Rocky stopped at the corner ahead, glanced back, and padded to her side as if to remind her there was still a job to do. “Oh,” she said, way too loudly. Ren was frozen. Like a rat. Holding cheddar. “Hi,” Lorena said, way too softly. Ren nodded slowly. “Lorena.” She smiled, too wide, and cursed herself internally. ‘Cool. Cool. Say something normal. Not weird. Not stalkery. Not like that last time.’ “I see you found your cheese.” He didn’t answer right away. Just stared at her, cheese still halfway between the tray and his mouth. “Yeah.” “I remember you liked cheese,” she added, her voice going
Rocky stopped at the corner ahead, glanced back, and padded to her side as if to remind her there was still a job to do. “Oh,” she said, way too loudly. Ren was frozen. Like a rat. Holding cheddar. “Hi,” Lorena said, way too softly. Ren nodded slowly. “Lorena.” She smiled, too wide, and cursed herself internally. ‘Cool. Cool. Say something normal. Not weird. Not stalkery. Not like that last time.’ “I see you found your cheese.” He didn’t answer right away. Just stared at her, cheese still halfway between the tray and his mouth. “Yeah.” “I remember you liked cheese,” she added, her voice going a little airy. “I remember that you remembered that,” Ren said warily. Rocky, by her feet now like a judgmental cat, blinked slowly between them. Ren said, “Is that a raccoon?” Lorena replied, “This is Rocky. He also lives here.” “What do you mean he lives here?” Ren asked. “I don’t know. Ever since I got here, he’s been here—sharing the food, keeping me company. He’s my buddy.” Ren’s eyes widened slightly. ‘Since when was there a raccoon living in the murder hospital?’ he thought. “Rocky here thinks there may be something wrong, so he was leading me somewhere,” Lorena said. “But I think I should go find Simms.” “That’s a good idea,” Ren said. “If there is a problem, I don’t think me, you, and a raccoon could deal with it.” “Oh yeahhhhh, I didn’t even bring my gun,” Lorena said. She’d left that in her small room, and Ren was only armed with his cheese tray. That broke the spell. “Gre...
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