Kapitel 41: Chapter 39 - Flashback (2)
And so, Apate nervously waited for nighttime. He wanted to back out several times through the night, but each time Alon managed to convince him to stay.
Finally, nighttime came, and Apate saw Mike go on his way through the narrow streets. The night silence was broken every couple of moments as Mike stepped on a shattered glass shard or as he kicked a small and rusty piece of metal out of his way. The streets were littered with such objects, and death from disease was far from uncommon thanks to them. As a matter of fact, the first thing Alon taught Apate was to watch his step. Healing quirks were rare, so it was a given that no healer was present in the slums.
Suddenly, Mike stopped near a house, and he started to inspect it. "Shit..." He murmured as he continued to walk deeper into the slums. 'This idiot! Is he that desparet?!' Apate thought. Another one of the basic lessons was the structure of the slums. The deeper you go, the more dangerous it gets. The outside areas are relatively safe since kindhearted guards and upper-echelon citizens patrol or visit it from time to time.
But in the deep areas, there's nothing to keep the safety of the people. As a result of that, crime and violence ruled the deeper area. However, the lack of recourses couldn't keep with the destruction caused by the daily fights, especially when destructive quirks were involved. Over the years, the state of the area only got worse and worse. Most houses had at least one wall blown off, so sneaking in and steeling was very easy if you knew which houses not to target and how to move silently.
Mike ventured deeper and deeper into the slums, and cold sweat was visible on his face. He was freaking out internally, but he didn't have a choice. He gambled what little he had away in the fight clubs, where, as the name suggests, contestants would fight each other for money. He got carried away and bet big to make back his losses, but the fighter lost horribly. His life has been hellish ever since, with him stealing to make up his debt. This resulted in him taking his frustration on Apate since in those moments he felt as if he had power, even if it was minuscule.
Apate knew this, of course. It didn't take much effort for Alon to investigate Mike's situation, but it didn't change anything. No one is the villain of their own story, and everyone has a reason for their action. If Apate forgave him simply for that, his situation would only worsen.
Still, Mike was entering a pretty dangerous area. If he was caught, he'd be a dead man. The same applied to Apate.
'Maybe I should head back? I can always do this another day when he's not trying to kill himself,' Apate thought, and after two minutes of thought, he decided to head back. Unfortunately, those two minutes were the difference between making out safely and getting caught.
A large spotlight suddenly found its way to Mike from a palm atop the nearest house. "Would you look who's here?" A sarcastic laugh was heard from the top of one of the houses. Seeing Mike quickly turning around in circles trying to find out how many men surrounded him, the laughter only intensified. "Hit the lights!" The voice said. The spotlight suddenly disappeared, and its shooter began to glow like a lamp.
The street was now lit up, and both Mike and Apate took in a horrified breath. They were totally surrounded from all sides, with the number of men reaching twenty easily. "Oh? I expected you, but who's the bug?" The now visible source of the voice, a muscular man with red hair and eyes, said in a slightly surprised tone.
"Y-you expected me?" Mike bearly let the horror-filled words leave his mouth. "Are you an idiot? Did you think the street was empty simply thanks to your luck? Here of all places? You were sent here by the debt collectors for a reason, you know?" The man said with a deadpan expression. "W-what's going to happen to me?" Mike asked with a shivering tone. "Well... You're quite the handsome lad, so you'll be making us some money," The man said with a sadistic smile that sent a shiver down Mike and Apate's spine.
"You, however, weren't supposed to be here. Were you sent to make sure the deal went smoothly? I suppose they would want insurance. If you're done here, then go back and report." The man said to Apate, causing Mike to turn his head. "Apate? What're you doing here?!" He yelled. "Should we...?" A woman with a large scar over her left eye asked the man. "Let it play out a bit," The man replied, and the woman nodded.
Apate, being a quick thinker, realized that his chance to escape was about to be ruined. For now, those men think he's working for some debt collectors. But if Mike will start to run his mouth, things will go south. He knew Mike would suffer a fate worse than death now, so he began to back away. "Very well, I'll report that the deal is done" Apate played his role with a neutral expression as he began to quickly walk away.
"Hold on! Do you work for those bastards?! A Quirkless like you managed that?!" Mike exclaimed in shock. "Quirkless?" The leader's expression changed, and Apate instinctively froze in fear. "So you're a lier, huh? No way those guys are so desperate as to hire a Quirkless. Take him too, I'm sure he'll have his use," The leader said. "You can't do this! They'll come for you!" Apate tried one last bluff. "Yeah, right. Who'd fight for a Quirkless?" The leader asked as the scared woman stepped forward. She raised her hand, and small electricity bolts shot out at Apate and mike, paralyzing them.
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Man, I'm finishing high school in 10 days! I mean, I technically have two tests after the school year ends, but they're rather easy so I'm not that worried. I'm a little afraid of what comes next though. When September comes around I'll begin a new chapter in my life, and honestly, I'm both extremely excited terrified of it.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein