SMILE & SABRINA: THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT

[Wolfy]

Once again, Sabrina found herself in the downtown district of New York City, but this time it was completely different. Instead of scrounging the streets for a job to support herself and her family, she was actually shopping for the first time in a very long time. She wasn't getting much - just some things to make her suite in Memini's mansion to feel more like home.

She got some books for the empty bookshelf, some small little figurines from the same set that she'd had in her own room at her own manor, and then some records that she liked of classic instrumental music that helped her sleep at night. Not wanting to carry all of that home, she put it into the car that was supposed to drive her home. "I think I might look around a little more. Why don't you run home and drop those off," she told the driver.

He nodded and started driving away so Sabrina wouldn't have too much to bring in when she did get home. After he was out of sight, Sabrina went to look at the furniture store to see if she could find a better reading lamp for her room, since the old one was very dim. When she didn't find one she liked, she walked out to wait for her driver to return. He shouldn't be too much longer - she had been looking for quite awhile.

However, the driver had returned a little while ago also. Seeing her in the furniture store, he decided to run a few errands himself, since he was sure she would be looking around for long enough for him to get what he needed. So Sabrina was left waiting outside the furniture store for her ride home.

She couldn't really complain, though. For once, there was a cooling breeze from the shipping harbor which took away the swealtering heat that plagued the city most other days. So she waited in the sun with a happy look on her face, glad for the time she could spend out in the warm - but not hot - fresh air. Today, it seemed, nothing could go wrong.

[Rad]

Smile lazed in the back of the black van, gazing impassively out the darkened windows at the passing scenery. Their morning assignment had been nothing extraordinary and as such he and his coworkers had swiftly executed the Boss’ instructions without any sort of impediment whatsoever. He hated to admit it, but that mysterious bad cop (what was the name again? He couldn’t recall yet he had the inkling that it was something along the lines of ‘Johnnie’?) who his Boss employed was exceedingly proficient at his ‘job’ of keeping the other authorities away. However, having lost the game of rock-paper-scissors, Smile had been forced into the repulsive ‘cargo’ area of the van where the metallic scent of blood still lingered. Judging by the way things usually worked it wasn’t at all improbable that the whole interior would start stinking soon. His unfortunate position meant that he would be in the area of the vehicle where the smell would be the most concentrated.

Sighing, he was about to divert his attention from the windows when a lone figure caught his eyes. “HALT!” He demanded, half-heartedly making a grab for a coil of rope before thinking better of it and flinging open a side door. With one hand covering his victim’s mouth, he dragged the struggling creature into the van, shutting and locking the door as the vehicle pulled away and resumed its journey. Grinning broadly as if he had just unearthed a treasure chest on an otherwise uninteresting beach, he asked, “Gentlemen, may my doll join us in our subsequent celebrations?”

“Now Smile, ya know the Boss don’t endorse no kidnapping outside o’ the business,” one of the older mobsters responded, glaring at his junior as he voiced his objections in a reprimanding manner, “Besides, she don’t look the proper age for a good ol’ hearty drink an’ if ya ask me it might not even be legal for ‘er ta do so. Ya know the Boss don’t like us ta draw unnecessary notice ta ourselves when we ain’t on the job. Now put that poor dame back where ya found her. Plenty more better woman for ya entertainment down at the burlesque.”

“No! I don’t want to!” Smile, complained, whining like a child as his eyes pleaded with his superior. Locating a pair of handcuffs from the paraphernalia of torture devices scattered in a corner of the van he promptly secured one cuff to Sabrina’s wrist and one cuff to his own. Then, rolling down the window, he threw the only set of keys into a passing drain. “There! Now ya don’t need to worry about her running away and alerting the authorities. Anyway, this ‘ere is a date so I ain’t gonna make her do nothing she don’t want to an’ I do plan to return her in one piece.”

“Funny set of morals ya got there, kid. Ain’t the simple fact that ya be detaining her like that proof enough that she don’t wanna be with ya? Also, I ain’t gonna tolerate ya disobeying my orders and carrying on with ya vile behavior in my van. Stop the car!” Pulling Smile up by the collar and sliding open the door, the Mafioso tossed his colleague out onto the pavement. This action also inadvertently dragged Sabrina out with her kidnapper since the two were still connected by the handcuffs. “If ya wanna break the rules do so on ya own time!” Flinging a wad of cash at Smile, the older man slammed the door as the van drove off into the distance.

“How rude, abandoning us like this.” Smile smirked, glancing over at Sabrina, “sorry miss, I seem have to forgotten your name, although I sure do remember ya eyes. Now, if I may ask, what was ya name again?”

