Chapter 17

Mateus looked at the two Corvas talking carelessly, seeming like two girls gossiping, and he felt envious of their calmness. His hands were sweating and shaking slightly, due to what he was about to do.

Two hours had passed since they gathered in the abandoned house, and the number of people walking on the street had not decreased, quite the opposite. Five times, he had to shoo couples who were planning to use the building for their encounters, forcing Cecília to tell them it was "occupied," one of those times was a group of seven people. Shaking his hands, Mateus pulled out a hat he had hidden in his pocket. The material was leather, covering his entire face, leaving only space for his mouth and eyes. He quickly put it on and turned to the two women.

"Is it time?" Naomi asked, watching the gray eyes of the other man intently. It was the first time she had seen them.

The young man nodded in response, checking to make sure his knives were in place. He didn't plan on using them, since bodies would complicate things, but it was good to have an option.

"We'll wait for you here," Cecília said.

"Wish me luck," he whispered, entering the house.

The entire house was dark, which made his movements easier, and the fact that there were houses on either side of him allowed him to walk without needing to crouch or crawl. Even in the darkness, sounds came from all corners, further numbing his senses.

He passed what used to be a kitchen, leading directly to the back of the house. The place was a narrow path with a strong smell of urine, among other human secretions. The buildings around him were extremely close, creating shadows and blind spots, which he planned to use, though he suspected some of these places were already being used by others for different purposes.

Climbing over the fragile wall at the back of the house, Mateus entered the street. He immediately pressed himself against a wall, looking both ways, seeing that he was alone. He squeezed between two houses, feeling the rough walls scrape against his back and stomach.

The sound ahead made him stop. A window from which some light was emanating caught his attention. Carefully, so as not to make noise, he approached and stuck only the necessary part of his head out to observe the room. It was a small bedroom, with only a bed, and on the mattress, a naked woman cried softly while touching up her lipstick. Drops of blood splattered onto the bed sheets, and the woman had one swollen lip, trying to hide it with lipstick. Several coins lay on the sheets.

With some effort, Mateus bent his knees and crawled under the window, continuing his path toward the Hole. He walked through the street a few times, mentally mapping out where he needed to go, and eventually reached his destination without surprises, except for the scenes he witnessed.

The back of the Hole was the complete opposite of the entrance. While the front was well-kept, filled with light and people smiling at the customers arriving, the back that Mateus saw now was decaying. The building was completely patched up, illuminated only by the faint lights coming from the windows or a small lamp hanging above a staircase with five steps. A wooden door separated the house of pleasure from the street. And unlike the front, where people smiled, this area had a dozen people who seemed to be taking a break from work.

The vacant expressions of the men, women, and children were constant in everyone present in the place. There was no conversation, they were all lost in their own thoughts, stopping only to sniff some drug or smoke. Mateus got the impression that there was no life in any of them; they resembled dolls. Flesh dolls.

Using the darkness of the alley, the young man crouched and dragged his body to avoid being seen, successfully reaching the place he wanted. Right next to the Hole was a building of the same size. The roofs of both were extremely close, and beside it, an iron staircase zigzagged up on the outside of the building.

Carefully not to make a sound, the Crow began to climb the rusty iron, trying as much as possible to stay close to the wall to avoid attracting unwanted attention from the street. Fortunately, the people were too busy trying to fulfill their desires to pay attention to anything other than themselves.

He could feel the mask sticking to his face from the sweat, and his hands were no longer shaking, replaced by trembling knees. The staircase was in deplorable condition, creaking all the time, and he could hear his heartbeat in his ears. When he reached the rooftop, he had to kneel to recover.

The rooftop was empty, and there was nothing except the remains of several antennas that the Ancients used to watch something called television, and a parapet that ran around the entire building. Still crouching, Mateus went to the other end, where the buildings were close together, and he heard some footsteps.

He froze against the parapet without making a sound, listening to what was happening on the other side. The dragging of feet made it clear that someone was guarding the place. Mateus kept listening, and based on the frequency of the steps and sounds, he deduced that it was just one person.

Controlling his breathing to avoid making noise, Mateus lifted his head slightly, seeing the other building. It was identical to the one he was on, except for a path leading inside the building through a staircase. Next to the first step, a muscular man sat in a white plastic chair. The guard had a revolver strapped to his waist.

