Capítulo 169: Chapter 49.1
"I have a job for you, Salamander."
Within the Lockwood mansion's study room sat two figures. The first was sitting behind the desk, the master of the mansion himself, Lockwood. The second was sitting on a recliner with his legs up on a coffee table. The latter was a bald man wearing a hoodie that concealed his rather coarse skin texture. His mouth was so wide, it almost stretched from cheek to the other, giving him an almost reptilian jaw.
"I don't care how rich you are, Lockwood. I'm a Phantom," the second figure, Salamander, sneered. "I only work for the Council. I don't do anything else for anyone else, or I'll be the next one hunted."
"I am a member of the Council," Lockwood replied bluntly while sipping on a cup of tea. "And I can easily turn this into a mission. Once, the job's done."
"Doesn't mean much to me," Salamander hid the look of surprise on his face before speaking. "You already know I'm on a short leash."
"True, but nobody would care if a girl, a random homeless girl, just disappeared," Lockwood answered as his eyes gleamed with cunningness.
"A girl?" Salamander showed his interest almost immediately. He leaned forward and began paying attention to Lockwood.
"Yes. Here," Lockwood handed Salamander a holo which showed information on a little girl and, more importantly, her features. Her auburn hair which was tied into a braid showcased her high forehead and bright green eyes.
"Hmm," Salamander grinned lustfully, his wide smile easily revealing his molars as his cheeks disappeared. Through it all, he gazed at the image of Maple unblinkingly. "It'd be a shame to kill her."
"I want her gone. I never said killed," Lockwood noticed Salamander's gaze and his eyes flashed with hidden disdain. "You can do whatever you want with her. Just make sure she disappears and stays disappeared."
"Alright, I'll do it."
Salamander stood up and prepared to leave when Lockwood called out again.
"Oh, and Salamander?" Salamander paused and turned around before Lockwood continued. "No witnesses."
"Whatever you say, boss."
***
"Don't let go. Link your hands and hurry," Emily ushered the orphanage's children while instructing them to link hands and walk, preventing any from losing their path as they made their way through the dark backyard. Emily had already handed Ms. Grace the key Melanie had handed to her and she waited behind the children as the former led them away. The children had already realized that something was wrong, and what ached Emily's heart was that they obeyed orders with hesitation, indicating that they, and Ms. Grace, were already used to this.
A nearby rustling of branches caused Emily's heart to leap into her mouth, and without a word, she gestured soundlessly to the children to hurry onwards. She herself stayed behind, pulling a pepper spray from her pocket as she prepared to confront the possible intruder. A bush nearby rattled and quivered as twigs snapped, and Emily raised her pepper spray as her ears pounded.
Moments later, a mocha-coloured hand crept out before John came tumbling out. Emily almost shrieked as she aimed the pepper spray at his face but stopped short of shooting it when she recognized him.
"Jesus," Emily gasped as she tried drawing air, finally relaxing when she realized that it was John, who rolled his eyes when he saw her; he was able to deduce what she was planning.
"Next time, check where you're aiming that," John advised. "You almost blinded yourself."
In her panic, Emily didn't realize that she was not holding the pepper spray properly: the nozzle was aimed at herself. Blushing at her mistake, Emily put the spray away as John unclipped his pistol. Checking the rounds, he loaded it back into his gun before turning to Emily.
"You should get a move on," John said. "I wasn't able to delay them for long. They'll be here soon."
As he spoke, John walked past Emily who called out to him.
"Wait. Can't you help us?"
John paused and looked at Emily incredulously.
"Are you kidding?" He asked. "Why in the hell am I gonna risk my life?"
"They're just kids," Emily answered, her voice pleading for him to help.
"Kids. Huh," John sneered. "Let me tell you something. Something you'll learn eventually. No one is worth risking your life, no one. You do it once, and they'll expect you to do again, and again, and again. It's not worth it."
Emily was surprised at how bitter John sounded, but before she could react, he turned and walked away.
"You wanna look out for someone? Look out for yourself."
Emily curled her hands into fists, her nails digging into her palms as she stomped her feet.
"You don't want to help, fine, just say it! Coward," Emily called out to him before she turned and moved towards the direction the children had left for.
"Wait," John paused when Emily called him a coward. He tossed his gun at Emily who jumped and avoided it. "Safety's on. It's the little notch on the left side. Slide it and then aim to fire."
"I . . . I can't," Emily hesitated to pick up the gun. "I've never fired one in my life."
"First time for everything. Besides," John's eyes flashed with callousness. "You wanna join my gang, you gotta learn how to shoot. You survive this, and I'll let you join."
With those last words, John hurried out and disappeared into the streets. Emily looked down at the gun before gritting her teeth and picking it up. Although she knew that she was likely to get herself killed, she still held onto the handgun. The weight of the pistol made her feel safe, and she checked to make sure the safety was on.
Unfortunately, she had no idea if it was off or on and she couldn't afford to waste time figuring it out. From the distance, the sound of fighting picked up, and Emily came to the conclusion that Melanie had begun fighting the intruders. This indicated that they were getting closer, so Emily quickly left.
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