Chapter 2
The day passed slowly.
Reki was bored stiff in class. He wasn't a bad student per se, but nothing really interested him. Except sometimes for the physics classes, where he'd find things, he could use to understand or even try out new skateboard tricks. But today, there were only Japanese, English and math classes.
And since he'd gotten up early to try this race, it was even worse.
Twice he fell asleep at his desk. The first time, Langa discreetly woke him up with a nudge, but the second time, he wasn't quick enough, and it was his teacher who woke him up with a slap on the back of the head.
The bell announcing the end of classes finally rang.
"We've still got a few hours before 'S'. Are you coming to work at Dope Sketch before then?" asked Reki in front of the shoe lockers, as he slipped on his blue sneakers.
"Nah, I told Shokichi I'd take the day off, I promised my mom I'd help her with something" Langa replied with a pout. Working at the skate store was just a little job, not necessarily exciting in itself, but it was fun to look after skateboards and at least he'd be with his best friend.
"Well, that's okay! Let's just say we'll meet back at the hill. After the entrance, so we go up together. Like at 9 o'clock?"
“Sounds great!” replied Langa. "I just got a text from Shadow there. Apparently, he wants to test a new trick!".
Reki chuckled. "He can always try. But between the two of us, we'll see it coming and take him down easy."
The two teens continued to get excited about tonight's race. Both seemed to have completely forgotten the ban imposed by Joe and Cherry that very morning.
They rode together for a while - skating, as usual - then parted ways, Reki heading for the skate store. He put on his pink employee's hoodie and went about his business, his mind on tonight's race.
He knew that Langa was now at a much higher level than him, but if only he could impress him with a new trick...
“Hey Reki”, Oka called to him from the counter. "Tell me, is there a race tonight?"
"Huh?" asked Reki, suddenly snapped out of his daydream as he was unpacking a box. "Uh... yeah. How'd you know?"
His manager slightly smiled at him. "I know this look on your face!" he replied simply. "Do you want a lift after work? I'm going up there too. Meeting potential customers is always good for business!"
" So cool! Thanks Mr. Shokichi!"
"Thank me by getting this on the shelf faster! Come on, move it!"
Reki redoubled his efforts, and the late afternoon flew by. At 8 p.m., he closed the store and helped his boss in the back - since he was taking him straight to the race, he could do a little extra.
He changed back into the skateboarding outfit he loved: his yellow hoodie, with his high-school jacket casually open over it. He took a moment to check the fit of his headband in the mirror.
"Funny to see you primping like that! You look like you're going on a date!" Oka teased, watching him from the corridor.
Reki blushed violently. His boss knew very well that he and Langa were very close. He'd even helped Reki accept the fact that Langa could surpass him in skateboarding ability without jeopardizing their friendship. But was he suggesting there was more to it than friendship?
"But no... uh... what do you mean? It's important to... uh... take care of your look, and all that!"
Oka just chuckled. "Come on! We'll be late!"
"Oh it's okay, I've arranged to meet Langa at 9 o'clock, but the race doesn't start until 10!"
"It's before the race that we do business, precisely!" replied his manager. "Hurry up!"
Reki climbed into his boss's SUV, his skateboard under his arm, and let himself be driven. He remained silent during the drive, thinking about Oka's remark. It's true, he couldn't imagine skating without Langa. Or anything else for that matter. In the few days they'd been drifting apart, he could barely get out of his bed. And it's true that he always wanted to impress Langa. To please him. To see him smile.
Did Langa feel the same way about him...?
"Ah, here we come!" said Oka, as he started down the narrow path that led to Crazy Rock - the abandoned mine that served as the starting point for the race.
"Ah, can you leave me here? I told Langa I'd meet him at the entrance!"
"No problem," Oka replied, slowing down. "See you at the top! Are you planning to join in?"
"Of course," Reki replied with a cocky smile as he opened the car door.
"Hmmm... I'd have to give you some Dope Sketch stickers to promote the store. Or a T-Shirt!"
"You'll have to pay me more for that," Reki said lightly, grabbing his skateboard from the trunk.
"Forget it, then! See ya!" Oka replied with a smile, before driving off again.
Reki headed for the mine entrance, and pulled out his phone to text Langa.
Reki: "I've arrived."
Langa: "I'll be there in ten minutes."
Reki: "All right, I'll go through the gate and wait for you there!"
Reki kept flipping on his phone, his skateboard under his elbow. He knew the route well, having walked it dozens of times, and felt almost at home at "S". So he didn't see the guard waving to him to stop, before almost crashing into him.
“Whoa, hey, take care!” he exclaimed! His board slipped from his grasp in surprise and rolled away.
"Ah, sorry! But I don't think you can pass!" the guard replied. He was young, probably Reki's age. His hair was pink and disappeared under the dark red cap that was part of their uniform. Just like the dark green jacket, black gloves and boots.
Managing "S" always seemed a bit mysterious to Reki. But he'd come to understand that everything was organized by Adam, with Joe and Cherry taking care of things in his absence. Even though they didn't really talk to each other anymore, they remained more or less partners in keeping "S" running.
