Summut, February 24, 1 am
The bustling district of Summut resonated with the sound of a helicopter, its blades slicing through the night air. The chopper pursued a mysterious figure dressed in a dark leather jacket or cloak, who displayed a remarkable agility as he traversed the rooftops, leaping nimbly from building to building. The police helicopter's powerful spotlight illuminated the fugitive, and a voice boomed through loudspeakers, urging him to surrender.
/Surrender now, kid. You can't keep running forever! We also know you're injured. How far do you think you can go while you continue to bleed?/ echoed the warning from above.
Despite the pressure from the pursuing helicopter, the young man refused to yield. He attempted to change directions several times, employing various maneuvers in an attempt to elude his relentless pursuers. However, all his efforts proved futile, and the words of the helicopter officer rang true—his injuries were taking their toll.
In one final desperate attempt, the young man continued his mad dash, leaping precariously from one building to another. However, his escape was abruptly halted as he came to an abrupt stop.
/You've finally surrendered, kid! Now get down on your knees with your hands up!/ the police officer shouted through the helicopter's megaphone, interpreting the young man's sudden halt as a sign of surrender.
The fugitive hesitated, glancing around as if desperately searching for an alternative escape route. In a sudden, daring move, he retrieved an object from his jacket and hurled it forcefully at the ground. The small device detonated with a sharp explosion, instantly releasing a dense smoke screen that billowed out, shrouding the area in obscurity. Within moments, the fugitive had vanished from sight.
Believing that the smoke screen was merely a diversion, the helicopter continued its pursuit in the direction the young man had fled, determined to locate him.
Unbeknownst to the authorities above, the young man had never left the rooftop of the building. He had cunningly used the cover of the thick smoke to descend from the rooftop and dangle beneath one of the balconies. For several tense minutes, he clung to the underside of the balcony, his heart pounding in his chest as he listened to the receding sounds of the helicopter.
'Now that that bizzare flying contraption has lost my trail, I need to find a way to get down from this building and tend to my wounds' he thought, breathing a sigh of relief.
However, just as he pondered his next move, the pipe which he clung suddenly snapped. He plummeted, crashing onto the railing of the balcony directly below with a painful thud and then continued is fall.
His body aching, he barely managed to cling to the railing of yet another balcony further below, his grip the only thing keeping him from another perilous fall. With a final surge of determination, he pulled himself up to relative safety.
The young man lay gasping for breath on the balcony, relief washing over him as he gazed out at Summut's dazzling skyline.
"The City of Towers, the name doesn't lie," he muttered, his voice a mix of wonder and exhaustion. He observed the modern marvels below, the bustling streets, carriages moving without horses, and even flying vehicles, all of which justified his relentless pursuit of this vibrant metropolis.
"So, this is why you wanted to come here so badly, Mother... Argh!" However, the young man's reverie was abruptly shattered by a sharp, searing pain. His left shoulder throbbed, a constant reminder of the two gunshot wounds he had sustained during his daring escape. Blood loss was taking its toll, and his body felt increasingly heavy.
Just as he grappled with the pain and weakness, the balcony's lights suddenly flickered to life. Startled, he turned to see a young girl with long brown hair and amber eyes standing safely behind the sliding glass door. She clutched a frying pan, poised to defend herself against the unexpected intruder.
"Wh-who are you!? What are you doing on my balcony!?" the girl stammered, her voice a mix of fear and apprehension.
The young man struggled to sit up, his weary gaze meeting hers. The young man was tall, at last 183 cm. He was dressed in leather armor, heavy boots, and metal-plated gloves, with a dark, almost black leather cloak that had fallen away to reveal his sweat-drenched face. On his back it was a big leather bag and on is belt, attached by an iron ring ther was an hand axe.
"I apologize for my unannounced intrusion, young lady" He rasped, his voice weak. "If you would be so kind as to let me go, I will be more than happy to disappear from your sight."
However, the girl's attention shifted to his weapon and the blood oozing from his shoulder, her eyes widening in alarm.
"No, please wait!" He interjected urgently, his voice pleading.
"Wait?! But you're bleeding and armed! I need to call an ambulance, the police. I have to..." the girl began, her voice filled with concern.
The boy implored her, locking eyes with her as he spoke, "Please, do not call anyone! Just let me go... I cannot let them find me."
The girl hesitated, a primal sense of unease tugging at her instincts as she looked at his eyes. She felt an odd mixture of fear and sympathy for this mysterious intruder. Despite her apprehension, his words seemed sincere, and she couldn't bear to deny his request.
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Still, she couldn't simply release him in his current state. The alleys of this district were treacherous, especially at this hour. What if he were attacked or worse? It would weigh on her conscience.
With a determined resolve, the girl lowered the frying pan and cautiously slid open the glass door.
"Come in, then, but I can't let you go like this. I'll take you to the bathroom; my sister has a first aid kit there," she said, gesturing for James to enter.
He expressed his gratitude, bowing his head slightly. "Thank you for your kindness, young lady. I promise I will do my best to repay your kindness" he said, his sincerity shining through.
The girl felt her cheeks flush with embarrassment. Having such a handsome, albeit battered, young man bowing to her and thanking her as if she were a noble lady was a unique experience.
