Tattoo (Part 1)

"The landlord came today," a distinct feminine voice whispered in a dim room with no shred of electricity. Her voice was eerily low. Perhaps she didn't want the pair of peeking shadows outside the door to hear her.

"So? I don't have any money, if that's what you're talking about," a gruff voice replied.

"What do you mean, Tom?" Anna, Zhanye's mother, frowned; her teeth clenched together. Zhanye and Mia could feel the seething rage emitted from her.

"Woman, can you let me sleep? I don't have time for your nagging today. Also, are the kids listening? I take it you wouldn't want them to see us quarreling." Tom fell back on the small bed that could barely fit two people.

"The landlord gave us three days. Three days, Tom? To evacuate this apartment, and here you're telling me not to disturb you?"

No answer came from the big-bellied man. Instead, light snorts were the only sound.

Anna twitched her nose in frustration after catching a whiff of the irritating booze he had probably used the little cash at home to purchase. She grimaced as she glared at this hateful man, her husband.

Had she listened to her friends back in high school, would she have ended up with a disgrace like this?

This was a question that had been on Anna's mind for months now. No, years.

She glanced at the door, where a small crack was, and saw the eyes of her two kids staring back at her.

'No! I won't let my kids be homeless." Determined, Anna wildly shook her husband. "Wake up! Wake up! Are you deaf?' Invisible smoke surged out of Anna's nostrils.

"Christ! Leave me the heck alone, bitch!" With rage, Tom got up and pushed Anna away.

The petite woman effortlessly crashed into the wardrobe at the side. A wooden spike jutting out created a gash on her hand, and she bled.

"Mom!" Zhanye came out of his hiding place and crouched close to his mother. With gritted teeth, he tore a piece of his clothes and skillfully took care of the bleeding before the blood could overflow.

Unlike her brother, Mia stood there weeping. She approached her mother and hugged her from behind.

"I'm fine, kids. It's not—"

"Oh, cut it! You're not fine!" Zhanye got up. For as long as he knew, his good-for-nothing father always came home drunk and vented his frustration on them! His mother was the perfect person for those huge arms of his. Ever since he lost his job, his father would always hit Anna at the slightest thing! As time went on, his rage was also now directed towards little Zhanye and Mia.

Zhanye looked at his father with hateful eyes.

"You're not a man," he spat out with disgust. "You're nothing but a worthless scumbag who only cares about himself! You beat women to feel strong, but the truth is, you're just a coward! A pathetic excuse for a human being who can't even take care of his own family!" The hate in his voice was palpable, as though every word was being forced out through gritted teeth.

"Zhanye, don't talk to your father like that!" Anna spoke, pulling Zhanye's arms, but he shoved her away.

"This coward is not my father!"

Slap!

Under the arms of the huge man, Zhanye collapsed to the ground, and then the sound of a belt being unfastened was heard.

"I see you've grown wings, huh?"

"Tom, don't!"

Slap!

Tom slapped Anna to a relatively far distance and returned his gaze to the little boy who was cowering terrified under him. A wet patch formed on his dirty jeans as Tom flashed his signature sadistic smile.

Using the belt, Tom lashed Zhanye fiercely like a savage who had gone mad.

The vicious whips continued, and with each lash, a dark reddish mark appeared on his face, his arms, and every other body part the cruel lash met.

He grew numb. Too many screams left the wails of this excruciating torment hanging in his throat.

Suddenly, Mia stood before Tom with pleading eyes. The man, however, didn't seem like he'd be stopping.

Pushing his sister out of the way,the belt hit Zhanye's left eye, and... and it went black. The previously beautiful black eyes were now devoid of life. Is he... blind?

***

"Ugh!" A low groan escaped Zhanye's lips as his rigid eyes fluttered a bit before snapping open.

Upon seeing the face before him, Zhanye blinked his eyes a couple of times. 'Where am I?' He paused. 'I survived that fall?'

Memories of the brutal fall flashed in his mind. The pain he felt due to the impact was still vivid in his mind, as though it had just happened a few hours ago.

"This isn't right..." he stared at the man, who had a crooked, hunky reddish nose and a sparse blackish set of teeth. The man's eyes were tiny, a bit too small. Plus, a crooked ugly smile that made Zhanye cringe graced his bony face like a doting grandpa.

'He saved me...?' Zhanye deduced. He still felt a faint pang in his back, but he knew this wasn't the time to show weakness because doing that would give the suspicious-looking man the impression that he was still weak.

"Hey, hey, stay still. Your wounds would open more," the man said with a furrowed brow and proceeded to push Zhanye back onto the makeshift mat.

But the young man pushed his hands away. "I'm fine. Where is the little girl?"

Since he took the impact of that excruciating fall, Zhanye deduced that the girl should be fine if his memories served him right. Perhaps a few injuries, but nothing too complicated.

"'Thank you for saving me' would have been nice, you know." The man snorted.

"Sorry for my manners... I'll make sure to repay this debt, but for now, I'd like to know where the girl is."

The man stared at Zhanye with doubt before saying, "She is with Kal." He turned around. "Kal, bring the girl over?"

