-Geoffrey Introduction-
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. It was a common enough occurence, his more paranoid and frequent customers eventually found out where Geoffrey lived, to get access to him whenever they felt the urge to investigate things that go bump in the night. Geoffrey started to get up, shouting "Go away, I just got home, can't a man have some peace?". Alas, he got no peace, the knocking continued. Geoffrey finally went up to the door and threw it open. There standing in front of him was a kid, probably no older than thirteen, but years of hunger and hard work made him look much older.
"Help me, please" the boy said "there has been a murder in the neighborhood, please, help me bring the murderer to justice" Geoffrey sighed This is clearly one of the first murders this kid has seen, he'll learn soon enough that this happens every day. "Sorry, kid, I'm busy" Geoffrey said dismissively "Just go home, I doubt you're on anybody's radar".
The boy stayed there in the door, supplicating to Geoffrey to help him bring the murderer to justice. Eventually, Geoffrey hada had enough. "Shut up, kid! You want justice? wello, here in Core justice is a knife in the back after you stole from the mafia. It's a knee to the gut in a dark alleyway where you never wake up again! You want justice? Go joing the gangs, they've got justice! The police force has nothing on the organized crime! You think that I could possibly make a dent on your issues while I'm focussing on mine? Get your head screwed on straight and then come talk to me! Now go, leave!"
With that Geoffrey slammed the door in the boy's face and flopped onto the tiny little mattress in his one room house.
There was another knock at the door.
Geoffrey flung open the door, grabbed his old, holey jacket and set out to help the boy on the doorstep.
-Jose Introduction-
Kyle rushed back to the rubble-laden section of the wall us-little kids use to escape the "The Orphanage". He barely needed my help anymore, and his hair was growing in-but still, he wasn't strong enough to use the "Big Boy" breach, which is much well hidden from the street.
"Jose! They killed Nana!" he cried, tears streaming down his face. I squeezed my eyes shut. Nana was a nice women who came every once in a while to donate dried meat to the "The Orphanage". She always stayed behind to make sure the bullies didn't steal from the young boys she doted. It was later we found out that the meat was old cats, those who died from her collection, but even then, we loved her for what she shared with us.
My eyes opened again, looking into his tear-stained face, "The Police won't come back for another week" he said. Ah, he knew me better than I thought, "Ask around, see if there is anyone who can help us."
With the bigger boy holding my hands I walked towards the north east dorms, where there was an office with file cabinets. Now, they store the boys of the Red Finger gang. If anyone knows anyone about helpful non-Policemen, the tall redhead Silvester would know. He would boast that this gang or that gang would recruit him soon, but I saw him talking to the Policeman the last time he came, so that is in doubt.
I thought for a moment, then knocked the secret code. A burly guard set to join the Police opened the door, "Ah, is Jose my man" he said, "have anything for Silv? Our last trap got set off by a bird, it tasted good, but we would have preferred to catch el Pantero".
"No, but I would like to ask a favor" I replied, "information only"
The guard turned around, "Hey Jakob, how many info-favors does Jose have?"
A distant opening of a file cabinet and some frantic counting, then: "Six!"
"Come in, Silv will see you soon.
YOU" he pointed at Kyle, "Get back to your pitiful Blue Nose Squad"
Kyle puffed out his chest, whispered, "If you don't get back in two hours, I will ask Harris to come and avenge you" and left.
I walked through the pile of file cabinets. Some of them are tipped over, serving as prisons for those who wronged the Red Fingers- they would place the unfortunate soul inside and place a few cinderblocks on top. Others are opened or closed, packed with rags and the like serving as bunks.
Reaching Silv's desk, he smiled and looked up at me. "What do you need, Jose?" he asked, "And before you say anything, I would commend you on your excellent trap. I want ten more before the Policeman comes back."
I bit my lip. It was rare for Silvester to give me a command, but he must have his reasons. "Yes boss."
"Good, continue"
"I need a respectable person outside of the law, who can help us find a murderor"
"Ah... you mean a Private Eye; Wait, is this outside of the wall?"
I nodded. He flipped through a stack of notes, his countenance darkening.
"I would give it to you if you renounce all your info-favors" he replied. "This information is dangerous in the hands of the wrong people"
I immediately noted the next few words so I can inform Kyle and the Blue Noses "by accident".
"Go up a few blocks to the broken factory, and continue on until you find a sign with an eye on it."
"Thank you." I replied. I bowed and left.
Nana will have justice, I will see to that...
-Joseph Introduction-
“I am so hungry. My mouth is dry, and my stomach is paining. I haven’t eaten for 4 days, and all I have had to drink is water from the drain. My name is Joseph van de Vooten, remember that. Do not forget that. That is your name. Never let go of it. I forgot where I am, all I know is that I am in a slum. All over the place it is written Core, run away from Core, death is better. Wait, what is this. It is a brown book. What on earth, who would have time to read here?”
Joseph vomited, and it was a pale brownish colour. There were bits of rat tails in it. That’s the last thing he ate. Rat - the best thing in Core. Amnesia had been haunting Joseph for 3 months now, and it was getting worse and worse. Along that, he was showing signs of schizophrenia, after killing a man who he thought to be an alien trying to kill him. Joseph was dying, and his past of killing people for money was over. Now he killed people for food. His life has been a living hell. Who knows what is next.
“Hello my friend how was your day”, Joseph said. He looked at the thing, licking his lips. It was small, grey and had a pink tail. It was the size of a rugby ball. “Your small, compared to your friends, you must be a little boy – or are you a girl.” He bent down towards it, and held his ear next to the rats ear. “What’s that, you think you are tasty…that’s odd, I was thinking the same thing! Yay!” He started jumping up and down in rejoice, and singing to himself.
They come in large and small
But all they good all in all
And when they come out to play
I have to put my guns away
Because they are tasty and fresh
Especially their lovely greyish flesh!
The rat started to run away, but Joseph was too fast. The knife went through its head, and the blood splat out. “I like them roar!” Joseph ate the rats, every single bit. This stuff would usually kill a man, but not Joseph. Something happened to him, that gave him an unbelievable immune system. “Ah, that was good” And with that, he picked up the book, and sang his song again. Core was dark, but Joseph seemed very happy. Something unusaul happened to him long ago, but he just can't remember. Although he forgot to read, he kept it. He saw his name. On the old cover it read, Joseph van de Vooten, my diary.
"My name is Joesph van de Vooten, don't forget that. Remember that!"