Take Away the Saints

Where Dreams Die : Ch. 1 & 2 || Andrew John Wood

The Golden Age of Grotesque

The curtain subtly moved. It was a minor deviation, one that was barely noticeable, but it was just enough for Helen Walker.

Once satisfied she and her ward were safe from harm, she let the curtain fall back and released her taut grip on the magnum in her hand.

The Eye had taught her to be vigilant, ruthless and patient. But lately the city felt alive with unrest, and right now that unrest had bled into Helen as she paced back and forth across the room.

The child stared at her in silence.

Helen smiled at the girl before the realization fully dawned on her, and in that moment, she wholeheartedly missed the old days. Her heart broke for the girl. She would never know anything different than the polluted and violent city she called home.

Helen sat beside her and began to reopen old wounds.

She reminisced on how the world once was... The city was once free. The parks were always full of children screaming with glee. Criminals lurked in the shadows. Rape was acknowledged and punished. The police motto was Protect and Serve.

All the while the child sat mesmerized by the tale.

Helen sighed before continuing with her tale.

"Then everything changed when they arrived..."

The child stopped smiling and shuddered.

"It didn't happen overnight, but slowly, the squabbling stopped. Every criminal in the city was united by fear. The city was silent..."

"The night the silence broke, every cop in the city was slaughtered. Some whilst they were on duty, others whilst they slept..."

The girl clutched the quilt and pulled it to cover her in a protective manner.

Helen should have stopped but she couldn't. She was living in the past right now.

"The city was in mourning. But no one really expected what happened next..."

The girl was silent, fully attentive.

"Murder wasn't enough for them. Instead they became the police. They started to police the public with an iron fist and the riots began, many died."

The girl finally spoke.

"Why didn't I learn this in school?"

Helen laughed but her eyes remained cold.

"People remember but are too afraid to talk about it. Those that do, vanish..."

The girl stared at her in awe before a tear ran down her eye.

"Are you going to vanish?"

Helen looked down at her revolver and walked back over to peek behind the curtain once more. She sighed and tightened her grip before speaking.

"Yes..."

The girl began to shed more tears, and wiped them away with the quilt.

Helen let go of the curtain and walked to the closet. She turned the knob, stepped inside, moved some boxes and opened a trap door.

"Story time is over... I want you to be silent and wait for them to leave. Can you do that?"

The girl nodded and climbed out of bed.

Helen gently lowered her inside the tight space. She looked down at the girl and smiled.

"Promise me you will remember what I told you..."