Behind the dumpster

“How do they do that?” Elle asks.
Kinzie looks at Elle and shrugs. “Do what?”
“Brainwash people. How do they do that?”
A frown creeps across Kinzie’s face. “Same way everyone does it, with love, lies, and fear. They invite you in, hug you, and give you food. Then they feed your head full of stupid stories and rituals. Then they starve you, beat you, and scream at you.” She stops talking and looks at the building for a moment. “Oh yes. And all the while insisting that your suffering, your blood and tears, are for a higher cause. Bullshit.”
“How do you know so much about it?” Elle asks.
“Do your questions ever stop?” Kinzie walks away. Elle follows. They turn into a winding alley full of trash cans and dumpsters. Elle steps over a pile of blankets, only noticing the sounds of breathing coming out from under it after she has past. She taps Kinzie on the shoulder.
Kinzie turns and immediately begins signing. /You go there. Watch./ She points to the far end of the alley.
Elle hesitates.
/Go!/ Kinzie signs.
Elle jogs to the end of the alley and then turns around to see what her friend is doing. Kinzie is rummaging through the dumpsters. Without stopping her scavenging, she turns and signs with one hand. /Watch for purple. Not me. Out there./
Elle turns immediately and looks out from the the alley. She sees blue, not purple. Thaxton. Elle slides down the wall and tucks herself behind a garbage can. She picks up a rock from the street, turns, and throws it at the dumpster Kinzie is in. The deaf girl drops everything, sprints, and squats next to Elle.
They both breathe shallow, quiet breaths. As silently as they can, they crouch next to one another. Barely leaning forward, Kinzie scans the street. She looks at Elle and stands up. /Nothing there. None purple./
/Blue./ Kinzie signs.
/Angel hunters? Don’t care./ Elle signs and walks back to the dumpster.
Kinzie doesn’t want to stand. She doesn’t want to see Thaxton again. Doesn’t want to imagine stabbing him again. Doesn’t want to run again. He’s turning. This way. His eyes meet hers.
It’s not him at all. It is a purple shirt. It is a man. He has a necklace with a wooden wheel on it. But it is not Thaxton. His eyes signal no recognition, only curiosity. She frowns. He turns away.
“We’re done here.” Kinzie says from behind her.
Elle jumps and squeaks.
“For someone who supposedly has hearing, you’re not very good at it.”