“We’re now arriving at… Slough train station.”
As the doors slid open, a crowd of people got off the train, surrounded by other people who were eagerly waiting for the chance to get on. Among the arrivals was a teenage boy wearing a regular plain white top, jeans and a pair of trainers. Were it not for his green hair colour, he would hardly stick out from the mass.
Looking to his left and his right, he recognised the dirty chewgum black filled spots on the floor tiles. The slight smell of the waste power plant that was nearby, and the regular people that would argue at the train station and shout at each other.
Spending time at the academy had almost made him forget about how filthy his home town actually was, but this was clearly the same old Slough that he had left not too long ago.
‘I guess some things don’t change, but at least there aren’t any gang members I have to hide from. It feels nice being able to walk around these streets without a hoodie over my head.’
Leaving the train station, Gary took a right turn down a street and continued walking down the familiar streets until he was back in the neighbourhood he had grown up in. Although Gary had stated he was coming back, he actually hadn’t told them when he would arrive as he wanted it to be a nice surprise for the others. Only when he was about to head further in, did a sudden realisation strike him.
‘Shoot, I completely forgot about getting Amy that apartment in Cipen. I went in the completely wrong direction.’ Slapping his head, Gary turned around, wondering whether to walk or call in Tyler to give him a lift.
During his absence the other core member had other things to do, so the general plan was to meet up at the Wolf’s Pool Club in the evening to get him up to date before the big meeting tomorrow. Until then, Gary planned to spend time with Amy.
He still regretted how he had decided to move her out and in with White without asking for her opinion, even though one might argue that the new apartment was an upgrade in every sense of the word. Still, he knew that he had messed up, and as her big brother he wanted to spend some quality time with her, especially since he wasn’t sure when he would have to return again.
Turning around, Gary walked past a bakery. The smell of freshly baked goods wafted into his air. He wasn’t really into sweets these days, but the smell reminded him of a few pleasant memories from his childhood. Coming back with one of those blueberry muffins should certainly earn him some brownie points with his sister.
Although, this wasn’t the same bakery that was there back then. In the past that bakery had long closed down due to pressure from the Underdogs, so it was nice to see that there was another one in its place.
From outside, Gary saw three young adult men wearing black and gold clothing through the glass window.
‘That’s the…that’s definitely the Howlers uniform, but I don’t recognise those guys. They don’t look like any of Austin’s friends, and I also can’t remember seeing them among the Pincers? Must be new members, I guess.’
It was nice to see the Howlers gang had expanded in his absence. He hadn’t really paid attention to it, but now that he thought about it, he was sure to have passed quite a few people who had been wearing their colours. They were all over the place, just like the Underdogs were in the past.
“How come you are asking for a larger cut AGAIN? You just raised it the week before!” A female voice was heard. “I have been speaking to my friends, and their percentage has stayed the same throughout. Why does only our district’s rate keep increasing?”
Gary’s enhanced hearing was able to pick up her voice even from the outside. He had wanted to go inside, but now he was curious to see what was happening. In the past he might have ignored such a thing, but now this was his gang operating. If something was affecting his old neighbourhood, he needed to know it.
One of the men started to tut and wave his finger toward the woman in a baker’s outfit. She was in her mid 20s, donning a large chef’s hat and in a white outfit. It was strange because the appearance was quite similar to the baker that Gary used to go to, which would have been impossible due to the amount of time that has passed.
“What are you complaining about? If it weren’t for us giving you the cash, would you have been able to renovate this place? You’re talking as if we haven’t done anything, but who is keeping the streets safe, huh?
“Thanks to us there are no longer any gang fights, nor any colour gangs loitering around in the streets. You could say, we’re keeping public order, and your business is also profiting from this, right? So don’t you think it’s only fair that we deserve a bonus once in a while?”
One of the three men grabbed one of the loaves of bread that was wrapped up in plastic and placed it in a basket to the side and opened it up, taking a big bite out of it. Clenching her fist, the baker was holding back her anger, from slapping the man.
“I understand you guys helped us by getting rid of the Underdogs but if you keep hiking up the prices, how are you any different from them?! If things are going to just be the same, then I won’t pay, go ahead and do your worst.”
The woman then folded her arms, standing behind the counter. She was going to take a stand. In the past she witnessed how the others, the members of the public, didn’t take a stand against these gangs, and they were able to do what they wanted. Under the Underdogs she had been forced to use up her reserves. Thanks to the change in leadership, she had been able to save up a bit again, but she was unwilling to give that up again.
There was also a deeper reason, one that no matter what, she needed to make this bakery a success.
Since it was new, there was still a lack of loyal customers and a lot of start up costs. Every penny she had, went into this bakery, so the truth was she wasn’t able to pay either way.
The man in the Howler’s uniform was beyond annoyed, and in doing so, he reached out and slammed his hand on top of the chef’s hat flattening it, then through the hat, he grabbed onto the blonde hair girl’s head, and pulled her forward.
“You think you’re a smart bitch!” The man shouted, right in her face, that parts of his spit went onto hers. “Do you even know who the F*ck we are?”
“Of course.” The woman replied, with a pained look on her face. “Typical that you result in violence, I guess this makes you big huh, because you have nothing down there either.”
The man out of anger went to pull her forward even more, but before he could he felt a hand on the back of his head.
“What the f*ck are you doing, in my town!”
The two looked at the green haired teenager who had just entered the shop and was holding their friend by the back of his hair.
The man tried to turn around.
“How dare you touch a member of the How-”
Pushing the man’s head, Gary slammed it right down into the counter. The man’s nose could be felt breaking, as the rest of his skull was pushed into the wood, breaking it slightly. When Gary let go, the man’s face slid off the counter, and onto the floor.
“What did you do! Do you know what you just did?” The other shocked members said, standing to the side. “Do you know who we are?”
“Yeah, and I will make sure you guys are never allowed to say that name again.” Gary stated as he grinded his teeth back and forth.
*****
My Werewolf System Webtoon is out! You can read now in the BILI BILI COMICS APP. Weekly Webtoon chapters. Check it out, help it grow, and there might be news of an official My Vampire System webtoon someday.