Chapter 4: Chapter 4: No Escape

“I hate them.”

It was the next day. Hiro, Granny Jay, and Johnny were at a cemetery some distance outside of Ushiro. It was a public one, free to use for all who couldn’t afford the regular village cemetery—not that they couldn’t afford one, but that no one was willing to help.

News spread like wildfire in the village. Miles, a farmer, brother, and friend; loved by all—shot to death. The person to blame: none other than Hiro the outsider. It was rumored that those who were associated with him and the farm would also face the wrath of Bandito.

Hiro and Johnny lifted up a makeshift wooden coffin. They spent the whole morning before making it with spare wood from the barn. Using a rope, they slowly lowered it down a hole they had dug in the sand. Once they finished burying the body, Hiro planted down a grave, which consisted of two planks hammered together. On it, an epitaph was carved, though its handwriting was only somewhat legible. Its message was simple:

Miles Gowell.

A Good Friend.

Not long after Hiro had finished, Granny Jay cried aloud, holding on to her cane as tightly as she could. Johnny soon joined her and bawled.

Hiro’s eyes watered. “Miles…”

As soon as Johnny heard Hiro speak, he grabbed him by the collar. “Don’t you dare cry! Not after what you did to him!”

Spit flew onto Hiro’s face, but he remained still.

“Stop it!” Granny Jay hit his back several times with her cane. “Not in front of Miles!”

Johnny snarled at Hiro.

“Johnny!”

He sighed and let him go. “Fine. Sorry, Mom.”

Hiro fell to his knees and touched the grave. “This was all a mistake. Miles shouldn’t be here. It should’ve been me.”

“Yeah, no kidding. How the hell did you let this happen?”

“Johnny. I won’t say it again. Stop.” Granny Jay hugged Hiro from behind, caressing his hair. “It’s not your fault, Hiro. Don’t blame yourself.”

Hiro balled his hands into fists. “You’re right. It’s all Bandito’s fault.”

“Shut your mouth, young man! Miles would never want you badmouthing them like that!”

“How can you say that?!” His voice quavered. “Miles is dead! They killed him! Doesn’t it piss you off? They’re just gonna get away with it!”

“It’s what Miles wants. Can’t you respect his wishes?”

Hiro didn’t answer. He couldn’t find the strength to do so. Miles’ last words still haunted his mind.

“You have to submit. For Johnny, Granny Jay. For yourself.”

It didn’t feel right to Hiro—that after all the pain and death Bandito had caused, submission was the best response they could do.

He bit his lip. “I don’t think I can do that.”

She rubbed his back. “You have to try. For Miles.”

For a while, nobody uttered a word. Finally, Johnny turned around and walked toward their mini truck.

“Are you two done? I don’t feel too good. I need a nap. A long one.”

“Well… It is terribly hot today,” Granny Jay said. “We should head home and cool off. What do you think, Hiro?”

He nodded, and they drove back to Ushiro. There, several vehicles were parked by the entrance gate. A long line of people gathered. Just before the gate were a group of Bandito members doing security checks. Johnny parked the truck, and the three fell in line. When they did so, whispers slowly began to scatter among the villagers. Hiro felt their cold glares piercing right into him. He kept his head low the entire time.

After silently waiting in line, their turn finally came. They took their cloaks off, and the Bandito members felt their pockets. One of them recognized Hiro.

“Tch. It’s you. Thanks to you, I’m stuck working in this heat. You just had to let that girl escape, huh?” He pinched Hiro’s waist, causing him to recoil backward.

Hiro opened his mouth, but Granny Jay spoke first.

“I’m terribly sorry on his behalf.” She bowed her head. “We’ve caused you a lot of inconvenience, and we simply wish to cause you no more.”

“Yeah, we’re sooo sorry,” Johnny said. “We’re sorry that he’s been such a nuisance to you.”

“Hmph. Apologies won’t keep the sun away from my head,” said the man inspecting Hiro. 

“Man, just let him go,” his colleague said. “We got a looong line. I just wanna chill under the shade as fast as I can.”

“Whatever. Get outta my sight. And as for you, kid…” He pointed at Hiro. “You’re lucky the boss decided to let you work for him. I’ll let him handle you instead. Actually… I guess that means you’re not lucky, huh? Heh.”

“Thank you very much,” Granny Jay said. 

The three walked back speedily to the truck. As soon as they were far enough, Hiro looked back and rolled his eyes.

“Now, now,” she said. “You wouldn’t want trouble with them again.”

“Looks like that’s all he’s good for,” said Johnny.

“Those guys piss me off so much.” Hiro leaned his elbow against the window.

