Fabericotte waited for the flat-nose woman to leave after bringing the food before speaking to Zhang Heng in a hushed tone.
“What are you doing?”
“I took two chef’s knives, didn’t you see it?” Zhang Heng slowly gnawed on the canned food that had just been served.
“I know you stole the knives. The question is, why are you stealing them?” Fabericotte looked nervous, covertly giving the dull-eyed man and flat-nose woman a glance. He then said to Zhang Heng, “Hey, I think… You better put the knife back before they find out about it. I don’t want to cause any trouble here. I just want to spend the night peacefully and leave this place as soon as possible.”
“Is that so?”
“What do you mean?”
“Do you think you can spend the night peacefully here?”
Fabricotte immediately became alert again, “What do you know about this place?”
“What do you know?” Zhang Heng asked rhetorically.
“…”
“I have an idea. Let’s exchange what we know.”
“I don’t know anything,” Fabericotte said immediately. He then added, “I’m just a traveler who’s passing by.”
“It’s up to you then. Anyway, I don’t think you should blame me for not warning you. Something bad will happen here tonight. You’d better be prepared.”
“What should I prepare?”
“Do you know how to use a knife?”
“No. I don’t want to sneak into the kitchen and steal a knife like you.”
“It’s okay. We’ll look for another weapon.”
“Hmm?”
Zhang Heng had already finished his canned food. However, he didn’t intend to continue elaborating on his plan. He then asked Farbericotte, “How long do you need to finish your food?”
Farbericotte looked at the vegetable soup and canned food that he had barely touched. After Zhang Heng asked the question, he gritted his teeth, gobbled up his meal as fast as possible, then grabbed the biscuit and said, “Let’s go.”
He didn’t want to stay there any longer because the ugly-looking man and woman gave him an uneasy feeling. The other reason was that Zhang Heng had just stolen two chef’s knives from them, and he was afraid that they would find out about it.
So the two left the restaurant and returned to the street.
Farbericotte took in two deep breaths. Unfortunately, the lingering stench of fish in the air didn’t make him feel any better. And after taking a few steps, he suddenly asked Zhang Heng suspiciously, “Do you feel that we are constantly being watched?”
“Yes. Someone is watching us right now. Or should I say the townsfolk have been keeping an eye on us?” Zhang Heng replied casually.
Fabericotte turned his head around, but he saw no one following them. While they were eating earlier, they realized that there were fewer people on the street. Earlier, many were still busy preparing for the celebration, but they seemed to have disappeared in the blink of an eye.
In those stuffy, airtight buildings, however, behind the doors and curtains, Fabericotte clearly sensed that something lay there, watching them from afar. At that time, the sun had finally set, and the last light of the afterglow had completely disappeared. The incandescent lamps lining the road were lit up.
But the lamps were feeble and could only illuminate a small area on the street. Under the glow of the dim lights, the entire town looked gave off an even more peculiar and mysterious vibe.
“I think we’d better head back to the hostel,” Fabericotte suggested. “When I was in Newburyport, I heard that it’s not safe at night for outsiders here. People usually go missing at night, not to mention the strange noises all around the town when darkness arrives. They explicitly advised me not to go out after dark.”
“Don’t worry. They won’t be doing anything to us anytime soon,” Zhang Heng said. He then took the lead and walked toward the grocery store. Fabericotte could only trail him helplessly, and at the same time, unleash a barrage of nonstop complaining.
“There’s nothing to see here. Everyone has gone home after work.”
Zhang Heng ignored him and looked through the glass door to ensure that there really was no one inside the restaurant. He then pulled out the chef’s knife from under his clothes and smashed the glass with the knife’s handle, before reaching in and pulling it.
“You! You! You!!!”
Fabericotte’s eyes widened. He thought that Zhang Heng would have put a stop to his crimes after stealing the knives. The last thing he expected was for him to loot the grocery store.
He could barely pretend that he knew nothing about Zhang Heng’s previous misdoings. Looting the grocery store had gone way beyond his principles. He did not want to be an accomplice to a crime. When Zhang Heng opened the door and signaled him to go in, the young man quickly took a few steps back.
“You are crazy!”
“I don’t think so,” Zhang Heng shook his head, “I know exactly what I’m doing now. You are the one that looks weird here. Ever since I met you, you’ve constantly been looking over your shoulder, as if you’ve witnessed something terrible but refuse to believe what you saw.”
“If you heard what I heard, you would’ve acted like me too.” Fabericotte immediately realized that he had spilled the beans. This statement was tantamount to acknowledging that he did hear something. He then hastily attempted an escape. “That’s it—time to go our separate ways. Whether you want to steal a knife or rob the grocery store, it’s all your business. I want to have nothing to do with you.”
Turning around, he quickly walked away. After a few steps, though, he stopped. “If you are caught by the townsfolk, you have to tell them that it has nothing to do with me!”
Zhang Heng blinked a few times. “The people in the town have been watching us in secret, but no one has come out to confront us until now. Do you think they’ll care that we have committed a crime?”
Farbericotte was startled when he heard Zhang Heng’s reply. “I don’t know. That’s just your speculation. I really don’t want to get into any trouble.”
“If you want that to come true, you’ll have to first make sure that you are not in any trouble.”
“I don’t know what you are talking about. I’m heading back. I suggest you don’t stay outside for too long.” Fabericotte did not want to argue with Zhang Heng anymore. With that, he ended the conversation and headed straight back to the hostel.
Zhang Heng watched him walk through the hostel’s door. He stood under the streetlamp for another half a minute before turning around to walk into the grocery store.
Not only was he looking for weapons for Fabericotte, but also potential weapons that he could use to protect himself. The two chef’s knives from the restaurant weren’t nearly enough to handle the threats he was about to face.
Zhang Heng found flashlights, candles, ropes, fishing lines, and whiskey in the grocery store. Among all these, his biggest surprise was that he found a rifle, two revolvers, and several bullets. He then took a large backpack and stuffed everything that he found useful in the grocery store.
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