So, this is the longest chapter I've written in the history of creative writing, and I really hope you like it and that I did not just waste a week and a half on crap that no one likes!
"Lisa, for the last time," I paused, waiting for her to look at me. She put down the bolt of cloth she was holding and looked over at me, a needle sticking out from between her lips. "I am not wearing a cape! Or tights!"
She frowned, "We may as well wear costumes!" She picked up the cloth again and began measuring it out, "Maybe if you wear the green, people will understand the Robin Hood reference."
"I don't want them to understand the reference!" I told her, my hands flinging up in the air with exasperation. "Its bad enough that you told all of our neighbors, but don't you think that giving my name would be a bit obvious! You don't have to be that deerstalker detective to understand the link between my name, Robin, and Robin Hood."
She pouted and put the fabric away in a plastic bin, hiding it beneath her bed. I sat back on her bed and folded my arms under my head, watching her carefully. "Mrs. Noris said it was a good idea," Lisa mumbled. She stood from the floor and sat on the edge of the bed, her head hung in disappointment.
"Yes, well, Mrs. Noris is going senile."
Lisa gasped, smacking me in the arm. I winced and rubbed at the spot, remembering her manly strength. "That's rude Robin!" she scolded. "How long have we been doing this now?" she asked, but I didn't answer. "Months now, Robin, and what do the people think?"
"Don't call them the 'people', you make it sound more romantic than it is."
"The people think that we are do gooders and they adore us!"
"Not everyone, the people we catch don't seem to agree."
Lisa glared at me, shifting her position on the bed to get more comfortable. "I think-"
She was cut off by knocking at the apartment door, the both of us glancing at each other in unease. I stood from the bed and carefully made my way through our mess and into the living area, hearing Lisa behind me. I glanced at her when the rapping continued, sounding urgent.
"Robin, open up!" a voice demanded from the other side. I could tell from the husky, yet still feminine voice, that it was Gladis. I swiftly opened the door, opening it wide enough for her to enter.
"What's wrong Gladis? Is Rick bothering you again?" I asked in concern, searching her face and exposed body for bruises. A few weeks into our self-made vigilante job, Gladis started expressing interest in leaving her line of, well to put it nicely, work. Rick was her pimp, and he refused to allow her a different job, being the possessive dick he is. Lisa had the idea to gather a few of her friends from one of her circles -very manly women, they are- and corner him in an alleyway, threatening him into leaving her alone. I'll simply say it didn't end well, and he ended up with a broken leg and a swollen eye, finally agreeing after a suspected broken rib. Gladis now works in the same company as I do, after a referral from yours truly, and she enjoys her job as a secretary.
"No, I 'aven't zeen 'im for a long time now," she reassured me, giving Lisa and I a small smile. She turned and motioned someone inside, a small woman in hand-knit everything, cat hair sticking out from her fluffy pink cardigan. She had short cropped black hair, an awkward smile on her face, and a cat-shaped shoulder bag. "I'm 'ere wiz Pansy, she lives a few blocks o'er."
I smiled at her, "Hello Pansy, I'm Robin, and this is my friend Lisa." I offered her my hand and she adjusted her shoulderbag before accepting. Her eyes flicked around our apartment before landing on Lisa.
"How do you do?" she asked, her voice small and meek.
"I'd be better if Robin wasn't such a stick in the mud!" Lisa loudly proclaimed, causing poor Pansy to wince. Lisa walked back into our living area and shoved some papers off of our couch, the rest of us following her in and sitting in the cramped area. I heard the couch groan as I perched on the armrest, the whole thing sinking a bit before settling on its wooden supports. I lazily picked at the fraying seams as Lisa took over the conversation. "So what can we do for you?"
"Well, Pansy 'ere tells me she was robbed a little while ago, and I've 'eard rumors of it 'appening to others as well," Gloria informed us, picking at her long, blood red nails. She looks a lot better without all the heavy makeup and pleather clothes she used to wear, and I think retro high-waisted skirts suit her. "Apparently zere is a woman near the tram entrance that knocks you out and mugs you."
Pansy nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, she lures you in with kittens and then smacks you on the back of the head," she paused, looking down, "then she steals your favorite pink purse." She looked like she was about to cry and I panicked, looking between Lisa and Gladis. Neither offered any assistance and I squared my shoulders, preparing to dive into Pansy's need for comfort.
I slid from the arm of the couch to the space next to Pansy, allowing her to lean into me while she mumbled about her stolen purse. "How 'bout some tea?" I asked cautiously, locking eyes with Lisa and jerking my head towards the kitchen. Her mouth made an 'O' of understanding and she scrambled to get up, walking between the couch and the coffee table to get to the other room.
I heard the cupboards slam as Lisa tinkered in the kitchen and I awkwardly pat Pansy's back, trying to be as consoling as possible. "It isn't even about the money!" she suddenly proclaimed, her voice shaking a bit. She pulled away from me and looked up into my eyes, "Its the fact that she could be taking from people who desperately need it!"
