Deception

Chapter 6: Orphanage, part 1

"Just a little more," Kimrol said, as she walked us into the dense canopy of the Westland woods not far from the city. Kan and the little kid followed closely behind, between little jumps and hops she didn't trail far from us, it would be a disaster to lose her in this forest because a butterfly looked pretty. The sunlight filtered through the foliage in sporadic beams, casting an ethereal glow. For what it's worth, earth's forests are pretty, "and here we are."

Atop a steep hill, rested an old oak building filled with marred cracks, similar to our previous hideout. It was two story long with a saltbox roof. Holes and creeping vines grew out of the windows and walls, while a tree grew from the right side of the ceiling, extending far high. Moss clung to the stone borders surrounding the building, and the ivy tendrils left no breathing room for the windows. The door in the middle between the two windows hung askew on rusted hinges, almost giving up on being a door.

"You call this an orphanage?" I said, raising an eyebrow over the absurdity, "I thought it was a horror movie prop."

"Just shhh and follow me," Kimrol said, creaking the door open as she stepped into the dust. The air was thick with the scent of mildew and damp earth coupled with the broken furniture lying strewn about. Nature had infiltrated here as well; patches of moss carpeted the floor, and small plants sprouted from cracks in the wood. Kan and I stopped moving as soon as we walked in, as he held Nakumi close and I quickly drew out my knife from my side-pocket, he did as well. We let go of our bags on the floor.

"Aloray, they are with me," Kimrol said as a little kid jumped down from the ceiling with what can only be described as a makeshift wooden gun. I couldn't help but chuckle with a raised brow over the kid, "you really thought that would help you? A fucking toy gu-" Click!

I froze in place, that bullet smelled foul when it grazed my cheek, before drilling a hole into the wooden wall behind me. I heard two trees fall outside the orphanage, then a crying deer as the sound slowly calmed down. Blood bullets...

"Next one's in between your eyes, old man," the kid said calmly, as he put a black bullet, no bigger than his index finger, into the makeshift gun's exposed chamber, then pulling what seems to be a string behind where he had placed the bullet.

"Why you piece of-"

"Enough!" Kimrol said, stomping her foot, "both of you, lower your weapons,"

"But he started it, Statke!" Aloray replied, lowering his gun in with a distasteful frown as I did my knife. The kid was no older than 12, and was just like Kan during the war, jumping the gun at any disrespect, his shorts, boots and plain green and brown shirt were similar to the ones we were at the bunkers, yet dirtied by mud and blood.

"Wait..." Aloray said, looking at Kan and Nakumi, although looking back, she waved back at him with a smile, then said "Kippaaa'' which meant hi. He held his gun back up at her, a sweat falling off his chin, "a crimson? You have a crimson?!"

I leaped forward and held his hand in a blink, almost dislocating his wrist, making him point the gun to the floor.

"Don't even think about it, kid," I said, as Aloray struggled to get his grip back, but to my surprise it was only another blink before I saw my hand on the ground, while my forearm bled out, and Aloray at least half a metre away. His pointed narrow tooth appeared, and his fingers deformed into spikes.

"So, you are a demon after all."

***

In the main hall, a chandelier laid in pieces, its crystals scattered while the old fireplace was choked with debris and ashes. Sunlight struggled through the grime-encrusted windows, casting long shadows that seemed to move and shift with life of their own; this place was mostly lit with some holes in the walls, or candles on whatever even surface was there. It took a lot of convincing from Kim for us not to kill each other. Apparently the kid wasn't informed of us coming, nor that we had the 'crimson demon' with us, it seems that rumours have been spreading about the possibility of her existence.