Bright...
The night was bright..
which...
Doesn't make sense when you think of it.
But, it does when you gaze upon the City, which glowed under the veil of night.
The cities streets, clean of blemish and filth.
The crowd filled it with life.
The city was marvelous the buildings were of chrome metal.
Square openings were placed upon them, in one building, showed a man with dyed sliver tipped hair, reading a book on a cushioned chair.
He glanced at the opening, as a breeze entered his home.
He shivered, as he spoke, the metal plating as if skin under his throat, bent with no wrinkle as it lined his jaw to a appealing sight.
"Home, close the window." He said
The square opening, slowly from each corner translucent square's slowly built and attached to each other, till it covered the opening and blurred the inside.
But unlike the man, almost every window was not closed, the people were relaxed, easy going, they all looked like they were safe.
Understandable, when you live in such a secure place.
These type of building's were not the only one's here.
Clean and, unstained buildings that reached.
No.
Ruptured the sky, which were advanced in it's architecture, it was appealing and inspiring.
Where, the richer look down on the rich.
This was the core of the city.
Where it shined brightest, like a flame.
And like a flame, the light fades, the further away from it's source.
Till darkness surrounded the city. It was not the darkness of night, rather it was part of the city. The edge's of the city.
The Outer City.
It was a dark place...
Even though it was bright...
Just like it's core... But not in the same way.
The streets were crowded, the people wore clothing of leather, fiber, silk and metal adornment's. Baggy, tight, thick, thin and loose. Some having strips of vibrant luminescent lining.
Some had metal replacing their flesh from the upper jaw and everything above it. Others had metal plating from their forehead to their nose, like a mask. Crimson circular lenses imbedded in the plating, while others had plated throats with visible carbon fiber pipes. Many, had steel fingers that tinged when clenched into fist's, metal jaws, two more unnerving eyes above one another, that looked right, left, down and up, at the same time...
It was unnatural you could say...
Guess, that was the point, when you decide to do, that to your body.
Split tongues, with glass endings, that glowed with vivid coloured liquids in it.
These people stood out in different ways and, there were many... Which made them normal, not stand out.
The unnatural....
Natural...
The Strange, The Weird, The Concerning, The Suspicious, The Threatening, The Intimidating and The Dangerous.
They all are part of the darkness, of The Outer City.
But, they are those who don't belong.
The Fragile, The Innocent.
Bodies cloaked and, hoodies shadowing the pairs face, they moved at the edge's of the crowd. The smaller of the two stopped at an alleyway entrance, the child-like silhouette stared. Hearing the knuckles that collided with the already broken nose.
A knee collides with a stomach.
A fist blurring forward.
A head flinging to the side.
Blood flew...
Two men in dark clothing watched. Tattoos on their skin and metallic visor's screwed into their head, one was bald as his whole head was of metal, excluding his lower jaw.
The other man, had slick strands combed back and, cut at the sides. His ear was metallic and it had a glass lining, which had no colour. His eyes had a black iris similar to a camera, causing the pupil to be hexagon in shape.
He digged in his pockets, taking out a pack of cigars and a lighter. He pressed a button and, a short streamline blue flame, lit the cigar. He brought it to his mouth and, took a drag, releasing the resulted fumes out his metallic nose. He closed his eyes as if savouring the moment even, though having done it many times.
He opened his eyes as he looked at his companion who, had a grin plastered across his face.
"...He done yet..?" The man said lazily.
His friend did not respond for a second. Then he turned, the same grin displayed. Then his nose scrunched, as he snarled.
"Now, N? to smoke..?" The metal head paused, sniffed the air and, looked at the unbranded and not written on box in N's hand.
"Weed man, like now?" He said disbelievingly, pinching his nose as he sighed, shaking his head.
He spits at the floor, the fumes entering his nose.
He looked up a displeased expression clear, yet before he could quarrel with N, his gaze met the small cloaked figure.
"N,we got a nosey rat." The metal head said with a shadowed face.
And looked at the alley entrance, the moment his gaze landed on the cloaked figure.
His lazy demeanor got overshadowed.
Throwing his weed at the floor, crushing it underfoot.
They walked towards the frozen figure, but a cloaked silhouette covered her.
"I apologize my daughter doesn't know when to mind her own business." A feminine voice said her back towards the men.
They kept quiet...
"If you don't mind we're-"
"No you're not." N interrupted.
"Your kids a liability if i have seen one." The metal head said, reaching in his jacket.
Click.
The cloaked woman flinched.
She knew what that was.
She lowered herself to her daughter's ear.
"Run, deep into the crowd... Deep." The woman whispered.
The daughter nodded, she knew what she got her mother into, so her tears were called for.
The bald man aimed and–
"I'm done."
The metal head flinched.
"Ya we'll get to you!" N said back.
"Now.."
The metal head lowered his pistol, irritation evident.
"Kid, we said we'll get to ya, right now we got some loose ends."
"Some random kid and woman are loose ends? Then i did do a number to your gang...
Or it was fodder from the beginning."
The bald man aimed, not at the woman though, rather at the, boy...
