Psychophage Animvore

The first knock came out politely followed by one that nearly took the door of its hinges.

Halycon was finishing downing his medicine it had a bitter taste to it though he had gotten used to it, he pressed a hand to his side before finally mustering the strength to stand up shoving down the thin chain of his necklace down his shirt before finally moving to open the door.

Mr.Tenma filled the doorway alongside him , were two heavyset men in long trenchcoats. A cigar in between his fingers glowed brilliantly , complimentary to the sun casting a shadow of the three terrifying figures that stood before him.

“Mr. Tenma.” Halcyon looked past him at the two brutes who looked like they would genuinely die of the second they ever cracked a smile. “And I see you bought some friends along with you my had I known, I'd have whipped up something for you guys or even tidied up the place”

“Keep the pleasantries, boy. Your last set of promises wasn’t worth the time”

“Fair , they were very good promises, though.” He caught the look on Tenma’s face and tried again. “Okay look Mr.Tenma just give me another week and I'll have somethng to.."

“You’ve had weeks.” Tenma’s voice stayed level and that made the whole situation far worse. “Two months of rent, paid out of my own pocket while you sat on your hands, and interest does what interest does. Add this month on top, and I’d say it’s time we settled your little debt.”

“But I coughed up the interest that has to account for something.”

“Yeah, well our rules on the contract stipulated that you'd have the debt cleared within two months' time, your signature is on that paper.”

“Ah.” Halcyon winced. “I really should start reading what I sign.”

Tenma snapped his fingers. The two men seized Halcyon by the collar and hauled him out through the door, then slammed him against the wall and lifted him until his feet dangled in the air. Their slam crushed his back as a thud, as pain flared through his side causing him to let out a muffled groan.

“Gentlemen, please the t-shirt is already in a rough shape have some sympathy."

Tenma drew on his cigar and let the smoke drift into Halcyon’s face. His gaze facing the collar for half a second, before moving to his face. "Oh don't worry Halcyon I'm not here to add more troubles to your plate no I'm here to save you from the trouble, I've been kind enough to arrange for you to you clear a chunk from our little debt."

"Ohh noo I'm not going back to that place not after what they..."

“Shut his mouth.” Tenma glanced at the goons. “Before someone hears his rumblings.”

A heavy hand clamped over Halcyon’s face.

" Now then before you begin throwing a genuine fit its best you know that this job won't have anything to do with the butcher. His little business got shut down after he refused to part with some coins. Honestly the authorities will do anything to you once the coin stops flowing in." He tapped some of the ash onto the ground, "This will be a completely different operation , with a completely different person , a friend of mine needs some extra hands with a little operation of his. Now it wont clear what you owe but it will buy you time to actually find a way to clear it." he finally took a whiff of the cigar before signaling the brutes to release Halcyon.

The massive hands finally fell away from him. Letting his feet finally touch the ground.

“And a word of advice, dear Halcyon.” Tenma was already turning to leave. “Say nothing of that condition of yours it would make him reconsider giving you the job.”

“Don't worry my lips are sealed,” Halcyon rasped.

"Excellent, here catch." He flicked a card at Haycon and it gracefully landed into his waiting hand. "Don't mess this up."

Halcyon stayed where he was until the tremor in his fingers eased. The grin slid off his face, slowly, like something he’d only been holding up for company. Scared, sore, with no idea what he had just agreed to, he told himself it didn’t matter. If it bought him time, it was worth it. Time was all he had ever wanted: a little more of it, enough to keep a promise.

His fingers found the chain beneath his shirt and closed around it. Then he let go.

“Well,” he muttered, pushing himself up the wall. “Better get ready, then.”

Halcyon pushed himself off the floor and trudged back inside. He dropped onto the edge of the bed, the card still clutched in his hand, and finally took the time to read its details properly.

His expression darkened.

"Curse that bastard. I knew it.” He slammed a fist against the wall, then let out a long sigh. “And here I thought he’d turned over a new leaf and found me something halfway decent.”

He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Right. Deep breaths, Halcyon it’s not the first time he’s dragged you into a mess.”

He opened his eyes and squinted at the address again.

"Downtown, though at least its not working at that accursed butcher."

That was something, he supposed. A very small something, but something, nonetheless.

He pulled a clean T-shirt and his jacket from the wardrobe and got dressed. Then came the more pressing matter of finding something to eat. He rummaged through his cupboard, hoping for a miracle and finding a single can of beans instead.

Close enough.

He pried it open on the spot and began eating straight from the can.

“Hmm , tastes funny. Maybe they’re the flavored kind I keep on hearing people talk about it in the market , though I expected it to at least taste as amazing as they described it.”

He took another mouthful, chewing thoughtfully.

“Mmm, it smells funny too these vendors are getting sloppy nowadays , it will melt straight onto your palate with amazing delight they said. Or maybe this is the high-quality stuff, and it’s just too sophisticated for my palate , gotta say its not really my style.”

He continued eating, apparently satisfied with this explanation. After all, the alternative was admitting he might have just made a terrible decision, and he had enough of those to deal with already.

By the time he finished, there was little left to do but turn the can over and inspect the label. He ought to remember the brand, if only to avoid buying it again.

He froze.

The beans weren’t a day past their expiry date. Nor a week.

They were long expired.

Halcyon stared at the label for several seconds, as though the printed date might take pity on him and change itself.

It didn’t.

Apparently, his taste buds had standards somewhere below the floorboards.

“Wonderful,” he muttered. “just wonderful , this day just keeps getting better.”

He tossed the empty can aside, grabbed what little money he had, and hurried for the station.

The lower settlements had exactly one train running through them. Calling it reliable would have been an act of charity, but it did, on most days, manage to move from one place to another without falling apart. That was good enough for the people who depended on it.

Getting a seat, however, was a different matter altogether.

Halcyon was halfway to the station when a crowd caught his attention. A long desk had been set up in the street, with several Arx officials seated behind it. Above them hung a recruitment banner, bright enough to be seen from a distance and promising enough to draw every hopeful young man within reach.

Applicants packed the area from every direction, jostling for a chance to be assessed for a place in the corps.

Halcyon slowed, then tried to squeeze past the wall of shoulders.

An officer rose from behind the desk and raised his voice above the din.

“With the rise in rift appearances, we have been forced to seek additional help against the phages! Applicants will be recruited for training into Arx! Those who qualify will receive an initial payment, enough to support yourself and your family...”

Whatever came next was swallowed by the sudden roar of the crowd.

The promise of money had apparently been all the encouragement anyone needed. The mass of applicants surged forward, each man convinced that the person in front of him was personally responsible for ruining his future. Within moments, a queue had formed, though calling it an orderly queue would have been a little too generous.

Halcyon was swept sideways in the commotion and spat out at the far edge of the crowd.He stood there for a moment, watching the hopeful applicants press toward the desk.

He was old enough to qualify for training. That wasn’t the problem.

The physical assessment was.

With what was eating away at him, he wouldn’t stand a chance. There was no point wasting his time pretending otherwise.

He turned away and continued toward the station, no grand ambitions ,no self soothing speeches and most importantly no signing away his life for a uniform he probably wouldn’t survive long enough in anyway.

A few minutes later, he reached the platform and found the train already packed. He squeezed through the doors, maneuvered past several disgruntled passengers, and managed to wedge himself into a space.

It wasn’t comfortable, but at least he was aboard.

He glanced around.

Beside him sat a group of other boys.