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EMPTY EYE SOCKETS CHAPTER 16
It was a beautiful morning in Puerto Zapato, but not everyone noticed it. It depended totally on your attitude for the city. Those who were just visiting it enjoyed the warm rays of the sun and the cool wind that blew from the sea. Domino didn't really even notice them as he walked on the streets.
He had only one thing in his mind. He had to find a boat and fast. Without one he would never catch Manny and have his revenge.
And revenge was what he wanted the most. He wanted to see Manny fall because of his shot and that Hector LeMans would take him back. Domino couldn't even think about what he'd do if that didn't happen. Serving Hector LeMans was the only thing he had in this world.
And he had done so loyally for quite a while too. Hector would definitely give him another chance. If he just was calm nothing bad could happen. All he had to do was to find a way to Nuevo Marrow and take care of Manny. Soon.
That was all. Nothing more difficult.
"You there. I need a boat, a fast one," he said to a sailor who seemed to have nothing to do. The man turned slowly to look at him and eyed him from head to toe.
"I see," he stated.
Domino didn't like people who started a conversation like that. He thought that everyone should have had enough intelligence to say something else.
"Well, can you get me one?" he asked. The sailor shrugged.
"It depends on how much you can afford to pay. Boats are not very cheap around here, I must say," he said.
Domino took a plastic card from his pocket. All of Hector's men had one. With it they could do almost anything if they got in trouble. Of course, only if they were surrounded by Hector's supporters -- or those who were afraid of him. He flipped the card to the man and he glanced at it.
"I see," he said again, but this time it seemed like he was actually pondering something. Domino thought it was quite an achievement from him.
"Well?" he asked.
The sailor chuckled dryly.
"You think I have an option? Come here in an hour and you'll get your boat," he promised sounding slightly bitter. "I better get something out of this," he added.
"Sure," Domino promised, though he wasn't that certain. And what did it matter? A useless rat like that didn't deserve anything.
The sailor seemed to trust his word, which was quite a mistake, and left. Domino stayed and stared at the man's slightly limping walk and shrugged then. This problem had been solved much easier than he had dared to hope. It was a good thing to be one of Hector LeMans' most trusted men.
He had an hour to pick Meche up and take care of everything else. He didn't have to do much though; he hadn't been in touch with any of Hector's partners in Puerto Zapato. And he wasn't going to do that either.
The city was busy as usual and he watched all that only half interested. He wanted to know whether Hector had already heard of the incident on the Edge of the World, and at the same time he was afraid of the truth.
Fear was a new feeling to him and he didn't like it the least. When he had been alive someone had said to him that it wasn't fear that made people lose, it was that when they were afraid they focused on it instead of trying to survive. He hadn't understood then, but he thought he did now.
To his dismiss he had noticed that he glanced behind his shoulder at times, even when he tried to keep his proud and cool pose. His bony fingers were inside his pocket at one moment; at the next instant he was tapping his arm with them. Small movements that wouldn't miss a trained eye.
"Stupid," Domino snorted at himself and decided to get Meche. If he didn't do it now they would be in a hurry.
They...Something kept whispering him that there was something suspicious in the woman, but he had decided to let it be. He thought he had an idea of why the woman was following him, but he didn't want to press the subject. As long as she was good for his plans he would drag her around.
Meche could provide very useful for him. If she didn't do anything else, she would at least be a good weapon against Manny. The man would do anything Domino told him to if he threatened to shoot Meche. Despite the selfish, sarcastic and hard image Manny liked to keep up, he was a very kind and warm soul... somewhere inside.
How pathetic.
Manny had seen and experienced much, but he was still very naive in his own way. He had threatened that he would foil Domino's plans and lectured that what Domino did was wrong. Maybe it was, but so what? What else should he have done? Stayed as a slave for the DOD?
Suddenly Domino stopped when he realised that someone had stepped in front of him and wasn't about to move away. He gave him a more careful look and recognised the man. There was no way he could ever forget that grey hat.
