The Sword of Darkness

4 Toby

There was a lake that glistened sparkles in the sun, teeming with life, towns encircled the massive lake. Little towns spaced out sporadically. Brown mountains covered with small leafless trees and bushes surrounded the lake. This little stretch was the place for old retired people to leave the worries and problems of the States. To settle down and live a life of rest, parties into the nights. Life here had no rush, except for the Mexican bus drivers blasting through narrow alley ways. In one of these white busses was an old man.

He sat on the outside of a seat, next to a short stout Mexican woman, long black hair and dark skin, she held a screaming baby in her lap. The seat across, the tiny pathway, was a man with a frilly mustache, he wore a cowboy hat and boots, jeans and a sports jackets. This man carried a chicken in a cage. The old frail looking man sitting between the two had a bright smile. His straw hat tipped up and he wore dark sun glasses. His bony legs stretched out in front up him. The bus stopped in the center plaza of one town.

People rushed out of the bus in a hustle of madness, the old man waited patiently and was the last to exit. He stepped onto the sidewalk, his knees buckled. Tents and vendors selling candies, fruits, vegetables, and what else the local populace could make and sell, filled the side walk. He walked past with no intention of buying, but he saw a red drop candy in a plastic pouch, on impulse he gave ten pesos, took it and started taking one out. As he chewed, the winkles on his face expanded profoundly. The plaza had a center stage, which on some nights would have live bands. He walked next to the stage and headed down a hall of trees and entered a section with restaurants stacked next to each other. There was a space in front with plastic and chairs and then another set of restaurants to choose from.

He soon walked down an ally way, school kids with their drinks and spiced candies ran past. Next to a small convenient store was a door, he entered and walked up a flight of stucco stairs. Finally in his home, a simple set up. A bed with a fridge, a T.V. and a toilet and a sink, a stove with just what hot plate to cook on, there was no separate rooms for each part, just meshed together in one area. He hopped on the perfectly made bed, reaching for the remote on the nightstand; he turned the Worn down old T.V. on. It had only three channels. He took his hat and glasses off.  He had white fuzz for hair and his eyes were vibrant green, he laid and watched a show he didn’t understand but it made him laugh.

He sighed, “What a day…” A day where he done nothing, he sat up from his bed and reached for the back of his head, he dug his fingers into his skin and started to peel his flesh of like a ripe banana. Standing in a pile of old man flesh was a dark green color man, his face was bright and full of happy expression, almost psychotic looking, he exhaled being free he still had white fuzz for hair. Then there was a knock on the door. He pulled the skin suit up rapidly, and the flesh began to stick together. He headed down the stairs and opened the door.

The man was short only five seven. He looked up to the man at the door, tall with red hair. “Hello sir, are you lost?” He said weakly, faking a raspy tone. Itazuki smiled and said politely. “I’m looking for a man named Toby.”

“Nope.” The old man paused rethinking his sentence, “Nope never heard of him.” He then popped his head out the doorway past Itazuki, searching for anyone suspicion. He whispered, “Come inside.” Itazuki raised an eyebrow, a strange man he thought, he stepped inside following the man up the stairs. The man spoke, “Nice katana, very rare indeed.” They reached the one room apartment.

Impatience drove Itazuki, he looked around at the pathetic place meant to be a home. “I know who you are, Toby.” Toby leaned over the bed and looked back at Itazuki with one eye. “You do huh.” He then spun around suddenly and bolted towards Itazuki, caught off guard by the old man, Itazuki was hit by Toby. He stumbled back a few feet and withdrew his sword from its sheath on his back. Toby repeated the same attack but, with quickness Itazuki sliced up. The tip of his sword, skimmed the surface of Toby’s old man face, it split apart revealing his green gnarly face. His natural face clung tightly to his bone structure, he had high cheek bones. He grabbed the skin suit and pulled it down and tossed it away. Toby only wore shorts, too small actually, scrawny and weak, thinly stretched muscles covered his body.