The girl's body was heavier than it looked, and he dared not unmask his exhaustion—not here, not now. His muscles and small back screamed from tugging at the limp body with the glossy ginger hair.
"A shame," The boy thought, a frown settling on his small lips turned into a scowl because of the sudden emotional flicker.
With a final pull, he dropped the body. Its head slapped against the concrete with a dull thunk. He sighed, finally at his destination: an alley filled with rodents and dark as midnight and street lights killed.
"Hello?" he called out ."Hello?" The boy asserted, determined to eliminate any hint of strain, fear, or exertion from his voice. He successfully banished two out of the three. "I've got her," he declared, his voice unwavering. The boy was well aware that the outcome depended on chance. "Hello?" he called out again.
It echoed in the alley, lingering like smoke. A street light came alive, haphazardly blinking on top of the boy. He looked up and met the unexpected brightness of light; he quickly covered his eyes, and he looked down to meet with a ball of black liquid floating just inches away from his face, dropping its ooze of pitch black on the tips of ginger hair.
He jumped, startled by the sudden encounter, and his heart kick-started into a fast run, adrenaline rushing to his veins as all his instincts tore at him to run. He settled, disciplining his heart to a slower pace, and made sure it would not get any more reaction out of him; the boy schooled his face, leaving no trace of the shock and terror he felt mere seconds ago. He looked down and winced at the ginger and black intertwining; he toed the hair away from the target line.
"Small Child," It said, the black liquid vibrating with each word, dropping some of its ooze. The form was clearly unstable—flickering, barely holding together. Any moment from now, it could pop, splattering all over his face. It was growing weak, and if he took this murky shape as small as a tennis ball, he was losing power fast." She smells delicious," the ball said, punctuating its words with a wet, lip-licking sound.
A wave of disgust ran through the boy. He had yet to figure out the motives for the girl - unconscious on the ball and very hard to transport- but it was nothing far from hideous and grotesque. He shuddered faintly.
"A brave one you are," The ball rotated around him, dripping every word with lazy contempt. "Oh, so very brave."
"Will they finally leave me alone?" The boy asked, rewarded by a laugh fueled by cruelty that made his heart still for a beat but no longer than that.
"And Selfish," The ball spat with delight and malice."Brave and Selfish, a tornado of destruction that has made great men fall."
"We had a deal, "The boy said firmly, kicking the body by the side to emphasize his point, which also was rewarded with a maniacal cackle.
"Which shall be acknowledged," The ball stated matter-of-factly.
"When?" The boy asked with utmost seriousness. The boy imagined, uneasily, that if it had a face, it would be smiling slowly and wide, showing the glow of the pearly white teeth.
"When the time is right, "The ball purred, manic glee lacing its words, and it occurred to the boy he had made a fatal mistake one could never reverse. His eyes grew wide with astonishment.
"We had a deal." The boy choked out each word with emphasis even though he knew the words held no power; he had lost.
"Specifications are key," the ball purred in a sing-song manner.
"You tricked me!"The boy shouted, shaking all over with rage. He knew it sounded childish and showed weakness; how could not he? He felt wronged. He did all this only to take a not-so-sure future. He felt furious at the deceit and the world for putting him in this situation and not caring, but most of his fury channeled towards himself for being foolish. Rage coiled in his chest. This wasn't fair—none of it. The fury at the creature, the world, and himself threatened to spill over. Hot tears filled the brim of his eyes, but as much as he tried to bat it away, it only bounced back worse. His face remained neutral, even with tears threatening to fall and face the color of ripe tomatoes because of the unrestrained fury; he could not give up. Not now, not with everything at stake, then it flashed through him.
" Let's make a deal, "The boy said, his face drawn into something that screamed he would not take no as an answer; that would not matter to it.
A pause. The silence was a cold punishment that bit the boy with ferocity. Seconds felt like hours; it knew that.
"I'm listening," The ball purred with unrestrained amusement.