Reki understood that these "security guards" were recruited from the delinquents of other local high schools. Well, their looks were sometimes frightening, but they did a good job. Adam had to pay them well...
Their racket had attracted two other guards, a tall, muscular dark-haired one and another with green-dyed hair. The latter flashed a wicked grin as soon as he recognized Reki.
"But why? I've had my access for a long time! I mean, you must have seen me before! Here, I've got my badge", Reki told them, effectively showing them the little pin he had in his pocket - it stood for the race logo and was only given to those who were admitted to attend on a permanent basis. A precaution to avoid too many curious onlookers or even undercover policemen - it was all a bit outside the rules.
"Yes yes, we know who you are, Reki, it's just that right now we need to check something..." the pink-haired man replied, keeping his hand outstretched in front of him to signify staying where he was.
"There's no real need to check, Hagure. We've got our instructions, haven't we!" the green-haired man replied, rather enigmatically. He was fiddling with something in his pocket, out of Reki's field of vision.
"All the same, Zabu, it's better to be sure... Matakara will check" the pink hair - Hagure, that is - replied.
"What's the big deal? I saw lots of people go by! Is tonight’s race cancelled or what?" Reki asked, growing impatient.
Meanwhile, the dark-haired hunk - Matakara, as he'd called him - had stayed slightly behind, talking into an earpiece. He had said in a lowered voice, "He's here. Do you confirm?", too softly for Reki to hear, then nodded a moment later.
He took a step forward, put a hand on the shoulder of his acolytes, and whispered to them:
"Green light, let's go!"
"What the..." Reki began again. He couldn't finish his sentence, however, as the three guards swooped down on him in an instant.
The green-haired one - Zabu - literally jumped up behind him, jostling him as he went. Before Reki even realized he'd just grazed him, he grabbed his arms firmly and yanked them violently behind his back.
“What th-N PHHM FNCH??” Reki tried to protest, but Hagure was already on him - this time from the front. No sooner had the redhead opened his mouth than he had stuffed in it a large, dirty rag he had been holding in his hand. Reki stepped back reflexively, but Zabu held him back and Hagure grabbed the back of his head, forcing him to swallow the gag. The ball of fabric passed completely through his lips and lodged deep in his mouth, filling it whole and completely immobilizing his tongue.
At exactly the same moment, Reki felt something cold and metallic snap around his wrists. He heard several clicks, and the sensation turned into an unpleasant, almost painful pinch.
His brain was tetanized by the suddenness of the assault, so he didn't even immediately realize that he'd just been handcuffed.
“MMHNPH PHHM FNCH? MMHNPH NRM MNN NNNNG? MMPH MM GNNNN!” Reki tried to protest. He tried to spit out the gag that prevented him from calling for help, but Hagure clamped his gloved hand over his mouth, making sure the ball of cloth muffled his cries. Reki jerked, frantically trying to escape their grip, and realized to his horror that he could no longer move his hands away.
"Nnnnn! Mmph gn nf mm! Mmph mm gn! HMMMMMMMMP!” he stirred again. He realized his legs were free and tried to run, but the two guards held him tight. He tried to crush Zabu's foot behind him, but his light sneaker was no match for the military boots his attacker was wearing – The green haired probably hadn't even felt the blow.
"He's feisty," Zabu commented, almost amused. He grinned avidly, it was obvious he was enjoying himself.
"Take him to the ground!" said Matakara. Reki watched with wide eyes as the brawny guard walked over to a large bag he hadn't noticed before, and pulled out what appeared to be a roll of tape and several coils of ropes.
"MMhnph'ph phhnph fnr? MMhnph nrm mnn nn.- OOOMPH” Reki's muffled cry was interrupted by Zabu's vicious kick from behind. Reki felt himself lose his balance and fell - he reflexively tried to catch himself with his arms, but the handcuffs painfully reminded him that he was now shackled. As he screamed into his gag, seeing the ground coming closer, he felt Hagure's hands holding him by the shoulders, preventing him from crashing to the ground. All things considered, he was almost gently lowered to the ground.
With his head now at lground level, he saw Matakara's boots stop just in front of his face. He looked up to see the stud throwing a rope at Zabu.
"You do his legs, I'll do the top!" he says in a serious tone.
"Oki doke," Zabu replied cheerfully.
“"Hnph mmhnph nn mnn mmnnph frnm mm?"” Reki began to panic. His brain was trying to get back on track, but it was just too much to take in all at once.
It occurred to him that now that Hagure was no longer handgagging him, he might try spitting out the cloth stuffed in his mouth. But even so, the rag was very large and he couldn't move his tongue. He'd barely started when Matakara crouched in front of him, a large piece of duct tape stretched between his gloved fingers.
"Nn, nn, pmmnnnphm..." Reki's muffled pleas fell on deaf ears. Matakara mercilessly shoved the gag back into his mouth, then pressed the piece of tape on his lips. Reki immediately sensed that the glue was very strong, and it immediately adhered to his cheeks.
