Deal

Karusa's POV

UCZD's visitor locker room smells like sweat and Gatorade. It's dark. Empty. And quiet, apart from the muffled voices booming from the basketball court down the hall.

I came in here to calm my nerves before heading out there, but it's not working. The silence in the locker room is only making my thoughts louder. I'm on the bench, head down, elbows on my knees, rubbing the back of my neck with both hands.

I'm so goddamn nervous. It's pathetic.

I'm really about to tell Ganondorf I found Malice. The man who destroyed her. The man who tortured me for standing up for her. The man who can snap his fingers and make a cop write my confession for me. I don't know if he's gonna thank me or have me carried out. To be honest, I don't know which would be worse.

Fuckkk...

I push my hair back. My forehead's sweaty. I wipe it on my sleeve and get up. Just gotta get it over with. No point waiting around in self-pity.

I head down the hall and enter the stadium. The fundraiser's in full motion. A huge banner spans across one wall. "University of California, Zora's Domain: Youth Basketball Fundraiser."

Ganondorf is standing there on the sideline. Mister Charity. In his million-dollar suit and halo-smile. Donating signed balls and Lakers jerseys. What a fucking saint.

I stand in the tunnel by the coolers, arms crossed, watching. Kids are laughing twenty feet away while a monster smiles for photos. Hands that have killed for sport are wrapped around their tiny bodies. I can't help but picture my little brother among those kids. Skull Kid was about their age when Ganondorf ended his short life...

Yep. That's the guy I'm about to deliver Malice to... But that's what she wants. 

Out of instinct, I count the cameras. One over the scoreboard. One at the exit sign. One above the door. Good. He can't hurt me with this many eyes watching.

The MC hands him a mic. Ganondorf gives the crowd the thirty-second sermon:

"Every kid deserves someone in their corner," he says, smiling wide. "We don't just play to win here. We play with integrity. With family." He names a donor. Thanks the boosters. Promises a new scoreboard.

Applause. Whistles.

Then he spots me. His smile doesn't move. His eyes do.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I already want to run.

He hands the mic back and jogs a few steps like he's subbing himself in.

When he reaches me, he palms my back like we're buddies and steers me deeper into the tunnel, out of sight.

"What are you doing here?" he says, still smiling like the whole world's watching. "You aren't good press right now."

"Sorry."

"Sorry?" He chuckles, but I know it's fake. "Families are here. Parents. They don't want their eight-year-old anywhere near you. That clip from your baseball fight is still trending. It sits under every headline with my name on it. It's bad enough that my son is in prison for arson and murder. Do you understand why it might be a problem for me that you're showing up at a youth event that I'm sponsoring?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then let me ask you again. What are you doing here?"

"I found her," I say. "Malice."

Not a single reaction on his face. He stays in character. "And how is she?" he asks like a father.

What the actual fuck? I thought he'd be more surprised. Happy. Angry. Something.

"She's alive," is all I say.

"Is she." He doesn't make it a question. "How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"What reason would I have to lie?"

"Oh, I can think of a couple." His smile is creeping me out. "Tell me. What color is her hair now?"

I stall half a second, trying to build a lie. In case he doesn't accept her deal, I don't want him to know what she looks like. We're gambling with her life here.

"Brown," Ganondorf says for me. He grins. "She grew it out to her shoulders."

How does he know that? How the fuck does he know that?

"Karusa," he pats my shoulder. "You knew I had people looking for her this whole time, right?"

"Was this..." My voice is shaking, "...a test?"

What if I hadn't run into her that night? Was Ganondorf just gonna let me burn down the townhome with Malice still inside? That's fucked up!

"I'm pleasantly surprised," he says. "I wasn't sure if you were going to tell me you found her. Glad to see some loyalty from you."

Does he mean that? I can't tell. It doesn't matter anyways. I have no choice but to bring up the deal now.

"She'll return to the Yiga Clan," I say.

"Lower your voice," he grins.

