Mad Hatter |George Daniel|

16

"This is everything we would need." Gee sprawls out tools on his bed. New clothes, shoes, latex gloves, trash bags, over-the-counter syringes. I get chills when I see the bottle of who knows what sitting on top of a shirt two sizes too big. He notices my hesitation when he hands me things. "Baby you're okay." He coo's. "This will be easy as pie."

"How are we going to track him down?" I ask while tying my hair into a ponytail. He goes through one of his drawers and hands me a white balaclava accompanied by a wooden pocket knife bigger than my hand. This was really happening. Today was the day Macen would be injected with arsenic and we may or may not get convicted of murder.

George starts to change into something new, handing me clothes too. "Well you know where he lives, we can get clues from that. Track back places you two would go to and try that. If not we threaten everyone he knows to spill." There's tension in the room now. "Here." He hands me a bag of clothes and a new pair of men's boots.

"What's this for?"

"You've gotta change everything about you. Different shoe size, different gendered clothes. You go by Kayla now, identify myself as Derek. Wear these gloves with hair tied around the end so no prints get on you. These jeans are probably too tight so don't button them. I got you new perfume to use, throw the bottle away. Put your hair under the mask, walk with bigger strides than you usually do. Speak in an American accent. You're Kayla Atire you work in the medical field and you're 27."

"You're wacko." I say and start to undress already regretting the damn mom jeans he had given me. I looked like an idiot. So did Gee. But I was in love with him enough to do this. In women's tennis shoes, an "I ❤️ America" shirt. Jeans that were so baggy he needed a belt. He tucks his mask and gloves in the Jean pocket.

Once we got in the car I started to get an aching feeling in my stomach. Gee has erotophonophila and I'm scared of the sight of death. It's amazing how opposite we are yet so in love. Not to mention this day is our full month together and it could be our last. George drives endlessly around the neighborhood I directed him too, I watch his eyes flicker nervously from house to house then his rear view mirror. "He lives there." I say pointing to the cherry red house that had a dying yard and broken fence gate. The lights were off but that didn't stop us. Parked right at the corner Gee pulls his balaclava over his face, only his golden eyes seen under the streetlights. I do the same and strap on the gloves. The boot pops open and I watch his tall figure dip inside, tucking all sorts of things into his jeans. A rag, the needles, the arsenic, a switch blade. "We don't know what he could be capable of. Take this." He whispers holding out a similar weapon to the one I had been shot with.

"Gee...no I don't know how to use this." I put my hands to my sides and step up on the curb. He holds the gun out more but I shake my head.

"I'd rather have you carry this than just a knife. He could have something on him too."

"George it's 3 in the morning. He would be asleep..."

"I stuff him with the cloraphorme and inject that shit in him, you stand there all pretty and watch. We dip and he's left to be found. It's very easy. They find his body, they declare death in his sleep he gets DOA and we blame the body for malfunctioning." He pulls me closer to him, lifting my shirt to tuck the barrel of the weapon in the front of my pants. He does it swiftly before kissing me through the fabrics on our hidden faces. There's adrenaline in my veins as we walk up the house and quietly search for a way to get in. I hold onto his hand, squeezing it to assure myself I was fine. He doesn't squeeze back.

There's a screen door unlocked on the side of the house. Gee takes his knife and slices down the center of it. A loud ripping sound emoting through the possibly empty house. It's dark enough to only see his silhouette but I'm eligible to follow him. I see a faint light from a back room, it barely emits a path to the room where the door was shut. We moved so slowly and so quietly a pin could be heard being dropped. It was like deathly silence at a funeral for a priest. Something in me started to feel queezy and my nails grip onto George as he edged closer to the door.

His ear is pressed to the door when I get a tickling feeling in my nose. The urge to sneeze from all the dust in this shitty house. Do not spoil this for us Luana...

I itch my nose roughly as Gee spots the lock to be open. Gosh Macen way to be safe.

Gee looks back at me before creeking the oak door open slowly and peering in. His eyes scanning the whole room clearly. I peer over his shoulder and smile to myself when I see his sleeping body on his stomach. The sheets are kicked off as if he was recklessly unable to sleep. There's barley any light shone into the room. Curtains drawn closed to conceal his property. Macen's eyes are closed tight as the pillow he was grabbing. My throat itches.

George holds up a silent finger and makes his way through, steering himself to the edge of the bed. Movement was so slow I felt 28 already. There's a tense moment where he freezes and removes the rag from his jacket. His balaclava concealed the smell from himself. It reaked of the chloroprene from the doorway. Gee hovers over his deep sleep and nears it closer to his face. My heart races.

With such switch movement he leaps to his body, pressing his knees onto Macen's arms. He's shocked awake but shut up by the rag being muffled over his mouth and nose. A sound of terror and muffled yelling erupted through the house. I back away nervous and knock over a bowl with his keys and other objects like marbles onto the ground. The darkness blinds me. I can't watch as Gee holds his wrist down and pushes the sharp utility tool into his vein, pushing the syringe at a slow but also speeded pace. "Last time you hurt what's mine." He says with a raspy and angry tone as he removes the rag, Macen's body has slumped. He gets off him and comes over to me avoiding the mess I've made on the ground. "He's out from the chemicals but his heart won't stop just yet. Let's get going before shit gets suspicious." He takes a hold of my shaking hand and guides me through the dark house. Every step we took was nerve racking in fear of being caught after causing such a racket.

Once we threw everything back into the boot and removed our extra clothing, Gee and I sit outside our house and silently puff on a spliff. There's tension. We just committed murder, was the only thing on our minds. We sit stoned and rethink our consequences. I sit in the passenger seat with a blank face and my mouth is halfway open. Leaning back George flicks to dead drug out his window and opens up the door. "Let's sleep on it." He announces and closes the door rather roughly, making me jump. Nervously I walk behind him into the house. Matty was out cold on the couch as we snuck up to the room. Somehow I still wanted my hands laced with Gee's but I also craved to run them through Matty's hair. My ex was dead, I've cheated on my murdering boyfriend with his best mate and I somehow got evicted.

We lie down on the bed facing each other. It was cold. "George." I whisper through the dark room.

"Yeah?"

"I'm scared."

"Don't be, I've got you."

/ /

I'm so sad George broke his fucking shoulder the day after my show. They were a blast but he must've got hurt at Red Rocks. Luckily the band is still playing shows but without Gee :( I think someone from Wolf Alice might take over for him.

Get well soon G💜