I rubbed her upper back in what I hoped was soothing motions. "Alright, um, what do you remember?" I tried, desperately scrambling at questions that won't set her off. As a woman, I have no idea what to do with a crying woman.
She hiccuped, "She was short, really, weirdly short." She seemed to be in thought, then added, "But not like midget short, like a normal person short." I raised an eyebrow at her, wondering about her sanity. I glanced at Gladis and she nodded, silently telling me she heard the same. "And I think she had brown hair, I don't know."
"Okay?" I tried to think of a way to follow that. "Gladis, do you know anything?"
Gladis straightened, pulling out a notebook from her coat pocket. "Yez, a few people reported zat she 'as a small tattoo on ze inside of 'er wrist, some type of writing." I stared at the notebook in her hand, wondering when she started investigating muggings. "Zey also said red 'air, but only in certain lightings, I can see 'ow Pansy would mistake it for brown."
"Wait a second," I started, cutting off Gladis's next sentence. "Who are these people?"
She looked at me like I was crazy, "Ze other victims." She said it in such a matter of fact tone that I almost laughed.
"Why were you talking to the other victims?"
"Liza said I could do the investigating for you," she answered in confusion. "She said you were okay with it."
At that moment Lisa walked back into the living area, holding a tray with four mugs. She set the tray in the coffee table and handed Pansy a cup, motioning to the sugar and milk for her to help herself. She glanced up and noticed me glaring at her, handing Gladis another cup. "What?"
"I can't wait to talk to you alone later," I told her, my voice sweet but my eyes promising death. How could she let Gladis get involved like this? What if something were to happen to her because of us? And she didn't even ask my opinion.
Her head tilted to the side, "Alright darling."
I turned back to Gladis, "You did great, can I borrow the notebook for a while? Or just the pages your notes are written on?" She nodded and handed the notebook to me, smiling with pride as she did. "Great, thank you so much Gladis, Pansy," I turned to her, watching her sip her tea with wide eyes. "Lisa will give you our number, call if you need anything, okay?" She nodded and set down the cup, standing and walking to the door with Gladis and Lisa. I heard them talking as the door was opened and I rubbed my temples.
I could tell that this was getting out of hand, Lisa is way too into this, Gladis, I know, has her heart in the right place, and Mrs. Noris just needs a little drama in her life, but I don't know if I can handle this. I want to help my little community of cast-outs and freaks, but what if something goes wrong? Lisa and I have been very lucky so far, nothing has gone horribly wrong and we haven't accidentally killed anyone, but how long can that last? I chugged my cup of tea and set it back on the tray, carrying it into the kitchen as Lisa closed the door on our visitors. I cleaned the cups with gentle hands as Lisa came up behind me.
"Sound exciting, doesn't it?" she asked, nudging me in the side with her elbow. "So, what'd you want to talk to me about?"
I let the cup rest at the bottom of the sink as I rested my hands on the edge of the counter. "Lisa," I started, trying to calm down before I explode on her with my anxiety. "You can't keep dragging people into this! Yeah, helping people is great, but don't you understand that the more people that know, the more people that are in danger?" She blinked at me, surprised by my sudden outburst. "Maybe Gladis is just getting information, and maybe Mrs. Noris is just giving advice, but what if we get into something deeper than petty thieves and homeless muggers? What if they are threatened for just associating with us?" My voice slowly grew in volume, my worry turning into anger. "Sometimes ignorance is bliss, okay! Sometimes its better not to know, because they could get hurt for information!" I stopped, rubbing my eyes to fight angry tears that threatened to spill. I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself as best I could, slowing my heartbeat with calm breaths, focusing on my breathing and nothing else. "I know that you're just trying to help, but this isn't some game that we can quit if it gets too hard," I told her, turning to look at her sad expression. "If something happens, because of us, I will never forgive you," I joked, trying to lighten the mood. I gave her a weak smile and mock-punched her in the shoulder.
"I'm so sorry Robin," she said, giving me her usual big and cheerful smile, though it didn't reach her eyes. "Sometimes I forget myself."
"Hey now," I nudged her playfully. "Don't get all meek on me!"
She laughed, a true and genuine sound that broke whatever tension was left. "Yeah, what was I thinking?"
"Loud and boisterous definitely suits you better."
I sat crosslegged on my bed, a map of our neighborhood laid out in front of me. Gadis's notebook was open beside me, and I held my head on my fist, glancing between the two. The map took up almost my entire bed, the small, not-quite-a-double bed being swallowed by the printed streets. My navy blue comforter could barely be seen beneath it, and I was crowded to the very edge of the bed, my back brushing against the wall.
"Hey Lisa!" I called, my eyes alight with a sudden idea. I heard her groan from the other room and I wondered if I woke her up. I shrugged as the sound of feet shuffling reach my room, Lisa poking her drowsy head into my doorway.
"What?" she demanded irritably, glaring at me with sleepy eyes.
I took in her smudged makeup and rumpled clothes without a word. "I think I know where to start," I told her, pointing to the notebook. "On certain days the mugger is at the east entrance, but that's mostly random, but every friday she shows up at the Lexington entrance."
