DJ in the cottage

Time passed by fairly quickly and DJ was already completing his third day of staying in Malia. The young detective, under the guise of an old man Alberto, reached his lodge after the sun down after he had spent another day full of interest and excitement.

All day that he spent in the hot streets of Malia was worth every second.

The festival season of the town was at the peak of its approach, and multiple villages and their important roles took part in organizing the event of the festival. They worked for it like they would every year, tons of decoration supplies were traded, food stalls reservations were made in advance and the preparation for the entertainment including folk songs and dance piqued every other’s interest.

It was a great culture initiated and celebrated by the Malians.

The forecasted event filled the hearts of Malians with the next level of happiness and joy.

For DJ, the made-up character of a merchant of Tibetan jewellery came with surprising revelations. People, especially women of young age and boys who participated in the dance, circled around Alberto and asked to show them various varieties with happy smiles and laughs.

DJ’s heart melted at that.

The unintended business was going perfectly, enhancing as the boy travelled from village to village with a bunch of tinkling trinkets and shiny ornaments that felt beautiful and satisfying to the eye. He even took a chance to procure some valuable items that he could sell in future for a better price when he would leave Malia.

That is if he would.

Being in good spirits and invested in his appeasing thoughts, Jerry entered the lodge where he had been staying with a chime of the welcome bell. He bowed his head curtly in showcasing his greetings when the reception boy looked from his register.

After exchanging an awkward smile, Alberto, with a full-fledged act of being a busy businessman, marched towards the lobby from where he could reach his rented room. He was busy in planning his next day and the places he would be visiting as a foreigner when a loud booming voice of a man, maybe an angry man, was heard at his back. Loud and clear.

“has any boy, young fair and nerdy, visited here to stay for a day or two? A detective to be exact” A seemingly six feet and few inches’ tall man filled the reception area with his huge build, he stabbed a sharp knife in the middle of the open register on the counter, creating a tiny slice, while he asked about the detective making the hair on DJ nape to stand in alarm.

Was he really asking for him?

Jerry was well aware of the fact that someone was coming for him to find him and then kill him mercilessly. The unknown caller, whom the boy hasn’t had any contact with since his arrival, was right when he said that his life was in danger and he was being chased only to be killed.

The disguise of an old man, that he has adopted, was exactly the reason to prevent that apparent attack. Jerry was thankful to the powers above and of course to that caller for suggesting such a thing, when he first witnessed a man, who had asked for a young boy, at the reception of an inn he had stayed in earlier.

It seemed a similar scenario now, the only problem was that the man at the reception sounded way gruffer and irritated in comparison to the other whom Jerry had seen at the previous resting house.

He sounded mad for some reason and Jerry promised himself to just peek and get a little glimpse of that man who is, in reality, asking for him without really knowing about him.

Slowly, he turned around to look at the man who was ill-disciplined in his tone and rude in his character only to get a shock of his miserable life. The six-foot-tall man who spoke earlier wasn’t alone. He was with three more men around his age and almost the same height with strange-looking daggers in their hands.

They all looked somewhat pissed and dark with their appearances similar to an assassin who is also a thug living on the streets.

DJ looked them up and down and with a gasp under his moustache, with wide-blown eyes he discovered those men were the same ones who had paid him a visit at his office the day he flew to Malia.

“no sir, there isn’t any boy staying here………only a couple with two kids, a group of friends and an old merchant of jewellery” the receptionist delivered with a shaky voice and tense posture. Although, Malia was a notorious place known for cons and whatnot still it was scary as hell to be approached like that. It’s not every day that a group of ill-intended people come in, with weapons that deadly and ask about someone that probably won’t survive if exposed to them.

“fuck!!!!....” the man spat disgustingly, spittle flying across the marble desk and landing softly against the register boy, the boy trembling at his place.

“He is not fucking here!!……….that bastard is going to eat my brain when he will call” he grumbled agitated and spun around only for his eyes to fall over the shunned statue of Alberto, standing still in the lobby and watching those men with a white face, as if he has seen a ghost.

