𝗠𝘆 𝗘𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗲 ⇉ 𝗝𝗝 𝗠𝗮𝘆𝗯𝗮𝗻𝗸

𝘢 𝘯 𝘴 𝘸 𝘦 𝘳 𝘴

THE POGUES MOVE with a frantic urgency, Terrance's body, a haunting reminder of the night's events, lay hidden behind the couch. The Pogues moved with a desperate precision, their movements a blur of frantic energy.

JJ's voice was firm but gentle as he instructs Ari to take Cora and Cleo upstairs, away from the chaos.

Ari's heart aches as she took Cora Lynn from JJ's arms, her gaze shifting to Cleo, who stood frozen in shock, tears streaming down her face.

Linking arms with Cleo, Ari felt the weight of the moment pressing down on them both. Terrance had been like a father to Cleo, a guiding light in her darkest times.

Without him, she wouldn't have survived.

She wouldn't be with them.

Cleo's devastation was palpable, and Ari knew she couldn't leave her alone.

"Come on, Cleo girl." Ari whispers softly, her voice trembling with empathy. "Let's get you cleaned up, okay?"

Cleo didn't respond, but she allows Ari to guide her up the stairs, her steps heavy with grief.

Below, the rest of the Pogues work feverishly to clean up the blood and hide Terrance's body from Sheriff Shoupe, whose persistent knocking echoes through the house.

Ari quickly put her sleeping daughter down before starting a shower for Cleo. She rejoins her friend, her heart breaking at the sight of Cleo's vacant stare.

With tender hands, Ari tied up Cleo's hair, ensuring it was out of her face. She then took out clean clothes for Cleo to wear after her shower.

Right now, Ari focuses on the small, tender acts of care, her hands steady as she cleaned Cleo's blood-stained hands. Each wipe of the cloth felt like an attempt to erase the horror of the day.

Ari's touch was gentle but firm, her presence a steady anchor in the storm of Cleo's grief. She led Cleo towards the bathroom, closing the door but leaving it slightly ajar, a silent promise that she wouldn't leave her alone.

Cleo trusts Ari with her life, and in this moment of unbearable sorrow, that trust was a lifeline. Ari's heart shatter's for her friend, but she remained steadfast, determined to help Cleo through this.

As the water began to run, Ari's thoughts were a whirlwind of memories and heartache, but she held it together for Cleo.

They would get through this, somehow, together.

Though she knew Cleo would want revenge.

Ari's heart aches as she reluctantly left Cleo to finish up in the shower. The bedroom door closes softly behind her, and she made her way to check on Cora Lynn.

The little girl was still sound asleep, her small chest rising and falling with each peaceful breath, completely oblivious to the chaos that had erupted downstairs.

Ari's eyes soften as she gazes at her daughter, a pang of sorrow hitting her deep down. This was not the life she wanted for Cora Lynn, not the world she envisioned for her innocent child.

The reality of their situation felt like a heavy weight pressing down on her heart.

With a deep sigh, Ari slowly walks down the stairs, her steps quiet and measured.

The familiar voices of the Pogues had faded, replaced by the tense conversation between Shoupe and JJ. Ari's steps falters as she reaches the midpoint of the stairs, her ears straining to catch their words.

"...Shoupe, like, they came at us with a truck, ran over a turtle hatch, nearly killed my wife and daughter, all right?! My daughter was there, man!" JJ's voice was filled with a mix of anger and desperation.