“Then fight and die. But don’t drag us with you, asshole.”

“I understand how you feel.” Granny Jay sat inside the truck between the two men. “But fueling that hatred will only lead to more pain. When we get home, perhaps you’d like a cup of tea?”

“Maybe…” Hiro mumbled.

“Perfect! Then back to the farm we go.”

They traveled through the village square. It was no longer bustling with crowds of people, but was rather empty. Only Bandito guards could be found patrolling the area. All of the stores were closed, and the bright neon lights that filled the streets were turned off.

The radio played its constant static noise, but they kept it on. Miles’ humming was no longer there to mitigate the silence, so the static served to make things less awkward. Hiro and Johnny refused to even look at each other the entire trip, but fortunately, they didn’t have to wait for long. With Johnny slamming on the accelerator, they made it back to the farm faster than usual.

The farm consisted of a large barn and two houses—a two-story home for Granny Jay and Johnny, and the other, a single-story for Miles, where Hiro also stayed. When they arrived, they noticed a motorcycle parked by the gate. Looking further toward Miles’ home, Hiro saw a man waiting by the front door. It was the purple-haired man from Bandito. When the three came to meet him, the man tipped his hat.

“Greetings!” His tone of voice was more exuberant than the day prior. “I’ve been waiting for you fine folk to return since lunch. See, I was tasked to check in on this place, since… you know. We don’t exactly trust that boy you have there. He might be hiding the girls we’re looking for in this very establishment.”

“That’s a load of bull!” Johnny protested. “You guys already checked us last night!”

“Yes, well, one can never be too sure.”

“Oh yeah? Then why are you alone? They had like, five guys in here!”

“As you can probably tell on your way back, we’ve upped our security, so we’re quite short-staffed.”

“Alright, cut the crap,” Hiro said.

Before he could say anything more, Granny Jay tapped her cane against the wooden floor.

“I can see that everyone is a bit tense. Perhaps our guest would like tea?”

“Oh no, I’m good. Thank you,” the man said. “It’s just a quick search. I already went through the rest of the farm. These two houses are all that’s left. I’d like to get this over with right away.”

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“Ah, yes, of course. Come right in.”

He went on inside; the rest waited by the door. The floor was tiled in a chocolate-colored checkered pattern—a decision Hiro was not too fond of. Pictures of the four served as the only decoration for the unpainted clay walls.

Hiro bent down and whispered to Granny Jay, “He’s obviously up to something.”

“And what of it? If you truly have nothing to hide, there shouldn’t be any issue.”

“So long as he doesn’t mess with my stuff,” Johnny said.

Within five minutes, the man came back from his search. He then went to Granny Jay’s home, which had way more furniture and ornaments, and did the same. In fact, he was faster this time. He brushed his hands against his vest, as though he had done some heavy work.

“Looks like you’re in the clear!” he said. “I will say, I had my doubts about you lot ever since what happened yesterday, but it looks like you haven’t been causing trouble since.”

“Of course not,” Granny Jay said. “Yesterday was but an unfortunate fluke. It won’t happen again.”

“Good to hear. Now, there’s just one more thing I need to do before taking my leave. You see, this boy here was asked by my boss personally to work for him, and I was sent to uh… ensure things are gonna happen the way he wants.”

“And what do you mean by that?” Johnny asked.

The man pinched his fingers together. “In our line of work, we have this thing called ‘collateral’. Just something to encourage you to come join as quickly as possible.”

“I knew it!” Hiro exclaimed. “You’re here for our money, aren’t you! I bet Bandito didn’t even send you!”

“Tsk, tsk.” The man waved his finger at him. “Do you really think you have the right to accuse me like that?”

“Are you saying you—”

“Gee, I’m so sorry about him!” Johnny tapped Hiro’s chest, pushing him back. “What happened was entirely his fault, so of course it’s his responsibility to pay, right? Just say the amount!”

“Well, well, well, since you’re making such a generous offer…” The man eyed Granny Jay’s ruby pendant. “That’s a mighty fine necklace you have there, ma’am. If you don’t mind, I’d like to take it off your hands.”

“Hold on!” Hiro stood between them. “Why does she have to pay for my ‘collateral’?”

“Whoa there, partner. Don’t fret. You can get it back from me once you join Bandito! For a price, of course. Careful though, I charge interest, so you better not take your sweet time.”

Hiro scowled at him.

“It’s okay.” Taking off the necklace, Granny Jay placed it in the man’s hands. “Here you go. Thank you for taking the time to visit.”

“Granny! Wasn’t it given to you by your husband?” Hiro asked.

