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"You alright, Mr. Mage?"
I blinked heavily and opened my eyes to see Sherbert standing over me, waving his hand in front of my face. I groaned and a goofy smile spread across his grubby face. "Oh, you're alive! Wonderful!”
He helped me back into a sitting position before retreating across the room and sitting down on his haunches, drawing his knees to his chest.
"I thought you was dead," he said.
I groaned. I really wanted to pull off this damn balaclava, it felt like it was smothering me, but revealing my secret identity to a homeless man I just met wasn't the smartest choice. So instead, I pulled it up just enough to expose my mouth so I could breathe.
"I wish I was," I muttered to him.
Sherbert gave another one of his honking laughs.
"So, what happened?" Sherbert asked. "Did you get shot?”
"I think so," I replied and Sherbert's eyes grew wide.
"Proper bad, that," he said. "Fellas walking around the Estates with guns, it's no good business. Doesn't surprise me. Stabber has always been a nasty piece of work.”
I looked at him.
"Stabber?" I repeated.
"Yeah, that fella who you chased into the alleyways goes by Stabber. He's been selling gear on the Mulberry since he was just a kid. He's always been a nasty little sod.”
“Stabber? I guess they're gonna have to start calling him Shooter now," I said and Sherbert laughed like it was the funniest thing he'd ever heard.
"It's proper brave what you're doing," Sherbert said as he wiped tears from the corner of his eyes. "I've always wanted someone to come and teach these thugs a lesson, but no one's been brave enough or mad enough to go up against the Syndicate.”
"You know about the Syndicate?" I asked, leaning forward eagerly, and then regretted it the second my shoulder pulsed in white hot agony.
"Corse I do, Mr. Mage," he said. "I been on these cobbles going on near 20 years now. I've seen ‘em all come and go, and they get worse every time. You know, Sherbert minds his own business, keeps to himself, but these new generation of kids… they're just feral… that’s the word I've heard people use," Sherbert said. "They mess with you for no reason, they kick you and spit at you, and they rip people off. They'll rob users just for the fun of it, like life ain't hard enough for folks as it is. And with all these new drugs they're peddling, getting people hooked offa just one hit, it's proper bad, Mr. Mage, it's proper bad.”
I nodded my head.
"But you've been doing a good job," Sherbert said. "These thugs are terrified to even come out on the street. All whispering about you, all looking at the rooftops, and over their shoulders. You put ‘em right back in their box, you have. Now they just come out, sell their drugs, and go home sharpish. It's actually been quite nice ‘round here.”
I got the impression that Sherbert was just happy to talk to somebody. He spoke like someone who would be content to chit-chat for the rest of the night. Sirens blared again and I saw Sherbert twitch instinctively, looking at the door.
"Coppers are gonna be all over the Estate by now. They don't like gunshots, not at all."
"Neither do I," I replied.
"Oh, I bet," Sherbert said, chuckling again.
"Do you think you can do it, then?" he asked me.
"Do what?" I replied.
"Do you think you can really clean up the Mulberry?”
"I don't know," I replied honestly. "I didn't realize there were so many of them. No matter how many I take down, they just keep coming back."
"Oh yeah, like rats. You get a couple in, and then before you know it, they've infested the entire place. The Mulberry’s good pickings for them. The coppers don't really come 'round here. People know better than to stand up and say anything. There's plenty of junkies about, and ever since Brick took over, he won't tolerate nobody else making a penny," Sherbert said.
"You know Brick?" I replied.
"Oh yeah," Sherbert said, nodding his head. "He's a local boy. He didn't grow up on the Mulberry, but he grew up ‘round the way. I've known him since he was a little squirt, but now he's Billy Big Bollocks," Sherbert said. "Real nasty character Brick. He likes to hurt people, likes to do it with his own two fists as well. Size of a horse he is. Proper bully.”
"Do you know where he is?" I asked, sitting up, clutching my shoulder.
Sherbert shook his head.
"No one really does. Syndicate move around all the time. They got loads of different hideouts."
"Like the industrial estate?" I asked, and Sherbert nodded.
"Yeah, I've heard they've got headquarters out there, but they're all over the place. They own pubs and clubs and shops and houses,” Sherbert said. "Trying to find where Brick is, you'd have a better chance of spitting upwards and not hittin’ yer own face," Sherbert laughed again. “But you won't find Brick around here on the Estate anymore. He's moved up a level now. It's just these little thugs running ‘round, beating people up and mugging them. I never thought much of the Syndicate, but since Brick took over, they've lost all sense of anything. Now all the young ‘uns are just out to hurt people because that's how you impress Brick. You show him you've got no morals, that's what he likes.” Sherbert frowned and hugged his knees closer.
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“It’s tough out here,” I said sadly.
“Yeah, always been hard out on the cobbles, but it's definitely got a lot worse recently. That's why, when you come along, we were all so happy. We thought someone's actually taking a stand and doing something about it.
"Yeah," I replied noncommittally, feeling like all I'd done is almost get myself killed so far. The sound of sirens blared again. It sounded like multiple police cars flying through the Estate. One was particularly close, and Sherbert and I both froze and looked at each other. I heard the crunch of its wheels as it drove past, and we could see the blue of its lights bleeding through the corrugated metal door.
"Listen, Sherbert, you've been really kind," I said to him. “And I'm really grateful for you helping me, but I need to get out of here, I don't want you to get caught with me."
Sherbert looked like he wanted to argue, but even he could see the sense in it.
