No rest for the wicked (Part 2)

The moonlight hit my face as my eyes began to open slowly. A cold breeze brushed my skin and sent a shiver down my spine, causing me to wake up completely. I felt a slight breath crashing against my chest, and even though I was nervous at first, after remembering that the kid was curled up under my cape, I caressed her hair and allowed myself to relax.

I placed my hands underneath her and then stood up, carrying her in my arms as she slept. Maybe she wasn't as bad as the moment when she got shot, but she still had to rest properly.

As soon as I was on my feet, I walked a couple of small steps and went to check on Layla. Her wounds were worse than the kid's, and it was no surprise that she wouldn't have woken up because of that. I stared at her motionless body, punishing myself with insults as I recalled the moment when she got injured. 

-I'm so damn useless aren't I?-I asked Layla, expecting no response to my question-I tend to act like the best yet I get both of you injured…

A tear started to run down my face, falling in Layla's shirt in the end. After that, many more tears followed, soaking her clothes and leaving a significant, wet stain. I sobbed for minutes, pondering if I was really capable of fulfilling my dad's wish while being such a useless person.

While I was letting out my sorrows, a rustle emerged from behind me. I quickly took out a knife and threw it in the noise's direction, and after a few seconds, someone threw it back to me. Since it landed on the ground beneath me, 2 brief thoughts appeared in my mind: Either they were really bad at aiming, or they didn't mean any harm.

Whatever the reason, I did not have the luxury to let my guard down. Since I was tired of going easy on everyone that bothered me lately, I made the choice to not hide some of my weapons with this person.

I reached for my back and clicked on a safety belt that kept the "secret knives" in their place, taking one of the big ones and unsheathing it. The blade, just like any other knife under my cape, shone with the moonlight, giving out my position. But even if the other person knew where I was, I didn't care: I was ready to take them down with my own hands.

The rustle became louder with every step they took, alerting me of their position just by the sounds that they made. They didn't try to cover it, it was a straight up direct approach.

-A kukri? Really?-the stranger laughed out loud while emerging from the shadows. With the faint light that I had, I managed to see who that person was: A man, around his 30s, with a big scar on the lower half of his face and part of his neck, who just like me, was covering himself with a cape.

-What the fuck do you want?-I said before putting Kat down on the ground, allowing me to use my other arm freely.

-Not much…-he smirked as he took another step forward-I just heard you crying to yourself and thought of having a little chat.

I put up my stance, getting ready for any imminent attack with my weapon in my hand.

-And you expect me to buy that shit?!

-You know…-he sighed before putting up his arms and sitting on the ground-You're pretty rude for a kid your age…

I stared at him, confused about what he was doing. So a random man decides to approach me in the middle of the night just to talk? I mean, it's not the first weirdo I found that it's not violent, but eavesdropping on a crying kid is definitely something creepy nevertheless.

-Look, we can talk from a safe distance, if you'd like.

-I'd rather you got your ass out of here, honestly.

-Come on! Don't be like that!-he shouted.

As he raised his voice on me, I diverted my vision from him to the 2 people behind me. Layla (as expected) remained unresponsive, but the kid flinched a bit, meaning that her sleep was being disturbed.

When I saw her squirming beside me, I brought out another of the "secret weapons" and placed it into my left arm. The combination was really unconventional, to be honest, but all I wanted at that moment was for them to get a proper rest.

-Keep it low, godammit.

-Woah, woah… No need to get so aggressive…-he said while dragging himself a couple of meters away-I really mean it, I just want to talk. So, why don't you put those blades down and chat with me?

I thought about it for a moment, and after looking at his face, which showed no bad intentions, I laid back against Nicky and aimed my arms at him. 

-Fine, say what you have to and then scram.

At the sound of my words, the man quickly moved forward and sat again at a "safe distance". Before speaking, he gave me a gentle smile and then pointed at the woman in the cart.

-What do you think if we start with them?-he said as his other arm started to point at Kat's sleeping body-What happened to them?

-Just a bunch of assholes… Took care of them already, so all that's left is for them to wake up.

-Ooh… I see… -he said before going completely silent for a full minute, thinking of what to say next- And why are you taking care of them? I mean, she looks old enough to be your mom, but you look nothing alike.

The man began to point out all of the differences between me and Layla, going into detail with every single one of them. Once he was done with that, he pointed his hands at the kid and did the same with her, not leaving out anything.

-So? Are you adopted or something?-he inquired while redirecting his hands to me- You seem like the black sheep among you three.

