A woman running in the middle of the night. That's where our history begins. In a dark, very dark night. The cold wind rustled the leaves of the trees. Everyone. Everything was silent, as if they were holding their breath waiting for the outcome of the chase.
His steps were stable. There was no fear in his heart. His feet knew the way. She had walked it thousands, millions of times, no matter the weather, no matter how tired she was. Over and over again, the same streets, the same shops, the same damp stains on the walls, everything remained the same.
Glancing at his watch, he had ten minutes to go. She had to hurry but didn't want to lose him.
All those days of planning would be meaningless if I let it slip away.
She clenched his teeth tightly, pretended to stumble, and uttered a weak cry of terror as he felt the footsteps approaching. She stood up panting, two more streets and it would all be over. At last.
Then she saw it. The broken tile, the same one Vick had broken days before, stuck out enough to make him trip, but it all depended on the steps. Or he could stumble. Or he could just walk through it.
It was a bet.
She calculated the steps, the distance. Closed his eyes as he passed over it, didn't stop until she heard the sharp sound of someone falling to the ground. Then she reached into his jacket, pulled out the sharp knife hidden there, and ran toward him.
Upon seeing her, the man tried to run suddenly, but she was faster. Hit his face hard, her stilettos seeming adequate for the situation. The man groaned, without giving him time to even think, she grabbed him by the hair forcefully, tilting his head so the moonlight exposed his neck... in a blink of an eye the edge ran through from side to side. Blood gushed out like a waterfall while the man coughed and groaned, trying to breathe.
She kept her grip tight, so many years of training had given her a strong, athletic body. Watched his eyes, the way the light faded from them, and only when they remained still, dull with lifelessness, she let him go.
From his shoulder bag she took out the wet towels, took off his rings and cleaned his hands vigorously. Behind, someone applauded.
-Did I mention how beautiful you look killing someone?
-I'll leave the rest to you- she tried not to smile, the wind was blowing the man's black hair.
-Where are you going?
-Home. I have a concert tomorrow, remember?
-Yes, but... haven't you forgotten something?- he moved his hands in circles around his smiling face-. My kiss
-I kissed you two hours ago, Vick. I really need to get back before someone notices my absence.
-I know. But I have to carry the corpse all the way to the river... on my own.
-You have a car- she cut him off, putting a hand on the forehead-. It shouldn't be difficult for you to carry it to the car. On your own.
-Yes it is. Load it into the car. Drive to the river. Get him out of the car. Put it in the suitcase. Throw it into the river. And then return home. Don't you think I deserve at least a kiss?
-I can help you carry him- she smiled, she liked to play with him.
-No, I don't want that- with graceful steps he crossed the corpse to be in front of her. He placed one hand on her waist to pull her close while holding her chin with the other-. Why must I always beg you, Kira?
-It's funny- laughed. She kissed him felling the electricity running through his body, the heat where their bodies touched and she didn't want to stop. That's why she didn't kiss him often, she wasn't able to control herself, not when she could feel his smile behind the kiss. That idiot had her under his spell.
-Don't forget to get rid of that- he pointed to the knife as he separated.
-You do it, you're a police officer, you people do this all the time, right?
-No, I only cover up murders for beautiful people. You're lucky you are one, otherwise you'd be behind bars- He stopped to look at her with a mischievous smile-. It's not a bad idea.
-Sure, put me behind bars. And you will explain to my fans why I didn't appear at the concert. Do you want that?
-No, thank you very much- he hastened to respond-, last time they sent all those letters to that poor man's house. It's too much, he just said you looked fat in that dress.
-And I do it?- she smiled.
-You look like a dream, well, a nightmare.
-Nightmares are still dreams, you know?
-Yep- he began to drag the body, taking it by the hands- Good luck tomorrow. I'll be behind the curtains if you need me.
-Hope I don't- she laughed.
She walked towards her apartment relieved. A life was a fair price to pay in exchange for a future in peace.
