Chapter Four
By Tallulah
(Aloha, mes amies! (Ooh, language mix.) Hi. Indigo and Scarlet are © Sora, Kell and Jay are © me, everyone else is © Sega, and the lyrics Scarlet sings are a mangled version of Britney Spears' 'Crazy' and therefore © whoever wrote that. Please r+r!)
Tab heard the garage door open, and leapt round. "Mew!"
The other GG stumbled inside, and gave everyone a fake grin. "Hi, guys…"
"Are you okay?" Tab said. "You didn't – uh – nothing – uh – well, are you?" He didn't want to tell her all the terrified thoughts he'd been having. No need to look like a prat.
"Huh? Oh, sure, I'm fine." Mew scowled. "Not everyone is, though."
"What do you mean?" Beat said from the sofa. "Don't tell me –"
"Yup. A Love Shocker got killed tonight. It was not pretty."
"Same way as the Noise Tank?"
Mew nodded.
"Shit," Tab said, suddenly growing cold at the thought of Mew being out there – at the same time as that – thing – that had killed the others… "I guess that puts the kibosh on your Love Shocker theory, Gum."
Gum shrugged and rolled her eyes at him. "I s'pose you didn't see who did it?" she asked Mew.
"Oh, yeah, I did. Definitely."
"What? Who?"
"You know that weird renegade, Indigo?"
"No," the GGs said.
Mew sighed. "She carries a scythe on her back and has electric-blue hair. She did it. She says she didn't, but I know it was her. I'm positive."
"Why?" Beat said.
"Because she's crazy," Mew said. "She was at the scene of the crime, and she's crazy."
She stared round at them all, fists clenched, eyes dark in the shadows.
"She's crazy," she said again.
Then she crept over to the skylight up to the garage roof, and wriggled through it, and slammed it shut behind her.
The city was beautiful at night. A million hot orange lights danced in Mew's eyes, and she breathed in the smells of take-away and perfume and dry ice and river damp, and drew her knees into her chest, and curled up in the centre of it all.
Tried to relax.
But how could she relax, when, under the city, the night was so dark, and Indigo could hide in it?
Because she knows you know…she might come after you now…
Mew gave a little squeak,, and glanced over her shoulder. Of course, there was no one there. Just the roof, stretching out behind her, tanned orange in the street lights.
Anyway, she'd fought Indigo before. She knew Indigo. Indigo – no, Chloe – was nothing. Chloe got upset so easily.
Scarlet – yes, Scarlet – didn't.
Mew remembered the girl's hands slamming her back against the lockers – fingers, long-nailed, digging into her wrist, twisting her arm – twisting – and the pain rising, rising – and Scarlet's mouth tearing into a smile – and those cat eyes – those nasty yellow eyes –
Oh, shit. If it was Scarlet who was doing this (of course it was) then what on earth could anyone do? Scarlet was crazy. Scarlet would walk over burning broken glass to hurt someone.
Mew saw Indigo's bare, shiny scythe, as if it cut through the sky in front of her eyes.
There's simply not enough time…
But it had to be Indigo. Scarlet. Chloe. It had to be. Who believed in monsters any more?
Chloe was a bitch. It wasn't surprising she'd done something like this.
Who else could it be?
The skylight creaked, and Mew yelped.
"Hey, kitten. Sorry to make you jump."
"Oh. Tab."
Tab shrugged, heaved himself out onto the roof, and slid across to sit next to Mew. "Yup. Just me. I fancied some fresh air without actually having to make any effort."
Mew grinned, wishing she could be as relaxed as he seemed. "I see your point."
"Also, I had another motive."
"Oh, yeah?"
"I could come out here and check you were okay without actually making it obvious and wrecking my male pride or implying you're a girl who can't cope." Tab grinned at her. "So, are you okay?"
"Am I a girl who can't cope?" Mew snapped.
"No. Actually, you seem to be coping really well for someone who's seen two dead bodies in one day."
Mew shrugged. "It gets old after a while."