"There's a condition though."

"A condition, huh?"

"You want her back? Leave Link and Zelda alone."

He nods calmly. Glances back towards the court. Gives the kids a warm little wave. Then angles his body to block me from their eyes. "No."

Heat rushes up my neck, followed by an icy chill.

"No? Why not? You've been looking for her for a whole year. Don't you want her back?"

"I can get her back anytime. I can also get rid of Link and Zelda anytime."

I swallow. "Then why haven't you?"

"You want me to?"

Trick question. Don't answer.

"Don't mistake patience for mercy, Karusa. Everything happens exactly when I need it to happen." He adjusts his tie. Brushes a hand over his beard. "Tell Malice not to bargain with things she doesn't own."

He turns to the light and walks away. My heart's punching holes through my ribs. I didn't do jack shit to help Malice. Probably just sold all of us to the basement.

I step back, off-balance and unsteady, shoulder scraping the tunnel wall, mind racing useless loops: gotta warn her, gotta hide her, gotta—where? how?

Fuck!

A kid loses his ball and it rolls right into my leg. "Sorry, mister," he says, and I flinch like he threw a punch. "Woah, you're tall! Are you a coach?"

I choke out a "No." Just the thought of being anything like Ganondorf, even just on paper, makes me want to vomit.

I step out into the night air, whole body shaking. I feel small and defeated. Weak. Worthless. I drag myself to the loading dock at the back of the building. In the camera's blind spot, I pull out a cig. The wall is at my back so nothing can come from behind.

Lighter misfires twice before I cup it. Cig shakes in my fingers and keeps bumping my lip. It's only a matter of time before I get the task to kill them.Or before the Clan kills me. I don't think Ganondorf trusts me at all anymore. He's playing with me. All of us. We're just pieces on a board, and he's not scared to sacrifice a couple of pawns.

I drop into a squat by the dumpster gate. Legs can't hold me right now. Spine bowed, elbows on my knees, wrists dangling between. I stay like this for a minute.

Cig hangs off my teeth while both hands fumble the lighter. Ash falls on my sneakers. I leave it. My mind is somewhere else.

I'm thinking... If I drive to the townhouse right now and throw Mal in the car, can we hit state lines before Ganondorf makes the call? Can we flee Cali? Can we flee the country? Can we make it out alive? Or is there already a guy waiting outside their house? Is there one in the UCZD parking lot, waiting by my car? Am I already dead? Is she?

Fuck it...

Overthinking won't save either of us. I gotta go get her. Now.

I get into my car and head for the townhome. If I do nothing, she'll die for sure.

I go way past the speed limit. Keep looking over my shoulder, making sure I'm not getting followed. Next thing I know, I'm parked outside their house. I don't even remember half the drive. No red lights or stop signs. Feels like I skipped all of them. I turn off the car and look over at the dark house. 

Lights are off. Weird. It's only nine. No way they're all asleep, right?

Street's looking normal. One Jeep with a sunshade even though the sun's down. Other than that, nothing out of the ordinary. Unless there's a sniper two roads down, it doesn't look like anyone's watching.

I get out and walk up to the door. Then I just stand there for a sec. Now what? Ring the bell and say hi, it's me, can I borrow Malice?

Fucking ridiculous.

I knock and wait.

Please answer the stupid door.

I knock again.

Come on!

If I start banging on the door, in this neighborhood, at this hour, some grumpy senior is definitely gonna call the cops.

I walk along the side of the house, looking up at its black windows.

"Mal?" I whisper.

No answer, obviously.

What are the chances that all five of them are out and about without taking any of their cars?

It's possible, but do I really have the time to wait around until someone comes back? What if no one comes back? What if Mal is inside, alone, and any second now a Yiga shows up to get rid of her?

I walk all the way to the back terrace. A big glass door allows me to peek inside. The living room's pitch black and empty. There's a laptop on the kitchen counter, which gives me an idea. A really bad one.

