South London Forever // George Karim

-dandelions and headstones and best friends-

"Come on, puppy."

Freddie heard Chai's tail bump into something as he wagged it. Only a golden retriever could be happy standing by the gates of a cemetery. He trotted forwards and the specialised leash tugged her after him.

The gravel crunched under her gumboots. She waved at the death glows she passed, just in case they knew. She imagined it would be very lonely way to live. Or die, in their case.

She was led off the main path that went all the way up to the old church turned hub, where the night watch would gather just before the sun went down. They were gone now. There were no ghosts in the cemetery today, just the supernatural remains of the night watch employees who didn't make it out when the sun rose again.

The sun wasn't here today at all. Hidden behind the clouds like she wanted to be with her patchwork blanket. Freddie pulled her trench coat further around her and ran her calloused fingertips down the embroidered bones.

Chai stopped. His tail had stopped whacking against her leg as well.

Freddie ignored the tightness in her chest and sat down next to the cold headstone. She ran her finger across the words in the stone instead of her sleeves. The dog whined and rested his soft head on her thigh.

She took a few deep breaths that turned to mist, rubbed her hands together, and took the crumpled bouquet of frail daisies from the inside pocket of her coat. She'd taken them from the sprigs Lucy had scattered across her bedside table. Around the clippings and photos of Anabel Ward.

She lay them on the grave.

"Hello, Jess."

Chai whined again.

"Your brothers being a right idiot again," Freddie mumbled, and brought her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them. 'I won't go into detail, but I sort of want to push him into the Thames."

She frowned. The grass tickled her ankles where her suit pants stopped. It had grown wild around the grave, but short and scratchy where the coffin had been lowered. She knew there were flowers on top, little dandelion puffy ones, but she didn't know what type. No one else had ever visited with her. "He just always thinks everything will work out."

Maybe he's right.

"Maybe not this time," Freddie said quietly. "I mean, I knew that I'll end up on night watch once I'm twenty and my talent has faded, but... now I might just be bumming off Ant til I die."

He won't mind.

"That's the problem, Freddie said, scratching the fluffy bit of Chai's chest. She gulped. "I don't want to be useless."

I'm useless.

"Yes, but you're dead," Freddie said. Someone pulled up outside the cemetery in a car with a shitty engine and tires that squealed against the potholes in the road. "You're allowed to be useless."

You're disabled.

"But not dead," Freddie said. Her voice cracked, and she wiped her eyes with the backs of her cold hands quickly. She sniffed. "I have to go now Earnie's here. We're going to the Archives to solve this girl's death."

Chai's tail thumped on the ground twice. Fuck. Now it was going to be full of leaves and grit that she'd have to brush out before he went into the house.

Freddie pushed her hair back out of her face.

"I miss you," she said, around the lump in her throat. "So much."