Dahyun saw the crowd disperse. People ran in a frenzy. She heard the sirens in the distance. The Slums police had been alerted. Yeji explained the story in broken sentences and wild exclamations. The poor man was unexpectedly attacked by those awful Carnivorists that often left Dahyun in state of misery if she crossed their paths.

            They often protested for rights Part Three of the Old City, the most habitable area from all five Parts. Part One was smothered by dying thorns that had grown out of control for maintenance.

            She heard an engine close by. It was rare to see anyone with a buggy in the Old City. Often, the owner would be chased by hoodlums that opted to steal the parts and sell them in the infamous Forbidden Market. The yellow buggy, scratched and noisy, steered next to her. The door opened to reveal her best friend’s face.

            Taehyung pushed back the sky-blue hair from his eyes. He sent her a wide, cheeky grin. “Hey, your dad’s gone bean- back home.”

            “Taehyung, perfect timing. Yeji, Yuna, get on the back.”

Her order effaced his smile. He was about to react but she hopped in the passenger seat next to him, while Yuna and Yeji occupied the space in the back.

            “Wait, wait, what do you think you’re doing?” His baritone rumbled, and he frowned at her. His dimples accentuated, sharp against the outline of his jaw.

            “There’s no time. The Carnivorists attacked a poor guy who tried to help the girls save a dog. Let’s go, Taehyung.”

            “Yeah, hurry up,” said Yeji. She leaned forward; her eyes held a livid and ferocious energy.

            He sighed and pressed on the accelerator. “Right, I think I know where they would be. The Carnivorists usually hang out near the Shaggy Crossroads. Your dad’s not gonna like this, you know?”

            She slapped his arm. “There’s no time for that. Keep your eyes focused on the road.”

The speed enticed her as her hair was swept back by the wind. Dahyun hid the exhilaration that ignited inside her. Taehyung’s driving encompassed a dangerous flair as he rocked the buggy through narrow streets. He pressed the horn to veer away any travellers and curious children. In one of the streets, he sped passed a gang of hoodlums that were too late to smack their nailed bats at them.

            Yuna’s face had lost all its colour while Yeji chewed the inside of her cheek. “Dahyun, what about the cat in the sewers?”

            “Cat? Sewers?” Taehyung interrupted. “Are you serious, Dahyun?”

“I’m gonna keep my tabs on it,” said Dahyun, ignoring the inquisitive expression on Taehyung’s face. She avoided thinking about the Thunderstorm crew that crossed paths with her. Plus, she wondered if the poor cat survived any of the beasts that lived in the sewers. It was a terrible thought, but she shook that aside to focus on the situation at hand.

            Chaeryung’s crouched form came into view. The girl held a shivering black dog in her arms. Dahyun jumped out of the buggy before it came to a halt, earning a word of caution from Taehyung. The man the girls mentioned was not as old as she thought he would be. He was around her age, an adolescent wearing dark clothes. Why, he was a mere boy, a big and muscular boy, but still not old enough to be a man by himself. He held a large axe in one hand while his sword remained attached to his hip. Dahyun hesitated at the sight of the weapons.

            “Great, did you guys seriously drag me here to help a mercenary? These lummox-brained carrots do anything for money,” said Taehyung. He yelped when Yeji smacked the back of his head.

            “That lummox-brained carrot saved Chaeryung’s life, you cretin. Help him onto the buggy.”

Taehyung’s expression was more wounded than the poor dog’s. Dahyun shook her head. “Listen to her, Taehyung.” With Yeji’s comment in mind, she knelt next to the boy, who strained his eyes to concentrate. He pressed some cloth against the wound on his neck.

            “Hey, can you hear me?” She held his shoulder softly. His dark eyes were so big, even for a boy’s, but she saw a darkness in them that gave her chills. “My dad owns an apothecary. We’re gonna get you there. Thanks for saving my friend.”

            He stared at her. His lips parted but no words came out.

“Save your energy,” she told him. She took his arm, handing his axe to Taehyung who immediately fell to the ground with its weight. Dahyun placed the boy’s arm around her shoulders, and directed him to his feet. She guided him to the back of the buggy. In the distance, shapes took form, huddling into one another with malicious glints in their smiles.

            “D-don’t bother…” he said, but his tone was feeble. He was losing blood fast.

“Trust me. We’re doing you a favour. Taehyung?”

            “I’m on it. Get back in the car,” her trusty friend replied.

Dahyun aided the boy to the space in the back. He struggled to get on, and once he did, his body collapsed. Yeji lifted his head to rest against her lap. She held the cloth against his wound, but it was now saturated. Dahyun tore the sleeve of her blouse. “Use this.”

            She joined Taehyung again and he pressed the accelerator. A hooting gang in open tunics chased them for a few minutes. They eventually stopped following, Taehyung’s frenetic driving proved no match for them.

            “That was a close call,” she said. “Good going, Taehyung.”

His jaw clenched, and Dahyun recognised that as a sign of hidden anger.

            “Look, I’m sorry I had to drag you into this. I told the girls to find help for the sewers.”

“You could’ve just asked me to help you,” he said. He avoided gazing at her, and his voice carried a puerile tendency.

            Dahyun smiled softly.