The Ladies

Chapter Seven

Aurora

I'm surprisingly fine when I wake up.

That is as fine as someone can be after seeing the bloodiest thing in the world.

Asshole: Do you know how to fight?

It is seven am who the fuck asks that kind of questions before their second cup of coffee.

Me: The basics. Why?

He leaves me on read. I'm a little offended.

He texts the group chat.

Asshole: Do you guys have the day off as well?

The cops gave us a few days off school so we could gather ourselves after the whole bloody-corpse-finding.

Ash: Obvi. What do you got?

Asshole: I'll see all of you at the old barn.

Ash: I swear, if this is another corpse!

Asshole: It's not.

🧀🧀🧀

When we get to the barn Liam is nowhere to be found.

"Why didn't you bring Cookie?" Ash pouts.

I'm still not sure he's over five years old.

"Knowing Liam, this is either a shooting range or a book club" I kind of hope it's the second one because we are not age appropriate for the first.

"Oh good, you guys are here." Liam walks out of the tree line.

"Where is here exactly?" Selin asks, looking around like she's expecting something.

"Inside." Liam nods towards the old barn.

I enter curiously behind him.
What the fuck?

Three barns are connected through small doors. The middle barn has comfy couches with small tables and even a little sink. The last barn has a plastic-looking, see through door, headphones and (hopefully blank) guns on the table in front of them. The barn we just entered is turned into a fucking fighting mat.

"Liam, explain." Selin says, looking around the room with confusion mixed with awe.

"Welcome to the new department of Unexperienced Detectives. Capital U, capital D" He says casually.

Too casually.

Duncan narrows his eyes at the guns that are visible through the -possibly soundproof- door. "Where exactly did you get all this stuff"

Liam smiles slightly. "My grandfather kept them in the house in case we needed to scare anyone."

"That shit would do a lot more than scaring them. They're guns!" Ash says, proving my point that he shouldn't be allowed near one.

"They're blank." I look at Liam for confirmation and relax when he nods. Then I dumb it down for Ash and Selin. "The things inside aren't exactly bullets, they won't hurt unless you shoot from a real short distance."

"So they lessen the chance of you killing one of us when we eventually annoy you." Ash says with a pointed look at me.

I press my lips together to hold back a laugh and nod.

"If you guys are done," Liam turns to me. "You told me you knew how to fight. So do I."

Before Liam can manage a smug smile Selin cuts him off. "Better than her? Impossible."

Liam rolls his eyes. "You're her best friend, you're supposed to say that."

"Let's figure it out then." Ash looks at us with a mischievous look.