“WHAT?!!!!!” he yelled at the old man and Alberto felt his body trembling as his bladder shook in alarm. He had to pee very badly when he first entered the lodge but then his curiosity and fear got the best of him, making him stand there and watch the commotion like a passer-by who was interested in the matter that didn’t relate to him.

When he didn’t move, the mannerless man took a step towards his direction as a warning, it proved to be enough when Jerry pivoted on his heels and scurried away to his room with an old man-like walk.

As soon as he closed the door with a thud, the boy rested his sweaty back against the door and slid down resting his butt on the ground. He sighed loudly, paranoia surged through his bones and the boy desperately wished for relief.

The unknown caller had always advised him to remain calm and measure his emotions whenever he felt overwhelmed by any situation he couldn’t handle; it was the only way he could work things out anyway.

After counting one to a hundred in his totally depressed mind, Jerry was way calmer than before. Feeling better, he jumped up to his feet and quickly started to undress himself. The clothes he wore were drenched in sweat until his underwear, and body sticky and smelly.

The boy decided to take a cold shower right away at that moment.

Just as he was rushing to get the new set of clothes for himself, a phone ring resounded in a small room of the inn. Jerry cursed under his breath and rushed to get the phone with the intention of switching it off for a while.

But to his utter surprise, the title ‘private number’ showed up on the blaring screen. DJ huffed in irritation and then picked up the call, resting the device against his ear.

“H-he-hello” he muttered. The other side breathed in loudly as if he was relieved to know that DJ was alive.

“oh thank god you are alive, I thought something might have happened to you” DJ rolled his eyes at the concern that man was faking, in his opinion.

Why send him here if he knew that it was dangerous?

“Y-yeah…...th-thank G-God be-becau-se y-you ne-never lef-left a ch-chan-ce to fo-force me- me to-towards my-my de-deat-th” the boy grumbled in displeasure and felt the man smiling on the other side.

“I have news for you little boy……. you will be out of this once you reach Yael and rescue him out of that cage” the man delivered and DJ rolled his eyes again just for the necessary spice to the conversation.

“Now listen carefully sweet boy…….it’s important” the unknown caller started. DJ paced in his room from left to right as he scribbled some notes on his tiny book and he rested his phone pressed between his shoulder and ear. As the minutes passed, the boy was almost on the verge of crying.

The man on the call was explaining a location where Jerry had to go the next day or more precisely where Yael was kept abducted. The said location wasn’t anything unique or something like that but it surely had some bad reviews.

Chevy was the reason for that.

During his time in Malia, Jerry took the liberty of learning about the new town he had visited for the first time. He was recommended many places that were popular with Malians. The people around those villages were kind and friendly but Jerry knew better not to get deceived with their approachable façade.

The boy worked his way through different destinations and found many pleasurable spots to rest for an hour or two with swift warm wind in the summer season which brought many other scents of blooming flowers, wet ground after rain and the lake at the far end of the town. Where it was good to see such beautiful sceneries, the town also had an area of sorts where locals weren’t allowed.

The badass area was under the supervision of the notorious leader Chevy. The man was a nuisance to society, to say the least, his reputation of being the cruellest of all and merciless in whatever he deems necessary was the focal point not to cross the invisible red line leading to the land he ruled with his loyal dogs.

That was one dangerous man, people have said.

The call was still going on and DJ was now sweating buckets out of nervousness. Goosebumps formed on his skin as he stood in his place and listened to the other ranting all the necessary details. It was worthless to concentrate anyway since it didn’t matter if he was cautious or not, those people were going to kill him.

 The other side was finally silent while DJ contemplated on how he could refuse this mind-wrecking task.

“Don’t try to refuse this little boy. Whether you find Yael or not, they are going to kill you. Only Yael can save you” DJ felt exposed when the man placed his thoughts right in front of him.

