The Bone Collector - The Watch #1- Ch. 15 (Patreon)

Unbeta'd/UneditedGift “Is anybody actually losing in the game?” Payton asked, from his spot on his bed.Everyone shook their heads but nobody looked up from their phones. They had all congregated in Payton and Gift’s room after class to spend the afternoon pretending they were underage teens playing at illegal gambling. It seemed the key to finally figuring out what happened to poor Madison.“I’m actually sitting on five figures in my virtual account right now,” Lennon said. He was lying on the floor with Persephone resting her head on one thigh and Mos using the other.Over the last few days, everyone had settled into each other’s space, blending together nicely. None of them were necessarily friends, but there was a comfortable companionship that had never been there before. People who really never spoke before, now sought each other out in class and in the dining hall. It was interesting to see even the psychopaths achieve a level of comfort with people other than their handlers…or Gift.Diego nodded. “Me too.”Diego was currently sitting on the floor as well, his socked feet propped up on the end of Drake’s mattress, his head on a pillow pilfered from Gift’s bed.“That’s weird, right?” Gift asked absently, staring at his hand. “I don’t even know how to play poker but somehow I haven’t lost a single game. That’s weird, right?”There were sounds of agreement, from around the space.“Has anyone tried to deliberately lose?” Payton asked.“No, but I can try,” Dove volunteered from her usual spot beside Morgan, but I really don’t see the point.Persephone flicked her gaze to the purple haired girl. “Has anyone tried to cash out their winnings?”“I did,” Remi said. “It referred me to some terms and conditions page that says I can only cash out once I’ve played the minimum allotted hours. But it lets me use my winnings to keep betting.”“Almost like it wants you to bet more so you can lose more,” Morgan muttered.“So maybe that’s why someone killed this chic-Madison?” Drake corrected, when Payton gave him a sharp look. “She got involved in some underage betting scandal and  threatened to tell the cops.”Drake sat with his back against the headboard of his bed, Remi sitting between his spread thighs, his back to Drake’s chest. There was nothing overtly sexual about it except that Gift had been in that same position last night…with Park. While he jerked Gift off. Then taken his virginity. He flushed at the thought, then realized Payton watched him. The other boy snorted like he could read Gift’s mind.Luca shook his head. “But why? She was clearly being paid to push this game. So far none of us are losing anything. If someone was going to kill her, wouldn’t it be over money?”“Not necessarily,” Jay said. “If Madison knew she was pushing something illegal and got greedy, maybe they killed her for it. Or maybe she threatened to tell someone about this underground game and they offed her to keep quiet.”“Wasn’t the girl rich? Would she need to blackmail criminals? Besides, is illegal gambling worth killing over?” Mos asked. “Seems like a petty crime,no, especially here in Vegas.”“If there’s one thing I know,” Luca said. “It's that the house always wins. Which means at some point all of us are going to start losing…by a lot. And when that happens, whoever is on the other side of this game is going to make a lot of money off of us.”“What happens if we just stop payment on the funds?” Remi asked. “Like, how can they force us to pay an illegal debt?”Drake patted his head. “Oh, my dear sweet summer child.”Remi smacked his hand away, turning to glare up at him. “I’m serious. Even though the teens playing the game all seem local, are we saying that there’s like someone going around breaking their legs and enforcing the repayments? Wouldn’t some parent have gone to the cops if their kid got the shit beat out of them or were being threatened? Especially someone like Madison. Her parents are rich.”Mos snorted. “You really are naive. It’s adorable. Do you know who runs gambling in Vegas? The mob. Do you know who doesn’t give a fuck how much money you have? The mob. If anything they’ll only go after you harder. They’ll get their money one way or another and they’ll threaten others to do it.”Dove gasped dramatically as if she were in a movie. “Maybe that’s why Madison’s parents stopped cooperating with the police,” she cried. “Maybe the mob was, like, threatening them.”“Okay, that kind of makes sense, I guess,” Morgan said. “But again, why even target teens in the first place? There has to be more than enough adults gambling away their life savings to mob-run casinos. Why not just stick with them?”Luca snorted. “Maybe they’re innovators? Trying a new angle? Maybe their other mob friends have already cornered the market on the legal stuff.”Dove dropped her phone onto the mattress then face-planted into the pillow beneath her with a groan. “This is stupid. Why do we have to solve crimes? This isn’t Blue’s Clues or like…Scooby Doo. Can’t we just get to the fun part? I signed on to kill people. This sucks. I don’t want to play anymore.”