C. Schmidt - Hock City

Kinth grabbed the box gently, and looked down at a gold, lapel pin. He read the wording on the pin, which rested around an emblem that represented Guardian’s Grove.

Council Member.

The emblem design was that of a winding path, between trees and a ball of light, inside a Trillium flower.

“How am I supposed to return this to you, if I have to give this to someone – to get into the city?” Kinth asked.

“You don’t have to give it to anyone! Use it, but don’t forfeit it!”

“Why can’t you just come with me?” inquired Kinth. “I will keep you safe; you know that,” he continued.

The elderly man scoffed before taking a sip of ale, “There is nothing for me there. And there is nothing there that I need. I serve no purpose to that place anymore. Now that his honor, the Guardian – is gone, and criminals have taken his place.”

“I don’t know why I am even considering this. One glance at me, it will be an all-out war. I’m tired of fighting. Peace and light – we shouldn’t have to die to gain these things. I am a wanted man there, you know this,” Kinth explained.

“I know, but you underestimate yourself and what you can accomplish. Sometimes, we must go against the grain in order to gain the truth we seek.”

Kinth scoffed, “Truth.”

Click-clack-click-clack. The sounds of footsteps pierced through the door, along with lighting that shined through the seams. The same sounds that he heard coming into Pearl’s place were present during his time held captive.

Langston rested on the floor, on his back, with his head tilted toward the sounds of muffled conversations and laughter. He did not scream out for help, nor searched for a way out. Instead, he lied there, and patiently waited for Madam Pearl’s security to retrieve him. He had information she needed, so he was confident in his survival – for now.

He had been tucked away in a maintenance closet, joined by mixed company: brooms, mops, buckets, and cleaning supplies. Not to mention other items typically found in a hotel such as pens, pads and books of matches. Madam Pearl’s logo engraved on all. He browsed his surroundings. The aroma of the room left his sense of smell numb for the duration.

“I’m on it!” someone yelled from behind the door.

Langston sat up and leaned against the wall, hearing the click of the door being unlocked. He watched as the knob turned. Then, the door drifted open. The odor of Madam Pearl’s living area rushed the room.

“All right, let’s go human. Time to get to it,” Langston was grabbed by the arm and pulled to his feet. He was pushed in the middle of three other guards – one in front, the other two behind.

Despite being held captive, he had a different air about him. His walk was filled with a bit more certainty than before.

The four of them walked down the hall, back into Madam Pearl’s quarters. She heard the footsteps before she could see the bodies. She spoke to Langston before he entered the room.

“Well, good morning, sugar. Today’s the big day. Are we ready to make Pearl happy? Because Pearl hasn’t been too happy since you showed up. You got my people talking; asking a lot of questions. Too much unnecessary attention.”

“No. Not quite.”

“ Not quite?! Whatever do you mean ?!”

“The only way I help you is if you promise to help me get out of this shitty city. If you can’t help me – point me to who can. This is the only plan I will agree to. Do we have a deal?” Langston held his hand out to shake on his proposition.

Pearl had been lounging on a chase, gazing out the window with her back facing Langston. A man had been scrubbing her feet, while another polished her nails. She spoke to Langston through a mirror on the wall, before getting up and walking over to him.

“Dammit! You buffoons got polish on my skin! Do I have to do everything in here?! Sometimes a woman’s touch is the only thing necessary.” She kicked one of the men as she walked towards Langston. “What makes you think I want to make any deals with you? I could kill you right now. Better yet, I could keep you here; make you my boy-toy. You would never leave my bed except to piss and fetch me what I need.”

“Yep, you could have, but you didn’t – and you won’t. That man at that station is more important to you than your reasons to hold me here. He is so important, that you have kept me alive to find out more about him, which means you need me more than I need you. All I am asking is that once I help you, we part ways and pretend like I never came here. Whatever you do here, what your role is – I don’t need to know. I honestly don’t give a shit. All I know is, I am not a threat. I just want outta here. So, do we have a deal?”

Pearl stared into Langston’s eyes, as if her poker bluff had been sniffed out. She smirked at Langston’s play, because her hand had been exposed. Langston held a straight and she tried to get by with two pair, but the river left her high and dry.

“You think you smart, huh? Okay, smarty-pants; if you help my men get to where they need to go, I will point you to answers. I can’t promise you they will be the answers you need, though. Most people think I got pull, but it stretches only but so far, especially with certain requests. In Pearl’s house, what I say goes. Out there, in them streets and outside that wall – I have little to no control,” she replied.

She lit a cigarette as she spoke. Then, she shook out the flame of the match. She grabbed Langston’s hand, the two finalized an unfriendly agreement.

“I also need Jesse. He is the only person that can help navigate me back to that place.”

“No, no.” Pearl shook her head. “Jesse is not equipped to be out there for this. You on your own.”

“Without him, I will be wandering for days. He knows where to go. He can cut down our travel time greatly.”

Pearl sucked her teeth and then grew quiet. She thought for a moment before snapping her fingers. One of her guards left the room and returned. Jesse ran behind him.

“Yes, Madam?”

“Hey, sugar. I need you to go with your new friend. Help him find that station. Return to me right after you help him. Don’t mess around out there. Do what you need to and come back. Understand?”

“Yes ma’am.”

“If anything happens to him, I will string you up; gut you myself,” Pearl threatened Langston, “Take them the back way. They already drew enough attention when they walked through them gates. Put that hood back on. Don’t need nobody seeing what you really are.”

“I think you should come along. You have a way with words that I don’t. You can speak to these people,” Kinth persisted, “I don’t have the patience for that place. There has been enough pain and suffering. You know this just as well as I do.”

“Oh, but you do have the patience! Why else would you be here, trying to persuade me? Hmm? You don’t need me. You can handle this on your own. Trust me,” responded the elderly man. “And trust the fact that I will kick your ass if you don’t return that pin. And take some water. Can’t drink that shit-for-ale your entire life. Your father enjoyed that stuff too. I’m surprised your liver hasn’t given out already,” he added. He shoved a gallon of water into Kinth’s stomach as he pushed Kinth toward the doorway.

The elderly man enjoyed company, but only in short increments. He was accustom to much alone time, in order to think, to study and to write. To meditate and look into the energy of the life forces near him.

Kinth wanted to smile at the comments and gesture, but smiling was not something of which he was accustomed. For some time, his role in Hock City required a straight face. A face that drilled fear into anyone who crossed his path. By his logic, it would have been easier to escort the elderly man into the city while letting him do all the talking. He could have kept his head low, and provided the muscle if necessary; but his wish was not granted. His idea fell on deaf ears.