[6]: Night Invader (2)

The two youngsters were still contemplating their current predicament and taking in the surprising state of the workshop. Ever since they started hanging out when they were young until both started working in the said shop, they never found it this clean and well arranged. It was as if it was newly built and just about to open if the unrepaired vehicles were to be ignored, that is.

They both fell silent as they slowly drown in their own thoughts.

The silence loomed the whole room. That is until the tan young man spits out a barrage of curses.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Dacron exclaimed, quite alarmed, "Ey! Cooper, you think… Should be not, but ah, we're dead! It was the old man, isn't it?"

"Should be him. Sync's on duty last night, and Yeshua, that idiot haven't been here in a long time," the auburn-haired lad answered without sparing him a glance. He was busy inspecting the items on the now spotless shelf.

Cooper stretched his arm to pick up a neatly placed toolbox. He ran a finger on its lid, frowning at it while thinking in his heart, 'Damn. It was, even, wiped off without missing a single dent.'

The taller lad was pacing back and forth in the narrow space between the discarded car and the now arranged piles of boxes. He was still concerned about their unforeseen fate.

Dacron cursed and gravely uttered, "Tito Charleston would definitely, not let us off." [1]

The tan youngster already started imagining their fate at the hands of his barbaric uncle. He'd be facing an old man with a wrench at hand and a sinister smile plaster on his darkened face. It was almost as if nimbus clouds were hovering right above his head. And a downpour of his wrath was meant to happen, along with a few lightning and thunder.

He shuddered at the scenario he created himself and shoved it away from his mind, hoping that it would not come true.

"Don't include me. It's your turn to clean yesterday," the auburn-haired lad refuted while inspecting the other items, getting dazed by how clean those are just like any other.

The one who diligently cleaned the place was inattentively listening to their panic, still focused on massaging his sore back. He did not know that cleaning this place would cause a frenzy or even cause to attract unnecessary attention.

He rotated his head, causing a faint cracking sound, and he felt a little relief at that. It was unexpectedly satisfying. His back was still sore with the bruises, but the pain somewhat lessened.

Marco tilts his head to the right, his left hand still grasping his nape as he lifts his gaze towards the two youngsters. Just as he raised his head, the young lad instantly froze. His bluish-gray eyes were met by the dark brown orbs of the brunette-haired youngster, who was also taken aback by their sudden eye contact, visibly flinching.

Marco did not dare to move a single muscle or even breathe, but his mind was currently running in chaos. He knew that he hadn't done anything wrong or illegal, but his brain was acting on both impulse and instincts.

'What do I do now?'

'Technically, I'm not an intruder since it was old man Charles who sent me here.'

'It can't be called trespassing. But how could I prove that to these two?' Marco pondered to himself.

Without breaking their eye contact, the tan young man nudged his friend with his elbow. He was trying to hint at the latter about his discovery, but he just received a glare and an elbow on his ribcage with twice exerted force.

"The eff are you doing?!" Cooper irately asked, hissing like a triggered cat. He placed the almost dropped wrench back on the toolbox.

Dacron, who received a heavy blow on his side, glowered while rubbing his injury. He wanted to hit his ignorant friend back, but he calmed himself. He was reminding himself that it was not an appropriate time.

'This darn brat, you'll compensate for it later,' the brunette-haired young man swears in his mind while gritting his teeth.

With every ounce of patience, he has left, he jerks his head to where the newfound intruder is, hinting for him to turn his head over and see the enigmatic stranger who looks ready to dispose of them in his perspective. However, Cooper just narrowed his eyes while looking at him, unimpressed and abashed, not understanding a bit of what he wanted to convey.

'I thought you're smarter than this?!' Dacron yells in his mind.

Dacron felt frustrated with the obliviousness of his supposed to be a quick-witted friend. He couldn't stand it any longer, so he directly held both shorter lad's shoulders and turned him towards the direction of the uninvited guest or as what he thinks it is.

The oblivious auburn finally recognized the third person in the room. His mind went blank while staring at the inked-haired stranger. He needs to strain his head up to see him at the flight of stairs.

