The Magpie's Death

Abandoned

The phone rang loud in his pocket. Jack stopped running, answering immediately as he watched the car disappear around the corner. He was sobbing now, his breathing too scattered to say anything, but the voice on the other end didn't need him to speak.

"Hello sweetheart." The elegant tone was only slightly less cheerful than usual and surprisingly comforting. It meant there was still hope. "You go ahead and cry it out, but I need you to listen at the same time."

Jack nodded as if the speaker could see, then managed a stifled "uh-huh."

Finn responded with a breathy laugh. "Ah... You're breaking my heart, honey." There was a small sigh, then they continued. "I know you're scared right now, but Mags is the best for a reason. And I'm pretty good too. Okay?"

He gave them another "uh-huh" and tried to take a few breaths to slow the panicked heaving. Clinging to that hope, he focused the little he had left on Finn's calm words.

"I'm going to give you a few instructions," they continued. "This is my final job as Squirrel. When it's safe, I'll come visit you as myself."

Jack hummed to prove he was listening, both to them and himself.

"First. We're going to stay on the phone for the next thirty minutes or so. I know you're outside, so we'll just stay there a little while. After I give you the okay, I'll hang up, and you won't be able to contact me again."

He hummed again, but this one was harder to choke out. The briefest curiosity to ask how they knew his location was overshadowed by the fear that this was the last time they would speak. For how long? What if something happened? When would it be safe? How long would he be left here in the dark?

"Second. Once you're in the house, call for Ellie. She's a smart, tough little girl, and she'll only come out of hiding for you."

Ellie. There wasn't only Finn. He wouldn't be alone. But that meant that now, Sam was completely on his own. He went with that terrifying man and left everything behind. What would happen to him?

"Third. You might notice a few men following you or wandering outside the house. There will be four. If you see them, memorize their faces but don't interact. They are there to protect you, just in case. Though I don't think it'll be necessary."

Sam was supposed to protect them. He promised he would, but he left and is sending strangers in his place. Even if they were safe, who was going to protect him?

"Fourth. Keep Ellie home with you until I contact you again. You and Jade can teach her inside the house. If you think anything is suspicious, tell her to hide. She'll know what to do. And find those men."

She'll know what to do.

Not even four, but she already knows what to do? Yet here he was, fighting with thoughts and fears he didn't recognize. They filled him like a toxic gas, a heavy nothingness choking him. He couldn't see it or grasp it, but it consumed him.

"Fifth. Don't worry. That probably should have been first." Finn chuckled through the phone, breaking through the dark, and Jack huffed out a laugh between his slowing tears. "Honey, this is all a precaution. The syndicate has no use for you or Ellie and harming either of you will only create a mess. Mess brings attention and attention brings trouble. But Mags told me it was his responsibility to worry. He went a little overboard."

Huffing out another laugh led to more tears. Finn stayed quiet on the other end, letting Jack release his emotion. For at least twenty of the thirty minutes, he could only cry. When he finally calmed himself, he sat on the ground, back against the fence. Staring up at the clear, blue sky, only one thought came to mind.