Karkat had watched every movie in the apartment, beaten fiduspawn twice, and managed to play a full game of monopoly with Terezi (the game lasted for five hours, there were twelve snack breaks, Karkat lost, and Terezi kept licking the money because it tasted good). Dirk refused to risk any more information, and he was positive there was nothing else to find. He didn't want to contact Calliope for the obvious reasons. If Karkat felt stuck before, he now felt as though he had been trapped in rock, forever frozen in place. He could do nothing, and nothing was happening.

Equius was doing a great job of keeping him updated about the ongoings in the city. He had witnessed and intervened quite a few highbloods who were attacking lowbloods and humans. Gamzee has gotten high and woke up under a bridge, got high again, and then managed to find himself under Terezi's bed, wearing nothing but a fairy costume and a bikini bottom. Karkat almost let her bring him over so they could meet, but his better judgement reminded him that Gamzee might have loose lips when high. Jade was checking in every day now, trying to keep Karkat entertained. Vriska was showing him pictures of the mayor surrounded by crude, hand drawn penises. He had some cool friends.

Slick showed up for a gruff couple of minutes, and he told him that Karkat might be able to leave before school started again. It was the best news Karkat had heard in what felt like centuries. He wanted to go outside and wonder. He felt… Apartment trapped.

He was having nightmares. The grotesque figure of the mayor was twenty feet tall and always trying to kill him. Sometimes he'd see his father, with no eyes, his face covered in the mutant blood that made him a target, the words that Karkat was a disappointment on his lips, always ready to crash down and break Karkat's heart. He always woke up before that happened. Sometimes it was Doc Scratch. Kankri. The Midnight Crew. His friends. Himself.

He was either sleeping more or less. He was either eating more or less. Headaches demolished his ability to think about a next move, because dammit, he wouldn't quit here.

Some days he would sit by the window and look at the sky for hours on end.

Sometimes he would look at pictures of his father just so he wouldn't feel alone.

He was almost glad Rose had forced everyone to watch the fourth remake of the Harry Potter series. He could relate to Sirius. Stuck inside for his own safety. The handsome sea troll was impossible to hate. An outcast when he was sorted into Gryffindor, it had to have been harsh. Besides, Karkat's first crush had been the sea troll actor to play Sirius.

His constant boredom lasted until the very moment Calliope messaged him.

uraniumUmbra [UU] began pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG]!

UU: i messed Up.

UU: my brother stole my phone.

UU: i made him promise not to tell how he foUnd oUt bUt yoU're in troUble.

UU: get ready to defend yoUrself becaUse the felt will be after yoU.

CG: FUCK. GOT IT.

CG: STAY SAFE.

uraniumUmbra [UU] ceased pestering carcinoGeneticist [CG]

Karkat put a short warning in the chat. He messaged Terezi separately, making sure she didn't try to help him. Then he told Slick, who, after asking how the fuck he got a phone, told him he was sending a few thugs over. Karkat holed himself in his room, taking the gun, the baseball bat, and his sickle. It was nine at night.

He compiled all his notes. If he died, he would make sure there was something left. He listed everything, starting with him walking home. Then he wrote a short note. He put everything inside an envelope, hid it in his bag, messaged Terezi where it was (just in case), and then flopped onto his bed.

Then a thud. A bang. thugs Slick had sent were shooting at whoever The Felt sent. Karkat gripped his sickle tighter. There were five thugs fighting for him. He recognized all of their voices.

One of them shouted in pain, and the other screamed in rage. Three other bodies fell. Another thug screamed, another of The Felt. Then a roar of rage, something that reminded Karkat of the legendary rage of the Grand Highblood. This troll was fucking pissed. The other three thugs were screaming at it, shooting. Then they screamed. Then there was silence.

Now somebody was coming upstairs. Karkat swore under his breath and opened his window. There was a fire escape just below him. Taking his bag, he jumped out. Then he tried to get out as silently as possible. Police sirens were going off in the distance.

Karkat looked up. The monster was looking out the window, snarling. Lord English himself. He looked big enough to break the fire escape if he jumped, and he seemed to know this too, as he didn't. Instead, he went back inside, and Karkat ran.

Gamzee was messaging him. Giving him an address. His words were clear, his stupid quirk forgotten. Karkat started looking for the street he was given, then the address. Gamzee had led him to a poor tenement, which Karkat practically sprinted into. Who knew how fast Lord English could run.

Gamzee was waiting in the living room, and when he saw Karkat he pulled him into a bear hug. "Hey bro," he said, sounding tired yet awake. "Heard you got into trouble."

"Yeah. Lord English might show up here Gamzee, we have to run."

"I don't motherfucking run from some assholes trying to hurt my best bro." Gamzee held up his clubs to emphasize this point.

"He's fucking huge!" Karkat said. "He must've been shot fifty times, and he's still kicking!"

"Yeah, well, I'm a fucking purple blood, and I've been asleep for too long." There were loud footsteps from outside, then a battle cry. Gamzee grinned, the makeup on his turning it into a ghoulish mockery of joy. He stepped outside.

Gamzee was a one man army. Lord English, with red blood dripping from the bullet wounds on his chest, swung at Gamzee's head with his cane. Gamzee leaned away from it and hit Lord English in the torso with a club. Lord English didn't cry out in pain, but in rage. He lunged for Gamzee's head, but due to his agility, only grabbed his shirt. Lord English swung him around, throwing Gamzee into a building. Gamzee got up.

Karkat was watching the fight so intently (Gamzee had thrown a club at Lord English's head, hitting him in the eye), he didn't hear someone walking behind him. He wouldn't have noticed if they didn't place their hand on his shoulder. Karkat jumped out of his skin and turned around. It was an older, slightly better groomed version of Gamzee. Except his lips were sewn shut. He pointed to Gamzee, and Karkat heard, 'IS MY BROTHER OKAY?"

'Yes,' Karkat thought. This troll couldn't talk. It was unusual for highbloods to be psychic, but not unheard of.

'I'M GOING TO HELP HIM. STAY INSIDE.'

One Gamzee was dangerous. A second Gamzee was fucking brutal. The brothers fought like a well oiled machine, as if they were entirely used to fighting a freakish troll giant together. Lord English was slowing down, he couldn't land any punches, and then Gamzee's brother jabbed his sharpened claws into Lord English's face. Lord English shrieked as the brother bit his throat, rearing back and pulling out a chunk of flesh. Blood spurted out of the wound, which encouraged the brothers, who literally tore Lord English apart. Karkat threw up and stopped watching.

Minutes of silence passed. The Makaras walked back inside, both ignoring Karkat. Then Gamzee came back, clean of blood. His arm was bent at an odd angle, and he had a few cuts on his face. "He won't be bothering you anymore, Karbro."