Celestia and DealerAnon Pt. 26

>With most of the clientele coming in at night, finding a vacant toilet was the easiest thing you'd done all day
>Opening the door, you are greeted by the familiar blue glare of the bathroom light
>You'd always been told that the colored lights were supposed to stop people from shooting up in the stalls
>That wasn't going to stop you, though
>Locking the door behind you, you grab a paper towel, covering it with disinfectant
>No way in hell you were cutting up lines in a public toilet without cleaning a bit first
>A quick wipe and dry later, you are already emptying half the baggie onto the countertop, hands shaking in anticipation
>Rolling up a bill, you put the makeshift tube to your nose, breathing out heavily
>No turning back now
>Greedily inhaling the line, you throw your head back, savoring the rush that was to come
>And boy, did it hit you
>Slumping down on the cracked toilet seat, you close your eyes, the rising feeling in your chest intensifying with every moment
''F-fuck...''
>You stifle a moan of pleasure and sniff loudly, trying to clear away the clog in your nose
>Damn, that's good
>That's real good
>For the first time in over an hour, you finally feel like you can think straight again
>Almost like puzzle pieces falling into place, you quickly start forming a makeshift plan
>Celestia was kidnapped by some motherfucker in a dark green Toyota van
>For all you know, he's in Emerald Hills
>Just in case Ty's questioning doesn't help, you'll have to start digging a bit
>The cashier was an obvious one
>He, if anybody, would know about the car
>Other than that, the meth dealer outside could probably be persuaded into talking
>Failing that, the short girl outside could prove useful, despite her connection to the rainbow-haired chick
>Rising up and checking yourself in the mirror, you wipe off a small speck of white powder from under your nose
>Other than your enlarged pupils, you look as normal as ever
>With the darkness outside, you doubt Ty is going to suspect anything
>You'll just have to not blab your ass off when you step into the car
>Easy as pie
>Beep
>The message alert in your phone goes off, shaking you from your thoughts
>Ty's garbled spelling greets you as you open the text, the blue light mixing with the harsh white glow from your phone
>''hey mn u comin? u been ther 4 ages''
''ye chill''
>Pressing 'send', you double-time out of the bathroom, newfound purpose driving your stride

>''Will that be all?''
>Giving the cashier your best murderous glare, you take the assorted hot drinks and walk away
>''Bye.''
>Holding the cardboard tray of drinks, you storm out as quickly as you can without spilling anything
>The cashier had been a complete dead end
>You don't know what surprised you more
>That the gas station didn't keep any track of the cars coming in
>Or that this mongoloid mouth breather had somehow landed a job in customer service
>The cold November air blasts into your face as you open the door, sending a shiver down your spine
>Looking around, you notice that the only one left from the previous assortment of people is the hooker
>Being this close, you see that she definitely looks worn out, to say the least
>Suppressing a shudder, you place the tray on a convenient trash can, the rising steam from the take-away cups wafting in the wind
>Lighting a cigarette, you start wracking your brain for a new plan
>The meth dealer and his buddies were gone, unsurprisingly
>The girl had probably gone off with her friends
>And the two boys?
>You have no idea, but you're happy you don't have to listen to their discussions again
>Happiness aside, your plan is still ruined
>A single look at the whore crushes whatever hopes you had of asking her
>She looks too fucked up to even know what she's doing
>You have a feeling that asking her about the van would just lead to unwanted offers
>So, scratch that
>The only hope you have now is that Ty's investigations turn out to be fruitful, or that you suddenly get an incredible stroke of luck
>You snort quietly and take a sip of the scalding hot coffee
>Luck had definitely been in pretty short supply lately
>Grabbing the tray, you resume your trek towards the car
>Despite your plan being foiled, you can't help feeling incredibly good
>Maybe it's just the coke buzzing in your brain, but you have a feeling that you're going to find Celestia
>Giving yourself a smirk and rounding the corner, a burst of yelling catches your attention
>Shortly afterwards, you find the source of the noise
>The two boys from before were towering over the purple-haired girl from before, her hoodie flecked with mud and dirt
>One of the pair standing over her prone form gives her midsection a weak kick, laughing as his foot makes contact
>''What did we say about holding out on us, huh?''
