Eins

Chapter 1

“Are you ok?”

I don’t know.

“Can you stand?”

Barely.

“What’s your name?”

I don’t know.

“Where did you come from?”

I don’t know.

Smile. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you.”


“Give her back,” a man, possibly in his late twenties, stood in the middle of a dim room, hands in his pockets. His brown hair completely drenched and flat, his black eyes piercing. His humble white long sleeved button up and old faded black slacks were soaked from the rain that was pouring from the outside; his feet bare to the air conditioning in the room, his raggedy old sandals not much for protection. Though, he only seemed bored. He was face-to-face with a large man in a suit, who sat in a chair before him, his two cronies by his side, and more surrounding the brunette who dared to even look at him. All this, and the black eyes held nothing, no fear or anger as he demanded for what was his.

The man in the suit laughed. His name was Károly, forty-seven years old, and head of a miserable gang called “Mirage”. He was overweight, barely able to fit in the wooden cushioned chair that was no doubt expensive. He twisted a ring with a large diamond around his sausage-like finger. His short black hair was nicely combed, he held beady green eyes, and even in this cooled room he was sweating; the brunette could smell him.

“You keep this cool façade on,” Károly chortled; his voice deep and husky, and the young man could only imagine him as a frog who croaked too loud. “You demand for what? Who is this ‘her’ you mention?”

The brunette’s face did not, nor did his posture or voice, change even the slightest, “Don’t play dumb with me, you shit. Give her back.”
Károly gave a large disturbing grin that would make most men start to tremble, but this was not the case with this man. “They never say much about you. Yet, you have so much spirit.”

“Don’t make me say it again.”

Clasping his hands together, leaning back and settling in, Károly’s smile died a bit and his eyes lowered, “I’ll give her back. However, there’s something I want you to do for me, first.”

“Not a chance. Now, bring Frieda out.”

“How cold. You don’t even take the time to think that such an attitude could lead to her death…Eins.”

“I’m not doing anything for a shithead like you.”

“Boss,” a woman with long red hair that ended to her waist, golden eyes, a black dress with a slit up her right thigh, and matching heels, whispered to Károly from his left side. It was as though she was reminding him to stay on track.

The man coughed, nodding, “Right. Thank you Solveig.” His eyes closed with a sigh, “Eins, I very much enjoy our conversations but this needs to be sped up a bit.”

Eins cocked his head to the side, shrugging a shoulder, “Then, give her back and I’ll leave your ass alone.”

“Eins, you don’t have any memories from before you came here, correct?”

“What’s it to you?”

Károly gave a boisterous laugh, “Say I could give them back to you?”

“You can’t.”

His grin turned sly, “I could, however, give you the opportunity to find them.”

“You’re an idiot,” Eins’s eyes narrowed slightly and his voice began to pick up some venom.

“You’ve been here, in this tiny little town, for about a year and yet you still don’t remember a thing? How could you possibly find out who you
are and what has happened in your life if you stay here?” Károly spread his arms out wide, stretching them to emphasize his speech. “I’m proposing you set out on a journey. Travel around and see new things, new people, and maybe you can find yourself!”

“I’m not leaving.”

A black brow rose cockily, and the suit’s voice sounded almost teasing, “Because you have to take care of Frieda? Do you feel that indebted towards her?”

Eins was, to say the least, silent. His eyes narrowed a fraction more.

Károly knew he had him now. “If you set out on this little adventure for us we’ll take care of her for you, so you wouldn’t have to worry about a thing.”

The brunette scoffed, “Like I’d ever leave her with you bozos.”

“Oh? So, you’re not curious? At all? About your own past?”

“If I forgot it then it can’t be important.”

“Interesting logic,” Károly stroked his chin. “You don’t even find it interesting that the only thing to remember is the word ‘eins’? So, your own name wasn’t that important to you? I mean, ‘eins’ is no normal name for a person, you see. And, if just that word, and that word only, was the only memory that was significant to you, don’t you want to know what it means?”

There was a pregnant pause. The air felt colder than it was. Eins glared, “Give Frieda back now.”

“I would very much appreciate it if you were to find the Goblet of the Seven Saints.”

“Give-“

“It’s to the north.”

“Frieda-“

“And, we’re even willing to compromise!”

Eins grit his teeth. His fists were clenching in his pants pockets. He seemed stiff, cold and frigid. He held his chin high, his eyes clouded in disgust and fury as he attempted to reclaim himself, “Give her to her aunt.”

Károly nodded, “That can be done. After you set out, we’ll release her to Miss Letta. They will be under our surveillance though.”

“Don’t touch her. Don’t touch them at all,” Eins warned, gaining another nod from the older male.

“You have my word.” Though, no one would really believe a gangster to ever be telling the truth or keeping a promise, but even to Eins it was well known that a man like Károly was big on what little honor he had. Even Eins, who never once trusted anyone other than Frieda and her aunt, could have at least a little faith in what this man said.

“All right,”

But, he still didn’t like it.

~~~

“I’m not mad,” a woman with short red hair and sparkly brown eyes stepped into Eins’s room as he was packing; standing in the middle of the doorway with her arms crossed in front of her as she stared at his back, concerned.

Eins threw a pair or two of everything for clothes in an old sack. He sat there for a moment in thought of what else he should bring, and then he looked around for something, “You should be. I’m making you and Frieda suffer because I was negligent.”

“This isn’t your fault, Eins,” she sighed.

“Letta, you have no idea…” he grabbed a few matches off his desk, throwing them in the bag, as well as grabbing his pocket knife and stuffing it in his back pocket.

Letta smiled, walked over and kneeled next to him. “You’re so admirable it’s cute,” she teased, handing him a toothbrush.

Eins took it, throwing it in the bag and tugging the string tight to close it. He looked over at her, in a light blue sleeveless button up and a long white skirt that ended at her ankles. She was thirty-two years old, yet she looked five years younger, probably about his age, if he even knew what that was. He sighed, “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so selfish.”

“We’ll be fine,” she assured him, before placing a kiss to his forehead, standing up and holding a hand out to him.

He surely ignored it, standing on his own and throwing the bag over his shoulder. “I’ll try to be back as soon as I can,” he promised.

“Here,” she dug into her pocket and pulled out a small bag. It jingled. “Have it.”

Eins stared at it, then at her, his expression blank, “I can’t take your money. I refuse.”

“Don’t,” she commanded, grabbing his free hand and placing the bag in the middle of his unresisting palm and closing his fingers over it. “I’m giving this to you so you can come back to us. This should pay for a bit of food and a stay or two overnight in an inn. Think of it like when I give you money to go shopping for me. Okay?”

“…okay.”

“Good,” Letta smiled brightly, hands on her hips. “Now, let me cook you up something so you won’t be starving when you set out.”

“I really should hurry out of here. The longer I dilly dally the longer they keep Frieda.”

Letta’s smile fell, “Then, I’ll fix you up a snack that you can take with you on your way.”

Eins nodded.

Her smile came back tiny and gentle, worried as she placed a hand on his cheek and looked into his eyes, “Be careful and come back to us, all right?”

Again, Eins nodded, “I promise.”


He really didn’t like this.