“Aw, my poor homicidal baby,” Morgan teased, petting her like a cat. “We’re only first years. They’re not going to ask us to kill like skilled assassins. Some bloated over-confident mob guys sound exactly like people Boone would green light for death.”“It’s so boring,” Dove whined, scrunching up her face in a pout.“Don’t worry, assassin Barbie,” Luca said. “I doubt it’s gonna be your kill anyway.”Dove made a face at him. “Oh, and I suppose you think you’ll get to do the honors?”“Oh, please,” Drake said. “If anyone is getting this kill, it's Payton. He’s Boone’s little fuck-pet.”If Drake was trying to offend Payton, he clearly didn’t know him very well. “He’s my pet, darling. And a very well trained one. But I don’t want the kill.”“And why’s that?” Diego asked.Payton scoffed. “It’s beneath me.”Drake rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right.”“It’s true,” Payton said. “You seem to be forgetting, I am the only one here with an actual body count.”Mos sat up at that, spinning until he faced Payton. “About that…I’ve been dying to know. How exactly did you manage to get into this program when you already failed the requirements before it started?”A secretive little smile played at Payton’s lips but he said nothing.“Did you fuck Boone?” Persephone asked, not sounding like she cared one way or the other. She still hadn’t looked up from her screen. “Like for real? Is that how you did it?”“Trust me. Once I bag that big game, you’ll all know it,” Payton said with a smirk. “I’ll have his dick stuffed and mounted on the wall.” When they all stared at him, he rolled his eyes, then sighed. “I have no idea why they let me in. Probably something to do with my father pulling strings. It usually does.”“Speaking of fucking the instructors,” Morgan said, tone salacious, locking eyes with Gift. “Rumor has it our little Gift gave Park a gift of his own.”Gift’s mouth fell open, his whole body suddenly on fire. “Oh, my God. Shut up.”Drake’s brows made a run for his hairline. “Is it true? Did you finally give it up to your hia?” he asked, tone mocking.“Wait, what? Give what up?” Diego asked, checking back into the conversation.Dove and Payton both gave Drake a flat stare, but it was lost on him.Drake was looking only at Gift. “His virginity.”“You were a virgin? Aren’t you old enough to drink?” Mos said at the same time Luca said, “Did I miss a memo? Is everyone fucking an instructor around here?”Gift’s phone chirped, giving him an excuse to look away from the others. A text from an unknown number.Do you have time for a lesson? Meet me in the gym.Aspen? Honestly, Gift didn’t care who it was. Anything was better than this stupid interrogation. He didn’t hesitate. Sure.“Sorry, gotta go.” He jumped up from his spot. “Needed in the gym.”He hopped over Payton on the mattress, then tripped over Dove’s feet, almost landing in Morgan’s lap before righting himself and reaching the exit.“Come back here, you coward,” Dove called a second before the door fell shut behind him.Once he was in the relative silence of the hallway, he took a moment to collect himself, taking a few deep breaths. Would Park be angry that others knew about them? Gift’s lips quirked upwards. Maybe he’d punish Gift? That sounded promising.He sighed, then made the long trek from the dorms to the gym, dealing with the oppressively hot air blowing in his face. The sun was starting to sink in the sky, painting it pink and orange, but the heat ruined it for Gift. Thailand might be hot, but it wasn’t this dry. Sometimes Gift imagined this is what it was like when clay pots were baked in a kiln.As the gym came into view, a jolt like electricity ran through him. He was both eager to show Aspen what he’d learned and excited to learn something new. For the first time, he was actually excited about weapons training.When he reached the gym, he couldn’t help but notice the silence. There wasn’t a single other student loitering outside. Not that it was unusual. The heat often drove everyone to seek shelter indoors. Everyone but the guards, but their towers were so far away, Gift could barely see them.The leaves on the trees rattled, making a kind of ominous white noise that made Gift feel almost dizzy. Or maybe it was just that the trees even having leaves was strange. The watch had somehow made a spot in the middle of the desert look like any other college campus. Park had explained how they’d used some underground research and DNA splicing to make trees that would normally parish in the heat, thrive instead. It still seemed like witchcraft to Gift. But the whole place was an enigma, really. Why should the trees be any different?He pulled his card from his pocket and swiped the card across the scanner, pulling open the doors when the little light turned green. The hinges groaned like something out of a horror movie, then slammed shut behind him, the echo bouncing off the walls.