Page 35 of Fragile Facade
“What happened?” Abigail, the leader of the Death For Life Cult, asks. “Misfits are over?”
The crowd gossips, whispering all the lies and secrets and truths they’ve gathered about the other night. The assembled residents range in age from the elderly to parents who brought their young kids because they don’t believe in shielding the truth from them. Shop owners, business owners, musicians, teachers, and high school teens stand together with cult leaders, gang members, and psychos. We all work together while a Reaper Corp member bleeds out for us.
Remi stands with Cain, watching the crowd but letting his eyes come back to my brother every few seconds. Next to Cain is his girlfriend, Sadie, whose hand is linked with his tattooed hand. Probably the reason Menace is twitching. Axel is out there, too. If anyone in town has recognized him as the presumed dead doctor from four years ago, they haven’t said anything, but maybe that’s because he walked in with Vile House, and everyone just accepts that he’s one of us now.
“Years ago, Vile House and The Misfits were united with all of you in Moros. We were a team, a singular unit with one sole interest: keeping outsiders from infiltrating our town.” Director looks at his audience. “And then Yates became the new leader.”
The crowd roars their outrage. No one has ever done anything to overthrow Yates because he’s from a legacy bloodline around here, but they’ve never liked him. His grandfather and father were the creators of the gang, and when Yate’s dad refused to pass it down to him, Yates killed the successor and took it for himself.
“He fled!” Director shouts to calm everyone down. “Yates and his son Tom are on the run. We don’t know if they’re still in Moros, but there will be rewards for anyone who captures and brings him to Vile House alive. We need information from him. He’s been in contact with Reaper Corp for weeks, maybe months, letting them in and hiding their members in Misfit Hall.” He waves his hand to silence the crowd’s murmurs again. “He thought he could work his way into their good graces, but they used him like they’ll try to use all of us. Thanks to these ten and the remaining Misfits, Reaper Corp lost the first round.”
There is no applause, only another wave of fists to hearts.
“I say we burn Misfit Hall to the ground!” someone shouts. “Never let Yates back in!”
“Oh, Yates is never getting back in.” Lockan Tate walks forward, parting the crowd. “But The Misfits’ members are still Moros locals. Still good people who want to fight alongside you to win this war!”
Everyone watches Lock, but they look at Director to see what he’s going to do about it. Director nods, and Ghost and I step apart to let Lock through. He climbs onto the stone ledge with Director, showing a united front for the first time in years.
“The Misfits will undergo a purging. Anyone found working with Yates to aid Reaper Corp will be marched down Death Row for all to see, their punishments decided by members. New leadership will take over, and like before, we’ll restore Misfit Hall to the stronghold Moros relies on. Allied with our new partners.” Lock looks at Director.
In a show of respect that Director has never done publicly, he presses his fist to his heart and nods his head at Lock. The town gasps, but it’s awed instead of alarmed. Lock returns the gesture, and just like that, we’ve gained even more trust within Moros.
“We want to be transparent with you about everything we learn,” Director keeps talking to the townsfolk. “As we learn information, we’ll relay it to you, but it must be kept calm. We cannot risk mass hysteria right now, Moros. If you have skills that can help, we’ll be setting up a recruitment centre. If you lack training and want to better yourself, we will offer it. If you need advice as to how to protect your family, your homes, and our town, please come to us. To any of us.” He waves his hands over the ten of us, plus Lock. “If you require a safer place to stay, we have made arrangements with the asylum board of directors to open an unused wing for communal living to those who may need it. And if you wish to leave town or send your young ones away until the threat is over, we can aid you with that as well.”
“What ‘bout my bidness?” Auggie, the scary-looking woman who owns the Umbra Inn, the only hotel in town, shouts. “Am I meant to be shuttin’er down?”
Ransom steps forward and takes her scarred hand. She steps forward with him, facing the crowd, and as one, everyone presses their fists to their hearts for her. If she’s going to lose business because of this mess, we’ll find a way to take care of her.
“Stay open and work with us. The music festival is coming, and I know you’re booked, but it can help. Every tourist who comes through town gets reported to us, and we’ll pay you for your effort and make up the difference if your capacity is low.” Ransom nods at her. “You know how to protect yourself if any of your guests turn out to be someone other than who they say they are?”
Auggie snorts and scoffs at once. “I ain’t no fair maiden.”
“Go, Auggie!” Kyd shouts, making the town laugh.
When everyone calms down, Director shocks them for real. “Because of this threat, Vile House has made the decision to host an early, additional Initiation Night. We’re looking to increase our members, the ones who work their way up to becoming the ten.”
Gasps. My skin prickles.
“Anyone who wishes to initiate can do so. Information will be posted around town by the end of the month.”
Fuck, I’m already buzzing for another Initiation Night.
* * *
Lockan Tate isn’tsomeone who reacts normally to a threat. Like a Vile Boy through and through, he grins in the face of danger and sees a threat as a challenge. But he doesn’t fight it. Yet.
With a knife pressed to his throat and nine other masked men surrounding him in the foyer of Vile House, he nods to accept his fate. He’s in our house, under our rules, and unless he follows orders and agrees to our terms, he won’t walk out the front door again.
“An alliance makes us stronger together. What’s it going to take for us to prove ourselves to you?” Ransom asks, being the voice tonight.
“Trust,” Lock says without missing a beat. “I want to know who I’m working with.”
“Our identities?” As we expected. It’s bold of him to suggest it because no outsider, apart from Remi, has ever been granted this gift. Director respects boldness.
“At least one of you and your leader. Preferably all of you, but I’ll settle for one. For now.” He spins, looking at all our masks. “You work on rank or what?”
Our rank lineups are for us only. We don’t operate on ranks outside of internal challenges and a need to best one another. We all have roles, work together, and get the jobs done however we can while Director puts us where he thinks we’ll best shine. Ransom is the one we all naturally look up to, but he’s earned that respect from all of us for different reasons.
