The Yellow Pill Read Online Free PDF Page A

crowded and on the border
of chaos, but she liked it this way. She felt she could blend in with everybody
else. Stay out of unwanted attention.
    Jin pressed close
to her, the two of them moving from stall to stall as best they could. Frey had
pulled up her bloody bandana against the sewer stink and steam, now breathing
the smell of iron instead. Jin’s proper gasmask covered the lower part of his
face, only leaving his eyes visible. His eyes were relaxed, his posture giving
away that he enjoyed it as much as her.
    They sold their
findings to a bald man with a missing arm, a mechanical one in its place that
badly needed repairing. His gas mask covered his entire face, and the black
reflection made it impossible to see his eyes. How he saw anything in the
darkness, Frey could only guess. But Jin seemed to know him and got a good
trade out of it.
    Jin exchanged his
broken gun for a car battery; Frey took more time to choose, her broken radio
worth considerably less.
    “Frey, please,”
Jin moaned when he saw what she was looking at. “Get something for yourself for
a change.”
    Frey ignored her
friend and pointed at the remote controlled car. It was small, and fit snugly
inside her jacket.
    Jin carried the
battery in his arms like a precious child. He was happy enough with the bargain
that he didn’t stay cranky at her for long. Frey felt good as well, smiling as
she thought how the kids would love the new toy.
    There were a few
gunshots in the distance, but they were too far away to be of any immediate
danger to the market, so they were ignored. Otherwise it had proved to be an
unusually calm night for a change. Frey looked up at Jin and couldn’t help but
grin as she saw his face. A sign close by spilled warm colors, making Jin look
like he had as a little kid. They were just able to walk side by side again,
and Jin had pulled his mask down, twisted around and resting between his shoulder .
    They rounded a
corner and found themselves facing two men at the end of the street. A few
people strolled to or from the night market, but otherwise the street was
empty. It wasn’t hard to guess for whom the two thugs were waiting for.
    They must have
spotted us at the market. So much for a calm night. Frey
sighted mentally. Oh well, their funeral.
    They walked
towards the men, not even bothering to slow down, which the thugs certainly didn’t
seem to be expecting. Frey took her good hand out of her pocket. “I’ll take the
big one,” she said.
    “Damn these small
fry,” he said. “They so much as scratch my battery, you’ll have to drag me away
from their unconscious, friggin bodies.” The battery was
plenty scratched already, and Frey found herself grinning, not taking her eyes off  the two men. She bent down and snatched up a rock.
    “Bet on who takes
one out first?” She asked with a smile.
    “Sure!”
    They were only a few
meters from the duo that now stood there dumbfounded, not knowing what to
expect anymore. Frey snaked her arm back and let the rock fly. There was a
solid thunk , and the big man’s head
flew back. He fell like a tree, eyes rolling up into his skull, his whole body
going rigid. It all went so fast that neither Jin nor the remaining thug knew
what had happened until the man was down.
    “Hey!”
    Frey grinned up
at him. “Not like I cheated.”
    The other guy
turned and bolted, and Jin wrinkled his nose in disgust at the man’s retreating
back. “Leaving his partner like that. Scum.”
    Frey circled her
arm around his midsection and hugged him tight before letting go. She only
stopped long enough to turn the big one to his side so he wouldn’t suffocate if
he threw up from the concussion. Jin smiled at her, the battery tucked under one arm, other rubbing her head playfully.
     
    When he led her into the western districts Frey
already had a bad feeling burning in her guts. Now her stomach acids seemed to
be boiling. They were walking into gang territory, and she was far from relaxed
about