“Hello?” Gift called, only his own voice answering back.There was no answer. Gift frowned, sticking his hands in the pocket of his hoodie, humming to himself as he waited. When he couldn’t take it anymore, he made his way to the weapons cabinet, happy to see the case unlocked like always. Gift pulled the sai swords free from their cradle, brandishing them with a flourish, spinning them in his hands, then blushing.He looked around to make sure Aspen hadn’t somehow snuck up on him, then began practicing the moves Park had taught him. He could feel how the movement had smoothed out, could feel the easy rhythm that came with the motion of his wrists. He unzipped his hoodie, leaving it open to his black t-shirt below.There was one move he just hadn’t been able to nail down. Pulling the swords from his belt. Well, in this case, his joggers. He slipped each blade inside, letting the curved parts catch on the fabric. It was hardly official but it was good enough to just practice drawing the swords. After three tries, one pulled free smoothly, but the other kept getting caught on the fabric.His stomach soured with every failed attempt, his newfound confidence dwindling. Maybe these swords weren’t for him. Maybe no weapon was. He could feel his mood plummet. “No,” he said out loud. “I’ve got this. Or, I will get this.”He slid the problematic sai sword back into its spot at his hip, not worried about hurting himself with the dulled teaching blade. That’s what it was for. Maybe he could ask Aspen to show him how to pull them without looking like an idiot and knocking them to the floor.If it was Aspen who texted him.Gift pulled his phone free and checked it. There were no more messages. He frowned, setting the one sai sword in his hand back in its cradle to attempt to text Aspen. That’s when he heard the heavy door open and close.He turned to see Aspen striding towards him.“Sorry I’m late, kid. Got caught up talking to Park. He wants me to show you some moves with a different weapon tonight.”Gift frowned. “He does?”Park hadn’t said anything to him.Aspen grinned. “Yeah. he told me how well you were doing and I had an idea about that. I ran it by him and he thought it was a good idea.”“What’s the weapon?”Aspen looked giddy. “You’re going to love it. It’s almost exactly like your lightsaber.”Gift blushed for the second time in thirty minutes. That would never get less embarrassing. “What kind of weapon is like a lightsaber?”Aspen scoffed. “And here I thought you were a Star Wars fan.”Gift’s brows knitted together as he watched Aspen walk back towards the door to a leather case leaning against the bleachers. Had Aspen brought that with him? Had it been there the whole time.“I was a fan when I was twelve,” Gift said,distracted, drifting closer to Aspen. “It’s my mother who didn’t seem to notice I grew up.”Aspen shook his head. “Mothers never do. You’ll be her baby forever.”Gift opened his mouth to respond but ended up sucking in a sharp breath as Aspen pulled a long curved sword from his bag.“Did you know,” Aspen said absently, turning the weapon over in his hand. “That George Lucas modeled the lightsaber after the Katana sword?”“No,” Gift said.“Mm,” Aspen said. “The Samurai warriors inspired much of the Jedi lore. Anyway, I was hoping you’d let me test a theory I had.”The hairs on the back of Gift’s neck stood at attention. “What theory?”Aspen smiled once more. “Catch.”Gift thrust his hand forward, catching the hilt of the sword without thought, heart hammering in his chest as he gaped at Aspen.Aspen laughed. “Don’t worry, it's a training blade. Feel.”Gift hesitated, but then ran a finger over the curved edge, something unknotting within him when he realized it was, in fact, a blunted blade.“Go ahead. Play around with it,” Aspen encouraged. “Use it just like you would that lightsaber you love so much.”Gift had to work not to roll his eyes. He couldn’t shake the feeling Aspen was making fun of him and it left this uneasy feeling oozing over him, making his movements sticky.He did his best to shake it off. He couldn’t afford to make a bad impression on the man who controlled his grade. He gave Aspen one last look, then spun the sword one way, then the other.Aspen wasn’t wrong.The hilt, the blade length, the balance, the weight all felt familiar. Gift grinned at the older man, spinning the blade then giving it a careful flip. When he executed that flawlessly, he tried some of the more difficult tricks he could do with his lightsaber, flipping the sword from one hand to the other behind his back.Aspen took a seat on the first bleacher watching as Gift did trick after trick, engaging in sword fights with an invisible enemy, growing more comfortable with the weapon with each passing moment.