I grab a rock from the backyard and smash the glass. A voice nearby says, "Did you hear that?"

Time's ticking now. Gotta be fast and get this done before I get caught. I step inside, shards crunching under my shoes.

"Mal?" I whisper again, but nobody answers. The house is dead quiet.

I open the Macbook. It's password protected, but after entering the wrong thing three times, it gives me a hint: "birthday."

I remember Zelda's birthday from the file Ganondorf keeps at the Hideout. 0921 does the trick. I'm in.

A wallpaper of a blue flower opens up, clustered with alphabetically ordered color-coded folders.

I open the Find My app to see where Zelda is at. If I can find her, chances are I'll find Malice.

All of Zelda's devices are listed on the sidebar. Her laptop, iPad, and airpods are at the townhome. Her old iPhone is at the police station. I click on her new iPhone. The map snaps wide and pans over to the Pacific Ocean.

My brain freezes. This can't be possible. Both Zelda's and Link's phones are shown in the middle of nowhere. I zoom. And zoom. Until I can't zoom in any closer. There's nothing but water around them.

Fuck, does this mean...?

No.

No, no, no!

Ganondorf already got to them! Which means he also got to Malice!

I shut her laptop. This can't be real.

Sprint up the dark stairs. Search the rooms. No one's here. I search Mal's room twice, hoping for a stupid miracle, but her room stays empty.

"Okay," I tell myself. "Okay. Think."

I catch my breath, standing next to her bed completely in denial. I don't want to believe she's dead. I don't want to picture her body in a bag. Chopped up. Thrown into the ocean.

I want her alive!

My mind's running wild with pictures. Can't breathe. Time passes. Seconds, minutes, can't tell. I'm fucking panicking.

I drop to my knees. Eyes shut. Hands locked. Praying.

It's almost funny... I never once believed in God or anything supernatural even though I've been surrounded by demons all my life. Real evil. Monsters wearing human skin. Like my father and Ganondorf. Psychopaths who buy the masks of angels.

It's so pathetic of me to ask for help from someone I'm sure isn't there... I've never done this before. But shit, I'm out of options.

"You don't like me, I don't like you. But here's the deal... If you keep her breathing, I'll fucking repent or, whatever, go to hell for what I've done. Just keep her safe."

My fingers tighten.

"If you are there, if you're listening, this is the only time you'll hear from me. One ask, and then we can go back to ignoring each other. Just... keep Malice safe."

It's the only thing I ever wanted.

My phone suddenly buzzes in my pocket. It snaps me back into reality. With sweaty hands, I check if it's Ganondorf.

It's not.

Kiroh texted: *We need to talk*

What the hell does he want?

I don't have time for this right now. I gotta get out of here.

Just as I get up, a flashing blue light pierces the window. There are no sirens, but I know it's the cops.

I hurry back downstairs, skip the last three steps, bolt through the broken backdoor, and crash into a cop who's on his way inside. I fall right into his hands. He grips my arm. We both look up.

"Karusa?"

"Viscen?" Didn't clock him in uniform.

He flicks a look at the broken glass, then back at me. "The hell you doin'?" he whisper-shouts. "I thought Ganondorf told you to keep outta trouble!"

"Cover for me!" I say and rip myself loose.

I barely take half a step when another cop rushes into the backyard.

This one is not a Yiga. He's a real cop who instantly pulls a gun on me and barks, "Freeze!"

I stop. Hands up. "Holy—okay."

"On the ground!"

Sand, fence, alley. My eyes quickly scout the whole area. If I run, will I make it out, or get shot? Viscen will have to pick a side. He'll either chase and arrest me or sabotage his partner to buy me some time.

He lifts his taser to sell the act. Fuck. Guess I'm not winning the coin flip. This motherfucker really about to taser me.

"On the ground, NOW," the real cop shouts.