Mateus knew the difficulties of getting a firearm without going through the Bunker, which made it clear that a lot of money was circulating around the area. He followed the parapet until he was behind the man and prepared to jump.

He had to be quick because if the man made any noise or, in the worst-case scenario, shot at him, all of this would have been in vain, and he could end up dead. Staying out of sight of the guard, Mateus climbed onto the parapet, crouching down. He didn't dare look at the ground, which was probably about thirty meters below him, and holding his breath, he jumped the gap between the buildings.

It wasn't a difficult jump, just over a meter, and when he landed on the rooftop of the Hole, he rolled to avoid making noise. Now he had to act quickly. Even though he was doing everything to avoid making any noise, it was impossible for the guard not to have noticed something strange happening right behind him.

Using the element of surprise, Mateus lunged at the man, delivering a perfect neck lock. The guard froze for a moment, and then began struggling to break free, scratching the Crow's arms, but the grip remained firm. The man's legs thrashed, and he scratched the leather mask with his nails until he stopped. At that moment, Mateus released him, not intending to kill him, leaving the guard unconscious.

With his arms tired, Mateus stood on the first step of the staircase, which led to a double door. He knew that now the difficult part began. He needed to find something in the place, something to use as an excuse to call the Crows and end the situation.

Feeling his clothes drenched in sweat and his face itching beneath the mask, Mateus slithered toward the doors at the end of the staircase. Using just one arm to push the door, while keeping the other close to his face to protect it from any potential attack. The door slid open smoothly, revealing a corridor with spaced-out doors.

Mateus entered at the same time, slowly closing the door behind him, absorbing every part of the place, searching for anything that could threaten his advance. But aside from him, nothing moved. He passed closely by each door in the hallway, illuminated by red neon lights, which gave the entire place an erotic atmosphere. Pressing his ear to each door to catch any sound, the young man continued.

The entire floor was eerily silent, the rooms still unoccupied, and at the end of the hallway, a new staircase appeared, leading downward. Looking over the edge, Mateus glimpsed what he could of the steps below, seeing a man on the second landing. The security guard was watching the hallway below, suggesting that the floor Mateus was on was the VIP section of the brothel.

Lightly, and constantly controlling his breathing, Mateus began to descend the stairs, paying close attention to the security guard who had his back to him on the first step. His eyes jumped to the corridor that opened ahead, a hallway similar to the previous one, but unlike before, it now had obscene sounds coming from behind each door.

It was possible to see the staircase descending on the opposite side of the Corvo, who had to act quickly not to be seen, as someone could come up the stairs at any moment. Mateus focused on the man in front of him. The security guard had broad shoulders, and his muscular arms were noticeable. The bulge in the back of his pants made Mateus realize that he was also armed. Slowly inhaling through his nose until his lungs were full, Mateus attacked.

Once again, he applied a perfect arm lock around the man's neck, but this time he needed to do something different. As soon as his arms were locked around the target's neck, Mateus started to climb the stairs backward, forcing the security guard to follow him against his will. He needed to hide the unconscious body and wouldn't have the strength to carry such a large man upstairs, so he used the grip he applied. Of course, there was a cost, as he felt drops of blood running down his forearms from the scratches caused by the man struggling. When he placed his foot on the upper floor, he exerted more pressure before his body weakened.

In a fluid motion, he swung his hips forward, crossing his legs over the security guard's stomach, while tightening his grip on his neck. Unlike the first, this one took longer to faint but met the same fate, collapsing onto the Corvo.

Mateus was hit by the floor against his back, exhaling sharply, struggling not to cough. The unconscious body was on top of him, and with heavy arms, he managed to roll the man to the side, freeing himself. Struggling to breathe, the young man pulled the body against the wall beside the stairs and left him there, sitting against it.

His muscles trembled from the effort, but the adrenaline made his fatigue vanish. He descended the stairs again, which were empty, and walked down the center of the hallway, paying attention to the doors on both sides. The red light made his eyes burn, but he didn't need to control his heavy breathing at that moment. Much faster breaths came from behind the doors. Near the staircase, he heard voices.

— This time wasn't as good as the last one — said a male voice.

— I'm sorry about that — replied another voice, hurriedly.

