Chapter 79: 79
“Holy shit! That hit was like the major league! Oh, A few more minutes on the tanker and we’re good to go.” Russel said.
“That’s good. Different league man, different league. Good thing it didn’t do the flying knee that hit Oscar. The aspect that is dangerous from this thing is really its speed. It would be really dangerous if it has gathered momentum and charged straight at us if we didn’t notice it coming. It’s gonna be a pain in tight spaces.” I said.
“It’s very different from the running ones since it is travelling at a much higher speed than them correct?” Tatiana said.
“Pivoting is its weakness though, and look at its feet.” I said as I pointed at her soles.
“Hmm?” The two checked it.
“The constant running has burned through her shoes and the flesh from her feet is mangled. You could almost see the bone if it weren’t for the other stuff that is stuck inside it. We’d need to put a few obstacles on the street in case a few started to run through our fences so that they would slow down or get caught up in it.” I said.
“Will there be a chance that they would get sliced into bits if they collide with the fence running at that speed?” Russel asked.
“No, because of the bones. But a few bits would definitely get thrown inside.” I contemplated.
“So, we need to replace the gate in the future, correct?” Tatiana asked.
“Yeah, though the chain-link fence is good for now, we’ll place a bigger gate when we increase our territory.”
Russel checked the truck once more as Tatiana stood guard below it. I picked off a few dozen on the road with my wakizashi and I came back when they waved at me.
“189… This isn’t much but it’s honest work. More bullets saved, the better.” I said to myself.
“Why are you clearing them one by one? Are you just practicing?” Russel asked.
“Something like that, the less of them there the safer we are. We need to prevent a herd as much as possible.” I replied.
“Oh! Like in ‘The Pacing Unliving’?” he asked.
“Yeah, like that series. The same near the fishing areas where we found the three sprinters. We might need another group outside to start on clearing a few that’s across the street near our compound. The more we dispose of here the lesser the chances of a big one roaming the streets.” I said.
“But it would be cool to fight one of those herds.” he said.
“You little… want me to beat you close to death? You’re not C.Norris for f.u.c.ks sake.” I said as I shook my head.
“Ahahah… just joking…” he trailed weakly.
We then rode home and the ride is uneventful. I contemplated on stopping by the Pineda residence once more but I stopped myself. It’s the same situation with Russel contemplating on going to the convenience store next to the gas station but he stopped himself since there are more important tasks at hand. Daylight is burning and we parked the tanker in the side of the compound.
I checked my watch and it’s a few minutes before 5:00 PM. Allan said that a few of them are at the court playing basketball since we don’t have gun lessons and the rest are just leisurely hanging about. We headed to the court and I saw them playing a 5-on-5 game. A few are watching at the bleachers and I saw Alex dominating with her skills and height. I also saw some of Jay’s group playing while the others are just watching.
“Sky! Come over here!” Kaley said.
I saw her with Daisy and they seem to be talking about something.
“Can you remove your jacket?” Kaley asked.
“Sure…” I said as I removed it.
“That tattoo is a masterpiece. Where did you get it done?” Daisy asked.
“Oh, in Japan. I know an old man there that gave me one, he did it without a pattern too and he used bamboo, it hurts like hell though. You said you were a tattoo artist, right?” I said.
“Yes, I was for five years. Anyway, Kaley was saying that she would like to have a small tattoo, she said that she wanted to have something similar to yours but I haven’t seen it whole.” she said.
“You’re a tattoo artist?! Can I have one as well?!” Russell exclaimed.
“Uh, sure. Have a design ready? Or do you want me to improvise?” she said.
“Oh, Umm, not yet. I’ll get back to you if I thought of one.” Russel said and she nodded. One of the guys playing was out of breath, so Russel subbed for him.
“Back on topic ahaha… so, some sort of a dragon or a serpent then? Would you like it to be holding something? Where would you like it placed and how big do you want it?” Daisy asked a few questions.
Kaley gave me a glance and she seemed undecided.
“Well, just make sure that the one you’re getting is something that you’re prepared to look at for the rest of your life, like me. Once it’s there, it’s there. We have a lot of equipment here but I don’t have the lasers to remove them.” I said.
“Smooth, I want something like yours though…” Kaley said.
“I might not be able to copy that. See how it was made? It may look like it was just inked normally but you could see an intricate pattern if you look closely. The details on the scales and the claws are a sight to behold, the head of the dragon feels like it might just jump out of his arm. The way it was shaded and inked is phenomenal, and it was done without a trace and with bamboo? Damn, that old guy must’ve been in the business for years.” she said earnestly.
“Hmm? He’s not a tattoo artist per say… he’s actually a great…” I said to myself and then I had a thought.
“I remember taking a few dozens of those blackening shampoos from the pharmacy. You could have a temporary one first using those.” I said to Kaley.
“OHHHH!!!” someone shouted from the bleachers. Jo was on the ground while Jared moved forward with a layup.
“Nasty crossover!” someone shouted.
When the ball was cleared, Jo threw a fast break towards Alex in the opposite side of the ring where no one was guarding her but Lois. Lois tried to block her but she was too tall. She could’ve dunked it if she wanted to but she just lays it in the basket.
Rin was keeping the score on the side with Olivia and Zeus while Bing is keeping a healthy distance from Zeus.
“Is he afraid of dogs?” I said to myself.
Their appointed rule is just a race to 22 points where each hoop from whatever distance awards one point. There are no time limits or anything and gentleman’s ruling for fouls.
The game concluded with Jared’s team winning by a point. They wanted to do another game but they noticed me on the side.
“Bro, we finally beat Alex after two tries.” Jared said.
“Oh, so you just tired her up?” I teased.
“We’re going for another round, wanna join?” he said.
“Maybe next time, I’m teaching a CCW class at the gym now. I’ll teach ten people today though a few could watch to gain some insights.” I said.
A few of them gave excited expressions and Rin was one of them. I started to walk with Kaley towards the compound.
“You’ll finally teach me how to use this knife. Why only 10 people though?” She said.
“Yeah, it took a while. I wouldn’t want a few of them stabbing each other before they even learned anything.” I said jokingly.
“What? You’re immediately using bladed tools? Stop lying, do you have those wooden things?” she said.
“Yeah, I have different sized bokkens lying around. This class will be a bit different when we progress though. You might need to wear that body armor when we start to spar.” I said.
“Oh. Right, it’s different from just shooting from a distance, we’d learn to dodge while striking too, right?” she said.
“Yeah, I’ll teach a few movement techniques too while we’re at it. I’ll make it fun for them too.” I said.
“How so?” Tatiana interjected.
“You’ll see. It’s just basic training for now though, sparring will be a few sessions in.” I said while they looked at each other.
The people who decided to join the class was Kaley, Mark, Dong, Jared, Rin, Chris, Jay, Bing, Lois and Alex. We are gathered at the mat in the gym while a few people are sitting in the gym equipment to watch the class. I placed my guns on the armory first and I brought the bokkens from under the rack where I place my katana. I then tied the katana and the wakizashi together to look the part and I feel a bit of nostalgia.
“Sit here first yeah?” I said to them.
“Okay, let’s have a small lecture first. What do you guys think is the most important thing when wielding weapons? Could it be power? Maybe speed? Hmm?” I asked them.