you really can’t tell me anything? Not even if it was quick or if it was one of those monsters at all?” Rinzo questioned with a quizzical face.
Sam copied what Rinzo did with the tool and popped open his bottle. “Nah man, I’m sorry. I’m already on her bad side for fumbling the run so I really can’t mess up now.” Sam said while inspecting his bottle. It certainly wasn’t anything he’d seen before. That wasn’t too uncommon when it came to Rinzo however. He was always getting weird stuff from the wastes. He managed to get a whole massage chair smuggled in once. That one got him in some trouble but it certainly made a few lucky people happy before it fell apart a week later.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
“What parts is she getting on your ass about anyway?” Sam asked before bringing the bottle up to his mouth.
“Oh, some usual stuff” Rinzo said. “A few car parts for the convoy, some scrap metal for bullets, batteries for-” He was cut off as Sam sprayed the living room with whatever was in that bottle.
“What the hell was that!” Sam yelled, drooling all over his cupped hand under his jaw.
Rinzo sat in his eyes wide in disbelief for a moment before busting into a cackle. His feet rose up from his crate as he rocked back holding his belly. The chair made another popping noise and flung him forward again but he didn’t seem to care this time. He was too busy making himself suffocate from laughing so hard.
Sam stood up and started looking around while holding his mouth open. “Oh god! That was disgusting. It tasted like piss. Like actual human piss. You didn’t piss in this then bottle it back up did you! Oh god, where's a towel, rag, something I can spit the rest of this into.”
He ran over to the kitchen and spit the rest into the sink then turned the water on and put his mouth under the tap. He proceeded to nearly drown himself as he tried to washt the taste out of his mouth. This seemed to get Rinzo out of his laughing fit.
“Hey now, you’re going to have to pay me for that water you’re using!” Rinzo yelled through half breaths.
Mouth washed and taste buds mostly saved, Sam returned to the living room. “What the hell was that thing man?”
Rinzo, just now realizing he hadn’t taken a drink from his bottle yet hesitated as he brought it to his mouth. He opted to take a sniff instead and immediately gagged. “Yup! That’s bad. Not even sure what it’s supposed to be but that is definitely bad.” He stood up and then grabbed Sam’s bottle he left on the half built generator.
“Max is going to get it for this one. Wastes take that man, he said this shipment was good!” Rinzo complained as he wandered towards the kitchen. He dumped the rest of the bottles down the sink then rinsed them out.
Sam spoke up after hearing that. “Well your first mistake was trusting anything that comes out of that man’s mouth! I bet he had only one good bottle to show buyers so you’d take the bait.”
“What? Max? Nah he wouldn’t do that he’s a great guy! He only scammed me once with those car parts.” Rinzo argued with a defensive tone.
“And that time with the sim cards!” Sam shouted from the living room. He had opted to get up and look around now. He needed to get to the barracks soon anyway. “And that time with the computer monitors!”
Rinzo stopped for a moment and just stared at the wall, water still running. “Hey. Maybe you’re on to something… But he’s delivered other times!” He snapped out of his stupor after water overflowed onto his hand. “Gah! I’m going to have him pay for my water too at this point.”
“It’s all part of the scam Rin. He can’t really get up and leave town before you notice so he only does it every so often then acts like it was a mistake when he does it. Trust me man, you gotta stop working with him.” Sam said while toying with some sort of half built phone? Radio? He wasn’t really sure what it was. It kind of looked like an old landline phone with a tv remote taped to it. He sat it back down and turned towards the kitchen. “Hey man, thanks for the drink and all but I have to get going. Anya is probably waiting for me at the noodle shop.”
Rinzo had just placed the now rinsed bottles in a green crate near his backdoor. He looked up and waved towards Sam. “Alright man, I’ll see you-” Suddenly his eyes went wide and he took in a sharp breath. Rinzo yelled “Wait!” He ran to the livingroom and practically dove towards the pile of papers Sam had relocated earlier. “I have something for you! It came in while you were on your run!”
Stunned from the sudden shouting and running Sam just stood there hand still reaching towards the front door. He watched Rinzo frantically search through the stack of papers before finding what he was looking for.
Stuttering, Rinzo spoke “I.. I.. I had Lily keep an eye out while she was on her run in the southern sector.” He held out what appeared to be an old newspaper towards Sam. “It’s there, look!” He spun the paper around and pointed towards a faded picture right in the center.
“Huh, what is this? It’s just a few people posing for the-” Sam went silent, mouth agape. The photo was a group of three people dressed in lab coats posing for the camera. The photo was faded and scuffed in places, two of the scientists had been mostly removed from the photo by a tear going through the paper. The third one was a man Sam had never seen before. That didn’t matter. Sam’s attention was pulled entirely to something in the background.
One the far wall behind the scientist partially obscured by some machinery was a symbol. A circle enclosed a horizontal rectangle that was split across the middle by a line. In the center of that was a small diamond with a keyhole.
“No… No way!” Sam yelled with excitement. “Where! Where did you- where did Lily find this?” He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out an old barely functional wallet. He opened it up and pulled out an old photograph. One of his mother. She was young in this one, maybe 15 or 16. Her long red hair was braided back and she wore some sort of uniform. His father used to keep this photo with him before he passed. He always said it was special because it was the only photo of her that survived the early days of the distortion.
Sam recalled him saying something about how they used to take pictures like this in school. His father didn’t know her back then but he always thought this picture was especially funny because she still had her braces then.
None of that was the reason for Sam’s reaction. In the picture his mother had a small pendant just below her left shoulder. One that looked, no, was the exact same as the one in the lab photo.