ARCANE

023

Her mind is on Wes while she scans the crowd. Cara makes her way up to the stage, where she stares at Lee, and the red blood sticking to her head. Thankfully, it's not as much as Wesley's. There is little of Cara's medical knowledge which applies to them, but she is pretty sure Lee is fine.

"Get up," Cara tells Lee, leaning no the ground.

The musician listens. She pulls herself into a sitting position. Her head is spinning, but when she raises her fingers, she feels no wound. Which isn't great, considering the copious amount of blood on the floor. Lee does the only thing she knows to do; she charges into the bathroom and throws her head in the dirty sink and begins to wash out her hair before the cops arrive and notice.

Cara moves her hands around, panicking. Eventually, she darts off the stage and storms behind the bar. The club is clearing out now as the final people file through the door. Cara piles napkins into her hand.

Across the room, June watches Cara. Without words, she understands what is happening. Still, with the adrenaline losing its power in her body, she can feel her feet stumbling beneath her again. Which is less than good.

June finally runs into Erik in the crowd. From a few feet away, Erik can smell the booze on June. She takes a step towards him and vomits on the floor. Quickly, Erik dodges out of the way. He raises his hands up to his hair and pulls at the strands.

While Cara goes up to the stage, June and Erik makes her way over to Percy, who still hangs overtop of Hope.

"We... need..." June stumbles.

Percy stands up to help Erik just as bile spews out of June's throat. It narrowly misses Hope's unconscious body on the ground.

"A little help," Erik grunts, beginning to carry June out of the room.

Though Percy looks back at Hope, she helps June out. It's hard, but not that hard since she can hear sirens in the distance and can see Cara on the stage, desperately trying to clean up Lee's blood. Someone is still here for Hope, even if that someone can't be Percy.

The three of them meet the three others outside. Wesley is able to stand up by himself, but he can feel his feet sliding out from beneath him. As they see the bright flashing lights of the police siren pull up, the group moves into the alleyway, and then ducks behind another café.

"What just happened?" Wes finally manages, staring between the group. He rests himself against the wall so that she stops swaying. "What is going on?"

Nobody answers, because nobody has any idea. Erik assumes that the others went unconscious as well, but he has no way of affirming that. Besides, if he is wrong, that will surely be embarrassing.

"Hope is unconscious," Percy tells the others. "Or dead. Fuck if I know."

"I think I just died," Wes shakes his head back and forth. "Like, my head just split open and shit. Would I know if I had died? Also, if I lived, how could Hope be dead?"

"How the fuck would I know?" Percy demands, her voice rising. Quickly, she straightens her back and corrects herself. She makes her voice soft. "I think someone shot Lee. Cara is back there cleaning up the blood off the stage."

"So, Lee is probably still alive," Erik rolls his eyes.

The group nods. They can hear the cops walking into the building, so they hold their tongues. Hamilton is a quiet town, and their voices could carry miles. June reflects that they've not really got anything to hide, hopefully.

"You knowwww, at least I'vve de-du-ceed," June feels herself holding on to Erik longer and longer. Whatever burst of energy hit her has left her more vulnerable. "That alcohol..."