Marco was still holding his nape, staring at them with a seemingly downcast expression, with his dull bluish-gray eyes that were partly covered by his jet black locks. It was a domineering posture, and he looked somewhat pissed.

The upset young lad was wearing a completely black outfit to top it up: a loose black t-shirt with a small 'ALIVE' cursive white imprint on the left chest, black baggy pants, and the same colored flip-flops with a few white linings. He was not clothed impressively, but it's far from bad since he managed to pull it off.

He was effortlessly emitting an intimidating aura that could fright anyone. However, the young lad was unaware of his sinister effect on others.

"Night invader!" Cooper exclaimed while pointing at the bewildered young lad in the staircase.

Marco snapped out of his thoughts once he heard the auburn-haired youngster's high-pitched voice. He unconsciously raised an eyebrow and blinked his eyes twice while registering what he had just heard in his mind.

'Night invader? Is that some title of a novel? Maybe a character or villain?' he asked himself. He pondered about it and figured that it might have been an impulsive slip of the tongue.

Marco, the so-called 'Night invader' by the auburn-haired youngster, stifled a laugh. He bit his lower lip, as not to further irritate or probably scare the two.

Dacron glances at the stranger before eyeing his friend. He puffed a laugh but to tries to hold it back, "Night invader…? Seriously?! Where the heck did that come from, man?"

"I read a novel yesterday, okay? Shut up." Cooper rolled his eyes, crossed his arms over his chest, and turned to the intruder at the staircase.

Dacron wants to tease his friend some more, but he restrains himself to focus on their current situation. He assumed the same pose as Cooper and warily turned to the third person in the room. He cocks his chin and raises an eyebrow, masking the fright that's creeping in his spine.

"Hey! Night Invader! Or whatever…" the brunette young man called out, receiving an intense glare from his edgy friend. He stopped with his teasing and turned serious, getting back at the problem at hand.

"What are you doing here, and how did you get in?" Dacron stanchly asks, full of seriousness in his voice. As if he didn't conduct an ear-bleeding concert and wasn't flinching and thrashing a moment ago.

'I would have believed his serious façade if I hadn't seen all his actions earlier,' Marco thought.

Although he wasn't moved by the other person's act, Marco's mind still went blank for any response. He couldn't think of how to explain his situation or how to phrase it that it would be believable.

'Why would you want it to seem believable, Marcus? Just spill the beans.'

'Telling the truth would resolve all redundant troubles.'

Dacron felt annoyed when the intruder remained quiet and appeared to be uninterested in them and with all his shenanigans.

The brunette young man could not stand it anymore, so he snapped and grumpily asked, "Hey! Are you deaf, or are you just thinking of an excuse?"

Marco didn't utter a word and just silently stared at him. It fueled the aggravations of the tan lad even more.

"Don't even think about anything funny, dude," Dacron warned, his brows almost meeting. He wasn't contented with what he said and wanted to sound more intimidating against his unfazed foe.

Cooper, the wee young lad, attentively listened to his friend's nonsense blabber. He just stood aside, watching them silently. He would lend his friend a hand if necessary.

"Let me tell you this, you f-" Dacron was about to let out a cuss when something heavy suddenly hit the back of his head. His head was struck powerfully by vicious people for the second time in just one morning.

"Fuck!" the word still left his mouth as he stumbled over, almost becoming one with the floor once more. He was lifted by a big, callused hand with the collar of his bright orange t-shirt, preventing him from slamming on the cemented floor.

Dacron was far too familiar with this situation and the aura of the person holding him up. He shivered instantly and concluded that the doom he had wished not to come has already fallen. The fright he had felt a moment prior from the intruder could not even halve the fear he was experiencing now.

He cast a glance at the shadow and shuddered even more. The massive shadow seemed to have formed a pair of horns and was ready to devour him alive.

"Oh, I'm so dead…" Dacron whispered to himself, but it did not escape the ears of everyone in the room. The grip on his shirt tightened, and he held his breath at that.

The tan youngster nervously laughed and turned his head to meet the scary eyes of his renowned terror. He secretly wants to light a candle for himself.

***

[1] "Tito" is the Filipino word, literally translates to "Uncle" in English.