Side Effects

28 - Joker in a Pack

Donnamira glared out of the window, peering down on her barricade. In the building across from her, the other rebels did the same, awaiting the rest of the Cards to discover who almost foiled them.

She met the others three stories up an accountancy office - abandoned by its workers due to obvious reasons.

The room had been completely emptied; its desks and chairs and computers and notice boards and boxes and even some parts of the cubicles had been scattered onto the barricade for extra defence. All that lied were a few more cubicles, miscellaneous stationary, and a coffee-stained plastic flooring which stuck to Donnamira's feet when she walked in.

Rhine came in with a slight limp. He had twisted his ankle whilst running towards the premises. He greeted her as usual and questioned what was so urgent. The Ace of Hearts demanded his patience until the others arrived, and inevitably he obeyed.

The second to arrive was Cherie, striding in with her hands in her pockets. She was about to switch on the lights, until she was stopped by Donnamira. Lighting would have drawn too much attention to them.

During a long twenty-minute wait of uncomfortable silence, Cherie and Rhine separated and explored different aspects of the room. Even the plain walls seemed interesting in all of this silence. But to their relief, Gadolin eventually arrived, looking even rougher than he usually did.

His arm was bandaged in a tight knot over his coat, his eyes were dark, his scarf was still blood-stained by Tina and his hat was tearing at the edges. As usual, however, he remained himself, not caring for what he had to go through to arrive. In a way, the other Cards were glad to see him still living, as there could have been a chance he would not have survived the journey.

If that was the case, Donnamira may had never gotten the truth.

"Cards," Donnamira began. The four of them stood in a square, facing each other, "I'm going to cut to the chase. Today, I became acquainted with the Chief of Police."

This was met with a mixed reaction. Cherie's face spelled shock, Gadolin listened to Donnamira deep in thought, and Rhine squinted in utter confusion.

"She knew every single plan of ours, and even recited them to me perfectly. As you know, it was only us who knew these plans in the way I spoke them. But these plans that only we were supposed to know are the exact words she recited."

She paused to look into the eyes of her peers, watching who was looking shifty, who glanced away. No one did. Their eyes were all fixated on her.

"So this means that we've been betrayed by someone in this room."

Gadolin, Rhine and Cherie all repeated the same actions - stepping slowly away, grabbing any weapons they had in their pockets to have at the ready. Someone amongst them was so untrustworthy that it could cost their lives. In fact, it had already cost lives. Barnabus' body was still lying within the barricade area.

It cost the life of Bree's saviour only to start with. There were still friends and family and innocent lives gone in the matter all because of one person in that room.

"I wondered why the police got to the Northern barricade so early." Cherie mentioned, revealing a pocket knife of self-defence. "Now, who grassed?!"

Gadolin took a cigarette out of his pocket casually and lit it in a chillingly calm manner. He smoked its deadly smell into the indoor air.
"Let's think of the possibilities. Who here has been in the Cards for the shortest amount of time? Who was it that was told to join rather than volunteering?"