[Wolfy]

Closing her eyes to further enjoy the warm weather, Sabrina didn't notice the van coming to a screeching halt in front of her. She didn’t even notice the Mafioso jump out of the side door and make a run for her. Suddenly, however, when a big hand clasped over her mouth, she looked up to see none other than Smile standing over her. Glaring, she struggled as hard as she could as he dragged her to the waiting van. “Let me go!” she cried, though her words became jumbled because of his hand.

She fought him harder and harder as they got closer to the van. However, when Smile shut and locked the door behind them, she gave up. Taking a quick look around, the first thing she noticed was the differing layers of drying blood on the walls. It seemed to range from bright, crimson red to a drying brown. The metallic scent was everywhere; it almost made her sick. Whatever they were doing before they picked her up, Sabrina was sure she didn’t want to know. “Gentlemen, may my doll join us in our subsequent celebrations?”

“I am not your doll!” she complained loudly. She was beginning to get a tiny bit teary-eyed both from frustration and fear. She wished there was some way she could go back to before she’d ever interrupted Smile from his deal to get her house. She wouldn’t be here now if it hadn’t been for that stupid outburst of hers! Why, oh, why, hadn’t she just kept to her own business?

When an older-looking man began telling Smile to put her back, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh of relief. Surely the man had seniority over the man currently keeping her there, so he would have to listen, right? Unfortunately, that didn’t seem to be the case. She watched worriedly as the mobster walked over to a big pile of painful-looking instruments. Actually, she was almost a little relieved when she saw him get only a pair of handcuffs. That relief vanished, though, when he handcuffed her to himself, then rolled down the window.

“No!” she yelled, realizing what he was going to do. She ran toward the open window, but was too late. Smile already threw the keys out and into a storm drain. She almost dove out after it, but the chain to her wrist kept her from doing so. She could do nothing but watch as they drove away with a sad look on her face. She didn’t really notice the rest of the argument until suddenly Smile was pulled up. Her arm was also yanked up with him.

When the doors opened, she realized what was happening. “No, wait!” she tried to say, but they tossed Smile out before she could finish. She was dragged out by her arm and landed badly on the pavement in the road. “Ouch…” she murmured, sitting up slowly. She had some minor scrapes and bruises from the fall, but she seemed to be fine. “If they were so intent on making him let me go, why did they just dump me with him?” she muttered under her breath.

She glared up at Smile. She figured there was no harm in giving him her name. “I’m Sabrina,” she said. “And you must be Smile.” With a frown, she got to her feet and looked around. “We should find those keys… You’re going to want to let me go at some time.”

[Rad]

“Don’t think ya gonna succeed in finding anything doll…I mean Sabrina. Unless ya be willing to trek through ‘em underground sewage systems an’ filter through some human waste.” Smirking at his captive, Smile added, “Besides, I’ll liberate ya when I feel like it. Keys ain’t the only way ta open a lock, ya know.” Surveying his surroundings, Smile sighed with relief. The setting was practically deserted with only the exception of a wandering homeless vagrant. Good! With these handcuffs Smile would either be perceived as a cop or a crook and with prejudice being what it was there was no way any citizen would think a foreigner to be a law abiding man.

“So, Sabrina, where do ya wanna go? Keep in mind it can’t be somewhere where the self-righteous denizens o’ this city hang. It gotta be somewhere virtually abandoned or someplace open only to fellow desperados like us who won’t meddle in our business. Also, there are certain restrictions on the territory we can cover. Ya get my drift? Rival organizations and such won’t tolerate me setting foot on their land so if I am to avoid pointless confrontations I gotta stay away. Apart from that we can go anywhere.” With those limitations in place, Sabrina really wasn’t provided with much choice. Smile had even failed to realize that Sabrina, being the innocent girl that she was, wouldn’t even know anything about shady places at all. It was basically as though he had given her the pick between snakes and worms.

At last realizing this, Smile offered, “tis a nice day to be by the water, ain’t it? Tell ya what? Why don’t we head down to an abandoned quay I know of? It’s where most o’ ‘em mafia transactions take place by night so most people don’t dare ta loiter there. It ain’t much but I suppose it’s the only option since I suppose the burlesque isn’t really your thing. Anyhow, I think you’ll like it. It got lots of little animals scurrying and crawling around all over the place. We could also investigate those tales of spectrums haunting the various mafia warehouses. Could be interesting, let’s go!”

Obviously, everything Smile was saying was rather redundant. He was asking Sabrina’s opinion without being respectful to her response. He was saying he would let her choose without heeding her choice and instead going along with his own. He was asking her to follow him when the handcuffs connecting the two in addition to Smile’s superior physique meant that Sabrina would be dragged along no matter how much she resisted. All in all, as Smile strode in the general direction of the abandoned quay there wasn’t anything Sabrina could have said or done that would have had an impact in swaying his decision. His mind was already made up and being the obstinate bastard that he was, he was about to permit anyone to change that…unless they were capable to stopping him by force.

