Itsy Bitsy Spider

6. Lost Rocks (and a lost Rein)

Uvo tossed yet another empty can of beer over his shoulder, and Rein heard it clunk against the lifeless body of the poor alcoholic's house they had invaded. He hadn't had any time to react at all before Uvogin snapped his neck with one hand.

Leaning forward from her place on the bed, she glanced into the dim hallway, illuminated with the soft blue light of the open fridge in the kitchen. The man lay awkwardly on the ground with legs twisted underneath his body, open eyes almost obscured by the rolling can that had just bounced off his head. The body was so still, so quiet, so unfeeling. So lifeless.

She drew back and settled comfortably on ratty sheets.

Rein had always been wary of dead bodies up close. Not wary, exactly... disgusted, maybe? She knew it didn't make sense. She felt the same way with dead humans as she did with any other dead thing, be it roadkill, the corpse of a fly hanging in a spiderweb, or an insect crushed on the ground. She felt nothing, but with a twinge of something that always bothered her, tugging at her insides. And she couldn't make sense of it, not one bit. If she was perfectly fine with a living body, what was it with dead ones? Hanging limply, being still, or having blood, these were all things that living people could do as well. The living and the dead, they could look exactly the same at times, so why was it different? She'd been exposed to death before, and she'd been taught how to kill. She could definitely do it herself. She could kill, so why did she always get a creeping feeling up her spine at the sight of a body; at the result left over?

She shook her head to clear her thoughts.

Eh, she'd figure it out another day.

"This is it!" Shalnark exclaimed. He leaned closer to the computer screen, which he had opened up to the Hunter website. "Uvo, the building you were held in is owned by a dummy corporation for the Nostrade family."

Uvogin leaned against the window. "Can you get a list of the buildings that...Nostrade family owns in this area?"

"Of course!" He gave a quick thumbs up before turning back to tap away at the keyboard. "I can also see if anyone's checked in using the Nostrade name in any hotels nearby."

It was during his typing away that Franklin walked in through the open door, dozens of cans cradled in his massive hands. "I got some more beer," he announced. He dropped them all to the floor, handing one to Uvo who took it gratefully.

Shalnark spoke up. "Uvo, why don't you get a Hunter License?" He scrolled through the website and  pointed at various paragraphs of otherwise classified data. "From the Hunter site, as long as you have money, you can get all sorts of information!"

Uvo scoffed. "Unlike you guys, I don't like the idea of money. If there's something I want, I take it." He downed another can and wiped at his mouth. Hard to believe he wasn't drunk yet.

"How splendid, the model thief!" Shal exclaimed, barely looking away from the screen. The computer beeped. "Here we go. They own two other buildings, and there are three hotels where members are staying." Swiping a pen and notepad off a nearby table, he started to jot down the addresses, mumbling to himself while he did. "With this," he ripped off the paper and held it in the air, "it should be a fairly easy search."

Uvo snatched the paper from his fingertips. "Thanks. I appreciate it." Grabbing the side of Shalnark's head, he aggressively pulled and pressed his lips against Shal's temple with almost the same amount of extreme force.

"Wh-" Shal clapped a hand to the side of his face, shocked. "What was that?"

Rein leaned forward, fingertips touching. "Have I just witnessed the bubbly, happy-go-lucky, calm Shalnark Ryusei be flustered?" She narrowed her eyes. "Who are you and what have you done with Shal?"