Human Anatomy #5

"What the hell could I need a bottle of piss for...?" I muttered as I exited the bar, shaking my head. "Whatever... I could use a drink anyway..." I added, slowing my pace as I noticed several people giving me strange looks in the street.

'Ok... something is definitely going on...' I mused as I watched several seedy-looking individuals glancing at me and whispering amongst themselves with smiles full of mockery.

My body stiffened as I heard the sound of scratching metal behind me. "For fuck's sake..." I couldn't help but mutter as I turned around and saw a man with a bandana covering half his face unsheathing a small knife as he approached me.

"Hey, kiddo, how about you give me the money, and I don't fillet you your ass with my knife? How does that sound?" The man said as he raised the knife, gesturing toward me with its pointy end.

I alternated between the man and his knife as I contemplated my options, and looked around, trying to find a way out, only to be met by the chuckles and jeers of everyone who met my gaze.

'Oh, right, people wouldn't give two shits about some low-life shanking a kid to death here...' I bitterly mused, holding back a sigh.

I almost wanted to turn tail and flee, but I didn't know if this guy had a partner waiting for me to turn a corner nearby to ambush me when my guard was down.

I also didn't think the man would leave me alone if I gave him the money, and I didn't want the entire town to assume I was a pushover as that would only invite more problems, even if I survived this one.

Ultimately, the optimal option was to stand my ground and fight, but I didn't know whether I could take the guy. 'I grew a lot stronger after six months of training, but this guy is way bigger than me, and he has a weapon to boot...' I mused.

'Maybe if I had a weapon of my own...' I kept looking around, finally settling on the whisky bottle in my palm. 'Oh... thanks, old man,' I felt enlightenment suddenly dawn on me as I realized what Old dean meant when he said I'd need the bottle.

"Come and get it, bitch," I said as I raised the bottle and smashed it on the ground, and dropped my backpack on the ground. The man only scoffed before lunging at me, already swinging his knife.

I quickly jumped back, avoiding the knife's edge and the fate of having my bowls strewn all over the ground with it. Frowning in concentration, I stepped forward and stabbed at the man's abdomen with the bottle's jagged end.

He saw it coming and quickly corrected his posture, stepping aside to dodge my attack, but he didn't account for the attack being a feint, leaving him wide open as I killed the bottle's momentum and cut his Achilles tendon.

The attack connected, and the man grunted in pain as he tried to stab my wide-open back, but I was already rolling aside, getting a mouthful of mud and god knows what into my maw before he even reacted.

The sudden injury, the pain, and the forceful stab, which missed horribly, culminated in the man losing balance. Subsequently, he tripped and fell into the ground, much to my glee, as I instantly closed the distance and kicked the knife out of his hand before he could recover.

I didn't mince words or waste anytime as I buried the bottle's jagged end into the man's throat, watching as he slowly began choking on his own blood that quickly formed a lake around him, painting the muddy street red.

After studying The Method for six months and practicing it by butchering tens of animals, I was already beyond desensitized to such grotesque sights, even if the process still unsettled me.

After all, small animals and humans were different in almost every aspect, but now was not the time to debate moral dilemmas.

I waited until the man breathed his last before rummaging through his pockets, taking what little money he had. Then I picked up my backpack and dragged the body toward the forest.

Funnily enough, murder was not against the island's convoluted code of law. However, cleaning up the mess and properly disposing of the body after the fact was mandatory, as leaving corpses in the open would invite diseases and plagues.

Naturally, I was both happy and dreadful to oblige, for obvious reasons, as this would be my first opportunity to study anatomy and further my understanding of the method.

Suffice it to say I was feeling conflicted.

...

Kid's face scrunched up as a strong scent of blood slithered into his nose, causing him to stop walking. He halted momentarily before pressing on toward the thicket where the blood trail disappeared.

Once he was through the thick greenery, Kid found himself standing at the edge of a small clearing in the forest and froze as he witnessed the most bizarre scene he'd ever seen.

