The Sky is Endless Read online

  As Sain got closer, a sound of shuffling came from the darkened doorway and a person appeared. The person didn’t seem to notice Sain at first as they had their gaze pointed down at a clipboard in their hands. The person was heading straight for Sain though, on a line for collision.

  Sain made an indignant sound and actually sidestepped so as not to be bowled over, causing the person to look up startled. Seeing the man’s face, Sain recognized the person and looked at the man in annoyance.

  "Seriously Peter. Don't you ever watch were you are going" Sain snapped at the man who stepped backwards, an expression of shock on his face.

  "Oh ah, Sain. Well, been a while. Couple of months yeah. Man, you are growing. Getting bigger since I last saw you" Peter replied, looking Sain up and down who couldn’t help but puff his chest out somewhat as the compliment went straight to his head.

  "What’s with the bruises and blood though? Looks like you took a brick to the face" Peter stated, instantly bringing Sain down from his high horse and causing him to scowl.

  "Nothing much Pete. Just had a run in with Jalel and his troop" Sain stated with a hint of anger to his voice.

  "Well shit. Don't be trying to talk to the boss about it then. The man's, sort of busy right now" Peter said with a slight pause as he lifted his hand and thumbed over his shoulder.

  "Hard Hat business" Peter added with a shrug followed by a sigh.

  "Look, I got to go. Don't want to get my ass kicked again today ok" Peter said not giving Sain a chance to speak before heading off towards one of the factories in the distance.

  Sain just turned and watched the man walk off, finally looking him over. Peter was a good man by all accounts and had simply fallen in with the wrong crowd as he tried to support a growing family. The guy was wearing high visibility clothes and a hard hat, the calling cards of a particularly affluent gang, the Hard Hats. They ran extortion on a multitude of construction sites usually for protection fee's and such. And Sain was about to walk right into their Headquarters without a care in the world.

  The youth moved into the building, pushing the slightly ajar door out of the way and stepped into the stairwell beyond. The stairs went straight up, towards the second floor where the Radio production room was. The place wasn’t even used for radio broadcasts anymore, but instead as an office for the gang.

  As Sain walked up the stairs, he became aware of muffled screams and the occasional sound of a heavy object slamming into flesh. He grimaced, remembering Peter's words about the gang boss being busy. Sain climbed up the remainder of the stairs onto a landing and came face to face with a large burly man sitting on a stool outside the only door in the space. The man looked straight at Sain, up and down like a butcher might inspect an animal due for slaughter.

  "What’s your business kid? Boss is busy" came the query from the man who no doubt thought he was here for work or something.

  "Is Hec here?" Sain asked, inquiring as to the name of one of his friends.

  At the mention of that name, the man seemed to relax and leant back against the wall next to the door.

  "Yeah, he is. Go on in kid. Just don't bother the boss. He is in a foul fucking mood right now" the guy stated. With a small nod, Sain moved past the man and pushed the door open, coming into a gloomy room.

  The place was poorly lit and filled with smoke from cigarettes and cigars. He scrunched up his nose and cast his gaze around, noticing many people slouching in couches with glasses of alcohol whilst they watched the spectacle unfolding in the middle of the room.

  Sain stood silently and focused on the scene as well.

  The gang’s boss, Richard was standing over a tied up man who had a rag stuffed into his mouth to keep him silent. Richard was a big man by most standards, bald as an egg and covered in rippling muscles. He wore a yellow high visibility singlet, a pair of simple jeans and work boots.

  But what drew Sain’s attention more than anything else was the amount of tattoos that adorned the man’s arms and neck. There were serpents, skulls, roses and heaps of other images Sain could not identify.

  Sain stopped looking the man over though, as Richard lifted his right hand and slammed down a metal pipe held within it. The pipe cracked into the tied up man’s legs, causing a sickening crunch to sound and a muffled scream to rip forth from the man.

