Like A Fairytale

Chapter 15

Flo

"How much do you want?" Flo couldn't believe his ears. After a long search, he finally found a second charger. None of the booths still had batteries and only one had another charger. The other had been snatched from under his nose. But the seller demanded extortionate prices.

"2 gold wheels and 10 silver." The man shook his head in annoyance. "Boy? If that's too expensive for you, don't buy it. I don't negotiate prices. I also have to earn my money!"

"But two gold wheels? That's completely overpriced!" Flo could hardly believe it. Two gold wheels? For a broken charger? Of course, he had looked at it carefully before asking for the price. One of the cables had come loose. He was able to repair that quickly. And something was rattling inside. This could take time. Nevertheless. He had never come across a broken device, even a rare charger, for such a price. "The device is not functional!" Not yet.

"It's the only one I've found in three months. At the moment, we cannot search the city for goods. Everything is therefore a bit more expensive", explained the man. "Can I maybe get you excited about something else? A clinical thermometer for five silvers? Screws? A few ports? Otherwise, I would politely ask you to go to another stand. Your grumbling scares away potential customers."

"I'm looking elsewhere. Thank you", Flo snorted. "I'm right to complain!" So he left the only charger still available. A dealer had bought the other device for a gold wheel when he arrived at the stall where he first tried his luck. There had been no more there. This device did not appear to be damaged. So why should a damaged one cost more?

That dealer will probably get my business too. The soldier will certainly visit her shop. She was from Level 4.

Flo went from stand to stand. Sweets were sold on one, fabrics on another. He saw a stall that offered slightly weathered children's books. He looked at the colorful books with interest. The paper was yellowish, the spines damaged, the bindings torn and faded. Some of the books smelled of mold. But he liked one. A book of fairy tales. This was in surprisingly good condition. And when he asked for the price, it cost almost nothing. 9 silver wheels. A bargain. Flo did not hesitate and bought the book. For himself. A frustrating purchase.

I can also treat myself to something! Annoyed, he looked back at the booth with the outrageous prices. A new customer stood there and tried to haggle over the prices. In vain. Flo grinned and stowed his book in his pocket.

At another booth, he found light bulbs, a small neon lamp, two extension cords, and even a hair straightener. He bought everything from the rest of the money he had at his disposal. He talked to some vendors and also to two friendly villagers. Flo didn't notice how the crowd on the market square was slowly decreasing.

"My boy?" The old lady with whom he was talking frowned. "Tell me, don't you have to go back slowly?" She pointed to a clock that stood in the center of the market square.

"Huh?" Flo turned to the clock. "Oh! Shit! Thank you!!" He still had a good ten minutes to return to Burgstadt. "Thank you!"

Cursing, he ran off.

At the same moment, he heard terrible screams. Confused, he turned around and looked into the eyes of a huge predator. It was a mixture of wolves and big cats. The animal, which was about two meters tall, looked down at him with bared teeth and slowly came closer. Flo got sick.

Two others devastated the market square. One bit an elderly gentleman's throat, while the other tried to drag a saleswoman out from under her stall. The saleswoman screamed and kicked at the animal. Somewhere nearby, he heard another predator rumbling. A man screamed, something crashed... Another animal feasted on the lady with whom Flo had just spoken.

Flo walked slowly backward.

Was this his end?

He pressed his bag to him and did not dare to take his eyes off the predator. He walked slowly on and on until his back hit something. One of the stalls. From here it went no further. He was trapped. Desperately, he groped for a usable weapon. His fingers found something and he held it in front of him. It was the charger he hadn't been able to pay for.

Then something banged loudly. For a moment, the big cat was distracted and Flo ran off. He was looking for a hiding place, pursued by the big cat, which, thanks to its size, could not move between the market stalls as fast as he could. But it was able to jump. Flo's lead gave him little time.

Flo found a hiding place just seconds before the beast reached him. Behind another stand. It smelled of fire and blood. There was a fire somewhere. Flo's eyes watered as he crouched breathlessly on the ground as the predator leaped towards him. It missed him by only a few centimeters. Flo crawled under one of the overturned tables and a broken shelf lying on it, while the predator hit after him with a paw. It did not reach him. But for how long?

Flo pressed himself close to the wall of the shelf. He touched something wet and warm. Startled, he looked to see where the wetness came from. Was it another predator?

What he saw was worse. While the giant cat tore at the fallen stall and hissed angrily, Flo stared into the dead eyes of the merchant who had politely chased him away from his stall. The man was missing his abdomen. It looked as if one of the animals had torn him apart and thrown his upper body away. Blood oozed from a head wound. Flo was still holding the charger and his bag with the things he had bought. But at that moment he did not notice these things. He saw only the deep wounds and a missing arm of the man.

Again the big cat hissed and tried to reach him with its claws. Flo hit the animal with his bag.

A claw got caught in the fabric of his bag and tore a hole in it. The light bulbs fell out. The predator crushed it in its anger and injured itself. It withdrew its paw with a hiss. Flo pulled on his bag and pressed it back to him. Except for the light bulbs, everything was still in it.

But the beast quickly recovered from the shock. It was about to throw itself on the stand to crush it and get to Flo when a loud shot ended it's life.

The animal slumped down roaring.

(c: sasi)