Crooked Hearts

Episode 11

MARVIN

The night is dark and terrifying, the reason I hate graveyard shifts, and a cold breeze passes as the wind howls. Ghostly and chilling. My eyes dart from one dark corner to another; it is as if we are being watched. "Everyone stopped talking; you've proven yourself. Do you still want to catch the Firelights?" I ask, wanting to dissuade them.

"It doesn't hurt to catch a few more criminals; besides, it'll make people feel safer, especially after the bodies the Firelights dumped surfaced at the harbor." Miss Lavellan smiles, "We're here to make the city a better place, remember?" I hang my head low; the only reason I wanted to be an Enforcer was the better pay to take care of my grandmother. Not play hero.

"I understand where you're coming from but-"

"I think we're being followed." Everyone stops to look around; there are only crickets and the rustling of the wind. But Carla is right; I had been feeling eyes watching us for quite some time. "Should we check the perimeter?" A hint of panic in her voice, Carla had been paranoid since Lieutenant Conner mentioned messing with the wrong people.

"Relax, Carla." Reiner soothes, but even as his confident demeanor usually calms me, it doesn't tonight. "Don't let what Connor said get to your head." He smiles widely, placing a hand over her shoulder.

"Right, don't think too much of it. It's probably just ghosts." Percy makes a ghost impression, letting out a small laugh before smiling widely. He staggers back, eyes wide in pain with a grunt, blood coming out of his mouth as a spear catches him on the chest. And fear truly struck us.

"Percy!" Miss Lavellan rushes for him, I draw my baton as I scan our surroundings and a man appears from the end of the street. "Stay with me, Percy." Everyone tenses as they face him; a menacing slightly disfigured scarface with large fish-like lips. Tall but hunced.

"You bastard." Reiner takes a step forward but stops as his gang appears shortly after, trailing behind him with black tribal tattoos on their left faces, topless and carrying makeshift weapons. Connor was right, we did mess with the wrong people.

"He's gone." Miss Lavellan's voice is low, her posture defeated. "They killed him." She raises her bloody hands up, staring at it with a horrified expression before gagging. Vomiting as she turns her face away, her body heaving.

"Damned Enforcers, should have stayed out of our business." Scarface spits, reaching into his leather jacket to reveal a curved knife. "Now I have to kill you people." He smiles wickedly, scratching at his neck with his curved knife. "Slowly." He lets out a cackle and points his knife at us. "Kill them!" His voice shrill.

"Lieutenant!" I rush to her, grabbing her arms and shaking her. "Snap out of it!" She turns to look at me, face pale, chest rising and falling with rapid shallow breaths. "We have to get out of here!" My face close to hers, eyes locking. She looks around, as if searching for something before rising to her feet. She's lost it. "Reiner, get her out of here!"

I swing at a coming assailant, my baton catching him on the jaw, but he appears unperturbed. I duck under his swing, the knife slicing at the air, and I kick him in the balls. He attempts another swing but Reiner rams into him, sending him rolling across the ground. "Let's get out of here."

Reiner picks Miss Lavellan up, and I charge into the fray, dodging and ducking before running into an alley with them hot on my trail. My eyes teary as I sprint away from them, hoping that the others make it out with my brief distraction that lures them towards me. "I am sorry, Grandma."

ALICE

Carried away in the middle of the night, after having witnessed one of my own killed without warning, and my own body refusing to listen to me. Me. The team Captain, the person who is supposed to protect them. This is not it. I take deep breaths, closing my eyes as I pull myself together. "Put me down, Reiner." I force out my voice, opening my eyes.