42

I hadn't meant to spend long in the city, and I didn't, not really. Longer than expected, but it'll become obvious why.

There was a silence to the place when we returned. We all picked up on it; a tenseness appearing between the four of us.

"Do you think Gen's still refusing to go outside?" Dory had asked me.

"Probably not. She was only doing that because of us. Still, it feels quiet, right?" I looked at Shuu.

"Probably because hardly anyone's here," He placed an arm on my shoulder, "Don't look so worried. Come along now, we should start packing your things."

"Where's Pasha going again?" Dory asked.

"He said he had to pick up his things from work and pack his stuff," I replied.

"You should pack too, Doryo, Charlotte doesn't need you bothering her."

"But I like it when he bothers me."

"No, you don't. Come on, we haven't got all day."

I waved to Dory and let Shuu take me inside.

"You shouldn't be so mean to him," I said, "Dory's never done anything to you."

"Hasn't he? You know, my dear, he's done plenty to me. When I was eighteen, we slept together and I woke up to find him and my weekly allowance gone!"

"Weekly-allowance? Besides, he was a drug-addict back then."

"As opposed to now? He's always been like it. Constantly in and out of rehab, it's almost comical."

"It's not comical at all. Besides, he's been doing it less lately. I think he's working on it."

"As if. Trust me, it's only a matter of time."

"Until what? Shuu?"

He didn't answer, and walked quicker. We didn't speak of it again, but I had an urge to pursue it, just as I had an urge to pursue ghoul science; he wouldn't dictate to me what I could and couldn't talk about. I was done with that.

I didn't mention this to him, and we continued the day in relative peace. That was, until Pasha arrived, claiming he had to talk to my urgently, and of course, God forbid Shuu or Dory missed anything that could be potential gossip.

Pasha had wavered around the subject, waiting for the others to leave, but gave up and eventually blurted it out; "Chief Besho's missing," He'd said, "Presumed dead, they're saying."

"How and when?" Shuu asked.

Pasha looked at him in slight annoyance, but continued, "His wife found his son—poor kid—apparently someone...had a shotgun."

"Oh, how tragic," Shuu sneered.

"He was a kid."

"And a fucking rapist," Dory added.

"That doesn't mean he deserved it."

"I think it does. Charlotte? Tsukiyama?"

"For once, I agree with you."

"I don't. Pasha's right. No one deserves to die."

"Are you serious? After how they defiled you?"

"You're right. I shouldn't have an opinion on something that directly affected me, not you; who wasn't even there."

"That's not what I was saying. You can't defend your attackers."

"I'm not defending them. I'm saying they don't deserve to die. Death isn't a punishment, it's the end to punishment. No one learns anything from it, but now the culprit is dead. Does that help anyone? It doesn't help me. I was still assaulted, it still hurts. What does it matter if the perpetrators are dead or alive?"

"Dude, she's kinda right," Dory said.

"No one asked," Shuu folded his arms.

"But I—Whatever. I can't deal with you right now. Do they know who's responsible?"

"Oh, what a foolish question, Doryo. We all know who's responsible."

"She's been awfully quiet recently," I said, "I mean, aside from the odd text."

"Did she mention anything about it?" Pasha asked.

"No. Just like...small talk. It's not like she sent me another picture or anything."

"What if it wasn't her though?" Dory asked, "Like, it was three guys who assaulted you and she might've killed two of 'em, but what's she doing with the last one? Doesn't add up, right?"

"Perhaps she's just taking her time," Shuu said, flicking hair from his face.

"Maybe...But—"

"What about Himari?" I asked, "Himari never attacked me, why's she gone too?"

"I don't think she took Himari," Pasha said.

"No? Why?"

"...Besho was adamant Himari was the killer, really adamant. That's basically why he fired me. But the thing is, I found out this morning that Himari was building a huge case on Besho and Ryōma."

"Uh...Why didn't you mention this before?"

"Because I only found it this morning, and by accident. Apparently, she'd found loads of previous victims—lots of sex workers and young female officers. She was ready to act on it not long after what happened to you, but then she went missing, apparently after killing a colleague, with shaky evidence to boot."

"Wait. Wait. Wait. Are you seriously saying that Besho set her up and kidnapped her?"

