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MPTY EYE SOCKETS CHAPTER 14
The sun was high and the wind blew gently. The sea air smelled of salt and the day was so beautiful that it was rare in the Land of the Dead. The Sea of Lament glittered as the sun rays touched it, and the ship on the waves looked magnificent.
It would take a few more hours to arrive to Rubacava.
Manny stood at the deck staring in front of him, and he saw nothing but endless water. He had never believed he would return to Rubacava; that had seemed like something that would happen far in the future. He had been so caught up with finding Meche that hadn't thought about what he would do after he had found the woman.
That had been pretty stupid.
Well, that didn't matter now. What was important was that everything was almost in order and he could finally relax. He was on his own ship surrounded by his trusted men and friends and he didn't have to worry about anyone.
Of course that wasn't really true, as an agent of the LSA he was constantly in a fight against Hector and would not be able to rest until the man was defeated. But that felt so distant at the moment that Manny didn't bother to care.
Carla walked next to him and snorted softly.
"I never thought I would be going back," she said.
"Then there are two of us."
"Maybe, but why are we going there? All those who we freed are on their way to the Ninth Underworld. Why aren't we with them?" the woman asked.
"I have unsettled business in Rubacava. I can't leave this world before I have taken care of that," Manny replied.
"Let me guess, it has something to do with Mercedes Colomar, right?" Carla asked. Manny hoped that had been the case, at least that would have been much easier to explain.
But how could he tell Carla that he had been a secret freedom fighter for years?
"I think you are going to find out eventually," he said.
"You are keeping something from me," Carla stated. Manny didn't reply. Carla snorted and concentrated on looking in the horizon. She didn't like being under the deck, she met too many sailors there and they didn't really like her. She didn't like them either, so they were even.
"I have work to do. I have to choose a new captain who can take care of Lola while I am gone," Manny said and left, leaving Carla alone. The woman didn't turn to look after him, but she sighed when he was gone.
Something was wrong; Carla could sense that Manny hadn't told her everything. The business the man had mentioned was probably something more important than he had let her understand, and Carla didn't like that at all.
Fine, she wasn't a naive idiot who thought Manny was innocent. Actually she was pretty sure that he had many criminal connections. Everyone had them in the Land of the Dead, but she was disturbed by the fact the man didn't tell her about them.
Carla walked closer to the rail and placed her hands against the metal. Salty drops of water splashed on her face and she watched the play of the water in thought.
She... loved... Manny, but thinking about it -- she didn't even want to consider saying it aloud -- was so difficult. According to Meche's words Manny felt something towards her too and the man had done much for her.
But Carla wasn't the kind of woman who wanted to talk about her feelings first. She let everyone think that she was a cold bitch who didn't love anyone, but in truth she just didn't want to be disappointed.
Carla sighed again and hoped that the return to the familiar port town would help her to clear her thoughts. Maybe everything would turn out to be fine when she and Manny had talked about it...
---
Lola arrived to Rubacava in the evening when the sun was already setting and painting the sky and sea with beautiful red. The ship was anchored on a free place and Manny stepped ashore with Carla and Glottis leaving his first mate in charge of things.
"It might take time before I come back. If I come. From now on you are the captain," he said to Garcia.
The man looked at him in surprise and was flattered.
"But captain -- " he tried to resist, but Manny silenced him with a wave of his hand.
"Please, call me Manny," he said. He stopped one more time to look at the ship that had been his home almost for a year and he couldn't help but feel slightly sad.
"We will take good care of her. When you next time see her she will shine like no tomorrow," Garcia promised. Manny nodded.
"She is very beautiful. Pity to leave her after this," Glottis stated. It was he who had made the ship look magnificent and work like a dream; he had worked with her all the time.
"Don't worry Glottis, this won't be the last time we see her. Who knows if we even travel to the Ninth Underworld by her," Manny replied. Glottis rubbed the back of his head. He wasn't sure whether Manny knew that no demon could ever leave that world.
The demon waved to his friends while walking away from the ship. Then he concentrated on looking around.
The docks of Rubacava hadn't really changed from what Glottis remembered them to be. Everything was still gloomy in its own way, though the atmosphere was much more cheerful now when the sun hadn't quite set. There were big and small ships, boxes and some souls here and there.
The group formed by Manny, Carla and Glottis was glanced at by some when they walked, but no one was actually interested in them and where they were going. Rubacava was quiet nowadays and it was doubtful that anyone wanted to hurt those at the docks.
