H*H*H*H

Although Honcho was a man to discuss business in the late hours of the night Hui had visited him with the sun at its highest in the sky. He nodded in greeting to the two men behind Honcho’s desk, catching himself beginning to miss the brutes. Honcho glanced up from a set of candid photos. Who is he following now? Hui wondered.

“Hui, what is it? You never visit me during the day anymore, I’m shocked.” Honcho sat back in his chair and laced his fingers together. He rested them in his lap as he dryly looked up at Hui with slight confusion.

“There’s a job I want, and I didn’t want to wait to request it. Lighter’s literally jumping my a** lately about wanting my jobs, so I thought I’d get ahead of him.” Hui explained, noting to himself that he wasn’t exactly lying about the Lighter part. If he could get money from Honcho and leave by the end of the week, Lighter wouldn’t have time to make any more threats—or go through with any of them, Hui added.

“What job do you know of that I wouldn’t, Hui? I’m the one that gives you the jobs, remember?” Honcho tilted a brow and waited with uncertainty. Hui stayed quiet for a moment while he planned out the most realistic lie he could muster. He would kick himself later for not having thought up a lie before walking into the boss’ office. He focused on the 'H' tattoo below Honcho's eye as he spoke.

“Well, I know that with the upcoming holiday this Thursday that you were going to send me out to the festival with a bunch of the new pickpocket kids you’ve been bringing into H.” Hui placed his palms down on Honcho’s desk and leaned slightly in towards the older man. His boss nodded along, curiosity holding him to Hui’s proposition. “It’ll be too risky with a bunch of us running around. Someone’s bound to find out. My plan covers all those bases.” He nodded towards the two musclemen behind the desk and smiled. “Give me 10K, and I’ll buy off the guards in the sector. None of them want to be there anyway, right? They’re practically volunteer cops, and they were just the unlucky ones who got stuck working the holiday shift.”

Honcho nodded once, looking up at his guards before glancing back at his protege. “But why 10k, Hui? That’s an odd request, and a rather expensive one to be completing the job. I want you getting me money, not spending it and hoping you break-even with whatever cellphones or wallets you swipe.”

Hui ignored his mentor’s comment and continued, “If you give me the money, and I’m saying this because I know from past jobs that they usually hire ten guards for the sector I'd go to, I’ll be able to give each pitiful guard a thousand dollars to keep quiet, and, maybe, help me out with stashing my ‘winnings.’” Hui grinned to himself at the thought of the job. He would have actually gone through with it if he wasn't leaving, and was slightly saddened at the thought of missing such a heist. It was exactly that feeling, though, that made Hui realize that it was time to start fresh and leave the city before he got too accustomed to the thrill of running errands for Honcho.

“I’ll bribe the guards and maybe even get them to help me stash my collections throughout the night. It would allow me to cover more ground without having to worry about carrying loads of goods with me, or even without needing to worry about some other novice messing things up.”

“I see what you’re saying, keep going.” Honcho probed.

“And what I think would be the most interesting if I’m the only one on the job, Honcho, is that I might be able to sneak up into food tents or other vendors. You did train me to be a fly on the wall, right?” Hui smirked, “What if I put my skills towards stealing more than just pieces of information?”

As he continued to lay out the fake plan to Honcho, Hui could see the old man grow excited about the potential haul coming from the job. If it was just Hui running the job, too, then Honcho wouldn’t need to pay several kids for a nights work. Sure, the job would come at a loss of 10K, but with Hui’s talents, it was clear that a hefty haul would be showing up at The House by the fireworks’ grand finale.

“You’ll get the 10K by Wednesday. Try to look into the guards before Thursday night’s festival. There’s expected to be a huge turnout, and most of them will be drunk off their a**es so there should be a huge haul. This is a test of your skills, Hui, this plan of yours better run smoothly and quickly. Make me proud, boy.” With that, Honcho waved Hui out with a proud smirk. The smile Hui returned was one of excitement. Unbeknownst to Honcho, however, the excitement was for the upcoming defection rather than the theft that was going to take place this Independence Day.

H*H*H*H

Hui whistled to himself as carried his duffle bag slung over his shoulder. With a hand in his pocket, he blended into the crowd the walked down the streets of center city. With the bills hidden within the bag, and wrapped in Hui’s fresh sets of clothes, he showcased little suspicion. He was just a young punk out of school for the summer looking to enjoy the festival. His hair was gelled back, appearing pink as he walked under the neon lights of the shops. He wore a dark blue dress shirt and fitted pants. He was the epitome of fresh, and he grew excited at the thought of living every day from then on as fresh as he was walking the streets.

The only suspicion that would come from someone watching Hui merrily stroll down the streets, though, was the fact that Hui was walking in the opposite direction of the festivities.

As he whistled a tune, Hui made his way towards the closest subway station. He would purchase a ticket using the pocket money he had before Honcho’s generous allowance, and use it to travel to the city train station. It was the only station that left the city, and it was a non-stop ride over all three bridges once it got moving. It would transfer its passengers to any major train station in the tristate region. Once he managed to get to one of those stations, Hui would be able to start fresh far from the reach of Honcho and the men of H. It was the perfect plan. The only issue, though, was getting on the train.

