Monstrous

Chapter 2: The Girl

November 26, 2024

The next day, I was pretty beat. To be expected, if you think about it, tossing a guy through a wall takes a lot out of you. But,  it wasn't anything I couldn't handle. It was something I'd been dealing with my whole life, after all.

I never knew quite where this strength came from, and I didn't really care that much. After a while, it was just something I accepted, stopped asking. Might sound odd, but it's true. It's just something I got used to, like a birthmark.

But, as you may have guessed, a condition like this put all sorts of strain on my bones. Sure, I could lift a washing machine, but the first time I tried, it broke both my arms. Let me tell you, not fun, and they ended up asking my dad all sorts of questions. Sure, a broken bone will heal stronger, but breaking all my bones over and over again would be time consuming, not to mention annoying. So, I found the next best thing.

I reached into the little cooler I had. Needed more ice, most of it had melted overnight, but thankfully it was still cold. I pulled out the jug of milk and popped off the top. I took a breath, then raised it to my lips.

Now, to anyone reading this, I'm not sure if you've ever tried this. Chugging a gallon of milk early in the morning? Can't recommend it. Sometimes it makes me feel nauseous, occationally, I might even vomit. And it usually makes me tired again. This was evident this time, since I found myself yawning when I set the empty jug down. But, thankfully, you don't run the risk of breaking bones on a daily basis, so you don't ever have to share my pain.

I walked out from my little bridge. Best thing was to try and walk it off. As I walked, I noticed a lot of people with purple bandanas. Some had them on traditionally, wrapped around their head, but some were more creative, tieing it around their arm, neck, or legs. One even had a longer one, wrapped around his waist like a belt. I just sighed and kept walking. I hated purple.

The city was full of gangs and cartels, groups that just got a lot of numbers and bullied the locals. This group in particular were called the Violet Spiders. Why they chose the name, I didn't really know or care. If they wanted to be stupid, let them. That being said, they controlled most of the turf around my home, and I had had some trouble with them.

Their leader, for whatever reason, saw me as a nuisance, and tried to send his thugs to beat me down at least once a week. I'd always beat them down, and send them off with plenty of bruises and a message. If they left me alone, didn't bug any of the places I frequented, they'd get no trouble from me.

Granted, I wasn't going to go attacking them anyway. They had guns, after all. I tried to cut them some slack, a lot of them were just stupid teenagers, after all. Some kid probably wouldn't like being ordered to shoot me, and I wouldn't like being shot. Thankfully, with Arkady walkin the streets every day to sell stuff, I usually had a second set of eyes to watch my back, not to mention the fact that Arkady'd usually knock some sense into them from time to time.

As I rounded a corner, I saw a few of them, crowded around a woman. One, a taller guy with the bandana wrapped to cover most of his face, chuckled."So, where's a pretty lady like you going?"He asked, chuckling.

The woman, I had to admit, did look nice, in an unkempt sort of way. She had black hair that looked like it hadn't been combed in weeks, with strands of it frizzing all over the place. Her bangs, oddly enough, were not cut short, and instead were trimmed to reach just below her eyes, split by her nose. Her skin was pale, and she was wearing a green shirt and jeans. Anything else he couldn't tell from this distance.

She looked at the man, though how she could make him out was a mystery."Home."She replied quietly. She gasped as one of the thugs grabbed her arm, frowning and pulling a cane out of her hands."Eh? You got a limp or something, girlie?"He asked, observing the cane.