"They'll be looking real hard," Sherbert agreed. "Gunshots ain't regular, even ‘round here." He bit his lip, chewing on it morosely.
"I need to get out of here," I said to him. "If you can get me up to the rooftops I can avoid getting caught.”
Sherbert thought for a moment, and then his face brightened.
"I can get you back to the rooftops, of course I can." He stood up and dusted down his rags before offering me a strong hand. I gripped it with my left, and he pulled me to my feet slowly and carefully.
"Are you sure you're gonna be alright, Mr. Mage?" he asked. "You're more than welcome to share my place with me anytime.”
"Thanks but I think I'll be okay," I said.
In this small space, Sherbert dwarfed me; I came barely up to his chest.
"Mr. Mage," he said to me, looking down at his feet. "Do you think maybe, I don't know, could I see a little bit of magic, please?"
I sighed. I didn't think I had any magic left in me. I raised my left hand, closed my fist, and sent the small sparks of energy that I had left into my fist. There was a crackle of energy across the copper plate on my fist. Sherbert's eyes widened, and a broad smile split his face. He clapped his hands, and then before I could stop him, he touched a finger to it. The energy crackled, and he pulled his hand back, sticking it straight into his mouth, still smiling stupidly.
"Whoa, that felt sharp," he said and then chuckled again. "That's proper that!"
"Yeah," I replied wearily, letting the energy dissipate. "Can you get me to the rooftops?”
"Yeah, of course I can, Mr. Mage. You just follow old Sherbert and don't worry about a thing. Come on.”
Sherbert walked to the other side of the room, where there was a heavy metal filing cabinet. He wrapped his broad arms around it and, with a grunt, heaved it up and walked it to one side of the room, dropping it down with a heavy thud. There was a door out of the room behind it. Sherbert pulled open the door, looked up and down, and then motioned to me.
"Now, Mr. Mage," he said quietly, "Sherbert doesn't really like going into the rest of the factory, you see. There are… things in here." When he said the word "things," his eyes widened for emphasis. "You know, spirits and ghosts and stuff.”
“Ghosts?”
“Yeah, they lurk about and say not very nice things to Sherbert. But as long as Sherbert stays in his room, they don't really bother him. But with you next to me, I'm sure I'll be fine. So I'm going to take you upstairs now. We can get to the roof from the top floor, but we gotta go quickly, okay?”
I nodded, feeling my stomach gurgle in response. I didn't like the idea of being trapped in a haunted building. Images of the black silhouette with the tombstone white teeth trickled into the primordial caveman part of my brain and I shivered. Sherbert picked up one of the candles and offered me the other one, then nodded his head. Together, we stole down the empty floor. I hugged my wounded arm to my chest and looked around, trying to figure out what this place had once been. Perhaps it had been some sort of factory. There seemed to be machinery in the distance, but the weak light of the candle couldn't tell me much more than that.
We made our way up a flight of stairs that creaked ominously under Sherbert's weight. I could hear the big man huffing and puffing as he went, and I could see by the bunching of his shoulders that he was afraid. We made our way up to the next floor, which was completely empty, and was covered in dust and rat droppings. Then I heard the whispers. They were disembodied and seemingly floating in from a distance, but they were there. I felt a chill of fear run through my body.
Sherbert heard them too. I could see his body visibly quiver in front of me. We continued to race through the abandoned building, the whispers following us as we went. I couldn't make out what they were saying, but it was haunting nonetheless. As we crested the third and final floor, I thought I saw things out of the corner of my eyes, movements, silhouettes, figures in the darkness, but it was impossible to tell. I gripped the candle in my good hand, willing my body to keep going.
Sherbert had almost broken into a full run now, and I could hear him squeak and murmur in terror as he went. Could he see the things as well? Finally, we broke into an all-out sprint across the floor. I could see more figures bunching in the corners of my vision, seeming to congregate, eyeless faces turning towards us. Then we hit the final staircase, ran up the short flight, and Sherbert barreled through the fire escape door. We were back out into the night. A gentle rain had begun, and it felt good to feel fresh air and cold rain on my skin. Sherbert turned and slammed the fire escape door shut behind us, and the whispers stopped immediately.
We both stood there panting, doubled over, trying to catch our breath. Sherbert flicked sweat from his forehead with one thick finger and then shook his head. "It's no good, it's no good, Mr. Mage. It's a no good place.”
"Yeah," I agreed breathlessly. "How are you going to get back to your room? You're not going to go back through there, are you?”
Sherbert shook his head as if I was crazy.
"No way. There’s a drainpipe I can climb down. Would have said we climb up but you would never have made it with your shoulder. No problem, Mr Mage. Don't worry about Sherbert.”
I nodded and handed him back the candle that had gone out while we were sprinting up the final staircase. He took it and secreted it into one of his many pockets, then smiled amiably at me again.
"Thank you for everything, Sherbert."
"No, thank you, Mr. Mage," Sherbert said. "You've made the cobbles almost livable again these last couple of weeks. Us street folk owe you a lot. Anything you need, you come to Sherbert.”
"Thanks," I replied, trading grips with him, his hand swallowing mine. "And if you need anything, come find me," I said to him.
"I will do, Mr. Mage. Thanks.”
I nodded and stumbled through the night, using my Grapple Cord to make my way over to the next building. I disappeared into the night, throwing one last look over my shoulder and seeing Sherbert standing there, waving me off and smiling. Then I heard the police sirens. I could see the flashing blue light all across the Estate. I had to get home before they caught me or before I passed out again.
I gritted my teeth and put one foot in front of the other. It was gonna be a long journey home.
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