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Chapter 5: (Sh)It Follows
"Make it easier for all of us," Emma repeated in a willowy, far-away voice, before cocking head and looking Deanna straight in the eye. "I'm sorry, Deanna. Do you have a problem with me?" Her voice was low, barely present.
***
"Well, timing's never been my strong suit," Stavo replied curtly, hands in his pockets. "Regardless, we should probably talk, before..." Then, as if he just noticed Audrey sitting beside her, he addressed her. "Hey, Audrey. I'm sorry for your loss."
***
Nicodemus couldn't help but chuckle. "And y'all say my patients are crazed. Man, we all got demons. It ain't a bad thing. Sometimes, they guard what's most important to us. In the preacher-man's case, his daughter."
-Emma, Stavo and Nicodemus
Audrey nodded and said curtly, "Thanks, Stavo."
"You're not the only one," Zach told her, offering a ginger hand for her shoulder.
He still couldn't be sure about Aleks. While she wasn't being...well, like she'd been in the cabin, she hadn't been right since they'd all come here. And the worst thing was, he knew what that was like, and yet still felt helpless to understand what to do about it.
"You don't..." he trailed off, "What?"
***
"So be it," Brooke shrugged, giving Audrey one last, gentle pat on the arm before going off after Stavo.
"Before we begin, will I need a fainting couch or a fork?"
***
"Howard Jensen saw his daughter as much as a curse than as a blessing," said Phyllis, "Granted, he never told me that, but from how Audrey described their interactions, how he always seemed to be around her..."
She bit her lip, "It is a curse. We can never fully understand our children. I've spent years telling myself that, but now..." she pauses, "Now, for the first time I think I really believe it."
Fitz moaned again and Phyllis sighed, nodding ahead, "That building there, with the red cross on the door."
***
"So you guys got trashed, huh?" Tina asked Teague as he and Theodora approached, the minister having been off-loaded to join the boy who's mother he'd tried to shoot, and the woman he'd kissed before that, "Told ya you should've brought me along."
"Surely, Ms. Hudson," said Theodora derisively, "Of course, your absence made all the difference."
"Get all snooty now, but the truth is, we won't never know."
"No, I suppose not," Theodora folded her arms, "Perhaps you can confirm to the principal..."
"Jesus, what happened to him?"
"Nothing you couldn't have saved him from I'm sure. Now if you could kindly explain..."
"The guns are gone," she told Teague, "Poofed right out."
"Her story checks out," Theodora turned to her colleague, "The cupboard was broken into, though whether this was just before or after the lights went out, I'm not sure."
"Couldn't have been that much after the lights went out," said Tina, "I went there straightaway."
"To steal a gun of your own."
"Guilty as charged," Tina shrugged, "Not that it matters no more."
-Zach, Brooke, Phyllis, Tina and Theodora
Teague pinched his nose and asked, "Have the students been searched? What about Mr. Sanchez?"
"They would've been, but there was the matter of the broken window, the decoy at the door, and..." Theodora raised her eyebrows to impart meaning, "The bus debacle."
"Sanchez doesn't need another piece," said Tina, "Did you see that fucking thing he has on his hip? Christ."
"She does have a point," Theodora granted, "My first thought was one of them tried reclaiming their weapon," she hesitated, "But, Edward, I fear simply finding the things, tossing them away again..." she shook her head, "It's not enough. We must do more."
-Theodora and Tina
"I'm open for suggestions," replied Teague, and he sighed, "And I'm afraid we may not have a choice but to bring Mr. Sanchez into this."
"Mr. Sanchez has been brought in enough," said Theodora, "What more does he need? An initiation ceremony? He's proven more than capable, Edward, and I tolerate him to a point, but I'm afraid I don't share your fondness for grim-faced musclemen armed to the teeth."
This was difficult. She had known it would be, known it since she'd arrived at the bus and seen the ruin that had been made there. But it was the only thing to do. And she had not gone this far in life without speaking her mind.
"There are three guns missing, to my count. The one confisicated from Deanna Wilcox, and the one surrendered by Carl Lennox. Compared to the weapons still in our possession...your gun, mine, the one Howard died with, Lance Wilson's, Tracy Lewis's, and that's not even beginning with that thing Sanchez has strapped on him..."
She folded her arms, "How many times did you say you shot the killer?"
"Wait," interrupted Tina, "You shot the bastard?"
"How many times, Edward?" Theodora repeated, more firmly.
