Guns, Bullets & Bones [Tokyo Ghoul]

Ch. 5 ~ The Attacker

     Dylan checked his watch for what felt like the tenth time in the last few minutes, and he huffed again, earning a strange look from some high school girls sat on the next table over. He unenthusiastically swirled a pink straw in the last of his blueberry smoothie and propped his head up on his closed fist. He let his eyes close as he just sat there, wondering why the hell he had even bothered to wait for Rio anyway, he owed her nothing, and had no real reason for staying.

    Or did he? He contemplated the reasons he may be staying, trying to convince himself there were none, so he could simply stand up and leave without his guilty conscience anchoring him to his seat, but one reason stuck with him. Even if she reeked mystery with every pore, he wanted her friendship. He was fed up of being 'that loner kid'. He wanted friends, and thinking over what he had seen of her, perhaps Rio wasn't as bad as he had first assumed.

    He called himself stupid over and over again for trying to open himself up for this girl, but if he kept himself closed off, then he would never manage to make a friend. As mysterious and intimidating as Rio, or otherwise.

    Just as he was about to call it a night, knowing the sun would be sinking over the horizon by now, he felt the table under his elbow jolt and everything jingled again. He jolted upright and his eyes shot open with a gasp. He traced the hand on the table back to Rio, and he knew there was no backing out now, a wide grin on her face, free hand resting on her hip.

    She'd changed out of her uniform in the mean time, and was wearing tight leather jeans, a plain grey T-shirt, black hoodie rolled up to the elbow, and well-worn trainers, a canvas bag slung carelessly over one shoulder.

    "Are we going, or am I interrupting nap time?" She snickered and Dylan's face flushed, face pulling into an annoyed frown. He pulled himself up and hoisted his own backpack onto his shoulders, was slightly startled to find even in flats, she still stood taller than him, almost able to peer over his head, and he looked down in embarrassment.

    Dylan slouched out of the door, while Rio politely returned the farewells her co-workers called to her, and she strode out ahead of him. He noted how unlike himself, she walked with a sense of self-confidence and pride, head held high, ready to meet anyone headlong, while he kept his head down in the hopes of avoiding connecting eyes.

     He decided this was time to change. No good being a recluse his whole life, and the first step was confidence. He straightened his back, tipped his chin up and marched out to match Rio's stride. She glanced at him from the corner of her eye with an unreadable expression, and a eyebrow twitched as if she wanted to quirk it in question, but she decided to pretend she hadn't noticed a difference. She would've laughed if she hadn't found it so endearing.

    The sky was stuck in a pale twilight, somewhere between night and day. Dylan came to the break between two shops on the lower floor of the plaza, leading into the brook, and stumbled on his own feet as he tried to squint into the dark alleyway. The shadows seemed to crawl up the walls like great lumbering spiders, and he felt his mask of confidence melting away, leaving behind the shy, fearful boy he knew he really was.

    "What, scared of a little dark?" Rio snorted and stopped next to him, teasingly glancing between him and the alleyway, and he decided he didn't enjoy her teasing all that much.

    "This is a dangerous place..." He muttered, hoping the descending darkness adequately masked the heat creeping up his neck into his cheeks, which would no doubt leave his skin tinted pink. "We should find another way to... wherever you live."

    "Come on, I take this path all the time, it's safe.~" She called in a sing-song voice, taking a few paces towards the alleyway, and with the sudden distance between him and her, he felt like he'd stepped outside of a safe-zone, the darkness creeping up his back without the strange aura of safety she carried through the night.

   "I..." His voice caught in his throat. He was somewhere new, and while he knew where home was, he wanted to be there right now. He didn't want the pressure of either taking the dangerous route, or being left to devise his own way home, as Rio seemed ultimately set on traversing the brook, and Dylan didn't even bother lying to himself that he may be able to sway her.

    "I'll protect you, I promise." she coaxed and took a few more steps towards the brook. In her attire the colour of midnight, she would have disappeared completely in the shadows if it weren't for the vibrant baby blue of her hair, and the icy rings of her eyes reflecting what little light there was.

    "You better do..." He grumbled, feeling stupid for what he had said, and his behaviour in general, but it was the best he could muster with his nervous disposition.

    Dylan fell into step just back from Rio. He felt guilty letting her take the lead through the dark and potentially dangerous alley, but it was bad enough simply being here in the dark, and Rio didn't seem the least bit bothered, her own disposition obviously much more bold and less fearful.

    It was too dark for Dylan to tell how far they'd gone through the brook, he could only follow on behind, keeping his squinted olive eyes where he knew she should be through the rapidly growing darkness.

    Up ahead, the entrance to a break-off alley, leading back to a street, was announced by the orange glow of street lights, casting a rectangle of light into the brook.

    From around the same corner, a shadow of a person was cast, and soon after, a man emerged, still only a dark silhouette against the light. His head whipped up and down the brook, suddenly catching sight of Dylan and Rio, and as he turned towards them, a wicked grin stretched on his face and the faint light cast a glimmer on a shining gold tooth.

    "What have we here, two kiddos out after dark?" He spoke with an American twang as he slowly slunk towards them, something metal in his hand caught the light with a glint, and Dylan felt his breath caught in his throat, choking up in horror.

    "I wouldn't do this if I were you." If she was afraid, Rio's voice gave nothing away, holding perfectly flat, managing to sound bored even. "These 'kiddos' may just fight back."

    "Oh?" The man sounded almost like he was laughing, followed by the clattering of metal discarded on concrete. There was a click of a gun being cocked. "Is that so?"

~