Candy Pop Corpse

10. Mooncake Meeting

As much as I tried to distance myself from my problems, it was no use. Rabbit Man's words slapped me with the harsh truth.

The woman hit her fist on Rabbit Man's head. She clicked her tongue, pointing to me. "Look what you did! Go and apologize, now."

Rabbit Man grumbled while climbing over the counter. "Hey," he said after walking up to me. Face tilted to the side, Rabbit Man frowned. "Move over."

I did in silence.

Once he plopped on the floor next to me, he rolled his neck. I stared in awe as his jaw rattled.

"Sorry about that. I tend to not think before speaking." He scratched the back of his neck, a small smile perched on his face. "I know this must be tough for you, so I don't mind giving you some tips."

I wiped my eyes, remembering Mary's last words. "M-My brother left me this morning. I've gotta find him," I mumbled between chewing the abandoned cream puff. "After I woke up or whatever, savages... found me here and attacked."

He sighed, nodding. "Ah, the first days are always tough. Especially in this sector."

I grabbed a yellow macaron and pulled my legs to my chest. This wouldn't have happened if Jack killed me properly. "I have so many questions. But they won't be answered until I see him."

Though, he probably moved on to another sector by now. How could I even begin?

"Well," he paused to count his fingers, "eight eyes are better than two, am I right?"

"I guess so, uh..."

He opened his mouth to say something. However, the woman beat him to it.

"Charles!" she shouted, glaring holes into his back. "What type of shit are you spouting now? We don't have time to help a freshie out."

I looked to her. Her face reminded me of the treat in my pocket. She was black, and managed to get a chunk of her neck bit off. When Charles got ready to stand, I shook my head. "She's right; I should be able to find him on my own."

Brows furrowed, she turned her gaze to me. The woman's expression softened as her voice lowered an octave. "I'm sorry, but we can't risk taking in another person." She put her hands on her hips and gestured her head in Charles' direction. "This one causes enough trouble―"

At that, he rose to his feet. "What―"

"―although," she continued, "Styke keeps him in check fairly well."

The man, who I guessed was Styke, snickered. He tugged on his stubble with a nod. "Yep."

Styke and the woman shared a fist bump. Meanwhile, Charles resembled a kettle whistling in fury. His fists tightened, jaw clenched. "I'm serious here. Can't we help her out, Wastia? If not, who will?"

The woman, Wastia, pointed her thumb behind them. "Someone else who smells the leftovers."

My eyes widened at the statement. I hopped up, machete in hand. "So you did take from my stash!"

"What?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "No, we're talking about the body we found when we got here."

"Body?" I looked to where I recalled Guno and Freddy's bodies' location, only to find dried blood puddles, and a series of droplets near the exit. "What body?"

They looked to me, then to the counter.

Charles giggled, covering his lips with his hand. "Wanna take a peek? It won't bite."

"That's not something you show to freshies, you dumbass," Styke scoffed. He rolled his eyes strong enough for one to pop out. "Whoops," the tall man muttered before pushing it back in.