"Maybe."

"Why go through the trouble of taking her? Why not just set her up?"

"Exactly, Dory."

Pasha paused, "Because then she couldn't protest. Himari spent years collecting cases against him, we all know she had a bit of a temper, and until recently; she was really respected, especially by the Superintendent. I've heard people say she could one day be the Chief Inspector. She would've tore any of his allegations apart, and she wouldn't have stopped there. He knew that. So, he had to get rid of her for a bit."

"And then what? Magically have her appear?"

"Maybe."

"But then she'll just fight even more?"

He paused, "Well..."

"Not if she's dead," Shuu said.

"You think he'll kill her? How? He's a cop, they can't just kill people, right?" Dory asked.

"Well..." I said, "Depends on a few factors, according to some countries. He could claim self-defence, right? If no one saw?"

Pasha nodded, "I mean, after what happened to his son, he could easily say that she tried to kill him and claim self-defence. No one else would know."

"Would he go so far though?"

"Everything he has is on the line. His wife already hates him, his son's dead, so is his closest friend. All he has is money, his reputation, and his job. Besides, we know what he can do. What's to say he can't go further?"

I sighed, "I guess that's true...But what about Lyra? I assume Besho confronted her or something and they're together somewhere. If he's pinning this all on Himari, then he'll have to get rid of the actual killer. Lyra's not gonna have that, is she?"

"I don't know. Maybe he'll try to bargain with her."

"Would she even consider it?" Shuu asked.

"Yeah," I said, "And when she declines? Then what? He'll kill her too."

"Maybe..."

I placed a hand on my head, "Okay...So, should we like, try to do them or something? Or do we let them kill each other?"

"Could we find them even if we wanted to?"

"Maybe if you tried to contact her—"

"She might respond, but if she's incapacitated, then I don't know—probably not."

"Try it. If not, we might just have to wait. I don't think there's anything we can do, but...Himari. We can't just abandon her."

"Or Lyra."

"You're defending her too now?"

"What did I just say about death and punishment?"

"Isn't she different?"

"No. As long as something's alive, it doesn't deserve to die."

Shuu sighed, looking away from me, "Anyway. Why don't you go and pack more of your things? Maybe we could do something fun on your last day of freedom."

"You didn't have to word it like that," Dory said, "Freedom. There's a literal butterfly garden there."

"I already packed my things. I was gonna go swimming."

"A golden cage is still a cage, Doryo. Swimming? Fine. Run along now, flower."

"But—"

"No. Go on."

I left, not quite understanding why. As I finished packing, I heard shouting from Dory downstairs—no doubt Shuu upsetting him again. I wanted to go and check, but I didn't know if I was allowed to.

Instead, I sat on my bed and tried to contact Lyra. I hadn't thought she'd answer on the first call, so was slightly taken aback.

"Hey," She said. There was a twinge of irritation in her voice.

"Hi, Lyra. Um. I didn't think you'd—"

"Yeah, I'm kinda busy right now, Charlie, what is it?"

"Uh—Are you with the police chief?"

"No. Why?"

"Uh...Well, my frie–Pasha thinks he might've, uh, done something to another detective."

"Yeah, the bitchy one, with the scarf."

"Yeah, and uh, I actually..."

I shook my head, trying to pull myself together.

"I was actually calling," I said, "Because I was so worried...I thought maybe he'd go after you, and that would make me so sad."

She laughed, "Yeah! The fucker did come after me, don't you think I could handle it?"

"Oh, of course! Okay, maybe I wasn't worried for you, of course you could handle it, silly me!"

"Yep. Very stupid of you. I'll see you—"

"Where is he? Obviously, you're not like, hurt or anything, right?"

"Don't interrupt me. I'm fine. I've just missed my sweet little angel—what with her running around the country with men—but I'll be fine."

"You just said you were fine. Were you—"

"God, is this a fucking interrogation?"

"...Uh. No. I just—Are you hurt or not?"

"No, but if I was, hypothetically, would a sweet little bunny rabbit come and help me?"

"I don't think bunnies can do that in real life."

"No, you dumb—Ahem. I just mean...If only a pretty little thing were to come and help me. That would be so lucky."

"Ohhhh..." I said, "Um, and where would you be? Hypothetically?"