“My late husband. Harold’s been long gone. I don’t need that to remember him.”

“Ohoho! What a fine piece!” The man placed it in his pocket. “It’s been fun, but alas, I best be getting on my way. Thank you for your patronage. And you…” He pointed at Hiro. “I’ll see you soon.”

The man went on his way. Once the motorcycle was out of view, Johnny raised his fist against Hiro.

“You asshole! First Uncle Miles, and now Mom? Why do you have to keep ruining our lives?”

“You’re pinning me for this one? Really? That purple bastard was obviously lying!”

“Still wouldn’t have happened if you didn't screw up so badly yesterday!”

Hiro looked away.

“You know, that guy was right. You should leave as soon as possible. You’re better off serving as Bandito’s lap dog, anyway. Uncle Miles should’ve never taken you in.”

“Okay… Maybe I should leave Ushiro instead. If I stay, I’m just gonna keep causing problems for you two.”

“If you leave, that’ll cause even more problems! You think they’ll leave us alone once you’re gone?”

“That is enough from you two!” Granny Jay yelled out. “Johnny, to your room!”

“Mom, don’t tell me you’re taking his side.”

“I want to talk with him. Alone.”

“Ugh! Whatever, I needed a nap anyway.”

Johnny stormed to his room upstairs. Granny Jay motioned for Hiro to follow her to her room, which was the room nearest them. She sat down on her bed and tapped on it, signaling for Hiro to do the same.

“When Miles, Harold, and I were young,” she said, placing her cane by the headrest, “we dreamed of living here in the Orin Kingdom. We always talked about the amazing technology here—how people traveled without horses and spoke to others in far off places without the use of messengers. We were rebellious little teens back then. Did Miles ever tell you we snuck in here by ship?”

“Yeah, I still can’t believe you did that.”

She chuckled to herself. “Looking back now, we were just naive kids. Farming was all we were ever taught. We knew nothing about starting businesses and stocks and all that. In just a few months, Harold and Miles lost all our money, and we had to leave Zenpo City. We had no way of going back home, since Orin security was much tighter.”

“And that’s how you ended up here.”

“Correct! Miles used to complain a lot about Bandito, just like you. He kept saying their taxes were way too heavy, but his constant protests always led him to trouble. He learned that submission to authority was the way to a peaceful and happy life, and I know that’s all he wants for you.” She placed her hands on his thigh. “I understand how you feel, but if you want to thrive here, you have to do what they say.”

Hiro covered his watery eyes. They weren’t tears of anger, or even that of mourning. They were tears of hopelessness. He couldn’t leave the village or hide somewhere safe. Fighting only led to more pain for him and Granny Jay. He was standing in front of a dead end.

No escape.

He stood up. “I… I’m gonna take a walk.”

“I’m going to prepare dinner soon. Will you be joining us?”

He brushed his hand against her silver locks. “I’m sorry, Granny. I’m not in the mood to eat.”

She looked down. “I see. Don’t stay out too late, okay?”

He nodded and made his way back to the village square—not that he wanted to be there; he just didn’t want to be on the farm. It was a long and quiet walk. The sun began to set. Harsh arid winds were soon replaced by temperate breezes. With no one there to witness him, Hiro bawled like a child.

He managed to calm himself down before arriving at his destination. At this point, it was twilight. To his chagrin, Hiro had forgotten about the Bandito guards patrolling the area. As he was debating whether or not he would go back home, he noticed that there was more light than usual coming from one of the streets.

He decided to approach it. The street was completely empty—not a guard in sight. As he walked further down, he heard the faint sounds of cheering and laughter. Turning the corner, he saw the source of the light: a pub at the end of the road. Giant neon lights of beer mugs clanging against each other flashed on top of its roof.

“That’s weird. I thought they were all closed.”

Hiro licked his lips. He was never much of a drinker, but today felt different. If he was going to spend the rest of his life serving Bandito, he might as well enjoy what little time he had left.

After passing down a block, he heard a crash coming from a nearby alleyway. He would’ve kept moving forward, thinking it was just a bunch of rats. However, a peculiarly pale object on the ground caught his eye. He came closer to check, but immediately yelped and took a step back. Tripping on his own foot, he fell flat on his behind.

It was a severed hand, extremely thin and pale.

Mere seconds later, he heard footsteps approaching. A silhouette of a girl with long, flowing hair soon came into view. On her shoulder was what appeared to be the corpse of a much larger man. It didn’t take long for Hiro to recognize his clothing. It was a Bandito uniform.

She dropped the body into a nearby dumpster and slowly walked toward Hiro. 

“Enemy spotted.”

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