"M'kay, then we'll get her on friday," she mumbled, backing out of the doorway.
I called out to her, "But that's not it!" She stopped, turning back to me and giving me less than half of her attention. "Don't you see, that food truck you love is only out on fridays a block from the Lexington entrance!" I waited for her to be amazed by this new bit of information but she simply blinked at me. Deflated, I continued, "Either she works on the truck, or she likes the same food as you, either way it will make it easier to find her." Lisa nodded at me and I decided that maybe waking her up to tell her this might not have been the best idea. "Never mind, go to bed." As she walked away I called after her, "And wash your face before you go to bed! Don't forget to floss and brush up too, and put on some sleep clothes, you'll ruin your nice work ones!" I heard her door slam and I grumbled to myself, "Just trying to help."
I returned to my thinking, studying the information around me as I tried to formulate a plan of action.
"Hey Lisa!" I called as I walked into the apartment, the keys still dangling from the lock as I opened the door for Gladis. "I brought Gladis home with me!" I twisted the keys and yanked them from the bolt, slamming the door behind me as I tossed my coat on the rack. I took Gladis's from her and hung it next to mine, walking farther into the living space as I went. Gladis made herself at home on the couch as I put my stuff in my bedroom. "Lisa?" I called again.
I heard music coming from her room and I made my way over there, noticing the light coming from underneath her door. I pushed the door open and saw her asleep on the bed, her radio cranked and drool coming from her still-painted mouth. I shoved her shoulder and she bolted upright. "What?"
"Gladis is here," I informed her, walking back into the living space. I talked with Gladis for a bit before Lisa joined us. "Good morning sunshine," I mocked.
"It would have been, if you hadn't woken me up like you did," she mocked back. She flopped down on the couch and ignored it's groan of protest. "I worked late last night, you should have let me nap."
"Are you taking more shifts now?" Gladis asked from the single chair. Her legs were crossed and her hands were folded in her lap, with what the other secretaries were teaching her, she hardly looked as if she had once been a night walker.
"Yeah, I'm saving up," she spoke with nonchalance, but I knew the money was important to her.
"Oh? And 'ow is ze surgery coming?"
"I almost have enough for the first few payments, as well as the down payment." Lisa smiled with pride, she had been saving for years now, and this surgery would be the best gift she could give herself. I had offered to help pay, but she refused. She said it was something she had to do on her own. The hair salon didn't pay much, but it was enough. I projected that Lisa would have the money in the next year or so, maybe sooner if she could get more tips.
"I already decided I'm going to get her a giant stuffed bear for while she recovers in the hospital, just like in the movies," I added, feeling a bit left out.
Gladis laughed, "If you 'ave ze giant bear, I can do ze flowers!"
Lisa scowled at us, "I don't want bears and flowers, I want hot guys and strippers!" We all shared a laugh before Lisa got down to business. "Anyway, Gladis, Robin and I wanted to thank you for the information, it was really helpful." Lisa handed the notebook back and Gladys beamed.
"It was nothing, I was glad to do it!"
"Has there been anymore muggings?" I asked, leaning forward and placing my elbows on my knees.
She nodded, "Yez, a few."
I frowned, turning to Lisa, "We should hurry then, don't want this to get too out of hand."
Lisa jumped up, "Oh, of course!" She grabbed my hands and smiled at me. "Can we bring Gladis?" She bounced up and down like a small child, asking if their friend can sleep over for the night.
"If she wants," I sighed, glancing at Gladis, who was also practically bouncing in excitement. I rubbed my hands over my face and tried not to glare at them, sometimes I feel like I am dealing with toddlers.
"At least ze food is good," Gladis tried, smiling at me awkwardly. I glared down at my shirt and felt my eye twitch with irritation. A napkin was thrust into my line of sight and as I looked up I saw Lisa holding it out to me with an innocent expression. I snatched it from her hand and resisted the urge to growl at her. "It'll come out," Gladis added.
"I know, but its cold and sticky and Lisa hasn't apologized yet," I pouted, glaring at Lisa who continued to eat her triple berry ice cream twist like she hadn't just spilled her first order down my front in her excitement. I would have been alright with the spillage if it hadn't been caused by some guy she thought had an attractive bottom.
"I'm not saying sorry for something that was so worth it," Lisa informed me, sticking her nose up in the air and giving her ice cream a lick.
I sneered at her before I turned to the food truck guy, "Well, thanks anyway." He nodded and then turned his back on us, clearly stating that if we aren't buying, he doesn't care. I socked Lisa on the arm as the three of us walked away, each of us disappointed by the lack of a lead. "Well, that was a waste of time," I spoke up, saying what everyone else was thinking.
"Maybe we could set out and find her as she works, and have one of us go in, and use the signal to alert the others that she is about to get knocked out, and-"
I interrupted Lisa, "Stop talking, that's the worst plan ever."
"Is not!" she sputtered indignantly, throwing me a dirty look from the corner of her eye.