-Theodora and Tina
"5 times that I know for a fact," replied Teague.
"And yet he still ran off," said Theodora.
"No fucking shit."
"Hobbled, perhaps, maybe wounded. Perhaps whatever miraculous suit of armor he wears has protected him entirely," Theodora raised her eyebrows, "One thing seems perfectly clear to me, though... Four armed men went into that bus, one died, one was injured, and you were nearly killed yourself. And what use were those guns? Truly? If five bullets did nothing but send him scampering off into the woods, leaving us to bear a dead man back here?"
-Theodora and Tina
"What are you suggesting?"
"I am suggesting, Edward, that running around and playing crack militia isn't the most suitable idea," said Theodora firmly, "We lock the weapons up, they become prime targets for thieves. Leave them with their owners and you have self-proclaimed criminals toting firearms alongside doped-up neurotics and trigger happy glory hounds. Spread them out to the 'experienced' and we have a heavily armed minority aiming into the shadows and, despite their best efforts, proving woefully inept to silence the threat when it appears."
She shook her head, "I'm sorry, Edward. I've gone along with this long enough. But I am in charge of a school, not a military base. So are you, whether you like it or not. It may be comforting to tell ourselves we survive these killers by holding our guns close and waiting for the right time, but body after body has gone cold, killer after killer has come and gone, and I can't recall a single time behaving like minute men ever did anything for anyone but bring about more pain, and more death."
Realizing how stringent her voice had become, she paused, turning back to him, "I say we dispose of the guns. Not hide them. Destroy them. Before one of these people tries to fire a shot at another, before someone hears a crash and shoots a finger off. Before someone else dies and leaves warm blood on our hands. Because I tell you, Edward, those missing guns are as likely in the killer's possession as they are in the hands of some frightened teenager who thinks they'll be safer with a loaded weapon at their side."
She stepped closer, "After what happened to Howard, look me in the eye and say you think they'd be right."
-Theodora
Teague thought long and hard at her statement. Before he sighed. He would keep his. But maybe she had a point. He removed Tracy and Lance Wilson's firearms from the small of his back and asked, "How do you suggest it?"
Deanna looked over at her, "Nope, no problem. Just the sister of a serial killer...that's my gist." she shrugged her shoulders as she moved to sit down against the wall. This was a shit show and nobody knew what to do, at least she had two loaded guns on her, one in her bag and one in her waistband.
Nobody needed to know that, not anyone here at least.
"But Kieran is in there for his own safety...because everyone hates him."
***
Aleks shook her head, "I don't want to be here..." she said lowly, looking over at him and sighing some. Everything was wrong, this whole retreat, everything, their lives were a mess of torture chaos and blood, and if someone screamed again, well she'd probably lose it.
Scream little girl, scream for your life.
She pushed the thoughts aside, zoning out for a second before looking at Zach. "I just want to go home...back to my house and security systems and not be in the game of a serial killer...again."
-Deanna, Aleks
"Fork to stab me with, a couch to faint on after realizing the horrible murder you've just committed," Stavo joked, scratching the back of his neck as they walked to a corner of the hall. "Course, with how I've been acting, I guess it wouldn't be so horrible." Sighing, he finally got to the point. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry for what happened earlier with Noah. I..." He threw his hand in the air, unable to find the words. "I was an idiot." Stavo looked down at Brooke, eyebrow cocked. "Does me saying that alone earn me some gratification points or do I need to go on?"
***
"So goes love, Phyllis," Nicodemus explained. "Don't try to understand it. We love people, for better or for worse. But no matter how ugly it is, it's still love. Howie loved his daughter, I'm sure Mr. Fitz loves his boy, and I'd bet all my green teas that you loved ya son."
Entering the infirmary, they placed Fitz on the table and Nicodemus got to work. "Alright, so the candy done exploded in his eye, right? Well, fortunately, my oriental juices seemed to have hardened the gunk. What we need to do is extract the material from the socket without pullin' out his other cranial organs, but we got to be quick, before the sweetie residue goes and infects his brain. Then, we gotta cover up the wound quick and we're in like in Saladin!"
***
Emma chuckled softly at the thought of Kieran's protection "for his own safety." It was weird to think he safer than any of them. No, not weird. That would imply Emma didn't understand it but she did. Unfortunately, she did.
