Monster among men

-Good morning…

-...

-I said good morning.

-Uh huh…

It's been 2 days since I busted Kat out of that filthy place. Initially, I thought that after she returned to my side I'd be able to feel at ease, but little did I know, a big price would've come with that.

Even though it might sound a bit weird, I've spent these days taking care of my father's ex. 

…

I think it'd be better if I elaborated.

2 days ago, during the night, I entered the place where the kid was held captive and took her out with the help of Layla, a woman who I met during my search for Kat.

She seemed to have known a lot about my father, so I asked her to tag along in hopes that I could learn something about my dad's biggest works. It was during those days of interrogation that I discovered what her relationship with my dad was.

Apparently, she used to be her "muse", which could translate to her girlfriend or lover. I don't know the details of their break-up, and I don't know why she hasn't gotten over him after all these years either, so naturally, I became even more curious about her story with my dad.

Before breaking into the school where the kid was in, I came to an agreement with Layla: After taking Kat out of there, she'd answer all of my remaining questions. Definitely not the best idea…

A goliath was in charge of that place, and he was the one who protected and led the kids. Though it wasn't as easy as I expected, I managed to take him down with Layla's help.

After looking for her for weeks, I was finally able to reunite with the kid, and to be honest, I felt happy for the first time since my father died.

While I had my happy reunion, Layla went to check on the weapon that the giant used against us: a metal thread made by my father. I couldn't make out what she said to him as she took the thread away, but I don't think that's the most important part of this story.

Right as she kissed his forehead, preparing herself to rejoin us so we could finally leave, a little girl snatched a knife out of Kat's hands and stabbed Layla twice.

I don't want to get into details, but let's just say that I kinda kicked her neck a bit too hard before taking my dad's ex's body and escaping that shithole.

And that brings us here, 2 days after the "big plan" to rescue the kid. Layla hasn't woken up since then, and on the contrary, I haven't slept since she was attacked.

-You sure you don't want to sleep? I could keep watch while you-

-It's… alright…-I said heavily I put my head against Nicky.

The kid watched me from above and threw herself on top of me, hugging me as tight as she did when we reunited.

-Can you even try it?

-No… what if she… starts bleeding more…-I yawned as I fought the urge to close my eyes.

-I don't know, but you won't be helping anyone if you're not in full strength to do so.

I placed my hand on the kid's back and caressed it. Just as I remembered, she was as soft as Armando, and for some reason, they even had the same smell.

How's that shark doing in my house? Are my godparents taking care of him as well? 

...

HOLY FUCK! What if they're doing it in my bed?! Ugh, it's gross to even think about it…

-Jacob?

-Hmm…?-I languidly muttered.

-Why is your heart beating faster? Were you having a nightmare?

Shit… Did I fall asleep while thinking about Armando and my godparents? 

-It's ok to sleep, you know?-Kat said as she curled up on my chest-I've been trained by the best, so I'm pretty sure I can take care of you and that woman while you rest.

I thought about it for a second. We were deep in the woods, so it would be really hard to spot us. However, what if she got taken away again? I'm not sure if I would be able to do another search like that while having to take care of an injured person.

-Forget it…-I said in a low voice as my eyelids got heavier-I have to… take care of both of you…

-Okay…-she sighed as she pressed her face against my chest, falling asleep.

Once again, as I breathed close to the kid's head, the memory of Armando appeared in my mind.

Growing up, I never felt scared while sleeping alone, so I never felt the need to have any sort of accompaniment in my bed. Armando, however, was the exception.

After my mom died, my dad gave me a lot of free time to roam around before reopening the smithy. It was during one of my strolls around a mall that I saw him.

Gray and white, just like the books and documentaries about sharks described them. By his side, there was another, identical to him but with the slight difference that it was pink.

I immediately fell for them, and with the little pocket money that I carried around at that time, I tried to buy them. With a big smile, I walked towards the cashier and, while putting my money on the counter, I pointed my finger at the sharks.

The cashier (a stupid teenager who was obviously tired of working) looked at me with an annoyed stare and in a sarcastic tone said "I'm sorry, baby, but this isn't enough for the two of them, let alone one."

