"I'm tellin' ya, I saw a fucker going in after taking down a walker; he must've cleared the place."
Suddenly a hushed voice sounded nearby, and both Sasuke and Billy, who were slurping their noodles tensed, hearing how close it was to the entrance.
"We got a company."
"Fuck!! There are at least three of them. Once they see the goods, we are done for. Let's leave the place from the backdoor."
"Wait, Billy, I don't want to abandon the things we fought to have; trust me on this, alright? I'll take care of them." Sasuke finished his bowl and then stood calmly, wiping his mouth.
"No, you don't, Sasuke. Look at me boy." Billy's usual smile was gone as he grabbed him by the shoulder, taking him away.
"We don't know how many more of them are there or whether they are armed; let's just leave. We can search somewhere else and get our shit back after we get more info on them."
Yet Sasuke still didn't budge; pulling a kunai, he started fending around, and Billy's eyes caught a reflection of light in the empty space between Sasuke's hand.
"Thin wires...You making a snare?"
"Yeah, steel wires. I will make a simple trap. Can you help me to make sure no one flanks us from the back door?
Sasuke showed Billy how sharp the steel was by using it to cut a wood part from the chair, and Billy decided to trust him on this.
"Alright, Don't worry, I got your back."
"If they are hostile, I will take severe action...is that okay?" Sasuke wanted to make sure of that.
"I lived long enough to know that some things just can't be solved with words, especially in the end of the world." With that, Billy took a machete in hand and walked to the kitchen to make sure no one would come that way.
While Sasuke launched his kunais at specific angles, plunging them into walls and corners, the wires tangled between his fingers like extra limbs.
Then he watched behind the counter using a glass as a reflection; two men with scrawny bodies were pushing on the tables, blocking the entrance with some struggles.
"Fuck, it's close; push more."
"Shut d' fuck up; we don't want him to hear us." A third burly guy with a bald head and a thick dirty beard joined them pushing, and soon with some noise they made it inside.
"Well, well, well, look at this; that old man sure worked his ass off for us, ha ha."
"Sad he ran away; would love to see his face as we took those under his nose." The trio laughed as they walked to the table where Sasuke and Billy stacked the supplies they found with excited expressions on their faces.
"Don't worry, we got to see yours." The three stiffened hearing the sudden voice as all turned around, holding their machetes ready to fight.
"You didn't say there was more than one," the bearded man barked at the man beside him.
"Wa, ha ha ha, what did I hear? Oh my god, please no, don't hurt me, pretty boy!!" Yet the man ignored him as he took a close look at the guy who said it and laughed with mock fear, looking at the guy who was standing there holding nothing.
The bearded man took a step forward, ready to take down the man, just for them to see him raise both fists and swing sharply behind him as if ready to throw a double punch.
An action that made them want to laugh just for sudden pain to assault them before colliding with each other in brutal force.
Harsh stings spread on their bodies as if a knife had just slashed through their whole body all at one time.
The three were pressed painfully against each other with the steel wires that tightened around them, cutting their skins and drawing blood on its surface, even though Sasuke was careful with the force he used.
"Aghh!" "F-fuck is this?" "gjagh"
"It's clear, Billy. How about your end?"
"No one is here too," Billy said as he came and looked at the three men lying on the ground and tied like a fucking pack of sardines.
"Oi, I heard you were looking for me." Billy asked, kicking one of them.
"Who the fuck are you people?"
"Release me!! You won't like to cross us_oww!"
"Shut it. If I hear any of you say one more word, I swear. I will make a feast out of you for the walkers outside." Sasuke said after kicking the bearded one, knocking out a tooth, but he still crouched down and stuffed their mouths with dirty clothes.
Wary of a stupid vengeance from them of attracting walkers by shouts.
"Well, that was easy; you have a thing ready for every situation, huh?" Billy said as he returned to finish what little soup was left in his bowl.
"Should we interrogate them?"
"One each time, leave it to me. We need to know how many of them there are and other things. Help me tie them separately," Billy said, and Sasuke nodded his head; that was exactly what he thought.
After a minute the three separately tied people looked at each other horrified, then at the two guys in front of them.
They regretted even coming close to this stupid place.
And even more for underestimating the young man, who now looked down at them like they were trash on the side of the road.
"Welp, you and I are going to have a beautiful chat, buddy. Let's go," Billy spoke, grabbing a man by his collar and dragging him to the storage room.
While Sasuke returned the tables to the entrance after clearing a nearby walker.
Once there, Billy slammed the door shut and kicked him straight into the open refrigerator that was more of a garbage can now.