I go down on my knees. Again. This time I won't waste my breath on prayers. Why should I? There's no higher power or divine being that can stop the devil himself. Ganondorf will always get his way because he's got power and leverage. It's like no matter how many Yigas get arrested, there's always gonna be just as many Yigas working as cops. It's not a fair fight. Never been fair to begin with. Ganondorf can't lose.

Viscen's partner radios in: "We got the burglar."

Burglar?

That's what they waste their time on? There's a killer on the loose, you fucking geniuses. A killer who's probably already gotten rid of Zelda, Link, and Malice.

Fuck me... I still haven't fully grasped that Malice might actually be dead. My mind just won't accept it.

I swear to God, I'm gonna kill Ganondorf. I don't care if it costs me my own life. He's gonna die.

I get up.

"Don't do it," Viscen warns. His partner turns.

And then I run. Fucking hop the fence and don't look back.

"Stop!" shouts the cop as I sprint down the street. He's on my heels, close enough that I can hear him panting behind me. "Unit 403, foot pursuit," he radios. "Caucasian male, brown hair, red shirt. Forearm tattoo."

I turn into someone's backyard, tryna lose the cop but he's still racing after me like it's a Sunday morning jog.

"Stop!" he shouts. "You better fucking stop!"

I don't.

If I stop, I'm good as dead. Best case scenario? I go to jail. And Ganondorf sure as hell won't bail me out this time. He might even have me clipped from the inside.

"Stop running!"

I cut left through an alley of trash cans and a plastic Christmas deer. Two more fences. I barely make the last one. Can feel myself slowing, muscles shaking. Can't catch my breath. Got that nasty iron taste in my throat.

Push through a sidegate. I'm now in a narrow walk between stucco walls. Motion sensors flick the lights on, blasting my pupils. I keep running. Past a pool. Past a dog. Through a carport. My knee's killing me. Every step hurts like hell. Thanks for that, Link. Piece of shit.

Fuck.

I wanted Link dead, but right now I'm really hoping he isn't. This shit's getting too real. If he and Zelda and everyone else who lives at the town home are dead, then so is Mal...

I climb one last fence and then drop into the dune grass, wheezing like a kid with asthma. I catch my breath, lying flat on my soaked back. Sweat blurs my vision. Lungs sore as hell. Legs dead. I'm done.

It takes Viscen's partner less than a minute to find me.

"You son of a bitch," he pants, leisurely walking up to me like he knows I won't get up. "You shouldn't have run."

"You're chasin' the wrong guy," I rasp, watching as he steps over me.

"Roll on your stomach."

"Come on, man."

"Roll on your stomach."

I'm still considering running, but there's no way I can outrun this dude. If I as much as try to get up right now, he'll tackle me like a linebacker.

"Roll on your fucking stomach," he says again and does it for me. He flips me over, pressing my face into the sand and his knee into my spine.

I cough out, "Fuck you, man!"

"Gimme your hands!" He grabs my wrists and yanks them over my lower back. Handcuffs click. Then he announces to the radio: "Suspect in custody. Start a unit for scene security. I think his tattoo might be the symbol of the Yiga Clan."

"Nah, bro. I'm just a Sheikah fan," I say, and add, "Swear," as if there's any chance he'll believe me.

Viscen jogs up to us. "Is he armed?" He stops in front of me, glances at his partner, clears his throat, then back at me. "Did you steal anything, boy?"

"No," I glare up at him, "Officer."

I almost want him to get caught as a corrupted cop. Screw him. He could've helped a brother out.  

His scowl says Shut up. He's scared I'll blow his cover. He should be. 

"Why'd you break in?" the real officer says.

"I didn't."

"You didn't, hm? Then why were you inside the house?"

I shrug. "Heard glass breaking and wanted to catch the burglar. Just like you."

"Hero's don't typically run from the police."

"Fuck you."

"Uh-huh."

Viscen pats me down while the other guy keeps pushing me deeper into the dirt.

"Are you carrying any drugs on you?"

"Fuck off," I rasp, but no longer resist. 

"You're going to jail, buddy."

I know... 

It's over.