Legendary Detective at the World's End (Volume 1) (23 page)

   “He’s been hit.” Kirin said stepping forward, grabbing the pouch.

   “W-What?” Yumi asked.

   “The poison dart.” Kirin said weighing the pouch in his open palm.

   “Wait,” Jake said stepping forward. “You don’t mean—”

   “I mean exactly that. He already had his run in with the Guard. He got away, but they got him before he escaped. How did you do it, get away I mean, even under execution orders?”

     Reese chuckled under his breath. “I’m a resourceful man, and where there’s a will to party, there’s always a way to the dance floor.” He said with a cocky grin on his face.

   “He’s lying…” Yumi said running to the side of Reese, touching what she now noticed as a pale face of a sick brother. “You’ll be alright Reese, won’t you? You always find a way, don’t you? We’ll get out of this too.”

     Reese looked at the teary eyes of Yumi and caressed her cheek, wiping the tears just as they rolled down. He then looked over her shoulder out towards the dance floor as City Patrolmen flanked on all sides of the dance floor, searching for him within the crowd.

   “Detective.” He said with a weakening voice. Kirin nodded his head and looked over to Jake.

   “No.” Jake shook his head, not wanting to do what Kirin had inferred him to do.

   “You’re on her side, aren’t you?” Kirin said. “So do what’s best for her.” Kirin walked to a back door at the end of the room.

   “Hey!” Kara said rushing inside the booth with Milk in hand. “The City Patrol is here, you need to get out of here.”

   “Reese!” Milk said excitedly, quickly rushing over to him. “Big brother, are you alright? Did the girl hurt you?”

   “Haha…” Reese smiled at Milk’s words half-heartedly. “You know I’ll always protect you guys, right?”

   “No.” Yumi said crying. “We take care of each other.”

   “Yeah.” He smiled as Jake approached Yumi from behind with a reluctant look on his face.

     Approaching the unsuspecting Yumi from behind, Jake wrapped his arms around her and lifted her over his shoulder, carrying her shocked and flailing body.

   “What’re you doing?! Let me go! Let me go! Reese!” she shouted, banging on the back of Jake as he walked into the open door Kirin had left open. Kara grabbed a hold of the confused Milk, dragging him away from Reese and following Jake into the other room. Once inside, Kirin shut the door and closed the lights in the room.

  “Let me go!” Yumi kept shouting, hitting Jake at any exposed area. After one good hit to the groin, he dropped her to the floor. Yumi, picking herself up, quickly rushed back to the door where Kirin stood. As she charged towards him, Kirin stared defiantly at her.

   “Get out of my way!” Yumi shouted. And with those words, Kirin casually step to the side, somewhat to the shock of Yumi.

   “Go ahead, die with your brother, that’s a loving thing siblings do, right? Sacrifice themselves to save the ones that they love. I mean, that’s what Reese is doing… You’re a leveled headed girl, in the Outskirts—it’s all bad, and well, it’s the same here if you’re an illegal.” Kirin said walking away towards a back exit. “C’mon Jake and Kara. Leave the boy here.” He said walking out, taking the hesitant and concerned Kara and Jake along with him, grabbing their arms and pulling them out, leaving Yumi by the exit door with herself and a scared Milk.

     Yumi scoffed at his exiting back before opening the door. However, just as she did, she could hear the shouts from the City Guard as they busted down the door to the booth and entered the room, swarming around the smiling Reese.

   “City Patrol! City Patrol! Freeze!” they screamed pointing their guns at Reese. Yumi, watching through a crack in the door, could not push herself to rush inside to his defense. Watching Reese raise his hands in surrender, she noticed a familiar face walking inside the room.

   “Well, aren’t you special?” Captain Hershel said clapping his hands as he walked into the room. “If it isn’t the illegal immigrant from the Wastelands, standing strong even after a heavy dose of
Reapers
venom. And here I thought it was supposed to kill you within minutes, but here you are, hours later, smiling and laughing, drinking and wooing women. I must say I am impressed young man.”

