Rambo

[Honda Akinari]

Akinari started out of an uneasy slumber as some Rambo-acting (because he was too skinny to look the part) guy burst through the door of the run-down building, carrying someone over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Hidden in the corner, he pulled his hood down lower over his eyes to obscure his face.

Anybody willing to go Kool-Aid man through whole boards either brought trouble, or was looking for it.

The space used to be a store of some kind because metal shelves still stood in neat rows, like dark sentinels on guard. It was a pretty well-known place for the homeless; there was an entrance out back that was accessible to them. Sometimes they lit a fire in the corner, to keep warm, but tonight it was only by the dim light of streetlamps outside that Akinari could see by.

Piles of garbage were strewn all about the place and it didn't exactly smell reputable. Lots of homeless men and women picked up bags of garbage outside and took them here, rifling through the contents to see what they could scavenge. It wasn't the Moonlight Inn, but to somebody without a roof over their head, it was still better than nothing. Better than sleeping out in that creepy fog.

He silently watched the man setting down his companion, noting their nervousness and the way they whispered in hushed tones. A few others who had been sleeping grumbled but here, everybody minded their own business. Akinari's eyes were drawn to Rambo--for lack of a better name. He shifted, leaned ever so slightly to the left and in his new position, he saw them clearly. They settled down by Steve, whose look of shock earlier had been nothing but comical, and who was giving the two of them the ole suspicious once-over.

Akinari's dark, watchful gaze took in their attire--clearly not squatters or homeless. Their hair was neat, shoes somewhat clean and new. The one was wearing heels--Akinari assumed it was a woman. She had long hair, too, and her face from a distance was feminine. That was a little troubling and if she had given any indication of discomfort around Rambo, Akinari might have thought that he'd kidnapped her and was holding her here against her will.

Together they sat down and Akinari kept watching them, wondering what it was that sent them here. Were they being pursued? Gangsters or... things that went bump in the night? Whatever it was, it didn't follow them. After a long moment, Rambo put his arm around the girl and Akinari finally looked away.

Ah.

He tilted his head back against the wall and closed his eyes again, willing himself to fall back asleep. When he opened them next, they were gone.