"Not without good reason, no?" Emma now turned her attention to Deanna, arms crossed, head cocked, curious. "He's hurt just about everybody here except the Mexican gangster and his hippie therapist. At least that I know of. I'd say if he's earned anything, it's that hate."
-Stavo, Nicodemus and Emma
Deanna chuckled at that, her laughter almost maniacal as she covered her mouth slightly.
"He was doing what he did best...he doesn't deserve hate, he deserves thanks." She said lightly, looking towards Emma Duval and tilting her head lightly. "You all called me a headcase...and yet when the whole thing when down when Terrance died...I was the one who took the call, I was the one who had the weapons...you all were thanking me in that moment. And yet now...you all look down on me for bringing my brother here...after he saved my life."
She tilted her head, leaning against the wall as she watched the Duval girl closely.
"How would you all feel if you knew the truth about what I really was? Would you still so openly accept me?" She asked curiously, watching her closely as she sighed a moment. "Because my brother is in there for his safety right now, and nothing will make him come out, unless its to end the suffering of his little sister...which I welcome at any moment."
-Deanna
"Right. That night. You really did take charge. Even had your then-boyfriend put Noah in a headlock. Crazy shit." Emma's mouth twisted into a small smile. "Fat lot of good that did for Terrance, huh?"
She shook her head, arms crossed, walking even closer to Deanna. "I think I do know the truth about you. You're a pretty open book, Deanna. Credit to you, more open than your brother," Emma bit her lip. "You cling onto lost causes like fleas to a dog. After all the shit Kieran has pulled--terrorized me, put Audrey in a coma, stabbed Eli several times, and killed so many people--you stick by him all the way. I guess it's admirable." She furrowed her brow, pouting almost. "Makes me wonder why my sister and I couldn't stick it out and be friends. If I had your inspiring optimism, maybe we would have worked it out. Skip rocks at Wren Lake, go for strolls in the park, play dress-up." She shrugged. "I don't think I'd be grateful for all the murders she committed but hey. We all can't emulate your healthy lifestyle choices."
Emma sighed, taking a moment to consider. "Maybe you're right. Maybe he does deserve thanks." She turned towards the door.
"I can only thank him because I'm the same as him." Deanna said, shaking her head as she looked at Emma Duval and smirked a moment. "I've killed before...it was easy actually, I enjoyed it Emma." She said, sliding down to a seated position on the ground.
Her hair fell over her face as she pulled her hood up and looked down as she held onto her duffel bag, "And trust me Emma...I'm the one you'd want on your side, or the one you'd need to watch closely." she shrugged than and closed her eyes as she pulled the hood down over her face more. She wasn't that much of an open book if people couldn't even tell that she had killed people, hell Eli didn't even know about all of that at this point. Well until she had dropped the bomb in the bathroom family meeting earlier that was, and now here she was sitting in the hall and having a chance to escape.
She stood up, looking towards the door and than at Emma Duval. "Tell my brother I love him, and I'll miss him." She said, before booking it out the doors of the common hall and straight into the forest. She didn't want to be there, she would die one way or the other, maybe she would kill herself and be done with the mess, who knew. Teen suicide was a thing, right?
-Deanna
"You would know more about disabling a gun than I, I'm afraid," admitted Theodora.
"Wait, wait..." Tina butted in.
"Ms. Hudson, quite frankly, there are 16-year-olds in this room whose counsel I am more likely to take."
"Yeah, that's great for you, are you fucking out of your mind?"
"Rather, I'm just now regaining lucidity."
"We ditch those guns, we're sitting ducks!"
"We're sitting ducks now!" Theodora turned back to Teague, "As it seems we'll be trapped here at least until morning, I refuse to settle for order by tyranny, and that's all this is," she folded her arms, "There are other things too. Edward, two of our girls tried to kill each other tonight, one of those two pulled a gun on everyone here, and the last time I checked we know for a fact our social worker is a liar, one of our chaperone's son a sadistic prankster at best, and on top of it all we have a well-spoken delegate from a drug cartel that none of us know a damn thing about."
Long silence.
"And that's why we need the guns!"
"Won't you can it?"
***
"Well, on the..." Zach allowed a belabored pause, "...bright side..."
Okay, hard to get that one out without flinching.
"We've got each other. I mean, I know everyone freaked out and got separated and then someone else died, but..." he paused, "Look, Aleks, I'm..." he considered, "I'm sorry, I'm not very good at this and I know that and..." another very long, very uncertain pause, "I know I disappointed you tonight. Which I'm sorry for, really. But I do want to be there for you. To be your friend and..."
