Maniacs (Gotham)

Loyalty

[No Man's Land - Day 96.2]

Her puffy eyes burned against the crisp morning air. The sunshine didn't break through the clouds on this day. It had been around two hours since she found out about Will's death; the pain hadn't ceased. That boy had made her feel special; for a moment, Reese wasn't that monster everyone believed her to be. She was just a human helping another vulnerable human survive. His safety had been so important that she even sacrificed Jeremiah's plans.

But it had been all in vain.

It seemed that way, at least.

The thought of Will being scorched and in pain in his last moments made her feel terrible. She just hoped that he was reunited with his parents now and was happier.

But for now, she wanted to take her mind off that tragedy and know if her relationship still existed. So, she was headed toward Jeremiah's tunnel. It was a lengthy walk from Old Town North (where the church was located) to the waterworks down in Granton District. Even as she walked through the buildings dimly lit parking lot - a bright yellow light continuously flashed on and off - Reese still had no clue what she was going to do or say to. Maybe he would yell at her again, tell her that he didn't want to see her now. Regardless, she was already heading toward him with her heart in her hands.

It wasn't long before she was standing inside the same room as he. There were recruits scattered everywhere; a large multitude were in the tunnel, but plenty were also working outside. Building all the things they had been demanded - As a result, an annoying symphony of saws was constantly playing. Thick clouds of dust swarmed the room, threatening to suffocate her. She felt bad for any person who had breathing issues; this was such a terrible environment to be in - People coughing was also heard in the background, making her grimace.

After the kids were taken, the number of workers decreased. The Soothsayers had been forced to fill in for the missing, which honestly seemed fair to her. Yet, there weren't enough Soothsayers to make up for the loss, and Ecco was bringing in a few people at a time. Recruits were unprepared to join, or not many would actually make it past the .38 Caliber Test. This pushed back so much of Jeremiah's schemes, so she believed his anger was somewhat justifiable. He was a man of schedules and plans, calculating and cold; there was too little time to think about emotional pain.

But she really cared about him too much. It hurt to know that her actions had repercussions that involved losing him.

Reese looked for him. It was a bit difficult to spot him with workers walking in front of her. But she heard him. Jeremiah's maniacal giggles echoed through the room, lighting it up for her. He didn't stop, not even when he began to cough from the dust flying. Everyone was eyeing the young man strangely, but he wasn't paying attention to them - He was enjoying his own company. She walked further, her heart stopping when her eyes laid on him. The corners of her mouth curling slightly as she admired his jovial state; Hunched over from laughing so hard.

A tall figure in the background caught her gaze - Sykes. He coughed violently as he emerged from the dusty tunnel, wiping off sweat, "You're pushing my men way too hard." He headed straight toward the insane man, who'd stopped laughing, a colder expression taking its place.

She rolled her eyes, vexed, So, now that it's you, it matters how hard someone pushes you. He was an ignorant bastard.

"We're not gonna break through for at least a couple more days." The blistered man argued as he stomped closer, his expression saying that he was restraining himself, "There is absolutely no way to make it on schedule."Before he could react, a razor slashed his throat cleanly. Sykes gripped his own throat, surprised, attempting to stop the blood, but it incessantly gushed through his fingers. He collapsed to the ground.