He was short, probably in his early teens he wore a bumping lump of a jacket. The jacket was black but it had neon light trims, they were glowing purple.
He had dark teal coloured sweat pants and black shoe's.
His hoody was up and his hair peeked out, it was a gray cloud, like blue.
"You know kid on second thought, you look like a better loose end to deal with." The metal head pressed on the trigger but, he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"M, the boss said not to mess with the kid." N, reminded.
"Like i give care, why keep a stray that's a huge pain." M said.
N placed his hand on the gun and pushed it down.
"You know why." N said, going to the boy.
"For a stray, you make an excellent hound." N began to say.
"I did what you asked..." The boy said.
N, calmly stared at the boy.
"And..?" N asked
"Time for you to fulfill your end of the bargain." The boy said.
"Ya i think, we already did." N replied.
The boys head leaned to the side, his line of sight landing on the metal head, who slowly grinned.
Then he brought his head back, then raised his gaze.
His eye...a purple iris that transitions into a pink, the iris seemed to be in the process of being devoured by the sliver grey fog surrounding the black pupil.
The dark alley seemed to reveal their glow.
"I don't think so..." The boy simply retorted.
"Why so?" N asked.
"Our deal was for me to be transported out the city and in exchange I'll be your hound for half a year, hunting your debtors."
"Ya, it's just delayed, your ride comes in camou." M replied, raising his pistol to the mother and child.
"You found out about me going to military school, didn't you." The boy said.
"Ding ding ding, Yep we sure did." N said lazily.
The boy sighed looking down.
"Those guys would do anything to get rid of me, so i didn't expect them to miss the chance." He looks up.
"So it makes sense they would take the chance to get rid of me and make sure i can't come back."
"Right on the mark, they just couldn't bare with the thought of you coming back to destroy, the paradise they want to build, so when they found out the reason you wanted to leave, they wanted you to stay, funny how that sounds right?"M said with a amused tone.
"Your saying to much, M" N said
"Fine, any ways i got some loose ends to deal with." M said turning to the mother and daughter.
Raising the pistol.
*Bam*
A dent.
M's metal head was dented due the brick the boy threw.
M looked back to see his partner lift the boy and throw him against the wall, the same one, the boy pummeled the debtor.
The boy slide to ground the air knocked out of him, yet he had to roll to the side, N's knee colliding with the wall.
N grabbed his knee with clenched teeth
The boy ran to the alley entrance.
*Bang*
He broke his run as he stopped on the spot, switching direction as he took cover behind a trash can. Not in the line of fire, of the smoking pistol M held.
He looked back at N who's leg swung for his head, the boy's head leaned back knocking the trash can.
At the same time, M got closer his back to the wall as he aimed at the boy's head, the boy saw this already grasping N's leg, pulling him with it.
M didn't register this, already commiting to the action, not able to react fast enough to not shoot.
The boy leaned back, pulling N's leg before the bullet was shot, when M was set at shooting.
*Bang*
The bullet went straight through his knee.
"AHHH!!, M you incompetent-!?" N didn't end his sentence as he fell, bashing his head to the floor.
The boy did not waste time grabbing the trashcan, proceeding to throw it at the still shocked M, who panicked the next moment as the trash can flew to him.
*Bang, Bang,Bang*
Hastily he shot the trash can some of the content's land on him, as the trash can hit the he floor.
But that didn't stop M's panick as, he saw the boy gone from his spot...
Yet right in front of him.
'This stray distracted me!!" M thought.
And in the next instance he couldn't breath, the boy using the between of his thumb and index finger, to strike at his throat.
M grabbed at his throat and aimed, Struggling...
Pointless.
His hand was shacking grip tight, yet the boy grabbed his wrist the boy was not strong but, someone still needed to register and resist force, so...
He did it fast.
Twisting his wrist.
"Argh!" M grunted.
"Atleast you don't scream like your friend..." The boy commented.
Reacting back M, used his other hand balling it to strike him square in the face.
The boy staggered back as he fell on the floor.
Nose bleeding...
Gun in hand...
Gun clasped in both hands, in the boy's hands.
aimed right at the space between his brows and...
*Bang*
The man hit the wall and slumped to the floor, blood painting the alleyway wall.
Panning out...
It was one of many blood streaked acrossed.
"Arrogant just cause you got a gun,probably your those hired for numbers...
Sad." The boy said, then proceed to aiming at N.
Still recovering,N reached for his back pocket the second seeing the pistol aimed at him, he drawed out his pistol yet...
He was
Too slow.
*Bang*
One in his shoulder.
*Bang*
Another in the stomach.
*Bang*
And lastly through the eye.
N dropped to the floor dead.
The boy looked at the alley entrance...
The mother, daughter pair gone, and he looked blankly at the busy street.
"She looked my age." The boy mumbled, walking into the busy street
He entered it and disappeared, with a motive.
--
The mother dragged her daughter, hand in hand while they sprinted.
"Mom, we left him behind!" The daughter spoke.
"Quiet!, he took care of the two men, he'll be alright." The mother responded.
"But, he'll be in trouble... cause of...-of." The daughter began to quiver.