“Today you’re my prisoner, so ya might as well enjoy yourself, Sabrina!” He called over his shoulder, grinning as he did so. He was thrilled! Positively more so than what he felt when he killed or tortured someone. To him this was simply a fantastic day! “Sabrina, you’ve really made my day so much brighter, ya know that?”

[Wolfy]

Knowing he was right, Sabrina decided to give up even thinking of retrieving those keys. She just hoped that his plan to remove the handcuffs wouldn’t hurt. She quickly took a look around, hoping that someone would be around to see her and help her out of her unfortunate situation. However, the only person around was a homeless man, who looked to be quite erratic from the way he moved. And she thought she could make out some words coming from his direction, so she assumed that he was talking to himself. With a sigh, she also gave up the idea of asking for help.

Sabrina just stared at him as he went through his restrictions of where they could and couldn’t go. Like she, a very innocent girl who used to be a millionaire’s daughter, wouldn’t know of any places that would be vacant of good-doing citizens. Plus, she didn’t even know where mob territories were. Why would she know? “So… uh,” she said, trying to think. “Somewhere around here? I’ve never actually been…”

Before she could finish, he started onto his next thought. For some reason, an abandoned quay by the water didn’t sound like the best place to be. So many things could go wrong there! “Is there anywhere else we could go?” she asked. “I would prefer to be inside… I burn easily, as you can see.” That wasn’t the real reason, of course. She just needed an excuse not to go by the water. “And I really don’t want to look around for ghosts. I just don’t have the nerves for…”

Again, he interrupted her by starting to pull her in the direction of the quay. “I don’t want to go, Smile!” she complained. She tried to pull back, but ended up just being dragged along behind him. She fought him for about a block and a half, dragging her feet, pulling on the chain, and trying to grab on to door handles to stop him. After awhile, though, she decided that he was just too big and strong for her.

By the time she gave up, her wrist was quite sore. Sighing, she finally walked placidly behind him. She hated giving up, but there wasn’t really any way she could possibly stop him. When he looked over his shoulder to talk to her, Sabrina just sighed. “Right, because being someone’s prisoner always makes them think that they should enjoy themselves,” she muttered under her breath. She looked up at him, putting on a fake smile. “I’m so glad I was able to brighten her day,” she said, fighting back the biting sarcasm in her voice.

[Rad]

Smile chuckled, he loved that Sabrina had a sense of humor! It was such a refreshing alternative to the desperate pleas of his typical assortment of death-fearing victims…not that he intended on harming Sabrina at all. They had already walked quite a distance and the abandoned quay soon loomed in front of the duo, an ominous presence despite the warm sunlight. An array of dilapidated warehouses obscured the sun, rendering most of the place in shadow. Brick-red splatters of color were evident on the metal structures here and there although it was impossible to discern whether these were merely the product of rust or something more sinister.

“Yay! This looks like fun!” Smile laughed as he sprinted the last few steps into the closest abandoned warehouse. “Looks like this place will need some of your sunshine too!” The entire place had a decomposing feel to it, much like the slum district of the city and in parts the wooden planking had completely rotted away, revealing the murky waters beneath. On various boards an entire colony of mould grew, trying to guise itself as the moss which was equally abundant. “Follow my lead and watch ya step, doll.” Smile warned as he went a few steps in front of Sabrina, maneuvering with acrobatic agility between the hazardous patches of green. “Wouldn’t want ya to fall through or slide somewhere you don’t wanna go.”

Having turned to face Sabrina, it was impossible for Smile to have seen the square of moss slyly awaiting the descent of his foot. The moisture of the ground, so close to the salty spray of the sea, didn’t help to add any supportive friction to the surface and as Smile’s shoe attempted to establish a hold on the moss, he was instantly sent slipping backwards with a pronounced shout of surprise. Behind him, the locked doors of a large metal shipping crate stood and with a loud thud his back hit this solid structure, temporarily winding him and rendering him incapable of breath. However, the lock was old and incapable of withstanding such an abrupt force and almost instantly gave way, opening the doors and throwing Smile into the dark container. The handcuffs, such a hassle they were, dutifully did their job and dragged Sabrina into the confinement with them just as the doors swung closed again with a shrill screech.

So now the two were cut off from the outside world by the gloom of the crate, something that Smile possibly perceived to be more terrifying than anything. Potentially, he may have been even more intimidated by this new predicament than Sabrina was. Already having fallen into a prostrate position, Smile clutched at his head in his hands, almost as though he had hit his head in the fall, whilst he did his best to stop himself from shivering. For all his generally malicious, composed yet mildly insane mindset the reality of it all was that it was all a façade devised to distract himself from the person he truly was. In truth, one could argue that deep down inside, Smile was still the pathetic little boy forced into a world he feared by the very person whom he had thought he could depend on. Well maybe that was the case…but then why had he continued with the trade even after immigrating (illegally) to America and having been presented with the heaven-sent chance of a clean slate?

