The air grew thicker, their shared depravity a poison seeping into the warehouse. But one man, lurking at the edge of the group, spoke up, his voice a low, unsettling murmur.
"Charlotte's fine, but I was eyeing the other one, the little girl with the ribbon." His lips curled into a sickening smile. "That's more my type."
The older man whipped his head around, his face twisting in disgust. "She was a kid, you freak! How could you even—" He stopped, his words faltering as he realized his own hypocrisy, his mind tainted by his own dark fantasies. He looked away, shame burning in his chest.
The exchange laid bare the group's rot, their twisted desires exposed like an open wound. Unknowingly, Mika had saved Charlotte, and that little girl, from a fate far worse than a crash, his split, second sacrifice thwarting a plan steeped in cruelty.
The driver, clearly the group's leader, then opened his mouth to speak, likely to demand how they'd explain this failure to their employer, when his gaze caught something odd.
A raven perched on a rusted beam above, its black feathers glinting under the flickering lights. Its beady eyes were fixed on them, unblinking, almost...listening.
The driver frowned, a prickle of unease crawling up his spine. "What the hell?" He muttered, trying to shake it off.
But the feeling grew, the raven's stare too deliberate, too knowing and because he felt a chill every time he glanced at it, he grabbed a jagged stone from the floor and hurled it, the projectile whistling through the air.
The raven squawked, dodging the stone with a flap of its wings, and took flight, spiraling toward the warehouse's only entrance, a gaping hole where a door once hung and the driver exhaled, thinking it was gone.
But his relief shattered as the bird didn't escape.
Instead, it stopped, hovering mid, air, circling a figure he hadn't noticed until that moment. His eyes widened, his breath catching as the group's attention also snapped to the entrance.
A young boy stood there, his posture casual, almost lazy, his dark hair messy and his eyes glinting with a cold, unreadable calm. He wore a torn jacket, scuffed pants, and an air of quiet calmness that didn't match his age.
In one hand, he held a paper bag, the one Charlotte had carried, with the knife inside. With his other hand, he tossed a crumb of bread into the air, and the raven swooped down, snatching it in its beak with a sharp caw, like a thank, you.
The bird then circled him once more, then flew off, vanishing into the dusk, leaving the warehouse silent save for the faint hum of the city outside.
The warehouse was deathly silent, the faint hum of the city outside swallowed by the oppressive weight of the moment. The raven's departure left a void, its final squawk echoing in the rusted rafters as the group of men stared at the boy standing in the entrance.
Mika's silhouette was framed by the fading dusk, his torn jacket and messy black hair unremarkable, yet his presence sent a chill slithering down their spines.
They couldn't place why, not at first.
The warehouse was a forgotten place, a tomb no one stumbled into, and yet here he was, undetected, uninvited. Not to mention, his casual stance, the indifferent glint in his dark eyes, felt like a dismissal of their very existence, as if they were ants beneath his gaze.
It unnerved them, that look, like he saw through them, past them, to something they couldn't comprehend.
But the moment passed, and reality snapped back.
He was just a kid, probably some university punk with a chip on his shoulder. His hooligan glare, sharp and defiant, might intimidate a classmate, but to these men, hardened by crimes far darker than schoolyard scraps, he was nothing.
A baby playing tough in a world he didn't belong to, so their fear dissolved into scorn, their lips curling as they exchanged glances, their earlier frustration finding a new target.
The thin man with a crooked grin, couldn't hold back. He leaned forward, his voice dripping with mockery.
"Oi, little boy!" He called, his tone taunting, like he was swatting at a fly. "Who the hell are you, huh? What're you doin' sneakin' around our place?" He smirked, his hands shoved into his pockets, not even bothering to straighten up. "This ain't your playground, kid. Scram!"
He expected the boy to run away at his shout because of how ferocious he looked but to his surprise, Mika didn't respond. His gaze simply stayed locked on the man, steady and unblinking, his face a mask of cold indifference.
The paper bag with the knife hung loosely in his hand, his posture unchanged, as if the man's words were wind passing through empty air.
The thin man's grin faltered, irritation flaring in his chest. "Hey, you deaf or somethin'?" He snapped, his voice sharper now. "I said, who are you? This is our property, punk. Get out before you regret it." He took another step, his fists clenching, expecting the kid to flinch or bolt.
But Mika still didn't move. Didn't speak. His eyes, dark and fathomless, held the man's gaze with a quiet intensity that made the air feel heavier, like a storm brewing in the distance.
The silence stretched, taut and suffocating, and the man's irritation boiled over. He was already raw from the failed mission, the lost payout, the gnawing humiliation of being outdone by some brat in the park.
And now this kid, this nobody, was ignoring him?
He laughed, a harsh, grating sound, and turned to the others, his smile twisted with anticipation.
"Well, boys." He said, hopping off the barrel he'd been leaning against. "Looks like God's givin' me a chance to blow off some steam." He cracked his knuckles, his eyes glinting with cruel delight. "Been a rough day, and this punk's just beggin' for it."
The group chuckled, their earlier tension easing as they leaned in, eager for a show. The older man on the barrel smirked, shaking his head.
"Don't go too hard, now." He said, his tone half, joking. "Disposin' of a body's a pain in the ass, you know." But his eyes gleamed, betraying his excitement.
They all did, each man itching to vent their rage, to see this kid broken and bleeding, a scapegoat for their failure.
The driver, still by the ambulance, grinned slyly. "Just rough him up a bit." He called, his voice oily. "Leave enough of him to crawl away. Gotta send a message to nosy kids, right?"
