Chapter 120 – Bleeding Claws – Silver Brooks

The Killing Cat didn’t so much as flinch at Leigha’s threat. Part of me wanted to warn Leigha that this was the real Killing Cat, but my jaw was in intense pain after being struck by her bat. As much as I felt like she deserved to be put in her place there was no telling what this serial killer might do to her.

“Honestly, this is low, even for one of Naomi’s little lackeys.” Leigha said. “Do you honestly think I’d believe you’re the real Killing Cat? You’re not even wearing the right costume.”

Now that she mentioned it, this Killing Cat was dressed differently from the street footage video. The Killing Cat shown in the footage looked amateurish and unprepared by comparison. This one on the other hand looked fully stocked and prepared. Her brand new overcoat looked like it was tailored just for her. The equipment attached to her belt looked equally expensive.

The stare down between Leigha and the Killing Cat continued. The Killing Cat didn’t make any sudden movements. She was just waiting there, ominously. This silence was making me incredibly anxious. Even Leigha was becoming increasingly agitated as time went by. She turned back to face me.

“Is this some sort of ploy? Tell me honestly.” She demanded, “Is this how you planned to escape?”

“What?” I asked, feeling an aching pain from my mouth as I spoke.

“Don’t what me. Did I stutter? Is this little cosplay your group’s attempt at scaring me away?”

“She isn’t a fake!” I finally managed to say.

My voice was trembling and not just because I was in pain. Leigha leveled a discerning glare at me like she couldn’t tell rather or not I was lying. The fact that the Killing Cat was here of all places was probably what she couldn’t believe.

From her perspective it probably seemed too convenient. As for myself, I realized that there was some sort of tracking device inside the doll. The Killing Cat had been here all night doing who knows what. For all I knew she could’ve been inside the warehouse party since it began.

Leigha turned back towards the masked figure and pointed her bat in that direction.

“That’s Sam in a suit, isn’t it?” Leigha asked. “I saw Jin inside, I saw Naomi… It has to be one of your group’s best fighters if you thought this gamble might work… It has to be Sam.”

This was beginning to remind me of Perri’s denial in an uncomfortable way. I forced myself to my feet, swiping more blood off of my cheek. Most of that side of my face was bruised, but there was a small gash where the tip of the bat connected with my face.

“What’s wrong with you? Can’t you recognize a dangerous person when you see one?” I asked in horror, “That person over there is unlike anyone from my group. She is here because of me! I made some sort of pact with her and I still don’t understand what that means… You need to run!”

“What?” Leigha asked, giving me another quizzical glare.

“You might’ve heard about that shrine behind the school.”

“And…?”

“And, she answered my call!” I said, pointing at the masked stranger, “That is the real Killing Cat!”

Leigha focused her gaze back on the Killing Cat.

“Bullshit…” She said, twirling the bat in her hands. “Alright then, ‘Killing Cat’, show me what you’ve got.”

Leigha walked forward and the Killing Cat did the same. Despite her bravado, Leigha was approaching cautiously, trying to feel out her opponent before actually engaging. When they got close to one another they circled each other. The Killing Cat was clearly unconcerned about the possibility of Leigha making a run for it.

This fact set off more red flags in my mind than anything else. The Killing Cat had already made up her mind. Even if Leigha turned to run now she’d just end up with a knife in the back. Leigha was still trying to measure the Killing Cat’s demeanor, as if testing her authenticity. She didn’t realize that she was looking death straight in the eyes.

Suddenly Leigha went on the offensive with her bat. She made a surprise attack at the Killing Cat with a quick swing. She swung from a considerable distance, using her bat’s superior reach to try knocking the Killing Cat off balance. It was a good attempt but the Killing Cat merely stepped out of the bat’s reach, effortlessly dodging the attack.

It was only a probing attack. Leigha went back to circling again, still not fully understanding who she was facing off with. Based on her movements it was clear that the Killing Cat wasn’t just some capricious teenager. These were practiced and experienced skills that the Killing Cat was demonstrating. Leigha seemed to recognize that much at least.

That’s why when Leigha began her next attack she didn’t let up after a single swing. The Killing Cat was prepared for this as well. Leigha vigorously swung her bat again and again, hitting nothing but air every time. The Killing Cat moved between each attempt as though she were dancing with Leigha. She’d sidestep attacks, duck beneath her swings, and circle around her completely.

Leigha struck one of the walls that made up the alleyway, managing to chip off some of the brick siding. She was completely out of breath. The Killing Cat backed off to let Leigha recuperate. Leigha looked over at the Killing Cat with disbelief. She then looked at me with a look of pure shock. Her eyes widened as she finally accepted that yes, this was indeed the real Killing Cat.

She didn’t quit here though. A look of determination flashed in her eyes and she threw herself at the Killing Cat, her bat raised. The Killing Cat ran towards the incoming attack, ducking underneath the bat at the last second. This time the Killing Cat backed away considerably, giving Leigha a great deal of space. I didn’t realize why until I saw Leigha take a step forward.

“What, you’ve had enough?” Leigha asked as the Killing Cat backed away.

The Killing Cat, having walked away from Leigha, was now standing directly in front of me. I didn’t feel any hostility directed towards me but it was still unsettling to be so close to her. The Killing Cat knelt down and picked up the Nyx doll with her free hand. She casually handed it to me and nodded. I wasn’t sure what this meant, but I wiped the dirt off the doll and put it back inside my bag.

