Jun ducked down through the window behind River, entering a dingy apartment that smelled faintly of stale alcohol. Empty bottles and discarded takeout containers lay strewn about the surfaces of the room. Faded family photos hang crookedly on the walls, the wallpaper of which has begun to peel. As Jun makes his way further into the room, he notices the television crackling with a faint hum. River guides him past the kitchen, the sink overflowing with dirty dishes, towards a dimly lit hallway. Jun follows behind, as the pair make their way towards a bedroom, the door hanging crooked in the frame.
Inside the bedroom, the walls are covered with a young child’s artwork, the colors vibrant against the dim light of the apartment. On the bed lies a young girl, maybe two years older than River. Beside her sits a man, naked from the waist down. One of his hands is beneath the girl’s shirt, the other touching himself.
“Show daddy what a good girl you are.” The man says, quietly.
Unable to stop himself, Jun steps angrily into the room, declaring loudly “What the fuck do you think you are doing?”
The man quickly withdraws his hand, whirling around as he stands, turning towards Jun. “Who the fuck are you?”
Jun, still shocked and angry, glares at the man. “What the fuck are you doing to that girl?”
The man reaches over to the nightstand, grabbing an open bottle and taking a swig from it. “What business is it of yours? What the fuck are you doing in my house?”
The man’s eyes drift over to the doorway, where River is sheepishly hiding behind the frame.
“Ah. I see what this is. Get the fuck out of my house, both of you.”
“I’m not going to let you hurt these girls anymore.” Jun responds, standing up a little taller.
The man grabs the bottle in his hand by the neck, and with a loud grunt he swings the bottle wildly at Jun’s head. Jun quickly steps to the side, the bottle barely grazing by him, as he shoots his fist towards the man’s throat, catching him in the Adam’s apple. The man stumbles back slightly, and Jun steps forward, one arm pressing against the man’s chest, pushing him back towards the wall. Jun reaches down, grabbing the man by the balls, hoping to restrain him.
“Yeah, you like that? You like the feel of a real man’s cock in your hands?” the man spits out at Jun bitterly.
“You’re far from being a real man.” Jun replies back, squeezing the man’s balls hard.
“How could you do this to children?” Jun asks the man. “CHILDREN.”
“My girls love me. They love making daddy happy.”
Jun looks over towards the girl on the bed, who is now cowering in the corner against the wall, tears welling in her eyes. Jun looks away, squeezing the man’s balls harder, harder, until he feels a sickening pop. The man’s eyes bulge, and he lets out a gasp as he collapses against the wall, reaching down to cradle his burst testicles. Jun steps away, walking to the bedside and kneeling down, one hand held out to the girl cowering in the corner.
“It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. You’re going to be okay now. He won’t hurt you again.”
The girl tentatively reaches out a hand to Jun, her tearful eyes huge as she places her hand in his.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
“What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Ashlynn.” the little girl replies, her voice small.
“Come with me, Ashlynn. Let’s get you out of here.”
The two of them make their way to the doorway, where River is still hiding. Jun looks back over to the man, huddled on the floor, mumbling about how his girls love him, and Jun wonders who the man is trying to convince, Jun or himself. Jun guides the two girls back out to the cluttered living room.
Jun kneels down, looking over at River, and asks “Do you have a phone? A phone book?”
River nods, leading Jun over to the phone, and she begins rummaging around for a phone book. Jun looks in the book, finding the number he needs, and dials the police precinct. He asks to be put through to Officer Montenegro, and waits patiently as the call is transferred.
“Montenegro.” the officer answers, her attention sounding split.
“It’s Jun.”
-----------------------------------------------------
Back at the police precinct, Montenegro sits up straight, as Jun tells her about the two girls.
“Dios Mio. Where did this happen?” Montenegro asks, a shiver running up her spine.
On the other end of the line, Jun’s muffled voice asks someone for the address, or a piece of mail, before finally he returns, giving her the address to the apartment.
“I’ll be right there.” Montenegro responds back, hanging up the phone and grabbing her keys. She makes her way out to her police cruiser, quickly rushing over.