Well, in some ways the answers were all related to what had transpired in this shipping crate…or at least in a similar crate in which he had been smuggled in from China all the way to the United States. Opening this crate now was like opening a Pandora’s Box of Smile’s deepest darkest thoughts. “No…no…it’s not my fault. None of it was my own choice! I was forced into it…I didn’t mean to…ha…ha ha…yes, that’s right! It was you, it wasn’t me…it was you! You made me a monster and now I can’t change! Ha…it wasn’t my fault…haha…it wasn’t me…” In his blind fear, Smile was talking to a phantom he visualized to be standing before him. It was a person that he had sent to the grave years ago, yet it was also someone that may have taken Smile’s innocence and sanity with him. “No…no…it wasn’t me…it was you.” He cried as he swung a fist at the crate’s interior.

[Wolfy]

Sabrina looked around with a grimace on her face. Those warehouses sure looked ominous... She had no idea what was lurking in the shadows of those ancient buildings. She didn't believe in ghosts, but those warehouses definately made her think twice about that. She saw the rotting wood and rust spots (that was rust, right?) and wondered if the buildings were even safe to enter!

Since she was in no position to decline, however, she was forced to follow her captor into the run-down building. She was horrified to see what they would be walking through. Slippery planks of wood in a dark building over swirling salt-water that had an unknown depth! This was a terrible idea! But, once again, she couldn't say that.

She followed Smile over the piles of moss and mold, her cuffed hand outstretched to prevent them from bumping into each other. "Right, it would be terrible if I got dragged somewhere I didn't want to go," she said dryly. She looked down and noticed a green patch under where his foot was destined to fall. "Smile, wait!" she said just as he took his next step.

But it was too late. He had already taken that fateful move. In a chain reaction, Sabrina was pulled down with him as he fell backward. She heard a loud thud, then found herself falling into the darkness. She fell down right next to him, then heard the fearful screach as the doors slammed shut. "Oh no," she muttered, though wasn't really scared. If the doors opened before, they would open again with the right motivation.

She tried to get up, but was stopped short because Smile was curled up on the floor. "Hey, are you okay?" she asked, trying to see him in the dark crate. "We gotta get out of here." Suddenly, he began shouting. Instinctively, she was worried that it was her, but soon she realized that he was yelling... at himself?

Was that even possible? She looked over at him, a bewildered and surprised expression on her face. "What are you doing?" she asked. He was making no sense! She hoped that she wasn't locked in a crate, handcuffed to an insane person. Then, suddenly, she felt the air rush by when Smile's fist nearly struck her head - thankfully he had swung higher than her head.

"Smile, Smile," she said quickly, holding out her hands in a calming motion. "You need to settle down. It's going to be okay." Tentatively, she reached out a hand and placed it on his shoulder. "What's wrong? There is no one in here but you and me." She sensed some sort of dark memory from his past that was making him so upset. Something about being in a small space, such as the one they were in now? Maybe... No matter, she needed to get him out of his panic before learning the cause behind it.

[Rad]

“Mama, save me! Don’t leave me alone!” Smile cried, embracing Sabrina in his fright. Disorientated by the enveloping darkness he had no idea of what anything was anymore, it was as if by being in this crate he had completely disconnected himself from reality. All he knew was that a comforting hand had been placed on his shoulder and that the closest memory he had of something even remotely similar was the concern of his mother before she abandoned him. Gradually coming to his senses in this way, Smile soon realized that it wasn’t his mother who he was holding so firmly.

Shocked, he abruptly shoved Sabrina away, recoiling as if bitten by a poisonous serpent. Retreating to as distant a corner as those impeding handcuffs would allow, Smile hugged his legs to his chest. Although indignant, he was no longer as hysterical as he had been mere moments ago and now his speech and contemplations had at least resumed a logical flow. He couldn’t distinguish anything in this emptiness yet he now realized that the current task of utmost priority would be locating the door. Hopefully it could open from the inside and even if it was designed to be accessible only from the outside mayhap the mechanisms would be too rusted by now to put up any sort of resistance.

“You despise me, don’t you, Sabrina?” He inquired, melancholy straying into his voice as he started crawling around, not confidant enough about the crate’s height to stand up, “Ya know, I wasn’t always like this. No one’s born as a monster.” Reaching out, he tried feeling for the walls of the container only for his hand to gently come into contact with the warmth of Sabrina’s face. He blushed, a fact that was indiscernible in the perpetual darkness, and promptly withdrew his hand. Maybe he hadn’t moved as far away from her as he had presumed.

“It wasn’t of my own volition to get involved in this dastardly business…I never asked to be who I am today. Thus I always thought… well up to a certain point I had always been convinced that my actions were merely done under the influence of my brother…that I was the innocent one…yet when it came to be my own decision, I…” He had discovered an inconsistency in walls, a long vertical linear cavity that was probably when the doors swung open and closed. Unfortunately, there were no handles, nothing to hold onto, nothing to throw open the doors with.