Maybe in another life, her family wasn't poor. Maybe, in another life, debts didn't exist. And maybe, just maybe, his parents hadn't died.
Kira was happy until much of her childhood life. He grew up in a whole family: mother, father, grandmother, except without siblings. He would have liked to have one.
When he turned 10, things began to complicate. Overnight, his father lost his job, which was a stupid argument about shifts and cleaning the machinery. But that alone was enough, that alone was enough to make an enemy, well, he was not the only one who lost his job that day.
The days passed, as did the months, and finally, the years.
She was twelve but remembered it perfectly. His mother's hand clutched in his, tears streaming down her face. The sudden movements of her body due to sobbing.
She had lost weight in those last few years, like everyone else. Kira considered that her limit would be near, there would come a day when she could no longer bear the hunger, the dirt, the cold under the bed, the laughter of her classmates, her mother's high cheekbones... one day... She couldn't stand it any more and leave.
Her mother was the first one to escape, she chose the roof to throw herself dow, in the middle of the night, without waking up anyone, without shouting, without making a single sound, not even a "goodbye".
Kira also remembered her father's cries. The gentleness in his voice when he said that everything would be fine. But that was not the case.
Desperate, without the little support of his beloved, he met new people, dangerous people who promised to help. And so they did.
After a year they got an apartment, managed to pay the bills, buy a new uniform for Kira and everything was actualy fine, but that happiness was happiness inded because they both didn't know the price for it.
It started with the letters, at first light in the morning, they were sent as soon as the sun rose.
The gold envelope stood out among the rest, so the white ones looked dirty, impure, not worthy. In incredibly beautiful cursive handwriting, it read: "It's time for payment."
She noticed how her father rushed in the mornings, just before taking her to school, to find the golden envelope and prevent her from seeing it.
The letters were followed by knocking on the door. What was the need to ignore the letters if those guys knew where they lived? None. People, when cornered, tend to choose to ignore problems and question their existence. That was simple because, when he opened the door, no one was there, just another letter on the floor.
A few weeks later, the envelope appeared decorated with a rose petal, red as blood. Upon seeing that for the third time, the man's attitude changed completely. Outings after school were not allowed anymore, Kira would go to and from school alone, in an armored rented car. They moved several streets down to a small neighborhood still under construction. She wasn't allowed to talk to anyone. See anyone outside.
The paranoia didn't take long to manifest. There were frequent times when he claimed to see a shadow through the windows, so he decided to remove them all and place thick cement in their place. He also claimed that if he slept, the chip in his body would activate, and they would be found.
The truck arrived a little later. Parked outside the house, didn't leave until the man came out, followed him, and returned with him. Following him like a shadow of death.
Kira used to hide in her room, listen to music, watch movies, and wait for her father to arrive. To avoid worrying in those hours, he completed his homework and, if there was time, wrote in her diary.
One night, the fears came true: he didn't come back.
The next morning, there was no letter in the door. Deep down, she knew the truth, so it wasn't a surprise to hear news reporting the death of a tall, thin man who had been shot five times in the chest. There were no records of relatives, and no one recognized the body.
Those days, Kira stopped attending school, and the neighbors would soon notice the loneliness. Her father used to talk to them in the mornings. Had to think about what to do then: she couldn't leave until the end of the year, had nowhere to go anyway. The savings under the mattress were enough to survive for many months, maybe a year, then she would get a job. Yes, that would be the plan.
She would do his best to avoid raising suspicions and spread the rumor of a work trip far away. And avoid going out during busy times. Nothing bad would happen.
When the year ends, then she will disappear forever.
She kept her promise. When the year ended... disappeared completely. Kira no longer existed. A few months before the graduation party tried to invent the excuse of a trip, in the eyes of his classmates she would go with her father, the father who was working far away and was not dead at all.