  "YOU THINK YOU CAN FUCKING CHEAT ME CUNT" Richard roared, causing Sain to actually flinch and step back a little unconsciously.

  "WELL YOU FUCKING CAN'T" Richard practically screamed as he beat the man’s legs again and again, this time using both hands on the pipe for added force. Sain blanched as he looked at Richard’s victim, who was still trying to scream through his gag. His legs were bent in unnatural ways and Sain swore he could see the glint of blood on the floor in the rooms gloomy light.

  Sain stood frozen, watching in a mixture of horror and fascination for a bit, before he felt the sleeve of his shirt being tugged on from his right side. He blinked and turned to face the person tugging on his arm and found himself face to face with Hec. The youth was only a year or two older than Sain, and thin as a whip. Hec motioned for Sain to follow and he did so without a word.

  The duo stepped into a side room and Hec closed the door behind them, instantly cutting off the sounds of the beating going on behind them. Sain looked around them, and saw the room was essentially a gambling den. There was a small table in the center of the room, covered with cards and piles of gambling chips, all slotted between empty and half empty glasses of liquor.

  "The guy out there was charging more protection fee's then needed, and was fleecing the profits from the boss. Sort of had it coming" Hec stated as he moved to flop down into one of the stained and dirty couches within the room, gesturing for Sain to sit opposite.

  "What brings you here Sain?" Hec asked, his eyes flicking over Sain’s disheveled state.

  "Not much Hec. Got the day off from the factory, and was in the area" Sain stated as he sat down and crinkled his nose at the smell of the place.

  "I am not stupid Sain. Anyone can tell you had a run in with someone or you have a hobby or falling down stairs" Hec stated as he lifted a hand to tap his temple, the opposite of Sain’s injured side. Sain just sighed and closed his eyes a bit before speaking.

  "Had a run in with Jalel and his mob. Got the shit kicked out of me. Literally" he stated and patted his ribs, wincing a little as pain jolted through him. He either had some cracked ribs or a hell of a bruise.

  "Well, that’s pretty shit. You know the Hard Hats can't get involved with Blue Fang business right. We have agreements and the Mafia has forbidden the smaller gangs to fight anyway" Hec stated as he leant forward.

  "Sucks man I know, but after the blood spilt a year ago, that’s the rules" Hec added as he looked over Sain with sadness in his eyes.

  "Hey hey hey. I didn’t come here for that man. Just wanted to chill and get cleaned up. Didn’t want to go home looking like I got kissed by a dump truck" Sain stated, a little annoyed. Hec chuckled a little bit and lifted a hand to pinch his nose as he sniffled a little.

  "Well that's fine then man. I can clean you up easy. It's what I do for the hats anyway. Wait here and I’ll get my kit" Hec said as he stood up and left the room to go searching for his medical supplies. Sain just closed his eyes and fell into the couch. It may have smelt like shit, but the thing was comfy as fuck.

  A few minutes went by before Hec returned with a first aid kit and shuffled over to Sain.

  "Alrighty, let’s see what we got. Take off your shirt man" Hec demanded as he flipped open his kit and started rummaging through the stuff.

  Sain did as he was told and pulled the shirt off, wincing slightly as his injuries protested from the movement. Dumping it on the couch he looked at his ribs to see a mighty red lump and he winced again. Hec just let out a low whistle as he pulled a few things from his kit.

  "Looks like you got your ass kicked alright. I don’t think anything’s busted. Just need to ice it" Hec stated as he looked ove
r the angry red lump and gently prodded around it, causing Sain to hiss in protest.

  "No real damage outside of that area. Definitely ice it when you get home man" he stated as he turned his attention to the injury on Sain’s head. He started patting an alcohol swab against Sain’s temple, causing the youth to hiss in pain yet again.

  "Oh get over it" Hec muttered as he set about cleaning the wound causing Sain to snort in annoyance.

  "So, Hec, you still studying at the hospital" Sain asked the youth through somewhat of a clenched jaw.