“I-I w-was-asn’t……” the detective tried to save his ass miserably but it didn’t work. The caller was now laughing amusedly.

“I will call you once you are there. Be prepared and be careful, those people are dangerous” the man advised making the younger huff in annoyance.

As if he didn’t know that already.

The call was finally over leaving an uncomfortable DJ standing in the middle of the room with one hand holding a small notepad with a dangling pen and the other holding his phone.

Tossing aside both objects sluggishly, he turned around facing a full body mirror in front of him only to shriek loudly and then rushing inside the bathroom. Realizing that he was standing there, in the middle of the room, while listening to the man who has cooked him a recipe of utter disaster with his life at risk………..All butt naked…………made him blush madly as he stumbled to close the door behind him.

………………..

The room, more like a human size cage, was quite like the usual. A foul smell of dampening walls and disgusting moulds on them created a suffocated environment inside the cage, the fat bars of that iron door rusty yet firm enough not to be bent.

He stared at the ceiling aimlessly, his sensitive nose and ear twitching at the stale stench and loud voices of guards, clouding his senses. Looking down at his ruined old clothes and dishevelled state, the man grimaced in distaste as he turned his face away.

He was getting used to it now.

Chevy, alongside his guards, was especially rowdy tonight. They were laughing and cursing obnoxiously at each other as they sang strange melodies outside the cottage. Maybe some folk tunes that he hadn’t heard in his life. He had heard of the festival coming, from some gossip those guards were having one day, and wondered what would it be like the festival.

Contrary to the outside, the dungeon was quite like it had been for the past five months. He was served his dinner, a disgusting bowl of porridge, and was left alone for the night.

For someone who used to rule the most feared empire of time and was destined to take it beyond new heights, the cowardly abduction felt worse than death.

Yael Doukas missed his old life, the life where he worked for days to attain something he desired, the days he used to go on adventures with his fellows and acquaintances and the days he ruled Pyro like no other can, not his father either.

He had everything, he believed he had and he was arrogant.

As the lord of the Pyro, he had a fair share of enemies who could be behind his misery. Thinking about it tightened his gut in rage. He wasn’t afraid of death, he wasn’t. The only thing he regretted was that he probably would be dying without a chance of revenge.

Oh, what he wouldn’t do to get his hands on that faceless bastard.

As time ticked away, Yael found himself against the lonely chair in the room. The guards were still singing and were most likely drunk by now. Lord Yael rested his head against the headrest of the creaky wooden structure and closed his eyes.

Just then a small thud came out of nowhere.

Yael opened his eyes lazily and gazed around to look for the source. He couldn’t see anything since it was dark in the hallway where his cell was located. Shrugging in his mind, he closed his eyes again.

 ‘A rat maybe’ he thought       

Barely a minute passed and Yael was once again looking into the dark. This time a crunching noise, as if someone was walking on broken concrete with heavy boots, was heard. No guards will walk this cautious and slow, Yael knew that.

He jumped up from his chair without noise and sneaked towards the corner of the cell to look outside but without being seen.

It was dark in the hallway of the small cottage but still, he could make a small hunched figure lurking in the shadows and was slowly closing the distance.

He waited until that figure started to form a more logical appearance.

A small old man, ducked down every other second as he slowly walked towards the cell. Yael was confused yet a little hopeful, he looked around for any other human before he clenched his jaw and roared quietly.

“Who is there?” he asked with a dominating tone. The small figure stopped dead in its tracks, locking eyes on the question asked from a hidden spot, as his heavy breathing settled against the quiet of the cottage.

But then Yael heard the softest, most honey-like trembling voice he could ever imagine in a long time period of his stupid abduction. He was sure he hadn’t heard such a melodious sound coming from a human he had encountered in his life.  

“L-Lord”……

………

Hello people.

The chapter ends here.

Sorry for the wait and thank you for your reads.

See you soon hopefully…..until then.

Sayonara~~~~~~

Donald Duck.