"Where are we going? I sold my apartment before I left and you don't have your club anymore either," Carla said.
Manny shrugged. When he had left he had know that he was going to lose the club, but he didn't like thinking about that. Having a club had been fun and he had been good at it.
"I have ... a friend... in Rubacava. Let's pay him a visit first," he said.
"Does he have something to do with that business of yours?" Carla asked.
"Yes," Manny replied.
He led his small group on the dark alleys of the docks. Every now and then he would have wanted to stop when he saw something familiar or to see if those same people still lived where they had used to, but he suppressed his desire of doing that. He had something more important to think about.
"This is where your friend lives?" Carla asked as they arrived at the quieter and dirtier part of the docks. While he had lived in Rubacava Manny had been a successful business man, why would he have ever had made friends with someone who lived in dirt?
"Yes, he still hasn't understood that it is no good to invest in this place," Manny stated. He stopped for a while to have a look at the strange thing Toto called home and shook his head. The place didn't seem to have changed. Or maybe it had got dirtier.
He climbed up to open the lid that worked as a door and peered in.
"Hello? Toto?" he asked and got his reward as the small man came to greet him.
"What is it? Oh, it's you," he said in annoyance and crossed his bony arms on his chest. Manny was about to go down to him, but Toto gestured him to stay where he was before climbing up himself.
"What do you want?" he asked sharply.
"Always so polite and good with words," Manny said and jumped on the pier. Toto merely snorted and glared at Glottis and Carla.
"Who is she? What is she doing here?" he asked.
"Her name is Carla and she is with me. You can trust her," Manny assured. The tattoo artist snorted.
"I don't trust anyone," he stated.
"I've noticed," Manny remarked.
"I thought I would never have to see your face again. Why are you here now?" Toto asked.
"I have news and I also want to know what has happened while I was gone. The messages are short and we can't write everything in them," Manny said.
Toto nodded slowly.
"I guess I can't really help it. You may come in, but the demon won't fit and I don't trust your woman. They have to stay out," he said.
Manny turned to face his friends and shrugged helplessly. He could have started to argue with Toto, but that wasn't a very good option. Especially since he was already busy.
"This won't take long," he promised and let Toto go back inside before he did that too. He closed the metallic lid after him.
When he had last been in Toto's shop everything had been dirty and unpleasant. Everything was in the same state now, the man hadn't got anything new and Manny had to wonder if he had ever heard of cleaning.
Well, it wasn't his problem what kind of people Salvador recruited.
"Salvador told me that Maximino is up to something. What is going on?" he wanted to know.
Toto glared at him, but didn't say anything. Manny sighed in frustration.
"Come on, Toto. We are on the same side, remember?" he said.
"Unfortunately," Toto replied angrily. He thought a while about how to put his words and started to talk.
"We believe Maximino is planning to overthrow Hector. Much is not going on, but Lola keeps an eye on him all the time. Salvador also told that Nick Virago and Chowchilla Charlie are in Nuevo Marrow plotting all kinds of things. They even managed to almost steal a great amount of fire weapons, but we took better care of them," he said.
"So the LSA finally has enough guns. That is good news. But what did you say about Lola and Maximino?"
Toto looked even darker.
"Guess," he suggested.
"I see," Manny said realising what was going on. When he had first met Lola the woman had been madly in love with Maximino and ready to do anything to make the man glance at him. It had seemed like her feelings had died, but apparently that hadn't been permanent.
He sighed.
"Is she in danger?" he asked. Toto shrugged.
"If spending time in High Roller's Lounge and fawning on Maximino aren't dangerous she is fine," he said.
"I guess you aren't worried about her physical state. Lola's heart will break after this, we both know that."
"I am not worried about her at all," Toto insisted.
"Yeah, of course not."
"So, are you on your way to Nuevo Marrow? Everything happens there now."
Manny thought about it a while.
"Probably, I want to speak with Salvador about this and some other things. But first I need to explain something to Carla," he said.
Toto nodded. He wasn't an idiot and realised what Manny meant, but at the same time he thought he would never understand the man.
"Do whatever you want, just don't bring them here. My home is not a hotel," he said.
"Don't worry; we'd prefer the streets over this," Manny assured taking one last glance around. He had nothing else to say so he waved his hand at Toto and climbed back up. They weren't really friends, only people who knew each other and were on the same side, so they didn't share much in common.