>The scene before you reminds you all too much of yesterday
>With the memories comes anger, the familiar feeling of rage rushing throughout your veins stronger than ever
>A coppery taste in your dried up mouth, you place down the tray with shaking hands, your heart beating hard enough to burst
>Walking towards the trio, your tunneled vision firmly fixated on the assailants, you almost feel reedy to kill
>It might be the cocaine, it might be the pain you've felt or it might just be empathy
>Whatever it is, those two won't be doing this again
>You're going to make sure of that
>Close enough to make out the tears forming in her eyes, you take off in a jog, the pounding in your head now joined by the whimpers and pained grunts coming from the floored girl
''Surprise, motherfucker!''
>The two turning around in alarm, you throw a punch at the shorter one's nose, flooring the teenager with ease
>Flinching at the wet crack of his friend's nose bone breaking, the other one lifts his hand palms outward, seemingly trying to dissuade you
>''Whoa, dude! Chill ou-''
>His protests are cut short by your hand closing around his throat, the teenager struggling in vain, panicked wheezes coming from him
>With a yell, you clench sour other hand in a fist, throwing a solid punch to his nose, the familiar sound of crunching cartilage like music to your ears
>This was too easy
>Giving a solid push to the boy, he falls down with a thump, the blood running from his nose falling in small droplets on the ground
>The feeling of victory rushes through you, and you throw your hands up with a yell
''Yeah, motherfuckers! How do you li-''
>Your celebration is cut short by an arm wrapping around your throat from behind
>Shit
>The shorter one from before is holding you in a badly-executed rear naked choke
>Despite lacking in technique, the teenager is strong enough to restrict your blood flow
>After mere seconds of struggle, your vision starts slowly going dark
>Grunting and desperately trying to shake him off, you decide to go for your only option
>Fumbling for your gun, you finally procure it from the front of your pants and loudly cock the hammer, pointing the piece at the kid behind you
''F-fucking l-let go, kid.''
>His grip on your throat relaxes for a second, and with good reason
>You're pretty sure this is the first time he's been on the receiving end of a gun
>''Hey, uh-''
>Taking advantage of the window of opportunity, you violently pull his arm away from your throat
>Surprised by your action, you give him no time to think
>Spinning around to face him, you briefly register his surprise before your gun's butt-plate smacks into his temple
>The force from your 180 spin is clearly enough to instantly render him unconscious, the teenager dropping to the asphalt like a bag of rocks
>Phew
''Yeah! What the fuck's up now, huh?''
>You yell at the crumpled form on the ground and throw a kick at it
>Satisfied at the lack of reaction, you start rubbing your sore neck
>Turning to the girl, now up again, you stow the gun back into your pants
>''Well, that takes care of that. You okay?''
>You crack a weak smile at the small girl looking at you with surprise on her face
>From the dancing spots in your vision and the sudden light-headedness, you assume that any more time spent in the chokehold would have left you unconscious or worse
>Slowly, the girl's expression turns from astonished to excited, her purple hair flopping as she jumps up and down
>''That was awesome! Like how you just went like bang, bang, bang and then they were-''
''Thanks, but chill out. Now, what was that all about?''
>The girl turns serious and so do you, the pain in your neck now more of a dull throb
>She gives you a shrug and looks at the ground sheepishly, finally breaking the silence with a sigh
>''Well, it's a bit of a long story.''
''I got time.''
>As if on cue, the message beep from your phone reminds you that you don't
>''Well, it's just two guys, okay? I have no idea who they are, or, or what they want, they just came up to me and attacked me. Yeah.''
>The girl fidgets nervously and fiddles with her hair, clearly avoiding your gaze
>Even an idiot could tell that she is hiding something
''Uh huh.''
>''That's all, I swear! I'm not lying!''
''Didn't say you were.''
>''Oh. Yeah. Well, I, uh...''
>You give her the best reassuring grin you can muster and pull out your cigarettes
''Want one?''
>''Wow, really? I mean, uh, yeah. Sure.''
>Grasping a cigarette with shaking fingers, she lights it up and gives a small cough
''So, you okay?''
>She touches the back of her head and gives a small wince, but smiles nonetheless
>''Yeah, I guess. Nothing that won't heal up.''
>Sighing in frustration, she kicks a small rock across the parking lot, the stone skittering along the white lines
>''I just wish they'd stop already! I mean, what have I ever done to-''
>She clamps her hand over her forehead, her eyes alight with panic
>''Oops.''
