R e n e g a d e s (High&Low) v4: Snake



 「Follow me on this road, you know we gotta let go.」

We walked down the street, our footsteps echoing loudly throughout the quiet, dark neighborhood. The distance between us and the school was steadily growing but the two guys stayed alert, searching around us constantly. We ducked down a side street that led into a small creek behind a line of houses, not wanting to stay out in the open. There was a chain-link fence around the creek but it had been cut open at the corner, allowing us to pass through.

Directly behind the fence was a steep hill that slopped downward into a ditch. There was a large opening that ran beneath the road, allowing the water to pass beneath unhindered and we had to duck inside when we heard heavy footsteps approaching us. Hiroto grabbed my arm and tugged me roughly into the opening, the brunette squeezing in beside us just before a group of men passed overhead.

Several beams of light swept through the darkness as they searched for us and we remained in the ditch for several minutes, waiting for the men to disperse. The brunette suddenly jumped, knocking into me and sending me into Hiroto who grunted when his back hit the stone wall.

“(What was that?)” Footsteps approached the edge of the street directly above us, the flashlight shining onto the shallow water in front of us.

I sent the brunette a weird look when he buried his face in my shoulder, fingers digging into my arm. What is his problem? I caught a ripple in the water near his foot from the corner of my eye and realized that a snake was slowly slithering through the water. Is it a water moccasin or a regular old garden snake? Can garden snakes even swim? Whatever it was, it showed no interest in us as it slithered out into the open.

“(It was just a snake, idiot.)”

“(Right…)”

“(Let’s go. We have to find her.)”

The footsteps faded as the men walked away, but we waited another five minutes before finally leaving our hiding place. The brunette was the first out of the water, shaking his boot as if the snake were in it.

“I’m guessing you’re scared of snakes,” I commented, climbing up onto the grass beside him.

“I could have died!”

Hiroto came up behind us, giving the taller man an annoyed look. “(Calm down, you’re fine.)”

“(I feel like the snake is still touching me.)”

“(The snake is gone. Stop acting like a baby, Masaki.)”

“Ha?” He huffed in annoyance, folding his arms over his chest. (“I’m your older brother, don’t use my name. Call me aniki!)”

“(No thank you.)”

“(Where the hell did they go?)” came an angry voice from a block away. (“Find them or it’ll be your neck on the line!)”

“We have to go,” the brunette whispered frantically, grabbing my hand and tugging me up the hill with Hiroto close behind.

I’m not sure how far we ran but the universe seemed to offer us a saving grace. When we turned the corner onto a major street, there was a taxi sitting on the side of the road. His light wasn’t on, but we approached it anyway, Masaki knocking on his window.

The driver rolled down the window. “I’m off duty, sorry.”

“We’ll pay extra.”

The man looked at the three of us suspiciously, no doubt noting our disheveled appearance and how we were out of breath. But when Masaki pulled out a wad of cash, his worries seemed to disappear out the window.

“Fine. Get in.”

Hiroto stepped around to the right side of the car, sliding into the back. Masaki opened the door for me and I slid into the center with him sliding in on my left.

“Where to?”

The brunette reached into his pocket, pulling out a crumbled piece of paper with an address on it. Instead of reading it out, he handed it to the driver through a small opening in the plastic that separated the front and back seat. The driver didn’t say a word, he just put the car in gear and slowly drove off.

I sat awkwardly between the two men for a while, wondering how we had managed to come upon the smallest damn taxi in the world. As terrifying as these two are, I actually feel quite safe with them. Of course, that doesn’t mean I trust them as far as I can throw them – which, for the record, is not very far at all. How can I trust them when I don’t even know who they are or what they want from me? Why did they save me? I can’t even say if they are the good guys or the bad, but at least they didn’t pull a gun on me.

The brunette tried to stretch his long legs, but there was simply no room so he sighed instead, looking longingly at the window. “(I can’t wait to get back home to my bike.)”

Hiroto hummed but said nothing, keeping his eyes on the darkness passing the window.

I cleared my throat, gaining the brunette’s attention. “Not to be rude, but… who the fuck are you guys?”

Hiroto scoffed, muttering under his breath. “(What’s the point in saying ‘not to be rude’ if you’re going to say something rude anyway.)”

The brunette smiled, attempting to angle his body toward me. “My name’s Masaki and that -” he motioned toward the man sitting on my right. “- is my younger brother, Hiroto. Don’t pay him too much mind, he’s always moody.”

“So I’ve noticed.”

Hiroto sent us an annoyed look but said nothing.

“I’m Jen,” I supplied, but something told me they already knew that. “Why were you following me? Who were those men? Why were they willing to kill for the security footage of a high school? What -“

Masaki held up his hand to stop me, looking a bit overwhelmed. “My English isn’t that good, I can’t understand you when you talk that fast.”

“Sorry…”

“It’s okay,” he smiled, patting me on the head. “One question at a time.”

“Those guys… who are they?”

The brothers exchanged a look and I knew Masaki wasn’t going to tell me the truth. “I’m not sure who they are, but I know they’re dangerous.”

I snorted. “No shit, they held a gun to my head!”

The taxi driver looked at us suspiciously in the rear view mirror and I realized my mistake.

“Uh… for the play, I mean. You know, that play… that we are all part of… it’s a crime themed play!”

Hiroto sighed deeply, bringing his hand to his face. “(She’s a total idiot.)”

I scowled at him. “(At least I don’t hide behind another language when I insult people.)” Both men looked at me in surprise, making me feel a bit self-conscious. Had I mixed up the words and said something embarrassing? “What?”

“(You speak Japanese!)” Masaki cried.

“(I’m far from fluent,)” I muttered, rubbing the back of my neck. “(But I grew up watching subbed anime and I’ve always dreamed about visiting Japan so I wanted to learn the language.)”

“(Great, she’s an idiot and an otaku.)”

I sent Hiroto a deadpan look. (“You don’t have many friends, do you?)”

Masaki laughed, throwing his arm around my shoulders. “(You’re pretty amusing, Jen-chan. And your dream is about to come true.)”

“Eh?”

“(We’re bringing you back to Japan with us.)”

“… eh?!”