Some days, it was difficult for her to sustain the lies. His neighbors seemed to realize that something was wrong, and the dynamics of the house simply changed. Without restrictions, Kira usually returned very late, when only the moon illuminated the streets, preferred to be outside rather than return to a house where only silence kept her company.
As a result, she spent several nights without coming back. The nocturnal air had a healing effect on her being, observing the landscape, feeling how the cold made his hair stand on end. All his worries stopped, and they frezze and evaporated like water. She really enjoyed those moments in contact with nature.
Kira, how are you, kid? - It was the lady who used to sell homemade bread to them. Despite feeling his heartbeat increasing, she turned around with a fake smile.
-Mss. Lon - she shook his hand vigorously, as she used to do as a child - everything is fine, how are you?"
Oh, well kid, some age-related pains - she laughed. Have you spoken to your father these last few days? When I try to call him, no one answers.
-Ah- she pretended to remember something, hitting his forehead with his hand. Then she laughed distractedly-. The coverage - tried to explain - the networks don't work there. You must call him from a landline, I use the police phone to talk to him-she surprised herself when Mss. Lon seemed to accept that stupid lie. In the years of networks and communications, who would think of making a call from a police station?
-I see. It's a shame, I wanted to send my greetings for his birthday - Kira's smile faded. Birthday. Yesterday had been his father's birthday and she had forgotten. For full-. Next time you're going to call him, let me know, okay?
-Okay- she smiled again. I'll be late for school. Goodbye-waved her hands and ran towards school.
A cold began to form in his chest, as if, little by little, his entire being was freezing.
“You need to go, now”
At the end of classes, she decided to stop by the office. She thought about informing the reason why she would miss the last week of classes. Take a deep breath and knock on the door loudly.
Once explained the situation, the lie more like: she talked about a trip, a plane ticket already purchased, and how much she would love to stay until the last day.
-It's a shame - the lady agreed, after a few seconds of what seemed intense thought she spoke again-. You are a good student, your grades are perfect, Kira. If you have to leave, and you don't know when you'll be back, like you say, then I can bring forward your graduation... the papers. Would you agree?
-Yes, of course- it wasn't that the idea of having papers was pleasant to her, but those would be the last ones with her name, the real one, on them. They were something symbolic worth obtaining.
-Okay, give me a few days to talk to your teachers, and everything will be fixed.
That night, there were no stops. She returned home with the sun still high. Washed and folded all her clothes to put them in the suitcase. Didn't want to carry too much weight. Then she cleaned the entire house, collected photos, documents, notes, books, everything... that place needed to look abandoned, without any trace of life.
Kira waited until nightfall to leave, a giant bag with belongings in each hand. The weight made it difficult for she to walk properly but was able to get on the bus. Then, she got off at the last stop, blocks from the dump; remembered been there before, with his cousin, to see how the cars were crushed until they were thin as a sheet.
She entered the place, sometimes dragging the bags. Chose a red car, which looked like it had just arrived from a brutal crash; opened the doors, the inside smelled of citronella and lemon. Arching his face, placed both bags in the back seats, then grabbed a nearby bucket of gasoline and set it on fire. She walked a few meters away, hidden among scrap metal, to make sure that everything turned to ashes. Knew the schedule, no one would go until dawn, and no one would be surprised to see smoke coming from a place like that.
After a few hours, she approached, when there was little left of the fire, looked out to check his work and nodded satisfied.
The next thing was to buy the ticket, the city would be their new home. She would start from scratch, abandoning his past.
-A one-way ticket to Nucin City. It's a day and a half of travel, the young woman handed her the ticket, smiling-. Be here at six in the morning to check out the suitcases.
-Thank you- she said, putting the ticket in her shoulder bag.
-Oh, I have to put you on the list. What's your name?
“Don’t tell her”
-Lyra- responded after a few seconds of thinking.
New home. New name.
Just new things were coming.
Download MangaToon APP on App Store and Google Play