Hollow Grace

ɴɪɴᴇᴛᴇᴇɴ - ᴀʟʟ ʜᴀʟʟᴏᴡs' ᴇᴠᴇ

Warning! The chapter contains content that may be inappropriate and unpleasant to read. Read with caution.

Night from October 31st to November 1st

𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐧 
Are you sure about this? Maybe he won't be so strict today?

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞
When he goes to bed, I'll try to sneak out quietly.

𝐄𝐯𝐚𝐧
You were a bit too hasty saying the workshop was closed today. You could have said there was some extra work suddenly...

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐞
I know. I messed up. But you know our backwoods. Someone would have definitely told father that "Hybrid Hub" wasn't open.

"Pixie, take that damn phone away before I smash it," commanded Barebone, who was driving. Charlie, of course, didn't know his real name. "Why the hell did you even bring it with you?"

"Aren't you don't give a fuck?" Charlie grumbled, putting his phone in his pocket.

"Yeah. Turn it off. Or I'll turn you off."

Balancing his work and personal life was incredibly difficult, but he did everything he could. He texted Evan at every free moment when they weren't together. Getting used to the necessary lies wasn't easy. Charlie still felt a heavy lump in his throat when he had to hide details and lie about what he was doing. But it was better than the truth. Anything was better than that truth.

Today, he had to lie more than usual. His boss decided that Halloween Eve was the perfect time for another deal. And that, in turn, meant that the night carnival in Oferton, where Charlie was supposed to go with his friends, was canceled. It was easier to convey this through text. If Evan called, Wright would start to stutter and would be caught like a complete idiot.

Charlie texted Evan saying he would contact him as soon as he could and turned off his phone.

"Chatting with your girlfriend?" Barebone laughed. 

"None of your business," Wright snapped. 

"Shut up," Darren hissed and shoved a box of makeup into Charlie's hands. "Slap it on your face, quick."

The choice of this particular night was no accident. On a holiday when people would flood the streets in masquerade costumes and makeup, it was very easy to commit a couple of crimes and go unpunished. On Halloween, you could stage a bloody massacre, and everyone would think it was a fun show. Murder? Oh, come on, there's a corpse hanging from a tree on the next street as decoration. So realistic that onlookers stand near it longer than is decent. Who would care about a group of painted freaks driving around the suburbs in a car and shouting "trick or treat"?

The plan was simple. Four guys, including Charlie, get in the car and without overplaying it, portray a typical youth gang. While they were heading to their destination, a package ten times larger than usual was lying under the back seat. You couldn't carry something like that in your pocket or backpack on a regular day, but on Halloween - easily. Then everything went as usual. The main thing was not to run into trouble.

Charlie wasn't thrilled with his company, but he wasn't completely horrified either. He already knew Darren, and strangely enough, his presence provided some reassurance. Nemo - a name that Wright allowed himself to laugh at - belonged to his acquaintance "Felicity" from Oferton. The fact that she was invited to this job was no less strange, but as usual, Charlie did not question his boss's decisions. Barebone looked noticeably older and larger than the teenagers, but according to Darren, he had graduated from school three years ago. Surprisingly, they all looked quite laconic in the same company.