Chapter 50: Prison City [Part 4]
The dying gaze of a coyote staggering backward. All its eyes could take in was the heavy blood filling the surrounding area, while from the thick mist, the silhouette of a "clown" walked with two knives in hand. His step was light, unhurried — making not the slightest sound — and his gaze bore a striking resemblance to the darkest myths surrounding that legendary entity people called the Devil.
Seen through other eyes, however, he was just a coward full of wounds who, pushed to his absolute limit by circumstances, had been left with no choice but to fight. To battle dozens of hungry creatures alone… That was his way of refusing to surrender to Marcus's schemes — but it was also his own way of staying a coward, so he wouldn't have to face the guilt he carried.
Scaramuccia breathed hard, his body failing, and hurled one of his knives at the wild beast. The coyote finally died in a pool of blood.
The mist swirled around the area, cold currents sweeping through the streets as though carrying something between their icy jaws, and — like the brush of wind inside the church — it whispered into the sheriff's ear. He opened his eyes and, unbothered, said:
"I know. I saw it. You don't have to keep repeating yourself."
Rosa felt a wave of mixed emotions watching Marcus talk alone with the charm in his hand — but she set it aside when she noticed Father Sunday making his way toward the pew where Marcus sat. The old man, hands folded behind his back, stood beside the pew for a brief moment until, yielding to his age, he decided to sit a little distance away from the man.
Marcus said nothing to him — he seemed more absorbed in whatever his eyes were tracking in the space before him. That relaxed expression, carrying the faintest glimmer of a predator's gaze, sent a sinister chill running down Sunday's spine. He didn't back away, though. He cleared his throat, took on a purposeful posture, and asked:
"Are you having trouble catching your target, Sheriff Marcus?"
"Not really. Everything is going as planned. The clown will fall before long. It's only a matter of time before one of the coyotes drags him to the church door."
"I see. You are remarkably effective at your work. However, something has been troubling me since you arrived. You requested the Assimilation Frame and amplified your power as the Ballad imbued in the charm dictates — but was that truly necessary? You're known for handling situations without outside assistance. It's precisely why the Holy Church holds you in such high regard. But…"
"Because it would be faster, old man. If you're going to ask questions with obvious answers, you'd be better off closing your mouth."
Caught off guard by Marcus's blunt reply, Sunday lowered his head — but in a whisper, said:
"You are a very lazy man."
Marcus smiled. He opened his palm, looking at the charm — and there, where the symbol of divinity was reflected, he saw nothing more than another small fragment of the great problem that this world is. Then, looking at the floor with that faint, strangely bored smile, he tightened his fist.
"Yeah," he said flatly.
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"Bonnie, we already know you're a little crazy — but you can't keep going like this. Just look at the state you're in," Evelyn said with her usual dry tone. She moved toward Bonnie and draped an arm over her shoulders. "Just imagine yourself surrounded by a pack of hungry coyotes. They'll make a meal out of you!"
Victoria moved toward the entrance of the alley and touched the thick mist. She could see with her own eyes how the density warped between her fingers.
"If you keep pushing, Marcus won't hesitate to kill you," La Señora said. She looked at Bonnie. "He almost certainly already knows you're a Ballad follower too. If he figures out you're an outlaw on top of that, he'll have no problem killing you outright — or using you to bait Scaramuccia in."
"We wouldn't have much to worry about if we ran into him ourselves," Lady added. "Since Vicky still has a deal with him, we're out of danger — but your situation is a completely different matter."
Putting Bonnie's hat back on her head, Evelyn said:
"If you get in the way of his hunt, the Sheriff will put you down without a second thought. Think about that before you make any moves. He's not the kind of man whose hand shakes when it's time to do his job."
"Even if he's lazy, he'll always find the easiest path to get things done. If you make his job easier, you'll have a target on your back."
Bonnie felt cornered — but she had to act now or lose the chance entirely. Even so, something had been nagging at her from everything the others kept mentioning, especially the way Victoria spoke about Marcus.