They stared out at the thick orange lights for a few moments, before Tab said, "Was it really that Indigo chick who did it?"
"Yes." The word had too many corners, and stuck in Mew's throat.
"Why?"
"Because she's crazy, like I said."
"I seen her around a few times. She don't look crazy."
"What would you know?"
"Sorry." Tab glanced back at the lights. Mew wished there were more of them. The night was still too wide, and too dark.
She could tell Tab everything – that she'd known Indigo before, before rudie life – that she'd been mean to her – that Indigo herself wasn't mad, but that something else in her was – she could tell everything – and then someone else could help her deal with it –
But then Tab would hate her, because he'd know what a bitch she really was. No, no she wasn't a bitch – she wasn't – but he'd think she was – and she didn't want him to – she liked Tab –
"It's all right," she said, smiling painfully again. "Don't worry. I'll be fine. We got to be careful, that's all. Stick together."
"Sounds good to me."
Tab moved a little closer to her, and she moved closer to him. She was glad. She was too cold, and he was warm. And when you were with someone else, maybe you could forget for a bit.
But not forever.
Indigo lay in a hospital bed. The ward was very dark.
Her wounds had been stitched; they lurked under her pyjama top, three dark paths across her skin. She was asleep, but she moved as if she was struggling to breathe. One hand kept grasping for the scythe, and her lips pattered as she spoke silent words.
Inside her head, Scarlet was showing her pictures.
Indigo saw herself running out down the street, away from the Love Shocker HQ. Everything was red as if it was being seen through a filter or stained-glass window. Her head ached.
No. Everything was scarlet.
See you run.
The dream-Indigo stopped, shaking her head, her lips moving. Fighting Scarlet. Yes, she remembered that.
See you struggle.
Dream-Indigo froze suddenly – and then her head dropped.
See you LOSE.
Dream-Indigo looked up, and stared into the real Indigo's eyes.
Cat eyes and thick, tangled black hair.
See me have fun.
Dream-Scarlet grabbed the scythe, and whirled it round her head, and charged towards the Love Shocker walking up the hill –
Indigo awoke.
"It didn't happen that way," she said at last, whispering through the thick breathing of the other patients.
Did so.
"No, it didn't! That girl wasn't killed by a scythe, and then I saw the monster!"
Did you? Or maybe you're crazy and you dreamed it.
"Kell saw it."
Dreamed that, too.
"Why don't you shut up?" Indigo sat up a little. Slumped heaps showed her that everyone else on the ward was able to sleep. Doors rattled far away though, and outside the trees hissed and twitched.
She wasn't scared of the dark.
She was just scared of monsters with four-inch claws.
And me.
No. Not you.
Yes, me. I'm trying to make you crazy. Then I can come out and play for a bit.
Why don't you just piss off and die?
I'm you.
You aren't.
I am. I do what you always wanted but never had the guts for.
I don't want to do what you do.
Yes you do. You just pretend you don't. So you're just as crazy as the monster is…you're crazy…crazy…
Scarlet started to sing, quietly, so quietly Indigo wasn't sure whether it was Scarlet or just her own mind.
I drive you crazy…you just can't sleep…you know you killed them and you're in too deep…o-oh, crazy, and it feels so right…baby, keep it up, just kill 'em all tonight…
"You are so immature," Indigo muttered, and lay down and curled up under the covers again.
After she'd checked on either side of her bed for anything lurking in the shadows.
Scarlet kept singing.
"A monster."
"Yeah." Kell nodded, rubbed her still-sweating hands on her Love Shocker tank top, and scowled.
"Shar is dead, and she was killed by a monster." Jay walked slowly across to the window and stared out at the dark, empty street. The room was full of thick black now that the red bar sign had been turned off; the only light was from a faint, clouded moon.
"Yeah."
"Shut up."
"Jay, I know it sounds crazy, but –"
"You're damn right it sounds crazy! How could you do this to Shar? If she's dead – oh, man, if she's dead – you got no right to fuck around with our heads by playing games about it! I thought you knew that Indigo girl was lying!"
