Chapter 44

We left the restaurant downtown with close to empty pockets because the food there was so damn expensive, which really shows how far the rich people reside, because we traveled about 10 blocks down for somewhere to eat.

"It's almost 10 PM."

Shinso grumbled as he look up at the large bell tower in the center of the city, tiredly rubbing his eyes.

"Then we better get back to the apartment, I don't know if they're closed by now."

I said, reaching my hand out, causing a carriage to charge over to us before halting in place.

"Where can I take you gentlemen?"

A scruffy man asked as we stepped into the carriage.

"Back uptown, we need to get there urgently!"

I said with a tone of obvious sarcastic urgency, but I guess the coach didn't notice, because he also seemed to move frantically as he turned it around and whipped the horses into motion.

"Heh, you're fun."

Shinso gave me a smirk, jabbing me into the elbow softly. I smirked back at him before asking a question.

"Do you have any money left? I don't know how much carriage prices decrease at night."

"They do?"

Shinso inquired, just then I remembered that Shinso wasn't present when I heard Oboro talking with Lancy about prices.

"Yeah."

I replied, just then Shinso leaned up and asked the coachman;

"How much is our ride gonna be? My friend here said prices shoot down during the night hours"

The coachmen turned back and opened his mouth, but before he could speak a loud bang was heard, causing me and Shinso to recoil and blink from sudden shock.

In that split second, the sound of breaking glass and a low yelp was heard. When we reopened our eyes we saw the coachmen's window was broken and he fell limp.

"What the..."

I leaned forward in my seat, climbing into the passenger seat to inspect what happened.

"Shinso, mind checking outside?"

I asked as I leaned in to look at the now barely alive coachmen. Shinso nodded as he opened the side doors and stepped out into the night, I pulled back the coachman's vest and saw a large red spot on his bare skin, probably from a wound of some kind.

I opened the coaches side door to let some moonlight flood in, and I spotted a bullet lodged in his chest in the center of the red spot.

Suddenly the bullet started to glow brightly, with a crimson hue that shone all throughout the carriage and outside.

The coachmen let out a few indistinguishable groans as the veins beneath his skin started to glow a bright red hue, just like the bullet.

"This reaction is similar to my Routeway awakening..."

I mumbled, my eyes fixed in the bullet lodged in his chest as I instinctively reached my hand towards the bullet, my eye shut tightly as I attempted to fish it out of his skin.

Eventually I heard a loud, meaty pop! I instantly reopened my eyes as the coach was gone, and his entire side of the cart was flooded in dark, rich blood.

The bullet sat on the seat where the coachmen was, and I picked it up before wiping the blood off of it with my vest.

"Isaac?!"

I heard Shinso call from outside the carriage, shortly after he burst in and looked at me with a fearful expression.

"What the hell happened?"

I looked at him, my eyes wide and terrified just like his.

"Where's the coachmen?"

He asked again, and like the night around us, the carriage fell silent.

"H-he exploded..."

I responded after a short while before instantly feeling something in the pit of my stomach, it was vomit.

"M-move!"

I pushed Shinso aside and threw up in the backseat, the smell of vomit moving with the already potent smell of blood and flesh.

"Here..."

I grumbled, my face still facing the floor as I handed Shinso the bullet used. He then left the car and held it up to the moonlight, examining it shortly.

"Wait..."

Shinso murmured before peeking his head back into the carriage.

"...I think these were the bullets used in Oboro's shooting, they have the same strange markings."

"Gimmie..."

I hesitantly leaned up, keeping my eyes away from the blood bath next to me as I took back the bullet, I then opened my door to let even more fresh air in as I held it up to the moonlight, and spotted the same markings on the bullet, except they were a little less distinguishable due to the blood residue on it.

"You're right."

My voice lowered to a whisper, my eyes narrowing in an attempt to discern any more symbols or meanings, but it was too dirty.

"Should we get the police, Aaron, anyone?"

I turned back to Shinso and pushed my glasses further up the bridge of my nose.

"We should get the rest of our colleagues, these very bullets are the reason we came to them in the first place."

He then nodded before looking down the street, then an expression of concern flooded his face.

"How will we get back? Should we call another carriage? But we can't just leave a bloodied up one on the middle of the street."

Before he could fishing his sentence an idea immediately filled my mind. I turned and looked outside the front window, and noticed that the 2 horses leading it were still there, but just a little shook up from the sudden commotion.

"Let's take the horses, on the way we can call the police to clean up things, then we can get the bullet to our group."

Shinso's eyes widened as he nodded slightly, taken a little aback by my sudden idea, but at least we won't have to spend another dime, except a possible fee is anyone catches us and thinks we're committing a crime.

"Sounds good..."

Shinso's tone was filled with a little uncertainty as he approached the horses, stroking one down the back in an attempt to calm its nerves.

I nodded back at Shinso.

"Then let's get back to the group."

I said as I hoisted onto the horse, taking the whip from the front seat and whipping the horse in the back, insanity sending it forward.