  "Yeah. Just weekends though. Richard won't let me leave here weekdays. Something about needing to patch up the boys" Hec answered as he peeled a band aid and placed it over Sain’s temple.

  "That should do it. You ain’t going to die and the rest are just bumps and bruises man. Just go home, ice them and rest ok. That’s an order" Hec stated as he straightened up and stepped away from Sain as he peeled off some gloves and dumped them on the gambling table.

  "You know, you could always join the gang right. Wouldn’t have to worry about getting your ass beat by Jalel anymore" Hec stated, a frown on his face.

  "Yeah nah" Sain replied as he stood up and picked up his shirt, pulling it over his head and down his torso.

  "Would break Da's heart if I did. Especially after all that shit a year ago. Doesn't matter if stuff is a little better these days" Sain added as he straightened his posture, wincing.

  Hec just sighed and shook his head as he started packing up his stuff.

  "Fair enough man. Well look, I think you had better shoot off then. Boss might crack the shits if he sees you whilst in one of his moods. And I reckon he will be finished with our dick head friend out there pretty soon anyway" Hec said, a frown on his face.

  "Yeah, I think it would be smart for me to scoot. Look, thanks for patching me up, even if it wasn’t much" Sain stated, smiling weakly as he held out an enclosed fist and received a fist bump for it.

  "No worries man. I'd say anytime, but even I get sick of seeing your ugly face all the time" Hec stated, a sly grin on his face. Sain just laughed and slapped the guy on the arm before moving to exit the room. Stepping into the main room, he flitted his gaze around, noticing that Richard was now sitting down on a couch, with a hand up the shirt of a woman sitting on his knee. Sain went near beet root in the face as he realized what was going on and he quickly made his way to the exit, ignoring the whimpers from the tied up man on the floor, who seemed to be getting dragged away by two other blokes.

  Sain exited the room quickly and hurried past the door guard and down the stairs. Before long he was back in the street, the foul stench of the place at home in his nostrils.

  He shook his head and looked up at the sky, noting the sun was heavy to the west. It was approaching evening. Sain turned away from the building and started on his way home, his stomach growling as hunger set in.

  Setting a brisk pace, he passed through a number of streets and came out on the main road that ran between the districts. There were a number of shops and a dozen or so people in sight, no doubt on their way to work for afternoon shifts. Sain didn’t pay them much heed and instead meandered down the street, the block of units he called home coming into sight on the corner. When he arrived, he pushed open the gate on the corner that led to small yard shared by the units and ignoring the stuffed mailboxes, made his way to the buildings foyer.

  Producing a set of keys, he unlocked the door and made his way inside, quickly vaulting up the stairwell to the second floor. He came to the third door on the right and unlocked that, stepping into the small unit that he and his father shared.

  The place was pitch dark and Sain guessed his father was out at work still, pulling one of his many overtime shifts. Flicking on the light switch, he cast his gaze around the unit. There was a small shared dining and lounge room, an old mustard yellow couch pushed up against the left wall and an even older television set placed opposite it.

  Not really wanting to dwell much on the meagerness of the place, Sain made a beeline for the fridge and opened it, looking for anything edible. There was a slab of cheese and a near empty jar of pickles. Taking them both, he surmised that would do him for now.

  Closing the fridge, he opened the freezer and pulled out a pack of frozen pea's figuring that would make as good an ice pack as any.

  He turned away then, and munching on his slab of cheese, he headed into his room to get some rest and just relax so as to nurse his bumps and bruises.

  Chapter 2

  * * *

  Sain blinked sleepily as he looked into the dirty mirror situated in his apartment’s bathroom. It was covered in grime and distorted his reflection. From what he could see of himself, the injuries to his face had settled, leaving a small bruise on his head where he had kissed the pavement the day before. Letting out a deep yawn, he pulled his gaze away from the mirror and instead down to the sink that was currently littered with hair shavings. Or more likely beard trimmings. Sain guessed his old man had been running late this morning and had not had time to clean up after himself.