Furthermore, the crate seemed to be of a simplistic design. And despite the lack of mechanisms on the interior, after nudging it a bit it was evident that it might be impossible to open from within. The exterior casing probably had some sort of protrusion that acted as a wedge, preventing any sort of force from opening it from inside. Having become preoccupied with this contraption, Smile had let his words trail off into silence, an aspect which made his next utterance sound rather ambiguous. “Well… there’s simply no way out.” He sighed in resignation. This statement could be perceived in two ways; either it was his opinion regarding his ‘inescapable’ lifestyle or their present situation itself. He wasn’t making it very obvious which of the two it was.

[Wolfy]

Confused by the sudden embrace, Sabrina stood like a stiff board in his arms. Mama? Did he just call her mama? She didn’t know exactly what to do, so she just slowly reached her arms out to hug him back. Just as she did so, though, she was shoved back. She stumbled, but didn’t fall because of the handcuff around her wrist. It yanked her back, and saved her from hitting her head on the wall of the crate. She righted herself, then followed him to where he was trying to retreat into the corner.

Of course, retreating wasn’t really an option for either of them. She didn’t know what he was thinking, but she decided to let him keep on believing that he was putting some distance between them. “No, not… despise, per say,” she said gently. “I mean, we’re not the best of friends, though…” When his hand touched her face, she flinched back a little. “So your brother was a mobster, too?” she guessed. “And he forced you into it.” She followed him around blindly, since he seemed to be looking for something.

She heard him tap on the metal wall of the crate and smiled. He found their exit! “Well… There’s simply no way out.” She caught the double meaning, but decided to go with the one with the higher priority. She walked up to the door and felt around. It became evident that there really was no way out. Since they were stuck there anyway, there was no harm in inquiring further about the history of the man stuck in the crate with her.

“Is there any way to leave?” she asked softly, referring to the Mafia. She slowly sat down on the side with a quiet sigh. “Certainly they can’t have a lifetime hold on you.” She didn’t know why she was so calm. She was stuck in a crate with a Mafioso who seemed to be a little out of touch with reality. And yet, she wasn’t scared. Perhaps it was because she trusted Smile not to hurt her and to get them out of their predicament without harm.

[Rad]

“Well, perhaps we could shoot a way out! Oh…you were referring to my association with the Mafia. Well, Miss, that ain’t any simple matter and I doubt it could be resolved with mere blood and bullets. Besides, I’m a wanted criminal; the only alternative is the death penalty.” He grinned, “Okay, I lied. Blood and bullets is probably the most efficient method of escape, regardless of what the situation may be. A simple shot to the head, a splatter of blood and you’re done. After that it’s the afterlife…although such a prospect doesn’t particularly entice me at all. What with all I’ve done it’s hell that awaits me for sure.”

“Yes, my brother was a mobster. In fact, he was the first one in my family’s formerly honorable history to turn to that sort of business. At that time, we lived in China amongst a small community of peasant farmers. Life was comfortable but my ambitious brother was enticed by the prospect of power and wealth that the local gang of thugs had to offer. Instead of tending to his duties on the farm, he roamed the streets with his entourage of ruffians, creating chaos for the people who were previously such good friends with our father. Furious, my father disowned him but even that was not suffice to reverse the damage my brother had wrought.”

Sighing, Smile slumped against the metal walls, gazing at the roof in his nostalgia, “Even after my brother was exiled from the village, my family was shunned by the fellow villagers. We could had moved, restarted life somewhere else…but by his own principles my father wanted to regain the trust and respect of his former friends. ‘If my son’s sins are indelible then I shall compensate with money for the damage he has done!’ He told them, not realizing that this was a mistake. They hated us and instantly voiced sums impossible for us to repay. Any logical man would have accepted defeat and left that wretched place but my father…he was a man of pride.”

Smile laughed, “now, I’m not saying pride is a bad thing, despite its reputation as one o’ the seven deadly sins, ‘cause if I did I’ll be branded a hypocrite. I’m just saying that in that particular instance there were a lot of alternatives routes we could have taken that wouldn’t have led to such tragedy…but my father…he had to charge dead ahead like an enraged bull. Of course, there were consequences for his decision. He practically worked himself to death in an endeavor to repay those sums and still hardly made a dent before he died of overwork. It’s not uncommon though, dying that way…it happens all the time and all over the world…should have expected it what with the hours he worked, barely drinking a sip of water or grabbing a bite to eat…”

Turning to Sabrina, or to the silhouette he believed was Sabrina, Smile continued, “an’ do ya know what my mother did after my father died? She abandoned me! I can still recall her voice telling me that everything was okay and to be a ‘good little boy’ and wait for her at home. Well, I was good! I sat in that house for days with the decaying corpse of my father but the front door never opened again! No one even came to pay their respects! Well, after I realized waiting and being a ‘good little boy’ was pointless so I went off to find my brother…”

He paused, gazing deep into the shadows of their prison as he asked, “Well…you know what I do…but is there any secret…anything that I could reveal about my past that may make you hate me?”

