Ruby has been waiting for nearly an hour, the sun now almost completely set. The pink glow of the street lamps started to illuminate the space.
"Hello? Did you inbred imbeciles leave me?"
she yells out as loud as she comfortably can. Her voice bouncing off the dark brick walls of the surrounding buildings. Her yell being nothing more than a mild inconvenience to anyone listening nearby, they knew better than to draw attention to themselves at this time of day. Ruby sits back onto the fountain dramatically. Her impatience is ever growing, but she will get paid either way. Why should she care about a few late idiots not getting the chance to see one of the most renowned models in the world walk the runway? She sits elegantly back down on the edge of the fountain and takes out a small powder compact from her pants pocket. Unclicking the thing and using the vibrant street lights to check her reflection. Adjusting the singular curl left out of her tight bun at the base of her neck. She was still a model afterwards and had to look perfect. No matter how late her audience is.
Salem decides to muster up the courage and walk up to ruby to warn her. She takes slow methodical steps so as to not frighten the thin woman. It was all for nothing. the soft click of her ankle alerts ruby. She whips her head around, her double set of ears now perked up.
"Hey, I mean no harm skelly!"
Salem says not being able to resist commenting on the women's thin stature.
"If you are looking for charity you have come to the wrong person, I do not own a coin purse."
ruby says coldly reapplying her powder not looking at salem, the finely milled white smoothing her skin in an uncanny fashion. It made her already pale skin look like lifeless porcelain. Salem raises her arms forgetting the small pouch she has gripped in her hands. "I just needed to tell you that-"
but before she could speak they both heard the wild screaming of a madman. Ruby whips her head around and they both see a terrifying sight. A gaunt pale man running at full speed on all fours towards Salem. his worn destroyed leather shoes and his hands hitting the cold white stone like a whip.
"God fucking damnit Axel you little addict SHIT!"
Aven says running out, his eyes wild with rage. He pulls out the vaguely gun shaped contraption and shoots Axel squarely in the back. The unholy contraption that looks like a mix between a crossbow and a gun making a loud snapping noise. When it hits Axel it makes a small tearing noise. He whimpered a dying dog. The warm wet blood dripping from his back onto the pristine rock. Unable to move from where the projectile landed. The gurgling in his throat being the only noise in the square. Besides Avens thick workmans boots thudding loudly against the cold ground. no one seems to be breathing in the small distance he travels. The second drags into long hours filled with icey dread. He lifts his machine, the thing clicks and grinds the object's noise halting, the trigger pulled and before anyone can think Aven shoots him point blank in the head. Splatter goes everywhere when the projectile hits the man. Hit head shatters outwards and the warm wet contents of the man's head hits everyone within a small radius including ruby and salem.
Ruby screams at the top of her lungs, the shrill sound penetrating everyone's ears.
"God I hate rich girls!"
Aven says frustrated, signalling for the rest of his gang to follow, ruby has quieted down her hands over her mouth her face frozen in shock. When her eyes are no longer glued to the lifeless corpse they drift over to the small band of misfits. her eyes land squarely on the metal spiked man. The sense of dread increases looking at the amalgamation of metal, wood, and valves. He looked like a fictional creature that was used to get children to go to bed.
Aven grabs ruby's arm and pulls her faster than expected with how deadly light she was.
"Now little lady, you are going to give us everything of even remote value!"
Aven spits at her, his words thick with greed. She starts sputtering, not able to find her words. of Her tall frame shrinks as she slowly takes off her vest, her gloves, and her solid ruby hatpin. She hands it over without so much as a word. The background sound rot setting into the corpse crunching loudly.
"That's IT?!"
he yells over her, her tears streaking the thick face of makeup. Mixing with the brain matter of the dead man. "Someone like you NEEDS to be travelling with MORE!" he pushes her down her arm hitting the fountain with a painful thud.
"Are you sure that's it?"
he bends over her, his voice thick with anger.
"Yes yes I do not carry any money with me!"
Ruby cries, Salem tries to step forward to protect the skeletal woman, but all she achieves is getting Aven's attention. He sees the small pouch in her hands and knows that it sells for a pretty penny. He steps forward and tries to grab at her arm.
She ducks under his grasp and she runs forward grabbing the sobbing woman. She pulls her into the alleyway.
"GET THEM YOU USELESS SACKS OF SHIT!"
Aven yells pointing like a toddler having a tantrum. The gang very quickly leaves Horace in the dust, due to his inability to regulate his own breathing.
He walks through the alley like some eldritch abomination stalking its prey. Because he is forced to go slow he notices pieces of the torn up jeans in stray pieces of wood. He pulls out his weapon slowly stalking every corner.
" He's close and this is a dead end!"
ruby whispers into Salem's ears. Salem hides ruby in a small pile of scrap. Salem's eyes dart to a small pile of scrap in the dark stone alley.
"I'll take care of him."
she says making sure ruby is well hidden inside the pile of trash.