"You know that Catholic cunt?"

I gasped, "Genesis?"

"Is that her name? I don't care. Yeah, in between where she lives—"

"Oh. Are you in the woods? That's so close!"

"Yeah. I'm by this fuck-sized rock thing. There's some pond. Just be quiet, yeah? There are ducks."

"I'll be there as soon as possible."

"I'll wait."

I went to gather some things and get Pasha, but he had taken Dory out for something—fresh air, I think. Shuu must've upset him again.

I saw Shuu in the living room, reading something.

"Oh, there you are—Why do you have a first-aid kit? My sweetheart, are you hurt? Where is it? What have you done now?"

I shook my head, "I'm fine. Where's Pasha?"

"Out. What's going on?"

"I need to meet Lyra."

"You certainly do not need to meet her."

"I think she's hurt."

"So? Let her rot, darling."

"Nu-uh. I have to help her, and maybe Himari's there too. Besides, it's not that far. She says she's in the woods."

"Woods? As in, my woods? Out there?"

"Uhuh."

"You're not going out there, not whilst she's there. Urgh, honestly—Can people not read the private property signs? The lack of literacy in this country always astounds me. Pathetic...Hm? Oh, right. You stay right there. I suppose I'll call Pasha and send one of the servants with him to...collect her."

"No, she'll attack anyone else. It has to be me."

"You're not meeting that-that-that wench. If I have to lock you in our bedroom to stop you, I will."

"Are you kidding?"

"Not at all. We'll stay here and do something else, come on, you're not leaving my sight until I know she's not here anymore."

"But I have to help. What if Besho—"

"If she dies, she dies. Your little theory's very sentimental and all that, but it's a weakness. You should look out for yourself (and me) more than anyone else. Let her die, she's not worth you."

"You-You—How could you say that?"

"Come on, it was hardly groundbreaking. It's just logical," He sighed and stroked my face, "Are you crying for her? Her? How extraordinarily weak of you! Aha! Oh, my sweet little thing, my precious flower...I understand. You're just too naive for your own good, such a creature must be wrapped up in cotton and protected from the injustices of this world. You're so lucky, I'll do just that."

"But I have to make sure they're okay—"

"No," He gripped my arm, too tightly for my liking, but he was still smiling affectionately, so maybe I was just being sensitive, "You really don't need to do that, my flower."

I tried to step away, "But Pasha said—"

"He says lots of things. He thinks he knows what to do, but I mean, he got fired, didn't he? I'm sure for more reasons than he claims."

"Pasha wouldn't lie about that."

"How would you know? He doesn't know you like I do, does he? Nor Doryo or anyone else. I mean, they already trapped you into going to that hospital—and you're probably fine. You don't really want it, do you?"

"No, but...I don't want to be miserable anymore."

"Of course. But perhaps," He leaned closer to kiss me, "It's certain people that are making you miserable. Purge them from your little life and you'll be right as rain."

"Like you? You're not making me very happy right now?"

He coughed; more choky than a cough, "Ahah. Well, one must be uncomfortable to improve, you know that, surely. Perhaps your mental condition is merely a result of that woman stalking you, paired with insufficient support...Yes. That must be it. We'll purge the poison and you'll see. You don't have to fly away, my darling, you could stay just here with me."

"...I'd rather get actual, professional help. You're hurting my arm."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I must've gotten carried away. Come on," He took my hand, but it felt more parental than romantic, "Let's just forget about all this—"

"I think," I pulled away, "I'll spend time with you later."

"What? Why? What are you going to do?"

"I want..." I said, "I want to be on my own."

"No. You don't."

"I really do."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I might just go finish my swim. I need to think about something."

"What? Tell me about it, I can help."

"No. I need to think."

I had to leave the first-aid kit there, and made somewhat of a fuss about going back to the pool. I knew I'd be watched—I could see him, pretending to admire flowers in the garden, casting glances to the indoor pool every now and then.

I went into the changing room, waiting for him to look another way, before edging out of an entrance that was closer to the woods. I don't think anyone saw me pick up the key, but I'd always liked to have options, so maybe he did know.

I sprinted into the woods as fast as I could. I didn't hear him call out for me until I was a good few meters in. I prayed that if I ran to find Lyra, he wouldn't be able to catch me beforehand.

