Ghost: I have some questions for you.
Having expected that much, Rechy did his best to regain his calm. The kid was a skilled Diver, that was the only way to explain how he took control of his NIM and cloned the messenger app. He also had at least one other helper. Right now the situation appeared helpless, but so long as he bought enough time, the chance to change the situation was bound to come.
Soon after he sent that message, the red-haired kid pushed himself up and grabbed something from the nightstand. The calmness Rechy worked so hard to maintain shattered instantly, horror filling him as he realized it was a towel.
Muffled screams filled the room as the kid spread the towel then lowered it slowly. A second later, darkness enveloped Rechy, leaving only the red screen of the messenger app. As he listened to the sound of his rugged breath, a new message arrived
Ghost: You work for Caligo, right?
The answer immediately appeared in his mind, but before he could type it a cold sensation enveloped his face, drenching the towel covering it. He rushed to hold his breath, but it was useless. He knew that wouldn’t be of much help.
Without missing a beat, Rechy typed the words as fast as he could.
Rechy: yes I work for Caligo
I will tell you everything
He sent pleading texts one after the other, but his desperation went unanswered as more water was splashed on the rowel covering his face.
Ghost: A Gaia plant was attacked a while back.
What do you know about that?
The weight of the wet towel pressed against his face, blocking his nostrils and making breathing impossible. Every nerve in his body screamed in panic as the threat of suffocation loomed closer and closer. The message loomed over him like, each letter red against the darkness as if they were painted with blood. The instant he was done reading it, he typed the answer, not bothering to think whether it was something he should reveal to anyone.
Saw it with my own eyes
He was about to send another message when he sensed movements. Thinking the kid was about to spill more water, he tried to brace himself for the harrowing experience, but the next moment the weight of the towel was lifted.
Taking one deep after the other, Rechy ignored the warm sensation of his tears sliding on the sides of his face. Air wasn’t something the residents of Factory Town held in high regard, but at that moment he was way too happy to smell its stench.
Unfortunately, his relief didn’t last long. The towel returned only seconds later and following it was another splash of freezing water.
Ghost: Caligo sells the drug. Yes or no?
The towel was lifted again, and seconds later it was back, followed by more water.
Another splash added weight to the towel, restoring its freezing coldness.
They don’t tell me these things.
There was a moment of silence, then the towel was lifted. Rechy struggled to fill his lungs with air, but the water that had entered his nose made it far too difficult. Somehow the room appeared darker than it already was. Thinking the towel was coming back soon caused his breathing to accelerate, but the next moment he saw the kid’s face looming over him.
Ghost: You met a girl yesterday.
Red hair. Expensive close.
She was looking for the drug.
You told her you know where to find it.
Even as he sent one message after the other, his expression remained unreadable. Rechy didn’t understand how someone that young could be so ruthless.
A demon. The kid was a demon. And he was going to kill him.
Rechy’s will had long since shattered. He simply was not built for this. He was with Caligo for five years now, but from the very start, he never tried to get deeper into the gang’s affairs. The core members were said to be from The Pit. The last thing he wanted was to play fetch for those lunatics, but he needed the money, and they paid him very well.
’Screw them!’ He screamed in his mind and switched his focus to the keyboard.
Rechy: The old Satori plant
Fifth warehouse to the east
That was it. The whole truth. He had a spot he was told to loiter in. He was to keep an eye on things and report in case he saw anything strange. The girl with red hair was strange, clearly an outsider. When he reported her to his superior, he was told to see where she came from. When she said she was looking for the new drug, he was told to bring her to that address.
That was where his part ended. He was only the guide. Whatever was waiting for the girl in that warehouse, he didn’t know. He didn’t know if his gang was selling the drug, nor did he know if they planned on selling it to her. Whatever would have happened after he took her there was none of his business.
The red-haired kid didn’t move and his expression was as unreadable as before. As the seconds seemed to stretch, Rechy came to a sudden realization. The sound of heavy breathing became unbearable to hear even though it was his own. The violent beating of his heart felt like a threat that it would burst out of his chest the moment it could. This was it. This was the end for him. That kid—that red-haired demon—he wasn’t going to let him live.
Just as that thought crossed his mind, a new message arrived.
Ghost: The old Satori plant
Fifth warehouse to the east