Tangerine ~ Bullet Train

18 - A knife to her throat

'Oh, well, who do we have here?' the man in the green sweater said when both Tangerine and Lemon were standing by the door, the last one holding the case. He acted like he was thinking hard about their names, but couldn't come up with them. 'Wait, what are your codenames this time?' He shrugged. 'Well, it doesn't matter. I think you have something that belongs to me.' Sweater looked at the case expectantly.

'Who are you?' Lemon asked in a hostile voice, to which Sweater didn't reply. 'And I have something that belongs to you,' he continued, looking at Tangerine. 'What do you say? Should we make the trade?'

It was quiet. Both The Twins and Yuina didn't know what was going on and why this man was doing this. She recognized him as the one who volunteered to take that picture of her group and this anime creature, but after that he seemed to have vanished. Yuina thought of him as just a random passenger who probably left the train already, but now he seemed to be involved in this mafia shit as well. How many people actually were? She was done with this shit.

'If you think we will give up the case for that random girl, you're mistaken,' Lemon said, laughing indignantly. How would that man ever think that? But the thing that threw Lemon off was that Sweater was looking at them expectantly, not if it could be a possibility, but rather a certainty.

Tangerine tried to hide how hurt he felt by his brother's words, but utterly failed doing so. Yuina was certainly not random. Not to him.

'Sure,' Sweater said, smiling slightly. 'We can stand here a little longer. I'm quite comfortable, are you comfortable?' The last thing he asked to Yuina whilst holding the knife closer to her throat. She felt the dull side of the blade, the tip of it slightly itching against her skin. The man had to apply just a little more force to make a slight cut.

It seemed like time stood still for a moment. There was no way Lemon would give up the case. As for Tangerine, he didn't know what to do. He had never thought himself capable of doubting to make such a decision as this. He never cared for anyone except for his brother, but now he wasn't sure what he would do. He didn't want to see Yuina hurt, or worse.

'What to do with you?' Sweater asked playfully as he brought the knife to Yuina's neck, gently striking the tip of the blade over her skin, just not making a cut. 'I could stab you in the back,' he said whilst applying more force with his hands, which he was using to keep hers tied together behind her back. 'I could slice open your throat, so your blood will splash out, painting this hallway.'

Yuina didn't want to, but she felt her body shaking, goosebumps all over. This was a true psychopath. Now that death really was near, she felt more than ever that she wanted to live. She didn't want to be harmed. She didn't want to fight to stay alive whilst knowing the light would faint from her eyes. And she sure as hell didn't want Tangerine to see that. He didn't deserve to be tortured like that.

'I will end you,' was all Tangerine managed to say. Lemon looked at the fiery eyes of his brother, who wasn't planning on doing nothing. It was clear to see that Tangerine wouldn't let her be harmed, not even to safe himself. But the problem was he didn't only have his own life to worry about; he had to think of his brother as well. He would have to choose between his brother and the person he wouldn't be able to breathe without.

Tangerine felt his lungs twitching, not being able to give them oxygen. He felt his heart pump rapidly in his chest, fear running down his veins.

'You will?' Sweater asked joyfully. 'With what? Your bare hands, or the gun you're currently holding?' Tangerine wasn't consciously reaching in his pocket, but now he was aware of it. 'You won't shoot me,' Sweater said. 'Because if you do, I will slice this beauty of yours right open.' He brought the knife back to her throat again. 'You will give me the gun instead.'