"Is too!" I retaliated, my arms crossed and my lips pursed. "Not only is it dangerous, its not even guaranteed to work!"
"No plans are guaranteed to work," Gladis added, trying to appease us both. Lisa and I both glowered at her until she raised her hands in defeat. "Sorry!"
"What was your big idea then, huh Robin?" Lisa mocked, knowing perfectly well that I didn't have a plan. Other than the information route, but that obviously didn't work, the food truck man has no clue as to anything, and interrogation isn't really my forte. Gladis got the most out of him, but even then it was through low tactics and the information wasn't worth it.
"We head to the station and wait for the next tram to leave, that way we know who isn't waiting for it, and narrow it down from there," I told her, shooting her a smug look.
She scoffed, "That sounds boring and tedious." I rolled my eyes at her and shoved her lightly, making her drop her ice cream. "Hey!" I laughed at her, staring at the cone and whatever was left inside it sit on the ground. "That wasn't necessary."
"Neither is your superior attitude."
We walked in silence then, Gladis probably afraid to say anything and Lisa angry with me for her wasted ice cream. I thought about what we could do once we found the girl, what type of punishment would be suitable. We only really caught one other robber -another woman, oddly enough- and we just handcuffed her to the railings of the house she was trying to rob, leaving her on the balcony for everyone to see. I didn't think that would be suitable for this one though, I can't exactly handcuff her to her crimes, and I don't think a slap on the wrist and a small speech about right and wrong would do it either.
By the way Pansy and Gladis made it sound, the woman enjoys stealing, and doesn't do it out of desperation, which makes her a tougher case than usual. I thought about how in some third world countries they cut off the hands of theives, but I quickly shoved that thought away. That, of course, popped up the idea of breaking her hands, and I let my mind dwell on that one a little longer than was appropriate. I scratched my chin in thought, we could break a finger one by one until she agrees to turn herself in.
I suddenly realized how dark my thoughts just got and internally slapped myself. Perhaps I should have someone else make the plans.
"We should 'it 'er over ze 'ead and take 'er money, that'll be fair," Gladis interrupted my thoughts. I stared up at her with a look of exasperation. "What?"
"Nothing," I mumbled, realizing that I do have to make the plans, or they turn out stupid. We passed a dollar store and I stopped, waving at the girls with a distracted, "I'll meet you at the station." I grinned to myself, this'll be perfect.
I left the store about ten minutes later, happily swinging a plastic bag in my hand. I met up with Lisa and Gladis at the station and grinned at both of them, a new, but horridly ugly shirt replacing my other one. "Evening ladies," I greeted, clasping Lisa on the shoulder. I gave both of them a warm smile and then looked to Lisa. "Let's find the Bitch, and you and Gladis be good cob, 'cause I have an idea!"
Finding a female mugger in a crappy subway station in a sucky neighborhood is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, and you can't light the haystack on fire either. We looked everywhere, and after everyone got on their tram and left, and there was basically no one left at the station, we still couldn't find her.
"This sucks!" Lisa complained for the third time this hour. I shot her a dark look, but kept walking, determined to get this stupid thing over with today, so I can go home and not think about crime fighting for at least a day or two. I stalked ahead of her when I heard her slump against the wall, muttering about her sore feet and painful heels. "Hey wait! Robin, look at this!"
I groaned and turned around to face her, "What is it now?"
She ripped something off of the wall and ran over to me, aching feet forgotten. "Scotland yard is asking for information about the 'Vigilante's of Demont District'!"
She shoved a relatively new and grime free piece of paper into my face and I paled. "What?" I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. Gladis came over to us and I saw her mouth open in shock.
"Isn't this exciting!" Lisa exclaimed, the paper shaking with her.
"No," I said, snatching the paper from her to study it. "No, this isn't exciting at all." The paper itself was nothing special, the font was black and overused, there was a single picture of London, with our district highlighted, and the words cash reward were in bold. It didn't look like much, but the fact that Scotland Yard was taking an interest in us was not good, not good at all. I internally panicked before I got myself under control, "Alright, we need to finish this quickly and then stay low for a while." I paused, trying to force Lisa to understand the seriousness of it all with just a look. "Wait until this blows over a bit." The girls nodded their heads and I walked over to a homeless man, smiling at him in what I hoped was a reassuring manner, shoving the issue of Scotland Yard to the back of my mind.
"Whaddya wa'?" the old, haggard looking man demanded, regarding me with a look of distrust. His grubby and fingerless gloves slipped a little on his hands as he twined his fingers together.
"No funny business, I swear," I told him, holding up my empty hands in reassurance. "I just wanna get some information, I'll even pay for it." I saw his eyes light up with interest at that, though he still watched me with wary eyes.
"Well, wha' is it you wanna know?"
I smiled, "Does a woman come by here, every friday?"
He cut me off before I could embellish. "A lotta women comin' by here, I don' 'member 'em all."
"I understand that, but she would be different, never using the train, tricking people into coming over to her," I listed off. He look thoughtful, his eyes wandering around. I pulled out my wallet and held up forty bucks. "A tattoo on the inside of her wrist."
