Paper Bags

Paper Bags 17

"Nem vagyok öregember (I'm not an old man)," said a voice of a man coming from the counter located on the right side of the shop. He was speaking in the same language that Haru had hear Adam use once in a while.

It was as dark as it had been from the outside with nothing more for illumination than the streetlight outside. Which didn't do much considering it was in neon blue. If anything, it further deepened the shadows here and made things looked ten times scarier. From what could be seen, there were nothing much here. Perhaps shelves lining the walls behind the counter space and on it were weird ornaments and trinkets. There was also a half wooden toy without its head sitting right behind a lanky body.

But that was all there was. Nothing was being displayed and besides a rotting couch with leather torn off in some patches to show off white spots, placed near a bar counter with half-opened bottles of weirdly smelling things — probably where the smell of musk existing in this space came from — there was just... nothing else.

Haru was not a fan of that.

Adam didn't seem to even hesitate as he walked up to the wooden counter and slammed both hands on it. The force of his bang rattled the things on it starting with a jar of glowing substance. At a closer look, there was something floating in it — and was that an eyeball? It was round and there was definitely a slit that resembled a pupil so it could very well be!

Haru scrunched up his nose and took a step back.

Yeah, he definitely wasn't a fan.

"Says you," Adam said. "Anyway, I brought guests with me."

"Barátok (Friends)?" the man said and since he had half of his body hidden underneath the shadows, it was hard to make out of his features.

It was only when said man took a step forward that the blue hue from the lights hit him and Haru held back from a screech trying to escape his mouth. He had half of his hair shaved off and the other swept across his eye, dyed in a hideous, eye-burning red. Those eyes, though, what was spooked him the most.

They were lighting up. As if they had something behind his pupils, but that couldn't be true.

He had to be human... right?

The grip of his fingers tightened a fraction which caused Haru to share a look with his friend. It was clear from his face; eyebrows furrowed and lips tugged downwards, that he was confused as well. Just what kind of a person had they ended meeting?

"Speak English, old man," Adam said, jabbing a thumb at the four friends. "They can't understand our language."

The man met Haru's gaze and for a moment held it. And even though he was standing quite a few steps away and behind a wooden counter, that stare sent shivers running down his spine nevertheless. He lessened the distance between him and his friend until their shoulders were almost touching.

Then, the man who was wearing black clothes from head to toe shook his head and clicked his tongue. Haru would be affronted at that if he hadn't gotten used to it from Adam. Huh, maybe they were related after all. And perhaps if many years had passed, this would be how the bad boy wannabe would look like.

A complete eyesore.

"Fine." The man stood straighter and he was more imposing with his full height than he had been from before. To think he had been slouching and was at least half a head taller than Adam and now was a full head and a bit taller was a change Haru did not like. "So you brought your loser friends with you for what exactly?"

Seriously, what was with him?

"Hey," Rain said, crossing her arms against her chest. "We're not losers."