Blade smothering her airway, the pinched woman kicked in her place. Singing hymns, pleads, whatever she assumed would please. Blood surged from her nostrils, mingling with the rills that finished drying.

The assailant, Ivana, however, looked as if she was having a ball. A grin took to the ends of her face. Only her occupied hand trembling gave her game away.

Drawn at the door stood, Ivana cleared her throat for the monologue. 

"You hate getting fucked over," She slurred, attempting to dominate the woman's clamor. "You do, Jessie?" Enok presented no contest. 

"Answer me, dammit!"

"Yeah, you're right. I don't like being fucked over. Is that all? It's over?" He groaned, throwing his head back.

Ivana relaxed the blade's grip. "Then why fuck your brother over?"

He glanced at his phone, and then at her. "Let go of the bitch, Ivana. This is fucking stupid."

Blade drawn closer to the quarry's neck, she continues. "Not any more stupid than you throwing everything your Dad did away!"

"Let me ask you a question, then! How many years did it take to finish Enok?"

"'Finish.' Like he's some type of science fair project." 

"No, don't buy your time. Answer my question."

A pause. "...Twenty."

"Seven years off." Jessie chuckled. "Look, if you can't even answer the question properly, why advocate?"

"I hate seeing people like Enok being fucked over by people like you!"

"Nice proverb, nice proverb. How much do I have to pay you so you can fucking leave? I have company tomorrow." 

"Forget...fuck your company and whatever money! Enok should be with me!"

"We can arrange playdates. You'll take sixty, right?" Jessie imitated rummaging through his pockets.

"Do you have sand in your ears, Jessie? No!"

Ivana dropped the woman and aimed the blade his way. The woman scrambled into the kitchen, her moans following behind her. "Put your money back. You're not gonna pay me to just...shut up and be your little servent!"

"You sure you don't want this? On top of what I'm paying you? You're joking. You're kidding yourself. Take it."

Enok tugged at Jessie's sleeve. "Please, Jean. It doesn't look good. She's bleeding." 

"Enok, she doesn't have a drop of blood on her. Stop kissing her ass." Jessie sneered, pulling his arm away from him.

"The woman in the green shirt, she's—" 

"Ivana, this shit isn't cute. Look, you got blood smeared all over my floor, my carpet, for Christ's sake!"

"You're carpet's gonna be stained with your blood, too. That won't happen if you hand over Enok."

"Sure, I'll hand over Enok."

A pause.

"You're not joking, right?"

"No, since you're so deadset on this shit, have Enok! But let's look at your track history. When Enok started regressing, doing the shitting and pissing and shit, who knew what to do?"

"...We both did!" 

"Hm, really? Enok, can I get a second opinion?" He hollered. Enok and the woman sat at the kitchen's corner. Enok grazed her face for harm. Veiled over her, a haze of lethargy. She muttered, on and on.

"She's hurt! Her nose won't stop bleeding! Stop!" Enok shrieked.

"Yeah, yeah. She'll be alright, God's got her. So tell me. When you started—"

A knock on the door interjected. Everybody sprung from each position and congregated near the door. 

"Oh! It's the landlord, it's the landlord!" The woman gushed, clutching at her collar.

Ivana scoffed. "Probably not. Probably some..."

"Can you both shut the fuck up?" Jessie turned and retorted. "What if it really is the police, huh?"

"That's good! Means you'll be where you belong." gibed Ivana.

The woman wandered off and shouted, "You all belong in jail! Fiending criminals—"

"You know what, all of you, sit on the couch and shut the fuck up before I—God, I don't even know what."

Enok, Ivana, and the second wager dispersed into two different couches. As his stomach quivered, he opened the door, leaving only a crevice.

Behind the crack stood a woman with a face that stiffened at his eye. The woman's skin browned in different shades at each section. Hair scattered about ways in jet black, some bundles laying on her shoulders. Her shoulders rigid, from anxiety or from repulsion, Jessie couldn't read it. Suddenly, her face eased.

"Hello, uh, sorry! This Jessie's apartment, correct?"

"Correct, I'm Jessie."

She extended her arm but recoiled, remembering she was speaking through a cleft. Jessie followed suit.

"Well, ah, I'm Robert's sister! My name's Bimala. Do you mind if I come inside?"

He paused. "Yeah, yeah, definitely. Just wait here. Wait."

He shut the door and eyed the three.

"Bimala Patel is gonna come inside,"

"Who's that?" Enok chimed.

"She's Robert's cousin or something. Look, you all are gonna be quiet. It doesn't matter how pissed you are at me, don't drag another person into this shit. Can't even tell what's happening with the rest of you."