"I thought she was, until this freaky thing with four-inch claws tried to murder me! Now Indigo's in Shibuya General Hospital with her chest slashed open. Go take a look if you want –"
"You stupid cow, I don't care that she's been hurt, Shar's been killed! The point is I want to know what did it, and all you can do is talk stupid about some monster – listen, Kell, monsters aren't real! Barney, the troll under the bridge, the bogeyman, they're things you make up for little kids!"
"This one is damn well real."
"Shut up." Jay glowered at her. "I'm going out. Maybe you'd better think up another excuse for the other girls."
"Where are they?"
"Asleep. Because if you tell them this monster shit, then maybe they'll start thinking you had something to do with Shar…"
"Look, I'm your damn leader! I don't kill my own rudies!"
"You've killed people in the past."
Kell glowered at her. "That was different. That had motive. This doesn't. You know that."
"Do I? Maybe you had some weird grudge against Shar!"
"Shut up! You're being dumb!"
"No, you're being dumb." Jay scowled at her.
"All right, fine, I'm being dumb." Kell scowled. "Just listen, okay? Don't go out on your own. Tell the others when they wake up. Go in pairs at least. And take something to fight with. Even if you don't believe it's a monster, you got to see it's something."
"Yeah. I'd just like to know what." Jay scowled, and marched away.
Kell sighed, and slumped down in the chair next to the window, and pressed her forehead against the dusty glass.
Please let it be dead…
Please let it have gone away…
She didn't want something like that to be real. Those claws, like thin, curved pieces of wire, black, clotted with blood…
Something had to be done.
Someone had to believe her.
The next morning. It was another hot day; the air was thick and murky with heat. Mew yawned and opened her eyes, and suddenly there was a loud bang on the garage door.
"Uh? Who is it?" She glanced round the garage, counting the GGs. All ten were there. "Who's there?"
"Kell. From the Love Shockers?"
"If you're trying to take our HQ –"
"Mew? No, I ain't trying to take your HQ. I want to talk to your leader."
"About the monster?"
"Yes."
"We didn't have anything to do with it –"
"Oh, just get him."
Mew walked over to Beat, shook him awake, explained the situation, and then hurried over to her place on the sound system. Man, what was it with everyone these days? Why couldn't they see the truth in front of their eyes?
"What do you want?" Beat said, opening the front door slightly.
"Can I come in?"
"No."
"Fine. All right. Last night one of my gang was killed by the same thing that killed the Noise Tank."
"Oh, yeah. That Indigo girl, right?"
"No!" Kell sounded like she was snarling. "It's something else, with horrible long claws, and it attacked Indigo and me, and she's in hospital. I saw it. It's not Indigo, it's a – a monster, like she said."
"Is this some kind of Love Shocker April Fool thing?" Beat said patiently. "Because it's kind of not funny –"
"You stupid bug-eyed freak, one of my gang is dead! Why would I joke around like this? If it had been Indigo I'd have kicked her ass from here to Grind City, but it's not. It's something else. I thought you might like to know, seeing as it's attacking rudies left right and centre. Now I'm off."
"Okay, okay. Any tips on fighting this, uh, monster?"
"Carry a scythe and be able to run fast," Kell said.
"I'm serious."
"So am I! I wouldn't go out alone. I'd be pretty nervous about going out in pairs, if you want the truth."
"Right. Fine. Goodbye."
Mew heard Kell skate away. Beat shut the door, and called to the dozy GGs in the garage, "Did you all hear that? Hey, guys, hello?"
"We heard that," Gum moaned, wincing.
"Listen. I don't know if what's out there is a monster, but it's something and it seems pretty dangerous. So no one is to go out alone. No one is to go down any dark alleyways. No one is to do anything stupid, okay? And carrying a weapon of some sort might be a good idea."
"Yay, something else for Onishima to arrest us for," Cube murmured. "I'll go get a bread knife."
