Page 41 of Grimdark Magazine Issue 48

He turns, searching the shadows for her. One of the corpses is right next to him, but he doesn’t see it.

“Look… I know it’s been a while.” He lowers the chickens. “B-but even with money—there was nothing to bring. I didn’t want to come—with nothing. Sorry—sorry I took so long.”

His voice is pleading.

She comes hesitantly out of the shadows, and he jumps at the sight of her, his foot just missing the corpse’s leg.

She takes the chickens and retreats so he won’t see her eating. When she's done, she looks back.

Six has found and dragged the corpse over to the place in the tunnel where there’s light, staring at the body without saying a word. She crawls to him, crouching to make herself smaller.

He will understand. He’s her friend.

He notices her after a moment.

“What have you done?” he says, looking at her without flinching. It’s somehow worse. “Are you—stupid?”

She retreats from the light but he follows, his lips going pale.

“I’ve told you, you have to be careful! You think no one’ll notice if people go missing? That they won’t start saying there’s something in the sewers?”

She tries to explain but all that comes out is a gasping moan. Desperate, she reaches for him but he smacks her hand away, sending pain flaring through her injured arm. She cries out, shrinking back.

“Shut up! And don’t touch me with your stinking hands!” He lifts a foot as if to kick her, then turns and starts ripping fistfuls of hair from his head instead. “Stupid. Stupid! Stupid!”

He gives a long scream and rounds on her again. “What are you gonna do if they come down here looking? You think they can’t catch you? They’ll catch you and—and cut you up. They’ll cut you up—into even more pieces—more pieces than Bennet! Or maybe—maybe—” His voice rises into a shriek. “Maybe, they’ll send the High Reeve!”

The words bounce off the walls, deafening her. Her senses blur together until she can barely hear or see. She cowers, cradling her head.

“He’ll hunt you down! Everyone says—he can find anyone! Maybe he’ll kill you—or maybe he’ll take you to—to Central. To where the new labs are! Remember Stroud? That’s where she is now! Maybe she’ll want to finish you!”

She tries to speak again, but all that comes out is a wail.

He kicks water at her.

“I told you! Why didn’t you listen? Did they cut your ears off when I wasn’t looking—”

He chokes and stands scrubbing his face with his fist. “It’s not my fault,” he gasps out. “I didn’t even ask you to save me! It’s not my—it’s not my fault—you’re not—you’re not my fault—”

He turns and rushes away.

She reaches again, trying to call after him, to show him that she’s not a monster inside, but formless screams are all that echo from her.

He’s gone, and she cannot tell him that she’d meant to stay in the clean room, in the fire; that she only left to carry him out because she’d had no curtains.

She drags the bodies away, letting the river take them and waits to be hunted while her belly shrivels with hunger.

Part of her brightens when she senses footsteps approaching, until she realises that it is Six. He’s come alone but there’s something metal he’s concealing in his pocket.

He’s going to kill her himself.

She wonders if she should scream and pretend to lunge so that he won’t feel guilty or be still so that it is not too hard for him. Instead, there’s a click and horrible, burning light fills the tunnels, scorching her. She covers her eyes, pinned by the glare.

“You can’t hunt people,” Six says. “Someone’ll notice. People get money from Central for snitching.” His voice is wavering but firm, like a judge reading a sentence. He draws a deep breath. “I’ve been trying to think of something you could eat if I could get it down here, but there’s not much of anything left in the city.”

She parts her fingers to peer at him in confusion.

“Then I realised, I can get you food, as much as you need.”