"Pedro," he stated not knowing whether he should have been grateful or shocked. Pedro was one of Hector's idiotic soldiers, a man who would do anything he was told to. An idiot in other words, but a useful one. Just like his companion Meré.
And that reminded him...
"Where is your friend?" Domino asked. Now that someone familiar was around it was much easier to hide behind the cape of arrogance he liked so much.
Pedro didn't look happy with the question.
"A good question," he replied and shrugged. "I am surprised to find you here, Domino. Isn't your place at the Edge of the World?"
Domino chuckled.
"Of course it is, but I am here to get supplies. I can't trust my slaves, so I have to do it myself," he replied. Pedro nodded.
"I understand," he said slowly.
"But what are you doing here?" Domino asked quickly. He had a hunch -- a bad one -- but he didn't want to jump into conclusions too soon. Unfortunately Pedro decided to do it for him.
"Heck with this! I am here to take care of you and avenge Meré!" he snapped and Domino was immediately on his guard.
"I haven't done anything to him," he stated, though he believed that Pedro didn't care. Maniacs never minded who they shot. They just shot not being interested in the consequences and that made a difference between the two kinds of Hector's men.
Some of them were lunatics like Pedro, but most had the ability to do thinking of their own. Domino counted himself into the latter group; he liked to think that he was pretty sensible.
"You are a traitor! You have betrayed out boss and because of you Meré is gone!" Pedro accused loudly. Domino hoped that this argument wouldn't find its way in the ear holes of the sailor who he had met. If that happened he could lose his boat.
"Come on now, don't get too excited. I'm sure we can work this out," Domino suggested. He felt cold, if Pedro knew what had happened on the island it was possible that Hector LeMans knew it too. And that was exactly what he had been afraid of.
It was very unlikely that Hector would understand.
"No need to, I understand everything perfectly. You grew bored with your responsibility and ran off with your woman. You have always been arrogant Domino, and I never liked you," Pedro said. They were standing in the middle of a street, but no one paid much attention to them. Fights were common in Puerto Zapato.
"My woman?" Domino repeated. Why did everyone think that Meche was his woman? "You have misunderstood the whole thing."
Pedro laughed dryly.
"Tell that to Hector LeMans! I know that you betrayed him and so does he!" he said.
"Hector knows?"
"Yes, and I am here to make sure that traitors don't get away with it!" Pedro said and pulled a gun from his pocket.
Domino didn't have to hear anything else. He knew better than well that it was no use talking to Pedro -- talking was more like Manny anyway -- and since he didn't have a gun there was only one option left.
Run!
He didn't like running, he preferred facing difficulties and laughing at them, but a loaded gun in the hand of a madman was something not even he dared to face. His enormous ego would not help him this time.
"I don't think so," Domino stated before grabbing a sailor who was passing by -- he had to be an idiot not to notice Pedro's gun -- and shoved him at Pedro. There were two surprised exclaims when the men fell and Domino used the situation to his advantage.
"Wait! You can't get away!" Pedro shouted and stood up under the confused sailor who just sat there looking bewildered.
Domino ran across the streets trying to lose the maniac who was after him and wondering how he was going to get rid of him. He knew he couldn't continue safely when Pedro was still ready to shoot him and the thought just frustrated him more.
And on top of this all, Hector LeMans thought that Domino had betrayed him. The truth couldn't have been more different, Domino had never even thought about betraying the man who had given him the chance of taking his afterlife in his own hands.
But that didn't matter anymore.
Hector wasn't a man who was ready to understand failures and now that Pedro had told him his point of view Domino realised that he no longer had a future in Hector's service. He was out of his organization now, a wanted man like the LSA agents.
The thought tasted bitter in his mouth and he would have liked to stop and think it over. What was he going to do now? Even if he found Manny and took care of him Hector would not take him back. And Domino didn't want to crawl in front of everyone -- not even Hector.
