Roughly Three Years Later
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There he was. Over the past month or so, the damn Neoweapon, Bronze Seid�, had begun to hang around again. A tall kid roughly five seven or five eight, I think, he had short black hair and dark crimson blue eyes. Eyes that held death and I could smell blood on him.
This wasn�t my first encounter either. I was kneeling at the bottom of the school hill, beside one of the dead trees, waiting. He knew I was there and he kept his distance. This was the game we played.
I first saw him when I was out on my own, Jene�s pistols in my belt, I walked qui-etly. I reached the bottom of the school hill when I heard a noise. I ducked into the brush as I am now and waited. I didn�t hear anything for the longest time, then I felt it. Like some one was watching me, it sent shivers down my spine.
I spun around, pistol drawn to see him. Standing over me, his leveled against the end of my nose. I could only think about when I had done it to Blake. He didn�t speak, just watched and he finally took the pistol from me. �You�re not Jene.� His voice was monotone and his sunglasses on his forehead. �How�d you get these?�
I didn�t dare move. �I found them. After Jene was killed. I knew him.�
�Hm.� He nodded and lowered his gun. �I�ll look forward to the fight then.� He threw mine on the ground and turned.
I stood up after I picked up the pistol. He stopped and looked over his shoulder at me. �What�s your name?�
�Petri Burns. And you?�
�My name is��
I stood up. �Bronze Seid�!�
He stopped in the middle of the hill and pulled his sunglasses to his forehead. �Ah, well, if it isn�t Burns. Long time.�
�Shut up!� I was still pissed. At him, the world, everybody. Bronze killed those men at the top of the hill, but did he have a reason?! I had smartened up a bit these past three years and now knew I was wrong to try to think Jene was different. He was just un-armed.
�You seem to be in a bad mood. I think your hair tie�s too tight.� He laughed and crossed his arms. �I�ve been watching you for a while. You really stick out with that blue hair and all.�
�You mock me now, Seid�, but you wait. One day I�ll be the one laughing, not you.�
�No, I think not.� He calmly pulled the pistol, same as mine, on his right side with his left hand and held it out straight, with his shoulder, pointed towards the soccer field. �And there�s no need to try to gang up on me either.� I watched as he pulled the trigger.
I jumped from where I stood and my face dropped as I froze in fear. Had he got-ten Joby? He hadn�t yelled. I couldn�t move and Seid� was walking towards me, pistol in hand. �Wha�?�
�Next time, Petri Burns,� he placed his hand on my shoulder and looked at me. He laughed slightly. �Next time I suggest you leave the children at home.� He walked off.
Shaking, I fell to my knees not sure if I was thankful to be alive or not. He was playing with me. After a second I remembered that he had fired and I stumbled up and ran.
Joby had wanted to come with me. The kid had really overcome his fear of the Neoweapons and wanted to see Bronze. So he came along, but made it clear that he was going to stay away.
�It�s your fight,� he had said. �I just want to see this Bronze Seid� that you talk about. I don�t plan on getting involved.�
I tripped over a rock, but caught myself and ran some more. There was the chain fence that ran around the field and there were the pieces of crushed building where Joby and I had split up earlier this morning.
�No, he won�t go after you Joby, if you keep quiet. His fight�s with me right now.�
�Oh dear god!� I found myself saying as I climbed up to where he had been. I stopped short and my breath, what little I had left, caught in my chest; I couldn�t help but cry. �I told you�� I trailed off as I fell to my knees.
Joby wasn�t even armed. And there he was, the cold, hard truth kicking me in the face. The blood trailed towards me and I reached to touch it. I don�t know why I did, but I did and it felt warm against my fingers. I backed away, I couldn�t take it and I scrambled for the place I now called home. I reached the floor at the base of the ladder and I sat there, head in hands, crying. Shaking uncontrollably and more then upset at the same time.
His fight was with me, but yet he killed Joby. One of the few who I could con-sider family.
�Petri,� my Dad walked up to me and knelt beside me. �Where�s Joby? What the hell happened to you up there? Pull yourself together.�
I spoke in gasps. �Jobe�s�gone.�
�Gone where? What? Did he leave or something?�
�It wasn�t�it wasn�t his choice.�
�What?� Some one had to stay calm and it sure as hell wasn�t me!
�Bronze�he�� I was talking with my hands.
Dad nodded. �I�ll get Dennis. You calm down. You�re going to have to show us where he is, okay?� he placed his hands on my shoulders and spoke quietly.
I nodded. �Alright,� I had finally begun to calm down a bit and could form com-plete sentences again. �But I don�t know where Bronze went to.�
�That�s okay,� he stood up. �I don�t think he�s going to be back for a little while now that he�s killed.�
�What?� I looked up at him. �Why not?�
�He wants you pissed off to your greatest point, it seems, when he fights you. And it looks as if he�ll take any means to get you there, son. That�s why.�
�My greatest point?� I repeated the words as I stood up. �I don�t understand.� Yeah, my Dad�s finally lost it.
My Dad smiled. �You will with time.