"Ah, come on," Gum said. "I don't think it's gonna be that serious. I mean, rudies are killed all the time, right?"
"Two in one day?" Garam said. "Hate to say so, babe, but it don't look good to me."
"Oh, let's stop talking about it." Mew leapt to her feet. "Let's get out and tag the streets rather than sit here worrying about them!"
Of course it was Indigo who'd done it. Kell was just on her side because they were both Love Shockers.
Yeah. Of course it was Indigo.
And Scarlet.
Of course.
And as long as she kept away from that freaky bitch, she'd be perfectly safe.
Of course.
Outside the streets seemed quieter in the heat. Mew fiddled with the collar of her dress, which was damp with sweat, and wished she hadn't worn her stockings today. But she'd had to, because pinned into the top of one of them was a small flick knife.
She wasn't too happy about it, and she was really not wanting to do any energetic tricks, just in case the blade shot out and cut a major artery and she died…
"Man, I'm glad I don't have a knife where you do," Yo-Yo said, snickering, as they skated through Shibuya bus terminal.
"Maybe you could do with one," Mew snapped. "Then you'd stop hitting on me all the time!"
"Mew baby, I am not hitting on you!" Yo-Yo grinned. "I'm just hoping you'll come to your senses and realise my desirability. In the meantime I'm happy just to be your friend…" He tilted his sunglasses down his nose and gave her a puppy-dog eyes look.
"Shut up." Normally Mew put up with Yo-Yo's banter, but she was feeling way too edgy today. "Anyway, why don't you have a weapon somewhere?"
"I'm fast enough to get away from anything," Yo-Yo said. "I don't need to worry."
They both grinded down the banisters into the half pipe. Yo-Yo started to do flips off the walls, tagging the tops of them as he went, hollering, his voice echoing off the concrete. Mew stood still, and tagged the ground.
"Aw, just try one trick," Yo-Yo yelled. "It wouldn't be that dangerous, would it?"
"No."
"C'mon! You're making me feel guilty down there all on your own!"
Mew sighed, and skated fiercely up the half-pipe wall, flipped over. The sharp blue sky spun around her, and then she landed with a clack on the concrete, and giggled despite herself. That had been fun!
"Okay, I'll do a few more," she said as Yo-Yo wolf-whistled, and did so. The air was cooler when you leapt through it, and their voices bounced off the walls, shrieks of glee. The music blaring over Mew's wristwatch changed suddenly, to that African thing that she liked, and stopped doing tricks, and started to dance to it.
And that was fun…the beat pulsed through her body, gripped her heart, and the strange eerie song entwined itself around her arms and legs like ivy. And it seemed like the world grew red, a hot orange-red, and the drumbeats grew louder, and she closed her eyes and the music took her and whirled her round and round and round - and the sun shrank, became a ball of melting orange – the ground no longer concrete but hot, dry earth – and instead of walls and the street above, she was on a plain stretching as far as far could be, and nothing else but her and that lovely, lovely music –
Someone screamed.
At first Mew hardly noticed. It was only when the music stopped, and she started to come down again…the concrete floor, the warmer, brighter sun…the traffic…her head was aching, and she was clutching her knife. And there was blood on the knife.
And.
This had to be another hallucination, like the plain a minute ago. The music had made her crazy.
"Yo-Yo?" she whispered. "Yo-Yo, this isn't funny, please stop it…please…"
And her fingers were – were hurting, as if she'd been scratching something – and there was torn skin and blood under her nails – and Yo-Yo's pale, slumped face was marked with thin, red scratches, as if – as if she'd been trying to –
Only that hadn't killed him – the knife –
The red cut in his throat.
Mew started to cry, and as she cried she heard something laughing, and she thought she saw, faintly, something lurking behind the barred gate at the end of the halfpipe, but when she'd blinked her tears away it had gone, and she was alone. And she stood sobbing, and called out the names of the other GGs, and blood started to soak from Yo-Yo's hoodie and ripple across the concrete floor.