“There’s BLOOD everywhere—people have died—and the police that’s supposed to be HELPING US HAVE GUNS TO OUR HEADS! HOW CAN WE REMOTELY STAY CALM?!”
Richard was surprised at how succinct this whiny lady’s summation of the problem. But considering that this could be a monster trying to stir the proverbial shit, he had to not be so sure of things.
Only sure of the plan. The boy, dressed finely in a white tux that wasn’t stained with blood, just had to wait for his chance as he nervously adjusted his cufflinks.
“What about what that Jigsaw motherfucker said?! They said that people are here to fuck us over, no one can be trusted but the cops! So gather everyone up and we execute one by one--!”
This was on the verge of unsalvageable chaos. Richard was going to step out of line, become a sacrificial pawn if it needed be, because the plan was doomed the fail at this rate.
What he didn’t see coming was the unlikely ally stepping up for them.
“We will not make this already terrible night into an outright tragedy—we’ve had five of them at this rate—”
Mayor Huntington rose from the pack, causing the loud cacophony to slow to a stirring. Not outright anger at him, but how Richard is now, outright stumped by his sudden valor.
A woman that was drenched with blood turned to him with accusing eyes, “Oooohohoho! Look! A mayor that’s finally doing his job!”
“Too bad it had to happen right now, versus ten minutes ago…” an elderly WASP resounded in a kind.
The mayor adjusted his blood-caked tie, and surprisingly continued to stay calm. “Even the best leader couldn’t have wrangled something from that—well, this--situation, being completely fair… But that’s not the point, here! “
He tried to ease the uncuttable tension brewing in this room, by doing the most rudimentary “calm down children” motion with his two hands, “As I said during the town hall meeting, these are a series of deadly pranks carried out by a group of what can only be described as nihilist anarchy—"
“You just said the same thing twice, that’s what I’m hearing right now.”
“Well not really—” Huntington replied, hand on his chest as he closed his eyes. “Anarchy ultimately has the goal of dismantling power structures that, in their view, have negatively impacted the world itself—believing that we’re free beings that decide our own choices…”
Huntington then opened his eyes, grimly. “These people stand for nothing, but the rumination of others—us. We had so little information until now—we hoped that we’d know something during the two-week curfew and interim… But this is totally different from defending people due to a certain group, wearing easy-to-spot cloaks or what have you… There were people among us, our own neighbors. How can we fight that…?”
“I told ya’ the fuckin’ solution!” the portly man with nearly sick wife (?) in tow, pointing at Huntington. “Everyone against the wall and we weed the bastard’s out!”
“Sir—if you keep suggesting to incite violence, then we have no choice but to suspect you.”
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The leader of the troopers didn’t bother getting dressed, she didn’t strike Richard as the type once a mission was at hand. A middle-aged woman, aside from a few stress lines and scarring, was a fit looker that had messy dirty blonde hair that hit the shoulders. Her steely brown eyes shifted, but only to lock onto a new target, not out of cowardice.
“What fucking team are you on, Berra--?!” Gilligan decided to open his trap once again. “Someone tries to be sensible in this damn travesty and here you are not doing your damn job!”
“How about you shut up over there!?” a new voice rang out.
“Clearly he’s one of them!” another voice that was fresh to Richard’s ears “Pop him! Shoot him before he mows all of us down!”
“Trust me—” Berra yelled out, looking directly at Gilligan. “He’s always been on my ass—it’s something he can’t help—”
“Maybe he is right!” the portly man stumbled forward, causing every single officer to train at him—as his wife just covered her mouth and fell to her knees. “You’re acting cool when, again to remind people, blood rained down and people were eaten! My buddy’s entire head was ripped off his fucking head! This ain’t some schoolyard prank—and you can’t convince me that you’re not in on it!”
Disturbed murmurs. A fervor that that steadily growing was on the verge of exploding. There was nothing but arguing and even in Richard’s chest—despite never partaking in the food himself of course—can feel whatever shadow demon that climbed into him enjoying this strife.
It didn’t matter in that moment, for Richard to work out who’s truly a Subsumed or not. Humans. Subsumed. They were one in this moment.
Cassie was getting her way.
This was the precipice. The point that it didn’t matter. Nothing could be said to snap people out of this level of anger, paranoia, and uncertainty.
Thankfully, Richard knew that he didn’t have to deal with this any longer.
Right on cue, Martha Mittleman stumbled down the blood-flooded staircase. Panting, her dress in complete tatters, with complete horror on her face as she nearly falls on her face as she reaches the bottom.
Richard coughed softly, and breathed in a cleansing breath.
“MOTHER!” Richard shouted with enough conviction to startle everyone present. He broke out of the crowd, knowingly aimed himself toward Officer Berra, who instantly held him back versus threatening him at gunpoint.
“Easy--!” she tried to talk sense into him.
Richard gave his best rendition of a tearful, frightened expression. Given how Ms. Berra reacted, despite his eyes covered in light tears, it had worked wonders.
“Please…! That’s my mother: she’s all that I have left—you all know this!”
With a quick suck of her teeth, Officer Berra turned to her comrades in arms. “Close it up and hold the line while I help them—”
Richard ran forward, reaching where Martha was shivering in place, holding her biceps. He took her mother into his arms, hugging her as she looked down at her.
“Oh God, you’re okay! You’re actually okay, thank you, God--!”
“S-same to you, baby…” Martha hugged her son back. “I barely survived—I barely survived but I managed to get away…”
Martha looked toward Officer Berra and yet yelled loud enough for the others to hear.
“I have to—tell you still before anything happens to me. They’ve drugged us—the-they drugged us so that when they rounded up everyone, we’d all be hallucinating—I only managed to get away because I had so little—and I take that all of us are! Anyone that ‘turns’ into a monster—is just wearing a cloak and is trying to capture us—sticking us upstairs!”
A murmur spread across the floor once more. But Richard sensed how different it was… Confusion still, but being convinced slightly.
“That does match with what we already knew…” Officer Berra stroked her chin. “In that case—”
A series of screams rang out, causing Berra to aim her gun at whatever the source was.
It was the portly man’s wife… She succumbed to the darkness.
Darkness poured from her mouth. Her eyes slowly turned pitch black. And given how the people nearest—including the man—were so terrified, the Subsumed inside were ready to be born.
Good thing that the officer had her back to them. Because Richard and Martha were smiling in relief, even shared a glance with one another.
This was more fuel for them. The aid that they desperately needed in that moment.
Every dramatic moment, such as this, only added to their narrative.
***