[Wolfy]

Sabrina couldn’t help but shutter at the thought of shooting one’s self. In fact, she didn’t want to think of anyone getting shot or killed in any way. That usually posed to be too much for her. But, she did understand now how stuck he was with his lot in life. She gave him a sympathetic look, though it went unnoticed in their lightless storage crate. “I am very sorry to hear that you can’t get out,” she said honestly. “That must be terrible…”

She listened intently to his entire story, nodding slowly. “Surely your mother must be somewhere,” she said quietly when he had finished. “I don’t see how she could just abandon you like that… Maybe something happened?” Having a perfect impression of how her mother was, she couldn’t even imagine someone abandoning their child.

Placing her head against the wall of the crate, Sabrina looked up into the darkness with a sigh. “And of course I don’t hate you for anything you said,” she responded softly. “In fact, we aren’t all that much different, you and I…” She smiled a little and let out a quiet laugh, seeing how much her opinion of him had changed in the short while she’d been tied to him.

“Not unlike your own father, my dad is also a very proud man,” she said quietly. “We used to be millionaires, you know. But a little while ago, his business went under. We lost everything… The only home we could afford was in the slums. But instead of accepting help from friends, he said that he didn’t want us to become a charity case. He wouldn’t even go to a soup line when we ran out of money for food...”

She looked over to where she assumed Smile was still sitting. “We were lucky that my friend Memini found us and gave us a place to stay. He also gave me and my father a job so that he doesn’t feel like a burden.” She stood up slowly, giving him time to get up with her. “So I kind of know what you felt like.” She looked at the door to the crate as she tried to locate a rust hole big enough to look through.

[Rad]

“Sabrina, your empathy towards a villain such as me is truly phenomenal!” Smile laughed, “However, just like your tale did not conclude with your father’s downfall my story does not cease at simply that. Lamentably, unlike in your situation there was no one there to salvage me from the abyss of crime into which I inevitably sunk. Of course, like my father I too had other options…in the beginning at least. Yet I was chained too vigorously by my desire for revenge that I became a mindless puppet of my own inner demon. I couldn’t prevent myself from straying off the righteous path. It was as if some malevolent puppeteer was manipulating my every move whilst I was completely numb to it all!”

Pausing, he smirked, reminiscing on the memory of that pitiable mindset that had held him in its grasp for so long. “Evidently, my brother didn’t suspect a thing. He greedily swallowed every lie I fed him concerning my so-called ‘admiration’ of him and how I sought him out to ‘follow in his footsteps’ so that one day I could be ‘just like him’…” Hesitating, he scowled, “if only time could rewind I would do anything to change my fate. If I had known that I would mutate into an even more despicable monster than he I would have rather lived life as a mountain hermit than risk seeing his face. Still, what can ya do? Life is unpredictable, ‘tis what makes it fun and the silver lining on this storm cloud is that in my dealings with the mafia I had the fortune of meeting you.”

Shrugging as if accepting the consequences of his decision, Smile continued, “Obviously, having the utmost faith in me, my brother personally trained me in the martial arts and how to wield a weapon. I was learning how to fight dirty but somehow it felt just like old times…on occasion I even considered abandoning my quest for retribution. Then, regrettably, there would follow a flash, a fleeting memory, of those peaceful bygone times and my resolve would return more steadfast than ever. You know…it was my brother who presented me with the sole reminder of my motherland…the dagger I challenged your butler with. Well, in retrospect perhaps that intention to kill my brother had only ever been a fantasy to occupy my mind and distract me from the sadness of my past. I never amassed the courage to utilize the opportunities that were presented to me and perhaps I never would have…except…”

Shuddering, Smile wrapped his arms around himself, shivering despite the warmth of summer, “By then my brother had accumulated enough infamy and influence to be considered as a candidate for the next Head and as such there was no shortage of rivals who wanted to dispose of him. For this task they didn’t require the services of an experienced assassin, not when there was an easily tempted brother so close to their target’s side. Hah! Can you actually believe that I trusted my brother’s enemies to hand over the leadership on to me if I passed the apparent ‘trial’ of murdering my brother to prove my loyalty to the clan? Well, maybe i’s a lie that I was so gullible. Perhaps the truth was that I merely needed an excuse to make the deed appear as if it weren’t entirely my fault. Nonetheless, it was quite easy; he didn’t even appear to have the will to put up much of a fight.”

