[https://i.imgur.com/epN1ZOl.jpg]Half Submerged Hideout

September 17th X288

Earlier, Irina Halt, locked in the patrol car, was restrained with cuffs around her arms and legs. She leaned her head against the window when Clarissa Lantern tapped the glass.

“Hey. Need a little help?” Clarissa waved.

Irina nodded helplessly.

It took her only one minute. Clarissa opened the locked police cruiser door effortlessly.

“Dank you! You’re a lifesaver, Clarissa,” Irina said, updating Clarissa on the situation.

“I see. So we have guests.” Without trouble, Clarissa lockpicked and removed Irina’s handcuffs. “It would be rude if we didn’t invite them in after coming all this way.”

🙠🙢

Sophie dug through the bag of food, nibbling on a piece of beef jerky.

“Sophie, I also got you some tacos.” Irina handed them to Sophie with an exhausted scheming chuckle.

Sophie bit into the soggy cold tacos. “Gross! Hie hehe!” Sophie continued munching on them. Irina fist-pumped inconspicuously, winning the bet.

Clarissa stared at the pale, shivering, and injured Florian, huddled in the corner of the hallway.

“Clarissa? You haven’t answered yet. Do you know that girl?” Sophie asked, mouth full.

“Nope. I’ve never seen her in my life,” Clarissa lied without hesitation.

Clarissa Lantern, mother of Alex Rodriguez and Sera Rodriguez. Florian couldn’t utter a word.

Why did she lie? Is she planning to help us somehow? She looks completely different from how I remember her. She has less makeup, but she’s still beautiful. That octopus proves it’s her. For just a moment, when Clarissa looked at me, her octopus reverted to its original form.

The octopus’s tentacles danced as Clarissa flipped her hair, reverting into the lionfish.

“If I knew we were having guests, I would’ve had my hair done,” Clarissa said. “All right. Get up, boys. What a mess.”

Juke slowly rolled over and sat up. The angler frog’s lure was no longer glowing. “Sorry, I lost control, didn’t I?” Juke said with a slight slur.

“Eh? I injected you with enough tranquilizers to put down a gorilla. How are you still moving?” Sophie asked while biting into one of the sub sandwiches Clarissa had brought.

Soaking wet, Travis Wit Law combat rolled into the hallway with his gun at the ready.

“What! Everyone’s here? Don’t tell me it’s over already. Gahaha.” His drooling lizard wagged the water off its body.

“Did you go for a swim? Why can’t I go for a swim?” Sophie asked.

“Juke threw me out the window. Don’t mess with this man’s pancakes.” Travis went to get a change of clothes in their storage room.

“Travis,” Juke said, stopping Travis in place. “My bad. I feel better now, so please, don’t tell the boss.” Juke sat on the floor, bleeding from the stab wounds, with a straight face.

“Gahaha. Why are you so serious? I would never sell out any of you guys.”

“Aw, dat’s so sveet,” Irina said.

“Clarissa. We have to hurry,” Juke said, trying to stand up.

“Juke, don’t move yet; you have a lot of stab wounds, courtesy of yours truly. Let me stitch my name in you really quick,” Sophie said.

“No. Patch up the therapist first. I did a number on him. I don’t know what came over me. It was like I couldn’t control my actions, and at the same time, I was fighting for the controls. I can’t explain it.” Juke looked at his hands, clenching them.

“Hie hehe, don’t forget that policeman you’re sitting on. So many patients in one night, all for me. This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time.” Sophie Squalid smiled, skipping to Ronaldo.

Juke got off Officer Keen. Keen’s fox spirit was lying beside him, twitching.

Irina approached Keen with a sour face. “I told you to keep an eye on me, policeman. I just can’t seem to sit still in a vehicle unless I’m the one driving,” Irina said semi-seductively. Irina’s muscular cheetah spirit growled at the tiny fox.

Officer Keen couldn’t move. “Ow, I— so many beautiful ladies. I must be in heaven. It breaks my heart to arrest angels. Ow. It hurts to laugh,” Keen said, pinned in the crushed floorboards.

Irina took the taser gun and all the other weapons Officer Keen had on his person. She then blindfolded him and bound him with the same handcuffs that had bound her in the car.

“In my country, civilians arrest you,” Irina said. The cheetah bit at the fox spirit.

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Clarissa pointed to Florian. “What about this girl in the corner? Sticks? Is this that girlfriend you keep talking about?”

Sticks limped to the crumbled doorway, giving the silent treatment. His snake mouse soul was hiding in his sleeve.

“Trouble in paradise?” Clarissa asked.

“Hie hehe, want me to check your groin? She may have left some permanent damage. Hie hehe.” Sophie cackled, making fun of him.

“Leave me alone.” Sticks brushed Sophie off.

“What happened?” Clarissa asked.

“I saw everything. The girl in the corner is pretty tough; she must play ‘football,’ if you know what I mean. Hie hehe,” Sophie said as she snipped off Ronaldo’s clothes. The centipede legs and feelers fondled and groped Ronaldo’s body, locating broken bones.

“She’s tough, all right. I recruited her, but she declined. Can you believe it?” Travis said.

“And yet she’s here, along with two other injured witnesses. In our hideout.” Clarissa forced a smile.

“We really tried to fix this. These two are unbelievably stubborn,” Travis said.

“You didn’t try hard enough. The boss will decide what to do with them,” Clarissa said.

Juke limped back into the room. Irina and Sticks dragged Officer Keen and plopped him on the couch. Travis moved Ronaldo into the room as Sophie provided medical aid.