   “You should be.” Reese smiled as he took another swig from his bottle of wine before placing it down. “You only die once, but a life lived grand can last, this time literally, a lifetime.”

     The Captain grimaced at his words, put off by the youthful ignorance of it. “Men, dispose of him.”

     Yumi, hearing those words, could not help but pull open the door a bit, against her better judgment, but as she did, she caught herself, and pulled it to a near close. However, it was too late, the Captain’s attention was drawn to the slight creak from the door’s hinges.

   “Guards, check the back room.” He ordered. And just as he did, a shot rung off and hit him dead in the chest, pushing the shocked face of the Captain back.

   “W-What is this?” he said touching his opened wound before crumpling to the ground in pain and then lying still in a pool of his own blood. Yumi, looking towards the couch, could see Reese smiling with a gun in his hand and the sleeve of his shirt unbuttoned.

   “Like I said, live a long and grand life!” He shouted like a madman. “As big as the stories you tell and the dreams you can imagine!”

     Grabbing the full attention from the guards and their loaded rifles, Reese glanced over to the door at Yumi, locking eyes with her for one last moment.

     Yumi, catching her breath leaping from her lungs as their eyes locked, slammed the door shut, just as the remaining guards pointed their weapons back to Reese while they shouted in shock and confusion. Running away from the door with tears flowing from her eyes, Yumi grabbed Milk’s hand and dragged him towards the back exit. Reaching its opened door, a flurry of shots rang out from behind. Not stopping and forcing herself forward, she exited the building and walked under the young night sky without looking back.

   “Yumi!” A voice shouted from the side of her. Looking to her left, she saw Jake and Kirin sitting on their parked mopeds alongside her empty and already running motorcycle.

   “Come on, let’s go.” Jake waved her over, snapping her out of her manic state. Grabbing Milk’s hand, she dragged him to the moped and climbed aboard.

   “Big sis!” Milk whined as he took a seat behind Yumi. “What about Reese? He’s still inside.”

   “No, he isn’t.” she said with a cold and determined expression on her face. “He’s gone.”

     Jake and Kirin looked at her pained face.

   “Go.” Kirin said tapping Jake’s shoulder. Nodding his head, he accelerated. Yumi followed closely as they sped out of the alley just when the guards busted out of the back exit and began firing their weapons in their direction while they turned the corner into the evening traffic of the Downtown Sector. Speeding alongside traffic, following the blurred red lights of Jake’s moped, Yumi looked on coldly at the dazzling lights of the city and the abundant wealth that showed in the fine jeeps and wool leather clothes fashioned by the pedestrians. Unaffected by their charms, she followed the moped ahead of her into the blinding red lights of the Red Sector.

     As minutes passed, Jake parked in front of a lavish building decorated with red lights along with the many other places here where men gazed at women wearing seductive clothes casually along with a pleasing smile.

     Parking behind them, Yumi looked around with suspicion, alarmed by her environment. “Where are we?” she said forcefully walking up to Kirin as he dismounted the moped.

   “Your ticket to freedom.” Kirin replied.

   “Are you kidding me?” she said pushing Kirin violently. “You’re thinking about selling me off, aren’t you? I’m no fool.”

   “I know you’re not.” Kirin replied with a serious look in his eyes.

   “Hey!” Kara waved by the entrance of the lavish building. “Come here, our host is waiting.”

   “Feel free to come along.” Kirin said walking over, patting Jake on the back as he jumped up the stairs and strolled towards the building, leaving Yumi to look on in curiosity. Grabbing Milk by the hand, she reluctantly made her way up the small set of stairs and followed Jake while he made his way inside.

     Entering the building, she immediately took notice of the refined crowd of people seated at the dinner tables, laughing and joking as a small jazz band played in the corner.

  “Come on.” Kara said standing by the door. “This is my mother’s place. You could say she’s somewhat of a big shot in the Red Sector.”

   “I-Is this a brothel?” Yumi stumbled on her words, unsure what she was looking at.

   “Please.” Kara shook her head, annoyed. “Not every place in the Red Sector is a brothel. I’ll have you know, this is one of the best restaurants here in the City of Teigen.” She nodded. “And it just so happens my mother runs it. C’mon, let’s go to the back.”

