Mona Liza Lies

18 | We Forgot to RSVP Our Knives

Mona generally liked surprises but not today. 

While she was being pushed outside through the side door, she wanted someone to see there was a knife at her back. If a guest yelled, "holy shit, our host is being taken away by some bad guys!" — that would have helped a lot.

But the person holding her was clever, and they were pressed up against her so no one could see the weapon. If someone spotted them, all they'll see is two friends, one guiding the other by keeping a friendly hand on her shoulder.

Outside, she wished there were no others waiting. Wishes never worked out well for her.

There were many with menacing eyes and no hint of friendliness. Mona couldn't see any knives, but she doubted whether they would parade weapons unless they had to. She also knew knives weren't the end of it.

She let out a gasp when she saw Lucien and Dennis being forcibly held by a man with more tattoos than hair. 

Dennis was struggling. Lucien simply complied with them and was as carefree as a butterfly in spring.

"Hey look, it's my bestie!" Lucien yelled happily. 

"What the fuck is going on?" Mona found her voice again, eyeing everyone carefully.

"Told you we just have a question," Jerry said, coming in front of her with an exasperated sigh. "Just tell us who it is and we'll let you go."

Mona gulped. "No."

"Do you want me to cut you deeper?" The person holding her whispered in her ears. 

"Excuse me, you do not hurt my best friend, you stupid brainless dummy," Lucien said, suddenly alert. Of course his hearing was good as ever.

"You did what?" Dennis went still, looking more furious. 

"Just tell us the name—" Jerry began, then stopped. "Wait, what the hell are you doing?"

Lucien had stamped on the foot of the nearest person, therefore breaking free from his hold. There were guns in the air, all of them pointed at him.

Mona was right, they did have more than just knives.

"Uh, Lucien, maybe you should not do anything?" She asked, suddenly worried.

"Pfft, what are they going to do? Shoot me?"

A shot rang through the air and Lucien looked at his left foot in amazement, where a bullet decided to lodge itself.  Something thick and red flowed out, and he seemed just as amazed as Mona.

"Hey look, I'm bleeding!" He said excitedly. "Oh fuck that hurts so much, but I'm bleeding! Woohoo, yet another monumental day for ghost study! Wait, am I a ghost or a mythical creature?"

"Why didn't you aim for his heart?" Jerry asked the shooter, annoyed by his ramblings. 

"Lucien, Lucien, Lucien!" Mona chanted his name, with as much volume as her energy would let her. He finally looked at her. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine, but the pain feels new, it's exciting!" He looked as if he wanted to dance, which in any other situation, Mona was sure he would have.

"Oh, for fuck's sake," Jerry took the gun from the shooter's hand and raised it to Mona's head. "Give us the name, now."

Dennis started struggling with more force, and the one holding him looked more tired by the second, so they took their own gun and hit him in the head, and he fell down to the floor, unconscious.

"Dennis!" Mona shrieked, panic now rushing through her veins. Panic was there before, but it became more prominent now.

"Put down the gun, Mickey Mouse," Lucien said sharply, looking at Jerry.

"Give us the name," he repeated, not looking away from Mona.

She wondered whether she should just give up and say it. But before she could think about it, another shot rang through the air and her back was free of the knife. She watched as the person in the tiger mask fell to the ground with a groan. 

Lola stood before the scene and sighed. "No one invited us to the party."

As she finished the sentence, more people from the Crimson Clan came up before her, each with broad smiles, as if it's a war they've been waiting for.

The Shadows pointed their guns to them instead.

"Who called them?" Mona asked Lucien, who could only shrug in reply. 

She realized no one needed to inform them — didn't they already say that they had an informant among the Shadows? If they were planning to attack Mona at this event, wouldn't the informant have told Crimson Clan? While she wasn't sure why Lola cared enough to show up, she was glad for the interference.

"Come on, no warm welcome?" Lola asked, faking a pout. 

"What the hell are you doing here?" Jerry yelled. 

"Wanted to drop by and save my friends' asses."

"Aw, we're friends?" Lucien smiled giddily, then looked at Mona seriously. "You'll always be my best friend, of course."

"What's this, just shoot them all for god's sakes," Jerry said, but everyone was hesitant to comply.

"They won't do it," Lola pointed out. "Because guess what, they're not dumb. If people inside haven't heard the previous bullet shot, don't you think they'll notice when there are 10 shots at once? I mean, if you're killing all of us then that's 17."

Jerry took a deep breath in. Before he could say what he wanted to, Crimson Clan raised their guns.

"Did I mention we have toys too?" Lola said sweetly, raising a gun herself, straight at Jerry's head.

"You don't have to go through this much trouble, you know," he replied. "They're not worth that much."

"Oh, I'm not doing it for them. I simply like taking down the Shadows. Saving them is only a bonus. And by the way, did you figure out which one of you is the rat?"

"What?" Jerry took a quick glance around. 

"Oh c'mon. Clearly one of them is it," Lola took a step forward. "Can I say who it is?"

Don't! Mona wanted to yell, but something told her that Lola was just bluffing. She quietly observed how it'd play out.

"Who is it?" Jerry asked finally.

Lola smiled. "Chris."

"Wait no, I am not—" a man started stuttering, possibly Chris. All eyes were on him and he looked like he wanted the earth to open up and swallow him.

"You told a random person about the Shadows?" Jerry stepped to him, his eyes shocked. "You?"

"I didn't, I swear to God—"

"Uhm guys," Lucien said at last, "I have a super important message with my super hearing."

Everyone ignored him.

"Why on earth would you choose to screw us over?"

"I didn't," Chris backed off, fear visible on his face. "You can't trust that bitch over me, I thought we were supposed to be a fucking team."

"A team yes, but you fucked us over!"

"No one wants to hear my message?" Lucien raised his hand. Mona shushed him.

"How would you like to die?" Jerry asked Chris, who was very much close to tears now. Mona felt bad, but not enough to speak up and say the real informant's name.

"I didn't do anything," Chris whimpered.

"Okay then," Jerry aimed the gun, but before he could pull the trigger, sirens started blaring in close distance. 

"Told you I had an important message," Lucien said, sighing.

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