Number Childhood

Chapter 11: The Number One Gang

Metal. Wood. Trash? Nope. Don't need this...

A few days and a lot of work later, Black Mist had gone to the dump to look for things to add to the doll and things to fortify his house with. He found some pretty useful stuff, but not enough. Plus, there was always the threat of all the gangs looming over him. He didn't want to stay long enough for him to face them.

He had a sack that he brought with him every time he went to visit that dump. He had been going for days now, and he was slowly getting his defenses together.

Black Mist pulled the last of the metal out of the sack and dropped it at the feet of his doll. It was almost complete.

He giggled. The thought of him building a doll was funny. It was girls who had them, but then again, he would be hitting this doll, not playing with it.

The metal he found was extremely strong. Black Mist made it his goal to break the metal. Not just a little crack, but the whole thing. He hoped that would make him strong. For now, he would rely on others to give him powers.

Black Mist hummed as he placed the metal around the arms, legs, and torso. He broke them with a hammer he found in the pile and attached them to the body of the doll with firm ropes. It wasn't so sturdy, but it would do for now.

"What now?" Black Mist asked the voice, hoping it would answer.

As usual, it did. "Now, you focus on fortifying your home."

Black Mist nodded and took some of the wood, along with the hammer and nails, to the hole in the side of his house. He crawled through and placed the things on the ground.

The hole was located on the side of the house, which was concealed by an alley. However, Black Mist wanted this place to be secure, so he decided to make the hole hidden.

He placed the slab of wood above the hole with some wood covering it and looked around for the nails. Where did I put them?

Someone stepped beside him. "You looking for these?" a gruff voice taunted. Nails dropped the floor, and a foot stomped down.

Black Mist jumped with a yelp. He looked up to see a rougher gang. There were only three, but they were intimidating. The first one was large and broad with gray eyes, a gray color to his skin, a bandana on his head, and a large scar all down the side of his face.

The second one was scarlet with blood red eyes. He had a crimson tunic with the face mask off, revealing his face. He had a handsome face, something every girl would swoon over. He was calm yet intimidating. He had two katanas on his back, and probably many more weapons under the tunic.

The last one was a girl. She was smaller than the other two, but she was still very scary-looking. She had a mini skirt with a tank top. It was cut at her midriff, so her abdomen was showing. She had a lethal-looking sword in her hand.

The one with the scar chuckled. "Whatcha working on, shrimp?" he laughed. "Covering that hole?"

Black Mist looked at them in fear. Wh-what do th-they wa-want...?

"He looks scared, Scar," the girl giggled.

Scar chuckled and looked at Black Mist. "Gaia, he ain't a threat." He turned to Black Mist. "We just wanted to give you a warning, kid." Scar crouched down to his level. Black Mist inched away. "When you're older, you'd better watch your ass. We're the number one gang here. If you mess with us, you get beat."

Black Mist nodded nervously. His breathing was short and shallow since he was frightened.

"Good." Scar got up and beckoned to the others. "Gaia, Shade, come. We got other people to see."

Gaia grinned at Black Mist and giggled. Shade just gave him a calm look and floated off, following Scar.

Black Mist was shaking when by the time they left. The fear was still there, and the hammer suddenly felt heavy in his hand.

"Don't worry, young one," the voice soothed. "They cannot hurt you. As long as you have your overlay units, you can best them. Now, get back to blocking the door."

Black Mist nodded and took a nail. He hammered it into the wood. The wood was then stuck to the wall so that a small slit of the hole was open. Black Mist was still small enough to wriggle through it. He felt that it would do for now.

Black Mist quickly crawled on his belly and slipped inside. He didn't want to go outside for the rest of the day. It seemed more dangerous than he first thought. Now, there were two gangs to worry about. It didn't matter how much the voice told him it was okay, that they wouldn't hurt him, he was still scared.

Black Mist went upstairs to the doll and moved it down. It's ready now, he thought. I can start now.

He first warmed up with stretches to keep his muscles from cramping. Then, when he was done, he started until night fell.

~.~.~

The little Number woke up the next morning. He was a little sore, but nothing major. He hadn't broken the doll, which was his goal. It was a little discouraging, but he would get there.

Footsteps could be heard outside. He rushed to a window and struggled to open it. As soon as it was open, he looked out.

The gang he encountered yesterday was marching around the streets, knocking over anyone who came in their way. They seemed to leave the kids alone, though, which seemed nice of them. Some adult or teenaged Numbers were foolish, though. They seemed keen on attacking the trio, but they were soon cut down.

"Fools. All they want is to prove themselves worthy of being tougher than the gang. A mere dream for them."

Black Mist nodded in agreement. "It's true. Why would they attack when they clearly know that they'll be killed?"

The voice gave off a dissatisfied feeling. "They are fools."

Black Mist sighed. He hummed the song Hope sang to him. "I wonder if Papa will visit me some time later?"

"Maybe."

Black Mist nodded again. "Okay." A pause. "You'll stay with me, right?"

"Of course. You're my son. I'll stay in the only way I can: mentally."

Black Mist sighed. Who is this voice? I'll ask later.

~TO BE CONTINUED IN TEEN YEARS~