     Yumi looked around at all the beautifully dressed women in robes of fine silk, serving visitor’s liquor while some played instruments or sang songs.

     Moving past the large dining area, Kara led her to a hall with the header ‘private’ over it. Opening the first of many doors, Yumi followed Kara into another large dining space, this one made of the finest ebony wood floors and hand carved furnishings. Inside the room, Kirin sat in discussion with a young man in a neon-hooded shirt.

  “Who is that?” Yumi asked immediately.

   “That’s my friend.” Kara said skipping over. “Hey, Jay, I’d like you to meet our third and fourth wheel.”

     Jay, looking at Yumi, stood up and extended his fist in greeting. “What’s up girl?”             

     Yumi extended her own clenched fist and bumped his.

   “Hey…” she said under her breath.

     Kara jumped out beside him and wrapped his head under her arm. “Stop trying to be so cool.” She said rubbing the top of his exposed baldhead.

   “Ow!” he yelped. “Let go Kara! C’mon, I’m not playing!

   “Man, I’m always playing.” she said letting him go.

   “That’s the problem with you.” Jay shook his head with a big smile on his face. “That’s why you’ll never become a top DJ, girl.”

   “Shut up.” Kara smiled before turning to Yumi. “Anyways,” she said turning to Yumi. “We’re heading out to one of the Better Cities, Nodham to be exact. We were wondering if you wanted to come. We could get you a border pass so you can escape. It might be a little risky, but I think we can get away with it. Especially with the coin the old boy has…” she said looking in the direction of Kirin before staring at him with a puzzled expression on her face. “Wait…” she said looking at Kirin. “Who is he again? I don’t even think I know his name or why I was being chased by that god-forsaken beast with him.  Who is he? And why am I helping him again?”

   “He’s a detective.” Jay shook his head. “I’ve seen the flyers everywhere.” He laughed.

   “Well,” Kara shrugged her shoulders. “With the hunk of coin the old ‘detective’ here has, we can get you out of here.” She turned to Yumi. “Are you in?”

     Yumi, glancing suspiciously at Kirin, let out a sigh and nodded her head. “Fine, that’s fine.” She said walking over to a seat behind Kara, leaving Milk to wander the space in wonder and ignorance as he marveled at the room.

   “What’s wrong with that kid?” Jay asked.

     Kara looked at Milk. “Just leave him alone and get everything prepared.”

   “Alright, alright, but you sure your Mother is alright with this?”

   “She won’t be if you don’t hurry up before she comes back.”

   “Damn, you for real about running away. Welp, you gotta do what you gotta do, girl.”

   “Besides, we’re not going just anywhere, we’re going to see the Underground, that’s where I heard they traveled. To be the best among DJ’s you got to work with the best and the Underground is where it’s at.”

   “Alright, alright.” Jay said rushing out. “Hold your horses, I’ll be right back.”

   “Is it all that special?” Yumi said despondently. “Your dream, that is, to be a DJ.” She said turning around in her seat, just then noticing a piano behind her.

   “Of course it is.” Kara replied. “It’s the new wave of music, the soundtrack to the new world. So definitely, yeah, it’s a special thing, and to make your name now, is to make history.” She clenched her fist in excitement.

     Yumi chuckled before returning to the cold expression on her face. Uncovering the piano keys, Yumi gently tapped her fingers over its ivory surface, hearing its sound echo throughout the room.

   “That was a gift to my mother from a Nobleman, a special admirer of hers.” Kara said with some pride.

     Yumi smiled, then gently began tapping her fingers at an increased, but coordinated pace across the keys, playing a gentle melody tinged with angst and sorrow. Filling the room with her song, everyone stared in disbelief and awe of her skill.

     Jake sat up in his seat. “Beautiful…” he said ensnared by the songs rhythm.

   “Ave Maria…” Kirin said.

   “What?”

   “That’s the song.” He said raising an eyebrow while looking at Yumi’s graceful play. “Where did you learn how to play that?”