The FF

On Sirens

Niko trudged his way up the steps back to Roman's flat. Their flat. After the police had finally showed up and took a report, Roman went for a nap and Niko went for a walk. It was now past dusk. He opened the door back inside and surveyed the vista. His shoulders sank seeing the unapologetic mess of brown, grey and rotting. He lay on the bed, careful not to wake up Roman, decided not to have a cigarette, and spent the rest of the night watching static-heavy TV until fading away to sleep.

The nightmares kept him heavily asleep until one ghoul who looked like an old friend shot to his face with hollowed out eyes and kept screeching; screech-screech, screech-screech. And then the ghoul grabbed him. The foul, lecherous cold fingers pressing in jolted him awake to the din of the phone ringing. He winced, groaned and grabbed at the receiver.

"Hello?" trying not to sound too pissed off.

"Oh. Um. Sorry. Is Roman there?"
Niko looked behind him and saw Roman's wide, slurp-stained back rising and falling and turned back to the phone. "Yeah but he's sleeping."

"Well, can you wake him up? Tell him it's Mallorie. Youknowhat? Never mind. I'm coming there now."
"Wait, hold- what time is it?" he asked no-one.

"Time? It should've been time for me to start work but then police show up at my apartment and start asking me all sorts of questions, threatening with jail time and offering plea bargains and, look, please, just tell Roman I'm on my way and I'm bringing breakfast."

"Okay, then." He placed the receiver back on the hold and strained back to prone on the bed, staring at the sky and falling into the biting stasis of sleep that never comes.

Mallorie banged on the door and rustled out her own keys to get in. She galloped around to Roman's side and cooed at his sordid, chubby face.

"Oh Roman. What happened? C'mon, get up. Tell me everything." She switched her tone. "Roman." Roman grumbled, half-asleep and fanned anyone near him away.

"Go away, please. Trixie and Lexi are about to say yes." Mallorie pulled out a water bottle, unscrewed the cap and started pouring it on him. Roman flapped and yelped awake, his heavy body shaking and creaking the bed. "Wha- wha- who- what?"

"Are you going to explain things to me, now? Police were at my door last night and accused me of burning down my place of work. I told them what would I get out of it? That job's the only thing paying my bills. They wouldn't believe it. Said they see this sort of thing all the time in the movies."

"They shouldn't have come to you. It was all my fault, Mallorie. I screwed it up."

"Awhh, no, no. You didn't screw up. You'll bounce back. This is all just temporary."
"You think so?"
"Yeah, Rumi. I do. Now, where's my last paycheque?"
"What?"
"You didn't pay me for the last two weeks. I was getting by on tips." She glanced at Niko with a can-you-believe-it look. "You said you were low on capital, that this was because of the utility spikes. So, what now, boss guy? Did I just work two weeks for free? Huh?"

"Look, I was going to pay you with the insurance payout. But, uhh . . ."

"But what, Roman?"

"There's no payout."

Mallorie almost screamed. Instead, she patted herself neat and blinked herself anew and undid her hair. She looked at Niko.

"Hi. I'm Mallorie."

"Hello Mallorie."
"Yes, Niko, Mallorie. I will introduce you two. Niko, this is Mallorie, the mother of my children."
"Roman," she trailed off in a way that Niko could not tell whether was playful or defeated.