He rubbed his chin in thought, leaving black marks over his stubble. "'ere is a 'oman," he allowed, still looking as though I would snatch the money back. "Comes of'en, doesn' really look 'omless, bu' she comes anyway." I nodded and smiled, sounded about right so far. "I don' know 'bout a tatto, alway' wearin' sleeves, bu' she's pro'ably the one."
I smiled and gave him the money, stifling laughter as he greedily stuffed it into his pocket. "Thanks for that, is she here today?"
He shook his head, "No, usually is though."
I nodded, "Thanks anyway."
As we walked away I heard Lisa's belly grumble. I glanced at her and she grinned sheepishly. "Can we grab some early dinner?" she asked. I sighed and nodded and she clapped her hands together. "Great! What about you Gladis?"
"I'm going to head 'ome, I'm not too 'ungry," she said glumly, looking a bit dissapointed. "Call me if you go out looking again?" she asked, looking hopefully between Lisa and I.
"Sure," Lisa agreed easily. I glanced at her and shook my head.
"We'll try," I told Gladis, ignoring the way her face fell. "Sometimes, we just don't have enough time to call ahead."
She agreed and walked off, leaving Lisa and I to find food. I allowed Lisa to take me to another one of her local favorites and resisted the urge to groan at her strange taste in food. The woman is surely one of a kind, and I can't wait to see who puts up with her for life. Honestly the man she marries has to have an endless amount of patients, and the mental stability to make up for her lack of common sense. She is truly a child at heart, and despite how annoying it can be sometimes, I hope she never loses it.
"This place is as amazing as ever!" Lisa gushed, her eyes darting around the restaurant's lavish decorations, drool practically dripping from her mouth. "The food is fabulous too, and most of the waiters are decently attractive."
I ignored her rant on the waiters and which ones she has tried to date before, instead letting my eyes wander around the other people in the building. Everyone looked pretty normal, no one set apart from the rest by a funky hairstyle or eccentric style of dress. It wasn't Lisa's usual 'scene' but I could tell that the food is definitely on her radar. It reminded me a lot of the food truck, actually. I frowned over that last thought, I was a bit upset that the mugger hadn't show up today, I would have liked to get this over with. I suppose it was better that Gladis won't be there for the grand finale, I plan on banning Lisa from calling her, so she won't get in too deep.
I glanced up at Lisa and saw that she was still yammering away, not even caring that I wasn't paying attention. Our waitress approached the table and smiled, "My name is Wendy, I'll be your server this afternoon." Lisa stopped and turned to look over the woman, though girl was more likely. "Can I get you something to drink?"
Lisa's perfectly groomed eyebrows drew together, "You aren't the usual server who works this section," she told the waitress.
Wendy looked surprised, "No, I took an extra shift because the usual guy is sick." Lisa nodded, accepting that answer. Wendy still looked puzzled as to how Lisa knew that, but didn't push further.
"Just a water for me, please," I told her, smiling in thanks. Lisa ordered a soda and the waitress left, leaving Lisa and I to talk. "How did you know this isn't her usual shift?"
"Hm?" Lisa asked, distracted. She turned away from some guy at another table and looked at me. "Oh, Tom is the usual guy, and I worked out his schedule a while ago so that I could flirt with him while he works."
"That's creepy," I told her, but she ignored me this time. We fell into a comfortable silence while we waited to order. I was people watching again when our waitress came back, holding two glasses and two straws. She placed Lisa's brown soda in front of her, and Lisa gave her a distracted thank you, waving her off while she stared down some girl in the corner booth. I smiled politely as Wendy held my water in front of me, the surface full of condensation.
The pressed white sleeve of Wendy's uniform pulled up for a second as she extended her arm to place the glass on the table, and my eyes widened. On the inside of her left wrist, cursive letters spelt out rebellious with a black, swirling font. I allowed her to walk away without a word and began digging through my bag. I pulled out the copy of Gladis's notes and scanned them over, searching for the section on the tattoo. And there it was, written in my own penmanship; "Written tattoo on inner left wrist, may be temporary." I gasped, this was too easy. I scanned the room for a moment, spotting her at another table. She was a bit short, with dark red hair that could look brown in some lightings. I shook my head, this was way too easy, the universe practically handed her to me on a silver platter.
For the rest of the meal I was on the edge of my seat, and though Lisa didn't notice anything wrong with me, Wendy did. We made eye contact every once in a while when she looked back to check on the table, and I believe I made her a bit uncomfortable. When she came back to the table with the check I decided to ask, "When does your shift end?" I asked with a smile, trying to appear friendly and non threatening.
She was silent for a moment, still holding on to the leather folder our bill was in. "Um, I get off in about a half an hour," she answered, looking a bit uneasy. "But -and I mean no offence- I'm into guys, so," she trailed off awkwardly and I fought a scowl.
