Soldier of Time

XXVI: Counterattack (1)

Simon was walking down the street. It had been a long time since he went to that side of the central city. The streets there were very clean, and he felt a completely different rhythm than in the rest of the city.

In the central city, most of the people always lived their lives in an extremely fast way. The rhythm of life could not stop everyone involved in their careers and in the way of making life individually evolve to a better status.

But this condition created a gigantic void between its habitants. While in El Morro, everyone used their shortcomings as justification for their unity. In the central city, everyone used their abundance as a way to divide themselves. But not there. In that neighborhood, things were different.

Simon had not returned to that place for several months, but as he entered the limits of that part of the city, he felt the vibrancy and rhythm of unity in its inhabitants. Not like in El Morro motivated by lacking. Instead, in here, there was something that for Simon was rare to find. The fraternity.

People smiled when their eyes met, and the interest of one could become the interest of another with just a word, the vibe of that neighborhood was familiar, brotherly, and harmonious. Simon couldn’t help putting a smile on his mouth as he walked through those streets.

The further he got into the neighborhood, the more security he felt in the people, and when he got to the suburb where a lot of houses lined the streets, everything seemed to be built in stillness.

Several young women were looking at the blond young man with interest, and all of them were smiling in his direction. The houses were built with care, and all seemed to house happy homes. As he advanced to the place he was looking for, a young woman walked near him.

Simon immediately noticed her presence and turned to face her. The girl looked at him smiling and asked instantly, “You’re not from around here, are you?”

He pretended to look surprised. Simon grinned before asking, “What gave me away?”

The girl smiled, looked around her, and moved her hand as if exposing the landscape over the boy to say, “We all know each other in this place. And you. Nobody knows you, baby.”

Simon gave a little laugh and said, “It’s true. I came to visit a friend, that’s all. I haven’t seen him for a long time.”

The smiling girl started to back away, and as she was leaving, she said, “Don’t get in trouble, baby. It is not good to make a fuss in here.”

Simon looked at her as the girl waved her goodbye and walked in the opposite direction. The quiet of the place could not be threatened. It seemed that this entire city was protected by its citizens, but he didn’t know how deep that idea was.

After walking a little more, he reached the address he knew, where Johan lived. The boy stopped in front of the front door and knocked.

Inside, a voice questioned pleasantly, “What are you doing here, Simon? I hadn’t seen you for a long time, my friend.”

“Johan, is that you?” Simon asked. He wanted to make sure cause the voice sound even rougher than how he remembered it.

“That’s right, give me a second. I’ll open for you. I don’t have thumbs.”

Simon smiled, and a lady standing on the porch of the house next door told him, “Young. Julia is not there, and no one is there...”

Simon looked at her, and then the door opened. The boy smiled at the lady and said, “It seems my lady came home earlier.”

The lady seemed confused, but she immediately returned to her task of sweeping her entrance. Simon entered the house where a naked man received him by putting on a pair of pants. He had short black hair, black eyes, and a large scar on the front of his right shoulder.

They both embraced and entered the lobby of that house. It was a normal house with a living room full of black leather furniture and a small glass coffee table.

To the right of the entrance was a bar that separated the kitchen from the hall and the bottom stairs that led to the second floor. Simon walked in and looked around to say.

“This looks very comfortable, brother.”

“It is S. my owner is great. I have food and love,” he said while he laughed. “It’s a good life, bro.”

Simon smiled at his friend, and he sat on the back of the furniture to continue talking.

“And what are you doing here, bro? Did the boss send you or something?”

“No, not really. I came for another reason, man, and it is something very important.”

“It must have something to do with that job yesterday.”

“How do you know?” Simon was clearly surprised.

Johan chuckled before he explained casually, “In here, buddy, everything is known, especially if you have a good place to listen.”

Simon smiled resignedly and said, “You have always been a well-informed man. The Deer sent me. We need your help.”

“S... bro, you know I’m not a working man.”

“Yes, I know. But it is important, brother.”

“What does the Deer want me to do?”

Simon began to walk by the receipt and saw on the walls how they hung photos of a beautiful young woman. Black hair and a very bright smile. Simon took a frame, looked at it, and said, “She’s cute, pal.”

Johan got up and took the photo of Simon’s hand and placed it in its place as he said, “She is, bro. She is beautiful. I see her every day. She takes care of me very well. But you have not responded.”

Simon took a much more serious stance and said, “He wants you to track someone...”

Johan snorted in frustration and said, adopting a serious tone as well, “Who, Simon? Stop beating around the bush, bro. Give me the whole picture.”

Simon looked directly at the floor and muttered, “Hanibal King.”

Johan looked at the ceiling. His left hand touched the place on his shoulder where he had the scar and said, “I knew you were going there. Hanibal King. Sorry. Yes, you know I don’t get involved with that psycho. He was the reason I stopped working, buddy.”

Simon knew it would go this way. That name tended to put people in a negative position.

“This is important, Johan,” Simon said while looking at him seriously. 

Johan smiled bitterly as he nodded. “I’m sure it is, but the Deer knows how things work, man.”

“He doesn’t want you to fight him.”

Johan shook his head, “That doesn’t matter, man.”

“It’s just tracking him, bro, and then we’ll take care of it.”

“Old Simon. You know that you and the Deer are my friends. That bastard has always taken care of me, and I hate not being able to help you guys, but you ask too much of me.”

“I know, and he knows, but this time it’s a very, very important brother.”

Johan began to see the photos and the whole house, his head began to deny, but Simon said, “Buddy if we don’t stop him, a war will break out. And in that situation, it will not matter that you do not want to participate. You will be involved. Everyone will be, including your owner.

Johan ran his hands over his head, flattening his hair. His eyes fell on the photo of the girl, and he breathed altered.

He looked at Simon and said through gritted teeth, “I knew you wouldn’t come just for my friendship bastard... just tracking him down!”

“You know the Deer. You can trust.”

“I know. God, I hate friends. That’s why being a pet is great. Nobody expects you to do anything...”

“Sorry, buddy, but we need you.”

“I know. I tell you where he is. And then I come back to my life, right?

“Sure, brother. Of course.”

           On the other side of the city, the Deer and Karen looked at the ocean as they slowly walked to the Mines. The girl sometimes sucked in great breaths of air to make sure that she could breathe correctly. In her mind, she still felt the power of Amber subduing her.

Karen looked at the sea and said casually, “This is not a bad place to live.”

The Deer smiled and looked forward again, and his mind was on the conversation he had had with Amber. Few people could draw all his attention, but if someone received an award for achieving it, it would undoubtedly be Amber.

“Is she your girlfriend?” Karen asked, looking directly at the Deer that did not move his eyes from the road.

The young man with his hands in his pockets looked at the path that would lead them to Nasuma’s house, the question bounced in his mind, and he still did not know how to answer that concern.