Ditched by Death

Standing in the shady alley the next day, two glaring bodyguards by her sides, Code X felt like a fool.

Every once in a while, she would do a double take, squinting her eyes at the strings of hanging red lanterns. Apart from here, along the entire street of the west market, there were no crimson decorations in sight. Well, a spice shop had a hanging rack of chili peppers, but those was hardly anywhere close to lanterns.

The more she waited, the more frustrated she felt.

Since Death never specified the time to meet her the next day, by the crack of dawn, she had been packed and ready to leave the palace with the Empress's guards. That entire night, whether it be the uncomfortable bed or the gravity of her situation, she barely scraped by an hour of sleep, instead tossing and turning until morning.

And so, empty-stomached, half-bruised, and sleepy, she limped out of the palace with the company of the two guards. Yet after a long walk and a bumpy carriage ride to the west market, what greeted her was the familiar emptiness.

Apart from the merchants setting up shop and the beggars lurking in the shadows, there were hardly any people in sight, much less Death.

"I have a real special present for you. But that will be for tomorrow. Bring the Empress's guards to the corner store of the west market, and meet me in the alley behind the red lanterns." His chilling words echoed in her mind, constantly reminding her what a confident fool she was for believing this cheater one more time.

With the sun beating down, even the two guards began to shift uncomfortably in their positions. Their occasional glances only asked one thing: why was this crazy nanny wasting her one day out of the palace to stand in this alley? To be completely honest, Code X didn't even know how to justify her own actions.

Perhaps she blindly believed death too much? Or had she really misjudged this entire situation and thought herself more valuable of a pawn than she actually was in this game of chess?

The minutes ticked by.

Death was still nowhere in sight.

She took the time to assess the kingdom before her. Despite the countless passerby donned in the finest silks and decorated with the shiniest jewelry walking along the main well-paved streets, the majority of the people were walking skeletons treading on the offshoot dirt pathways.

Some men were missing an arm, and others a leg. They leaned against the merchant stalls, staying as long as they could in the shade before being chased out to a corner of a street. Others were unkempt, their outfits barely thrown together from scraps as they dug into the piles of trash stacking in the alleyways.

"Erm…"

A guard cleared his throat, dragging Code X from her thoughts. "So, Nanny Rong…" He scratched his head. "So what are you waiting for? We've been here for half a day."

The other guard chimed in as well. "Yeah, it's a rare opportunity to leave the palace, so why are we standing in the west market of all places." He shuffled around. "Everyone knows that's where all the street rats live."

Code X only shrugged, not responding. If she could bore the guards to the point that they loosened their watch over her and she could sneak away, that would be an added bonus even if Death never showed up.

"Give me a moment, will you, Nanny Rong? I'm just going to go relieve myself." A guard spoke up, motioning to leave the alley. "He'll watch you for a moment, and make sure to stay by his side."

It seemed that her backup plan had worked in the end, a bit quicker than she had even hoped for. After all, it wasn't like a 74 year old grandma could easily escape from the built guard with the sharpened sword.

Nevertheless, she resumed people watching, hoping for the perfect escape opportunity or a glimpse of the familiar sunglasses and hoodie. No, even a complete fool like Death wouldn't do such a stupid thing, she thought, squinting her eyes to look for any people with vague resemblances to Death. If he was going to keep to his word, he would at least put on a disguise.

"CRASH!"

A merchant's stall collapsed in the distance. The metal pots and pans all fell to the floor, clanging as they dropped onto one another.

"BOOM!"

A wheel cart flipped over to its side, a few heads of cabbages tumbling along the unpaved road as the merchant scrambled to save his precious vegetables.

Seeing the commotion, the guard who stayed behind slowly drew his blade from the hilt, his eyes growing increasingly alert.

The dirt on the road was swept up with a strong gust of wind, and temporarily, people had to close their eyes to prevent the dust from falling into their eyes.

For a moment, the guard faltered as well, and Code X took this split second to escape into the commotion, as fast as her weak legs could carry her.

Inside the cloud of gathering dust, everything was a blur of yellow. Struggling to not cough too loud while keeping the pollution out of her body, she tied a handkerchief she found in her clothes to her face, covering everything but her eyes as a makeshift mask.

Slowly, she opened her eyes wider to look for the crossroads, trying to see past all the chaos unfolding on the street.

"Help…"

Vaguely, she heard the weak cries of a child. The unpleasant thought of a young child being trampled by the crowds crossed her mind, but it stayed for no more than a split second.

"Help me…"

It was none of her business, and escaping was a priority.

She turned for the other side of the road.

That was when a pair of tiny hands grabbed her own. She looked down to find a boy tugging at her skirts, his bright eyes wide with fear.

"Beautiful elder sister, please help me."