Oops, You Savage!

The gray reaper was closing in on him, a huge, metallic behemoth. The machine's roar filled his senses, drowning out his mind's desperate whispers. For a moment, he felt calm. It was like he was an observer, detached from the terrifying reality. But beneath this calm, a storm raged. His body screamed in protest, every fiber yearning for survival. However, a part of him fervently desired an escape from the weight of existence.

Suddenly, an orange blur materialized from the edge of his vision. The orange blur struck him with unnatural speed, causing him to tumble away from the unrelenting steel beast. The world tilted, spun, and plunged into darkness.

When consciousness quickly returned, he was sprawled on the cold, hard ground, the taste of dirt and adrenaline a bitter cocktail. A weight was pressed against him, a warmth that seeped into his cold body. His eyes flickered open. Intense yellow eyes and a freckled face, framed by ginger hair, stared back at him. The scent of sun-warmed fur mingled with a deeper, almost primal aroma.

Ru asked in confusion, "Cat? Man? Beast?"

The man—no, the beastman—was perched atop him, his weight pressing Ru into the gravel beside the tracks. His lithe body was naked, and his expression was a mix of mischief and concern. His fingers, with claw-like nails, gripped Ru's shoulders firmly, pinning him in place.

"Do you want to die?" The beastman asked, a purr in his tone. His warm breath caressed Ru's face.

Ru blinked up at him. "You—you were the cat?"

The beastman smirked, his sharp canines glinting in the dim light. "Observant, aren't you?" he teased, leaning in closer. His hair fell in soft waves around his face, framing features that were both strikingly human and subtly wild. "I really expected you to show a bit more appreciation. I just saved your life, you know."

Ru's heart pounded, not just from the near-death experience but from the intensity of the beastman's gaze. "I—I didn't ask to be saved," he muttered.

The beastman chuckled. "You didn't have to ask," he said, his tone softening. "I could feel despair. It called to me." He tilted his head, studying Ru with those luminous eyes.

Ru's breath hitched, and he looked away, his cheeks flushing. "You don't know anything about me."

"Really?" The beastman countered, his grip on Ru's shoulders loosening slightly. He shifted his weight, settling more comfortably atop Ru, his movements fluid and deliberate. "I've been with you for a while now, watching, listening. You're more than just a vessel for some ancient curse. You're... fascinating."

"Me?" Ru's eyes snapped back to the beastman's. "I'm a walking disaster. A link to an apocalypse. There's nothing fascinating about that."

The beastman reached up to brush a strand of hair from Ru's forehead. His touch was surprisingly gentle, his claws retracted. "You're wrong," he said quietly. "You're brave, even if you don't see it. You've been fighting for so long, carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders. But you don't have to do it alone."

Ru's throat tightened, and he swallowed hard. "Why do you care?"

The beastman smiled, a slow, knowing smile that made Ru's stomach flip. "Maybe I just like lost causes," he said, his tone light but his eyes serious. "Or maybe... I see something in you worth saving."

Neither of them spoke for a moment. There were only breathing sounds.

Finally, the beastman leaned down, his lips brushing against Ru's ear as he whispered, "Next time you decide to throw yourself in front of a train, at least give me a heads-up. I'd hate to lose you before I've had the chance to figure you out."

Ru's breath caught, and he felt a flush spread across his cheeks. "Oh, okay."

As Ru strained to sit up, the roar of another approaching train shook the earth.

"Don't," the beastman said, his voice firm. In the next instant, he engulfed Ru, his presence draping over him like a protective blanket.

The train shook the ground beneath them, causing a dust cloud. Ru's eyesight blurred, his thoughts jumbled, and reality slipped through his grasp.

Then—sudden lightness. The weight that held him in place evaporated.

Ru wiped his eyes, blinking out the blur. However, the final image remained unchanged: the orange cat was sitting comfortably on his chest, its golden eyes staring into his own.

"You shouldn't do that again," he said, looking into the cat's eyes. "Not even if you are a human in another dimension."

And he decided to stroke the cat.

"You must be Anaxarete's cat because she is a witch, and witches have cats, their handsome cats. Oh, that's nonsense!"

Now he was thinking. What was the meaning of this incident? Was it a man or a cat who saved him? Maybe both together.

"Are you a witch? A male witch? Maybe warlock?"

"Meow!"

"I'll take that meow as confirmation... What should we do now, witch?"

The cat scratched Ru's hand, "KhIIIIsss!"

"Oops, you savage! And gotcha, you aren't a witch."

"Mrrrp!"

"And you want to get off," Ru said as he looked at the scratch on his hand and smiled. Then he gently put the cat down. "Come on, show me the way."

