Man Eater

2 • Night Watcher

I met Moon as promised and we were off into the city. I stayed low, my face frightened any children that were out with their parents in the night. Said parents pulled their children away at the sight, but I think it was more the cold presence of Moon- or maybe it was the obvious handgun tucked into the waistband of her black slacks. I admired the way she walked, how she carried herself. She flirted with the ego of a frat-boy and scared off men larger than herself with looks. Maybe it was her white-eye that shone in this cold light like the moon, maybe it was the way she moved. I would see her lean down to whisper to Rising Sun, and Rising Sun would giggle and blush. I was jealous of how the older acted, how words came out so smooth from her mouth. "One-eye." Moon's deep voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Come."

She had beckoned me like a dog, and like one I followed her into the club. The flashing lights made me dizzy, and the loud music shook me to my core. Familiar faces were almost everywhere, burlesque dancers that were affiliated with the crime family gave me little smiles. I looked around nervously, and my heart sank when I noticed how many shocked faces there were at the sight of my missing eye. The dancefloor was crowded with useless bodies, drunk patrons shouting and laughing. Half of them could barely walk, let alone dance. I felt a comforting hand on my back and turned to see Redback beside me. His brown eyes were much like our medic's, they were kind and comforting. He leaned over, shouting so I could hear him over the music. "It's okay!" he insisted. "Just try to blend in until Moon gives you an order!"

The younger had indeed soothed my anxieties, leaving me to head for the bar. I found myself amongst Setting Sun and Brandy, a tall dark-skinned woman with curly black hair and dazzling green eyes. Brandy welcomed me to sit beside her, a kind smile on her face. She was a street soldier, but great in many positions. To me she was a good choice for an underboss, but she was known to crack under the pressure of leadership. "Don't drink." Setting Sun told me. "Moon has plans for you specifically."

I nodded, and my eye drifted over to a dark corner table. I recognized that white dot from anywhere, Moon was watching me. She gave me a little nod of approval and turned her head to speak to Sun again, who nodded and headed towards the dancefloor. Moon's cold gaze startled me, I knew she would report every breath I took to the boss. My eye shifted to Brandy, who was watching the dancefloor. "Rising Sun's staying to the outside." she murmured close to my ear. "There's someone here, someone who's got information on Snake-heart. Moon was put in charge of taking care of it."

"Thank you." I murmured back as Brandy nodded. I kind of hoped whoever it was would get rid of Snake-heart, to make room for me to step up, to make room for me with Tiny. He didn't deserve such an angel, and he didn't deserve the boss's favor. Tiny was like a nest of robin eggs, and Snake-heart was the little boy with a slingshot. My eye found its way back to Redback, who was standing at the bar, taking shots with a young woman I didn't recognize. He smiled a bright smile that could only come from his mother, kindness in his gestures that could not have been passed down from his father. His movements resembled Tiny's, but they came from Willow- his mother.

"Moon's watching you." Brandy whispered. I turned my head to see the other woman had now stood, tapping where her handgun hid in her pants, and jerking her head towards where Rising Sun danced with an older man. This is a test; she wants me to cover Sun. I nodded and stood, watching intently as Sun's hands rested on the man's shoulders, standing on her toes to whisper to him. She swayed on her feet a little, a wide smile plastered to her face with heavy lidded eyes. She's pretending to be drunk. My heart raced as the man put his hand tightly around her waist and she guided him to a back door. I quickly went to the front, slipping through the door undetected and around towards the alley. I dropped down to my knees to crawl silently behind a dumpster, watching as she stumbled through the door with him, laughing and holding his hand.

What was she going to do? All I knew was to hide, to keep watch. Slowly I drew the Colt from my waistband, my breath catching in my throat. I killed for my position and was no stranger to death, but if I let something happen to Rising Sun, Moon would kill me. It all happened so quickly- the moment he leaned in to kiss her she had her arm around his neck. She wasn't very heavy, so pulling him down with her weight alone wasn't an option. Sun kicked her heel into the back of his knees, placing her hand under his chin. As he dropped, she held his head back as far as it could, taking her knife and running the blade deep across his throat. His jaws parted in a silent scream, and his eyes widened. She let him fall as the blood let out of his throat, and the ground became a shining crimson lake. He tried to hold his hand over his throat, his cries for help becoming a weak gasping and pitiful whistle as his arms slowly dropped and his eyes clouded. Sun broke into a run towards me and was past me before I could stand. I scrambled to my feet and took off after her, filled with adrenaline. I stumbled, scraping my knees against the hard pavement and loose gravel before regaining my balance and running after her again. We reached one of the cars, and I took position as driver. I barely waited for her to close the door, speeding off towards the outskirts of the city while she texted a message to Moon that we were done and gone. My hands shook, my whole body trembled. My first mission, and I could only hope that Moon would be proud of me. "Sun- that... That was great!" I breathed, still shaking with excitement and thrill.

The little blonde gave me a weak smile before looking out the window, relaxing in her seat. She fumbled with the knife between her dainty fingers for a while, then folded it and slipped it back into her bra, playing with her fingers a bit. Her eyes seemed troubled, and I could almost hear her mind racing. "Thank you." she finally murmured.

Dawn seemed to break earlier that morning, or maybe the excitement of the night got to me. I had shared drinks at a different club that night with the rest, but I felt off. My eye seemed to drift from sight to sight- if I had the other I would've been cross-eyed by now. Something was wrong. I stuck close to Redback, and he kept a hand tight on my shoulder. I leaned on him for support, my legs were wobbly, and I couldn't walk a straight line. We were back at the compound, and Moon stood out on the front marble steps, tucking a pack of Marlboros back into her pocket. Her button-up shirt had untucked, and her tall frame seemed to tower in the dim dawnlight. She pulled out a small Zippo lighter and lit her cigarette held between her lips, a puff of smoke rising from her face. She looked up, seeing us. "Well done." she praised me, walking forward. Her brows furrowed, eyeing my face. My heart jumped at the sound of her praise, but I could not express my happiness, my world was spinning. "Hey- Hey, One-eye." she snapped her fingers in front of my face, and my eye rolled back a bit, my eyelids fluttering. I stumbled a bit before Redback caught my shoulders and held me tight. "What's wrong with her- the fuck did you do?" she half asked me, and the other half was meant for the younger.

"I don't know-" his panic was clear on his face, this wasn't just drunkenness. "I think she needs to see Tiny."

Moon was quiet for a moment, taking another puff of her cigarette before pulling her cigarette out of the corner of her lip. She ran her other hand back through her black hair. My eyelids fluttered shut and my legs momentarily gave out. "One-eye!" she called out, my eyelids flying back open. I was seeing double- and the world was slowing down.

"Can I...?" I mumbled. Moon leaned closer to me, trying to hear. "Can..." I breathed out. I couldn't say the words, I felt my mouth hanging open. "Can... Can I have... Spare me a smoke...?" my words slurred, and I was beginning to lean down. Moon averted her eyes to look up at Redback as if to see his reaction before pulling out the familiar red and white pack again. As she was about to pull out another cigarette, my body convulsed. I dry heaved once- so strong that it caused my head to spin. I heaved again, but weaker, then once more before I collapsed to the ground.

"One-eye!" Redback called in alarm. Instead of helping me back to my feet, I felt Moon scoop me up. All I remember was the smell of her cigarette and expensive cologne, and the way she pushed through others to get inside. My mind raced; my body began to numb to where I couldn't lift a finger. I began to realize that the alcohol didn't do this to me- someone else did.