“Does it feel good in your hands?” Aspen asked.“Yeah,” Gift said, nodding, still playing around.His motions were a little stiff with the feel of the metal sai sword digging into his hip, but he didn’t want to embarrass himself further by admitting he’d been practicing pulling the swords like some gunfighter in an old Western movie. The urge to ask for Aspen’s help had dwindled with every swipe of the Katana sword in Gift’s hand.“Think you’re ready for a real fight?” Aspen asked, wiggling his brows.Gift frowned. “What?”Aspen returned to the bag beside the bleachers, pulling a second sword free. “I didn’t want to make you nervous by suggesting we spar until I confirmed my theory. And I was right. You’re a natural with a Katana sword. Now I just want you to prove it.”Gift gave a stilted nod. “Uh, yeah. Okay. But…does this count towards my grade? Cause I’d really like to pass this class and move onto my second year. Park will kill me if I don’t.”Aspen’s laugh echoed off the walls of the cavernous space. “I don’t think you need to worry about Park.”Before Gift could process his words, Aspen was swinging the sword in a sweeping motion right at Gift. Gift raised his own blade just in time to block the blow, shoving Aspen back with wide eyes. “I wasn’t ready.”“You have to always be ready,” Aspen countered, attacking again, this time from the other side.Once more, Gift blocked the attack just before the blade made contact with his shoulder. Aspen was aggressive, granting Gift no reprieve. Still, he held his own, letting Aspen walk him backwards as their swords clashed with a metal on metal sound that set Gift’s teeth on edge.They battled again and again. They battled until Gift’s arms grew tired, Aspen relentlessly coming at him, forcing him to shift the sword from his left to his right hand, just to keep his guard up. His muscles burned from fatigue,sweat pouring down his body. He wanted to stop and take off his hoodie but there was no time.Gift looked for a hole in Aspen’s defenses to launch an attack of his own, but there wasn’t time. He could only stay on the defensive with Aspen calling out words of encouragement as he danced him all over the gym. He blinked the sweat from his eyes, not daring to let his guard down for even a moment. He wanted to ask for a break, for water.. Perspiration pooled in the hollow of his throat and slid icily down his spine, dampening his skin until the grip of the Katana grew slippery.Aspen attacked once more, but Gift’s arm muscles seized, only managing to slow the blade, not stop it. he hissed as Aspen’s blade connected with the meat of his cheek, setting fire to his skin.Gift blinked owlishly at Aspen, raising a hand to his face, frowning when he saw the blood on his fingers, felt droplets running down his cheek. Aspen’s expression was …sinister, his smile chilling. “It’s nothing personal, kid.”“What?” he managed.Aspen came at him again, but it was clear this time that he didn’t want Gift fighting back, he hammered away at him, his blade hitting Gift’s again and again making it so he couldn’t get any leverage. He felt the blade slicing at his skin each time Aspen hit his target, Gift only taking minimal damage by using what little strength he had left. But he could only do it for so long. It only took one more blow for Aspen to disarm him.Gift spun away from the older man, hunching in on himself waiting for him to drive the sword through his heart. Would it hurt? Would he die instantly? He flinched when he heard something hit the mat. He didn’t dare look.Maybe it was the rush of adrenaline, or a fight instinct, but Gift became acutely aware of the sai sword still tucked into his waistband. He slid it free, just as Aspen got a handful of Gift’s hair and wrenched his head back painfully. Gift maneuvered the sword so the blade pointed backwards, just like Park taught him.That’s when he felt it. The much smaller serrated blade held to his throat. “I could have killed you with the sword, but I prefer my kills up close and personal. Besides, slitting your throat will make a real mess assuring my employer you’re actually dead. It also has the added bonus of watching your precious hia finding your mangled little body in a pool of  blood. Very cinematic, don’t you think?”“E-Employer?” Gift asked, swaying like he might pass out, stumbling a few steps. Aspen made a noise of disgust, yanking him upright once more. “Who would want to kill me?”Were these the same people who had tried to kill him at school?Aspen grunted, pressing the knife harder against his skin. “I’m not going to give you some big villain speech, while you wait for Park to rescue you. He has no idea you’re even here. Nobody is coming to save you.”Gift didn’t care about Park coming to save him. He was focusing on the math. He wished he’d been better at math, or at least geometry. Had Gift stepped to the side enough to expose Aspen’s heart? At what angle did Gift have to jam the blade back to penetrate the man’s heart. Did he even have the strength? It was only a training blade, just like the Katana sword had been.