He heard a shot behind him and something hit the wall right next to him. It snatched him back to the present and he realised that he would not make it if he didn't concentrate on the passing moment. Fortunately for him, shooting wasn't easy when you had to run at the same time in crowd, so Pedro wouldn't hit him before he got closer.
Domino found himself on a market where people sold everything from fishes to small paintings of Rubacava. He stopped for a while to look around himself and continued then. There were much more people there so it was more difficult to find his way.
On the other hand, when a new shot was fired everyone realised that something was going on and panicked. No one wanted to get sprouted, especially without a reason. Domino decided to use the situation to his advantage and get rid of Pedro, then get Meche and leave this cursed city behind him.
He had no gun, but he was bigger and stronger than Pedro so it shouldn't be too difficult.
There were no people around Pedro because everyone had run as far away from him as possible. It made things more difficult for Domino, but he was still going to try. He wasn't an amateur, after all.
"Where is Domino Hurley? Answer me!" Pedro shouted at the scared people who didn't dare to run away. They thought he might shoot anyone who did something.
"We don't know who he is," a tourist shouted back, but others elbowed him and told him to be quiet. Arguing would just make that maniac angrier. Or that was what some of them thought; some were able to see that Pedro wasn't crazy, just very angry.
And some of them also knew who Domino Hurley was, and this assassin made them wonder what exactly had happened without them knowing it. Maybe they would gain something if they found Domino for Pedro? On the other hand, Domino was very dangerous too and no one really wanted to face him.
Domino watched as Pedro kept an eye on the crowd and tried to see if anyone was trying to slip away. Many tried, but none of them was Domino so Pedro didn't care about that. He turned around.
"Where is he?" he asked no one in general. If he had bothered to think about it he wouldn't have been so loud, but he had always been easier to get angry than Meré. Remembering his old friend made him feel bad again and he really wanted to see Domino falling under flowers.
"You know where he is, don't you?" he asked and attacked a tourist too close to him. The tourist yelped in surprise and tried to back away. He had no success; the crowd wouldn't let him move.
"I... uh..." he started when Pedro caught the collar of his blue suit, and the poor man was about to repeat that he had no idea of who Domino Hurley was. Then his empty eye sockets saw something.
"Well?" Pedro asked not noticing the change in the man or that the crowd was suddenly more interested in something else. In fact, he noticed nothing until someone lifted him in the air and he realised that he was staring at the blue sky.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Pedro asked while struggling to get free, but Domino didn't waste time talking. He was strong, but Pedro wasn't a light man and he had to get this over with before the man learned how to use his gun in the situation.
There was an old well in the middle of the street -- it was more like a decoration than a real well -- and Domino headed for it. The crowd made room for him because everyone wanted to see what was going to happen. No one tried to stop him as he threw the screaming and kicking Pedro in the well. After a while there was a faint splash and then silence.
Domino brushed imaginary dust off his suit and started to walk away as if nothing had happened. No one dared to stop him.
He felt both relieved and worried. He had got rid of one problem, but now he had many new ones. Hector wouldn't trust him anymore and would send more assassins after him once he found out that Pedro had failed.
What should he do?
Domino shook his head to himself and the arrogant smile on his face seemed to fade for a while. He had dark thoughts in his head and then he suddenly realised something.
He didn't have to go back for Meche.
The woman had surprised him by promising to stay in the motel room and this was his chance to leave. He didn't necessarily need her; she was just a woman who wanted to be with him. Not someone he would ever care about.
On the other hand, he was now alone against Hector and his men and Meche was the only one in the Land of the Dead who didn't want to see him fall.
That simple fact felt very important all of sudden and Domino hurried his pace to make it to the woman and back before his sailor would leave with the boat.
He hurried back to the motel and walked past the clerk before she managed to say anything. Domino was not about to pay now nor later, he just wanted to get out and fast.
"Come on, we are leaving," he said to Meche at the door and the woman was immediately with him in the corridor.