I felt my eye twitch but I kept up my smile, going for dissapointed but not offended, because I can totally see where she got that idea. "Too bad," I said, holding out my hand for the bill. I paid with a credit card and left a generous tip, ushering Lisa out of the restaurant with urgency. "Did you see that?" I exclaimed once we were on the street.
"Yeah, I didn't know you liked girls, Robin," Lisa said, walking down the street, hands in her pockets.
I jogged a bit to catch up to her, frowning, "I don't like girls," I protested.
"Look Robin, its fine with me," Lisa continued, looking at me with a compassionate face. "It actually explains why you surround yourself with women, and who am I to judge?"
She opened her mouth to continue but I stopped her. "I'm not gay, okay?" She closed her mouth and nodded, looking a bit put out. "Good, now will you listen to me?"
"Its nothing to be ashamed of," she told me.
"I'm not gay!" I had to stop myself from shouting, but she still looked a bit upset. "Wendy, the waitress, matched the mugger's description!"
"Oh!" Lisa exclaimed. "So that's why!" She nodded her head as she thought back on the tiny woman. "You're totally right, but did she have the tattoo?"
"Yup, and I asked when her shift ends so we can follow her for a bit, see if she really is our mugger!"
"That's brilliant Robin!" Lisa cooed. She turned serious after a moment though, stopping me and holding my hands in hers. "But you can tell me anything, you know that right?"
I growled at her, "I'm not gay."
"But then why were you paying so much attention to her?" I rolled my eyes at her and turned to the right, stalking to the back of the building to wait for Wendy's shift to end.
"I feel like a fabulous version of James Bond," Lisa whispered to me as we followed Wendy. She just came out of the restaurant's back entrance and was going God-knows-where. We followed from a distance, keeping to the shadows and ducking out of sight when she turned corners. I'm honestly surprised that our gross inexperience didn't tip her off to the fact that she is being followed, that and Lisa isn't a very quiet whisperer.
"Shut up!" I hissed back, keeping a close eye on Wendy. Wendy walked into a public restroom and I shifted from foot to foot, wondering if we should follow her in or not.
"I'll follow her in, you stay here and watch for her," Lisa told me, heading towards the door.
"You can't go in there!" I called after her. She turned and glared at me. "Do you remember what happened the last time you tried to go into a girl's public restroom?"
She made a noise of disgust, but came back. "I don't see what the problem was," she grumbled, still upset that she got kicked out. I shot her a look and she closed her mouth.
"I'll go in, you watch for her exit," I paused, "And don't get distracted!"
I entered the dingy room cautiously, cringing as the door squealed. I stepped into a stall and locked it, watching the mirrors in front of the sink from the crack in the door. I stood perfectly still, trying not to touch anything as I kept a focused vigilance. Suddenly the door opened and a large group of girls strolled in, their loud laughter and bright clothes distracting me to the point I didn't hear a stall open, and I didn't see Wendy walk out.
I stepped back as one of the girls approached my stall, poking it to see if it was closed. "Ugh, this place is so gross," one of the complained in a high pitched voice.
"Yeah, but at least its pretty empty," another commented, her voice a little deeper, yet nasally to the point of irritation. "Only one stall is used."
I suppressed a groan, I lost her. I slammed the door open, taking no notice of the girl's surprised looks. I forwent the sink but grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and used it to open the door. I heard more than a few disgusted comments as the door shut, but I ignored them.
"Lisa!" I called, searching for my tall and a bit stocky friend. Someone popped up from behind me and I jumped, "Jesus Lisa! Don't scare me like that."
"Sorry," she quickly apologized. "Why'd you leave?"
"Did you see Wendy exit the bathroom?" I demanded.
"No, why?"
"She isn't in there anymore."
"Oh," she stopped for a moment, thinking. "All I saw was a group of teenagers go in, and a homeless woman come out."
"Lisa!" I yelled.
"What?"
"A homeless woman?"
She frowned at me. "Yeah, why?" I gave her a look of exasperation. "Right, she poses as a homeless woman."
I fought the urge to yell at her and calmed down, "Where did she go?"
"This way," she answered, pointing to our left. We took off, running after her and dodging pedestrians as we searched. "Over there!" Lisa exclaimed, pointing a bit ahead of us. I couldn't see anything, but Lisa's height gave her a view above everyone that I didn't have. I followed behind her as she led me into an alleyway, I could finally see Wendy as she walked down the steps into the subway.
"Don't lose her!" I shouted, running as fast as I could with my lack of stamina. Lisa ran ahead of me and down the steps, bumping into a shorter man as she barreled down the steps. I shouted a quick, "Sorry!" to the man as I ran past, barely noticing his features as I followed Lisa and Wendy. When I got to the main area, my eyes quickly adjusted to the light. I scanned the faces for Lisa or Wendy, but I couldn't see either of them. I pushed past people as I searched, calling Lisa's name as I became more and more worried. I saw the homeless man from earlier out of the corner of my eye and walked over to him. "Have you seen the woman?" I demanded, he lazily pointed down one of the less used sections of the tunnel and I took off at a run, trying to see in the dim lighting.
