SPLINTER.

     she contemplated that question , MAY it be rhetorical or not , “ i mean … perhaps both ? “ and with finality , swiped her palm over the dead man’s eyes ; shutting his lids once and for all without so much as smearing a drop of blood . 

     looks like she WON the staring contest ! 

    “ … i mean it wasn’t ea—sy . i lost a shoe at some point and got like , eleven splinters in my foot thereafter , but the smell was too STRONG to just ignore , so i followed it all the way up here ! what a pain . the splinters , i mean . got any tweezers ? “

           _{——— OFTEN THE INFERNAL DID NOT GARNER A SENSE OF HUMOR. little by little, he noted the gaps in his understanding of the situation. he’d done this job as instructed by his client, the woman wanting the body displayed from high above as if burnt in effigy. he knew better than to light the fucker on fire, too flashy, too noticeable.}

     _{still, it mattered little if his cover was blown so quickly, the girl both a witness and an anomaly.}

❝ i can help you, but you’re going to need to come with me. ❞