"You came for me," she stated as if she had just won some bet or competition or something. She looked happy too and Domino realised that she had had doubts concerning him. The thought disturbed him slightly and he felt like he should have said something.
"Well, sure," he said quieter than usually. Then he turned his back on her and returned to the lobby.
"We'll go to see the market," he said to the woman at the counter. She gave them a suspicious glare, but said nothing. Customer was always right and she didn't want to make this rich looking couple leave.
"Of course. Have fun," she said. Domino and Meche hurried out.
"So you found a boat for us? How did you pay for it?" Meche asked.
"It is sometimes very useful to have worked for Hector LeMans," Domino replied.
"Have worked? Why the past tense?"
"Hmh."
Meche tilted her head in confusion. Something told her that something had happened and made Domino change his plans somehow. She couldn't say if it was good or bad, but at least it seemed to have made him think about something else than returning to Hector LeMans. And that warmed her non-existing heart more than anything else in a while.
They arrived at the docks a few minutes before their boat arrived. They both stared at it.
"That is the best you could find?" Domino asked irritated and looked at the small boat that barely had room for two. The sailor shrugged.
"You wanted a fast one and this is one of the fastest around here," he said and patted the boat with pride. He jumped on the peer and gestured at Domino. "I dare to think that mister LeMans owes me now?" he asked.
"Definitely," Domino muttered darkly before stepping aboard. The boat floated on the waves and he thought that it made fun of him. Meche followed him carefully and took a seat next to him. There really wasn't much room, just for the two of them. It looked like a fast boat though and if they kept going the whole night they would be in Rubacava in about an hour.
---
It was night.
Domino and Meche hadn't stopped even once and both were starting to get tired. They had no room to move or stretch their bones, and both hoped they would be in Rubacava soon.
Meche was tired. She hadn't done anything but sat during the day and her bones ached. She was also troubled by what Domino had done during the day without telling her about it.
"Domino," she started sounding just as tired as she was.
"Yes?" the man replied.
"What happened in Puerto Zapato today?" Meche asked.
"I got a boat and we left," Domino said with a hint of sarcasm. It was obvious that he knew Meche hadn't meant that, but he didn't feel like giving a better answer.
"What else? Something happened while you were gone and it made you give up the idea of returning to Hector. What was it?"
The only sound in the night was the roar of their boat. Stars shone in the sky and the continuous breeze made them shiver.
"I met an old friend of mine. Hector had sent him after me and that is a clear sign of that he doesn't trust me anymore. Because of Manny's little stunt Hector believes me to be a traitor and the best thing that could happen to me is a quick end," Domino replied after a while. Now he sounded tired too.
"I understand," Meche said.
"No you don't! I can never be part of his organization again!" Domino snapped angrily.
"Is that such a bad thing?"
"What is that supposed to mean?"
This time it was Meche's turn not to answer. She felt more and more tired, but she desperately wanted to stay awake now that she had made Domino have a real conversation. She yawned.
"Why did you even join him?" she asked. A long time ago she had realised that there were many things she didn't know about Domino and Manny, and the relationship between them. It bothered her a bit. Both had worked in the same place, their destiny had been the same and they had had the same boss. Why had only Domino joined a criminal organization?
Domino glanced at her in frustration. He saw that Meche was about to fall asleep and he hoped it would happen soon.
"DOD is not a paradise. When Hector made me his offer I could have rejected him and accepted my fate as a slave in the line of Reapers. Only a fool would have done that," he said.
"Manny made a different choice," Meche pointed out and yawned again.
"We had different options," Domino stated. He felt something lean against his shoulder and saw that Meche had finally fallen asleep. The woman leaned against him and had wrapped a hand around his shoulders as if seeking protection from him.
For a while he thought about making her move, but then he decided against him. It felt good to have the woman there.
---
Tires screeched and a scent of burnt rubber floated in the air as the Bone Wagon stopped in the Petrified Forest. The whole place looked deserted and it was the only place where they could leave the car. It would have been stupid to take it to Nuevo Marrow right in front of Hector's eye sockets.