The cat ran ahead and went under the barbed wire. By the time Ru caught up, it was already out of sight.

"Oh, let me be like my alter ego, Almighty Ru. Alone and unloved."

And he hit the road again. There was nowhere for him to go. Trains whizzed by, nylon bags flew, and dust blew away.

The destination Ru had in mind was the next train station. But he didn't want to set a goal, not even a small one. After silencing all the voices in his head, he wanted to experience bohemia. He took a detour. The area is littered with garbage, tires, and a few junkyards. He finally ran down a rundown street.

"Good for bad guys like me," his thought was. He was engulfed in the delusion that he could punish the almighty Ru by punishing himself.

There were a few minor confrontations in a few of the motel and bar scenes lit by neon signs. There were prostitutes, drug dealers, bullies, and a few punks who had had too much to drink.

It was just the right place to make music. With this thought, Ru felt a great sense of absence. He searched for it in his hands and then on his lips. He was an instrument. He involuntarily whispered the name of this instrument that he had always searched for and never found.

"Jack the Fly."

He opened both hands, hoping that his flute would magically appear. He closed his eyes tightly. And he imagined the flute rising out of the night and falling like a comet into his palms.

Yes, there was something in his hands, money!

"Is that enough?" a man asked.

Ru opened his right eye, then his left. His gaze was caught between the bundle of money in his palm and a man in a fedora with a cigar in his mouth and a gold chain that had disappeared into his hairy chest.

"What's this money for?" Ru asked.

"Aren't you a prostitute? Why do you ask?" the man said.

"Aw..." He was happy with the weight of the bundle but unhappy with the profession he was assigned. He was conflicted. "What time is it?" he asked, trying to make out the man's face shadowed by the hat.

The man rolled up the sleeve of his fur coat and pointed at the clock: "Midnight."

"Great, let's go then," Ru said with an innocent smile. "You pick the place," he said as he took the man's arm.

Why shouldn't he? He was of age at this moment. Not only was he of age now, but he had found a man who paid his tip in advance, who was rich, judging by the way he was dressed. He wanted to neutralize him, whether by stealing his wallet or tying him up and calling his family. Taking an inappropriate photo with the man was one of the options.

Blackmail, kidnapping, or robbery?

Ru was sure that he could do all three. He would make up for his defeat at Mr. Thargata with a victory. As for prostitution, the profession was like a torn dress locked away in an old trunk.

He tried to keep that dress away from him as he walked with the man under the neon lights.

He read many signboards and saw many people as he retreated into the alleys. He loved the eerie polyphony of illegal nights. The music playing in his brain combined with the curse words and went wild. The sound of the bodies stomping like drums filled him with inspiration, and his anger was at its peak.

And the adrenaline rush of committing a crime? Ru loved that excitement.

Finally, they arrived at a hotel. The place looked like a ruin. Some of the lights on the sign looked like they hadn't been on for years. Yellowed curtains, broken windows, and old wooden doors reflected the mood of the place.

As he stepped through the door, he was startled by the creak of the old wooden floor. What a sexy sound, and how suspicious...

The sounds, breaths, and moans coming from the rooms along the corridor made the place come alive like an organism. The smells of alcohol, perfume, sweat, and cigarettes mixed, soaking the mind in the honey of lust.

They went upstairs, and finally, a door opened. First, the man entered, then Ru. The simple room consisted of a double bed, an armchair, a small closet, two nightstands, and a lampshade that barely provided any light. It was lit mainly by the sign on the outside wall and some lights from the buildings.

Ru ordered the man, "Get ready; I'll wait for you."

The man, breathing rapidly like a pet dog, went to bed. Just then, all the lights on the street went out.

Ru, happier than ever now that the power was out, was about to take action. He had put the camera in the closet. He took off his jacket and threw it. He slowly unbuckled his belt as he walked towards the bed. He stood in front of the man with sadistic lust. He yearned to astonish this man with his strength.

His belt slammed into the ground with force.

wuh-PSSSH!

At that moment the man groaned like a wounded animal.

A hot wetness splashed onto Ru's face, the metallic taste of blood filling his mouth.

Panic gripped him as he looked for a place to escape in the dark. A thud echoed in the still night, the sound of something heavy hitting the ground. He turned, his heart pounding in his ears.

A gloved hand clamped over his mouth, silencing his cry. A whisper, soft yet chilling, entered his consciousness:

"Sleep, sleep, in the starry sky,

Close your eyes, my child; don't cry.

Dreams come, gentle and kind,

Rest your head; you'll find peace."