Yet another eternal pause.
"...stuff."
***
"Too soon," said Brooke automatically, "It is you."
She shrugged, "You know, you appealing to me for 'gratification points' is delightfully refreshing. I'm not sure whether to take this as more social evolution or evidence that I'm really good at emasculating a mother."
She swatted his arm lightly, "You do realize all our fights are either about major, world-ending baggage or the stupidest fuckery ever conceived by the writers of the O.C., right?"
***
"I did love him," Phyllis nodded, "And..."
"And I loved mine!" Fitz cried so suddenly that Phyllis nearly dropped him for shock, "Oh, God, in my own facile, flaccid way did I love him!"
"That's...that's quite a word, Mr. Smith," Phyllis pressed a hand to her chest, "Now if you could just..."
Fitz draped himself over the examination table, looking up at Nicodemus with one unswollen, un-red eye, "What's this about cranial organs, then?"
"Yes, doctor," Phyllis looked at him, "What is it?"
She personally had no surgical training. She wasn't even licensed to prescribe meds!
"You didn't say you were also a medical doctor?"
"Survive the horrors of a murderer's blade only to die beneath a quack's hack!" Fitz declared, "Such is my lot. You will at least put me to sleep, won't you?"
"Mr. Smith, trust me, I think that's the last thing you want him to do."
"Well, I mean with anesthetic, of course."
-Theodora, Tina, Zach, Brooke, Phyllis and Fitz
"That's enough, both of you," Teague said, before continuing, "Ms. Hudson, stay. Theodora, come see me in the kitchen."
Aleks looked up at him, nodding her head as she gave his hand a squeeze.
"Thank you Zach..." She said gently, grateful for his words even amidst the chaos that was going on around them. And when he admitted that he wanted to be around for her, to be her friend and stuff, it made her cheeks blush a moment. She shook her head as she looked around before focusing back on him. "I don't want anyone else to lose someone tonight..." She was afraid, about this whole situation, and right now she was just glad to have Zach there with her.
She paused a moment, leaning up to kiss his cheek gently before lowering herself onto her feet.
"We should find everyone else..." Aleks said, looking around.
-Aleks
"I think that's the most normal part of our relationship," Stavo said with a smirk, bowing his head. He exhaled, realizing dodging it would be an exercise in futility. "I don't know if you noticed this, but I got issues...expressing my emotions."
No shit. He bit his lip, knowing that was weak, trying to desperately to understand the issue more.
***
"I've had a tad of experience at C.R.A.P," Nicodemus replied, putting on the nearby latex gloves, stretching them until they fit snugly. "Course, those were lobotomies but at the end of the day, 's just pullin' junk outta the noggin, ain't it?"
He scratched his chin at the suggestion of an anesthetic. "Hmmm. We don't seem to have any drugs or a mallet of some kind so..." Nicodemus grabbed some a scalpel and raised it high over Fitz as if he were a sacrificial lamb. "...chill and as the French say, 'Kay Sarah, kay Sarah."
***
Emma turned to face Deanna one last time, smile still on her face. "Really?" She nodded, as if Deanna's confession were no surprise at all. "That's reassuring."
Once Deanna bolted out of there, Emma knocked on the door. "Kieran?" Her voice still felt hoarse, so she repeated herself for clarity's sake. "Kieran? It's Emma."
No response.
"I want to speak with you," she continued. "It's important."
Still no response.
Emma sighed. "It's the least you can do for me. Please, just this once, humor me."
Silence. The door opened just slightly. "Get in." His voice was curt, tired even.
Emma complied, walking into the bathroom, hearing the shut of the door behind her. "So this is where they've got you staying, huh? A dirty men's room? Deanna said it was for your own safety but from the looks of this place, you'll die of dysentery in an hour." She turned to face Kieran for the first time since...since it was over. "God, you look like shit."
Kieran feigned smile, rasping, "It's been a long night."
"Same," Emma approached him. "Some guy murdered my mom tonight."
The leaky taps were the only sound in the room at that moment. "I'm sorry, Em."
Emma's hand struck Kieran in that instant, leaving his cheek red. "You don't get to apologize. Your words don't mean shit. You don't mean shit."
Kieran pouted disingenuously. "Oh. you don't mean that, do you, Emma? I am sorry."
"If you were sorry, you would have stayed in your cell."
