No Hope In Dawn

Chapter 6: Puppy Love

A gentle gust of wind blows through the small forest located in a local park. Leaves fall off the shaking branches, slowly gathering and swirling on the ground. The sun quietly disappears on the horizon, brightening the park one last time before it is engulfed by the night.

The setting is quite perfect because in one of the small hidden clearings, a funeral of sorts is on-going. A teenage girl is kneeling in front of a small hole with a box just as small inside. Her fingers are muddy and dirty, her eyes red from crying and lack of sleep, and her lips slightly shaking. She is still not used to burying her beloved dogs, even though this is already her sixth one. Beside the recently dug hole are five rocks signifying the other graves.

The girl, Elizabeth, tries hard not to cry again as she says good bye to her dog, Bastion. Her hair and clothes are messy, and the sleeves of her jacket are wet from drying her tears. She looks like a mess, but behind one of the nearby trees, a boy younger than her by a year or two, is secretly thinking she looks sadly beautiful.

He has had a crush on Elizabeth for a long time already, and found out that her dog has died recently. Wanting to comfort her, he follows her with the hopes of talking to her and maybe finally getting her notice. Unfortunately, his paranoia and anxiety gets the better of him, so he decides to hide and admire her from afar instead.

He bites his lips, feeling guilty for trying to take advantage of her while she is depressed. He just wants to comfort her and cheer her up, but he knew that even though she was crying, she was still a strong independent girl who would never ask help from anyone. If other people could see her right now, she would be able to put up a deceiving smile and say she's fine with no hint of sadness in her voice. He knew that even if he approached her, she would just say thank you and tell him not to worry about her with a reassuring smile.

Elizabeth finishes burying her dog. She says a last prayer, before finally standing up and fixing herself, then leaves.

The boy waits a few minutes making sure no one is around, before approaching the graves. He says his own prayer, desperately wanting to help the girl, by any means necessary.

---

Phi opens his pack of Fate's Fortune Cigarettes and takes out the last stick before throwing the empty pack. He lights it with his Zippo lighter before putting it back in his front breast pocket. He faces the man in front of him. "Look, I don't want any trouble." He tells the man, "I just need information."

The man is dressed and in a simple shirt and cargo shorts. He is clenching his right hand which is bleeding, while a bloody knife is resting on the ground. He is visibly shaking, but manages to sputter, "I don't know anything. What makes you think I know anything?"

"Well, let's see." Phi starts as he takes a drag then blows the smoke up. "You've been following me all day, ever since you overheard me talk about one of my clients." He kicks the knife away from the man then continues, "Then you try to stick a knife in me the moment you see me alone in this alley." He says this as he gestures around the alley where they are in. "So I conclude that you know something."

The man keeps silent this time. Phi continues, "You know, you're actually lucky this place doesn't have much mana I can use, if I did, that hand of yours won't only be bleeding." Again, the man just keeps quiet. Phi sighs then raises his left hand towards the man's hand. "I can still cause you so much pain even with a tiny bit of mana though." He states as he slowly closes his hand, causing the man to scream in pain.

He finally gives in and shouts, "Fine, I'll talk." Phi stops and takes another puff from his cigarette. The word, "HUNTED" was glowing red. Phi smiles, hoping that its referring to the guy and not him.