>You narrow your eyes at her, the girl's eyes firmly fixated on the ground again
''Go on.''
>''No, it's nothing. I swear.''
''Mm hmm.''
>The silence between you is decidedly awkward, the girl seemingly preoccupied with the drawstrings on her hoodie
''So, uh. Do you know anyone with a dark green Toyota van around here?''
>Clearly relieved that the topic has shifted, the girl rubs her chin thoughtfully
>''Hmm. Well, there might be somebody, but I'm not sure. I haven't seen them around in ages.''
>You perk up at the chance of a lead, motioning for her to go on
>''I mean, back when I worked at the Home Depot, this fat guy would always come in and buy stuff.''
''What kind of stuff?''
>She shrugs and fiddles with her drawstrings a bit, before continuing
>''Well, you know. Shovels, Quikrete, those kinds of things. Mostly building materials, actually. But the weird thing is…''
''Yeah?''
>Your voice sounds hoarse, the dryness in your mouth betraying a lot more anxiety than you'd like to admit
>The girl shakes her head in response, giving a small chuckle
>''It's nothing, really. It's just what kind of helped me remember him, is all.''
''And that is?''
>''Well…''
>She purses her lips, a thoughtful look on her face
>''He'd always come in, every weekend, and buy duct tape, lye, stuff like that. Funny thing is, we always used to joke about him being some serial killer.''
''What's so funny about that?''
>''I mean, you should see him! He's a bit fat, has a scruffy beard, and was really awkward all the time! It was so cute! He was like a, what's it called, a teddy bear!''
''Really now? Well, I guess that's kind of funny.''
>You give your best attempt at a chuckle, desperately thinking up some way to find out more without sounding like a creep
>''Like this one time, he was buying the usual things, and just staring at the floor, so then Ellie went up to him and was like, 'hey, can I get your number' and then-''
>Interrupting her animated storytelling, you decide to cut to the chase
'''Yeah, uh, okay. That's nice. Now, do you know where he lives?''
>Her crestfallen look at your interruption is quickly replaced by an exaggeratedly thoughtful look
>''Hmm. Hmmmm. Well, I'm not sure of the exact address, but he always drives off towards the houses over there.''
>She points in a seemingly-random direction, and you follow her finger, memorizing the general direction
''Alright. Thanks. Uh, do you know what his name is, by any chance?''
>You give her a grin, ignoring her narrowed eyes
>''Nah. Why? You're asking a lot of questions, you know?''
''Well, uh, he bumped into my car, yeah? And I just wanna talk it out with him, see if we can come to a solution together, okay?''
>''Hmm. Well, alright then!''
>Her suspicion gone as quickly as it came, she grins at you
>Looking at her cheerful expression, you can't help smiling
>She's really cute, slightly reminding you of your sister
>''What are you smiling at, mister?''
>You shrug in response and give a small chuckle
'It's nothing.''
>She crosses her arms, a disbelieving look on her face
>''Yeah. Sure.''
>You walk to the tray and pick it up, the drinks still piping hot
>Thank God for that
>Ty liked his coffee hot
>Walking back to the girl, her voice seems to crack
>''So, uh, thanks. You know. F-for the smokes, and…''
>She is clearly distressed, tears threatening to well up in her eyes
>You grab her shoulder and squeeze gently, giving her a small smile
''It's nothing. Really.''
>''Y-yeah, but you s-saved me. I just-''
''Sshh. Come on. I know you'd do the same.''
>''I-I guess.''
>You hold her shoulder for a while as she sniffles quietly, providing whatever comfort you can
>After a minute, you remember Ty and Santiago are still waiting
''Hey, uh.''
>''Yeah?''
''Well, don't take this the wrong way, but I'm in a bit of a hurry right now, so I'm just gonna-''
>Your rambling is cut short by the girl tightly hugging you
>She squeezes surprisingly hard despite her age, and you feel your ribs protesting
>Despite that, you put one arm around her, and pat the back of her head
''Hey, appreciate it, but do you mind easing up?''
>The pressure around your chest lets up, and the girl pulls away, clearly embarrassed
>''Thanks. I mean it.''
>You grin in response and pat her shoulder
''No problem. Now, I'll just-''
Your attempted escape is cut short by a sudden yell
>''Hey, mister! You better back off, and do it now!''