Expressionless for once, Smile closed his eyes, persisting in the telling of his history, “Despite my swift victory I didn’t have much time to revel in the accomplishment of such an immensely desired goal. In fact it didn’t seem like the weight lifted from my shoulders at all. It only became heavier…especially after I realized that the people who had wanted my brother dead now sought the same fate for me. Fleeing to the territory of an enemy organization, I convinced their members to smuggle me abroad, though not without the exchange of some crucial information first. I didn’t particularly care where I ended up; I just wanted somewhere to restart life on a new leaf cleansed of all my sins. It was an unrealistic and foolish dream. Hah!”

“Consider that! Shedding away all my sins simply by landing on some feign land! I know now that it ain’t so easy! Well, there were four of us assigned to one crate. We were all boys of similar ages with the ambition of searching for adventure or something else in some far off distant land. Well, in the months that followed, stuck in that dark box we got to know each other well enough. There was no secret left unshared. Maybe it was our situation, maybe it was because we desperately needed to depend on one another, but we all accepted each other for who we were. We even made plans to stick together once the ship reached land.”

Smiling at this somewhat happy recollection, he added, “Yet reality soon caught up with us. Statistics prove that hardly any of the people trafficked will survive the voyage across the ocean and we were no exception as our provisions soon ran out. We were starving and losing strength, fast. Death seemed unavoidable…but I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want death to drag me down to the hell that I knew irrefutably awaited me… so in my desperation I…I… Well I still had my brother’s dagger with me so in the quiet of the night I… murdered my only friends. They became sacrifices to quench my thirst with their blood and quell my hunger with their flesh. Yet, the irony of it was that only a single day was left before we would have been freed from that dark prison…only a single day…Hah! Fate toys with me! Don’t you think all four of us could have lived if I had just been more patient?”

He buried his face in his hands. “If I had known there was only one day left, would I have waited? Or does my current association with the Mafia mean that my addiction to bloodlust is something I cannot escape?”

[Wolfy]

Again, Sabrina listened to the sad story of Smile’s life. However, this time instead of sympathy, she selfishly became worried about their situation instead. Did he have that weapon on him now…? And if they didn’t escape soon, would he abandon the idea of releasing her unharmed and repeat his pattern of killing? Shifting around uncomfortably, she glanced over at him with a sigh. “I’m not sure, Smile,” she said softly. What was the right thing to say? Should she answer the way he would want her to, or should she say what she really thought?

Perhaps stupidly, she chose the latter. “I’m sure you could have spared at least one other…” she said gently. “And certainly, how could one decide to kill the three closest people in his life? If it had been me and, say, Memini, I wouldn’t be able to bring myself to end his life to save my own. I’m sorry, Smile, but I don’t think even hunger and thirst could drive most people to do that.”

Folding her arms, she closed her eyes. “But what’s done is done,” she sighed. “It’s not like you could go back and change what happened. The only thing you can do is learn from your mistakes for later…” That was a selfish statement, of course. She didn’t want to die there in that box at the hands of the man she was stuck with. She stood up slowly and paced around slightly. Unfortunately, she also forced Smile to follow her.

“You say that Mafia deals happen here at night, yes?” she asked. “Hopefully one will happen and we can catch the attention of one and they can let us out of this shipping crate.” But what if no one heard them? What if none actually came close enough to hear their shouts? She could be trapped here for the rest of her life! (Which might not be a very long time, at that.) Beginning to breathe hard, panic silently started to overcome her.

Meanwhile, panic had already gripped the heart of Sabrina’s driver. He had just searched the furniture store to find that Sabrina had just disappeared. Quickly going back to his Limousine, he drove off to the Veritas mansion. Hoping no one would notice his blunder, he locked Sabrina’s door and played one of the records on a loop on the record player. Maybe everyone would just believe she was reading and didn’t want to be disturbed. It wasn’t a permanent fix, but it might buy him some time while he patrolled the city for his charge.

[Rad]

“Don’t worry; I know what you’re thinking. However, rest assured that it takes more than a measly few hours for me to resort to cannibalism.” Smile winked at her, he noted the uncertainty in her voice yet he knew he would rather die than commit such a severe betrayal again. Reaching through the darkness in search for her hand, he clasped it gently in his as he whispered, “When it comes to that I would rather you shoot me.”

He smiled, “perhaps you’re right and I should have spared at least one of them yet I was too intimidated by the prospect of death. I didn’t want anyone to kill me once they awoke and discovered the indelible sin I had committed. I confess, I was selfish to the point of extravagance and had long misplaced my sense of what was right and wrong. Without my conscience to guide me I was free to perpetrate those heinous crimes. I suppose by stabbing my brother I must have disposed of both his heart and my own.”