I apologized, ashamed by what happened and quickly retrieved my money. Still, 8 year old me wouldn't let my lack of money (and parental supervision) stop me from getting the plushies.

While trying to come up with a plan, little me roamed around the store everyday, hoping to find any liability in the security that'd allow him to steal the plushie.

I know that asking my dad for more money would've been easier, but since he was always in his room mourning my mother, I didn't want to bother him. (Plus, it's more exciting to plan out a heist at your father's back.)

Eventually, the day came when the "Operation: Sharks" was put into action. During the days I studied the weaknesses in the store's security, I found 2 crucial points.

The first one was that there was only one worker beside the manager, who rarely showed up. And the other liability that little me found was that there was only one camera with many blind spots.

These 2 weaknesses made my plan work smoothly, and this is how it went: First, I waited for a person to be near the alarm with something that they didn't pay yet, and discreetly pushed them. Since the alarm went on, it was obvious that the cashier had to go and check what was happening. That was the signal to begin with step two of my plan.

As that lousy teenager walked over to the entrance and made the woman that I pushed explain what had happened, I sneaked under one of the many blind spots and threw one of the store's blankets over the camera.

Before proceeding, I put on a cap and a pair of sunglasses, and while no one was paying attention, I jumped on the counter and took both plushies. 

With a pair of scissors that I brought from home, I cut off the price tags and got ready to run towards the entrance. As I held the 2 sharks with my hands, I sneaked behind the cashier and tried to make a run for it.

Right when I was about to cross the door, an unexpected force pulled my left arm (the one with the pink shark) back. The cashier, whose eyes showed complete irritation and exhaustion, took the plushie by its left fin and tried to impede my escape. 

We both pulled with all of our strength, but when I saw that we were drawing too much attention, I let go of it. The teenager fell back on the store's floor with the shark in her hand, but due to our previous tug o' war, its fin got damaged.

I ran as fast as I could, running past the security guards and returning home safely with my new shark plushie in my arms. As soon as I got back to my room, I threw myself on my bed and hugged the little stuffed animal with all my strength.

Initially, I felt bad because I wasn't able to bring his partner with us, but after meditating about it for a bit, I realized that it was better to have only one of them and not be caught, rather than making my father come pick me up from the mall's security office.

A couple of days went by, and when we needed to go grocery shopping because we were almost running out of edibles, I thought of checking on the pink plushie.

One hour went by and nobody even looked at it, which was no surprise. After all, who'd want a damaged stuffed animal? I looked at it with a sad face, apologizing mentally for not being able to bring it with me. 

Just when I was about to go back to my father's side to tell him to go home, a girl a few years older walked in the store and bought it, even though it was a bit broken.

I tried to walk up to her so I could thank her for being nice with the pink shark, but when the cashier spotted me and approached me suspiciously, I quickly held my dad's hand and pulled him towards the entrance of the mall.

Ever since then, I haven't seen that girl or Armando's partner, and even if it sounds a bit stupid or childish, I'd like to at least talk to her and check on the plu-

-Jacob!-the kid screamed in front of my face.

-Wha…?-I mumbled, confused by what was going on.

-Since you were asleep and we were running low on supplies, I thought of going out to scavenge or collect as much as possible, and during that, I found him!

I looked at the kid's arms, which were pointing to a man by her side.

-Hello.-the man said awkwardly while raising a bag-The kid said that you're in need right now, so she brought me here to see if we could make a trade.

For some reason, the man never stopped looking at Layla, who was harshly breathing inside the shopping cart. His tongue flicked out of his mouth and licked his lips quickly as his gaze locked in on Layla's immobile figure, something that forced me to stand up in front of her to block his sight.

-I don't know what you offered the kid, but we have nothing to trade for it.-I shouted in exhaustion as I slowly brought my hand up, flipping him off-I'm too tired to think of any shit to say, so please just fuck off, will you?

-What do you mean you have nothing to trade?-he said with a creepy smile before pointing at Layla-I see a fine piece of meat that interests me.