As I went farther in I saw less people and the light shrunk. "Lisa?" I called, my voice strong despite the fear I was suddenly feeling. "Lisa, are you there?"
I heard a groan to my left and I spun around, squinting as I tried to see into the darkened doorway. I took a few, hesitant steps closer and kept my ears open for any sounds. The voices from the main platform were soft in the background, and a small drip somewhere were the only things I could hear. I drew closer to the doorway and I saw the silhouette of someone on the ground. I raced forward and dropped to my knees in front of it. "Oh God, Lisa!" she groaned again and I gently reached out, touching her shoulder briefly. I heard a scuffle behind me and turned around just in time to see Wendy raising a pipe. She swung downward and I lept forward, throwing my body weight on her and knocking her down, just like I had with the man that cornered Lisa in the alleyway. I began to wrestle Wendy for the pipe in her hands as Lisa began to stir.
"Now would be a really good time to wake up, Lisa!"
Wendy rolled the both of us so she was straddling me, trying to rip the pipe from my hands. "Let go you bitch!" she shouted, her spit flying in my face. My grip loosened for a moment as I blinked in disgust. She wrenched it from my hands and shakily stood up, hovering over me. She lifted the thing above her head once more, but before she could strike, arms wrapped around her and held her back. "Hey!" Wendy shouted, dropping the pipe.
"Lisa!"
Wendy twisted in Lisa's grip and thrashed as much as possible, her legs kicking out every which way. I heard her foot make contact and Lisa dropped her, clutching between her legs as she fell to the ground. I gave her a small glance to see if she was okay before I went for the pipe, swinging it like a baseball bat and hitting Wendy in the head. She crumpled to the floor without a sound and I stood with the bat still in my hand, my chest heaving as I breathed heavily.
I poked Lisa with the end of the pipe. "Get up," I ordered breathlessly, leaning on the pipe as if it were a cane. "C'mon, get up."
Lisa groaned at me but got up, rubbing at her head and limping a bit as she walked over to me. "Jesus that girl is nasty for her size."
I agreed with her wholeheartedly. "We can't drag her out of the subway like that," I commented, jerking my head to the motionless body laying on the dirty ground.
"Shoot," Lisa muttered, looking Wendy's body over. "Did you kill her?"
I thought for a moment, "I don't think so, go check."
"Ew no," Lisa shook her head, "You were the one who hit her, you do it."
I rolled my eyes at her, though in the dark tunnel I doubt she could see it. "Fine." I walked over to Wendy, I was pretty sure I didn't hit her that hard, but then again I'm not a doctor. If I thought about it, I would be appalled by how casual we were taking this, but as the adrenaline left me I was too tired to care. I knelt next to her and leaned on the pipe, using my pointer and middle finger to search for a purse in her neck. For a moment I feared the worst, but then I found it, the steady thump of her blood pumping through her veins. "She's alive, just unconscious," I informed Lisa. "But she's gonna have a bitch of a headache when she wakes up."
"What do we do with her?" Lisa asked, still rubbing at the back of her head. I presume that was where Wendy had hit her.
"I was going to ask you."
"I passed a janitor closet type thing when I chased her down here," she offered with a shrug of her shoulders.
"Was it big enough for all three of us?"
"Yeah."
"Lisa, you be good cop, I have a plan," I told Lisa as we sat in a small utilities closet, the room barely big enough for us and the chair that Wendy currently sat in. Thankfully I had held onto the stuff I bought before, and I held hope that Wendy would cooperate and I wouldn't really have to hurt her.
"I don't want to be good cop," Lisa protested, crossing her arms over her chest. "She almost knocked me out, I think I deserve to be bad cop."
I glared at her, "She tapped you, hardly anything to grumble about."
"Tapped! You didn't even get hit!"
"Yeah? Well, you were napping for most of the fight!" I argued back. I crouched on the ground, sick of standing.
Lisa grunted at me, "You didn't get hit right in the n-"
"Shut up, she's waking up!" I hissed at her. "I'm bad cop." Lisa unfolded her arms and grumbled something under her breath, glaring at me before she turned to watch Wendy wake up. Wendy let out a moan of pain and her eyes fluttered open, her head rolling to the side as she fought for awareness. Her arms jerked as she tried to move, and her head snapped up when she realized she was bound. She struggled for a second against the ropes, the old wooden chair she was sitting on wobbled as she moved. She glanced between Lisa and I, her eyes wide with fear.
"What? Who are y-"
"Sh," I quieted her. "I think you know who we are."
She shook her head quickly, then winced as she felt the pounding headache I gifted her. "No, no I don't know," she denied.
Lisa spoke softly, "We are the vigilantes of the Demont District."
"We punish the bad, without the law's guidelines," I told her, my voice dropping to a warning rumble. "And you do deserve some punishing."
I dug through my pockets until I found what I wanted, pulling out a silver nutcracker. The handles were decorative and shiny, reflecting the small amount of light in the room. Wendy's eye locked on the nutcracker and she continued to fight her restraints. "Please, no!"
