“Show me!” Gronk ordered.
Hugo stretched out a hand. Gronk tutted at the spot of blood.
“Get on with the search… the both of you!!”
The sound of a thud. Harvey fell forwards into the wet grass. As he lay motionless, Hugo disappeared into the night. Muffled thumps were followed by a weak groan as Hugo was poleaxed. Gronk’s eyes narrowed. His peripheral vision became blurred as the blackness rushed into focus. He gulped hard as a silhouetted figure emerged. It was Steve Nobody. Horror set in. Gronk was rooted to the spot and could not catch his breath. It took every ounce of strength just to stay upright. An incomprehensible babbling leaked from his mouth as he tried to call out to the rest of his men. It was like a nightmare. Then he was mute with terror and froze, helplessly staring ahead.
Steve was calm. “Shhh!” A single finger was held to his balaclava’d lips. He moved forward. Gronk flinched. “We only ever wanted to get on with our lives. But you couldn’t leave us alone. We’ve been pushed too far. You’ll pay for everything you’ve done.” Steve remained still as Pinkshirts shouted in the background. “Come after us and this will end badly for you,” he warned. Gronk’s lips were moving but he was unable to speak. Steve faded into the night. He ran along the darkened hedgerow and along the far end of the graveyard. Eventually, he heard high-pitched cries for help as Gronk found his voice. Steve took a running jump at a fence and vaulted over. His feet hit the grass on the other side and he moved quickly away, senses attuned.
The next morning, Gronk inspected the troops himself. Usually, he delegated this responsibility to Fathead, as it was too mundane a chore for an important person such as himself. But he was concerned. Steve Nobody and those damned Missing seemed to be able to come and go as they please, he thought. If Gronk was not careful, those halcyon days of status, riches and an unfettered right to look down on others would be under serious threat. He needed to finish Nobody and his brigands off. Gronk walked along the line in silence and stopped opposite Harvey and Hugo. They were utterly dejected. Obsequious smiles could not even be mustered. Hair flopped over discoloured and swollen faces. Gronk contemplated publicly berating them for a moment, but just sneered and moved on.
Inside the gates of the Wrong Side, Outsiders were lining up for another day of high-visibility clad duties. This was often the worst time of day, as the haggard people braced themselves for the abuse of their persecutors. However, the dread of a brutalised climate was ebbing away. Light-hearted banter, smiles and even excitement broke the usually dark hour as they looked out for a message. Any message. It may not seem much, but each piece of graffiti chipped away at Gronk’s authority. Things were coming to a head. Everyone knew it. Steve Nobody had given them hope. And the graffiti was a symbol of defiance. It showed Gronk did not have it all his way. The gates opened and workers made their way in, looking for another message. And there it was. Painted on the bridge near the boarded up railway station, in large letters.
NOBODY CARES
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