Chatty Town

Chapter 16 : But It...

- P.O.V. SWITCH -

Darnell picks me up as my eyes stay glued to the horror in front of me. His face, so many holes. I wouldn't know who he was if his brothers weren't here for elimination. I can't remember his name though. Just that he was joking with Zephyr earlier at the breakfast table.

Darnell's voice pierces through the chaos in my mind, "...chill? For once!"

Wren's harsh voice gets closer to us, "Why don't you see it? Everything was fine before this bitch showed up!"

Finch looks up at me and wipes their nose with their wrist. "Did you have anything to do with this?"

I shake my head, "No. Why would I?"

Dempsey walks around me and taps my arm and nods at the couch. He takes a seat and I follow him as he talks. "We didn't think you did-"

Wren scoffs and I can hear her cross her arms, "Maybe that's the problem."

Dempsey stands up and stands in front of her as I watch. "Hey! If you have a problem with her, take it up with me, not her! If she wanted to she could turn against us, and she might just do that because of you!"

Wren growls, "Maybe she's already turned on us! Haven't you thought about that?!"

Dempsey shakes his head, "Why would she?"

 Wren scoffs, "Don't you think it's weird!?" She turns to the group and raises her arms, "She stumbles into the shop and the next day, Harris is dead!"

Harris. That's right his name was Harris.

I stand up and interrupt Dem's defense, "I didn't do this. I wouldn't have. He was just a kid!"

Wren shakes her head, "We were doing just fine before you showed up and now we've lost Harris and the shop! Are we just supposed to believe that's a coincidence?!"

"I didn't do this! I wouldn't even know how."

Wren gets in my face and Dempsey tries to pull her back, "Then what exactly happened when you met with Olsen today?!"

I shake my head as I push through the noise of what's happening in front of me, to get to the thoughts of this morning. "We just folded clothes. We talked... the gunshots went off and I tried to leave but he wouldn't let me. He gave me a watch, he told me why he's doing all of this-"

Merrick steps forward, "Woah, rewind. He gave you a watch?"

I nod and lift my wrist, pulling the coat's sleeve back to expose the red watch. The group erupts, shouting in fear- and some with anger, Wren especially. Merrick pulls my wrist towards him as he quickly unfastens the thick band. Dempsey fails to quiet everyone as he struggles to look at me. Within a second, Merrick drops the watch to the ground and stomps on it with the heel of his boot. 

Words fail to leave my mouth as I wrench towards the watch. Merrick smashes it a few more times with his shoe as Wren pushes me back against the wall. Her bare, boney arm strikes against my throat and forces a cough from me. I look at Dempsey. Waiting for him to jump between us, like he did before, but he doesn't even flinch. He's not even looking at me... or her.

His eyes shift along the concrete floor as Wren's insults spit out.

Merrick leaves the bits of the watch on the floor as he makes his way over to Wren and pulls her off me. 

Zephyr's voice rises above the leftover murmurs, "Was it bugged?"

Merrick shakes his head, "It doesn't matter if it wasn't."

Wren fights Merrick's gentle but firm grasp around her shoulder and waist, "It's done, Wren. Calm down."

Wren turns around and looks at Dempsey, "So, what the fuck are you going to do about her now?!"

Dempsey shakes his head, still avoiding eye contact with me. "We should leave. Get to the safe house. If it was bugged, they know we're all here. We're easy targets."

Darnell's brother argues, "What about Harris? We can't just leave him here?"

"We can and we will." Merrick's voice rumbles as he pulls out a cigarette from his back pocket.

Darnell walks over to Harris' body and crouches down in seconds, "Like hell, we are." He grabs Harris' wrists and then scoops his limp body over his shoulders. 

Merrick turns around and leads the group out of the shop. Darnell and his brother walk out in front of Finch and Zephyr. He slows down just before passing me, Zephyr's big, brown eyes soften as he locks eyes with me.

"Bye." His voice slips into the air.

I look at Dempsey and our eyes meet, just for him to glance away. He rubs his neck and walks towards me, his eyes still dragging along the floor. I shake my head and follow Lo out of the shop but before I can get anywhere, I feel a hand wrap around my arm, gently yanking me back. I turn back to see Dempsey's hand holding me from joining everyone outside. Skye and Lynn walk around us, they're the last to leave, and now it's just Dempsey and I. 

"What?" I spit out.

He shakes his head as his eyes struggle to climb the ground to meet my eyes. "You can't come with us."

My words follow a scoff. "I didn't have anything to do with his death!"

His eyes are dangling off my nose, "Even if you didn't, we can't take you with us."

I yank my arm away from him, "Why can't you look at me?!"

"You're not who I thought you were."

I take a couple steps forward trying to get his eyes to reach mine. "I didn't have anything to do with his death."

Dempsey's eyes jolt to mine, his voice is barely louder than a whisper. "Why were you wearing the watch?"

I shrug, "He said he wanted me to be on time for my shifts."

"And you believed him?"

"Why'd you let Merrick smash it?"

His eyes fall from mine. "Because it could've been bugged. Led him right to us... If he didn't know you were one of us before, he does now."

I shake my head, "Am I even one of you, still? If I'm not even allowed to leave with you."

His eyes meet mine again, "No one trusts you anymore."

"No one trusted me before!"

"This is different." His eyes fall again.

"But it's not! If you still trust me, you just have to tell them that!" His eyes flicker to mine and I take a step back. "Unless you don't trust me."

He shakes his head, "It's not that easy."

I shake my head, "But it is!" I take a step back from him and glance around the auto shop. Seeing the broken window glass on the floor. "So what am I supposed to do? Where am I supposed to go now?"

He shakes his head, "You'll figure something out."

"But if it was bugged, if he knows I'm one of you now, then I'm not safe!"

He steps away and starts walking past me but I grab his wrist just before he's out of reach.

"You can't leave me to die!"

He lets out a quiet sigh and then gently yanks himself free. 

"I thought this place was a refuge!"

He stops in the doorway and turns his head slightly, still refusing to look at me, "If you're really not working with them, you can come back here in a week. Things'll come down by then."

"If I'm not dead, by then."

He barely nods before he walks out of the shop. And I grab my head as I digest my fate.