Making an effort to see, Mateus could distinguish four figures at the foot of the stairs. Two boys, a man wearing a yellow bathrobe, and another peculiar figure.

— This will never happen again — repeated the peculiar figure, in a shrill voice.

— I hope not, Andreir.

Mateus felt his heart freeze in his chest. His target was so close. Moving a little closer, he saw the man, wearing only a black synthetic leather thong with leopard print boots. Andreir stood next to the boys, with semen dripping from his groin down his legs, mixing with the hair on the same spot. A tuft of pubic hair escaped from over the thong, rising up to his navel. His long hair was tied in a bun, and he wore neon lipstick, which shimmered under the hallway light.

— I can guarantee you — Andreir continued. — Next time, your pleasure will be guaranteed, and free.

The man in the bathrobe's eyes seemed to sparkle at the offer, and he then said goodbye, descending the stairs. Mateus remained hidden when he saw the punch Andreir landed on the stomach of the boy beside him.

— What did I say about causing me losses? — asked the pimp, yanking the boy by his hair. Tears and saliva dripped down his young face.

— I'm sorry — the boy beside the abused one spoke.

— If apologies earned coins — Andreir continued, releasing the boy's hair as he collapsed to the floor, coughing to catch his breath. He focused on the second boy, sliding his neon green-painted nails down his face. — You're nothing but little whores — he said, kissing the boy on the lips, then sliding his lips to his ear. — If you disappear, no one will care. And don't bother running, I'll have you hunted down and sent to the basement.

— No! — the boy begged, his eyes filled with panic. — Anything but that!

— "Then next time, give me a profit." — With a punch, the young man folded next to the companion who had been assaulted earlier, Andreir storms down the hallway. — "Useless pieces of meat, use your holes for something useful."

After Andreir left, the boys helped each other down the stairs. Mateus just stood still; he needed to get to the basement. He began moving again, but almost jumped when a man of the night came up with a woman who was caressing him seductively.

Mateus followed them, who came from the lower corridor where he was. Using the curve in the stairs, he watched them enter one of the first rooms. The Raven noticed that, even with the smiles and banter, the man had the same empty eyes he had seen earlier in the other workers of the Hole. He waited for a few minutes to make sure there would be no more surprises, then returned to the corridor. He slid through it, his mind full of thoughts about how he was going to reach the basement, not seeing the door ahead of him open, leaving him face-to-face with a man.

The old man, wearing only shorts, opened his mouth to scream, but Mateus was fast, delivering an open-handed strike to his throat. The man staggered, trying to catch his breath. Taking advantage of the lowered guard, Mateus advanced again, placing both hands behind the man's neck and slamming his head toward his knee, hitting him in the middle of the face.

The sound of the nose breaking echoed through the hallway, followed by the man collapsing. Then came the scream from the room he was in before. A naked woman in the bed screamed desperately for help as she saw her client being attacked by a masked man.

Mateus felt his whole body go cold, and he heard the brothel fill with movement. The sound of footsteps on the stairs was his cue to escape. Running without looking back, the Raven returned to the place where he had knocked out the first man. The whole place was filled with screams, some saying they saw a masked bandit run to the roof of the building.

Feeling desperation creeping in, Mateus dashed to the building's parapet, leaping to the other side without thinking twice. All the exhaustion vanished. He thought of nothing; his body acted on its own. When he realized it, he was at the end of the metal staircase beside the building. With a quick movement, he ripped off the leather mask and threw it carelessly on the ground, blending into the crowd that was running in panic in all directions.

The security guards searched the street for any suspicious person, and Andreir appeared at the door of his establishment, his eyes red with rage. Mateus couldn't waste time there, weaving through the crowd until he finally found the house where the Ravens were hiding. Or were supposed to be, unless they were at the door, nervously watching the chaos.

Mateus went to Cecília, who, upon seeing him, ran towards him, holding his face with her cold hands. The blonde asked:

— "What happened?"

— "I was caught," he replied, feeling bad for disappointing his partner.

— "We'll talk later," Naomi said, looking just as nervous as the blonde. — "We need to get out of here as soon as possible."

And so the three Ravens escaped through the streets. Mateus, anguished by his helplessness, knew they'd have to rely on Sarah now. He didn't want to involve her, but his carelessness came at this price.