"See you around Toto," Manny said, but the other man didn't even bother to answer. The metallic lid slammed shut behind Manny and he jumped down on the pier where Carla and Glottis were waiting for him. The woman had her arms crossed and she looked at Manny in thought, while Glottis understood the whole thing.
"I had no idea that Toto Santos is your friend," Carla stated.
"Well, a partner is more like the right word," Manny said avoiding her gaze.
"Manny, tell me what is going on," Carla said. Manny was silent for a while.
"Fine, I better do it at some point," the man said glancing at Glottis and the demon got the hint.
"I better go to see how the Bone Wagon is doing," he said and started to walk away. The pier complained under his feet and Manny looked at the demon to get some time to put his thoughts together.
"Well?" Carla asked.
"You want to talk here on Toto's pier?"
"Fine, let's have a walk."
Now it was almost dark and the two walked on the streets of quiet Rubacava. It was now that Manny realised how much the town had changed. The busy night life that he was used to was gone. He found himself yarning for the past; Rubacava seemed so empty and lonely now.
"Start talking," Carla said.
"To be honest I have no idea how to begin," Manny admitted. It was a rare occasion for him not to come up with anything to say, but when it happened he loathed it. He could usually say something in any situation. When he had worked in the DOD Domino and Copal had said that all he could do was talking. He knew that wasn't true, but he still felt failed when he had to think of something to say.
"How about the relationship between you and Toto?" the woman next to him suggested.
"That is easy. We are partners and work for the same person, though we don't get along very well," Manny said.
"So you are something else than a former sea captain and club owner. And yet you've told me nothing. I should probably feel insulted."
"Don't. I have a good reason to that I haven't told you."
"And that is?"
Manny shrugged.
"I am a freedom fighter," he said.
For a moment Carla could only stare at him. Then she shrugged.
"Very funny. Do you want me to believe that Toto Santos is one too? Or that even you are?" she asked. She had learned to know Manny soon after he had arrived in Rubacava and she had sensed that he was greedy and yet somehow honest, and this freedom fighter explanation didn't fit in that picture.
"But Carla, that is the truth. I have been part of the LSA for years. And so has Toto, Lola and many of our companions in the Land of the Dead. I wanted to tell you, but our work is very secret and I didn't want to endanger you," Manny said.
"Endanger?" Carla repeated.
Manny nodded.
"Hector LeMans doesn't admit it, but the LSA is a much bigger threat to him than he let's people see. If you were suspected of being involved with the rebels they would show no mercy."
"Sounds serious."
"Believe me, it is. I didn't want to join at first; I didn't think I would be able to do anything. And to be honest, I didn't even want to help anyone, but now that I have seen how serious this is I can't back away. Not even if I wanted to," Manny said.
"Would you?" Carla asked tilting her head. She felt slightly insulted, she had thought she knew Manny, but the man had been hiding something this big from her. Then again, she understood what a risk Manny took when he told her all that, and while she was feeling angry she didn't want to be the cold bitch she usually was.
Manny thought for a while. If possible, would he give up and abandon Salvador and the others who trusted him more than he deserved? Would he leave the revolution behind and be like before, a selfish soul who didn't care about anyone else?
He shook his head.
"No," he replied shortly and his voice sounded hollow even in his own head.
"I see," Carla said.
They had arrived to another pier and the moon that peered behind a cloud made the water glitter. It was almost silent; they could only hear the sound of the waves and a distant shout.
Manny turned to face Carla.
"Carla, now that you know this you must understand that I have to continue to El Marrow. Salvador and the rest are waiting for me there and I have to help them. According to Toto something big is going to happen and I don't want to miss that," he said.
"That is very dangerous. Are you sure you want to risk your life for souls that you don't even know?" Carla asked.
"I have to. The small island where Domino was is nothing compared to the entire business of Hector LeMans. I can't let this continue," the man replied.
He was silent for a while.
"I won't ask you to come with me. I understand if you want to stay here where it is safe," he continued.
With a flinch he realised that Carla caught his hand with her slender bony fingers.
"Don't be silly Manny. Where would I go here? I have nothing here. All I can do is to come with you," she said.
"You don't have to. With Toto's help I can arrange you a place in Rubacava and -- " Manny started, but Carla gestured him to shut up. She leaned closer, but this time Manny could feel that she didn't have anything dirty in her mind.