"Regardless, I don't think I had anything to do with your mom's death."
"Really?" Emma scoffed. "Like you and my crazy sister didn't kick of the trend of masked killers harassing my family."
"Oh, don't bring Piper into this," Kieran threw his hand in the air, dismissing the idea. "She was crazy, I admit that. I was just following orders."
Emma flagrantly rolled her eyes.
"I didn't want to hurt you."
Emma turned, tears in her eyes. "Well, we don't always get what we want, huh?" She shook her head, averting his gaze. "I don't know why I came in here. Deanna said I should thank you but for what? All you and your killer friends have done is tear down my life for reasons that aren't even about me. I've tried desperately to understand why I'm always in the center of these sick games but the more I talk to you, the less sense I make of it."
Kieran stood in silence, appearing to be either ashamed or exhausted.
"I'd like to say I grew from watching my friends get slaughtered one by one, that I'm a new woman, that you've changed me for the better, but that'd be a lie," Emma said through tears. "Because now I don't feel anything. I-I've just lost my mom, the one constant in my life a-and I don't feel sad. I just feel disappointed that it's happened again and I don't know why. Tell me why!"
"I can't!" Kieran exploded, stepping towards Emma. "I can't, alright?! It's like you said! I don't mean shit, and I never did! I was just the boy toy of someone way nuttier than me, and I was left to clean her mess! Does that answer satisfy you?!"
"No!"
"Well, too bad!" Kieran pivoted on his feet, throwing his hands in the air. "That's all I got! And if the parade of all my victims continues, that's all I'll say! I was the fucking janitor and I couldn't even do that right!" He wrung his hands through his air, before turning back around, staring down Emma, grabbing her by the wrists. "I did love you, Em. I thought we could have had something if I got out of the mess in time. I wanted to be with you."
"Then why did you hurt me?" Emma cried. "Why did you lie?"
"I did what I had to do."
"You didn't have to..."
"I did. Emma, I got into something bad with Piper. But when I met you, really got to know you...you taught me there was good in the world. The life I led up to that point, everybody I loved either betrayed me or I betrayed them. I didn't trust Piper. But you...it became about you. I thought I could be happy with you."
Silence.
"You still can."
Kieran tilted his head, puzzled. "Wha..." But Emma was already kissing him, arms around his back. He was confused but this feeling...he hadn't felt it in so long. So he kissed back.
Falling into the moment, they stood there in each other's arms, lips locked, moving across their faces. It was beautiful. All the pain Kieran felt that night, the betrayal, the disappointment, the guilt was dissipating in this act of forgiveness, of love, of happiness.
Until a sharp, much more physical pain brought this would-be romantic moment to an end.
Kieran screamed in pain as Emma bit his right, her teeth fixed in his flesh. She bit and tore, and he screamed and cried, unable to push her off. Her efforts culminated in the top portion of his ear coming off, blood spurting out of the wound like a fountain. Kieran fell against wall by the urinals, hand over the bite in a futile attempt to stop the bleeding.
Emma looked down on the scumbag, Kieran's ear in her mouth. Whatever tears were in her eyes were now gone. She spit the ear back in his lap.
"I'm disappointed," she said, blood at the corners of her mouth. "With your experience, I thought you'd be able to know a con when you see one. Guess that's another thing I misjudged you for."
Kieran panted in disbelief. "You crazy bitch..."
"Better than a gullible one," Emma replied with resolve. "I've been doing some thinking lately, Kieran. And I do wanna thank you. All you've put me through, I think I've learned that this is about me. All of it. And the only way I'm gonna end this is if I am that crazy bitch. So thanks, Kieran. You've been a pal."
Emma looked Kieran over one last time, kneeling down to look him in the eye. Something caught her eye. She extended her hand. Kieran flinched, prompting her to smile. She dabbed at Kieran's freshly opened wound and spread the blood underneath her eyes where her faux tears streamed.
Getting to her feet, she said decisively, "Our business is done. I don't want you to look my way again." Emma began her way out of the bathroom. "If you do, you're gonna hurt a lot worse, you hear me?" Hand on the knob, she turned to Kieran and flashed a smile. "Or can you? Too soon?"
Hand to his ear, Kieran stared at her furiously, lip trembling.
"Love ya, babe," Emma mocked, before walking out of the bathroom and shutting the door behind her.