"Stop with that nonesense. Those kind of children know their way around those problems, so don't be sorry cause those men...they would have been killed by that child, if i heard the men right ." The mother stated.
The daughter looked up stunned and curious at how her mother could be so sure, and have a clear consciousness about abandoning they rescuer, who was a mere child.
"Mom what do you mean by 'Those kind of children' ya sure his violent...really...really violent but-"
"Listen to me here!" The mother cut the daughter off."His a Stray, and a Hound even worse."
The daughter was baffled " What?! Are you calling him a dog?" She asked.
The mother groaned
She looked around then entered a corner, turning out to be a tight space between two buildings, they went deeper, appearing signs blaring with lights.
They both sat down on the ground.
They took time to catch their breath then the daughter exploded."Mom please explain to be me, why we abandoned a kid who saved me from getting KILLED!?"
The mother reacted fast covering her daughter's mouth with her hands.
"You bratty child." The mother said "Don't make too much noise understood." She said retracting her hands.
"Sorry, but mom it's just-" The daughter began.
"Cruel?" The mother added inquisitively.
"Ya-yeah, cruel, it's just cruel to abandon some kid who saved me, us." The daughter said.
"And what use would we be?" The mother asked.
"Hmm.." the daughter looked down in thought as she scrunched her face. After waiting a minute or so the mother spoke frustration evident.
"We have few options for where to live, to eat, to go, to see, or even to speak. We don't have many options and it's only the two of us, we can't just bring some stray with connections to the darker ends of this city, he saved us, but that Does not mean we can too..." She sighed,"There is no need for worry...his a 'Stray'."
The daughter was crushed by what her mother said, on the brink of tears but...curiousity.
The word 'Stray', what was that? what does it mean? And how is the boy connected to it?
"M-Mom, can I-I ask... What is a 'Stray' and-and how can being one, help the boy?" She asked cautious with her mother, for this is the first time she saw her act like this...so
Terrified.
Of what? Everything.
The mother calmed her self, this was a scary day for her.
She almost lost her child, her only child, her daughter.
She exhaled and looked at her timid daughter.
'Easy pickings.' she thought, her expression darking.
"Listen to me now and don't forget it, understood." The mother said sternly
The daughter nodded.
"Strays are children left or abandoned by their parents, or young children who join dealers, transporters, mercenaries and even gang's. They normally...mail things from the people they work for." The mother explained, her face softening as she went on.
"Some of them have parents and still do such, their heartless, so listen here" She placed her hands on the daughter's shoulders.
"I know you have a sweet heart, but this city will pump rotten blood, right through that heart of yours. You have to be more careful, don't freeze when your scared, rather run and hide when so." Then the mother smiled and poked her daughter's nose.
"And don't be nosey."
The daughter looked down in thought, and looked up curious.
At the sight of this the mother sighed.
She stood up dusting herself off as she proceeded to the crowded streets again, her daughter stood fast and hastily dusting herself followed after her.
"Mom, one last question, what is a 'Hound'?" The daughter asked.
The mother stopped, and looked back.
"Their dogs sent to hunt..."
--
As a boy diverged from the street crowd jogging, he stopped right in front of a safety ladder. The boy climbed it up until the top.
He looked around, his eyes landed on a metal box and plank, originating from a broken table.
He grabbed the plank, put it at the edge which another building was, then he went to the box. He went down grabbing the sides, then the boy's teeth clenched, his legs were spread as he walked slowly over.
He dropped the box on the plank side that was not hovering over the space between the building's.
He straighten his back, and distanced himself from the box pinned plank, then...
Sprinted straight at it.
He stepped on the box, then the plank, and leaped
He soared... Then fell.
His grabbed the roof top edge and pulled himself up, rolling on to it, sprawled out.
He stood dusting himself.
*Clank*
A thin metal, palm sized rectangular object, fell from his lumpy jacket.
Purple pink, eyes looked down on the object.
The boy picked the object up, and unzipped his jacket, as multiple of these object were stashed in his pocket. Some other things, resembling watches closely, yet instead of glass, light formed displays of time each unique or similar.
He placed the object in his pocket, stashing it with the others.
And he continued onward on the rooftops.
Be it leaping or running.
He venture and ran in the dark as the City was illuminated.
And sat to admire the colours of the city. The colours dancing on his face.
He was still while the lights dance.
He liked colours, so bright and vibrant, and so many, invoking different feelings in him.
He wanted to understand them, grasp them.
How were they so beautiful, when still, when chaotic and if they looked awful, it wasn't their fault, rather someone put them at the wrong place or in the wrong way.
This caused him to gain a admiring habit when it came to colours, and try to use one word to grasp it, or explain it.
'Numerous...' He thought.
That was how the city lights made him feel.
He stood up, and began to walk on a long cable, balancing quite easily.
And next he was on the floor feeding a street dog, that had hiding puppies.
They were cute...
Then he was staring at a window, his purple eyes reflecting on it.
Purple...
A colour that he associated with being...
Tired or weary.
Because of how his eyes surprisingly made him standout, even in this strange place.
He pushed the window up and entered, closing it behind himself.
And sat at the window.
Looking out.
Drained, and filled with...
Fatigue.
====