Page 61 of Doubts of the Egoist
CHAPTER 17
A hand onhis shoulder yanked Kuon out of the void. He peeled the blanket off himself, staring at the thick fog surrounding him, then blinked. His vision didn’t clear. It took a few long moments under the dim streetlights to realize his eyes were fine and that fog swallowed the ground. He squinted, vaguely recognizing the car interior and the man beside him.
A sigh escaped his mouth. He already missed the warm oblivion of much-needed but far too short sleep as the call of reality greeted him with a headache and severe disorientation. With effort, he lifted his head from the side glass and stared at concrete apartment buildings sprouting around like mushrooms in the suburbs.
“Bad dream? You’re scowling.” If Kuon had not ducked, Tobias’ finger would have jabbed him between eyebrows.
“Don’t,” Kuon growled, raising his hand to rub his itching eye but dropping it halfway, remembering the doctor’s orders. He wanted to ask where they were, but realized it didn’t matter. As long as he was in Vienna, he would be fine.
Interpreting Kuon’s silence, Tobias asked, “Not here? Where then? Or maybe you’d like to come with me?”
Kuon struggled to tell if the man was teasing or deadly serious. Either way, he shook his head. “Here’s fine. Thanks for the ride.”
He tugged on the door handle, but it wouldn’t budge, so he gave the driver a puzzled look.
“Think about what I told you. It’s not too late to walkaway, Puppy. I can help you disappear.”
God, he really wants me gone.
“Don’t sweat it, I’m not going back.” The words scraped painfully along the tender surface of his throat as they escaped.
“Yeah, sure.” Tobias flashed him an eerie smile and unlocked the doors. “Good luck, Puppy.”
With a curt nod, Kuon stepped out and shut the door. The car roared, spun around, and sped into the night. Watching it head back, Kuon thought the Knight XV was surprisingly maneuverable for such a massive vehicle.
The wind snaked under his T-shirt, pinching his skin. He was especially sensitive to the cold after an hour in the bone-melting heat. His arms automatically wrapped around his torso, rubbing his shoulders as he looked around in a groggy state.
His breath fogged. In the cold city, no stars shone, defeated by the artificial light.
The chill rising from the asphalt pierced his soles. His left calf cramped, and the gritty surface made his feet ache again. He wanted to get drunk, but more than that, he wanted to sleep.
He took a tentative step toward the nearest streetlight but groaned as stabbing pain shot through his soles. Staggering around seemed like a bad idea, so he assessed his surroundings with extra attention.
A dark building towered over the sleeping street, watching the night with a few yellow eyes. Even in his weary state, Kuon found its grotesque construction ugly. A block upon block with tiny windows and two “necks” of communal balconies, the building was a shining example of Cubism-influenced modern architecture; in reality it looked more like astack of wooden blocks left by a toddler.
Disoriented, Kuon turned around and squinted through the milky air. This residential area could be anywhere in the Vienna suburbs.
Why did he leave me here?Then it hit him.Ahhh… This must be Rick’s.
Curiosity grew.
If so, there must be a park nearby.He strained his vision to make out the dense vegetation in the distance, black and gray in the foggy night, and hummed when he found it.
Seeing the place where he’d lived for months felt surreal. If it weren’t for the cold, he would have taken his time exploring the familiar yet foreign cityscape.
So Tobias knows this address… This must be what Yugo meant when he warned me about my friends becoming weaknesses.
Entering felt wrong. He didn’t want to bother Rick or rely on his kindness again, nor give him the wrong idea, but walking barefoot through Vienna wasn’t an option either. He wondered how many taxi drivers would pick up someone like him without first seeing payment. He guessed none.
That left him with only one option. Suppressing the last remnants of his pride, he looked around for a lone passerby to ask for a cell phone to call Gray when a familiar voice, rough and cracking like breaking crust of bread and accompanied by a tiny bark, reached him from behind. “Kuon? What are you doing here?”
Fuck…Kuon winced. Preparing for another round of humiliation, he forced a smile, turned around, and raised hishand.It’s not even four in the morning. Why the hell aren’t you sleeping? Why can’t I get lucky for once?
He was about to say “hey” when his gaze caught two pups sniffing the air on either side of Rick’s feet. Both had docked tails and cropped, tightly taped ears.
Kuon’s jaw dropped. “When did you get puppies?”
“Last week. Meet Chaos and Wrath.”