“You think you’ve already won? I…”

Leigha stumbled forward a few more steps before she noticed. She put a hand on her bleeding abdominal region and then quickly pulled it away, watching the blood flow off her hand. She looked up at the Killing Cat with widened eyes.

“You… You…”

The Killing Cat raised her right hand. She was holding three knives in-between her fingers as if they were claws. Leigha had overlooked the fact that the Killing Cat drew her knives during the fight. More importantly, Leigha missed the lightning-fast counterattack when she charged at the Killing Cat.

The Killing Cat had finished Leigha with a single swipe of the wrist. Leigha failed to recognize her defeat with so much adrenaline coursing through her body.

Leigha dropped her bat and collapsed to the ground like a puppet without its strings. She held her abdominal region in the fetal position and let out such pained cries that it sounded like they had come from someone else entirely. She rolled around on the ground in agony, spilling blood everywhere. The Killing Cat carelessly walked over her without any sort of concern or remorse.

The Killing Cat continued on out of the alleyway. I ran over and dropped down to Leigha’s side, wondering if there was anything I could do to help her. I tried sealing the wound by putting my hands over the cut area and applying pressure. I quickly changed my mind. I didn’t have experience with this type of thing and worried that I was only making it worse.

I placed a hand on Leigha’s shoulder and studied her carefully. She was in such excruciating pain that her screams were muffled and muted as she clawed against the ground beside her. The cuts the Killing Cat made into her weren’t wide, but they were incredibly deep.

Blood was pouring out of her at an unbelievable rate for such small knives. They must’ve been incredibly sharp to go through her clothes and still cause this much damage to Leigha’s body. Was there any hope for her at this point? I could call an ambulance but it didn’t seem likely they’d make it in time. It was still worth a shot.

I threw open my bag, smearing blood all over it. I took hold of my phone and was suddenly stopped as my wrist was seized. I expected it would be Leigha trying to get my attention but I was wrong. The Killing Cat was back and staring down right at me.

The Killing Cat tapped the edge of my cell phone and shook her head.

Slowly, I let the cell phone fall back into my bag. She nodded and let go of my wrist. With her other hand she handed me my skateboard, something that I had left back inside the warehouse. Did she really just go inside to get it or did she bring it along when the brawl broke out? There were so many questions I had for the person beneath the mask.

I wouldn’t get the chance to ask any of them. She turned away and set off to leave. She didn’t pay Leigha’s cries any attention as she walked by. She simply turned a corner out of the alley and just like that she was gone.

I was left alone with Leigha.

It was clear that the Killing Cat didn’t want me calling anyone. Was it the right move for me to make personally? Was Leigha’s life in my hands at this point or was it already too late? Would calling for help be worth risking confrontation with the Killing Cat? After all, she’d instantly know if I called the police. The Nyx doll in my possession essentially doubled as a listening device.

Quietly, I made my decision. I accepted my role in this the moment I closed my bag and sat my skateboard down. I took Leigha’s hands and held them in my own. Her body was limp by now and so weak that she didn’t properly hold my hands back, but she did flex her fingers against my hands. She wasn’t even crying anymore, just making this horrible gurgling sound.

It took all of my strength for me to stay there with her. On one side of things, I was at least partially responsible for this by not calling for an ambulance. On the other side of things, this only happened because Leigha herself targeted me specifically. As much as I hated to admit it to myself, the Killing Cat did this for me.

She killed someone just to protect me from being beaten.

As despicable as Leigha was for attacking me, death wasn’t the proper punishment for that. It was wrong for me to simply say that she lived and died by the sword. Enough of this was due to my own circumstances that I had to accept some responsibility in her death. I chose to make that ‘pact’ with the Killing Cat and this was part of the result.

What would come of this though? Was my connection with the Killing Cat worth this sort of brutality? I mentioned that I wanted justice and the Killing Cat claimed to be after the same thing. Could this sort of brutality really be called just? Was the Killing Cat a vigilante or a murderer?

Similarly, would Leigha have shown any such mercy to me if the Killing Cat hadn’t shown up? I at least momentarily feared for my life when she had me cornered against the wall. Maybe that’s why the Killing Cat was so ruthless? Was she making an example out of Leigha? As far as I knew this was the first person she had killed in my age group.

My head wasn’t ready to try making sense of all these questions. For now, I just wanted to get back home. I stayed with Leigha until she stopped fidgeting and her slow breathing finally ceased. By the end of it I was covered in her blood and felt panicked every time I looked down at my bloodstained hands. The blood on my hands only served as a symbolic reminder to the choice that I silently made.

I couldn’t return to the warehouse, not after everything that happened. But I was determined to go by the building to see how things turned out. To my surprise the building was being surrounded by police vehicles with multiple officers running down people to arrest.

Given the number of officers involved this didn’t seem like a random patrol. This police response was too well organized to be random. Was this due to more meddling by the Killing Cat? Did she call the police when the brawl started? If so, was that why she stopped me from calling the police back in the alley?

I watched the activity surrounding the warehouse from a great distance. If I was caught with Leigha’s blood on me I’d have no way to explain it. Based on the sheer amount of activity surrounding the warehouse it was only a matter of time before they discovered Leigha’s body.

As if to punctuate my thoughts, I saw the searchlight from a helicopter fly overhead. I hopped onto my skateboard and rolled off into the darkness. I couldn’t afford to be around by the time the body was found. My only question now was how would I explain things to my mother?