Billy then tied a thick cloth on his face and gloved his hands.
[A/N: The following scene may be uncomfortable for some who aren't fond of...violence, so you can skip to the end of the chapter and read from the point starting with "^Fifteen minutes later...^."]
"I ask, you nod if yes, and shake otherwise. Need I explain what will happen to you later if I discover that you lied to me?" Billy glared menacingly, hitting the machete into a rotten piece of meat beside the head of the terrified man, who started pissing and shaking his head.
"Bloody cunt—ya serious? I didn't even start, and you already forgot how to control your little dick."
"Alright first, are you alone?"
*Nod* *nod*
"Let me rephrase it: do you have more guys from wherever the fuck you came?. Think carefully before answering; I still have two more idiots. Surely one of them will tell the truth after I suggest shoving this tasty meat here down their throat."
The man's eyes started shedding tears, shaking violently as a long worm started moving on his cheek. and nearly throws up seeing the dark, stinky meat covered with flies and worms stuck to the machete nearing his face.
"Answer, will ya? I don't have all day."
*Nod* *nod*
"Alright, final question, and I won't let it enter your nostrils. Drag it, and I will put a bunch of them into your ear; maybe you guys would have another kind of discussion, one between parasites." Hearing that, the man shook his head frantically.
"So how many, and where are they? Do I need to threaten you more to make you tell the truth? Bet you bunch of assholes aren't that honorable with each other. So tell the truth, and maybe you will only worry about walkers tonight."
*Nod* *nod* *nod*. "Muumph, gh, w'll thpeak, pleash jont du't." The man thrashed harder, seeing Billy ready to tear his chest and gesturing how he would put a bunch of the worms there.
"Good boy, now don't blabber nonsense and just give me the answer I want.
Number and location. If I find you missed even one, I'll make you miss a finger. And your little dick down there. So think carefully before answering."
With that, Billy pulled him up and removed the cloth from his mouth, watching him gasp and shake as if poisonous snakes were tied around his neck.
"I—there are f-five, yeah, five. I swear I'm telling the truth, man; please believe me." The man trembled; he lived with tough men who used to fight each other, kill in cold blood, and all that shit.
But no one threatened him like this; he didn't want to imagine what it would feel like if the man did what he said he would and didn't want to experience it even more.
"Where"
"T-the fourth house behind the salon at the end of the other street. I, I swear I'm telling the truth, man. Please let me go, and I—" His words were cut off as Billy shoved the clothes back and dragged him out.
Sasuke, who was cleaning his blade in front of the other two, turned to see Billy dragging the man, who looked as if his soul had left his body and then returned back.
"Well, choose who's next," Billy said to the man he was dragging.
Still, without waiting for him, he tossed him at a corner away. Took the bearded man and gave Sasuke a look, who nodded, telling him he will keep eyes on both.
Fifteen minutes later, Sasuke and Billy stood in front of the trio, who were trembling silently, waiting for what was going to happen to them now.
"Another 5, hah. You know they won't stay still until they have revenge if they find out about this; they seem to be the type to do just that."
"So what do you suggest? For them and those here."
"A part of me says we just mind our business, but...I don't like having loose ends. Can you hold your own here? For an hour maximum." After thinking for a few moments, Sasuke decided to deal with it quickly before sunset; he doesn't want to break his promise with Ciri.
"Oi, I'm coming along. Ya think I'm that weak, ninja boy?"
"On the contrary, old man, I think you are strong enough to keep more leeches from taking the food that we still have here. In case one of them was astray and came from another direction while I was away at their base. Just make sure to keep yourself safe, alright?"
"I hate how you always make sense, sure."
"Take this." Sasuke posed, thinking for a second before holding three small balls to Billy.
"I'm not that bored to play marbles..."
"C'mon man, not now, listen. Use them only when needed, alright? Those are smoke bombs. Toss one with enough force to the ground or any solid surface, and a thick cloud of at least 4 meters (13 ft) in diameter will erupt instantly to keep you hidden or others distracted. Clear?"
"Wait, are you telling me those are...smoke bombs? Last time I checked, it was a metallic bottle as big as my hand, heavy and military grade, and even one of them is hard to come by."
"Yeah, I'm my own military ground. Just take them and don't use them unless necessary; there will be a slight noise upon detonation."
With that, Sasuke sheathed his blade, turned, and left from the back door while Billy looked at the three small and lightweight balls on his palm.
Tempted to test one of them, as he thought maybe the Uchiha boy was messing with him.