The mere perception of a lifeless man hanging from a tree with a rope trying his ankles to a thick branch like some common game animal caused Kid to gulp nervously, his blood almost freezing in shock.

His stupefaction grew more pronounced and visible as he watched Cedric cut into the body's abdomen with a sharp knife, akin to a hunter expertly butchering and dismantling his prize.

However, as Kid observed the boy work, too stunned to speak, he realized something was off. Having lived on Four Clover Island all his life, he was no stranger to death, that which he inflicted on others, and that which others inflicted on his friends.

Since he had to take his first life to defend his dinner, a small piece of bread, only to eat it with snot and tears running down his face, Kid had killed many people for many reasons.

He had seen everything, but one particular type of man never ceased to shock him, those who would kill and harm others merely for the twisted joy of it, simply being evil for the sake of evil.

Kid was no saint, but he would only kill and harm others for a reason, be it as trifling as someone mocking him or as pressing as defending himself against someone trying to take his life.

He considered people who enjoyed killing others as inexcusable wastes of air, and at first glance, the boy before him seemed to resemble the same twisted men he despised with a passion.

However, as Kid gathered his bearings and noticed Cedric's disgusted expression, barely holding back the urge to vomit as he carved the corpse's abdomen, he realized the boy wasn't enjoying it as he had initially assumed.

"What's going on here...?" Kid loudly asked as he quickly put on a calm expression, deciding against his better judgment to give Cedric the benefit of the doubt.

Cedric immediately stopped what he was doing as he turned to Kid, seemingly ready to attack but quickly relaxed. "I'm studying human anatomy," He briefly replied.

"What for?" Kid asked with a frown, still feeling iffy about the situation as he maintained his vigilance. "Better yet, couldn't you get a book or something, you dumb fuck?!" He asked, allowing the bits of anger fueled by the shock of witnessing such a grotesque sight to show in his tone.

"I want to learn medicine," Cedric replied with a shrug, maintaining his calm. "Books are too expensive, and I can't rightly heal anyone if I can't understand what makes them tick," He added with a sigh, awkwardly scratching his head.

"What are you doing here, anyway?" Cedric asked, clearly trying to change the subject.

"You took too long. I thought you took off with our money," Kid replied with a scowl. "I asked around and followed the blood trail..." He added, alternating his gaze between the corpse and Cedric.

"Maybe I would have thought about taking off if there was an extra zero, but I won't get anywhere with this much cash," Cedric said as he wiped his hands with his clothes and headed for his backpack. "Fifty thousand Beri, it's all in there," He added as he retrieved a wad of money notes and threw it toward the redheaded boy.

Kid quickly counted the money before nodding and taking ten 1000 Beri notes from the stack. "You risked your life for this. It's only fair you get a decent share of it," He added as he put the bills on the ground, tucking them under a rock.

"And cover your fucking tracks next time, idiot. No one else needs to see this shit," Kid concluded with a scowl as he turned to leave without waiting for a reply.

...

Later

East Clover Lake

'Keep bottling it up, old boy, keep it all bottled up...' I blankly mused, stark naked and aimlessly floating on the lake's surface as I waited for my clothes to dry.

As it turns out, I was utterly mistaken. No amount of butchered animals would be enough to prepare me for what I did to that poor bastard's corpse. Nothing would have.

I realized that I'll never be comfortable doing such a thing, ever, and the revelation created a conflicting swirl of emotions within me, relief at the fact that I wasn't a psychopath, distress as I knew I'd have to do it again, and it will never be easy.

In a way, the fact that Kid saw me doing what I did was comforting rather than disconcerting. His simple act of showing concern, disguised as dismissivness, rather than lashing out or judging would probably stay with me for the rest of my life, for I knew I'd react very differently if I were in his shoe.

...

Want more chapters? Then consider subscribing to my pat rēon. You can read ahead for as little as $1 and it helps me a lot!

-> (pat rēon..com / wicked132)

You can also always come and say hi on my discord server

-> (disc ord..gg / sEtqmRs5y7)- or hit me up at - Wicked132#5511 - and I'll add you myself)