Clown and Sunflower 4

Leo help Meimei out of the basement, closing it behind her. Then the two of them left the alleyway.

The time of day could not be easily figured out by anyone who had not spent more than a month in the Below, but it was nearing 3:00. The snow had intensified, but as compared to other snowy days, this was like a walk in the park. The girl from Utopia, however, did not share the same sentiment with Leo. Her tolerance to it was sad to look at.

Leo had wrapped her in one of the blankets, making it all the stuffier for her. She was already sweating buckets and he was freezing. How he wished he hadn't gotten himself wrapped in this mess.

There were a lot fewer pedestrians around now, the cold had ensured that. Even if it wasn't that bad, people would still not risk it. Death by freezing and frostbite were a regular thing, the next highest to murder. The third highest was starvation, as food and water were a luxury at times. If it wasn't for Pulsar, well, they'd have to resort to cannibalism.

And yes, there had been cases of cannibalism before.

The snow had become much deeper. Leo could barely keep above the snow. Even Mr. Ishaan had locked up and gone inside. No use disturbing him. He was too old a man to be entangled in an affair such as this. If there was anyone he could entangle, it'd be the old man at the Zero Ground. At least, no one would bother to attack him.

His view was obstructed by the figure of a young guy in his teens. He had dark brown hair and brown eyes, a dagger in his hand. The boy instinctively put one hand in his pocket, wrapping his small fingers around the pocket knife he had.

"Hello kid," the boy said, "How was the bread?"

Bread? Leo pondered, had he seen him that morning? Had he followed him all the way here just to take him down and take Meimei.

"What do you want?" Leo asked menacingly, "Can't you see that we're just two kids trying to find shelter?"

"Well, yeah, obviously." The guy said, "But that ain't my problem, is it?"

So he hadn't followed him, Leo thought. Come to think of it, he had seen him this morning. Passed by him. Meimei drew closer to him, holding his coat tightly. She was scared. Well so was he, and he didn't have anyone to hide behind.

"I want that girl." The guy said, "And I'll leave you be."

"Why?" Leo asked. Meimei had asked, but it was inaudible.

"Why? No reason. Just because I asked."

"And if I say no?"

"I have so many options to choose from. I can stab and leave to whichever Good Samaritan is out there to heal you. I can beat the crap out of you and take her. Or I can kill and take her. There are others but you get the point right?"

Leo took a step back. He meant business. He was confident, but his confidence was well placed. From the way he stood and the way he stared at him and the girl, he knew he could. Making a run for it would be useless. There was no way they could escape.

"C'mon," a voice called from behind them, "Your taking too long."

Leo's voice skipped a beat. He knew that voice all too well. Who wouldn't know the voice of Torn Wyrn. The man placed a hand on Meimei's shoulder.

"Now this is the jackpot." Torn said, "Should I consider this as bright energy or what. Her aura is fascinating."

"Yeah." The guy said. "Let's get over with this. What about the boy."

Torn turned to Leo. Leo looked back at him. The man bent down to his height, a smile on his face. Meimei held on to Leo much tighter now.

"That's some wild face you have on," Torn said, "What's your name?"

"Leo," Leo said.

Torn nodded. He took out a dagger, thrusting it at Leo's face. The blade stopped right between Leo's eyes. Leo however, didn't flinch. He stood unwavering, just watching at Torn intently. Torn was taken by surprise.

But it was exactly what Leo was waiting for.

Without a second to waste, Leo took out the pocket knife in his pocket and slashed Torn across the face. He swiftly turned to Nathan and stabbed him in the knee. Grabbing Meimei, he ran as fast as he could from them, disappearing behind a wall.

Torn stood up, allowing the blood to trickle down his face. He touched the wound with his empty hand, and looked at the blood on his glove. He stared at it intently. Then he smiled.

"Wow!" He said laughing out loud, "What a boy! Who knew that a kid like that was on the streets? Makes me want to just take him in as well."

"We lost the girl, sir." Nathan said. "What if…"

"Nathan." Torn said, "A gifted who can't use her powers is useless. She's too fearful, too kind. It'll take months to break her out of that character. The boy, however, is a concern."

"The fact that he cut you?"

"Oh no, Nathan. It's the fact that he knows how to control his emotions. Knows how to act. Knows exactly what to do in the face of danger. He predicted the way I'd react to fearlessness. That's a danger to us."

"So you want to find him."

"Nah."

"Sir…"

"Nathan, today, never happened."