Chains That Bind Us

VI

The cold brisk air pierced the skin on my face. From under my hood and through the strand of my hair that blew in my face, I surveyed the abandoned street below me. Using the roof of a pizza place as a vantage point, I could see a man in an alley way far off. He knew I was here, and he knew that I knew where he was. That I knew what he was.

Due to an unspoken agreement, we both left each other alone. However, he didn't know that I was using him as bait.

Two men in suits turned the corner, their silver briefcases reflected the streetlights. The original man saw the two visitors and began to walk in the opposite direction, but he was too late. Before he could get 5 feet, a third man dropped from a roof on top of the ghoul, clad in the same attire as the other two. The three doves killed the man, or monster as they saw it.

When they were finished, I began my attack.

I quickly jumped off of my perch to land on top of two doves simultaneously. Due to my stealth and power, I killed the rank-3-at-best doves in one fell swoop. I gracefully pounced on the third man and wrapped my hand around his throat, pinning him to the wall behind him.

"Where is he?"

"Wha-? W-who?" He stammered, sweat began to drip off of his broad forehead.

"Special class Arima. The Reaper. I want details. On everything about him."

"I-I don't-"

"Is he coming here? Is he working on a specific case? Where is he assigned to be?"

"I'm sorry! Plea-se...I don't k-know any...thing!" His eyes began to roll into the back of his head from lack of oxygen.

"Oh no you don't." I threw him onto the ground next to his partners. "You don't get to die yet." I straddled his body as he tried to crawl away. "Not until you tell me what I want to know."

•~•~•

"He didn't know anything!" I kicked my coffee table into the crappy wall of my crappy apartment. The force shook photos loose of the thumb tacks that held them up. Pictures of CCG members and ghouls a like fell onto the floor. Red yarn unraveled from photo to photo, and landed with the photos.

"This is the fourth guy! When will you tell me the right information?" I yelled at the informant on the other side of the phone.

"I'm telling you all I know. With heavier pockets, I might be more inclined to use my more reliable sources for yo-" his voice was lost as I hung up, not wanting to listen to the swindler.

It's okay. I don't need him. I can find Arima on my own. Even if I have to kill every dove in the 4th Ward.

"Yo."

I jumped and turned around to see the only person that is able to sneak up on me.

"God damn it, Uta. Get out of my house."

"Not until you listen to what I have to say." Uta seemed inhumanly still, didn't even shift his weight. He only stood there, looking at me with his kagugan, slender hands rested atop his defined hipbone. His low (almost douchey) v-neck reminded me of the marks I left and all the marks I would have felt had we not been interrupted. Then I looked at his lips, still perfect, they reminded me of the time they were wrapped around my co-

"I don't have to listen to you, of all people." I walked to my front door and opened it, partially just to shake out my thoughts. "If you could please leave, I am a busy man and I don't have time to tear you limb from limb today."

"Are you sure? We haven't spoken for a long time." I flinched at the reference to that night, now two weeks ago.

"Yes," I said, waving my arm to draw attention to the open door, "leave. Now."

Instead of walking to the front door, Uta walked to my wall with the web of yarn and photos. I rolled my eyes and went towards him, closing the door in the process. "So it is you. I was hoping that it wasn't."

"What is me?" I asked, flinching at my own phrasing of the question.

"The one who has been killing off doves. What was last night, nine?"

Anger fueled my motions. Before I knew it, I had connected my fist to Uta's face. The hit had barely even phased him and he was on me instantly.

Pain spread along my arm from my elbow as Uta snapped it back. A leg hit the back of my knees making me fall to the ground with my now broken arm still in Uta's grasp. When I tried to move, Uta quickly snapped one of my fingers.

"It is time for you to listen." His voice was laced with poison as he spat out his words. "You killing all of these doves, it needs to stop."

"Why do you care-?" Snap, another finger.

"I said listen, you little fuck. When you kill doves, Counter Ghoul thinks that this place is dangerous. And when they think that, they send in more doves. When there's more doves, more of my people get killed-" snap another finger, "-and the harder it is for me do what I have to do."

I breathed through clenched teeth. Not clenched at pain, so much as from anger.

"Do you understand?"

"Ye-" snap

"I said don't talk. I'll repeat. Do you understand?"

I thought for a moment before nodding.

It's released my arm with a heavy push, throwing me to the ground with it. "Now, why don't you take a break from being a thorn in my side? Go get a job. Get a girlfriend. Get three. Fuck a goat for all I care. Just stay out of my business, directly or indirectly, like a good little birdie."

Uta was gone. Leaving me to bandage my hand and to plan out the next time I was going dove hunting.