Free Requiem for a Mouse by Jamie Wang Page A

his left hand to plug up a gash.
    Sasha hadn’t even realized he was wounded. It must’ve been when he had made a grab for Prince’s money. Her knife had found its mark.
    The Hawk put his knife away. “Remember me Mouse, because I’ll remember you.” He took off into the crowd and disappeared.

LAO
     
    “I see you’re not a morning person.” Lao’s shoes clicked on the ground.
    John bit against the knotted rag in his mouth. His body shook as he tried to inch away from the Dragon. As all the visitors of this room, his hands were cuffed behind him and his feet were chained to the floor.
    Lao circled him, tugging on the noose around his neck. “Do you know why you are here?”
    John screamed against the rag in vowels.
    “Let me answer that question for you, because the answer isn’t actually all that exciting. You broke one of my rules.” Lao sighed, placing both his hands on his hip. “And I don’t really like you. In the short time since I’ve made your acquaintance, you have not only bullied children, but you’ve been bullied by children!” Lao clutched his sides laughing.
    It didn’t seem like John found it as funny as Lao.
    “Excuse me John, I thought you would appreciate some humor.” Lao grabbed the rag around John’s mouth and yanked it out. “Sorry, but I’m a little hard of hearing, I must be getting old. Could you repeat that?”
    “I’m sorry. Please—” John coughed, his entire body shaking with its force. “—let me go.”
    Lao shook his head. “Ugh, the same words that everyone says. If I knew this would be the quality of our conversation, I would’ve left the rag in your mouth.”
    “I’m sorry I broke your rule. It won’t happen again Mr. Dragon.”
    “First off, just Dragon, no mister. Secondly, you don’t even know what you did yet. How can you be sorry? No, I want you to guess which of my rules you broke. Here’s a hint, I only have three.”
    John returned a blank look. “Um… the first one?”
    “Do you know which rule that is?”
    “Is that the one about—”
    “It’s the one about violence. All violence belongs to me.” Lao pinched his own chin in a theatrical manner. “Good guess, but not quite right. You almost broke that one, but then you got stabbed and beaten by a fifteen-year-old boy. No, you broke my second rule.”
    It still didn’t seem like John was getting it.
    “You cheated,” Lao clarified. “During your chess game with Prince.”
    John’s mouth gaped open in disbelief. “That’s why I’m here?”
    “To be frank, no. It’s your humanity that brings us here.”
    “What?”
    “You are violent, arrogant, selfish, and sadistic. That’s why you’re here.”
    “But that’s not part of your rules.”
    “Which is why I’m so glad you cheated.” Lao chuckled and produced a silver flask from inside his jacket. He unscrewed the lid and sniffed its rancid odor. No matter how many times he performed this ritual, the smell always made him retch.
    Lao wagged a finger in front of John. “But this wouldn’t be fair if I didn’t give you a chance to save yourself. So, here’s your chance, tell me how Owen snuck a gun into my city.”
    “I don’t know, ask him,” John stammered.
    “Unfortunately, that’s the answer he gave me... only, he told me to ask you. Oh John, what pitiful creatures we are.” Lao held his flask up over John’s head and poured out its contents.
    John squirmed as if he could dodge the liquid if only he tried hard enough. He spit out the bit that got in his mouth. His face flushed red as he gagged on the taste. “Stop!” He shouted in between dry heaves.
    Lao stopped. He flung his head back and drank the rest. As soon as the liquid entered his mouth, his body panicked. His heart jumped into an erratic dance and his stomach did flips. With a grunt, Lao gulped down the poison.
    It took a while for Lao to put himself back together. He clenched his eyes shut and prayed that he wouldn’t vomit. At last, the nausea