The thin man strutted toward Mika, his boots scuffing the cracked concrete, his taunts growing louder with each step. "What's that look, huh? You think you're tough, punk?" He sneered, his voice rising, almost theatrical. "Starin' at me like that? You got no idea who I am, do you? I'm gonna enjoy this, gonna mess you up so bad your own mama won't recognize you."
He laughed, imagining the satisfying crunch of his fist against the kid's face, the way he'd crumple and beg. The group behind him also leaned forward, their chuckles low and hungry, already picturing the violence to come.
They knew this man's temper, vicious, unrelenting. He didn't just fight; he destroyed, leaving his opponents in pieces, their bones shattered, their spirits broken.
For a moment, some even felt a flicker of pity for the boy. "Kid's gonna spend a year in the hospital." One muttered, smirking. Another chuckled, nodding at the ambulance. "Hell, we could drop him off ourselves. Got the ride right here." The group laughed, their eyes locked on the scene, expecting a brutal beatdown.
But what happened next wasn't what they expected. It wasn't even in the realm of their darkest imaginings.
It was something straight out of a nightmare, a horror that would sear itself into their minds forever.
The man reached Mika, his fist coiling back, a taunt half-formed on his lips.
But then it happened so fast, so fluid, that for a split second, the world seemed to stutter.
Mika moved, not with wild frenzy but with a chilling grace. His hand flashed up, fingers curling into a claw, and slammed into the man's face, not a punch, no, something worse.
His grip clamped down, digits sinking into the man's cheeks and jaw like steel hooks, crushing flesh and bone with a force that defied his lean frame.
The man's taunt choked into a raw, guttural howl, his eyes bulging as pain exploded through his skull. His jaw buckled under Mika's fingers, a sickening crack splintering the air as molars shattered, shards cutting into his gums, blood welling up in a frothy mix of spit and crimson.
He staggered, his hands flailing to grab Mika's wrist, nails raking skin in a desperate bid to break free. But it was like clawing at iron, Mika's grip didn't budge, his arm a pillar of unyielding strength.
The man's knees wobbled, his screams warping into wet gurgles as blood seeped from his mouth, dribbling down his chin. His eyes, wild with panic, darted to Mika's face, pleading, glassy with terror, trying to form a choked 'please' through his ruined jaw.
Mika in response only tilted his head, like a predator studying its catch, his expression blank save for a faint, curious glint in his eyes. Then, with a twist, he spun the man around, yanking him into a chokehold from behind, his grip still locked on the broken jaw.
The man's body jerked, his arms flailing, his feet kicking feebly as he fought for air, his gurgles rising to a frantic pitch, as he watched his comrades look at him in disbelief at what was happening.
Mika didn't even give him a chance for any of the group members to react as his free hand then moved to the paper bag and he drew the knife, the bone, gripped blade from the antique shop, its cloth falling away with a flick of his wrist.
The dark metal gleamed, its edge a razor's promise, and the group gasped, their breaths hitching as he raised it and seeing the knife in front of him, the man's struggles surged, his body convulsing, his choked cries a pitiful whine against Mika's palm.
He only struggled even more when Mika pressed the blade to his neck, the tip kissing skin, a thin bead of blood welling where it touched. He held it there, letting the moment stretch, his eyes flicking to the group, cold and taunting, like he was telling them to watch.
And then without another woed, he began to cut, not with a single slash, but a deliberate, agonizing sawing motion.
"Squelch!~ Thrash!~ Squirt!~ Pour!~ Squelch!~"
The knife bit into flesh, parting skin with a wet, ripping sound, blood spurting in a violent arc that sprayed Mika's face, his chest, his jacket. But even still, he didn't flinch, his hand steady, the blade moving back and forth like a butcher carving a roast.
"Schlurp!~ Splish!~ Splat!~ Squish!~"
Muscle tore, tendons snapping like frayed cords, the man's screams dissolving into bubbling gurgles as his throat filled with blood.
His eyes rolled back, his arms thrashing wildly, one hand clawing at the knife, slicing his own fingers on the blade, the other grasping at air, seeking salvation that wouldn't come.
But Mika didn't care how the man thrashes in arms as he kept going, deeper, slower, the knife scraping against cartilage with a grinding rasp.
"Gloop!~ Drip!~ Splurt!~ Plop!~"
Blood cascaded, pooling on the concrete in a dark, glistening lake, soaking Mika's shoes and the man's convulsions also weakened, his limbs twitching, his eyes glazing as life drained away.
In a short while, the blade hit bone, the spine, and Mika paused, tilting his head like an artist perfecting a stroke. He then gripped the bone handle tighter, its warmth pulsing in his palm, and with a sudden, savage jerk, he slashed through.
"Squelch!~"
The spine snapped with a wet, splintering crunch, the sound echoing like a gunshot. The body convulsed, then collapsed, a lifeless heap of meat and bone, blood fountaining from the stump in rhythmic spurts.
"Thwap!~ Schlurp!~ Squish!~ Sploosh!~"
Meanwhile, Mika held the head, severed near-clean, by a fistful of matted hair. Its face was frozen in a grotesque scream, mouth agape, eyes staring into nothing, blood dripping in thick, viscous ropes to the floor.
His uniform was drenched, crimson streaking his jacket, clotting in his hair, painting his face in bloody smears, but he stood unmoved, as he then looked at the group, his gaze steady, and a faint smile curved his lips, subtle but chilling, as if asking...Who's next?