It was a dark, chilly night.
CLANG!CLANG!-CLANG!CLANG!-CLANG!CLANG!....
A young man in a frayed hoodie strolled along the deserted street, whistling and humming a strangely upbeat tune while carrying a bag filled with scraps.
"La~ laa laa laa… kalaa… aalalaa~"
While passing by a busy street, he noticed a kid staring at him like his second head had just sprouted.
He stops.
"What are you starring at,pipsqueak? You hungry or just enjoying the view of my good looks?" he asked.
"Y-ye-yes Hun..Hungry!" the kid replied shaking.
He sighed, pulling out a piece of bread and handing it over "Okay, here ya go. Here is a piece of bread. I'm in a good mood today- don't make a habit of it, okay? Bye"
The kid's stomach was loud like a grizzly bear "Hmmm…mm…"
"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Eat well kid," he said waving as he continued his stroll.
...
Shortly there after, his stomach-
GROWLLLL
"Now I'm hungry… Perhaps some chicken"
He passed by the television shop when life suddenly threw a commercial at him.
[Fried Chicken Biryani- Buy one get one free]
He stood still "...Are the TVs reading my mind?"
After that ad-
He nearly walked away — but something on the screen made him stop still.
But, there went his mood—the moment he walked past a TV shop, dozens of screens were on with breaking news.
[TODAY AT 6 PM, A TRUCK DRIVING FULL SPEED CRASHED INTO A CIVILIAN'S HOUSE. FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS THERE AT THE TIME.]
"…S…silence…"
Then his mind caught up with what he had seen—the collapsed roof… the broken blue gate…
It was his house.
"WHAAAAAAT!" Almost unconsciously, he sped down the street, with that scrap bag banging behind him.
clank!clank! clank!clank! clank!clank! clank!clank! clank!clank!
"No! No! Nooooo!" He was running without checking left or right.
Just running—hoping, praying, that it wasn't the end of his home.
[TIME… PAUSED]
An Intro.....DUDUM!
"Hey, I'm Toka. 19 years old."
"I'm a professional scrapper, uh…I mean a scrap scavenger…yes...which means I go around picking up junk…anyway, I however make cool machines out of it and sell them to the Black Market, or as it is popularly known as (SHH) SECRET HOUSE of HAGGLERS)"
shhhhhhhhh....SILENCE.
"Ohhh, by the way, today I found some parts that I planned to use to fix up my bike…but that's over."
"Let's go back to the disaster."
...
The moment Toka stepped into his house, he stopped.
"…Yeah, I knew it already from the news but.. It still shocks me again… what hell in the heaven happened here!?"
His house was not just ruined. It was smashed to bits, just bits and pieces, dust and sadness.
"OK... OK... I understand. I will just ... gather all this scrap, etc... and build myself a new one."
He sniffled.
He searched through what was left of his things. This was everything he had built over the last two years - now ruined.
"To be honest, I have NO f@*%#ing insurance for this house..."
"And also - I have a f@*%#ing DEBT to that MONEY ELEPHANT...If I don't sell something this week, he will take my kidney. God bless my ancestors, have mercy on your poor descendant..."
"In which life did I wrong you, you devil truck driver! AAAAAAHHHHHHHH"
He sadly rummaged through to find something valuable.
He found... scrap, More scrap, Just scrap.
He cursed angrily, "EVERYTHING IS SCRAP.....you truck driving fakker!! :-("
...
FEW MOMENTS LATER
A large figure jumped out of the car, landing with a loud THUD. His silhouette engulfed the entrance.
He inhaled in a theatrical way:
"HEY PUNK! WHERE'S MY CASH!!! WHERE ARE THE 10k Pelts I LOANED YOU!?"
Toka remained unfazed.
A FIGURE had stepped in front of the only light from the moon at the entrance of the derelict home.
His legs shook, his body bowed to that FIGURE.
Toka's responded as he choked out the words,
"E--Elephant... p-please. Give me a WEEK! I will work something out! I will pay you back, I swear!"
Elephant's brow twitched. His face darkened like a storm cloud ready to burst.
"A week? ONE WEEK?" He stomped forward, rattling the ground.
"You little BRAT! You had an entire month over your due date and you keep under my radar!" "You thought I'll smile, pat the top of your head, and say 'Sure, take your time'?!"
Toka replied,
"I'm working on a bike today! If I can sell it at the Secret House, I'll have your money! So just, just give me a little time when you have the week!?"
Elephant snarled,
"The FK is that! Today I'm taking one of your kidneys and selling it to the BUTCHER[1]!"
Toka was trembling intensely.
"E-Elephant! W-Wait—wait! Please! Just give me a week! I can finish the bike in three days[2] and then sell it at SHH, I swear!"
Elephant didn't even bat an eye.
He just snapped his fingers
Then, two of his men instantly grabbed Toka and stuck a cloth in his mouth.
"Mmmph—mmphh! W-Wait! Elephaaant!"
Somehow, Toka managed to spit the cloth out about halfway and yelled
"O-Okay! Okay! A week is too much, I get it! Just—just one day! That's all I need! I'll fix the bike at your place if you want!"
Elephant stopped.
His large arms crossed, but Very slowly now.
"…One day, huh?"
Toka nodded his head eagerly.
Finally, after a hefty grunt, he leaned forward covering Toka with his shadow.
"Alright, One day, and that's all your getting."
He leaned forward, too far for Toka's comfort level.
"And then if you fail…BUTCHER gets that delivered fresh again," tapping the side of his own stomach.
"…I'm taking both kidneys next time."
Toka was ready to fall out, dead, just from fear.
After Elephant made his order to his Guards for what needs to be prepared. He duly exited in his car.
...
At the corner of the ruined structure, a small figure had quietly slipped in through a hole in the broken wall.
It was the kid Toka helped before, her eyes wide open while she observed the entire situtation Toka is in.
For his part, Toka was still desperately digging through the debris to find is cherished scrap treasures.
His eyes widened when he saw the kid sneak towards him.
He subtly waved his hands to signal, "No, no, don't come here! Go back!"
But she didn't listen.
She kept advancing with no regard for the guards standing nearby.
Toka hissed under his breath, "Stop... STOP-"
Then—
THUD!!
The ground beneath them gave under strain. The ruined floor came crashing down into a hole.
The kid lost her balance and slipped.
Without thinking, Toka lunged forward to grab her stopping himself and hugging the heavy scrap bag to counterbalance.
The bag pulled them both down.
The guards barely had time to turn their heads before Toka and the kid—
FELL STRAIGHT INTO THE DARKNESS.
Both of them screamed in unison, "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"
Even on descent, Toka muttered calmly "Thank you God...for letting me die...with my kidneys in factory condition...without Butcher, getting them delivered. AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!"
And just like that—silence. Darkness. Nothingness.
[1] BUTCHER is a organ traffic organization head.
[2] Because it takes time to sell and get the money at the black market, 1st sell to SHH -2nd they sell to the customer -3rd then Toka gets money. If they can't sell it in 3 days then he will get the item returned.