"Maybe it's just me — but aren't you saying a lot about the sheriff? It's almost like—"
"I know him. That's all," said Victoria. Her gaze stayed as observant as ever for the situation they were in.
'A straight answer with nothing extra. That's just how she is, I suppose. But that doesn't change what I want to do.'
She still hadn't fully explained what she had in mind. She needed to do that before she lost the moment.
"I see. But what I want to do doesn't put me in danger. At least, it won't make me an enemy of the Sheriff. I want to catch Scaramuccia — make him fall into a trap. That's something that man is also trying to do, and we can make it happen without taking unnecessary risks."
"Go on," La Señora said.
Evelyn looked at her with genuine confusion. Even Lady seemed reluctant hearing Victoria so interested in what Bonnie had to say. There was nothing to lose by listening — but the plan itself sounded like an excuse for all of them to let Bonnie keep going.
It had already been made clear that leaving her alone was a bad idea — she was a danger both to herself and to those around her. Keeping her close until she learned to carry herself was the decision Victoria had made. But that decision was now bumping up against her own interest in the situation.
"Well — first, as I already told you, Scaramuccia knows far more than he's letting on, and I want to catch him so I can pull out every piece of information I can. If I use the coyotes already chasing him right now, maybe I can make him slip up, which would set off a chain of events where I knock him out and drag him to the church where the sheriff is."
"Bonnie… That plan would make a little sense if you weren't already injured," Evelyn said. "The way you are right now, all you can do is look pitiful. And do you really think you can catch a follower of the Coward's Ballad who's been through who knows how many Stigmas?"
"He's been running from Marcus since he escaped Steam City — that much is certain," Lady added. "Which doesn't exactly put him in the same category as an ordinary Ballad follower like the rest of us."
"I know — but he's exhausted. I saw it when he rescued me. He looked like he had nothing left. If I move fast enough, I can take advantage of his moment of weakness and make him talk. What happens to him after I hand him over to the sheriff is a separate matter."
Victoria took it all in and arrived at a conclusion.
"You're angry at that young man because he didn't do anything to stop those girls from dying. Isn't that right?"
Bonnie hadn't expected that. The resolve she'd been holding flickered for just an instant.
"What? I… Yes, but what I feel doesn't matter compared to what I can get out of this. Besides, if the Church gets that information too, I'll be one step closer to finishing what I started. You said it yourself — as outlaws, we get to choose. I'm choosing to do this on my own terms. I'm going to catch him no matter what."
Evelyn squeezed Bonnie's shoulder gently. Her gaze drifted somewhere distant, but she smiled and gave her a quiet pat on the back.
"I'll help her. That way at least I can make sure she comes back in one piece."
"But Evelyn," Lady said.
"Relax. I'm not actually stepping into the fight. I'm just going to give Bonnie a little push in the direction she wants to go. I know better than anyone that getting in the way of Marcus's work means we'll never set foot in Gramond County with our freedom again — so I'll be careful. What do you say, Victoria? Isn't this a better idea than leaving her alone?"
"Bonnie said it. Outlaws do what they want."
"I… Well…" Bonnie stumbled over her words. She couldn't believe it. It was a little strange that after all of this, everything simply came down to "do what you want" — but that was the philosophy of the outlaw.
Nobody could stop anyone. The same way Victoria hadn't stopped Evelyn from going to the circus, she wasn't going to stop her from helping whoever she chose. Thieving Cat winked at Bonnie.
"Congratulations, Bonnie. You're a genuine outlaw on the run."
Bonnie let out a small, nervous laugh.
"Seems like that's what I am…"
"Then I'm heading back to the inn," said La Señora. "Come on, Lady. Let them do what they want. Just don't come crying to us when something goes sideways," she finished, with a bold smile.
And with that, Lady followed Victoria reluctantly, and the two of them disappeared into the mist.