Story of Close Siblings (2)
I headed straight for the gangsters' hideout. It was an office tacked onto a crumbling building. A shoddy space for an ajit, but surprisingly, there were plenty of types like them. Mostly folks who'd always been a bit brawny. The kind who believed they were untouchable. Of course, they were the ones most likely to get offed by someone stronger.
If their security was this lax, I'd count my blessings.
There wasn't even proper surveillance. I approached the door that showed heavy signs of use, pressing tight against the wall to listen in. The gangsters were huddled inside, chattering away.
"Hey, so when's that chick showing up?"
"Just wait a bit, boss. Time's almost up."
"You sure about this? If you're bullshitting me again..."
"Ah, you saw the pics. That ass and rack are killer. Trust me, she's gonna be a treat."
"Ha... damn. You're the craziest bastard I've ever met."
"Ehehe, just repaying the favor. Take good care of me from now on, yeah?"
I gripped my hand axe and knife as I listened. No need to hear more. Even without knowing who they meant, these scum didn't deserve to live.
From the voices and sounds... about seven, maybe.
Not a huge number. Especially not in a cramped spot like this. The only unknown was their armament, but if they didn't have guns, this was nothing.
-Crash!
My hesitation was brief. I kicked the half-open glass door and burst in, hurling my knife at the nearest standing guy. It hit his throat; he gurgled and dropped.
"Wh-what the fuck? Who the hell are you?!"
The voice from that shitty conversation. He grabbed an ashtray off the table. I smashed his head into his own leg first, then hacked at another panicking bastard on the sofa with my axe. Finally, I brought the ashtray down on the first guy's skull.
Three down.
The table chatterers were all dead. I turned. The remaining thugs stared in terror. Not even ten seconds since I entered, and three corpses already. Even for gangsters, that'd rattle anyone.
"Y-you, what the fuck?! Who do you run with?!"
"She ain't coming?"
"W-wait! We paid good money! N-no, you a girl? Hot one's on her way, so you could—"
"Guess I'll go then."
"Gahk!"
I cleaved the talker's throat with one axe swing. Blood sprayed, splattering me.
"Uwaaaah! You fucker!"
One swung a bat at me. I ducked, slashing his side.
"Gaaah!"
Blood gushed from the torn clothes. I buried my axe in his twitching head. Half-severed, he crumpled.
"Sp-spare me! I'll do anything—"
One dropped his weapon, hands up. I flung a knife into his face. His head snapped back; he fell limp.
"Th-this psycho!"
Last one. Shaking with a weapon, he spun to flee. I cut off his door path, but the idiot—panic must've fried his brain—leapt straight for the window.
We're on the fourth floor.
The ground below wasn't pretty asphalt either.
"Uwaaaah!"
-Splat!
A short scream, then a crunch. I looked down: head-first corpse.
Too late for that one.
No signs of stirring. Even if he did, the height would've wrecked him. Zombie bait at best. The blood pool said he was done anyway.
"......I was gonna leave one alive."
Now I had no lead on the sister. Had to search manually. Luckily, the office wasn't big. Hiding a full-grown guy needed space. I ransacked the place.
But... nothing.
No sign of the brother. Not even traces of anyone held captive. Separate cell? With all seven huddled here? Unlikely from experience. These lazy fucks wouldn't bother.
Can't be elsewhere. Guarding's an issue.
Or maybe they offed him already? Useless once sis was called.
I scoured the whole building just in case. Same result. No brother, no human traces.
......Tricky.
Planned to just clear the trash and bounce. Now the key guy's MIA. No choice—I called Yi Miyoung. She'd waited outside till I finished.
"H-huh?! B-blood...!"
"Not mine."
"I know!"
Yi Miyoung freaked at my state. Fair enough. Seven dead in a tight office? Bloodbath was normal.
"......Not my place, but... couldn't you go easier?"
She wiped my face with a towel. I let her. Always weak for noona types, past or present.
She went to some effort here.
I explained vaguely. No full story—didn't wanna recount every kill. Just said brother was MIA.
"I'll check upstairs too. You don't even know my brother's face."
"......True."
I only knew the imposter's mug. Never seen the real deal. Figured any beaten guy would do.
Yi Miyoung seemed to think the same.
"Lotsa bodies. Not pretty."
"It's fine. You went this far for me. How could I complain?"
No real gain in her seeing it, but from her short time with me, it'd satisfy her. We were strangers; blind trust would've been weird.
We entered the fight scene together.
"Ugh."
Blood everywhere. Did I overdo it? She looked stunned, then spotted something and yelled.
"Seha!"
I blinked at her. Why that name here? She rushed to one of my kills.
"These bastards...! How could they kill a kid?! With an ashtray?!"
Yi Miyoung hugged the corpse, wailing. A bloody ashtray lay by "Seha."
I felt... weird.
"......"
Fortune or curse, I'd heard that "Seha's" voice. And what it said:
-Just wait a bit, boss. Time's almost up.
-Ah, you saw the pics. That ass and rack are killer. Trust me, she's gonna be a treat.
-Ehehe, just repaying the favor. Take good care of me from now on, yeah?
-Wh-what the fuck? Who the hell are you?!
"Hmmm."
Made my blood boil. Wanted to rip his jaw off. But I didn't because...
"Sob... huu... Seha......"
She was cradling her "brother," sobbing heartbrokenly.
"......"
Should I tell her? He wasn't tortured. Probably sold her out himself?
Why use someone else's account? To build trust in secret posts, maybe.
Sibling privates look suspicious. Or feared telling her to run. Gangsters have ties too; selling family is insane. But this brother did it. Casually pimped sis, tossed in dirty talk. Just to impress his bosses.
"Sob... huu......"
And she risked all to save him. Now weeping over his "death." Tears streamed down her cheeks, dripping salt onto his face.
......Nah.
Best not say it. He was her hope in this apocalypse. A light keeping her going. Dead don't return. Better she lives believing they loved each other. Beats knowing family sold you out.
......Who knows.
No right to hide it? Still undecided.
If it ended here, it'd feel unsatisfying. But there's more. Yi Miyoung wanted to bury her dead brother. I volunteered to help.
"I'll assist too."
"Huh? But I can't impose that much..."
"Don't worry. Doing it 'cause I want to."
"Still..."
"Haven't seen such close siblings in ages. Wanna see it through."
Her face mixed emotions, but she nodded. Why help this much? No big reason. Just hated seeing trash-who-sold-his-sis make her suffer. Her effort felt pathetic.
Burying ain't easy.
"This should do."
"Thank you so much."
I hauled the body, dug with an entrenching tool, buried him. Watching dirt cover him, sis wept again. Final prayers, then we parted.
Wild experience overall. But her parting words, gazing at the grave, stuck deepest.
"You motherfucker."
......People die in many ways. In that sense, the brother just truly died.