Their apparitions cooperated with each other; it reminded Florian of her friends at school, Miss Fumblehouse, Sergeant Honest Nowell, and Dr. Ronaldo.

These criminals also had an unbreakable bond.

Clarissa turned to Florian. “Let’s start things over. Shall we?” She grabbed Florian’s arm, untwisted it, and popped it back into its socket. Florian grunted in pain. The octopus circled the air, hovering over Florian in its lionfish form.

Florian didn’t resist because of Clarissa’s reassuring presence. Florian surrendered, giving up all hope for escape. She considered accepting their recruitment just so they all could survive.

A ringing sounded in Florian’s ears. It was coming from the last room down the hall.

Clarissa seemed to notice the concern. “Don’t mind the noise. It’s just the proximity jammer. It’s completely safe, but the noise is a little unsettling.”

A jammer? That’s why our phones didn’t get a signal. Officer Keen must have shown up thanks to Miss Fumblehouse, but he couldn’t call for backup because of the signal jammer. The police should send more help after not hearing from Officer Keen for a while. Do I have to stall for time? It won’t work. Ronaldo is badly injured. If the police do show up, there will be a gunfight. These six are not petty kidnappers; they’re the real deal.

Florian entered the room with everyone else, quietly defeated.

The guests sat on the couch. Ronaldo sat on Florian’s right, and Officer Keen, handcuffed and blindfolded, sat on her left.

Travis and Irina sat by the door, guarding it. Clarissa and Juke sat across from the couch; between them was a computer. Sticks sat at the table by the window, avoiding eye contact with Florian. Sophie was treating Ronaldo and examining Officer Keen.

“Good news, this therapist guy’s stable. He’s bruised everywhere, has three broken ribs, a broken right arm, a black eye, and a stab wound on his left hand. It’s a good stab; who did that?” Sophie asked.

“You did.” Everyone looked at Sophie.

“Eh? I wouldn’t attack by standards. I don’t remember. Hmmm? Anyway, I redid the sloppily done bandages on his hand, disinfected every open wound, iced his swelling, and injected him with some painkillers. He lost some blood but not enough to kill him. The police guy has two broken ribs and a concussion. I stopped the bleeding to his head too. If I inject painkillers, he may try something. So whatever. Just leave him there. The best for last, Juke! I’ll start stitching you up now. Hie hehe!”

Sophie sat behind Juke and began patching him up with a cheerful look, as if proud of the injuries she’d inflicted. The angler frog sat patiently with its eyes closed and chest out.

“The LAN line’s working; I guess the boss is a little late,” Clarissa said, checking the computer.

Officer Keen squirmed, blindfolded. “Do you know how many laws you’re breaking? All of you are in serious trouble! In a few minutes, this building will be completely surrounded. You’ll be outmanned and outgunned. I’ll shield this kid beside me with my body when they fill this entire building with bullets. Just you wait.” His fox growled with a limp.

The gang looked at each other for a moment and broke out into laughter.

“What’s so funny? Did I miss the joke? You are all going to jail! If not, die here tonight,” Officer Keen said.

“The police only received a missing person case. After sending you, they won’t send another officer for another good thirty minutes. When they do, we’ll know,” Travis said, checking one of the laptops.

“Also, de ETA for a standard-issue patrol car, or any vehicle for that matter, from any police route in dis city is roughly fifteen to twenty minutes,” Irina said. Her cheetah curled up beside her.

“This building’s behind four other abandoned apartments. Unless they bring the entire police force, it’ll take time for them to sweep those buildings before reaching ours. Giving us even more time is a simple one out of five chance. The odds are in our favor,” Juke added.

“Heh, when they find my empty patrol car, they’ll find you sooner than that!” Officer Keen said.

“That would be the case if a tarp wasn’t covering it. A cheap multipurpose tarp. What’s so suspicious about a covered car in the dead of night beside other abandoned vehicles and buildings?” Clarissa crossed her arms with a smirk.

“What!? What’s going on!? Who the hell are you guys?” Officer Keen hollered.

“Gahaha. Keep yelling, and we’ll muzzle you. Didn’t your mother teach you any manners?” Travis asked. His lizard panted with a smile, laughing.

“I’m sure our boss will have some questions for you. So stay quiet,” Clarissa said, eyes locked on Florian.

“Well, I’m out of ideas. I guess these are the guys. Right, kid?” Officer Keen nudged Florian.

“Yeah,” Florian said reluctantly.

“So it wasn’t a dream?” Ronaldo said.

“Are you all right?” Florian asked.

“Wait? Is that Dr. Ronaldo’s voice?” Keen said.

“You know him?” Florian said.

“At the station. The doc helps us out once in a while.”

Florian hadn’t known that about Ronaldo. The dark urchin spirit reappeared above Ronaldo, motionless. Florian placed her head against Ronaldo’s shoulder, sighing with relief.

“When did Officer Keen get here? I feel numb.” Ronaldo coughed.

“That must be the painkillers. I didn’t get any,” Keen said as his fox let out a howl.

“Someone gag that annoying cop,” Clarissa said.

“Hey! Don’t hate me. I got here and found you guys a lot sooner than your projected ETA said I would. I was kidding; come on. Don’t—” Officer Keen got muzzled. His fox let out muzzled whimpers.

The computer screen rang. A caller was coming through.

“It’s the boss,” Juke said.

Everyone was present and at full attention. All of their souls faced the computer screen.

Florian, Ronaldo, and Keen sat dead center of the camera feed. The screen lit up.