Thieves

Chapter 5 (Scar's Chapter)

The two teenagers exited the house later, having left Gray with instructions to watch over the house and the two little kids. They slipped through the now quiet streets of London. In their clothes, they seemed to almost blend in with the buildings like they belonged there. And the truth was, they did. In a way.

Scar stopped in front of a big old house. He had checked earlier to make sure it was empty. There wasn’t even furniture inside. This meant they would be supplying their own, but that was ok since it meant no one lived there or had lived there in a while. He could live with it.

He gently opened the door, making sure it didn’t make squeaky noises. He glanced around for a moment before motioning for Gloria to follow. They quietly walked into the house, making sure no one from the street had seen them. If they got caught, they were in lots of trouble.

It was an old place. The dust that covered the floor was disturbed as they walked through the front room. There was no furniture, but there was something strange about it. It seemed the dust wasn’t that thick, like someone had been there within the past few weeks. Scar hadn’t noticed that in the sunlight.

“Um… Does this look recently disturbed to you?” Gloria murmured, pointing out his observation. It reminded her of the night Scar had gotten his name.

They both stopped dead when they heard chains. Where were those coming from? The dust wasn’t disturbed recently enough for there to be anyone here. This was too much of a repeat for the kids.

Scar stepped in front of Gloria protectively without thinking. He wasn't thinking any more. He was acting on instinct. Chains were something neither of them liked. They usually came with sharp edges in their experience. And things that were rather unpleasant to here.

A tall young man came out of the shadows. "What are you doing here? This isn't your home," he said quietly as he swung the chain in his hand carelessly. It would be easy if he wanted to strike out at them.

Gloria pushed Scar aside so there were standing side by side. She wasn't letting him face this alone. "I'm sorry. We thought no one lived here. We were just looking for a place to stay. We can leave if you wish,” she said as diplomatically as she could while keeping her voice from shaking.

He stepped forward so it was possible to make him out better. The chain glinted in the moon light that came in. “You should know better than to trespass. Knocking is what is polite,” he said simply. His hair was long and shaggy compared to the two teens and that was something. They didn’t keep their hair in good condition.  His eyes were shop and hungry, like he was almost starving and he seemed older than both of them.

Scar grimaced. This was the same. He couldn’t do it again. The scar on his face was his memory from last time. He didn’t need to have that again or for Gloria to have it. “Well, I thought it was empty. I came by earlier today and thought it was empty. So it is an honest mistake. Nothing to get angry over,” he said quietly.

The man seemed to think about it for a long moment. “Maybe... Not. This has been my place for years. The cops stay away. It is mine,” he snapped as he stepped forward again, the chin clipping Gloria’s shoulder.

She flinched as she felt the blood that started flowing. The chain had sharp edges. They felt like little razors digging into her skin. It was horrible.

Scar pushed her behind him again. “You hurt her and I swear I will have to kill you,” he murmured.

The feel of blades was fresh in his mind even though he hadn’t been hit. Chains left scars and scars left painful memories. When it had happened to him, it had been a man much like this but then it had been an alley. The people had beaten him up at the ripe age of eleven for trying to steal in their territory. They didn’t care he was young or incapable of defending himself. They had left him with the scar on his face before he had found any of their family besides Gloria.

She had helped clean him up and bandaged his face. It hadn’t been pretty. In fact, it had been down right ugly. It was the last time he had cried for any reason. Then she had given him a name. And he had given her one for her optimism. Neither of them liked chains or strangers after that. They made them nervous.

The man shrugged. “I don’t think so. If you kill me, then you are in for some trouble. Because I have friends. And they would find you and kill you too,” he said cockily. He had nothing to show from his cockiness but the fact that he had the chain.

Scar took a deep breath. “Gloria, run for the door. I will follow behind you, ok?” he said quietly. They need to leave or things were going to get ugly. They couldn’t afford for things to get ugly at that moment.

Gloria nodded and waited a few moments before bolting. Scar was right behind her but that could both here the chain slashing after them. It was close. So close that it hit flesh and blood.

(Hey. I updated early. The insperation came. :) Thanks for reading! Please vote and comment!)