Page 128 of Rot In Knotty Pieces

And again.

There’s nothing we missed. And yet, somehow, whatever Merle saw on that street remains locked in her mind where none of us can reach it. We’ve run out of options, run out clues to follow and threads to chase. Tomorrow, or today, when we get up, we’re going to have to shove Merle back into that nightmare and see if she can help us again.

And I don’t want to do that to her.

I hear sounds outside the window. It’s a scrape and a click. Sounds I recognise. My eyes flare wide, and I sit up. Sage reacts instantly, his eyes shining in the dark. I reach out and place my hand over Merle’s mouth, dragging her out of bed. It takes me just a minute to get her into the roof cavity. She struggles and fights as I push her into the hole and darkness, her eyes stare back, wide and full of panic. Sage pushes past me and jabs her in the neck with one of his needles he keeps on him. She collapses, her eyes drifting shut.

“We’ll come back, just hide,” I whisper.

We pull everything back and turn, Sage’s hand finds mine.

The police swarm through the corridor.

“Put your hands up. Don’t move!” The guy in front booms. They have guns on us and are holding plastic riot shields. Only their eyes are visible, hard eyes of people worn down by years of fighting crime.

I lift my hands up slowly and put them behind my head, turning smoothly to show them my back and kneeling.

Sage does the same.

He glances at me, and I shake my head.

Don’t resist. We’ll be in there longer if we resist.

They get us cuffed and carry us out of the house. King, Blaze, and Rolly come next.

“Where’s your mother?” an officer sneers at me.

Oh, this is bad.

“Probably on another holiday, we don’t talk anymore,” I say nonchalantly.

“Why is that? Got something to hide?”

“Because I got fired. She said she was ashamed of me and to get out of her house until I fixed it. That was seven months ago.”

He barks a sharp, disbelieving laugh and shoves me into the back of a squad car.

It’s strange being on this side of an arrest.

Except, they don’t seem to have any reason for why they have us. And they don’t seem to have realised who they have arrested either.

In the cells, we sit quietly, not speaking, just watching. I imagine killing all of them as they sit around and laugh. Each second winds me tighter and tighter.

Merle is alone. We left her alone.

The midday light is shining through the window when I hear a voice I didn’t expect to hear. I stand up, still not used to the unpleasant smell.

“Fuck the hell off out of my face, peasant.”

Rolly chuckles.

“Rory!” Bonnie snaps. “Sorry, officer, he’s a bit moody.”

“Whatever,” Rory says. “Where’s my dickhead cousin? Hey, little psycho, you forgot your meds! I don’t want to see you back in a psych ward.”

“Fuck you, Rory!” Rolly growls.

Cyn walks into sight and goes straight to King. “Are you okay?”