Cloudy Days

Chapter 3.1

"If you think that I will go to something as low as that then you should have never come here in the first place!"

"At least think about it Yarso, the dagger is important for both of us but aside than that we have nothing, if we say no now where are we supposed to go to then? We have no home, money or food. This might be the only chance we have at getting all three and more."

"I'm sorry Qualo but I can't. If you love your parents as much as I do then you must know that this dagger is far more important than anything else."

Qualo glared him. Yarso's idea was stupid but his words were true. The dagger was the only thing to remember them by their parents and they might never see it again if they give it to him, gun lords were far more infamous than their counterparts in the west and east. But Yarso still didn't think of what will happen if they let this opportunity go to waste, they would go back to the beggar life that they lived once before. 

Once they halted their conversation they saw three men in front of them, the two on the sides held assault rifles while the one in the middle holding out his hand in a nonchalant gesture. Yarso eyed him with disgust. Qualo on the other hand not as much. Yarso kept his hand at the handle of his sheathed dagger. Unexpectedly Qualo grabbed Yarso's hand and unsheathed it.

"Qualo what are you doing?"

"I can't let you ruin this opportunity Yarso."

Qualo held on to Yarso's hand and tried his best to remove his grasp from the dagger. Yarso was more bruised on his hand that did Qualo and he was able to break through and obtain it.

"Why are you doing this Qualo?"

"For the sake of both of us."

Yarso grabbed Qualo's arm with his other hand right before he gave it to the man.

"Then I'm doing this for our sake."

Yarso put his hand around Qualo's and lunged it forward to the man, stabbing him front and center in front of everyone, especially the gun lord who still had his little smirk. Yarso took control of the dagger and stabbed the other two in their necks with swift, precise movements and ran away.

Qualo cursed out loud at Yarso, but he kept running toward the exit. All their lives they have lived in poverty and this was their only chance to moved up the food chain, it was like being dismissed for murder by simply giving the judge just one little object in return. Now that all disappeared and most likely the same in the rest of the districts, information travels fast between the sword and gun lords leaving them with no hope for another chance.

In a fit of anger Qualo took both assault rifles and pointed them at the gun lord. If he can't join them kill them, and so he did just that. He was too fat to dodge or hide behind something in time so all the bullets punctured his layers of flesh, diving right into his vital organs, and danced with each bullet hitting him. 

After the clips were empty he dropped the guns, took his own, and went after Yarso. Not to kill him of course, there was no point for that but to simply knock some sense into him and find some place to sleep.

"What the hell were you thinking Yarso!"

"What was I thinking? Oh that I wanted to keep the only remembrance of our parents safe! That's what I was thinking!"

"Why couldn't you see that chance we had, the only chance we had to getting out of this dump and into something worthwhile!"

Yarso held up the dagger to his face. "I'd rather have this than a home"

He walked away after that and for good as it seemed. Qualo saw it was pointless to continue arguing with him. So he went to find a home and continued his freelancing until Yarso went crawling back, learning his lesson after wards that day.

It was hard for Qualo to take it in again. That memory was one of the few that left a scar on him and Yarso for life. It was the peak of their division from one another. Sure Qualo loved his parents but not to Yarso's extent, and he was initially better with knifes than Qualo. Yarso could always hit his target with one or two hits max. Qualo needed support and so that's why he saw guns as his only way of fighting.

He regained focus again in the real world and got up to make some cereal, in the afternoon. It didn't matter what time it was for Qualo he would eat cereal whenever he wanted to. As he lifted up the spoon for his first spoonful, he gazed at the view outside of his window and gave it a worried frown. There seemed to be a few men in suites walking across the sidewalk where their apartment building was. He but his bowl on the table and rushed to his room. 

He opened the closet and removed the fake door in the back, revealing an arsenal of weapons ranging from all types and sizes. He picked two pistols, one submachine gun, and his sniper rifle case. He paused for a moment and heard faint footsteps growing louder with each stomp on the concrete stairs outside. He moved faster now, but with efficiency. Hiding the holsters in his jacket while holding his bullet proof suit case. Out of all the weapons he used, his sniper rifle was his pride.

Three strong knocks came at his door, there here... Qualo quickly lunged his arm under his bed, smacking his head in the process. He grunted lightly, part because of the pain and part because of his stupidity and grabbed a claymore. He never knew when he would ever use this or if he was ever going to anyway. He crawled toward the hallway leading to the entrance and placed it there. They surely had some sniper support on the other buildings. He placed the claymore right beside the door, ts thin red lights divided from one another, awaiting to let out its chemical liquids and explode. 

Three more knocks came. Qualo crawled back to the door until the time came. He breathed nice and calmly, not letting the tension of the moment get to him. After a moment that felt like a year passed by the door burst open. Just a few more steps now and.... Boom! Qualo ran toward the alley way with his pistols armed and began letting out all its lead at them. After the smoke cleared he was able to see his accomplishment. 

The three men laid dead on the floor after which he moved just in time for the sniper bullet to miss his leg. As a sniper himself he should know that assassination missions always had a sniper. What he didn't know is that they had at times heavier support. As Qualo hid from the sniper's reach,formulating a plot to escape he heard a large burst of sound and then a much thinner and sharper one growing louder. 

He leaped to his left side and took a glimpse of the missile flying at the other direction and ruining a big chunk of his home, along with the vase that Yarso stole. That should teach him from stealing again. Yet it gave him the escape plan that he wished for. The smoke it caused gave him the invisibility from the sniper. He ran toward the hallway and to the door, dodging the shots and escaped.