Once he was on his feet again, Zhanye took a careful look at the man, who seemed to be clad in ripped cloth with some bits of it missing and some parts smeared with colorful substances. He wore fine black boots. Also, he reeked of a musky sweaty smell that would have made a lot of people easily distance themselves from him.

"Nice booths you've got there," Zhanye remarked, glancing briefly at the booths before focusing on his own bare feet, now covered in dirt.

"Oh, these..." the man scratched his head and chuckled softly, unaware of the devious look on Zhanye's face as he glanced at the booths once more.

While waiting, Zhanye's gaze darted around. He seemed to be in a cave devoid of any light.

The cave swallowed all light, shrouding everything in impenetrable darkness. The floor was uneven and littered with jagged rocks and hidden crevices that could cause gashes if one wasn't careful. The only source of light came from a low-burning fire, its flickering flames casting ominous shadows on the walls and ceiling.

Zhanye's gaze lingered on the ignited fire for a while. The burning flame was pale blue and green, nothing like the flames on Earth, but what drew Zhanye's attention was the warmth the flame provided.

"How did they even set up this flame?" Zhanye turned to speak, but a flurry of loud footsteps interrupted him.

Then, the person he wanted to see appeared.

Standing opposite him was Kal, a man who had similar features to the creepy-looking fellow with the booths. However, his body was on the muscular side, with well-defined muscles visible almost everywhere. With clean-shaven brows, a rather wide nose, and tiny lips, Zhanye thought he was a thug back on Earth. And with his frightening height of 7ft, he was more than certain.

Zhanye nodded lightly. "Thanks for looking after her."

He gently held the little girl, who didn't react. The sight of those vicious frogs and the image of Zhanye taking the brunt of the jagged stones was still fresh in her mind. So naturally, her small heart knew this teen didn't have hidden intentions.

She looked up at her savior and squeezed his hand, murmuring, "Thank you, big brother."

"Brother?" A smile subconsciously appeared on Zhanye's lips. This little girl was so similar to Mia. Even the way she spoke reminded him of his cute little sister. "Right, I need to get out of here. Mia must be hungry by now. This fellow probably wants something in return just from the way they're looking at me." Zhanye stared at the two men.

"Kal, we haven't even introduced ourselves to the boy yet," the creepy man spoke. "Kid, my name is Dunk, and this fellow here is my buddy Kal." Dunk casually slapped Kal's shoulder, and a loud grunt was heard.

"Nice meeting you. My name is Zhanye , and this is my little sister, Kira," Zhanye spoke, pulling the kid closer to him.

"She's your sis?" Dunk asked, his tone betraying him, almost as if he was a bit angry. A glint of disappointment flashed in his eyes, and this didn't go unnoticed by Zhanye.

"Yes, any problems with that?"

"Dunk said she's a little candy," Kal spoke with no trace of emotions in his tone.

"Hehehe, don't mind my buddy here. You see, he isn't that good in the head. A few screws missing here and there, you know?" That smile wasn't convincing.

'Hmmmm.' Zhanye took a careful look at the two men. In the depths of his gloomy right eye, a suspicious light flashed briefly.

"Oh well, thanks anyway. We'll be taking our leave now." Zhanye lightly pulled Mia as he tried to find an exit out of the cave.

"Hold on, wait!"

'As expected, these guys would definitely call me back.' Before turning around, Zhanye was 100 percent sure that Dunk would call him.

"What?"

"Why don't you stick with us for a while? I can see you're still seriously injured, and I'm sure you wouldn't go outside, if you know what I mean?" Dunk shrugged.

The little girl shivered slightly and tightened her grip on Zhanye's hand. She looked at him with pleading eyes, as if telling him that she didn't want to go outside. She was terrified. Those hideous, murderous frog creatures had created a kind of trauma in her little heart.

Thus, she preferred to stay in here, even though the two people had suspicious faces.

Seeing Zhanye hesitate, Dunk said again, "Also, how will you repay our debt if you go outside to die?"

'Cunning bastard. Anyway, let's see where this leads to.'

"Fine, you win."

A bit later, Zhanye, with the little girl by his side, and Dunk with his buddy Kal, sat around the scorching flame, bathing in its warmth. The place was quiet, and only the tiny rustling could be heard, perhaps made by rodents.

"How long did I sleep?"

"You meant how long you were unconscious?" The man sarcastically said.

Zhanye didn't reply.

"Well, you were down for two days. The little girl over here found us and brought me and Kal to your battered body. We picked you up and brought you here. It's still a miracle how you heal so quickly."

Zhanye stared at the little girl and gently patted her head. She could have just run into hiding, and no one would blame her. After all, at the end of the day, she was just a kid—a kid who should be feeling the warmth of her family.

Either way, Zhanye felt warmth in his heart at the thought of another soul caring for him, aside from his sister.

'I wonder if she also has siblings.'

"It seems like you also got the tattoo," Dunk spoke out of the blue, his eyes lingering on Zhanye's neck.

Zhanye looked at Dunk, feeling weird at the way the older man was looking at him. A few stupid thoughts popped into his mind, but with a slight shake of the head, he asked, "What tattoo?"

"The terrifying monster on your back."

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