Manny jumped down and looked around. It was years since he had travelled through the forest with Glottis and he was happy to notice the place was still the same. A light that glowed behind the trees told him that Hector had changed Nuevo Marrow into something else, though.
He was pretty sure he didn't like that.
"Let's go and find Salvador," Manny said while helping Carla down.
"Are you sure we can leave the Bone Wagon here? What if someone steals it?" Glottis asked.
"Don't worry; there is no one in here. And you are the only one who can drive it," Manny assured. Glottis seemed to accept that, and the three headed for the old stump that Manny remembered better than well. He believed that it would be their best way of getting in the city.
Carla looked around in interest. She had walked through the forest a long time ago, but had never got past Rubacava. It had bothered her at times, but now she was glad. If she had managed to continue her journey she would have missed all this.
"How do you think we'll find them? This forest is enormous," she stated.
"Trust me. I won't forget the place of that stump even if my life depended on it," Manny said.
"Oh, and is that supposed to make me feel better?" Carla asked.
Faint wind caressed the petrified branches above them and the air smelled dusty. The only thing they could hear was the sound of their own footsteps on the rocky path. If they hadn't been dead -- save for Glottis, of course -- they might have started to see invisible ghosts here and there.
And then they found the tree stump.
"Nice to see you again, old friend," Manny said patting the remnants of what had once been a tree. He was just about to climb up to see if he could open the secret lid when the stump decided to answer him.
"I can't disagree with you, Manuel."
Carla glanced around herself.
"Since when have stumps been able to talk?" she asked in suspicion.
"Since they had the voice of a person I know very well," Manny replied. "I guess you can reveal yourself now, Sal," he said then.
The full moon and the lights of the city gave Salvador Limone's bones an odd glow when the man stepped in their view. He looked exactly like Manny remembered. Maybe a bit more tired, though.
"How long have you been here?" he asked.
"Long enough. I believed you would arrive tonight, Manuel," Salvador said.
"Will you ever believe that you can call me just Manny, not Manuel or agent Calavera?" Manny asked. He knew that Salvador would never get rid of his way of addressing everyone formally, but it was worth a try.
"And this is the woman you have been looking for?" Salvador asked turning to look at Carla and dodging Manny's question.
"She is not Meche, if that is what you mean. But she could very well be the woman I have been looking for," Manny replied.
"I understand," Salvador said and Manny was sure of that if the rebel leader had still had skin he would have been smiling.
"My name is Carla Ferra," Carla cut in.
Salvador nodded and turned to Manny again.
"We have much to talk about, my friend," he said.
"We sure have," Manny admitted.
---
At the same time, not so far away, two other men met each other. They hadn't been separated for as long as Manny and Salvador, and their meeting was much darker.
"Maximino doesn't trust you anymore," Chowchilla Charlie said quietly so that only Nick could hear it. The lawyer just glared at his glass.
The afterlife sure wasn't smiling at him.
"Well, what are you waiting for? Shoot me," he snapped. Charlie chuckled and it made Nick glance at him more carefully. Charlie was a rare one to laugh; he was too dark and cynical to do that very often.
"What?" Nick asked slightly irritated.
"But I believe that you had nothing to do with the little accident. That is why I am ready to... wait a while and see what is going to happen," the con artist said.
"Aren't you loyal to Maximino?"
Charlie sat straight, as if he had just been insulted.
"Of course I am! But I am not his -- or anyone else's -- puppet. I can do thinking of my own and right now I am interested to see on whose side you will stand when Maximino attacks."
"Maximino is about to attack? When?" Nick asked in surprise and slight shock. To think of it, the moment was approaching. Soon they would see who really was the mightiest crime lord in the Land of the Dead.
"Soon. Be careful and consider who you are going to be loyal to, Nick. Hector, Maximino or Salvador? Each option has good points, but they all mean your destruction," Chowchilla Charlie said.
To be continued...
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