Chapter 3: The Monster in the Ruins

  The bloodstain—or what looked like it—was on the pipe and the wall leading to the abandoned restaurant behind it. Nowhere else. I go around to the front. It's a two-story building, empty now. Newspaper covers the windows from the inside. I push the door. Locked.

  I take a deep breath and look around. Sunset. The sky is red, but the buildings are black shadows. No one is on the street. I look at the arm at the edge of my vision. I realized soon after starting training: The Hand moves if I will it.

  I picture what I want The Hand to do.

  I send the hand behind the newspaper covering the glass door. The arm moves smoothly. I can tell it went around. ...Click.

  The lock opens.

  My heart feels like it's going to burst. My legs shake. I enter quickly.

  Regret hits me instantly. It's pitch black inside. I'm alone with that arm in the dark... Where is it!? As I try to sense it, a hand touches my side softly. Whoa! I almost scream. It strokes me, then pats me.

  What the hell!

  I almost cry, but I hold it back.

  My eyes get used to the dark. Nothing on the first floor. I go up the stairs. Sunlight comes in through the window on the second floor. There's a monster in the room. Sitting, holding its knees. I freeze. But it doesn't move. It doesn't look alive. Wrapped in white cloth. It looks human, but not human. The face looks like a mix of a human and a mandrill. The skin looks brown and hard like wood. Is it skin? It looks like a wooden mask. It's staring at one point with eyes like marbles. I think it's dead. Or not a living thing.

  I approach fearfully. It moves! Just a little. It tries to grab me with its hand. Slow and weak. It moves less than 10 centimeters, then stops for good. The monster's corpse loses balance and almost falls. I grab it with The Hand to fix it. Just in case. I feel the sensation through the hand. Hard like a stick. I realize now that I can feel what The Hand touches.

  A car stops outside. Here? Traffic is low on this street. I peek through a tear in the newspaper covering the window. A man gets out. The car drives off. A sharp-looking man. I've seen him. Where? Blue suit pants, white shirt. Too clean for the Dark District. Right! The jewelry store! The manager? I've seen him at the intersection. A serious-looking guy. Maybe 30?

  Another man on a bike arrives. Stylish. I've seen him too. The waiter at the restaurant near the jewelry store. Dark skin, one yellow artificial eye. Why are they meeting here? They exchange a paper. The restaurant guy leaves on his bike.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

  Then... Bang! A sound behind me. The monster's corpse fell over. I hadn't fixed it properly! The jewelry store man on the street looks up sharply. He knows someone is here! He heads for the entrance. Panic. He's taking something out of his pocket. I have nowhere to hide! And—oh no! I didn't lock the door!

  Noises from downstairs. ...He has a key! The door opens slowly. (What do I do, what do I do...) He came in just because he heard a noise. Whatever this place is, it's something he really doesn't want found. I hear him ripping the newspaper downstairs to let light in. He's cautious. But he looks nervous.

  He's coming up. Click, click, leather shoes on the stairs. He's tall. Over 6ft. He uses a light from his phone. He sees the corpse. He walks over, wipes dirt from the corpse's face with a handkerchief, and sits it back up. Then he checks the toilet. Bam. Nothing. He leaves the room and goes downstairs. I felt like I was going to die.

  Hearing him go down, I unlock the window with The Hand and slip out, clinging to the outer wall so he won't see me. Clack. The door below closes. Then—Tatata! Running footsteps coming back up! That man! He's still inside! He's coming back! Did I make a noise? I don't have time to think!

  "Who is that!" The moment I try to escape, I face him. The setting sun shines on him. He frowns, dazzled. "..." Did he see my face? Or not? That's all I can think about. "Who is that, I said!" He pulls out a long knife. Run!

  I jump from the second floor window. The Hand catches me, slowing my fall. I land and run into the alley. He's chasing me! I use The Hand to pull myself up to a roof. Like a bicycle with training wheels, The Hand helps me. I check the sun. Backlight. Maybe he couldn't see me clearly.

  I look down from the roof. There he is! He's calling someone on his phone. Does he know me? Does he know I'm the beggar kid from this street? Blood drains from my face. My hideout is just two streets away! He'll find me. He'll kill me.

  I run for my life, The Hand guiding me.

  But when I get near my hideout... he's there!

  He's rummaging through my tent! He picks up the unreadable book. He smiles. He looks happy. He puts it under his arm. He's stealing it! That's my book! I can only watch.

  A passerby talks to him. "...Khaki... coat... couldn't see well..." He leaves. My coat. He saw the Inverness coat. My favorite coat. The only nice thing I have. I have to throw it away.

  I hate this!

  I try to tear it. It's tough. The Hand helps me shred it to pieces. My ghost hand is strong. Reliable. It lights a fire of hope in my heart.

  I'll go to the church. The priest might help me. I run to the park near the church. I have a treasure hidden there with Old Man Kumi. I open the secret hiding spot—"The Gutter Hole"—using The Hand. Inside a rusty drum can: an obsidian knife, gold ornaments and a lady's mirror, a small gun, and 600 dollars in cash. I take everything. I can't go back to my tent. I need to change my appearance.

  I shave my head with the knife using the mirror. Buzz cut. I wash my head at the park fountain. It's dark now. I look at the church. A woman comes out of the shadows, sneaking. I hide. She enters the church. The door wasn't locked? She didn't even check. She knew it was open. Curious.

  I climb up to the skylight and peek in. Three people are in the room. That woman. The priest (looking sulky). And a smiling, skinny man I don't know. I watch with interest. But I was wrong. The three of them started doing something I shouldn't have seen. I looked away.