V & V - Rageous Rageon Redemption.

No Trust

Rollie POV:

Rollie: "W... where's Orchid?"

Kid Ritz gives me a blank look.

Kid Ritz: "She's in the tunnel. She's with Dixie... and Johnny."

Fred tightens his grip on me, pulling me closer while angling his body in front of me.

Fred: "Why... why are you covered in blood, Ritz? What do you mean Orchid's in the tunnel with Dixie... and Johnny? Why would you leave them alone with him? What's going on?"

Fred's voice is dark and cautious, making me feel even more nervous that he is. Kid Ritz says nothing for a minute, blinking like he's not fully here with us.

Kid Ritz: "I left Orchid to hide under the desk in the office, and I ran down the tunnel and found a locker room. I hid inside, and Johnny hunted me. Orchid must have found Dixie in the hallway because she had called my name. Johnny left the locker room, I followed him into the hallway... where I found Dixie and Orchid frozen. I heard Johnny coming back, so I hid back in the locker room with Jewels."

He hesitates, his eyes meeting mine, then Fred's. They're wide, and look panicked from the glow of the monitors behind him.

Kid Ritz: "Johnny had ripped the door off of a locker trying to find me, and I initially tripped and hurt myself really bad with it. Then... Johnny tripped. While he was down... I grabbed the door... and."

He stops, his eyes glazing over, like he's reliving the moment.

Fred: "What Kid Ritz. And. What."

Kid Ritz: "And... I bashed his head in. I hit him, and hit him, and hit him... I did it over and over until he stopped making noise. Then... I hit him some more. He called me a coward, that I wouldn't do it to him. He said because I was a coward... is why my dad left. That was his mistake... calling me a coward. I'm not a coward."

Kid Ritz's voice comes out cold as he licks his lips slightly, his eyes flicking to the floor. I'm stunned, completely unable to say anything. Looking past his shoulder to Jewels sitting on the chair, I can see her fur is matted with glittery blood.

Fred pushes me completely behind him, holding me with one arm behind his back. I grip him tightly, afraid now. Kid Ritz meets my eyes angrily, then looks up at Fred.

Kid Ritz: "Why are you hiding him?"

Fred shakes his head, walking us back until I'm pressed up against the door.

Fred: "You need to show me where Orchid, Dixie, and Johnny are."

Kid Ritz: "Why?"

Fred: "So I know you're telling the truth."

Kid Ritz's eyes darken as his face flashes hurt... then anger. A deep, dark, malign anger fueled by shock... and pain. It must hurt him badly that Fred doesn't trust him. I... didn't realize the extent of their relationship.

Kid Ritz: "You... don't... believe me?"

Fred's hand shakes against me, prompting me to grab and hold him tight. Kid Ritz's eyes flick to our hands, then back to Fred's gaze.

Kid Ritz: "What's that? You two got something going on? What do you think I'm going to do? Hurt you guys? I did what I needed to do to survive."

Fred: "We don't have anything 'going on.' I just need to make sure he's safe."

Kid Ritz: "Safe? Safe from who? Me? I killed Johnny, the monster. You should be thanking me."

Fred: "Do you hear yourself? You killed someone! That was not a choice you should have made for someone! You ended their life!"