Laughing at Sabrina’s naïve supposition that the Mafia would even consider assisting them, Smile added, “Don’t get ya hopes up, doll. Transactions amongst criminal organizations take place in these secluded spots mainly for the purpose of confidentiality. Even if we were to accidentally hear their dealings they’ll rather kill us themselves than risk setting us free to ‘spread the word’…not like we would want to offend such thugs by doing so. Seeking help from the likes of the Mafia…well let me just say that the result would be the same even if it were my own people who happened upon us. The conclusion is that we’ll BOTH be shot. No, it is far better to escape this confounded crate before night falls.”

Moving towards the slit which represented the closed doors he muttered, “Such a pity that these doors only open inwards.” Could he shoot a hole wide enough for at least Sabrina’s diminutive frame to fit through? No, that was impossible. Although he was currently in the possession of a couple of firearms he simply didn’t have enough bullets. The number of holes he could make in the metal probably wouldn’t suffice to even construct the circumference of a large enough aperture. Additionally, the reinforced iron structure made it unrealistic to expect that it would yield to his dagger. Moreover, there were no mechanisms they could shoot at from the inside and nothing apart from themselves in the crate. Was liberation truly impossible?

Seemingly frustrated at his powerlessness, Smile fired a shot in the opposite direction. Well, maybe it wasn’t really a random shot…after all he needed light to see what he was doing and with even a dim illumination he might be able to perceive something his had missed in the darkness. However, as the faint radiance penetrated the shadows of the crate there was really nothing more to be revealed than what he had known. Nothing had changed but almost at the same instant as the light had hit him; Smile was struck with an idea. Sure, the doors only opened inwards yet that didn’t mean he was helpless to pull them open now that he was inside. All he needed were a few handles and since such a thing wasn’t provided…well…he’ll just have to make his own.

Firing at the door until his supply of bullets ran out, Smile flung away his guns with a grin of satisfaction at the gaping wound that had appeared in the metal. Ignoring the pain inflicted by the jagged rim of this newly constructed handhold, he applied all his might in flinging open the door, leaning against it to prevent it from closing again once it had finally fully ajar. “Well Sabrina, let us depart this wretched place. After all, I feel we have succeeded in investigating the haunting of these warehouses; in fact I am certain that it was the ghost of Ol’ Monroe that tripped me. And look!” He pointed at the crab picking cautiously at the wad of cash that had dropped from his pocket when he had tripped, “we’ve even accomplished our goal of seeing at least one creature that inhabits this place.” His palms were bleeding profusely now, having been practically lacerated on the cutting edge of those makeshift handholds yet he pretended not to notice. There wasn’t anything they could do about it at the moment anyway.

[Wolfy]

With a crestfallen look on her face Sabrina nodded in understanding that asking for help from the inhabitants of the quay at night was not an option. “So we’re just going to die in here?” she asked sadly. “I don’t see any other way out…” She followed him toward the door, trying to give him as much room as he wanted to try to find a way to free them from the crate.

Bang! The gunshot sounded off like a bomb right next to her ear. She let out a startled yelp, since the shot had been fired right in her direction. Luckily, it missed her and hit the wall behind them. The light made the whole place seem smaller, which didn’t do anything but add to her nervousness. Would they ever get out? She didn’t know what Smile was planning, so was again caught off guard by the shots fired into the door of their prison.

When he finished, though, she understood what he had been doing. She helped him pull open the door as best she could without getting in the way, then held it open as he escaped. With a big smile, Sabrina looked at her kidnapper. “Thank you,” she said, sounding relieved and excited. “I was so scared that we would be trapped there forever!” She bent down and carefully brushed the crab away before returning the wad of money back to Smile.

As she tried to put it in his hand, she saw how badly it was bleeding. “Oh, goodness!” she said in a horrified squeak. “Look at your hand!” Sighing, she quickly looked around. “We need to get that bandaged up quickly, before it gets infected.” Realizing that since he was smuggled there, and probably had no papers or ID, hospitals were out of the question. “Let’s go to your house or to wherever there’s medicine. I can probably handle that with the right supplies… But we should take care of it soon.”

She walked out of the decrepit building with extreme care, then left that old abandoned quay. Walking back the way they came, Sabrina soon found herself in the main part of town. For Smile's sake, she kept her hand hidden so no one would notice they were handcuffed together. "Now, which way is the nearest place that you could go get some medicine?" she asked.

But before he had time to answer, the Limousine pulled up next to them. "Get inside!" the driver said through the halfway rolled-down window. "No, I have to-" Sabrina started. "Just do it!" he said with a frantic sound to his voice. So, Sabrina decided to give in and got into the back of the car. And, since they hadn't had time to get those blasted handcuffs off, Smile was forced to follow.

The driver, however, didn't even notice Smile's presence. He just wanted to get Sabrina back to the mansion before anyone notice she had ever been missing. Looking up at him with a sympathetic look, she realized that Adrasteia would probably have a heart attack to see him again. He probably had a nightmarish experience in his future.