"Shut up. Don't you see that I don't want to stay in Rubacava because I have nothing here? Without you I will never have anything," she whispered softly and was happy for that she wasn't alive anymore. Otherwise she might have thrown up; she was feeling very uncertain and was afraid of her own words.
Manny felt the woman's body against his and while he knew they had only bones under their clothes it felt better than in real life. He wrapped his arms around her shoulders and instead of pushing her away he drew her closer.
"That will be dangerous," he warned. Carla chuckled in amuse.
"And what we've done this far wasn't?" she asked. Then she lifted her gaze to the sky where the clouds were slowly moving away in front of the moon. It was now allowed to caress Rubacava with its silvery rays.
They stood there holding each other and looking at the sky where the stars winked at them. Nothing else seemed to exist, no LSA, no Hector LeMans or anything bad and ugly. That one moment was enough to make Carla forget her former fear.
"Carla, I think I love you," Manny said.
---
"Manuela, I love you."
Lola raised her gaze and looked at Maximino's face, and for a moment she couldn't believe that the words were true.
Maximino loved her!
"I love you too," she said softly and leaned against the man. She had dreamed of this moment for so long, maybe those words had been in her dreams all the time.
To think of it, Maximino loved her...
And then the cold truth slapped her and Lola flinched.
Maximino loved Manuela, not Lola. The man had fallen for the fine and graceful Manuela who could have fun with a big amount of money and say anything in any situation. She doubted the man would have liked her real self as much.
And that left her with the question of which one she wanted to be, Lola or Manuela. Lola wanted to scream aloud that of course she preferred her real self, but was it really true? Lola was nothing but a shy freedom fighter who had no one else than Toto, and even he just snapped at her every day.
But Manuela was beautiful and strong who had won the heart of a mighty man and who everyone in the High Roller's Lounged had started to like.
"What is wrong? Maximino asked and Lola laughed quietly.
"Nothing, I was in my thoughts," she replied.
"That is good. I happen to have a surprise for you."
"A surprise?" Lola repeated.
Maybe she could think of the hard things later, now she wanted to concentrate on Maximino and this moment that could very well be one of the last she spent with him.
Until now Toto had protected her from Salvador by writing that the mission was going on well, but Lola knew better than well that she had failed. She had managed to do nothing, had revealed no important information nor helped the freedom fighters.
She had just fallen in love with one of their enemies.
Maximino pressed her gently against himself. They sat in a private box in the Cat Track and followed the most important race of the night. They had talked too and Lola hadn't even mentioned Maximino's illegal business or plans against Hector.
"Do you want to come to Nuevo Marrow with me?" he asked.
Lola straightened herself in surprise.
"Nuevo Marrow?" she repeated.
"Yes. I have business there and they will make me stronger and richer than ever," the man said.
Lola realised now that she finally had the chance to find out something that was useful to the LSA. And she wouldn't even have to give up her disguise if she was careful.
She tilted her head in mock confuse.
"Isn't Nuevo Marrow controlled by Hector LeMans? Are you his partner?" she asked.
Maximino thought about it before answering.
"In a way, yes, but I am looking for ending that relationship soon," he said. Lola was sure that he would do it once the guns he had ordered came. Maximino thought that she didn't know about the deal, but Lola wasn't deaf and Maximino's men let something slip every now and then.
Maximino was about to destroy Hector LeMans. The thought filled Lola with excitement and happiness, the man she loved had the same goal than the LSA.
Wouldn't she help the cause if she helped Maximino?
"Of course I will come," she promised and they concentrated in the race again.
---
"This is your city," Klarhet said with a gurgling voice and floated on the surface some distance away from Puerto Zapato. The huge octopus didn't want to take them in the city because dead souls had the nasty habit of attacking all strange demons and asking question afterwards.
"Yeah right, thanks a lot," Domino said and was feeling annoyed for that they would have to swim. He could already imagine how ridiculous they would look when climbing on the piers.
"Yes, thank you," Meche said sounding a lot more thankful than the man. She really was, because she realised that Klarhet had let its children unguarded because of them, and as a woman she could understand that much better than Domino ever.
She also saw the creature's eagerness to return to its underwater world, so she slid down its slippery back and tried not to mind the cold water. She sank under the surface for a moment, but reappeared soon.