I knew where Lyra was, but of course, I was on the wrong side of the woods. I had to skip all the footpaths to get there quicker, which was very painful. Even now, I think I still have splinters leftover from it.

I don't think it took me long to find Lyra, though I have no idea. When I did find her, she was by a clearing, as she'd said, but she wasn't waiting.

She was leaned up against the tree, grunting in pain. Her injuries were the worst I'd ever seen. Every part of her was covered in gashes. She was almost unrecognisable.

She saw me and as she did, so did her attacker—Chief Besho, holding a butcher's knife and the shotgun that I assumed had killed his son. He too had cuts, but not like Lyra. He still had most of his face.

Besho and I stared at each other. He was bemused by my swimming clothes, and said something I didn't understand. I was too focused on the gun, and Lyra's mauled face.

As he said what he said, Lyra took a lunge for him, trying to pry the gun from his hands.

It was a foolish decision. Running away would've turned out better for her. For both of us.

But instead, Lyra went for him, and he slammed the knife into his shoulder, and when she recoiled, he shot her in the stomach.

She made some kind of noise. I couldn't describe it. I had never heard such an emotion. I watched, unable to move, as Lyra held her stomach—it's contents now starting to spill out.

I'd never seen someone's organs fall out—I can't imagine many people have. But I saw it.

It looked faker than I imagined, and I had not imagined that Lyra would persist, even as her organs dangled out. She must've known she was going to die, and yet, she carried on.

I wanted to tell her to stop. To lie down and think about something pleasant as her life slipped away. A horrible death, but one soothed by her thoughts.

But Lyra didn't do that. She persisted, she had to, and she did not die peacefully.

She died before she got to Besho. Before she got a final hit on him, he placed the gun to her head and just like that; dead.

I watched it happen in such detail—it was both too fast and moved in slow-motion. Her head seemed to explode, bits of brain and eye landed on my face, a piece of something landed in my mouth.

She twitched and didn't fall straight away, as though she was still alive. The headless corpse swayed and stumbled, before Besho poked it with the gun, and it flopped to the floor, still twitching.

I couldn't move, watching the corpse's leaking blood, and twitching. It twitched less and less until it stopped, and any sign of life was gone.

And just like that, Lyra Svensson—the woman who had caused my recent strife—was gone forever. She was dead. Just gone. Forever.

And to my surprise, I felt like I had lost a friend, someone incredibly dear to me. Maybe, after everything, I had grown attached to her.

We would never have been friends or partners, not in this Universe, but there was something between us. Not sexual or romantic, not friendly or cruel, just something.

I haven't felt that something since. I don't think I'll ever find it again. I wish I could remember what it felt like, but like the headless Lyra, it's also gone now. It's simply dead.

*

Y'all, this took me way too long. I kept getting distracted, and it's Lockdown 3.0 in Wales, and I had my monthly existential crisis, and then got super cold here and we don't have enough money for heating so I had a fun lil

m e n t a l b r e a k d o w n

Which was so fun. Love that for me. The Cosmos is clearing blessing me rn. (Personally, I'd rather it gored me than make me go through mental illness, but go off I guess)

Anyway. I'm still trying to claw myself back from that, I hope y'all can understand

I'm getting so excited to finish this and start posting the new story, and I've kinda been posting about it on social media.

Idk...maybe u could...follow me on Instagram and see all the extra content...??

Also, I'm posting on Tumblr a lot now, and most of it's writing content, (@itscooltoeattoothpaste). I recently posted all the new and current characters as blursed memes, and next week I'll (hopefully) be making mood boards for all the characters. These mood boards are probably gonna be a lot different than the ones on Pinterest, so feel free to check them out when that happens!

So, yeah, we're hopefully back on track with this story and it only has one or two chapters left, so it shouldn't take as long. (I haven't got the last few parts right and they're kinda important)

I hope y'all are as excited as me for the new, edited, total crackhead version of this story, because I am.

Thank you for reading this chapter. I hope you all have a lovely day, and remember to always be gay, do crime, devote yourself to the cosmic overlords, and most importantly; stay safe!

See you all soon! (Or maybe even sooner if u follow me on Insta—Okay. I'll stop).