-No.-I sighed in annoyance-We're not even related, to begin with.

-You're not? Then why are you taking care of them in such a delicate way?

I withdrew the weapon in my left hand and placed it back safely where it belonged. After I adjusted the safety belt again, I reached for the kid's head and caressed her hair.

-I don't want to share to much, so I'll try to keep it short.-I said as I played with a strand of her hair-I made a promise to take care of her momentarily, and since my dad taught me to be a man of my word, I can't let her die.

-Hmmm… And what about that woman behind you? The one inside the shopping cart, I mean.

-Oh, her? It might sound a bit odder, but she's basically my father's ex.

The man tilted his head at my response, raising his eyebrow in confusion because of what he just heard.

-So you're travelling with a random kid you made a promise to… and your father's ex?

-Yeah…? When you put it like that it sounds a bit weird, but that's pretty much it.

When I finished speaking, both the man and I stared at each other awkwardly. Initially, I wanted to break the silence between us, but once I reminded myself that he was the one who wanted to speak, I kept quiet.

After we exchanged looks for a couple more minutes, the man stood up out of nowhere and took a step closer. I held the knife tightly as he slowly approached me, getting myself into a defensive stance in case he tried to do something.

-I wanted to talk to you while being a bit more next to each other, but I think this will do-he laughed awkwardly while stopping a few steps away from me.

-I suggest you do not try anything funny.

-Oh, no. No, no, no.-he told me rapidly while shaking his hands and his head-What I wanted to try was actually quite opposite to funny.

-Okay…?

-Now, I don't mean to pry, but is your father absent in any way?

I tightened the grip on the kukri's handle as I heard his question.

-Well, he isn't here right now, isn't he?-I answered sarcastically.

-Yes, but what I really mean is "is he dead or is he just absent?"

As soon as I heard his question, a sudden sense of danger appeared in the back of my mind. While holding the knife high, I began to walk closer to the man.

With each step, the distance between us turned narrower and narrower, until at some point, my metal was touching his chest. I expected any kind of response, but him staying completely still while smiling gently at me wasn't one of them.

-What are you waiting for?-he said softly as my blade began to penetrate through his clothes.

-Huh?

-Aren't you gonna kill me?

-I don't know… I feel like I should but…-I stuttered while the tip of the kukri made a small cut on his skin, causing a little blood to come out of it.

The man sighed and shook his head from side to side, giving me a gentle smile again.

-You really are a special case…-the stranger muttered before putting his hand on the side of the blade and pushing it to the side-Very well, I think we're done here.

As I reflected on what he just said, the man took a couple of steps back and then bowed in front of me. At the sight of that, I came back to my senses and tried to get him to talk again.

-What do you mean we're done here? You really didn't make any-

-Do you want to listen to my song?-he interrupted.

In a swift motion, he put his hand under his cape and then brought it out quickly, pulling a little piece of metal that was obviously a work of my father.

The man kissed the piece of metal and brought it into his mouth afterwards. As soon as his lips made contact with it, a really pretty melody started to play.

-A harmonica?-I asked as I tried to take it away from his hands-Can I see it? It might be important.

With a mocking expression on his face, he dodged my attacks and walked into the complete darkness of the woods. Before disappearing completely, he stopped the song that he was playing and shouted something out.

-Thank me, your fairy godfather for keeping an eye on you!

-What the fuck are you talking about right now?!

-Never mind that! What matters is that I confirmed that you're a good kid, and therefore, you really deserved my help!

-For the last time, what the fuck are you even saying right now?!

-Goodbye, my child! And remember, when you feel lost, just stop everything and ponder!-he finally said before going back to playing his harmonica and disappearing completely in the shadows.

I looked in awe and complete disbelief as the man that for some reason appeared in front of me, was now disappearing in an even stranger and more senseless way than the one when he appeared.

Still, even as I looked at the shadows of the forest in front of us, a sense of calm invaded my body. I allowed myself to fall back against Nicky, holding the kid in my arms again and looking at the moon and the stars. If I've got to be honest, I actually have no idea what the fuck just happened. Maybe it was all just a weird dream, or even a nightmare because of how bizarre it was. 

At that moment, that man's words resonated in my head: "Just stop everything and ponder". I laughed at the quote, highlighting how stupid yet obvious it was. But still, even if everything seemed a bit weird, maybe what I needed to do in that moment was stop all the shit and ponder about everything that has been going on…