Walking through the rolling gate with his duffle bag in tow, Hui sighed in relief. There were clearly men from H walking around the subway’s platform, but with it being Independence Day the platform was flooded with pedestrians excitedly chatting away about the festival and the holiday. He couldn’t have picked a better night to slip through Honcho’s fingers.

Hui managed to make his way throughout the crowd and onto the train without drawing the attention of the henchmen. When he dropped his bag from his shoulder and heard it thud against the ground, he felt that he could finally breathe. The exhilaration of leaving kept him calm while on the streets, but now that he was away from the henchmen he couldn’t help but relax back into the pure Hui that was so desperate to start anew. “Just two more stops,” he sighed, “and then I’ll be free from all this sh*t.” When Hui arrived at the train station, however, the complete opposite outcome met him at the ticket booth.

“Excuse me?” His eyes widened as he leaned back to glance up at the screen projecting the departure and arrival times of the trains.

“I’m sorry to break it to you, sir, but with the holiday traffic we are severely delayed and overbooked. Even by the time a train was preparing to depart I can almost assure you that there would not be a seat for you to purchase. I cannot sell you a ticket at this time.” The woman smiled apologetically, returning the wad of cash Hui had handed over to her just moments ago. If only she knew, he thought, how shattering her words were right this moment.

“Ah, I s-see, well, um, thank you.” Hui nodded in return and took the cash from the desk woman. He paused at the desk and looked up at the screen one last time. It was a series of red bolded D’s, signaling to the riders that every train was currently delayed in both its arrival and departure. “Can I ask you, though, when you think I’ll be able to get out of this city?” Hui questioned, his face portraying the intensity of his situation.

“I’m sorry, sir, but since you did not preorder your ticket during the holiday seasons it is practically impossible to get a ticket until tomorrow by noon when the trains will begin departing again. Some might not claim their tickets so you could buy their ticket from them here at this desk; however, because this is a—s” The woman looked around and leaned in to whisper to Hui. “A drinking holiday,” she smiled. “I’m afraid that many come without cars since they are intoxicated and unsuited to drive themselves home after the festival. If you’re lucky, though, I’m sure you’ll find something!” She nodded in support, and then motioned to the line forming. “Now if you don’t mind, sir, I am truly sorry but I must tend to the other customers. Have a great Fourth!” With a wave, she smiled and then directed her attention to the family behind Hui. The blonde walked off aimlessly.

Running a hand through his stiff hair Hui let out a distressed breath and set his bag down on one of the few empty seats left in the station. He glanced around and groaned when he saw one of Honcho’s men in charge of the north bridge’s watch walking in Hui’s direction. The young pickpocket cleared his throat and straightened his shirt. As Ajax drew closer, Hui nodded at the muscleman.

“Ajax, you’re looking festive.” Hui joked, motioning to the pure black outfit the other man was sporting. At six-foot-seven, Ajax towered over Hui’s small five-foot-ten frame. Even with the gelled hair, Hui barely reached the guy’s shoulder. If I were to put anyone at a border to have guard it, Hui noted, it would absolutely be Ajax. Nice thinking, Honcho. Hui sighed again as he added to his thoughts, except right now.

“What are you doing here, kid, shouldn’t you be running some errand for Honcho?” His keg-sized arms somehow managed to fold themselves over his barge of a chest as he glanced at Hui’s outfit and duffle bag. “Word on the street is that you got him to give you a seven-man job all to yourself. From what I see, though, you’re at this congested train station with a bag as if you’re getting ready to make a run for it.”

Hui did his best to camouflage his fear. With his fear gearing towards both Honcho’s wraith and Ajax’s fists, though, Hui couldn’t hide his stutter. “I-I’m on that errand right now, it’s just I finished early.” He held up the duffle bag and patted it with a smile. “Got the goods all here, but I had to hide out at the train station. Can’t have people getting all suspicious of some kid walking around the festival with a packed duffle bag, right?” He nodded, looking for agreement or some sense of confirmation from the fellow thug.

“You would just go back to The House and wait for Honcho or one of the men to receive the haul, though, you wouldn’t take the subway all the way to the train station, and then spend ten minutes frantically talking to the desk woman.” The brute looked over his shoulder at the woman smiling sweetly yet apologetically to the guests. “No matter how cute she might be, kid, you had no reason to be talking to her even unless you were planning on running.”

“Ajax…” Hui started, lowering the bag to the floor.

“Open the bag, Hui.” The other man demanded dryly, his arms returning to their sides. It’s easier to attack that way, Hui noted internally.

“Ajax, please, I can’t show you the goods! It’s not all money.”

“Well it better be drugs then, and if you stop being all weird and just give me some maybe I’ll ignore this whole thing.” He offered, leaning down to grab the bag. “I get off my shift in thirty minutes. I need a smoke.”

“There’s no drugs!” Hui hissed, trying to not draw any more attention to them than they already had. He tried his best to ignore the stares as he whispered to the henchman. “Ajax, okay, listen…” Hui let out a shaky breath and motioned to the bag. “I’ll give you five thousand dollars if you stay quiet.”

