Shark

9

The next morning, Atsuo walked down the stairs to the front entrance, ready to meet Isamu and the others. His face was stained with tears and his eyes felt even heavier, having done nothing but cry the other night. As he approached the entrance, he didn't see anyone waiting. He looked around, confused. Then, he heard Tegami call out to him.

"Atsuo, whatcha doing?" He asked.

Atsuo looked over at him, smudging the tear stains on his face.

"Oh, I-I'm waiting for the others." He said.

"Oh, there are no missions today."

"...what?"

"There's nowhere to go, no one to visit. Days like this are pretty rare, so I'd make the most of it if I were you."

Atsuo paused, then he went outside. As soon as he stepped out of the warehouse, he was greeted by the sound of multiple gunshots. Then, he saw Isamu standing a distance away from him, firing a pistol at a body laying on the ground. Then, Isamu looked back at him. Atsuo froze upon meeting his gaze.

"Get over here." He said.

There was blood splattered on his cheek. Atsuo slowly walked over to him. As he got closer, he saw the body Isamu was shooting at. It was a large, tall man dressed in a suit and dress pants, similar to Isamu. Atsuo's eyes widened as he watched the blood pool around his head.

"That's a member of a rival gang." Isamu said coldly, "He decided to snoop around here, and he got what was coming."

Atsuo looked at Isamu from the corner of his eye. He saw a smile forming on his blood-stained face.

"Does he find this enjoyable?" He wondered, "He must, since he does it so often."

Then, Isamu picked the body up by the collar of his shirt and started walking away towards the back of the warehouse.

"Come on. We have to put this somewhere." He said, his face deadpan.

Atsuo nervously followed him, trying to distance himself from the body being dragged behind Isamu.

"What a way to start the morning." He thought to himself.

"Where are we going?" Atsuo asked.

"There's a place I want you to see." Isamu said, "It's right around the corner, behind the warehouse."

As they turned the corner, Atsuo saw a shed attached to the side of the warehouse.

"When did that thing get here?" He wondered.

"What's that?" He asked Isamu.

"It's where we take trespassers." Isamu replied, "You've never seen it before, so I figured I'd show you."

Once they reached the shed, Atsuo was hit with a faint but strong stench.

"Agh, what is that?" He said, wincing.

"Oh, that happens sometimes." Isamu said, barely reacting to the smell.

He grabbed the door handle.

"If you think that's bad, you're not gonna like this any better." He said.

Then, the moment he opened the door, Atsuo immediately gagged, as the potent smell of rotting flesh filled the air surrounding them. Suddenly, Isamu shouted into the shed.

"HEY!! GET OUT OF THERE!!" He yelled.

Then, after a moment of scrambling to get out, three dogs bolted out of the shed. Isamu shot at them a few times, missing them by mere feet, then he threw the gun at them.

"GO GET YOUR OWN FOOD!!" He shouted.

He sighed.

"Stupid dogs, can't mind their own business." He mumbled angrily under his breath.

Then, he took the body he was dragging and threw it into the shed. Then, he gestured for Atsuo to come closer. Atsuo warrily walked up to him. When he saw the inside of the shed, his stomach turned. Inside of the shed, he could see rotting corpses piled on corpses. He could feel sweat dripping down his face as he struggled not to vomit from the smell. He brought his hand close to his mouth.

"These are all the people who made the mistake of trying to defy us." Isamu said.

He looked over at Atsuo, seeing his sickened expression. He rolled his eyes, sighing.

"Oh, come on, you have to get used to it at some point." He said.

Atsuo didn't react, still shocked by the bodies in the shed.

"Hey, do you hear me?" Isamu asked him, turning his body to face him.

Atsuo still didn't respond. Suddenly, Isamu slapped Atsuo across the face. Atsuo yelped, bringing his hand to his cheek.

"Hey, you don't ignore me when I'm talking to you!!" Isamu yelled.

He grabbed Atsuo's face, staring into his watering eyes.

"You either get used to this, or we kick you to the streets!! You're weak, and you better shape up or ship out!"

Atsuo nodded, whimpering with fear. Then, Isamu pushed him away and walked away, cursing under his breath. Atsuo rubbed his cheek, feeling blood running down it, then looked at his hand, which had a drop of blood on it, drawn by Isamu's fingernail. He started walking back to the entrance of the warehouse, keeping his eyes to the ground. Then, as he neared the entrance, he saw something laying on the ground at his feet. It was a handgun. Atsuo picked up the gun. He rotated it, looking at every line and crevice.

"...this is the gun Isamu threw." He thought, fixated on it, "I've never been this close to one before." 

He walked over to the wall of the warehouse and leaned his back against it, still looking at the pistol. He pulled the top back, loading it. The clicking sound sent a rush of anxiety through him.

"...all the violence I've been seeing..." He thought, "All the death I've witnessed, all the sleep I've lost...I can just end it all right here."

A small, twisted smile stretched across his face, and a small chuckle escaped his lips. His hands trembling, he lifted the gun up, pressing the barrel against the side of his head. His breathing deepened as he slid his finger in front of the trigger. Suddenly, as he started pulling it back, his hand froze. His eyes wide, staring at the ground, his mind raced.

"Wait...would they even miss me?" He asked himself, "All the people who treat me nice...they probably wouldn't notice I'm gone, let alone miss me..."

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Then as he was about to pull the trigger, he stopped again. It felt as if his mind wouldn't let him move his finger, and through his sleep-deprived state, he finally came back to his senses.

Then, without thinking, silent tears started streaming down his face. He gritted his teeth, then, with a small shout, he threw the pistol as far as he could. Then, he sank to the ground, leaning against the wall. Tears kept running down his face as he stared at the ground.

"What am I even doing anymore?" He thought to himself.

He let his head fall onto his knees. He didn't even sob; he just let his tears fall into the ground. Suddenly, he heard the door open, followed by Tegami's voice.

"Atsuo?"

Atsuo looked up at him, quickly drying his eyes.

"Uh, y-yeah? What is it?" He asked.

"Oh, I was just looking for you. Boss wants to see you. He said it's urgent."

Atsuo's heart skipped a beat. He could tell by the look on Tegami's face that something was up. He stood up and brushed himself off.

"Okay. Thanks for telling me." Atsuo said, "I'll go to him now."

He walked into the warehouse, growing more anxious with every passing second.