'Think about it, when my sister finds out... Oh, right, she told me to keep everything locked up... When she finds out what I'm doing, I'll be in big trouble...' the girl thought resignedly before shaking her head and refocusing on the intruder.
"Just don't bow or anything! And call me Margaret, there's no need to be so formal," she stammered.
"I understand, then allow me to introduce myself to my savior. My name is James," James introduced himself to the girl, making another small nod of his head.
"P-pleasure to meet you, James... Well, what are you waiting for, come in!" the girl exclaimed, still a bit embarrassed by James's words.
James nodded and entered the apartment, following Margaret to the bathroom.
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Once in the bathroom, Margaret signaled for James to sit on the toilet. Before she began opening the various compartments to find the first aid kit, she muttered, "Where the heck is that thing? I swear I saw it here the other day."
"Ah, here it is!" she exclaimed, having found the kit, then turned to James and froze in shock.
While searching for the kit, James had removed his backpack and placed it in the corner of the room, along with his weapon. He had also removed his cloak, armor, and everything underneath, leaving him bare-chested. The wound was now completely exposed, and Margaret couldn't help but stare.
It wasn't the first time she had seen a naked male chest – some boys at school tried to show off during physical education classes, and she may or may not have seen a few images on the internet. There was nothing strange about that; after all, she was a girl going through adolescence. Nothing strange at all!
But what she had in front of her now was very different from the images on her phone or boys trying to show off their "gains." He was jacked! There was no trace of fat on his body and every muscle on his chest appeared to be sculpted from marble and was accentuated by his sweat. His shoulders were broad and powerful, and his arms looked strong enough to lift her as if she were a feather.
However, Margaret's adolescent fantasies were quickly interrupted when she noticed some strange elements on the man's skin, aside from the two obvious bullet holes in his left shoulder. Firstly, there was a large tattoo on his left pectoral, just above his heart – a spiral composed of strange symbols that made her head ache just looking at them. His skin was pale, almost cadaverous, but that might have been due to the blood loss. Lastly, there were scars – many scars. They ran all over his abdomen, and some were on his arms and even his neck. Some seemed to be from cuts, others from punctures, and some even appeared to be bite marks from some kind of animal.
Margaret began to wonder what kind of life this man had lived, and she began to consider the possibility that letting him into her apartment might not have been a good idea.
"Is something wrong, Margaret?" James asked, seemingly unaware of what had just gone through the girl's mind.
"Oh! Y-yes, of course. Um, let's see if the kit can help," Margaret said, finally snapping out of her thoughts and tending to the wound.
"Okay... he doesn't look too good," she said, seeing the wound up close. "Let me check the internet. Maybe I can find something that can help us."
James, meanwhile, watched in fascination as Margaret took charge, handling the small black box that held the answers to their problem.
"Okay, found it! First, we need to make sure the bullet came out," Margaret said as she checked behind James's shoulder. With horror, she realized that there was only an exit wound; one of the two bullets was still inside.
"Darn it! Now what do we do?" Margaret exclaimed.
"We need to remove the bullet, right? Grab my bag; there should be a knife in an outer pocket," James said calmly, pointing to his bag on the floor.
"Wait, you're not planning to remove it with the knife, are you? We're not in a movie!" Margaret said, shocked.
"I don't know what a movie is, but I don't think we have any other options," James replied.
After contemplating their options, Margaret reluctantly handed James the knife from his bag. It was a long knife with a bone handle, and it looked like it had been carefully maintained.
After handing the knife to James, Margaret proceeded with the instructions she had found on the internet. She began cleaning the blood from the wounds and disinfecting them. At this point, James removed his belt and put it in his mouth to bite on before attempting to insert the knife into the wound.
The process took several attempts and several minutes before James managed to remove the bullet from the wound, causing him to drop the knife to the floor in exhaustion and pain.
"Yes, it's finally out!" he exclaimed. Margaret proceeded to clean the wound, but suddenly, the door behind her swung open, taking both James and Margaret by surprise. Margaret screamed in shock,
"AHHHHHH!... Oh, it's you, big sis! You scared me to death!"
Margaret's older sister, Agata, had just entered the bathroom. The only problem was that the woman had a taser gun in her hand, and she was pointing it directly at James. Unfortunately, before Margaret could say anything to reassure her sister, Agata pulled the trigger on James.
In the same instant, James stood up, and with speed that seemed impossible for any ordinary person he grabbed the wires of the taser darts with his right hand, avoiding being hit. Then, he lunged forward toward Agata, pulling his arm back to strike her.
"No, James! That's my sister!" Margaret exclaimed, causing James to immediately stop, with his fist just inches from Agata's face.
Everything happened in a matter of seconds, but for Agata, the scene seemed to unfold in slow motion. She was unable to react in any way, not even to close her eyes in preparation for the impact. When James abruptly stopped, she could clearly feel the shift in the air caused by his sudden movement. She didn't want to think about what would have happened if he had actually hit her.
"Phew! James, you can't just attack my sister like that!" Margaret exclaimed.
"I'm sorry. I thought she was a threat," James attempted to justify himself.
"Well, thank goodness that didn't happen on the..." Margaret sighed.
"Thud!" Before she could finish her sentence, both she and James watched as Agata fell backward, unconscious from the shock.
"S-she attacked me first...?" June tried to defend herself again from Margaret's furious gaze, but unfortunately, it didn't help.