  With a sigh, Sain ran the sink, and scooped water around the basin, washing the hair down the drain. He turned off the tap once done and turned away, yawning once more, this time a hand going to cover his mouth. Stepping out of the bathroom he made his way to the couch in the living room, and scooped up his backpack, a dark green color and rather small. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, Sain exited his apartment, pulling the door shut and hearing the deadlock lock into place.

  Then he sluggishly made his way out of the block of apartments, the morning sun hitting him square in the face and eliciting a pained groan from him as he lifted his hands to shield his eyes from the glare. Muttering to himself, Sain left the apartment block behind and started meandering down the street, coming into step with a number of other people as they made their way to work for the day. Just like him.

  Sain simply walked in silence not really thinking about anything. He had not slept well due to the aches throughout his body, and really didn’t want to go to work today. But the bills didn’t pay themselves as his dad repeatedly told him. Before long, Sain came to an intersection, and looked up, seeing the road starting to rise uphill. He cast his gaze to the buildings either side of him as he came to a stop on the corner, with a half dozen other people, all waiting patiently for the pedestrian crossing sign to light up. It was still early, and the roads were relatively empty of vehicles. That was no surprise though, as the majority of people living in the area were too poor to afford a car. As a large truck lumbered past, the pedestrian walkway lit up and the group of people that was waiting started across the road, Sain among them. His eyes turned upwards, looking to the hill he started to climb, the rows of dirty buildings flanking the road showing that he was in the industrial district.

  It didn’t take long for Sain to start huffing from the steep climb and he felt himself warming up from the exertion. And then there was the morning sun heavy on his back. Thankfully, Sain reached the top of the hill, now the only person from his group actually there. No surprise considering the building sitting before him at the head of a T intersection. He stood on the left arm of the T, staring across the road at a dirty brick wall that extended in both directions for a good five hundred meters. There was a solid metal gate left slightly ajar as the main entrance and an old stained and rusted sign poorly attached to one of the gates metal bars. The sign read Hart and Sedious Industries, and was his workplace. It was a factory and not exactly the nicest place to work at.

  Sain sighed and stood up completely, straightening his posture and grimacing as he stretched his bruised and battered frame. He gave a final look up, seeing the factory towers inside the complex, puffing their billows of black smoke into the smog rich sky of the city. Shrugging his shoulders Sain finally crossed the street and approached the iron gate flanked by tall brick walls. The gate hung open, swaying in a gentle wind and letting out a soft creak on hinges that obviously could use a bit of oil.

  Sai
n stepped around and past the gate, letting it continue to sway before he moved further inside and looked about, his eyes flicking about has he searched for the security guard that was supposed be watching the place and stopping unwanted guests from entering. He snorted and just kept going, not having a high opinion of the lazy guards that worked here anyway. He would be surprised if they even turned up for work. And if they did, the guard would probably end up sleeping somewhere.

  Walking down the main thoroughfare of the complex, Sain veered off towards a two story building that had no signage. It was a poor excuse of a building really, with a dirty brick base, and a wooden upper level extension. But that was where he was supposed to go anyway to work, even if his master wasn't likely to notice him. He pushed open the door to the lower ground, coming into a dirty kitchen and lounge area. The place smelt dank and uncared for, and the floor was littered with rat shit. Sain covered his mouth and moved on, aiming for a rickety staircase placed against the right wall. He slowly plodded up one step at a time, each bending and creaking dangerously, convincing him the whole thing could come crashing down any moment. Reaching the second floor, he sighed, realizing how tense he actually was.

  He stood on the landing and lifted a hand to rub at his eyes, and exhaled long as he forced his posture to relax. He seemed more tired than he should have been for a spritely fourteen year old, no doubt due to the beating he had taken yesterday. Turning to look at a door immediately to his left, he squared his shoulders and with a nod to himself, raised a hand and knocked before pushing the door open and shuffling inside.