Kieran rushed over there to lock the door in case the crazy bitch had any more ideas. He had to get this patched up. Entering one of the stalls, Kieran unrolled a surmountable measurement of toilet paper and got to work tending to his injury.
He was running out of bridges to burn. Kieran wasn't sure what would happen after that. A part of him was scared but compared to the horror show this night was, he took comfort in the fact it couldn't get any worse.
At least he hoped.
-Stavo, Nicodemus and Emma
"Gladly," Theodora followed her colleague into the adjoining room, "Should I find a hammer or do you have something more delicate in mind?"
***
Tina stuck her tongue out after the administrators in an admittedly petulant expression. She could afford to be petulant. Screw it.
She looked around the room, seeking out her son initially, though she suspected her company would be less than appreciated at present. Getting an idea, she moved along the thinly packed benches, following the still-persistent odor of...
"You got any more of that jingle-juice?" she asked, slumping down to sit beside the junior dope dealer, "That's one of 'em heretical questions. You don't answer it."
She rummaged through her purse, "That bus is kaput and I'm down to half a pack of cigs. Lemme tell ya, that killer fuck better try to mess with me without my smokes. I'll show him a thing or two," she got out her lighter, "You smoke? Like real smoke? For adults?"
***
"Well, uh..." Zach looked around, "Everyone's here. I think."
Deanna Wilcox walked right past them and out into the night.
"Well, except her. Hasn't she already been kidnapped tonight?"
***
"You've made it abundantly clear."
Brooke was reluctant to cede Stavo any ground here. That's not how this game was played. But she did know about his trouble, and she remembered too well how much more troublesome it had been. Compared to their earlier adventures, these were both pleasantly banal and frustratingly tame.
"And I love that you're protective," she continued, "Really, I am. But Jake was protective too, and we both know how he went about doing that. It's only..." she shrugged, "If you really think something about somebody, tell me. If you want to speak your mind, speak it. It's not like you don't draw every little thing that pops into that morbid brain of yours already. Speaking is comparatively easier."
***
"Lobotimies?" asked Phyllis, incredulous.
"If this maniac thinks I'm pulling down my trousers for him..." said Fitz.
"That's not..." Phyllis broke off, turning back to Nicodemus, "There must be another...wait, wait, put the knife down!"
Fitz screeched, one good eye dilating like a startled owl.
-Theodora, Tina, Zach, Brooke, Phyllis and Fitz
"I have something a little more delicate in mind. And a solution that I think will satisfy both of us," replied Teague, calmly, "If you'll hear me out."
Lance shook his head, "That shit will give you cancer. No I don't."
God, he was stoned.
"Pray tell," Theodora closed the door behind her.
***
"Oh, excuse me," Tina snorted, lighting her own cigarette, "You know, you really are a grade-A drip and a half. It's so insulting, it's almost brave."
-Theodora and Tina
"Alright. Just to be clear, I don't have the proper tools to disable these weapons permanently, and I'm not risking my life just to chunk them in the swamp," began Teague, placing the two guns on the table, "But I can make them inoperable."
Unloading Tracy's gun, a Berreta Px4 Storm, he proceeded to break it down, and after he'd done so, placed the guiderod to the side.
"We keep them dissasembled. And pocket a key part that allows them to fire: The guiderod. That way it's impossible for anyone to truly reassemble them."
Lance took a mighty hit off of his joint, "I did what you said. We're done."
"Well done," Theodora allowed, watching Teague at his work.
"There's the matter of the missing guns too. By now, whoever took them has certainly had enough time to hide them and hide them well."
***
"Hoooo..." Tina chuckled, "I strike what I said. You are hella brave."
She chuckled, "Probably good you got out when you did, considering. The things that girl was saying in that shitter..."
-Theodora and Tina
"We search the students. It's all we can do," replied Teague, unloading Smoke's revolver.
"As for this, there's only one thing I CAN do."
Without a word, he walked over to the sink, took out the filter, and dropped the bullets down the drain.
"It's going to clog up the sink. But I'm not sure I give a shit."
***
"Like what?"
"Judging by the stink in here, the thing's clogged already," Theodora surrendered her own weapon, and the gun that had briefly been Howard's.
***
Tina considered her niece's little smirk, that "Heehee, I know something you don't know" air she'd put on.
In the end, she decided she'd answer ol' Smokey's question with a question of her own, "You ever look back on your life and think 'Jesus Christ, I sure as hell've pissed my mother off'?"
-Theodora and Tina