There was a splash behind her when Domino jumped in the water too and at that moment Klarhet dove and disappeared. Soon there was no sign of the octopus.
Puerto Zapato was about half a mile from where they were and they hoped some ship would pick them up. There were many ships at that time of the day, but both knew the situation was very dangerous.
A dead soul was nothing but bones and never floated well, not even if the soul could swim.
Domino didn't say anything, but headed for Puerto Zapato swimming as fast as a skeleton could. Meche followed somewhat slower, swimming in a dress wouldn't have been easy even if she had been alive.
She didn't expect Domino to help or wait for her, she knew the man well enough and knew that he was thinking about no one else than himself. And besides, she didn't even need help. Meche had always been a good swimmer and even though she wasn't as fast as the man ahead of her she didn't lose him.
The trip on Klarhet's back hadn't taken quite as much time as they had expected, but Meche was still sure of that if Manny had left right after arriving in Puerto Zapato there was no way they would be able to find him there.
That wouldn't make Domino any happier.
Unlike they had thought no ship or boat stopped to ask if they needed help. When they had almost reached the city a fishing boat came nearer to see how they were doing, but the man on it did nothing, just stared.
Domino would have muttered something to himself if doing that hadn't let more water inside his skull. He suspected that his head was at least half filled with water and that was never a pleasant feeling.
He caught a pier with his hands and lifted himself up. The pier was pretty high and the meaning of it was apparently to offer fishers a place to stand. He stood up dripping with water and looked around.
The docks of Puerto Zapato were exactly as he remembered them. He hadn't visited the city many times, but had been there long enough to learn something about it. The docks were bigger than in Rubacava, but the corruption knew how to hide itself better and if he had been really naive Domino would have thought that Puerto Zapato was a very nice town.
Where would he go next?
He had to admit that he had no idea. He had no money either he didn't own anything but his old scythe that he kept mostly for nostalgia and to remind him of what he would still be without Hector LeMans.
Someone splashed water on him and he turned angrily around.
"Could you help me up, please?" a sharp voice said.
Meche.
He had forgotten the woman and that she was with him. At least he wasn't alone at the moment, but Domino couldn't tell whether that was good or bad. The woman could be useful, but she would also be a burden if things got nasty.
If she was even about to come with him. Domino doubted that, he thought Meche had only stayed with him because she wanted to get safely to Puerto Zapato.
He stretched his hand to her and helped her to climb up. Meche was light and it was not difficult to get her out of the water. The woman shook her wet feet and poured water from her shoes.
"What are we going to do now?" she asked turning to face Domino.
"What you are up to is your own business," the man replied and Meche tilted her head.
"You are not going to take me with you? You imprisoned me a year ago and now you are letting me go?" she asked.
"Why not? I am busy and I can't bother to take care of you."
"You don't have to, I can do that myself," Meche said.
"Good, so do that," Domino said and left. He still had no idea of where to go, but he believed he was going to get an idea or two if he wandered around long enough. It took a while before he realised that Meche had left after him.
"What?" he asked in frustration.
"I am coming with you," Meche announced. She didn't care if Domino was a head taller and at least twice stronger than she was, and thought too highly of himself, she was not about to let him go just like that.
Not even if he never learned anything.
It would have been mild to say that Domino looked surprised. In fact even more than when Meche had been ready to attack Klarhet.
What the heck did she have in mind?
"What do you want?" he asked in suspicion, there had to be something behind this.
Meche chuckled. Now that they were on dry land again she felt much more self-confident.
"I already said that I am coming with you, like it or not," she said. Domino was still looking surprised, but somehow darker too.
"You have never disobeyed me before," he stated.
Meche knew that was true, but at the bottom of the sea she hadn't really had much of a choice. Domino could have easily hurt her, Pugsy or Bibi.
A man who was ready to hurt children. How could she love someone like that?
"But now is now. I want to come and believe me, I will be useful," she said.
"But why? The whole time we spent underwater you complained and nagged about that everything I did was wrong. The fact that the situation is different now doesn't change anything, so why do you want to stay with me when you can just go?" Domino asked. He didn't sound like his own arrogant and selfish self, his voice was almost confused and for a moment Meche could imagine him as just another lost soul.
She shrugged.
"I don't know yet, but I am about to find out. Don't disappoint me," she said.
Domino rubbed the back of his skull before shooting a thoughtful glance at Meche. She was acting like... Nah...
To be continued...
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