“Say hi to your bitch mother for me,” Aspen said.Gift tasted metal in his mouth, the blade biting into his neck. He was out of time. He didn’t think. He didn’t hesitate. Just jammed the blade backwards with as much force as he could muster, wrenching his hair from Aspen’s hand.Gift’s arm shuddered as it met resistance, then made a wet sound. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the heavy weight of Aspen’s body fell against him before crumpling to the floor, the knife clattering to the ground to join the two swords. When he heard the thud, he spun on his heel, unsure of what he would find, blinking rapidly as he attempted to process the sight before him.Aspen lay on the ground. Gift had missed his heart, the dull point of the weapon entering a full five inches below. Still, a significant portion of the blade had entered Aspen’s body. Enough for the man to start emitting a strange gurgling sound, blood foaming past his lips. He watched, frozen, as Aspen attempted to paw at the weapon horrified as he managed to grab it and pull it free, tossing it away.That was all he could do. He was too weak to stand, too weak to attack Gift.Gift stumbled away, barely making it three feet before he puked, somehow both hot and cold, his head swimming. Was he going to pass out? He couldn’t afford to pass out. He needed to call someone…to tell someone. He needed to call his mom. He was shaking so badly, It took him three attempts before he managed to slide his hand into his pocket, fingers closing over his phone. He pulled it free, fumbling to unlock it and find help. He pressed the first number on his recent calls.Park answered on the third ring. “Hey, ouen. I won’t be able to make it for dinner, I have a meet-”Gift didn’t even recognize the frantic words as his own voice as he said, “I think I killed someone.”The silence on the other end of the phone seemed to last an eternity, but was likely only a few seconds. “Where are you, baby?”“The gym,” he said. “I think…I think he’s dead.”Gift listened to muffled voices frantically frantically volleying over each other, as he stared at Aspen. He wasn’t dead. Gift could see each wet, panting breath he tried to draw into his lungs as he fought for air.No, Aspen wasn’t dead.But he was dying.Gift would make sure nobody helped him.Say hello to your bitch mother for me.Gift choked on the pained sound that left him as those words sank in. Did that mean…was his mother…had Aspen somehow killed his mother, too? Had someone else? Gift crawled back to the dying man, crouching beside him and yanking the sai sword free.. “Did you hurt my mom? Did you hurt her? Did you?”Gift shook the man, but his head simply lulled on his shoulders with each jarring movement until his glassy gaze met Gift’s, his blue lips parting as if he was speaking. Gift frowned, leaning in to hear his words. But they weren’t words. It sounded like a rattling hiss, but that wasn’t what it was. It was laughter. Aspen was laughing. At Gift. Even as he lay dying.An eerie calm fell over Gift. He watched as his hand reached over and picked up the hunting knife beside Aspen’s body. Something thrilled within him as he saw the older man’s eyes widen in fear. Gift placed the tip of the blade over his heart, making sure he held the man’s gaze as he slowly pressed all his weight against it.Gift felt the blade as it moved through muscle and sinew like melted butter, until the only thing still visible was the hilt. He felt himself twist the blade, then wrench it free, watching as blood welled from the wound, then puddled, before spilling free,  blooming across Aspen’s once crisp white t-shirt like watercolors. He numbly watched the life drain from the other man’s eyes.Just before he was truly gone, Gift leaned in close once more, spitting in the man’s face. “If my mother is dead, I hope you never know a moment’s peace in any lifetime. I hope she finds you and kills you every time.”Only when Aspen lay still did Gift fall backwards, sitting on the cold concrete. He drew his legs to his chest, then set his forehead on his knees, curling in on himself as he waited for Park and the others. He needed to call his mom. He should take his phone out right now and call her…just to know for certain. But fear held him paralyzed. What if she answered? What would he say? I just murdered my attacker and he said you were dead?What if she didn’t answer? What if his father answered and told Gift that his mother really, truly was…he shook his head, tears welling in his eyes and dripping into the fabric of his pants.He didn’t look up again, not even when the gym door slammed open and several voices began to swirl around him, talking over each other. He didn’t even acknowledge them until Park grabbed him by his shoulders and hauled him into a crushing embrace.