“I’m listening.” Ajax grinned, his arms returning to their place over his chest.

“It’s true that I’m trying to run, but I can’t let anyone know about it. I’ve got Lighter threatening me, and Honcho is already a freak about defecting, so, if you can just keep quiet…” He closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair in defeat, “the 5K is yours.”

“Deal.”

Hui’s eyes shot open. He had to be dreaming.

“What?” He asked in shock, blinking at the man as he looked around them. The eyes of the other pedestrians had returned to their own business, and it was quiet around them. Hui wondered if he was truly on the track to freedom, now.

“Give me 5K, I’ll get off my shift a little early, and won’t tell the next guy you’re here so he doesn’t look for you.” Ajax nodded to Hui and held out his hand.

“Ah- wow, yes, thank you.” Hui extended his hand to the other thug.

“Not your hand, idiot.” Ajax stopped him and motioned to the duffle bag.

Embarrassed, Hui chuckled and knelt down beside the bag. He ped it and rummaged through the clothes to find five of the ten stacks of cash. Careful not to draw any attention from the already curious pedestrians, Hui stepped closer to Ajax before handing him the stacks. With nothing more than a grunt of thanks and a ‘See yah,’ Ajax was gone.

Hui slumped in the chair and rested his legs on top of the duffle bag. He couldn’t help but feel drained from the events of the past few hours. He had managed to get the 10K, and, now that he successfully dodged several of Honcho’s men, he was already down to 5K. I can still do it, Hui thought, surveilling the station, five thousand will get me my ticket, some food, and a crappy motel room until I find some new job. Something less dirty.

As he thought about his route he would take the next day once the trains started up again, Hui felt himself grow tired. The feeling of being drained from the past few hours grew stronger and overcame the young boy causing his lids to droop. With a few bobs of his head, Hui fell into a deep sleep.

He dreamed of dressing up in business casual attire to make a four o’clock meeting. He dreamed of groaning over paying the heating bill for his apartment during the winter. He dreamed of debating with his fiancé over whether or not they should start finding a house to finally settle down. Hui wanted to start fresh, to build a nest, and to build a better life for himself that he earned in no other way than a dignified, hard-working fashion.

What he didn’t dream of, though, was being woken up by kicks to his stomach.

Hui’s eyes shot open from the force of the kick, and could barely register the three bodies before him before he was punched in the face by hands clearly seasoned in the art of ‘discipline.’ It wasn’t until one of the bodies grabbed Hui’s collar that he finally registered who was performing the most brutal morning call.

“L-Lighter…” Hui breathed, choking on air as the collar tightened around his neck. The young blonde could smell the morning cigarette on his senior’s breath as he was greeted by the three brutes.

“Wakey wakey, kid.” Lighter grinned, his smirk the epitome of smug satisfaction. “You think after four years in the business you’d realize you’re no runner. You’re a b*tch boy fly on the wall taking advantage of Honcho’s hospitality.”

“In what world do you think 5K was enough to win over a bigshot like Ajax, Hui?” Rowdy chuckled as he pressed his finger against Hui’s forehead. He pushed against the young blonde, causing Hui’s head to loosely fall back. As it swung, Hui saw River sigh.

“He’s an idiot guys, yeah, but we’ll be the idiots if we continue on like this in front of a whole train station.” River commented, motioning to the onlookers scattered throughout the station. “Let’s take class outside for this lesson, shall we, Hui?”

As Lighter dragged Hui out by the collar, he could barely see over his shoulder Rowdy picking up the duffle bag and handing it to River. When they left the station, Hui drowned in a gust of warmth. If he had to guess, it was probably ten in the morning. Adapting to the heat, Hui saw out of the corner of his eye a black van drive up to River and watched as his clothes and the left over 5K vanish for good. Just great, he thought, as if this couldn’t get any worse.

“Alright, idiot, although I’m happy you took my advice about leaving, I hate to say you went about it the wrong way.” Lighter entertained as he dragged Hui towards the wall of the station. He flung Hui up against the cold brick and slammed his palm to the wall beside of Hui. With a smirk, Lighter added, “Honcho was so upset when Ajax came to him after his shift last night. The poor boss couldn’t believe you’d pull a stunt like that.” He put up his other hand as if to calm Hui down. “Don’t worry, don’t worry, I told him I could see you trying to steal from H, and that’s exactly why he sent me. I’ll give you a little ‘message’ from the boss.”

Lighter lifted his hand from against the wall and cocked his arm back. “This is to beat out that cocky attitude of yours.” He said before swinging. As he did, though, Hui ducked under the blow. Deciding it best to now stand around and watch as Lighter cried out in pain from his fist hitting the wall rather than Hui, the young pickpocket bolted to the side and began sprinting frantically and without destination towards the concrete jungle.

Hui could hear Lighter calling to River and Rowdy for help as he picked up after Hui, but the novice thug couldn’t stop or afford to look over his shoulder. He purely ran without thinking. He just needed to escape these brutes. He would be fine with going anywhere as long as it wasn’t back to The House.

His feet took him to the alleys.