Reki watched in horror as his sturdy assailant grabbed his roll of tape and unrolled another strip, and felt Zabu grab his ankles and pull his legs up at the same time. He tried to kick him blindly, but he held his ankles firmly, and a moment later, he felt the rope beginning to wrap around them.
Matakara firmly pressed a second slice of tape on top of the first, slightly offset. Reki felt the gag grow even stronger. He understood that they weren't going to let him go any time soon, and this feeling was reinforced by the rope that had just tightened drastically around his ankles - Zabu had just passed the rope perpendicularly between his legs, before finishing with a solid knot. Reki felt tears welling up in his eyes. He wasn't a wimp, but he'd never been attacked like this, let alone tied up and gagged.
"Hey, calm down!" Matakara told him, while fetching more ropes. "You've been looking for what's happenning to you, haven't you? That'll teach you to dare the boss!"
Reki froze at these words. The boss? It had to be Adam! He hadn't digested his defeat and was now seeking revenge!
Yes, that had to be it! And that was bad!
"Nn pmmnphm, hm'ph n mnnnnc, nnn'ph nmmnfmr mm phn hnm, hm'mm hnmm mm!" Reki tried to plead again.
“Hush now”, Matakara sternly replied. “We’re not done yet!”
Indeed, he and Zabu got back to work. Zabu replicated around Reki's legs the bondage he had already tightened around the skater’s ankles: several turns of rope below and above his knees, and each time several breaks tightened vertically at right angles, before tightening the knot. In the end, Reki felt his legs completely fused together; he was totally unable to move them, even if he was brought to his feet.
Meanwhile, Matakara was doing the same with his torso, passing two strands of rope around his arms and chest and tying them firmly behind his back, taking care to tighten them there too with a strand that passed horizontally between his arm and torso. The result was that he could now move neither his arms nor his elbows; Reki realized that he was so tightly bound that the handcuffs were almost unnecessary. With the last remaining strand, Matakara tied the resulting rope harness to his hands, pulling them upwards and forcing him to keep his arms horizontally behind his back.
Reki was flabbergasted. He was now totally helpless. He'd never been tied up before, and it always seemed like something superficial - in anime, heroes always managed to free themselves. But here, he felt he'd never succeed. He could die of thirst if nobody came to help him.
The thought filled him with dread and provoked a groan, quickly stifled by the gag.
What was even more impressive was that the process from the moment of the attack to now had taken no more than five minutes. And since he'd been dragged a little way off and they'd gagged him immediately, nobody must have noticed a thing.
"Great! Well, let's get him on board" Matakara says with a satisfied look on his face.
"I'll go and wait for the other one", says Zabu, before setting off down the path again.
"Ok. Hagure, help me carry him", Matakara replied. Reki felt the tall dark-haired man grab him by the armpits, his fingers finding it difficult to slip through as the rope forced him to keep his arms at his sides. Hagure, meanwhile, had the easier part and had grabbed his ankles.
They lifted him off the ground and carried him for a few meters. Held like that, Reki couldn't see much apart from the sky and Matakara's head, but suddenly he felt he was being hoisted higher, before being thrown onto a cold, metallic floor.
Looking around, Reki saw that he had just been thrown into the back of a pick-up truck.
They were planning to transport him somewhere else.
"Pmmnphm mmph mm gn, N mmnn'ph phmmm nnmhnnm" he tried to mumble again from behind his gag. This one did its job, he remained rigorously incomprehensible. And besides, his captors didn't even try to argue with him while they were also climbing onto the truck.
"Do we know when the other one is due?" asks Hagure to Matakara.
"Shouldn't be long. We even thought they'd come together," he replied, while grabbing Reki again and sliding him towards the back of the trunk.
Reki finally managed to take an interest in what they were saying.
"The other one? Who..."
The obvious answer flashed into his head.
LANGA!
They were going after Langa too.
Reki's eyes widened in horror, and he began to writhe in his bonds again, moaning.
"Hey, calm down!" said Matakara, looking annoyed. "You won't get out of those ropes, will you, I know how to bind someone, and so does Zabu!"
"We should blindfold him," said Hagure, pulling a large black scarf from his pocket. "It usually calms them down!"
"Good idea," agreed Matakara.
"Nn, pmmnphm, gmph phhnph nmmnm frnm mm, nnnnnnn!"
Reki tried again to protest, shaking his head in disagreement. But Matakara easily held it still for for his pink-haired companion, and the red-haired couldn’t do anything as the blindfold filled his field of vision. Five seconds later, Hagure finished tying the blindfold behind his head, and Reki could see nothing anymore.
"Okay, we'll give you a few moments. Stop trying to wriggle and hold still, you'll only succeed in hurting yourself!" said Matakara.
"We'll be back, don't worry!" added Hagure, in an almost comforting tone.
As he heard their footsteps recede, Reki felt a tear bead beneath his blindfold. He was as terrified as when Adam had threatened to smash his skull against the cliff, when he'd foolishly challenged him to a skateboard race.
And now, this madman was going to have his revenge.
And Langa was in danger!