-------------------------------------------------------
Back in the apartment, Jun kneels back down, looking at the two scared girls. He places a hand on each of their shoulders, trying his best to comfort them.
“My friend is on her way. She’s a police officer. She will make sure that the two of you will be safe.”
“You’re not going to leave us, are you?” River asks Jun, terrified of his answer.
“Not yet. I’ll stay until my friend can make sure you are safe.”
The two girls collapse into Jun’s arms, hugging him tightly. He wraps his arms around them, giving them a safe space from the threat that looms just a few rooms away. Ashlynn leans over, whispering quietly into River’s ear, and pulls away as she runs off into another room.
“Where is she going?” Jun asks River, worried for the little girl.
“She said that she wants to do something. To keep you safe.”
Ashlynn comes back into the living room, carrying with her some small bottles of paint. Looking up at Jun, she takes her brush, and carefully begins to apply the paint to his face. One long line, streaking its way down across his right eye, stark against his skin. River looks from Jun back over to her sister.
“He looks like that one lion from that movie that you like.”
Ashlynn replies back, “He’s big and scary. No one wants to mess with him.” She looks at Jun as she says “So, no one will want to mess with you, either.”
Jun smiles back at the girl, as a knock sounds on the door.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Officer Montenegro walks into the apartment, quickly surveying the scene. The apartment is in shambles, definitely not fit for children to be living in, but if what Jun told her was true, that would be for Social Services to decide. She walks up to Jun, who is standing in the living room with two young girls.
“You got some new paint, I see.”
“Yeah, nothing can stop me now.”
“Maybe. Where is he?”
“The bedroom down the hall. I witnessed it with my own eyes.”
“Yeah, but I can’t exactly use the testimony of a dead man.”
“No, but there are these two little girls who can corroborate what I’m telling you.”
“IF they talk. The victims in this kind of stuff rarely do.”
Jun looks deeply at Officer Montenegro, trying to reason with her. “Officer, what can I do to convince you, we’re on the same side here.”
Montenegro squares Jun with her gaze. “Trespassing. Breaking and entering. Assault. Should I go on?”
“You have a point, I guess. These two girls don’t deserve what was happening to them, though.”
Montenegro stops, thinking. “You’re right. They don’t. Was he at least one of the guys that did this to you?”
“No, I don’t think so. I don’t recognize him at all. No flashes.”
“I’ve been looking back over your case. I may have a lead or two, but I’m not sure yet.”
“I’ll take any help that I can get. As far as I know, four random guys I’ve never seen before in a city this big?”
“I’m working on it. It takes time.”
The crow swoops up, landing on the windowsill. It looks over at Jun.
“Time is one thing that we don’t have. You only get one day.” the bird’s voice echoes in Jun’s head.
“Viper was one of them, that’s for certain.” Jun tells Montenegro.
“Well, that’s something. I’ll put out an APB, try and get him tracked down, bring him in.”
“No need. He’s down in the alleyway. He’s not going anywhere.”
Montenegro’s eyes grow stormy. “I see.” She sighs heavily. “You’re certainly not going to make my job easy for me, are you?”
“Justice never is easy.”
Montenegro nods her head. She pulls out her notepad and a pen, quickly scribbling something down on it. She rips the paper from her notepad, handing it to Jun.
“Direct number to my line. At least that can be made easier.”
“Thank you.” Jun looks towards the two girls, who are now sitting on the floor, playing amongst themselves. “Make sure they stay safe, will you? They’ve seen enough evil in the world already.”
“I’ll do my best.”
Jun walks over to the girls, leaning down to give each of them a final hug, before making his way back to the window, and heading back down to the alleyway. He walks over to Viper’s prone body, and begins rifling through his pockets, finding keys and a phone. Jun holds the phone up to Viper’s face, opening the lock screen, and toggles open the settings, adding his own biometrics to the phone. Then, taking the keys, he makes his way out of the alleyway, walking over to Viper’s abandoned motorcycle and claiming it as his own.