Insanity Stains Red

twenty

I didn’t stop to talk to anyone when we got back, just went straight upstairs to my room and sat on the bed, looking around at what I’d be leaving behind. I knew I was wallowing, but I didn’t want to leave this place. I had settled in well here, and even made several friends. I didn’t want to lose that, but I had no choice; all because of Aizen.

I’d collected a small number of things in my time here, aside from the clothes from Gale. I now also had a couple of books, and a stuffed elephant that had been a gift from the youngest girl currently living here. She was only five years old and had told me in a very serious voice that she was giving me Harry the Elephant, because everyone needed someone to give them cuddles, and Harry would take care of me. It was so cute that I wanted to rip the stuffing out of the thing, but instead I packed the elephant as if it were something much more delicate than it was.

I packed them all into a battered old suitcase that had once belonged to Gale. She’d told me it had travelled around the world with her. I treated it with the respect it deserved.

When I was done packing, I dragged the suitcase down the stairs one at a time – not because it was heavy rather as a sign of my reluctance. Finally I gave up altogether and sat on the bottom step, putting my face in my hands. I could hear Detective Samson from where I sat. He was in Gale’s office, talking to her. Their voices were muffled through the door, so I couldn’t make out their words, but I figured the detective was telling Gale the situation we had found ourselves in, and figuring out what to do.

The door opened without warning and I was suddenly staring into the startled eyes of Detective Samson. He hadn’t expected me to be waiting there, but he recovered quickly, glancing at the suitcase and back to my face.

“All set?” He asked.

“All set.” I confirmed, mimicking his words. “So where are you packing me off to this time?” I managed to keep my voice cold and uncaring, I was proud.

“Actually, I’m taking you back to my place, you’ll be safe there. My Captain agrees that I’m the best one to look after you, especially since I’ve been your contact from the start.” I blinked at him. I was going to live with a cop? ‘Yeah, that’ll go down well. “Hey detective, I just killed this guy. Do you have a place I can put the body while I get ready to chop it up? You don’t mind if I dump it in the kitchen, do you?” Get a grip Red. You’re going to need to kill again soon; you can already feel it stirring inside you. Tell him no!’

“Um, I’m not sure that’s a good idea.” I mumbled, looking down at my feet. I couldn’t stop myself from glancing up to see his reaction though, and was surprised at the trace of hurt that flashed across his face, so quick I wasn’t sure if I really saw it. He had his cop face on, blank.

“Well, we can arrange another officer for you to stay with, if you prefer. I thought you’d want to stay with someone familiar,” He paused as a thought occurred to him. “Or is it that you’d rather stay with a female? I mean that’s reasonable, after everything you’ve been through. I can arrange for a female officer-”

“It’s not that,” I interrupted. Damn it, I actually liked Detective Samson; he seemed like a decent guy. I didn’t want him to think I had anything against him. I searched for an excuse that wouldn’t make me sound as if I were hiding anything, though of course that was it entirely. “It’s just, I was raised to believe that cops were the bad guys, and I shouldn’t trust them. And, I’ve always looked after myself – at least at the half-way house, there were others, so I didn’t feel like it was just me leeching off Gale, you know? But what you’re talking about is a completely different set up; I don’t want to be a burden. Still, if I have to stay with a cop, I definitely prefer you to any others.”