"We just want to ask a favor of you," Lisa told her, holding down the old wooden chair so she wouldn't fall over. "There really is no need to hurt you."
"You know, in some cultures," I started, pulling out a walnut and cracking it open, eating the nut inside before I continued. "The police -or whatever force of justice is in that area- removes the hands of theives." I cracked open another walnut and ate it. "Now, I don't have a big cleaver, but I do have this." I held up the nutcracker and smiled. "And I think a few broken bones should count as punishment."
Wendy looked up at Lisa, "You said you needed a favor, please, I'll do anything!" I chuckled darkly and she looked back at me. "Please!"
Lisa smiled gently, "Just turn yourself in." Wendy began to shake her head so Lisa continued, "Tell them about every person you've mugged and anything else you've done, and we will leave you alone."
"I don't want to go to jail!" Wendy protested.
I tsked, "Too bad, because even after I have my fun, you still end up behind bars."
"Its easy, really, just state your name and your crime," Lisa soothed. "Then my friend here doesn't have to dirty her new nutcracker."
"No," Wendy denied, struggling once again. "I won't do it!"
I stood and brushed the walnut crumbs from my pants. "Alright, what finger should we start with?" I asked Lisa, but I looked directly in Wendy's eyes. "I'm thinking we start small, how about a pinkie?"
Lisa sighed, "Wendy, its simple, please."
"No!"
I walked over to her, leaning forward and getting in her face. I smiled, a dark, wicked smile and grabbed her hand. She thrashed about and Lisa held the chair down, pleading with Wendy to just turn herself in. "Now now Wendy," I cooed. "If you move too much, it might hurt worse."
She froze when I leaned back and grabbed her hand, bound at the wrist to the arm of the chair. I pulled her pinkie from her closed fist and placed the opening of the nutcracker to it, slowly applying a touch of pressure. Wendy shook with fear and finally gave in, "Fine! Fine, I'll do it, just please, please don't hurt me."
I made a sound of disappointment, but Lisa clapped her on the back. "Good decision!" I pulled away from Wendy and Lisa told her how it was going to happen. "We will follow you, make sure you go in there, and if you don't do what we asked," Lisa trailed off.
"We find you, and do what we promised," I finished. Wendy nodded and I took a deep breath, instantly regretting it as I got a whiff of urine. Seems Wendy doesn't have a strong hold on her bladder.
"I swear, I'll do it."
I stretched my arms above my head as we walked down the skinny hallway to our apartment. "Gladis is going to be upset when she finds out we finished without her," I commented idly, glancing at Lisa.
She shrugged, "I think she'll understand." Lisa paused for a moment, then asked, "How did you get the idea to use the nutcracker?"
"Oh, I've been reading this blog recently," I told her. "It called the 'Science of Deduction'."
"Really, that sounds interesting," Lisa mocked.
"Yeah it enumerates over 240 types of tobacco ash."
"How do you read that?" she asked, incredulous.
I shrugged, "Its interesting."
We walked the rest of the way in silence, ignoring the thin walls and the muffled noises coming from the other rooms. Loud rock music blared from young Jack's apartment, T.V. voices from the Anderson's. As we passed Mrs. Noris's room, instead of the usual classical music, there was nothing. I looked over at Lisa and saw that she noticed too. I walked over and knocked on the door, not expecting it to creak open when my knuckles grazed it.
Lisa and I exchanged worried glances. I opened the door fully and called into the pitch black room, "Mrs. Noris?" There was no answer so I flicked on the light, glancing on the familiar room of our elderly neighbor. I heard something from the back bedroom and rushed forward, flicking on lights as I went, Lisa a step behind me. "Mrs. Noris?"
"Girls!" I heard her call from the back bedroom. As we approached we saw the light was on in her bedroom. We entered and saw Mrs. Noris laying in her bed, wrapped in floral print quilts. "I was just about to go to sleep, what can I do for you?"
I checked my watch and saw that it was only three, but shrugged it off. "Your door was open, we just wanted to make sure you were alright."
"Thank you girls, but I'm alright," she assured us. "I must have forgotten to lock the doors after those young men came around."
I frowned. "What young men?" Lisa asked, voicing my thoughts.
Mrs. Noris giggled, "Strange men, they were, asking questions about you girls."
I shifted from foot to foot, "What did you tell them?" I cautiously asked.
"That I had no idea who those silly vigilantes are, though I strongly disapproved, whoever they are could get hurt, or do more damage than good!"
Lisa and I smiled, "Thank you Mrs. Noris."
"We'll let you get some sleep," I added.
"Lock the door on your way out!" she called after us in her wispy voice, the light from her room going out once we reached the front door.
After we had entered our own apartment, I turned to Lisa. "We have to lay low for a while."
"Oh yeah," she agreed.
Scotland Yard had sent someone after us, at least that was what I hoped. Either that, or we had made an enemy that was capable of coming after us, and I'd personally prefer prison over death.
Please review, I just wrote 15 pages, I think I deserve a little feedback! So please, please, please review!
