Just Keep Moving (a Beastars Fanfic)

Ch15. Call for Help

I was in the library with Juno in the evening when the call came. She was reading my script for The Night Watch, and when I checked who the caller was, I was surprised to see that it was Peter.

"Hey, you don't mind if I take this call right?" I asked Juno.

"Sure," Juno said. "I'll be here."

After I stepped between a couple of bookshelves and made sure nobody was close enough to listen, I answered the call. "Thank the meteor you answered kid," Peter said, and I could hear the panic in his voice. "Now, if you want to keep your job, is suggest that you get your ass down here immediately. We've only got about an hour. Hurry!"

My eyes widened as Peter hung up. Peter had used that voice once before: collection day. If he was using that voice, I knew that some serious shit was about to go down. I rushed back to where Juno was sitting and grabbed my bag. "Keep the play for now," I said hurriedly. "It's an emergency, I'm probably not going to be back until tomorrow." Not waiting for an answer, I rushed out of the library.

Sprinting, I vaulted over a hidden section of Cherryton's walls and called a taxi. I could probably run too Pete's Meat in time, but I wanted to save my energy. I had the driver drop me off about a block away from the black market, and after the taxi left, I went into the nearest alleyway and put on my disguise. Once that was done, I checked to make sure my knife was on me, then ran through the thankfully empty streets to the black market.

When I got to Pete's Meat, I saw two large lions hammering at the door. They wore a pistol each in hip holsters, and I winced. I could only assume that they were the reason for Peter's call, and based on that, I would likely have to kill them. Taking a deep breath, I crept up behind the lions and drew my knife. Once I was in striking distance, I leapt, stabbing through one lion's throat and punching outwards, just like I'd done with the rabid bear. Hearing the pushed very from the other lion, I used my victim's body as a shield as I took the pistol from his holster.

Pointing the gun at the other lion, I fired, hitting him in the abdomen. He stumbled back, and I fired three more times, two to his chest and one to the head. Then, after dropping the lion I'd stabbed, I looked at his futile struggle to close his throat moment before aiming at his head and firing.

Once that was done, I knocked on the door. "It's Tim," I shouted. "I got the lions, now tell me what the fuck is happening!" A moment passed before the door was opened by Peter. He stood there, gun in hand as he looked at the lions on the ground. Then he looked at me.

"Good job kid," he said. "Inky and Lauren are in the restaurant already. Get in here, we need to get back to cover."

"Why?" I asked. "The lions are gone, we could just run."

"There's never just two Shishigumi," Peter spat. "More of the bastards are probably coming as we spe- SHIT!" Suddenly, I was pulled back into the restaurant and Peter fired a round over my shoulder before slamming the door shut. More gunshots sounded out, and I cursed, scrambling for where Inky and Lauren were already taking cover behind a barricade of tables.

"What are they even here for?" I asked. "You paid on the protection day, right?"

"That I did," Peter growled. "Someone must have put a hit on this store. I guess we're suffering from success."

"Damn," I muttered. "How long until they break through the door?"

"It looks like only about a few minutes," Peter said, swinging as something large him the door. "I'm just lucky it was built sturdy enough to last until you came here. Ready yourselves, we're going to have to fight."

We all lifted our guns, mine the pistol I'd looted from the Shishigumi goon. The door rocked once, twice, and then fell in. As soon as the door fell, everyone started firing. I emptied my entire magazine in mere seconds, and I was sure that only half of my shots had been fatal. After I retook cover, I saw a bullet hit the kitchen doors in front of me,and a flash of inspiration hit me.