"After she leaves, it's on, Jessie."

"Whatever, bitch. Enok, stuff some tissues in your wife's nose."

"If she asks why the tissue is there, what will I say?"

"The air's dry."

Jessie sauntered over to the door and opened it while Enok tended to the elder in the kitchen. Bimala's eyes widened as she met with a trail of blood. Ivana smirked, settling into her seat.

"What is that, Jessie?" shrieked Bimala, palm lidding her mouth.

Another grin grew on Ivana. "Yeah, what is that?"

"Uh, a guest came over today," Jessie motioned at the woman at the kitchen sink. "Enok's friend. The air was really dry, so her nose started bleeding."

"I mean, that badly? That's...a lot."

"Caribbeans have a lot of blood in them, you know." 

Ignoring Jessie's quip, Bimala strode towards the woman with her arm extended. "What's your name, ma'am?"

She snarled, "I will not tell my name to someone who chooses to associate with these wild animals!"

"Her name is Shenice," Enok responded while dabbing cloth over her wounds. 

"Hi, Shenice! What's your name, sir?"

"Enok. That's Jessie, that's Ivana. You're Bimala."

"...Yes! That's, that's right! That's my name."

"Wild animals." Shenice bellowed.

"Oh, God. I'm uncivilized," Jessie stumbled over. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Uh, what do you have?"

"Just water."

"I'm good, then. Can I go over to the couch?"

"C'mon, you're not a housecat or something. Go sit down."

They gathered at the couches. Silence clung to the air as everyone traded looks. Bismala tried at navigating the situation with her mouth closed, eyeing the scene, making assumptions. No luck. Everything appeared painfully apparent to everyone except Bismala. 

So, she attempted to break the ice with Jessie. "Uh, so what's going on here?" 

"What do you mean, like you're," 

"I mean, are you all caretakers?"

"Temporary space. Except for Enok."

"Oh, I see. What's Enok gonna do?"

"Enok will monitor your lesser than while I'm gone."

"Going to work?"

"Of course, of course,"

"Where do you work?"

"...You ask a lot of questions, you know!"

"I have to. My brother is like, very, he's in a position where—"

Shenice kisses her teeth. "If you truly have sense and compassion for your brother, don't leave him here! This is probably prostitution grounds, right here!"

Enok gripped at Shenice's shoulders. "The air is dry! Ignore her!" He cried.

"Well, if that is true, I...have to go."

Bimala hopped up and rushed towards the door, Jessie bypassed her.

"Don't be gullible, please. I don't know any of these women, it's just Enok and me here."

"Excuse me, Jessie, I need to go."

"Thank you for being smart and considerate, we need more women like you!" Shenice wailed.

Ivana chimed in, "Just push him away, girl!"

"No, no, no, no! You wanna know what fucking happened, Bimala? You wanna fucking- this bitch, the one who smells like fucking liquor? She had a fucking knife to that woman's fucking neck!"

"Liar. Fucking liar, I would never!"

"Hey, Shenice! Enok! Confirm that this shit actually fucking happened right in front of our fucking faces!"

Shenice nodded with vigor. "Yes! This barbaric European prostitute climbed into my room, gave me, struck me across my face, and brought me here as bait for this pimp!" 

"Now, see, that part about me being a pimp isn't true."

"It might as well be, Jessie!"

"Robert's enough of a pimp as it is, he doesn't need a pimp raising him."

"Bimala, I agree. I agree. Except I'm not a pimp! I'm not sure how to prove it to you!"

"Jessie, sorry. I'll find someone else."

"Didn't you say something about no one else being able to do it?"

"I was desperate. This isn't a very good, like space for him. He'll—"

"He'll be fine, these women will be gone tomorrow, you pay me a shitty wage, your parents won't have to worry."

"No, Jessie. It's like, you don't even understand. You don't. 'Cause even if these women leave, it looks like stuff like this is normal, like everyday normal. I don't want Robert to be exposed to that."

In the grasp of desperation, Jessie seized Bimala's wrists and watched as she squirmed. Rushes of adrenaline and anger swept over Ivana. She limped and crawled along the carpet to find the knife. Before Ivana could take the lunge, he released Bismala and threw Ivana's weight against her. The sound of something cracking half-resounded and realization settled into Jessie. He read the expressions on Shenice and Enok's face.

"Alright. Which one of you is gonna help me carry the bodies? I think we have about... four or five hours until the sun comes up. Six maybe."

NNNNNNEXT
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