Rune System: The Crimson Knight

CHAPTER FIVE

“Shit,” Anya cursed.

“Language,” Dominic called out from the kitchen. He rinsed his hands in the sink and toweled them dry, tugging his backpack higher as he prepared to leave. “What’s up?”

“Mom’s having one of those spasm episodes again.”

“Shit,” Dominic muttered instantly. He hurried out of the kitchen and nearly stumbled in the narrow hallway, banging the wooden frame of the doorway with his shoulder as he came to a grinding halt at the entrance of the bedroom.

Anya sat straight in her wheelchair, her hair pegged back in a neat ponytail, as her glassy eyes probed her brother.

“Language,” she reminded him.

Dominic’s gaze flew to the bed before his sister. Partly covered by white sheets, their mother thrashed around with closed eyes, but only slightly. It was still an unsettling sight to behold, so Dominic couldn’t figure out why Anya was so calm.

“It seems like a light episode compared to the others Mom has had,” she explained, as if reading his mind. “I was only worried because she hasn’t had any for some days now. Hopefully, it should wear off soon.”

“But…” Dominic still looked disturbed. “What if it doesn’t? What if it builds up and gets worse?”

“Then…” Anya tugged the hem of her favorite pink sweater as she cast a weary glance at the medication on the bed stand. “Then I might have to give her one of those pills.”

Dominic ruffled his already messy hair. “I know how you feel about ‘over the counter’ pills, Anya, but that’s all we can afford right now. When I get back from work, we’ll take her to the hospital and check out what medication they can recommend. Then we can see how to start her treatment. Yours too, if possible.”

“Since you’re so sure about the amount of money on your paycheck,” she said with an uncharacteristic thumbs-up gesture. “You'd better get going, then. Noon isn’t too far off.”

Dominic nodded, gave his mother one more glimpse, and quickly vanished. As he stepped out to the sidewalk, which was bathed in the morning sunlight, he spotted Croft in a rusted pickup truck on the other side of the street, smoking cigarettes in the passenger seat with one of his sons behind the wheel.

“Remember our agreement, boy,” he said, sneering with glee. “You’ve got no time to waste. Chop, chop.”

“Don’t I already know that,” Dominic muttered under his breath as he signaled at a passing taxi.

Twenty minutes later, he’d left the depressing state of the suburbs and arrived at the heart of the bustling city, an atmosphere that was a testament to wealth and lively development. The cab dropped him off at his third place of work—a massive shopping mall that was currently under intense renovation.

Dominic walked briskly towards the building, which was covered in a beehive of activities, seeking the supervising engineer in charge so he could sign his attendance for the day and grab the necessary gear and tools he needed. He failed to notice one of his colleagues sprinting lightly towards him, and jerked when he finally caught up and grabbed his arm, spinning him around.

“Dominic!” Wayne Falcone huffed as he breathed heavily. He balanced his hands on his knees for a moment as he continued panting, his greasy, straight hair falling over his face. “I’ve been yelling your name, man. Jeez. This is why I need to start doing cardio.”

Dominic squinted at him. “Yeah, clearly. I didn’t hear you, though. I was busy looking for Mr. Lewis. Have you seen him anywhere?”

Using his long fingers, Wayne combed his hair backwards as he stood straight, the thin line on his lips matching the seriousness in his hazel-brown eyes.

“Trust me,” he said, “Mr. Lewis is the last person you need to look for right now. Also… what happened to your face?” he added with a wrinkled brow. “You look like you took quite the beating.”

Dominic stared blankly at him for a second, then he shook his head and continued walking.

“Wait!” Wayne sounded mortified. “Didn’t you hear what I just said? Where the hell are you going?”

“To do exactly what you said I shouldn’t,” Dominic answered without turning around. “The last time I listened to you, it turned out to be a prank that nearly cost me my job.”

“Yes, but…” Wayne jogged ahead of Dominic this time, standing squarely in his path. “This time, if you don’t do exactly as I say, you will lose your job.”

Being the same height, Dominic groaned as his eyes leveled with Wayne’s. “I don’t have time for games, Wayne. Why the hell should I listen to you?”

“Because I came earlier than you did today,” Wayne said, without a hint of gloating in his deep voice. “And when I met Mr. Lewis to sign off my name and grab my gear, I heard him mention your name over the phone. Dominic Heathley, right?”

Dominic frowned. “Yeah, but… why would he call my name?”

Wayne moistened his lips as he moved closer. “I don’t know, man. I could barely hear the other person on the line, but you must’ve done something to piss them off. ‘Cause immediately Lewis got off the phone, he started making calls for a replacement.”

“A replacement?” Dominic croaked. “But that means—”

“That means your services aren’t needed anymore, Heathley.”

Dominic’s blood ran cold as the authoritative voice rang out behind him. He turned slowly, coming face to face with a stout, large-bellied man wearing orange overalls and an oversized helmet.

“Mr. Lewis,” he started shakily. “I was just looking for you.”

“Ditto,” the supervisor remarked plainly. He turned chilly blue eyes to Wayne, who nearly cowered in fear as a result. “I’ll address your eavesdropping crimes later, Falcone. Go wait in my office.”

Like a scolded child, Wayne kept his head down and began trudging towards a temporary shelter on the west end of the site, but not before whispering, “Good luck,” to his colleague.

“Now,” Lewis began, clearing his throat. “As I was saying, your services aren’t needed anymore, Heathley. You’ve been laid off.”

Dominic blinked repeatedly, his brain refusing to digest the words. “I… I don’t understand. Laid off? Did I do something or—?”

“That’s not a question I can respond to,” Lewis snapped, clearly low on patience. “Nor is it something I care about. My job is to ensure the completion of this project, no matter what it takes. So if the ones who hired me want someone off the field, then that person has to leave. It’s that simple.”

“The ones who hired you?” Dominic asked with a puzzled frown. “You mean, your employers fired me?”

Lewis’ scowl was more frightening than the edge in his voice. “I don’t have the time for your brainless questions, Heathley.” He snapped his fingers at two bulky men who were passing with heavy metal beams balanced on their broad shoulders. “Take him away. He’s done here.”

“Wait!” Dominic panicked, realizing how serious the situation had become. “I was supposed to get my paycheck tomorrow. And I was going to plead for an advance today. Please, Mr. Lewis. Please don’t fire me. I really need that money.”

“How greedy,” the supervisor remarked with a disapproving grimace as he walked away. “You’re being dismissed for your incompetence and all you can think about is money you haven’t earned yet.”

“No!” Dominic yelled as the workers picked him up effortlessly. “I worked for that money! I never missed a day, even when sick! I have… please, Mr. Lewis! Please! My family needs that money!”

His desperate screams only drew pitiful glances, and his attempts to fight off the men who carried him proved fruitless as they were far stronger and their vice-like grip held fast. Soon enough, Dominic was thrown to the roadside, with bewildered pedestrians gawking at him.

Dominic sat on the curb for a while, fighting the surge of emotions swelling in his chest.

“Why did this happen?” he asked no one in particular. “Who could’ve wanted me gone?”

With no answer bells ringing in his head, Dominic twisted his wrist and swore at his cracked watch.

“9:42am,” he mumbled. “Shit.”

There was no time to waste, he knew that all too well. In less than three hours, if he didn’t come up with something tangible, his mother and sister would be out on the streets before he returned. What had happened at the renovation site was unfortunate, and frankly confusing, but he had no chance to cry over spilled milk. Every second mattered.

Finally rising to his feet, he checked the money he had left in his worn-out leather wallet and decided he could risk another taxi ride.

“Hopefully, the Grand Palace Hotel treats me better today,” he said.