Sup y’all. Who’s ready for more drugs and irresponsible behaviour?

Okay, great!

God, and it’s been long enough! I can’t believe I’ve let these pre-written chapters sit for so long. I am an idiot and I apologize for being an idiot.

The door clatters open and Noemi startles awake. She squints her eyes, trying to make out the intruders.

Daisy, Candy, and Rexie have flown into the room, shutting the door behind them. They look serious.

Rexie: Hey. Can we hide out in here for a bit?

Zana: Sure… what the hell is happening?

Daisy: We’re not sure. The guys were acting like a pack of wolves and then I think they were carrying a body out.

Rexie: Something really serious was happening, we’re scared to go out there until it blows over.

Zana: Well yeah, stay as long as you like. I doubt we’re going to go anywhere either.

The girls look nervously back and forth at each other, and Noemi takes the opportunity to find her clothes.

Noemi: Does this kind of thing happen often?

Rexie: Yeah, sometimes. Hiding out in the back rooms is pretty much normal protocol for us.

The door creaks open and Rave slips into the room, closing the door firmly behind herself. Her voice is a rushed whisper.

Rave: You didn’t hear it from me. They had a mutiny early this morning, Spades is out.

The girls stare wide eyed and begin a chorus of ‘holy shit’s and ‘oh my god’s.

Daisy: Rush led it?

Rave: Yeah, it was totally quiet. Spades was sleeping when they got him.

Daisy: So Rush is el jefe now. Shit. Is it safe to go out?

Rave: Go for it. Everyone’s in a weird mood but it’s fine.

The girls return to the main room and look around. Noemi feels all of the nervous girls around her return to their confident and carefree selves as if at the flick of a switch.

Rave and Zana go off to join the small group in the corner. Everyone’s faces look grim but there is nothing to suggest at what had happened last night.

Everything seems too normal, as if everyone is intentionally avoiding the obvious, but Noemi catches the meaningful glance sent by Honey.

Anxious and unsure where to go, Noemi follows the other girls into the foyer.

To her left, she sees the last place she wants to go. The idea of sitting down and making small talk with a bunch of fresh murderers makes her stomach clench.

Rush looks especially dangerous right now, and her dislike mingles with wariness.

She sees Zana sit down at the long table and decides her safest option might be to follow.

Taco, usually so animated and excitable, greets her solemnly.

Taco: Hi Jade.

Noemi: Hey.

Taco: How are you?

Noemi: Fine, I guess. I feel like I didn’t sleep at all.

Taco: Yeah, hanging out with Kaz’ll do that to you.

The conversation trails off, and Noemi settles into fatigued silence.

She is roused by a loud commanding shout: Alright Mack’s crew! In the foyer for assignment!

A gang gathers around Rush in the middle of the room, loading guns and listening intently.

Rush and the big guy called Mack confer inaudibly using lots of pointing and hand gestures.

They shake hands, and then Mack’s crew exits the front doors.

Rush walks off the other way and disappears from view.

Noemi wonders what sort of mission the guys are going on, but is tentative to ask questions while everyone seems so strained.

She spends much of the day sitting at the table, napping on a couch with Candy, and helping Rave sort out their latest haul of packaged food. It becomes apparent to Noemi that all of the Mad House’s food is stolen in bulk from the military.

In the early evening she is back at the bar with Taco.

Taco: This has gotta be a pretty weird time for you to show up, hey?

Noemi: You could say that again. I thought…

She trails off, apprehensive to address the subject everyone had been avoiding all day.

Taco: It’s okay, what?

Noemi: Well… I thought Rush and Spades were supposed to be best friends.

Taco: They were best friends, til Rush put Spades in the ground.

Noemi: Why’d he do it?

Taco: I guess Rush stopped liking Spades’ ideas. Figured he had some better ones. Turns out enough of the dogs thought he did too. And once they whacked him, anyone that didn’t agree either changed their mind or left.

Noemi: Did anyone leave?

Taco sighed.

Taco: The dudes here don’t give a shit who they follow. They want protection, chicks, and dope. And there’s plenty of that here. So no, noone left.

Taco’s sort of like Noemi’s stoner spirit guide, hey?

The room goes quiet. Noemi turns around to look for the cause and sees that everyone has stopped in their tracks.

Through all the blood and bruising she makes out the familiar man being marched into the Mad House, a gun held to his head by Gerard.

Noemi’s mouth drops open in horror and she freezes to watch the trio tramp through the room.

They force the man into a side room and the buzz of rushed whispers swells.

She turns and sees Rush looking daggers at the prisoner, with the guys surrounding him looking equally menacing.

Through the door she sees the man beaten brutally to the ground and handcuffed to the bed.

His captors walk out, locking the door from the outside.

Noemi looks back at Rush, who is shaking hands with Mack and praising his capture of Dag.

Noemi watches the room go back to normal. Watching the girls’ pool game, she sees Dr. Sweet quietly cross the room and open the door.

It’s after he closes the door that the screaming starts.

Daisy immediately bounds over and turns dance music on full blast, drowning out the stomach turning sounds coming from the side room.

Taco: Dance?

Noemi declines and Taco whirls away into the gathering crowd.

She decides instead to join a smaller group hanging out next to her.

Kaz: Hey, Jade. You look shook up.

Noemi: I’m fine. I just didn’t expect to see that on my second day here is all.

Kaz: Yup, everyone here is pretty desensitized, you will be too. Here, loosen up.

Kaz hands her two small pills which she takes gratefully this time. After about 45 minutes she feels the relief of euphoria washing over her and her muscles relaxing. She no longer wonders about what could be going on in that room.

This one’s sort of a two parter as well, as the next chapter will pick up right here.