Sin: Path of Poison

Chapter 27 (Sin's Past) Part 2

"Remove all your clothes, careful not to get them dirty. Fold them nicely and hand them to him." I said, gesturing for Tripping boy to take them. Everyone around me hung on every word I said. I looked at Fearless, he was slightly larger in frame, having more muscle. I searched the crowd until I found a man wearing good quality robes, not the fine silky cloth of the last person, but well made. It would be a good fit for Fearless boy as he was rough on his clothes.

"You! Remove all of your clothes, careful not to get them dirty. Fold them nicely and hand them to him!" I gestured to Fearless boy, this time more authoritatively. I looked carefully at all the girls, but didn't like any of their clothing in particular. I sighed out loud causing a lot of people to lean in closer, wanting to help, but not knowing how.

"Is there anything I would look good in?" I asked Tripping boy, scared he'd ignore me. His hand went up, pointing down an alley that some of the men disappeared into. I could make out a woman in front of the establishment, she wore red silky robes. The embroidery was elegant and her hair and makeup were flawless.

"Come here!" I called. She looked scared, about to run. She was too far to feel the affects of my blood. "Get her!" I commanded the crowd, who immediately ran towards her. I followed along safely behind them. They held her down not far into the building, women scurried in all directions to get away from the sudden invasion. As I approached, the affects of my blood intruded upon her will.

"Go behind that screen and change into something different, give me the robes you're wearing." I directed, not wanting to shame her by undressing in front of these people. Moments later she returned. "Hand it to him." I pointed at Tripping boy, not wanting to hold them myself, afraid to get blood and dirt on them.

"You two follow me, the rest of you stay here for a while, be nice to the woman, don't cause them any trouble. First, give me some coins." I remembered we needed money, we couldn't enjoy life outside without it. Coins began falling around me as the crowd opened up their purses. I picked up as many I could hold in my hands and we left. I walked back to the main street and out of the alley as Tripping and Fearless followed.

I looked at the shopkeeper who had first yelled at me, starting this entire mess. I was mad. Mad he embarrassed me, mad he'd called me names, and mad that the only two people I knew had seen me publicly shamed. I picked up one of the well made hair pins and pushed at the pick slightly to see if it would break. Feeling as sturdy as it looked, I held it in my hand and walked closer to the merchant. Anger bubbled up inside of me as I looked up at him.

Brandishing the hairpin like a weapon, the pick came out the side of my clenched fist, I spun through the air swinging my arm around. My body spun and I stabbed it straight through his throat. His body dropped to the ground. People from down the road screamed, those unaffected by the poisons around me. Searching his table, I chose a hair pin and clasp I liked and shoved them into my robes. I ran away, Tripping boy and Fearless automatically followed as that was my last command to them.

The three of us ran down the street, they ran on either side of me, leaving behind the people that hurt me. That shamed me. Further from the people Fearless killed and hurt. Further from the person I killed and the people I stole from. I looked to either side of me and suddenly laughed. Maybe we didn't fit into this world, but maybe we could make a place. I only had carve away the people that didn't belong in our world.

Far down the street, I stopped in front of a store, it looked peaceful inside and smelled of herbs. The workers all wore simple white robes with panels of blue, red, or green coming down from the chest. It smelled of medicinal herbs, nothing inside was poisonous, which struck me as odd. The blood coming from my head had begun to flow again from running. My heart raced as new feelings I'd never experienced ran rampant through me.